The Week.

were of opinion that the Government had no power to surrender the Emilie St . Pierre to the government of the United States and he quoted an American precedent in support of this view . The Highways Bill was read a second time ; ancl , several other measures were advanced a stage . Friday , being the anniversary of the Queen ' s accession , the House did not meet . The proceedings of Monday were unimportant . On Tuesday Lord Shelbnrne introduced a bill for the better regulation of

Friendly Societies which had been prepared by Mr . Tidcl Pratt . The measure will not be proceeded with further this session , hut the noble Earl trusted that its provisions would be carefully considered during the recess . Several bills having been aclvanead a stage , Lord Berners asked whether the Government intended to bring in a hill to suppress night poaching , which was attended with so many murderous outrages . Lord Granville replied in the negative . Lord Derby regretted the answer

of the noble Earl , and suggested that the country police should have the power to assist the owners of property in dealing with this evil . After some further discussion Lord Berners brought in a billon the subject , which was read a-first time Their Lordships adjourned shortly before eight o ' clock . In the HOUSE OP COMMONS on Thursday , the 19 th , Mr . Layard stated , in reply to questions from Lord R . Montagu and Mr . Brihtthat the agents of the Chinese government in this

g , country had applied for the services of an English naval officer , but that the application ivas still under consideration . No gunhoats , he- added , had been lent to the Chinese government . After a long discussion , the report of the Committee on the Merchant Shipping Acts Amendment Bill was agreed to , and the bill was ordered for a third reading . Mr . J . B . Smith , Mr . J . A . Turner , and Sir C . Wood , took part in an interesting discussion which followed , on the capability of India to furnish this country with

a supply of good cotton . On Friday the House held a morning sitting , which was entirely taken up with discussions on the new Irish Poor-law Bill . Atthe evening sitting Air . Layard stated , in reply to a question from Mr . Darby Griffith , that official information had been received of the bombardment of Belgrade by the Turkish forces stationed there , ancl that the Sultan's government had appointed a commission to make inquiry into tho matter . The hon . gentleman added that he was not aware that

Baron Hubner had offered a body of Austrian troops to co-operate with the Turks in Bosnia , Servia , or anywhere else . A rather disagreeable " scene" took place between Mr . Maguire and Mr . Layard . The member for Dungarvan , in moving for correspondence relating to the order recently issued , prohibiting the distribution of the British Star—a Greek paper published in London—by the English Post-office at Constantinople , denounced the conduct of the Government in the matter , and

attributed the prohibition to a desire to rig the market in favour of the Ottoman Loan . Mr . Layard explained that the English Post-office at Constantinople existed by the grace of the Turkish government , and when that government complained that the British Star contained inflammatory articles inciting the Sultan's subjects to revolt , it became the duty of the Foreign Office to see that the postal facilities offered to British subjects by the Porte were not converted into a vehicle for circulating sedition .

As to the charge of rigging the market , he would not condescend to reply to such an allegation from " such a man . " Mr . Vincent Scully immediately moved that these words should be taken clown , but explanations were mutually made by Air . Maguire and Mr . Layard , ancl the matter was allowed to drop . On Monday Sir G . C . Lewis moved his resolution asking for a sum of £ 1 , 200 , 000 towards " defraying the expenses of the

construction of works for the defence of the royal dockyards and arsenals , and of the ports of Dover and Portland , and for the creation of a central arsenal . " The right hon . Baronet contended that the measures which during the last few years had been taken for improving the defence of the country could not with justice he called excessive . He also defended the Government against the charge of extravagance , reminding the House that when it proceeded to

compare the estimates of the last few years with those of tlie preceding years , it should consider the exceptional character of a period which has been marked by a complete revolution in the appliances of war . He explained that the grant he now asked the House to sanction was intended to carry out the works actually in progress , and stated that it was not proposed to proceed with tho Spithead forts until next spring , although he could not help thinking that subsequent events must have modified the anti-fortification opinions based upon the result of the fight between the Monitor and the Mer-

The Week.

rimac . Mr . Bernal Osborne condemned the policy of the Government at great length , and moved , as an amendment : — " That , considering the changes in progress affecting the science of attack aud defence , it is expedient to proceed with the construction of proposed forts at Spithead , or additional defences at Portsmouth , Plymouth , and Dover ; ancl that the navy should be regarded as the arm on which the country must mainly depend . " A long and interesting debate followed , terminating by

the carrying of of the original resolution . On Tuesday , the House of Commons held another morning sitting , which was entirely occupied with the consideration of the clauses of a Scotch bill . At the evening sitting Mr . Sotheron Estcourt moved his resolution on the church rates question , which was followed by two amendments and along discussion . Ultimately the resolution and amendment were withdrawn , Mr . Sotheron Estcourt expressing his regret that the Government still

declined to take the question out of the hands of private members . The only member of the Government who took part in the discussion was Sir George Grey , who intimated that he and his colleagues were prepared to support that portion ofthe member for North Wiltshire ' s scheme which provided for the repeal of existing legal process for the recovery of the rate , ancl gave facilities for the collection of a voluntary rate . The sitting of AA ednesday was taken up with the discussion of the Inns of

Court Government Bill , the second reading of which was moved by Sir G . Bowyer . He objected to the irresponsible power of the benchers to deal with the cases of barristers against whom charges were made , and complained generally of the manner in which the funds of the Inns of Court were administered . Mr . Collier and several other members of the legal profession , opposed the bill , aud defended the privileges of the Inns of Court . Mr . Digby Seymour , whose case was alluded to by Sir G . Bowyer as

one of the arguments for passing the bill , entered into a statement of the manner in which he had been dealt with by the benchers , and justified his conduct in regard to several of the charges which had been made against him . Mr . Bovill replied to him , ancl stated what were the charges made against the hon . gentleman . He upheld the course which the benchers had taken in the case , and plainly said thatM . Seymour had onlybeeu created Queen's counsel in a political crisishaving been refused before

, the office of serjeant-at-law . Sir G . Grey thought it necessary to deny that the dignity of Queen ' s counsel had been conferred on Mr . Seymovr in a political crisis , and after some further discussion the bill was negatived without a division . GENERAL HOME NEWS . —Another distinguished stranger , Prince Napoleon , has arrived in London . On Monday , His Imperial Higness visited the Exhibition , and the Agricultural

Show , at Battersea ; ancl at ten o'clock in the evening he made his appearance in the Ambassadors' gallery in the House of Commons . He remained in the House about three hours , and , no doubt , listened with satisfaction to the complimentary language used towards his Sovereign and country by Lord Palmerston and Mr . Disraeli , in the course of the debate on the national defences . The remains of Lord Canning were

deposited , on Saturday , in the grave of his illustrious father , in Wesniinster Abbey . Lord Palmerston and numerous other friends of the deceased statesman were present at the interment . The annual dinner of the Royal Literary Fund took place on Tuesday evening , at the Freemasons' Tavern , Earl Granville presiding . Tin ? subscriptions during the evening amounted to over £ 700 . The cattle show of the Royal Agricultural

Society is held this year in Battevsea Park . On Monday the implement yard was opened to the members of the society , and to the general public on payment of hah-a-croivii ; and on these terms a considerable initnber assembled . The cattle show was

opened on Wednesday , and promises to be successful . It will be remembered that a case of bigamy , charged against the wife of a gentleman of fortune , has made its appearance from time to time our police and criminal courts . It has been finally disposed of at the Central Criminal Court . The lady , formerly an actress in a country theatre , had married an officer of militia named Wilson , and his friends disapproving of the match , endeavoured to annul it by this criminal charge . The

lady did not deny that she had previously married a man in a humble position in life , but her defence was that it was he who was the bigamist , and that her first marriage was therefore no marriage at all . At the trial a witness who came all the way from Canada proved that her first husband had , at all events , lived there with a woman as his wife some years before the date of his marriage with Mrs . AVilson , and on this evidence the jury at once acquitted , tho prisoner , while the judn-e , feeling