NEWS OF THE WEEK.

r111HE Baby is home again, to the delight, we presume, of all 1_ England, and certainly to the immense relief of all newspaper readers. The child landed at Hull, and its arrival produced an outbreak of flunkeyism beyond even English precedent. The Mayor actually went in his robes to visit a baby not twelve .months old, the Sheriff's wife gave him a fur rabbit, which, say the re- porters, he "appeared to appreciate," a vast crowd assembled to see him pass, and "the cow which supplied the infant Prince with milk during his passage from the Elbe to the Humber was purchased by Mr. Alderman Abbey, of Hull," that dignitary obviously considering the animal likely to be historic. The Queen should put a stop to this kind of folly, which if it continues will lead to a sharp reaction against the worship now paid to the Royal Family. Already a journal which once declared that the winds• would blow gently on a tree because the Queen had planted it is indulging in pretty sharp ridicule, and aldermen who now buy cows because they feel Royal babies will soon be ashamed of caring about the babies themselves. It will not do to let the English people raise their princes into idols. They always break them in the end.

The war in New Zealand, as we ventured to indicate last week, is not yet over, but it seems likely that the closing scene of it will be identical with that ou which it opened, the Waitara block of land claimed by the chief who calls himself William King, near Tara- naki. A correspondent, on whose knowledge we can rely, writes to us from Taranaki that "a large number of the Waikatos and nearly all the leading chiefs of the district, including the King himself and his sister, the Princess Sophia, have just arrived at Mataitawa, William King's stronghold on the Waitara, with the intention of recommencing the war in this province. The Tau- range natives having given in, the next campaign will be in this place and between here and Whang,anui, and as things look we may reasonably hope to see the end of the war during the coming summer,"—unless indeed Sir George Grey patches up a peace that is no peace. If this account should prove true, it is a curious com- ment on Sir George Grey's weakness in restoring the Waitara block to William King,—totally without published grounds, and as the late Duke of Newcastle hinted, chiefly by way of throwing blame on his predecessor,—that this very block of land should be the last rallying point of his enemies. •

The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, who distinguished himself honourably last week by giving Brother Ignatius a hearing in the Church Congress at Bristol, and dishonourably by one of the most censorious and unfair charges ever delivered by an English bishop, has sought to disburden himself from the credit of the fair play, and to conform his conduct to his own teaching, by inhibiting Brother Ignatius (the Rev. Mr. Lyne) from preaching in his diocese. Brother Ignatius holds peculiar views about monasticism, and dresses in a very silly dress, but he has always professed the deepest attachment to the English Church, and we have never heard that his orthodoxy has been questioned. Dr. Thompson gives no reason for suppressing him except that the Bishop of Norwich (Dr. Pel-

ham) has already silenced him in the diocese of Norwich,—an excellent reason, we should have thought, for listening to what he had to say. Brother Ignatius is, it seems, only a deacon, and, as the Bishop of Gloucester says with holy horror, "a deacon both unapproved here and inhibited elsewhere,"—and so we suppose the inhibition will be contagions, and run through all the dioceses. The liberty of the English clergy was never in greater danger. Inhibitions to preach are becoming frequent for the most trivial cause. Before long every sign of life stands a chance of being tabooed for eeeed- trieity or heresy. How can a clergyman anxious to stand well with the world regulate his conduct better than by crying aloud with the Bishop of Gloucester, "Touch me not l" to every ecele - siastical person and doctrine which is "both unapproved here and inhibited elsewhere ?"

Mr. Cobden is fighting the Scotsman. That journal recentlyaffirmed that Mr. Cobden had repeatedly expressed a wish to see a Press which should refrain from discussion and confine itself to reporting events, and Mr. Cobden asked the editor to quote any such speech, offering to give 201. to any hospital if he could produce it. The Scotsman in reply produces a speech at Holmfirth in which. Mr. Cobden said :—" People would resort to news-rooms not to read the leading articles—for I regard the leaders as of far less import- ance than the articles of news in the paper. I believe these original articles, so far as guidance and direction are concerned, are the least useful and interesting parts of the papers—facts and intelli- gence being more sought after by readers." The tone of that passage implies that Mr. Cobden dislikes original articles, but does not prove that he hoped to see the Press refrain from them, still less does it bear out the assertion that he actually said so. Unless the Scotsman can produce a much clearer utterance than this it. has acted hastily in attributing to Mr. Cobden an opinion which, whether he holds it or not, he is much too worldly wise to have admitted in public.

A commercial panic has occurred at Rio. Messrs. A. J. A.. Souto and Co., the principal banking firm of Brazil, were on the 10th September compelled to suspend payment, an event instantly followed by a wild run for gold. House after house was compelled to suspend, the Bank of Brazil was in danger of stoppage, and the Government, after authorizing it to issue notes to the amount of three times its deposits, adopted the almost unprecedented step of suspending all claims whatsoever for six days, creating in fact a week's holiday. This gave the people time to reflect, and the panic soon cooled, but not until it had broken up firms whose liabilities will amount to nearly 11,000,000/. They will most of them pay good dividends, and there seems no reason for the exaggerated rumours current about "forced circulation "and "Brazilian green- backs." The country is just as solvent as it was before Messrs- Souto and Co. collapsed.

The general news from America is very important. The Rich- mond papers were crying out in desperate anxiety as to the fate of the capital. "Let troops be brought to Richmond without delay from anywhere," writes the Richmond Eximiner of October 4, "for Virginia is the pillar of the Confederacy. At present the lines are secure, but their safety can- not be fairly left to Lee's present army, which has too great a load on it already. An increase to our forces from some quarter is the sure need of the hour,—the hour of final trial which is close at hand." And it demands that the negro women and children "who eat up everything" should be sent out of Richmond at once. This does not look as if Grant's movements before Rich- mond were "unmeaning operations," as the Times called them the other day.

There is still more candid confession Of weakness, almost of despair, in a speech of the Southern President at Macon,—which is discredited, though very doubtfully, at the South,—reported in the Daily Macon Telegraph and Confederate of September 24. The speech is said to have been made on the 23rd of September, and though it begins by prophesying that Sherman's retreat from Atlanta will resemble Napoleon's from Moscow, the whole tenor of it is confession upon confession of the exhausted state of the South. Hood can only drive Sherman from Atlanta, he says, if "the absentees of his army" return to their posts, and to them, and to the women who influence them, he makes a strenu- ous appeal. "You have not many men between eighteen and forty-five left," says Mr. Davis in the speech imputed to him, "the boys, God bless the boys ! are as rapidly as they become old enough going to the field." "We want our soldiers in the field, and we want our sick and wounded to return home. It is not proper for me to speak of the number of men in the field, but this I will say, that two-thirds of our men are absent, some sick, some wounded, but most of them absent without leave." He concludes by saying that if Early had been sent to reinforce Hood at Atlanta instead of into the Shenandoah Valley, Lynchburg must have been taken, and a complete cordon established round Richmond. The speech if genuine is an extraordinary confession of exhaustion, desertion from the army on an enormous scale, and general failure of resources.

There is, however, good evidence that Georgia will never treat separately with the Federal Government, and probably all the other States of the Confederacy will act in the same spirit, for none is so disaffected towards Mr. Davis as Georgia. Governor Brown of Georgia, in declining General Sherman's invitation to a conference, admits to the full the State's great grounds of complaint against the Confederate Government, and even the possibility that the South as a whole may be conquered,—but he repudiates with scorn the idea of deserting the other States. "Georgia will triumph with her Confederate sisters or sink with them in common ruin." "Georgia may be overrun," says Governor Brown, "but she will never be subjugated, and her people will never treat with a conqueror upon her soil." On the whole, the other State authorities seem not less determined than Virginia herself, and though the numerous desertions seem to imply that the common people are less tenacious, there is enough to show us, as Lord Stanley says, that if the South should be conquered the political difficulties of the North will be only begun. Probably a military government of the Slave States would be necessary for some .time, if only to protect the slaves against their former masters. In Louisiana the planters openly boast that military government once exchanged for civil they would immediately have slavery again under another name. The passion for slavery seems to be stronger than the love of country, stronger than the love of life.

General Butler has written a letter about the contest for the Presidency which shows a very imperfect appreciation of the depth of root, or rather fang, which slavery has attained in the South. He regrets, he says, the strong resolution of the Baltimore Con- vention against slavery, because while it alarmed many, and alienated many votes it was needless, for slavery is practically dead. "The war will extinguish slavery whether we wish it or no. The war has extinguished slavery by rendering the slave worth- less." But the worth of the slave would revive with peace, and the passion for slavery once excited never dies. General Butler has studied Louisiana to little purpose if he thinks that a resolution against slavery by the Northern people is a mere work of superero- gation. This iniquity, like all great iniquities, will die hard.

Mr. Gladstone uttered the most complete of his political mani- festoes at Manchester on Friday week last, too late for notice in our last impression. In it he reiterated his belief that the working. classes had gained a political claim on the nation by the admirable fortitude shown in the cotton distress, and appealed to them not to indulge the political " lethargy " which had apparently fallen upon the people. He invited especially the expression of public opinion against extravagant expenditure, remarking that when Govern- ment, not Parliament, is the only check upon public expenditure, "that is a state of things calling for public attention, if indeed it be the desire of the people that their concerns should be honestly and safely administered." "The principle of decay and corrup- tion," he said, "is continually at work to increase the tempta- tions in the administration of public money," and apparently Mr. Gladstone expects this state of things to be mended by Parliamen- tary reform. A good representation of the working-classes would do much for the people,—but the last thing we should ourselves expect it to do would be to economize our revenue and cat down our expenses.

Dr. Colenso has had a long correspondence with the Archbishop of York about the meaning of that prelate's permission granted to

"A Layman" to dedicate his work on the Pentateuch to his Grace. Dr. Coleus() thinks that permission at least implied that no deadly and fearful errors were contained in "A Layman's" book, and he points out that the "Layman " has admitted the principle, though not the full application of his own method of criticism. The Archbishop of York says he only granted the permission because the " Layman " had published a good book once before, that he now regrets he gave that permission, and that he has had no time to read the book so dedicated to him. The Archbishop would find in it nothing much more dangerous than some of the essays he himself edited, where the same " principle " was partially ad- mitted. But the Archbishop would probably scarcely wish to own, under the pressure of orthodox tests accumulated in 1864, all the critical principles he accepted cheerfully in 1862.

Mr. Due.ane has addressed his constituents in Essex, and ex- plained to them that the Liberal party were beaten over and over again in effect last session, and only not beaten at last on the principle that invalids survive people of strong health, and that "a creaking door hangs the longest." The explanation was a poor one. The reason why the Liberals lasted on was not that they were in ill-health, but that the Conservatives were believed to be in worse. The only alternative was to substitute for a door which creaks in shutting, a door which would not shut at all.

The great number of unfounded charges of indecent assaults seems to have produced something like a panic, and the magistrates are displaying extra caution in their investigations. They are hampered by two difficulties—the lack of direct evidence usual in such cases, and the freedom of manners still existing among certain classes. It is of course impossible to refuse convictions on the evi- dence of the prosecutaix alone, yet to accept that as sufficient places every man at the mercy of every woman who happens to be five minutes alone with him. The temptation, too, to turn mere broad joke into a criminal charge needs to be very carefully watched. For a man to put his arm round a woman's waist without her consent may be an assault, even an indelicate assault, but it is not exactly what the law means by the technical phrase. The social penalty in such cases so enormously aggravates the penalty fixed by law that there is risk, if the magistrates are not very careful, of the well-known result,—a crime become common because its pun- ishment is too severe for the common instinct of ordinary men.

The Australian colonists are dreadfully nettled by Mr. Card- well's refusal to abolish transportation to Western Australia while Western Australia chooses to ask for convicts. The people are openly talking of measures of "retaliation," and as a first step Mr. James M'Culloch, Chief Secretary of Victoria, has informed the Colonial Office that the offending colony will be sent to Coventry. All intercourse with her of any kind will be prohibited, and as a preliminary the Peninsular and Oriental Company have been informed that unless their steamers cease to call at King George's Sound their subsidy will be withdrawn. We have discussed the affair in another place, and need only add here that the serious part of the affair is not the anger manifested at transportation, but the attempt to declare a war of legislation against an independent colony for conduct approved by the Imperial Government.

The Times of Wednesday accepted as genuine a statement that Earl Russell had forwarded a note to Athens threatening that if the factions continued their contests the three Powers would not scruple to strengthen the hands of the King and maintain order. This statement has been officially denied, but some assurances must have been made to the Ki g, for on the 19th inst. he informed the National Assembly that the country was weary of its long debates, and that if they could not finish the constitution and the electoral law in another month he would "reserve to himself liberty of action," i. e., would strike a coup d'etat. The state of affairs in Greece is bad enough, the brigands ravaging the country with impunity, the army split into coteries, Athens full of crime, and the Assembly talking truisms about first principles, but we trust the country will be allowed to work out her problem for herself. England owes something to Greece, having given it a boy of the Royal caste in- stead of a statesman as King, but foreign intervention is not the mode of making a bad selection popular. Joint intervention means joint occupation, and how long is it to last ? Till King George becomes a great statesman ? That is to protract it to the Greek Kalends, but if any shorter term is settled the anarchy may re- commence, with the additional bitterness inspired by foreign in- terference.

The New York journals publish a singular rumour from Mexico. fThe Emperor, they say, has started on a tour, and Miranda, back '

by the Archbishop, has seized half the capital 'behind him, and holds it successfully against all attacks. The Archbishop may be, and probably is, bitterly disappointed to find that though Haps- burgs are willing to drive their subjects to the feet of the priests they prefer not to kneel there themselves ;—but this story lain- credible. French generals are not caught napping in that style, and General Bazaine would shoot an Archbishop for massacring French soldiers just as soon as a brigand. There is not time for Rome to have ordered this annoyance to Napoleon in punishment for the Convention.

We regret to record the death of the Duke of Newcastle, which occurred at Clumber on the evening of the 18th inst. Though not a man of the first intellectual rank, the Duke was a man of much value to the State as an upright, diligent, and patient ad- ministrator. As a young man he followed Sir Robert Peel in his policy of free trade, braving thereby a rupture with his father and serious injury to the family wealth, and he showed the same civil firmness during the Crimean war. The public considered him to have failed as Secretary at War, but it begins to be understood that he was the scapegoat of a vicious system, and that he devised most of the reforms afterwards carried out. His great defect as a Minister was one common to all the Peelites, a lack of revolution- ary vigour, an inability to construct unless time were given him for patient thought and effort. His speeches were never striking, but they were always clear and sensible, and he had very little fear of public opinion. His domestic life was unfortunate, his wife having fled from him, but he is said to have warmly attracted his few in- timate friends. He is succeeded by his son, a man of no political note.

Sir Rutherford Akock seems determined to have his little war in Japan. He has collected a formidable force of seventeen war steamers and 1,500 soldiers, and intends to push into the Inland Sea. The Prince of Nag,ato objects, and has fired on the Cormor- ant for making the experiment, and it is intended therefore to silence his batteries. Serious work is expected, the Japanese, as we are informed, having been for some time steadily arming them- selves. No less than 300,000 stand of arms and some rifled can- non have been, we are told, shipped from England this year, all for Japanese nobles, and all invoiced as "hardware."

The Times publishes an account of the great powder magazine at Purfleet, which shows that the alarm felt by the public at the immense stores of powder there collected is not unwarranted. The magazines contain 42,000 barrels, or say 2,000 tons, forty times the stock which caused the Erith explosion. It is calculated that if it exploded every house in London would sustain an impact equal to 3 lb. per square yard, the force of the Erith shock being only 3 oz. on the same surface. In other words every door and window would perish, and every shaky wall come down. The precautions taken are of course most elaborate, but so much powder ought not to be stored in one place. There are two dangers against which precaution can never be complete. Lightning may strike a boat taking powder on board, or a work- man dwelling on the catastrophe may, under an acmes of mania, fire the powder. The risk to the capital is unjustifiably great.

A series of extensive frauds has been discovered in the Bank- ruptcy Courts. In April last the Lord Chancellor requested the Commissioner at Leeds and a London accountant to examine the books of the Leeds Office, and many errors were detected. The inquiry was then extended to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, and the result has been the discovery of sums "im- properly retained" by official assignees and messengers to the amount of 14,000/. The inquiry is to be immediately extended to the London Courts. The only marvel is that the officers having made up their minds to "retain" any retained so little. It is nobody's interest to look after them except the creditors', and creditors are regarded by. the officials of bankruptcy courts as persons whose business is to take what they can get and be thank- The Eider-Dane party appears to be excessively irritated with King Christian. Its organ, the Dagblad, argues openly that as the peace sets aside the treaty of 1852 the throne devolves on one of the Princes of Hesse as nearest male agnate. The paper will be prosecuted, a stupid step, as it gives its proprietors an oppor- tunity of legally assailing the King's title. The true counter- argument is that the King reigns by virtue of an Act of Parlia- ment, and that the people show no disposition to repeal that Act. If King Christian were the most selfish Prince in existence it would not pay him to sacrifice Schleswig till he had done his utmost to retain it. Kings do not like losing duchies. It is difficult to convince the great Peers that the place of Eng- land in this world is simply that of its workshop. They seem to think that honour, anti status, and power to influence the marchof events are nearly as important as money. The Duke of Rutland, better known as Marquis of Granby, and stoutest of Protectionists, on Tuesday protested before the Newmarket Farmers' Club against the Manchester doctrine. Free trade, he believed, had done little for England, but whatever its results he denied that extended commerce had crippled her power to go to war. If she had more to protect she had more to protect it with, "more ships, more men, and more money," and England never was more capable of defending a righteous cause. The honourable illogical old gentle- man ! he justifies free trade in the very sentence which denounces it! He need not be afraid. England will be very peaceful till something touches her pride, and then the peace party and their doctrines and fears for commerce and dread of taxation will go to the winds together. This country is always having spasms of non-interven- tion, but it is in every mess none the leas.

An attempt to rouse an insurrection in Venetia is reported by telegraph. Forty or fifty persons dressed in red shirts descended from the Tyrol at Udine and endeavoured to rouse the people. That failing they fled or were arrested. It is difficult to imagine that Italians believe the Quadrilateral can be taken by a popular eineute, and the invasion is probably a device of the priests to excite Austria against Italy.

The Viceroy of India has issued final orders for the extension of the Perpetual Settlement to the North-West Provinces. The rate to be fixed is half the "rent," whatever that may be, and time is to be allowed to occupiers of half-cultivatel estates. The per- manent rate will be fixed for them, but they may accept it any time within thirty years, paying meanwhile rent only for the culti- vated section. No tenant is to be forced to accept a permanent tenure,—a stipulationwhich, as the permanence doubles the value of the land, is purely pro forma.

Mr. Beresford Hope has explained his plan for establishing Col- legiate Churches. He wants to place in every newparish large enough to yield 1,200/. a year, a rector, supported by three senior and two junior fellows, who should work together on system and under the rector's guidance. He does not wish to keep them celibate or force them against their will to live together, but only to avoid the existing waste of power. The only objection we have to offer is that the waste of power created by putting so many clergymen under control would be greater than, the waste caused by over- division. Half the energy of the "fellows" would be thrown away in resisting the rector, and no law could ever define their respective jurisdiction. Mr. Hope says the scheme works in America, which is possible ; but in England, where we have a hundred sects, not one has ever attempted to divide the ministerial power. It is hard enough for a rector to " guide " curates whom he can get rid of, but Heaven help the parish priest who has to make five " fellowe " pull in one team ! Mr. Hope forgets that obedience is not a virtue lauded by the English Church.

Notwithstanding that several failures have been announced this week, some of which are for considerable amounts, the market for home securities has, on the whole, ruled tolerably firm. On Satur- day last Consols left off at 881, , for money, and 88i, for account. Yesterday, the closing quotations were :—For transfer, ; for time, 88i, 89. The highest prices of the week were realized yesterday. The stock of bullion in the Bank of England is 13,002,488/.

Yesterday and on Friday week the leading Foreign Securities left off at the annexed quotations :—

Friday, Oct.14. Friday, Oct. 21 Greek .. .. ..

Do. Coupons .. .. Mexican .. .. ..

Spanish Passive •. ..

Do. Certificates .. Turkish 8 per Ceuta., 1858..

1882..

Consolides.. ..

..

.. ..

.. ..

.. ., ..

.• .. .. .. 231 .. -- .. :11 .. 13 .. -- .. 691 ..

.., 491 .. 211 9 .. 20 .. 291 .. 121 891 .. 491

The following were the closing prices of the leading British Railways yesterday and on Friday week :—

Caledonian Great Eastern Great Northern Great Western..

Friday, Oct. 14.

.. 123 ..

« .. 43 ..

.. 128 ..

.. 71 ..

Friday, Oct. 21. 123 441 129

7$

Lancashire and Yorkshire ..

113 ..

11$ 1 London and Brighton .. 1031 .. 103 London and North-Western .. 112 .. 112 London and South•Western

951 ..

96 London, Chatham, and Dover

39 9 Midland ..

1301 .. 130 North-Eastern, Berwick..

Do. York ..

104 ..

95 .. 107 96

West Midland, Oxford ..

.... .• 10 ... 61