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which it was expected would give sanction to certain Bills in the House of Lords . The Commission , however , did not arrive . Next , Blajor Knox complained that though he and other members came down and secured seats , as they thought , by leaving their hats in places , they found those places occupied hy other members . Two or three other members made a similar

complaint , but the Speaker told them the only way to secure seats was to be in the House during prayers . AA'hen BIr . Adair brought up the report of the Nottingham Committee , Lord Cranbourne said he had been informed that as soon as the decision of tho committee was given three sheriff ' s officers darted into the room and arrested Sir P .. Clifton . His

lordship contended that this was a breach of privilege , inasmuch as a gentleman did not cease to be a member until the resolutions of the committee had been reported to the House . He moved that the Sheriffs of Bliddlesex be directed to appear before the House at four o ' clock on Monday . Major Edwards seconded the motion . Several members threw grave doubts on

the statement , and Sir E . Poring said ho had seen Sir R . Clifton walking away from the House with a friend . Somebody else suggested that the "friend" might be a sheriff's officer . Finally , on the suggestion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer ' the motion was withdrawn , in ordor that a better knowledge of the facts might be arrived at . ——The Conservative hand

with respect to the Reform Bill was shown hy a notice of motion given by BIr . Albert Grant . He is to move , on the motion to go into committee on the Bill , a resolution in effect the same as that under discussion . The object , of course , is to talk the Bill out of the House . —On the motion to go into committee of supply there were some briof discussions , the most noticeable of which was a further demand for more electoral statistics by Bfr . Hunt . At length the Reform debate was

recommenced by BIr . Leveson Gower , who ably defended the Bill . BIr . Gregory followed in a smart speech against the Bill , and was replied to by tho Solicitor General for Scotland , to ¦ whom Sir Stafford Korthcote replied . Next BIr . Coleridge delivered a splendid speech in favour of the Bill , and BIr . Horsman came next , with some of his carefully polished

antitheses . BIr . Bright moved the adjournment of the debate . The Chancellor of the Exchequer appealed to BIr . Disraeli to allow the debate to close soon , but got a very unsatisfactory answer . On the 23 rd inst . there was no falling off in the interest with which the Reform debate is regarded . The fact that Mr . Brig ht was to open the debate gave additional interest , and

even at midnight on Sunday there were applicants for admission to the lobby , where those who aro fortunate enough to have obtained tickets wait until the strangers ' gallery is opened . Of course they did not procure admission then , but when tlie doors were opened at six o ' clock yesterday morning they entered and took up their position . AVhen the House met every scat was

taken , and the gallery crowded . There were many peers present , and the-liveliest possible interest was shown in the proceedings . BIr . Bright spoke for about two hours , ancl during the whole of that time kept the attention of the House . Of course there were now and then some of those unmannerly interruptions by which the Tories have lately signalised themselves . These

were chiefly when the speaker demolished somo one of their pet sophisms , or hit one of their number unusually hard . The speech was thoroughly moderate in 'tone , and as convincing as ifc was moderate . BIr . Whiteside followed BIr . Bright , and the contrast was indeed marked . Of course BIr . AVhiteside saw no merit in the bill , and hit [ out right and left at its supporters . To him followed Bl'Cullagh Torrens , who , jn a cool , argumentative speech , supported the measure . BIr .

The Week.

Walpole came next , denying that the working men took any interest in the bill . He was replied to by BIr . Goschen , and Mr . Lowe moved the adjournment of the debate . The motion was seconded by BIr . Onslow , who took the opportunity of making a short hut excellent speech in support of the bill . Then Sir Rainald Knightley complained

that no gentlemen but those arranged for by the whips could got an opportunity of speaking ; and his complaint was echoed by BIr . Butler-Johnstone and BIr . Hihbert . BIr . Gladstone appealed to the House to allow the debate to be closed before long , aud BIr . Disraeli promised to do his best to bring ifc to a close on Friday night . The debate was then adjourned . On

the 21 th inst ., tho discussions were of a varied character . Alderman Salomons introduced the question of the rating of Government property , aud moved a resolution declaring it to be inexpedient that Government establishments should he exempted from local rates . A long and interesting discussion followed , the motion being opposed by the Government , Finally the motion was withdrawn . BIr . Knight then moved a resolution

declaring it lo be expedient that all items of poor-law expenditure not being in-maintenance or out-relief , or otherwise under the immediate control of boards of guardians or parish officers should become a national charge . The Chancellor of tbe Exchequer opposed the motion , which was withdrawn . Mr . Sheridan then withdrew his motion with regard to the

Fire Insurance duty , and also expressed his regret that he had not been in the House the previous evening at the close of the debate on the Reform Bill . If he had been in the House he should have given way . The next business on the paper was a motion for a select committee to inquire into the petitions in favour of the Reform Bill from Blanchester and

Harden . Mr . Ferrand brought forward the motion , and blatantly attacked a number of gentlemen , including the Chancellor of the Exchequer . He threw a good deal of dirfc , but very little of it stuck , and finally he was compelled to withdraw the Manchester petition from the proposed committee and confine tho inquiry to the Harden petition alone . The

other business was of little interest . On the 25 th inst ., after some preliminary business had been disposed of , BIr . Bouverie moved the . second reading of his Bill for abolishing the declara . lion of conformity with the Liturgy of the Church of England whicli is now exacted from fellows of colleges . A leno-th y and interesting discussion followed , the Bill being supported bv

Professor Fawcetfc , BIr . Julian Goldsmid , BIr . Neate , and Mr . Thomas Hughes . Mr . AA alpole moved the rejection of the measure , and was supported by BIr . B . Hope , BIr . Sehreiber BIr . Solwyn , and Sir AV . Heathcote . The aiguments against the Bill were simply those which have been used over and over again . On a division , tho second reading was carried bv a majority of 22—the numbers being , for the second reading 208 ; against it , 186 . Tiie other orders on the paper were disposed of .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

* , / All communications to be addressed to 10 , Salisbury-street Strand , London , W . C . EiiUATUit . —In Bro . Charles Purton Cooper ' s communication "The . Afovul Law and Freemasonry , " page 290 of the present volume , line -1 , for " the main reason , " read "human reason . " . 1 . 1 ' . —Received with thanks aud inserted . R . A . —We have not yet received any reply . AA e cannot re ommend to you any better course than that which we have

already laid down as that which you should adopt . J . E . W . —Your report , as also these received , from other brethren , together with some other matters , are unavoidably compelled to postpone giving until in our next , owing to the lengthy report of the Grand Festival in our present issue .