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A Royal Commission has been issued to inquire into the present ar- rangements for transacting the civil and criminal business of the Supe- rior Courts of Law at Westminster, and into the manner and times of holding the Circuits ; and to report to her Majesty whether any and what improvements can be effected therein, and particularly whether the num- ber of the Common Law Judges can be reduced without detriment to the public service. The Commissioners appointed are Lord Chief Justice Campbell, Lord Wensleydale, Mr. Baron Alderson Mr: Justice Cress- well, Mr. Stuart Wortley, Solicitor-General, Sir Frederick Thesiger, and _Mr. Horatio Waddington, Under-Secretary of State.

Major-General Barnard, who held a high post on the Staff in the Cri- mea, has been selected to succeed Major-General Windham, who has re- signed his appointment on the Staff of the Bengal Army. Major-General Love, Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, will probably succeed General Barnard at Dover and Shorncliffe ; and Colonel Mundy, of the War Department, is named for the Governorship of Jersey.

Sir Edward Bulwer has accompanied a letter conveying his acknow- ledgments to the University of Glasgow for his election as Lord Rector, by another from Lord Stanley to himself, showing that the latter was not a candidate with his cognizance. He says that "such honours are fit rewards for intellectual preeminence, and ought to be bestowed on no other grounds." "More than this—they should be reserved for those who have achieved distinction, not conferred by way of encouragement on those who are only seeking it."

Mr. Cobden, from his retreat in Walea, has addressed a letter to the President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, on Maritime Law. He recalls attention to Mr. Marcy's answer to the declaration which re- ceived the assent of the Paris Congress. Mr. Marcy's answer, he thinks, has "not attracted all the attention it deserves from our mercantile com- munity," and has been "misrepresented and dealt within a flippant spirit by some of our journals."• The object of Mr. Cobden is to obtain for 'Mr. Marcy's counter-proposal—that private property on the high seas should be exempt from seizure—" a prompt and hearty acceptance," and, "if possible, a world-wide acquiescence." Mr. Cobden argues that under the new maritime code adopted at Paris, we, in case of era; either with France or the United States, should lose the carrying-trade which would take refuge in neutral bottoms. England has 80,000,000/. to 100,000,0001. afloat ; France from 20,000,000j, to 30,000,0001.: we should therefore expose four times as much pal, perty to Government cruisers as France ; and the consequence would be, that the trade would seek neutral bottoms. In the case of war with the United States, the old system of privattering would be in force on both aides; we should offer "two-thirds of prey to their onesthird" ; and, with from 600 to 1000 aimed American ship, cruising against our commerce, "could a vessel bearing the British nag keep the sea ? " The remedy is, to adopt the American proposition, abolish privateering, and grant exemption from seizure to private pre. perty afloat; and then wars will partake "more of' the character of duels between governments than of the old contests of nations."

Two contradictions of Mr. Arrowsmith's story about the duels on the Georgian railway have appeared in the Times. One is from Mr. John P. King, President of the Georgian Railroad Company. He denies the whole story ; and adds, that not only is duelling strictly prohibited in Georgia, but that hitherto the Georgian railways have been entirely ex. empt from accidents fatal to life. The second letter is from Mr. Robed Howe Gould, who has a brother in the State, and reports that he has re- ceived "from two of the most respectable residents in Augusta the dis- tinct and unequivocal assurance that the whole story is utterly false—a sheer fabrication., without even the shadow of truth to support it." The story is treated in tlie State as a proof of "the superlative gullibility of our old friendJohn Bull in everything that regards our Southern States." Mr: Gould affirms, as regards duelling, that "it has become a thing al- most unknown within the limits of the State."

The Registrar-General /sports a "decided increase" of deaths in Lon- don. At the beginning of the month the rate of mortality was 1000 pet week ; last week it rose to 1261. This number is 82 above the corrected average of the last ten years. The increase is attributed to "diseases in the respiratory organs.'

Lord Palmerston received the Cabinet Ministers at dinner, for the lust time this season, on Wednesday.

The Princess Mary,of Cambridge completed her twenty-third year on Thursday.

A report is revived with some confidence that King Victor Emmanuel is to marry the Grand Duchess Marie, widow of the Duke of Lenchtenberg.

We are happy in being able to state, on the authority of the Bishop of Rochester himself, that he has at present no intention of retiring from the diocese. At a dejetiner given after the consecration of a church in this county last week, the subject was alluded to by one of the speakers; when the venerable prelate said, though he felt advancing age, and his health had been lately impaired, mousing the duties to press rather heavily upon him, he had no intention of retiring so long as he was able to discharge those duties in' the manner which the interests of the see demanded.Essez Herald.

The Duke of Athol, in a letter to the daily journals states that "there is no foundation whatever" for the statement that the Duchess of Athol has been received into the Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. Sergeant Kinglake has been appointed Recorder of Bristol, in the place of the new Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

Mr. Henry Davison, of the Welsh and Chester Circuit, has been appointed a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Courtat Madras.

Mr. Sohn Goss, organist of St. Paul's Cathedral, has been appointed com- poser to her.Majesty's Chapel Royal, St. James's, in the room of Mr. W. Knyvett, 'deceased. The late General Guyon left tws; sons and one daughter. The Emperor of the French has already nominated one of the boys to a vaaaney in the Polytechnic School, and has promised to provide, if possible, for the other.

Pensions of 12,000 francs each have been granted to the widows of M. Duces and M. Fortoul, the French Ministers, with reversions of 30041 francs -to their children.

It is reported that M. de Girardin is about to sell or has sold forty-seven shares of the Freese—the property being divided into a hundred shares—to a rich capitalist, for 34,000/.

Mr. William Lockhart, brother of Six Walter Scott's son-in-law, and Member for Lanarkshire, died on Wednesday, at his house, Milton-Lock- hart, in Clydesdale. He was born in 1787; was for many years Dean of Faculty in the' University of Glasgow ; and was first returned as M.P. for his native county in 1841.

A veteran of the French wars, Lieutenant-General Alexander Thomson, died on the 23d instant, at Sabine House, Ireland. He was Colonel of the Seventy-fourth Highlanders. lathe Peninsular War he fought at Busaeo, Fuentes -d'Onor, Salamanca, Vittoria, the battles in the Pyrenees and in the South of France. He was engaged in the sieges of Badajoz Ciudad Rodrigo, and St. Sebastian. At Badajoz he was wounded while leading storming pasty; he was also wounded at Fuentes d'Onor. He wore a gold medal and a silver medal with nine clasps. The Reverend Henry Dickenson, Rector of West Bedard, died lately, apparently from want of the necessaries of life. He and his wife, though wealthy, denied themselves almost every comfort and decency of life. Mr. Dickenson has left his wife between 40,000/. and 50,0001. The deceased, though so miserly in some things, was a liberal landlord and charitable to 'the poor • he was an eloquent preacher, of studious habits, and an excellent Greek scholar.

About two years ago, Mr. Angus Reach, known in London and beyond it as a hard-working litterateur of great merit; suffered from an attack of Pt' • ralysis, which precluded all further literary exertion. For his benefit the • amateur pantomime was performed, and the Queen gave Jiim 1001. Mt. Reach died on Tuesday, at his house on Denmark Bill, in his thirty-fifth year.

A promising young artist, Mr. John Arthur Herbert, son of the Academi- cian, died recently at ilouriac in France of typhus fever. Mr. John Her- bert was only twenty-two years of age. 'His body has been brought to Eng- land for burial.

The Journal de St. Peterabourg of the 5th instant published a table of the lines of the new Russian Steam Navigation Company,-and an account of the statutes sanctioned by the Emperor. These are to be the lines.

1. Between Odessa, Constantinople, Athos, Smyrna, Rhodes, Alexan-

aretta, Beyrout, Jaffa, and Alexandria, three times a month. The steamers, moreover, may touch at intermediate ports if the necessity thereof is proved. 2. Between Odessa, Yalta, Redout Kaleh, and Kertch, along the Caucasian oast, touching at such intermediate ports as may be deemed advisable, three times a month : these steamers may alter their course if necessary, as trade along the Anatolian coast. 3. Between Odessa aud Galatz, touching, if necessary, at Sulina, 'small, Rini, and other ports of the Danube, weekly. 4. Between Odessa, Eupatoria, Sebastopol, Yalta, Theodosia, and Kertch, once a week. 6. Between Odessa, Kinburn, Oczakoff, and Nieholaieff, and further up the Bug, if necessary, once a week. 6. Between Odessa, Kin- burn, Oezakoff, and Cherson, and higher up the Dnieper, once a week.

7. Between Kertch, Marioupol, Berdiansk, Risk, and Taganrog, once a week.

8. Between Kerteh and Taman, as often daily as may be required. 9. Be- tween Olviopol and Akermann (on the liman of the Dnieper), as often daily as may be required. 10. Between Odessa, Constantinople, the Island of Syra, the Piraeus, Messina, Naples, Leghorn, Genoa, and Marseilles, eighteen times during the year, at periods not fixed. The steamers to touch at any intermediate ports it may be deemed advisable. 11. Between Odessa, Constantinople, the islands of Byre, Zante, Cephalonia, Corfu and Bari, Ancona and Trieste, about eighteen trips during the year, without fixed periods. The steamers to touch at intermediate ports, if thought advisable. The lines are to be opened gradually, but all must be in operation within 1ive years. The Company is to enjoy various privileges, as we have noted on a former occasion. The Journal de St. Petersbourg details the amount of subvention to be granted to each line for ten years ; in the next ten rears it is to be gradually reduced to one-half; at the end of that period the Company can apply to the Government for a prolongation of its privileges and new conditions. Each year Government will give 64,000 roubles to assist in keeping up the fleet.

A report published in the Paris Afoniteur shows that in 1853 the port of Odessa exported 6,000,000 of hectolitres of wheat ; in 1854 but 2,000,000; none at all in 1855; and now, in 1856, since the peace was proclaimed, al- ready no less than 5,000,000, of which more than a fourtb. to Marseilles alone.

A new kind of steam gun-boat, which has recently been down the Danube from Vienna to &milli, has returned to Klosterneuburg, a small town a few miles from the city. The gun-boat, which has a 601b. Paixhan.s on board, is very small, light, and manageable. The high-pressure engines have only 10-horse power. The crew consists of twenty men and one commissioned officer.

Two clergymen of the Church of England and some Dissenting ministers have been preaching from a waggon in the vicinity of Sheffield fair : they met with much attention.

Two great fires are reported in the United States : at New York a vast drug-store has been destroyed, valued at 500,000 dollars ; Syracuse has been ravaged by a fire inflicting damage to the extent of no leas than 1,000,000 dollars. Two hundred buildings have also been burnt down at St. John's, Newfoundland, valued at 50,000 dollars.

Very extensive fires have occurred both at Pere and Adrianople. At Pent 600 houses were destroyed.

The cholera was making great ravages at Bagdad in the middle of October.

On Wednesday morning, London and the vicinity were visited by a slight fall of snow, followed by a drenching rain. In the West Riding of York- shire on the same morning, there was a rather deep fall of snow.

A Jury at Toronto have returned a verdict of " Not guilty" in a clear ease of murder. Henderson, a solicitor, seduced the wife of Brogdin, an- other solicitor, under very aggravated circumstances: while Henderson was living with Mrs. Brogdia, he met Mr. Brogan, and accosted him with cool insolence--Brogdin drew out a pistol, , and shot the scoundrel dead. The verdict of the Jury meant that the killing was justifiable.

The telegraph operator of Vera Cruz, on the arrival of the bark Pegasus on the 1st of October, telegraphed to the city of Mexico the astounding in- telligence of the failure of the Bankof England. He fancied that the Royal British Bank could be no other than the great national banking institution of the British people.—Ainerican Paper.

The fossil remains of an iehthyosaurus have been discovered at W.hitby —the largest specimen yet found. Unfortunately it is imperfect.

A singular incident is mentioned as having occurred about twenty-five miles from Rome, at a country place called Sabina, near the Piano district. Some labourers were at work in a basin-shaped hollow, when they suddenly felt a shaking of the earth like an earthquake, which caused them to run off to a distance. They then saw the earth open in the place they had left, and a black smoke rise up ; the surrounding ground seemed to fall in ; and the place filled with water, forming a lake of about 1000 metre's, which has been increasing daily in size ever since. The water is salt, adn the general ides-seems to be that the hollow thus filled is the site of an extinct volcano. --A -Weekly journal in the English language- has benstartedWIlia Nice Observer. It is Liberal in its politics.