niortIlantituo.

An order in Council appeared in the Gazette of Tuesday announcing that her Majesty approves of the scheme proposed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners reducing the number of the Minor Canons at Bristol to three, and fixing their annual stipend at 150/. a year respectively.

Rear-Admiral Fanshawe departed on Saturday, in the mail steam-ship America, to assume command of the ships on the West India station, vice Sir George Seymour, whose five years' term has expired.

Mr. Gossett entered on his duties as Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms to the House of Commons on Monday night ; in the room of Mr. Clementson, who retired on the preceding Friday.

Letters for officers, seamen, and marines serving in the under-men- tioned ships, will be forwarded by her Majesty's ship Phoenix, if sent to the Admiralty on or before the 12th April—her Majesty's ships Enter- prise, Investigator, Assistance, Resolute, Pioneer, Intrepid, and North Star.

Two large war-steamers, which were in process of construction by Mr. Pitcher of Northfleet for the Emperor of Russia, have been seized by the Customs authorities. It appears that, about a year ago, Mr. Pitcher re- ceived orders from the Russian Consul-General to build two war-steamers of 1300 tons each, and capable of carrying 30 guns. Mr. Pitcher accepted the order ; but as Government had not consented to its execution, he was warned some time ago that the ships would not be allowed to depart ; and on Tuesday last the broad arrow was placed on the vessels. The machinery intended for the ships has also been seized. The most perse- vering contradictions to this statement have been kept up, even down to this morning ; but the specific, authoritative, and repeated statements of the Globe and the Shipping Gazette are placed beyond doubt.

Viscount Hardinge, as General Commanding-in-chief, gave a farewell ban- quet on Thursday, at his mansion in Great Stanhope Street, to the officers about to proceed on active service to the East. The guests included the Duke of Cambridge, Lord Raglan, the Earl of Lucan, the Earl of Cardigan, Lord de Boa, Sir Charles Trevelyan, General Wetherell, General Freeth, Ge- neral Yorke, Brigadier-General Airey, Brigadier Buller:, Brigadier Esteourt, General Sir Richard England, Colonel Steel, Lieutenant-Colonel Mettle, Lieutenant-Colonel Mundy, and the Honourable A. Hardinge.

The Earl of Clarendon had a dinner-party on Saturday. Among the guests were the Prussian and Danish Ministers, Sir James Graham, and Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer. In the evening the Countess had a brilliant as- sembly, comprising the Corps Diplomatique and a large general company. The Countess had another reception on Wednesday evening.

The Duke of Cambridge dined_with the Duke and Duchess of Montrose on Sunday.

The Duke of Argyll entertained the Cabinet at dinner on Wednesday.

Some approaching marriages are noted. The Earl of Mountcharles, eldest son of the Marquis of Conyngham, to be married to Lady Jane St. Maur Stanhope, daughter of the late Earl of Harrington ; the Earl of Durham, to Lady Beatrice Hamilton, second daughter of the Marquis of Abercorn ; Captain Carleton, to the Honourable Miss Hobhouse, daughter of Lord Broughton.

The remains of the Duke of Portland were interred at 13olsover on Tues- day morning. The funeral cortege consisted of only the hearse and three mourning-coaches ; the deceased having expressly ordered that not more than 100/. should be spent upon his obsequies. But his tenantry, attired in mourning, crowded the church. The funeral of the Countess of Clanricarde took place on Saturday, at Athenry, in Ireland.

Prince Gholam Mahomed and his son, son and grandson of Tippoo Saib, have arrived in England. The object of the Prince's visit is to get his pen- sion settled on his grandson. He speaks English fluently. His physiognomy is very peculiar—almost Jewish in appearance. He is dressed magnificently.: his cloak is something like a cardinal's, with inwoven gold ; his cap is like that of a Catholic ecclesiastic high in rank, with a star of glittering diamonds in front.

General Prim visited London last week, and was introduced to the Com- mander-in-chief and Lord Raglan: he afterwards returned to Paris, en route for Constantinople.

M. Guizot is at Brussels, on a visit to the Princess Lieven.

Mademoiselle Rachel has left St. Petersburg, and returned to Paris.

Baron Ward, Prime Minister of Parma, was at Vienna when he received the news of the Duke's assassination he hastened from the Austrian capital towards Italy—to meet the tidings of his own exile.

M. Frasey, cure of St. Nicholas des Champs at Paris, died within these few days, at the age of ninety. He witnested most of the scenes of the first Revolution, and has lived for forty years in one of the most turbulent quar- ters of Paris. He was universally beloved and respected.

Post-office negligence seems to be no respecter of persons. Lest Wednes- day, the Queen wrote a letter of condolence to the Marchioness of Westmin- ster, on the death of the young midshipman, Lord Gilbert Grosvenor. The letter did not reach its destination, Eaton Hall, near Chester, until Saturday. It had been raiment, from the General Post-office, to Flint! A- further trial of Professor Glackman's electric telegraph for communi- cating between guards and drivers on railways, made between London and Birmuigham,—Captain Wynne, the Government Inspector, being in the train,—seems to have been very successful. The expense of the apparatus is small. The imports of the precious metals last week amounted to 800,0001.: the shipments were about 300,000/. The recent fall in the price of grain has been followed by a rebound. In Mark Lane, on Monday, wheat was 88. dearer than on that day week; and on Saturday the country markets showed an advance varying from 88, to 128. per quarter in a week. The large increase in the receipts of the railways of the United Kingdom continues. In the week ending 25th March, the total was 320,7491.; an eXcess over the corresponding period of last year of 36,615/. Of this increase the eight railways having their termini in London had 15,608/.

The Liverpool Albion, in an elaborate article on the statistics of Austra- lian shipping, shows the vast increase hi the number of ships despatched from the United Kingdom to Australia. In 1851, the total was 271 ships, with a tonnage of 145,777; in 1862, 601 ships, 304,118 tons; in 1863, 1074 ships, 516,772 tons.

Mr. Richard Devereux, of Wexford, who has just set out for Rome in com- pany with his parish-priest, has placed 14,0001. in trust for Roman Catholic eharitable and religious uses. Since Louis Napoleon became Emperor, nine line-of-battle ships, mounting 910 guns, have been launched from the French dockyards.

Paris and Lyons are now joined by railway. At present there is only a single pair of rails between Chalons and Lyons.

High winds and dry weather have rendered the Rhone so shallow at Valence that steam-navigation is almost entirely stopped. The quays of Valence are choked up with cases of arms, and warlike stores, waiting for the means of conveyance to the Mediterranean.