The Week.

"British Provident Institution were ivell founded , said that if Mr . Sheridan would declare that he was ignorant of the transactions which had been so severely censured he ivould at once accept the denial . Mr . Sheridan having repeated the -explanation he gave on the previous night , Sir John Hay Avith-¦ drew his motion , and there the matter ended . Another subject of a personal nature which had heen discussed on the previous

evening—Mr . Stansfeld ' s connection with Mazzini—was again brought before the House by Lord Elcho , who asked if there was any truth in the statement that the member for Halifax had offered to resign the office he held at the Admiralty . Lord Palmerston said that at the time Mr . Cox began to move in the matter Mr . Stansfeld had placed his office at the disposal of

the Government , but he had declined to accept the lion , gentleman's resignation , and was quite prepared to assume the whole vesponsibilifcy of that decision . A long and rather warm discussion followed , resulting in nothing . —In reply to a question from Mr . Forrand , Sir George Grey said Mr . Rawlinson had heen instructed to inspect the Bradford Waterworks , which , according

to the statement of the member for Devonport , are in a dangerous condition . —The House adjourned for the Easter holidays . GENEEAL HOME NEWS . —The mortality in the metropolis is noiv steadily on the decline . Last week it ivas 1 , 503 , which shows a decrease of 156 over the numbers of the week before . It is still , however , a high number , being 44 over the average

of the last ten years as corrected for the increase of population . The births during the week were 2 , 177 , which is 107 above the corrected average of the last ten years . A large decrease has taken place in the number of persons receiving parochial relief in the cotton manufacturing districts . During the period which elapsed between the 28 th February and the 12 th inst . the number of paupers was reduced by 6 , 739 ; and in this

improvement the whole of the twenty-seven unions included in Mr . Farnall's return participated , with the unimportant exceptions of Prestivich and Clitheroe . On the 12 th instant the percentage of pauperism on population was 6-8 ; in the corresponding week of last year it Avas 106 . The Government recently carried , by a majority of one , a proposal not to call out the yeomanry this year ; but the subject

has been re-considered , and a portion of the New Zealand vote will be devoted to the usual annual training of the yeomanry corps . Lord Pahnerston told a deputation who waited upon him , last iveek , that the Government ivas enabled , by the more favourable state of things in New Zealand , to re-insert this item in the Army Estimates . Mr . Gladstone and Mr . Layard

liave been talking , outside the walls of the House of Commons , on the subject of parliamentary reform . In the course of an interview with a deputation from the London Trades Council , the Chancellor of the Exchequer said there ivas no doubt the liberal party had failed in their duty towards the working classes . The franchise , in his opinion , ought to be extended , and he

regretted that those who had obtained their votes through the efforts of the Avorking classes " should seem so little disposed to admit them to the same privilege . " Mr . Layard , in an afterdinner speech , spoke to much the same effect , blithe added that this was a time when extreme views could not be realised , aud when the Government of the country could only be carried on

upon the principle of compromise . The Archbishop of Canterbury has addressed a pastoral letter to his clergy , setting forth in ¦ clear , terse , and nervous language his views respecting the . late decision of the Prii-y Council . It will be remembered that he dissented from the judgment of his colleagues in the Council on the doctrine of inspiration , * and he now states that while he would not undertake to define inspiration , he accepted the testimony of the Church , that the "Bible was God ' s Word writ .

ten , and , therefore , Dr . Williams must be wrong in saying that it is only the voice of devout reason in the congregation . As to his acquiescence in the judgment on the point of eternal judgment , he says it arose from no doubt in his own mind that the Church teaches the eternity both of reward and punishment , but that from the misty way in which Mr . Wilson had put his views , he doubted whether they have the meaning which the

prosecutors attached to them . Mr . Robert Barbour , who was ordered by the House of Commons to be put upon his trial on a charge of employing corrupt means to secure his brother ' s election for Lisbnrn in Februaray , 1863 , was acquitted on all the counts of the indictment at the Antrim assizes . It may be remembered that , at the election of February , 1863 , Mr . J . D .

Barbour defeated Mr . Vernor , but was subsequently unseated on petition . At the election which followed , Mr . Verner headed the poll by a considerable majority ; and , oddly enough , a Committee of the House of Commons is at this moment engaged in investing allegations which , if proved , will render the seat vacant once more .

The Times states that Mr . Whitworfch's rifle has been adopted by the War Office as " the future arm of the service . " The Jockey Club has sustained its claim to " warn off" Newmarket Heath any newspaper lvriter ivho may be rash enough to say unpleasant things about the doings of any of the members of that august body . It ivill be remembered by some of our

readers that Mr . AVilles—a gentleman who writes in the Morning Post under the nom deplume of "Argus "—had the audacity to act under the belief that a spade ought to be called a spade . He gave offence to certain members of the Jockey Club , and ivas called upon for any apology . He declined to make the required retractation , and was , therefore , warned off Newmarket Heath . Disputing the right of the Stewards to issue such a prohibition ,

he made his appearance upon the ground as usual , and . an action was brought against him for tresspass . This action was tried at Cambridge on Tuesday , and resulted in a verdict in favour of the Jockey Club , with Is . damages . — . A remarkable case of murder was tried at the Liverpool assizes , on Tuesday . One morning in December last , a man , named Clithero , was found in bed , at St . Helen's , with Mary AVoods ,

an unmarried ivoman , ivho kept a school in that town . The throats of both were cut , and the ivoman had evidently been dead for some hours . Clithero ' s wounds , however , had not proved fatal , and he has been tried for the murder of his unhappy companion . The argument for the defence was that the man and ivoman had mutually agreed upon suicide ,

and that the latter had inflicted upon herself the ivounds that caused her death . The prisoner ivas found guilty and sentenced to death . —Some time since some sensational pieces of news that c . uiie up from the extreme west of England . Dr . Millett , of Penpoll , was charged before the magistrates by his brother-in-law with poisoning his brother ; and Samuel Porter , of

Flushing , was committed for trial for the culpable neglect of a lunatic relation . The case of Dr . Millett ivas dismissed b y the magistrates , and he subsequently raised an action against his brother-in-law , which was tried at the Cornwall Assizes last week , and issued with a verdict in his favour , ivith damages against his brother-in-law to the amount of £ 400 . At the same

assizes Samuel Porter has been found guilty of culpable neglect of the lunatic , hut as a doubt Avas raised ivhether the Act of Parliament relied on in the case applies to relations , or only to those who undertake the charge of lunatics for hire , sentence was postponed till the point raised had been decided by the Court of Criminal Appeal . At the Middlesex Sessions , on Tuesday , a lively scene took place between Mr . Payne , tbe presiding judge , and the foreman