India.

Prov . G . Master , also presented him with the following address from the Masonic Lodge of Light : — " To Bro . Matthew Henry Smith Blood , M . D ., Past Master of Masonic Lodge No . -110 , 1 . C . " WORSHIPFUL SIR AND BROTHER , —We , the undersigned AVorshipful Master , Officers , and brethren of the Lodge of Light ( No . 110 ) on the registry of the Most Worshipful the Grand Lodge of Irelandaud meeting at Kapundaiu the Province of

, , South Australia , desire to express to you our high appreciation of and sincere thanks for the efficient maimer in which you have discharged the duties of this lodge from its formation to the present time , and regret that your contemplated departure from Kapunda deprived us of the privilege of again inviting you to preside over us , and re-electing you AVorshipful Master for the current year . From the zeal and ability you have ever evinced

in promoting the true interests of Freemasonry , we are assured that your presence and support , wherever your lot may be cast , cannot fail to prove a great benefit to the Craft , and beg you to accept this expression of our sincere arid fraternal regards and best wishes that happiness ancl prosperity may ever attend yon . " Given at Kapunda , in the province of South Australia , this 17 th day of January , A . D . 18 G 2 ; A . L . 5 SG 2 .

" . LUCES HUGGINGS , Worshipful Master , " And signed by every other officer and member of theLodge . " The toast was received with tremendous cheers . —Dr . BLOOD rose amidst deafening cheers . He said that he felt unable to return suitable thanks for the honour they had done him , and the praises of the chairman were far beyond what he deserved . The manner in which his health had been drunk made it difficult for him to do any more than thank ( hem from the bottom of his heart . He had known Kapunda in better times , and he still hoped to hear of its advancement , and a long life could onlv

recall the happy years he had spent in its neighbourhood . He had met with kind friends , and though he was leaving Kapunda from causes best known to himself , he still left it with the deepest of gratitude for the kind manner in which he had at all times been treated ; and if there were any person who might have said anything to his disadvantage , he forgave him or them from tho bottomof his heart , and it should never bestirred up in his breast . The presents which had been iven were beyond his

g expectations—the address from tho lodge was flattering indeed . ( The Doctor then gave a brief account of JIasonrv , pointing out the benefits derived by brothers in distress , with other advantages ) . He proceeded to say that he thanked them most cordially for their kindness towards him that evening , and wherever his lot might be cast , South Australia and Kapunda ever be in bis memory . He would never wish to spend a

pleasanter time than he had done in Kapunda , and he would leave it with pain and suffering , for he thought that his bones would be laid clown there ; but he was going to commence life again , and would remind them that he was then some years younger than Capt . Bagot was when lie first came to the colony . —Mr . TOWNSEND , M . I ., rose and alluded to Dr . Blood again starting in life in the autumn of his days , and warmly eulogised

him and his family . Ho then briefly recapitulated the benefits derived by the district from its mineral , pastoral , and agricultural wealth , and predicted a bright future . Ho then proposed "The District of Light . "—Mr . 1 ) . SHANNON , in a speecii interspersed with wit and humour , responded . The healths of the Chairman , Vice-Chairman , Host and Hostess , next followed in succession , and were duly honoured and responded to . The company then drew closer together , aud sal , down to as convivial a party as wo ever remember seeing in Kapunda , keeping it up with songs , ifcc , until " oarlv dawn . "

Public Amusements.

PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS .

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION . The Exhibition was opened Saturday last at half-a-crown . Up to this time the last day of the week has always been charged five shillings , but as few attended but season-ticket-holders , the policy of tho change was obvious . The attendance on Saturday was not so large as on the previous day , which Was also halfa-crown ; but this is not difficult to be accounted foras there

, was some misunderstanding in the public mind about the intentions of the authorities , and the attractions of the rehearsal for the Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace proved a powerful rival . The Commissioners have issued a statement of their intentions respecting the public announcement of the awards of

Public Amusements.

the juries . The awards are to be published at a ceremonial to take place on Friday , July 11 , in the Exhibition and the Horticultural Gardens—which are for that clay to be thrown open , and are to be , to all intents and purposes , one ancl the same property . From the 8 th July the commissioners will establish two newclasses of season tickets , one of which at thirty shillings , will admit to the ceremonial of the awards as well as on all days after the issue ; and the other at ten shillings , will admit on all shilling days to the close of the second world ' s fair .

THE CRYSTAL PALACE . The Handel Festival has proved a great success , and everything gone off in the most satisfactory manner . On Monday , " Tho Messiah " was given , the principal parts in which were sung by Madlle . Titiens , Madlle . Parepa , Madame Sainton-Dolby , Mr . W . Weiss , Signor Belletti , and Mr . Sims Reeves , with Mr . Costa as conductor . The attendance was extremely good .

The whole of the music was beautifully performed , but the greatest of all the achievements of the choir was the indescribably grand execution of the " Hallelujah" chorus . This was the very grandest thing in the entire performance—the sublimest of the sublime that musical sound could attain to . We shall never forget it . At the termination of the oratorio , Mr . Costa received a well-merited ovation .

On Wednesday the performance included a selection from the secular as well as the sacred works of Handel , including Dettingen Te Deum , Samson , Judas Maccabicus , Saul , Dryden , s Ode on * St . Cecilia's Day , Hercules , Alexander's Feast , Solomon , Ac-is and Galatea , L'AUegro , Deborah , Joshua , the whole of which were beautifully performed . The festival closed yesterday ( Friday ) with Handel's great master-piece , " Israel in Eewpt . "

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COTTRT . —Her Majesty ancl Royal Family are at Osborne . The Prince of Wales and several of the junior members of the family have paid repeated visits to the International Exhibition , generally on the shilling clays . On Wednesday their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Prince Arthur crossed in the Eairy , royal steam yacht , from Trinity Pier , Cowes , to Southampton , " and travelled to London by the South-Western Railway / whence they proceeded from the A auxhall-station to

inspect tbe show of the Royal Agricultural Society in Battersea Parle , where they were joined by their Grand Ducal Highnesses Prince Louis and 1 'riiic ' e Henry of Hesse . Their Grand Ducal Highnesses Prince Louis and Prince Henry of Hesse afterwards visited the International Exhibition .- Spener's Gazelle , of Berlin , states that the Princess Royal is in an interesting condition l'he King liasin ordered special prayers to

, , consequence , bo offered up in all the churches in Prussia . The last bulletin of the health of the King of the Belgians , posted up at tbe Palace , but not published by the Belgian Munileur , announces that his Majesty continues to improve slowly . The improvement only applies to the pulmonary affection , as the medical men a-jrree iu declaring that the extraction of all the calculi can

alone put an cud to his Majesty ' s sunenngs . . A fresh operation is to take place iu a few days . i . M i'EitiAT . PARLIAMENT . —In the House of Lords on Thursday , the iSh-li , Earl Russell called attention to a grave misapprehension which prevails in France with reference to the conduct of the English Government in withdrawing from the Mexican expedition . It was said that Her Majesty's troops had been withdrawn from Mexicotogether with the Spanish troops ,

, and that the French troops had been left alone to contend with the difficulty . The noble Earl pointed out that , according to the original convention , this country was simply to furnish a naval force , including 700 marines . That force had , for reasons to which ha did not further allude , been withdrawn , but there had been no breach of engagement on the part of England . The resolution of the French Government to send large

reinforcements to Mexico was not in any way founded upon the course taken by the British Government . He added , in reply to a question from Lord Malmesbury , that he had received no official information which justified the assertion that Sir C . Wyke had taken an active part with the Mexican government against the French , in reply to a question from Lord Brougham , the noble Earl said the Law officers of the Crown