Public Amusements.

found in Disraeli ' s Curiosities of Literature . The dialogue is written with the neatness and precision which might be expected from the elegant pen of Mr . Palgrave Simpson ; but instead of trusting to his own invention for the construction of a plot—a feat which he might without difficulty have accomplished—he has "imitated" a French story which , with all its elaboration , wants true dramatic interestand that pleasant excitement which the

, skilful arrangement of scenes , characters , and incidents is calculated to afford . Some of the actors sustain their parts in a highly creditable manner . Mrs . Leigh Murray as the dowager duchess presents a formidable portrait of a royal lady who knows no law but her own sweet will ; Miss G . Cottrell is graceful and interesting as Hermine ; Mr . Neville , who plays tho young prince , is somewhat deficient in dignity , but he is easy , genial , and un'

affected ; and Mr . G . Cooke has , in the character of the consequential old baron , a congenial part , to which ho does full justice . The costumes are handsome and costly , and the scenery very pretty . EGYPTIAN HALL .

On Monday evening , M . Robin , who claims the distinction of being " the original French Wizard , " commenced a series of soirees fantastiques at the Egyptian Hall . Some ten years agoM . Robin first introduced his peculiar entertainment to the public with considerable success . He now returns to the metropolis after a decade which appears not only to have enlarged his experience of men and mannersbut to have invested him with additional properties of

mysti-, fication . The entertainment included several new magical illusions and a variety of scientific experiments , which , being perfectly unintelligible to the great majority of his patrons , were of course the more attractive . Such experiments are calculated to increase the interest of performances which are generally indebted for their success to the less dignified process of ' sleight-of-hand . M . Robin was very cordially received , and every seat in the hail was occupied .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COURT . —Her Majesty and family remain at Windsor—the Court being in mourning for the King of Portugal . The Prince Consort has paid a visit to his son , the Prince of Wales , at Cambridge . It is rumoured that the Prince of Wales is about to proceed on a tour through Turkey , Syria , and Egypt . GENERAL HOME NEWS . —An impartant conference on the

education question was held at the London Coffee House on Wednesday . The chair was occupied by Mr . Barnes , M . P ., who was supported by many distinguished advocates of the voluntary system . Sir S . M . Peto , M . P ., Mr . Maill , Mr . S . Morley , the Rev . J . II . Hinton , and Mr . Richard , were among the gentlemen who took part in the proceedings . The resolutions declared that the national system was a

costly failure , and had created a great central establishment which was unable to cope with the details of the thousands of schools entrusted to its supervision ; that it encourages parents to rely upon the State , to the neglect of their own duties ; and that the revenues from charitable endowments , if properly applied , would render grants of public money unnecessary . Lord Stanley has

addressed his constituents at Lynn . The noble lord referred at considerable length to European and American affairs , expressing an opinion , with reference to the civil war , that the people of the South will never rest contented with anything short of independence . Unconvinced by tho arguments of Mr . Disraeli and the leading members of the Conservative party , he is still opposed to

church rates ; and , as regards reform , he thinks that , for two or three years to come , no Government will venture to introduce a hill providing for organic changes to which public opinion , from various causes , is at the present moment hostile . The noble lord expressed his approval of the Commercial Treaty with France , and , while recognising the present depressed state of trade , took , upon the whole , a hopeful view of the financial and commercial prospects of

the country . The Under Secretary for War , Mr . Layard , has also appeared before his constituents . The lion , gentleman justified the course the Government and country had pursued with reference to the conflict in America , adding , however , that " while we proclaim the principle of non-intervention , we are resolved to make : the rights of Englishmen respected throughout the world , and

to resent outrages on the persons of English subjects . " We are glad to learn from Mr . Cobden himself , that he is " not so bud as the newspapers represent . " His " general health is perfectly good ; " and though he is always liable to bronchial irritation , he hopes , by proper precautions , to avoid tbe necessity of seeking a southern climate this winter . Mr . Justice Hill , of the Queen ' s

Bench , has resigned . The hon . judge has long been in a state of delicate health , and his infirmities have so much increased upon him . of late as to render this step necessary . The esteem and the regret ot the whole bar accompany Mr . Justice Hill in his retirement . The report which ha 3 just been published of the affairs of the Bank of Deposit discloses an extraordinary amount of recklessness ,

if not fraud . There is a deficiency of £ 300 , 500 , while the assets , according to the most liberal estimate , will not exceed £ 56 , 000 . It is doubtful whether the depositors will realise 2 s . iu the pound on the amount they have entrusted to this windbag concern . The directors engaged to allow 5 per cent , to depositors , but the report points out that the business has been carried on at a loss ever since

it was opened . Are we never to hear the last of military murders ? We have again to record one which occurred at Aldershott on Saturday night , when a private shot his Serjeant and a corporal , while standing so near the former that the unfortunate victims' clothes were burnt by the discharge of the rifle .

Thereseems to have been no provocation whatever , and though the murderer was a notoriously bad character , yet neither the Serjeant nor corporal ^ appear to have been at all concerned in the punishments he received . The Serjeant died instantly ; the corporal is likely to recover . The inquest on the body of Serjeant Dixon took place on Monday , when the jury , after a few moments' deliberation ,

returned a verdict of Wilful Murder , and recommended that in future either the soldiers should be deprived of their firearms in barracks , or that instant justice should bo executed upon all such murderers taken " red hand . " A sad calamity happened early on Sunday morning at Edinburgh . One of the tall buildings in the Hi gh-street of that town , whose

immense height forms one of tho most striking features of the place , collapsed with age , and fell in , burying in its ruins some 40 or 50 inmates , of whom between 20 and 30 were taken out dead , while others were severely injured . This great loss of life arises from the fact that every storey , almost every room , was inhabited by a separate family , and the catastrophe took place in the dead of night , when most of them were in bod . ——Richard Reeve , a lad of

only eighteen years of age , was tried on Wednesday at the Central Criminal Court , for the murder of his half-sister in Drury-court , Strand . Mr . Sleigh , who was retained by some benevolent persons , did not attempt to deny the facts of the ease , but suggested the possible insanity of the prisoner at the time the deed was committed . 2 h : Baron Bramwell told the jury that , in the absence of all evidence on the subject , they must dismiss this suggestion or

theory from their minds , and return a verdict of wilful murder if they were satisfied of the prisoner's guilt . The jury returned a verdict of Guilty , but recommended tho wretched lad to mercy on the ground of his youth , and of the bad example which had been set him , The learned judge then passed sentence of death . Henry Budd was indicted for the manslaughter of George Allen .

The deceased man , it will be recollected , was the timekeeper over the omnibuses plying from Camboi-well-gate , and on the afternoon of the 21 st of October last , whilst he was performing his duties there , the prisoner , who had been drinking , and some others with him , drove up in a cab , which stopped at the gate , and the prisoner alighted . The deceased at that time was sitting reading a newspaper , when the prisoner commenced a series of annoyances .