31liortlImuntts.

A deputation, consisting of the popular and distinguished friends of civil and religious liberty, says the Daily News, was to have waited, by appointment, upon Lord John Russell, her Majesty's foreign Secretary, at the Foreign Office, yesterday afternoon, to lay before his Lordship a protest against the present proceedings of the Papal authorities in the Mortara case, and to request that "her Majesty's Government, in case they should take any part in the settlement of the Italian question, will cause the subject of the Papal treatment of the Jews to be brought be- fore the consideration of the Governments of Europe." The secretary to the deputation, however, received a communication from his Lordship, intimating that as his Lordship was suffering from a slight cold, it would be more convenient to him to receive them today.

Our ships of war and other vessels in the Mediterranean have been en- gaged in conveying fugitives from Tangiers and other ports in Morrocco. We have several gun-boats on the African coast. The Moors are said to be in a high state of enthusiasm at the prospect of war.

" Amiens" writing to the Times, and referring to the sudden breaking up of the Royal Charter, explains it by a reference to the inferior kind of iron used for " boat plates " " What is the meaning of boat plates' being the lowest priced in any ironmaker's list ? If we pay 251. or 301. a ton for the plates of which a lo- comotive boiler is made, why should we give only 81. 10s. or 91. per ton for those of which a ship is built ? . . . . With good well-worked plates, where the fibre of the iron is ductible and tenacious, and where these plates are well and judiciously fastened together, no vessel, even if wrecked in such a gale as that of last Tuesday, would break to pieces so suddenly and so utterly, as the Royal Charter seems to have done. But built of the boat plates' of the present day God help the human freight of the ship that strikes upon a rocky shore ! I would therefore advise shipowners when contracting for new vessels, instead of being satisfied with a specification which provides good ordinary boat plates' to be used, and which are, in fact, about the most rubbishing quality of iron which is made, to insist that the sheathing should all be of best best, or double-worked quality. In a vessel of 1000 tons it would not increase the cost 5001., and the value is gained in the greater strength and durability of the ship, to say nothing of the lives that it may possibly save."

Greenwich Hospital is to be the subject of another inquiry by Royal Com- mission ; and Mr. Hutt, M.P., has accepted the invitation of the Duke of Somerset to act as chairman.

The .Dublin Evening Mail states that the Lords of the Admiralty have intimated to Captain M'Clintock that her Majesty, in consideration of the brilliant success by which his late expedition to the Arctic regions was at- tended, has been pleased to order that, from April, 1857, to September, 1859, during which time he was in command of the yacht Fox, shall count to him as sea time. This favour can only be granted by the Sovereign, and is rarely exercised. To facilitate the carrying into effect of the new arrangement made for sending mails to the United States and British North America, via Cork, on Saturday, the 5th instant, and on every alternate Saturday subsequently,.it is necessary that all letters and newspapers intended to be forwarded W. these mails, and which may be posted after the latest time when it has hitherto been possible to post them, should either be prepaid by means of postage-stamps (as in the caseof books) or be forwarded unpaid. No money, therefore, will be received in payment of postage upon the letters and news- papers in question, and if not prepaid by means of stamps, such letters, &a., must be dropped into the box as unpaid.

The-Prince and Princess Frederick William of Prussia, according to pre- sent arrangements are to arrive at Windsor Castle, on a visit to her Majesty and the Prince Consort, at the end of this week. The infant Prince Fre- derick William Victor Albert will not accompany his illustrious parents, it being the law in Prussia that the heir apparent shall not leave the country without the permission of the Diet.

The Prince of Wales has joined the University Boat Club at Oxford. It is prominently recorded that the Prince has actually played at tennis for some time in "Russell's Tennis Court."

Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton has returned to England, and we are happy to state that it is said the right honourable baronet is in the enjoyment of per- fectly recovered health.—Daily News.

The Earl of Romney, who for the last thirteen years has discharged the duties of Chairman of the Quarter Sessions, has intimated his intention of retiring from that position.

Schamyl, with his suite, left St. Petersburgh on the 20th October by rail for Moscow and Kaluga. It is at this latter place that he will take up his final residence.

M. Roger is almost sufficiently recovered from his late terrible accident to resume his duties at the Grand Opera. Mechanical ingenuity having sup- plied him with an artificial hand, so perfect, it is said, as nearly to conceal the loss of the natural one, he will appear before the close of the present month in one of his most popular characters. M. Roger's benefit is fixed, it is understood, for the 10th December.

Dr. Louis Spohr, the great musician, is dead. His last moments were quite tranquil. He had been confined to his bed for eight days, and his complaint was of such a nature as afforded not the least hopes of his re- covery. As soon as the melancholy intelligence reached Brunswick, the two brothers of Dr. Spohr—one the father of the Countess Sanerma, (better known as the celebrated harpist, Rosalie Spohr,) the other assessor of the ducal chambers, both residents—hastened to Hesse Cassel, and were present at the last services paid to the illustrious master. The funeral of the great composer was marked by many reverential tokens, honourable alike to the living and the dead. The Prince Electoral of Hesse Cassel gave orders to his Court Marshal to arrange the whole of the procession, which was half an hour in length. The Queen of Hanover sent palm and laurel branches to decorate the sarcophagus. The choruses of the funeral service were exe- cuted by the leading members of the Opera and the Grand Ducal Chapel. Pupils of Dr. Spohr, scattered over all Germany, arrived at various stages of the ceremony to pay their last tribute of respect to their master—one or two coming from Holland. Dr. Spohr was close upon his eightieth year.

Mr. J. Pulman, Clarenceux King of Arms, and for many. years Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod, died on Saturday evening, at his residence, at East Hill, Wandsworth, from an attack of paralysis.

The first screw of the Madras pier was turned by his Excellency Sir Charles Trevelyan on the 17th ultimo, in the presence of a large assemblage of the elite of the presidency. After a prayer had been offered up by the Reverend Mr. Dealtry, the acting archdeacon, his Excellency delivered an address, in which he referred to the benefits a pier would confer on the port, and to the many improvements that had been effected in the adminis- tration of Madras since his arrival.

The German Volunteer Battalion or Jager corps has, under the orders of Lord Clyde, been incorporated with the army of Bombay. The Bombay Town-hall seems to have been taken possession of by white ants. The libraries of the Asiatic and Geographical Societies, the papers in

several Government offices, and the organic contents of the Museum, are ex- posed to destruction.

On Wednesday All Souls' Church, erected at Halifax, on the estate and at the sole cost of MT. Edward Ackroyd, late Member for Huddersfield, was opened for divine service by the Bishops of Ripon and Durham. The entire cost, independent of the burial-ground, is estimated at from 60,0001. to 80,0001. A permanent endowment has been provided by Mr. Ackroyd, in whom the patronage of the new ecclesiastical parish of Haley Hill is Vested.

The writer of a letter from Florence says—" I saw at Parma and Bo- logna, and everywhere throughout the !Emilia, signal proofs of the ac- tivity of the London Biblical Societies. Fine copies of the Italian Diodati,' or Protestant translation of the Old and New Testament, were either sold at very low prices or even freely distributed by their agents. I hear now that an elegant building is rising in this city, in the Piazza Barbano, or Dell' Independenza, which is to be a ' temple' consecrated to the worship of the 'National Italian,' or Reformed Catholic' Church. A small congregation, at variance with the established Roman Catholic Communion, already exists in Florence, and since last April what may be called Protestant' service has been performed weekly in the Italian language with open doors."

A fire broke out between 1 and 2 o'clock on the 28th of October, in the Palace of the Luxembourg, and has done considerable damage to the inte- rior of the building. The large hall in which the Senators hold their sit- tings is gutted, all the woodwork being destroyed and the fittings consumed. The origin of the disaster is not known, but the belief is that the over- heated flue of a stove set fire is the timber near which it passed. Notwith- standing the firemen were soon on the spot, it was only possible to prevent the flames from spreading to the rest of the building. Fortunately, the paintings and works of art have not been injured.

A shock of an earthquake was felt at Newquay on the 21st October. The sound resembled that of heavy-laden waggons passing through a street. In many parts of the place it shook the houses to an alarming extent, which caused many of the inmates to leave their houses to inquire what the strange sensation was. The vessels that were aground in the pier shook and trem- bled very much. The earthenware and glass appeared in many houses to have been set quite in commotion. The shock lasted for about one minute. Such an occurrence was never remembered in this place by the oldest in- habitant—Cornwall Garette.

Cold has increased, and contemporaneously the number of deaths in the metropolis has increased also. From 902 in the preceding week, the num- ber rose to 1048 last week, but it is still 77 below the average rate of mor- tality at this season. Three persons died respectively aged 90, 96, and 98, and one said to be 101 years.

The Ch valier Guidi, an enthusiastic archaeologist, returning to Rome from a trip to Naples in search of curiosities, was stopped near Velletri, and relieved of the gold he had taken with him to purchase certain objects. The brigands rsturned him his watch but kept his scudi.

The Maharajah of Cashmere has sent a magnificent present to our Queen —a shawl tent and gold bedstead worth 150,000/. They were carried to Windsor cii Wednesday.

The curfew bell at West Ham, which ceased to toll when church-rates were disallowed in the parish, has renewed its lugubrious tones; a private gentleman paying the expense.

The show of Chrysanthemums in the two Temple Gardens are now open to the public (free) every day from nine till dusk. Visitors are respectfully invited to an inspection of the extraordinary collection of Pompones, a dwarf variety of this beautiful Autumn flower, in the garden of the Middle Temple ; the entrance to this garden is from the broad flight of steps in front of the fountain within a few minutes' walk of the larger garden, and near Essex street.

The beautiful Temple Church is again open (free) every day from ten till four. Divine Service on Sundays at eleven and three.