The Week.

stato tho course which it was proposed to take with tho bill with a view of getting it quickly into tho Houso of Lords . On tho 21 st ., tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer , replying to a question put by Colonol Fronch , defended tho appointment of tho Earl of Devon as President of tho Poor Law Board . Abdicating generally tho appointments of Lord Dorby , Air . Disraeli enlarged

upon tho advantages of Under Secretaries having opportunities of stating tho policy of thoir departments in tho Houso of Commons . This may bo all very well , but it is a discovery Avhich Air . Disraoli has mado sinco ho entered upon office this time . —Mr . Mill movod for loavo to bring in a bill in reference to tho local government of tho metropolis . Ho

stated that ho should not ask tho Houso to road tho bill a socond time until ho had an opportunity of bringing in a bill for tho creation of a central governing body iu tho metropolis . Mr . Ayrton took objection to Mr . Mill's proposal , and Mr . Locke , Colonel Hogg , ancl Colonel Sykos having spoken , Sir . Gathorno Hardy announced that tho Government woidd not opposo tho

introduction of tho bill , but would wait to soo its contents before offering an opinion upon it . Tho bill was brought in ancl road a first time . —Mr . O'Reilly brought under the notico of tho Houso tho condition of tho Roman Catholics of Maghorafelt , near Londonderry , in respect to a place of worship . Tho Sailors' Company woro proprietors of tho place , aud had given sitos for

Protestant places of worship . A \ hon tho Catholics applied for a site thoy AVOI-O told that tho charter of tho company imposed upon it tho duty of encouraging Protestantism aud discouraging Popory , and therefore no sito could bo granted . Mr . O'Reilly movod au address to tho Quoou to revoke this charter . There was a short discussion , in tho course ol ! which Mr . Peel Dawson said ho believed stops would bo taken by tho company to grant tho sito , and thereupon Mr . O'Reilly withdrew his

motion . —Tho Government asked for leave to bring in a bill to further suspend tho Habeas Corpus Act iu Ireland until tho first of March next . Lord Nans , iu asking loavo , reviewed tho events of tho last few months in Ireland , aud declared that nothing but a profound conviction of tho necessity of tho stop would havo induced tho Government to make tho present proposal to tho Houso . After a few words from Air . Maguiro , loavo was given to

bring in tho bill . —Tho Houso then took up tho consideration of bills relating to tho game law in Scotland . GENERAL HOME NEWS . —It appears from tho Registrar General ' s return that tho mortality in tho metropolis was lower last week than in any week sinco July 19 , 1802 , tho deaths being 103 fower than tho estimated number . Tho deaths registered last Avook

wero 1 , 119 , which is only eight more than in 1 SG 2 , notwithstanding tho vast increase in tho population which must havo taken place during tho last fivo years . Tho rates of mortalit y in 13 largo towus por 1 , 000 woro as follows : —Bristol , 17 ; Sheffield , 18 ; London , 19 ; Birmingham , 21 ; Hull , 22 ; Leeds , 21 ; Glasgow , Liverpool , and Salford , 25 ; Manchester , 29 ;

Nowcastlo-on-Tyno , 30 ; Dublin , 3 . 1 ; and Edinburgh , 33 . At a mcotin" of tho Court of Common Coimcil on tho 10 th inst ., it was resolved to guarantee a contribution of £ 500 to a fund for the erection of of a statue of Air . Peabody in tho City of London . An alarming accident took place at tho works of tho now bridge at Blaekfriars on tho ISth inst . As a largo iron caisson was

being lowered into tho river it struck against a platform on which several mon woro standing . Thoy woro precipitated into tho water , and very severely injured . A case of a kind not of very frequent occurrence came before tho magistrates at Bow-stroet police-court on tho 18 th iust . A beorshop keeper , named Gurnoy , was charged with attempting to bribe Air . Tubbs , a magistrate . Gurnoy wished to got a spirit license for his boorshop , and wrote to Sir . Tubbs asking him to vote for tho

The Week.

liconso at tho sessions . In tho letter wore enclosed banknotes worth £ 10 . Air . Tubbs sont tho letter and its enclosure to the Homo Secretary , who suggested a prosecution . Gurnoy was remanded . On tho 20 th inst ., tho Quoon laid tho foundation stono of tho Hall of Arts aud Sciences at Kensington . Tho ceremony was very short . Hor Majesty was received with a genuine outburst of enthusiasm . Tho musical performances woro

as perfect as tho Royal Italian Opera Company could make thorn . The Archbishop of Canterbury offered up a prayer—The Prince of Wales , as chairman of the committee , read an address to tho Queen . Her Majesty replied very briefly , and was hack at Windsor a few minutes after two o'clock . An old man named Benjamin Black has been brutally murdered iu Norfolk . The

crime was committed in a small village called Barton Bendish . The deceased had been employed on the estate of Sir Hanson Berneys , at Barton Bendish , all his life . He had lately acted in the capacity of woodman . On the lVfch inst ., when in bed , at four o ' clock , he thought he heard the report of a gun , and he got up ancl went out to see from what direction the report came .

A couple of hours afterwards it was discovered that the unfortunate man had been shot dead . A nephew of the deceased is in custody on a charge of being the perpetrator of the murder . — The ceremony of christening the infant son and first-born child of the Prince and Princess Christian was performed at Windsor Castle on the 21 st inst . The death is announced of Mr .

Clarkson Stanfield , one of the best known and most eminent of our landscape painters . Mr . Stanfield had reached the mature age of seventy-four . If we mistake not , Mr . Charles Dickens

dedicated " David Copperfield " to Mr . Stanfield . He was held in great esteem by his private friends , and he will in the future be greatly missed at the Royal Academy , where he was a constant exhibitor . Proceedings have been instituted in the Court of Arches against Mr . Maekonochie , the incumbent of St . Alban's , for the ritualistic practices which he has introduced into that church . After some preliminary arguments the

Dean of Arches postponed the case , that the articles of information might be amended . —•—For some time past decent people have been annoyed by having sent to them , through the post , pamphlets of an offensive character , referring to books said to have been written by one Robert Jordan . This individual , who has what he calls an anatomical museum , sets forth in his

pamphlet that he has diplomas from various medical bodies in England ancl Scotland . There is no doubt he has , but these bodies have again and again demanded that the diplomas should be given up , and have erased Jordan ' s name from their registers . Under these circumstances tho authorities of the Royal College of Surgeons have taken proceedings against him for practising

as a surgeon without being registered . The case came ou at the Marlborough-street Police-court . Evidence was given to show that Jordan ' s diploma as a surgeon had been ordered to be cancelled , and his name struck off the books of the college . The further hearing of the ease was postponed . The case of De Villars , who is charged with being concerned in enormous forgeries of bills of exchange , camo up at tho Mansion Houso again . Moro witnesses woro examined , but tho case could not be completed , and tho further hearing was adjourned .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

* * All communications to bo addressed to 19 , Salisbury-stroot , Strand , London , AV . C . AVe should be glad to hear from the following subscribers : — G . Wilkms , Portsea . ; — Moore , Tewkesbnrv ; C . J . Smith , Reigate ; J . Carroll , AVexfjrd ; — Glass , Cardiff .