New South Wales.

painting the lily to detain them any longer by anything ho might say . He ivould , therefore , propose " The Heafth of tho Directors . " { Drunk with Masonic honours . ) The D . PROV . G . M ., as Chairman of the Directors , returned thanks . He fully believed the intentions of the directors in their . exertions was the benefit of the Craft alone ; not the desire to acquire any power , but simply to do their duty as Freemasons . Bro . 11 . AV . MOORE stated that 1 , 500 shares in thc hall were held

"by the Masonic Orphan Fund , ancl he trusted the whole building would soon be entirely available for its benefit . The D . Piiov . G . M . then proposed , "The Universality of Freemasonry ; the health of the poor and distressed Brethren , and . speedy relief to them , " which was drunk with Masonic honours . Bro . A \ . B . BESTXETT then handed in a copy of verses composed ffor the occasion , ivhich were sang ; by Bro . P . M . Israel , and loudly applauded .

The Rev . Mr . ICnro now retired , all the Brethren standing . The D . Piiov . G . M . next proposed , 'The Ladies , " to which Bro . p . M . Israel responded in a humourous speech . Several other toasts were given and responded to , when , at about six o ' clock the D . Prov . G . M . gave " Our next happy meeting , " aud the Brethren separated .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COURT . —The Queen and family remain at Balmoral , and . the Prince of AA ales is pursuing his course of loyal reception in North America . IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . —In the House of Lords , on Thursday the 23 rd inst ., the Gunpowder , & c ., Bill , and the Lauded Property Ireland ) Bill passed through committee . —The Industrial Schools ' Act ( 1857 ) Amendment Bill , the Ecclesiastical Commission Bill , the Landlord and Tenant ( Ireland ) Bill , the Consolidated Fund

( £ 10 , 000 , 000 ) Bill , and the Spirits Bill , were read a second time . — The second reading of the Savings' Bank and Friendly Societies ' Investments Bill was negatived , the numbers being IS for IS against , . under the resolution for restricting the time of receiving bills . On the following evening this gave rise to considerable discussion , and the Government were urged , if they considered the Bill one of urgency , again to take the opinion of iho house upon it . Lord Granville questioned the wisdom of the resolution of the House

¦ relative to receiving Bills after a given period , and took time to . consider what course should be pursued . The Local Government Supplemental Bill , the Gas ( Metropolis ) Bill , and the Consolidated Fund ( £ 10 , 000 , 000 ) Bill were read a third time and passed . On Monday , tho Landlord and Tenant ( Ireland ) Bill passed through committee . On the motion of the Duke of ARG-TII , , the Savings ' Banks ancl Friendly Societies' Investments Bill was treated as one

of urgency , and the standing order having been suspended , the hill was , after some discussion , read a second time . On Tuesday , the Rifle Volunteer Corps Bill , the Landlord and Tenant ( Ireland ) Bill , tiie Fortifications ( Provision for Expenses ) Bill , the Customs ( No . 2 ) Bill , the Stamp Duties ( No . 2 ) Bill , and the Defence oftlie Realm Bill wore severally read a third time and passed . The Excise Duties Bill was read a second time . —The Commons' amendments on the Lords' amendments on the Crown Debts and Judgments Bill , and thoAVeights and Measures ( Ireland ) Bill , were considered . mil agreed to , and the East India Loan ( £ 3 , 000 , 000 ) Bill having been brought from the Commons , was read a first time . In the House of

Commons , on Tmirsday the 22 nd inst ., Lord Palmerston stated , in reply to a question , that the Government had no knowledge of any enlistment in this country for the service of General Garibaldi , nor were any of the parties co-operating with him in her Majesty's service . The act of going to Sicily to join General Garibaldi came precisely within the same category as that of the Irish volunteers who had gone out to the service of the Pope with the avowed intention of making railways in thc Roman Statesand the Forei

, gn Enlistment Act equally forbade the one and thc other . There were difficulties , however , in the enforcement of that law . It had been evaded in the case of the Irish volunteers ; ancl possibly in the present instance Garibaldi ' s recruits might allege tli . it they were going to see what Mount Etna was like , lii an international point of view tbe question was , no doubt , a grave one ; but there was very great difficulty in bringi ng the international law to hoar

upon such proceedings . The House then went into Committee of Supply , unci votes passed for National Education in Ireland , not , uowevcv , without some opposition . The East India Loan Bill was read a second time . On ' Friday , at tho morning sitting in Committee of Ways and Means , the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved a series of resolutions , authorising the . Lords Commissioners of thc Treasury to raise a sum not cxi-eeilhic ; £ 2 , 000 , 000 i-. oi . iiia-, by the . issue of Exchequer Bonds or Exchequer Bills , the principal oo ho paid off at par nt tho expiration of a period not exceeding six . years from the date thereof , mid thc interest to be payable

half-yearly out of the Consolidated Fund . The right hon . gentleman laid , as ground for the increase on the original estimate , the unpromising aspect of the crops , and the probability of an insufficient harvest , an event which would entail a considerable additional expenditure for the public service . Sir H . AVilloughb y objected to the proposal that it was an increase of the public debt in the worst shape that could be devised . He wished to know if the ways and means already voted for the financial year did not

amount to the enormous sum of £ 73 , 250 , 000 . Mr . Henley liaving also objected to the vote , the Chancellor of the Exchequer defended the course he had adopted . AVith regard to the amount of ways and means for the year , £ 70 , 100 , 000 were voted in February , £ 3 , 300 , 000 for the Chinese expedition , £ 2 , 000 , 000 on account of fortifications , and £ 1 , 000 , 000 for replacing the Exchequer Bonds falling due in November , making a total of £ 76 , 400 , 000 . After some discussionthe resolutions were agreed to . In the evening the

, House was principally engaged in Committee of Supply , but in the course of the proceedings Mr . Kinniard asked whether any representations had been made to the Turkish Government , or whether any steps had been taken to influence them to demand the restoration of the Christian women carried off and sold by the Druses . Lord Palmerston replied that instructions had been given to Lord Dufl ' eriii to take steps for the purpose , and that a communication had been addressed to the English Minister at Constantinople

directing him to use his best exertions to induce , the Turkish Government to co-operate ivith the noble lord in carrying out that humane object . On Saturday there was a morning sitting , which was prolonged till nearly six o ' clock , and a number of miscelfaneous votes in supply were taken . The East India Loan Bill was read a third time and passed . On Monday Mr . Monsell brought under notice the recent outrages upon the Christians in Syria , and animadverted in terms of severity upon the conduct of the Turkish

authorities , whom ho accused of openly abetting the Druses in their attacks upon the Christians . The lion , member called for active intervention in-the affairs of Turkey ( the condition of which he described as weak mid paralytic ) , ancl denied the truth of the

assertion that theMaronites were the aggressors in the recent outrages . Lord Palmerston regretted to find Mr . Monsell the advocate of the dismemberment of the Turkish empire . Grave complaints might no doubt be made against Turkish rule , but any one who had paid the slightest attention to such matters knew that the Turkish empire could not be partitioned without an European conflict , or without endowing other states with territory , to the prejudice of Great Britain . The remaining votes in Committee of Supply having

been taken , the report was brought up . and agreed to . The East Indian Loan and the Spirit Duties Bills were read a third time . On Tuesday , at the morning sitting , the Consolidated Fund ( Appropriation ) Bill and the Exchequer Bonds ( £ 2 , 000 , 000 ) Bill were respectively read a second time . The Endowed Charities Bill and the Militia Pay Bill were passed through committee . The House also went into committee on the Court of Chancery Bill , and had agreed to several clauses when the chairman reported progress .

At tho evening sitting , Lord Palmerston announced that , owing to the late period of the session , it was not the intention of the Government to proceed with the New Zealand Bill . The object of tho measure was to protect the interests of the Aborigines of the colony , and had time allowed , he was convinced he should have been able to remove the objections which were entertained to it . But the Government ivere of opinion that the powers which the Nov . * Zealand constitution vested in the Crown in respect to the

rights or che Aborigines would , if properly used , be sufficient for tbe purpose they had in view . Should it , however , appear that these powers were inadequate , he should not hesitate to call upon Parliament to legislate on the subject . After some discussion the order for the second reading of the bill was discharged . Several bills ivere advanced a stage , and the Lords' amendments on the Ecclesiastical Commission Bill agreed to by thirty-five to eighteen . On Wednesday the Union of Benefices Bill went through

committee . On the order of the day for reading the Roman Catholic Charities Bill a third time , Mr . Butt moved that the order be discharged , with a view to the re-committal of the measure . Sir G . Lewis opposed the motion , and contended that the bill , as it now stood , simply reduced to a written form the existing law and practice of the Court of Chancery . The bill ivas intended to put an end to a provisional state of things in the shape of an annual suspension of tiie law affecting other charities , and

which in the generality of its terms would otherwise have included Roman Catholic charities also . After some discussion , the bill was read a third time . The Party Emblems Bill was also road a third time , and other bills advanced a stage . GK-VEUAT ., HOIII ; Ni-v . * s . —Parliament is expected to bo prorogued on Wednesday next , the 2 _ . 'tii iust , & e . An estimate has been published of the sums to be voted , for the ensuing financial year , for fortifications at home and abroad . The places at which work * are to be first erected are Devonport , Dover , Pembroke , Fo . U-n . uth ,