NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE week has had but one topic,—the division. The country has been reading the debates, but politicians have been framing, place-holders studying, and place-hunters inventing lists which the debates do not much affect. At first it was calculated by both parties that the Government were sure of a majority varying from twenty to twenty-five ; but as the week drew on the prospect clouded, and the debating, which began tamely, grew first excited, then hot, and then virulent, the accumulated bitterness exploding on Thursday in a regular scene. On Wednesday the Government majority dropped to a poor thirteen, the number with which Lord Palmerston accepted power, and on Thursday, rumours being rife of orders from Rome to be obeyed by all Catholics, declined to zero. On Friday, again, there was a slight recovery, as it was believed that some staunch old Tories might at the last moment refuse to support a motion obviously pleasing to Rome ; but the last night of debate opened with a general feeling that the hours of this Par- liament were numbered, Government being either left in a minority, or with a majority so small as to render an appeal to the country all but inevitable. These anticipations were not confirmed, how- ever, the division showing 313 to 295,—a majority of eighteen for Government.

Mr. Disraeli's grand attack was, on the whole, as a display of 'oratorical power .a failure. Whether the leader of Opposition Was embarrassed by his strange position,—moving in the interests of peace a censure on Government for not having maintained the honour which could only be n?aintained by war, or was worried by the dissensions in his'olyn'camp, or was labouring under a cold, his speech fell comparatively flat: From end to end it did not con- tain one of his trenchant epigrams, and only one strong personality, —a charge against Earl Russell of "utter incapacity." His point was to argue that up to the outbreak of the Polish affair the policy of the Government was to defend Denmark in conjunction with Russia and France, that the " six points " of Earl Russell's Polish despatch had alienated Russia, that the curt refusal to sit in Con- gress had alienated France, and that from the moment both alien- ations became manifest, the policy of Government became "in- capable."

The great speeches in defence of the Government were those of Mr. Gladstone on Monday night, and of Mr. Layard, who unfortu- nately did more to irritate than convince the House, on Thursday night. Mr. Gladstone's speech was very happy in its attack on Mr. Disraeli, and, to those who had not studied the despatches for themselves, very effective as a defence of the Government ; to those who had done so it is impossible to conceive a weaker defence. We have explained and replied to his argument elsewhere, and need only say here that while Mr. Gladstone admitted the fact of Lord Russpll's encouragements to the Danes and menaces to the Germans, and only pleaded that they did not continue after he knew that France would not help us, Mr. Layard took the incon- sistent and perhaps too audacious line of denying the fact altogether. While exposing fairly enough some slightly uncandid and partizan quotations of the Tories, Mr. Layard's speech was itself probably the most uncandid in the debate. Mr. Layard injures his case almost indefinitely by asserting that Lord Russell's despatch of the 26th January demanding the "material ail " of France in resisting the dismemberment of the Danish kingdom was emphatically a "peace despatch," and intended to create a loophole at which his noble friend could creep out of his obligations to Denmark. The argument is, that a like demand was addressed to Austria and Prussia in the cert linty of their refusal, and under the notion that the refusal would exonerate England from all claim. 'This seems to us, if it was so, to be adding mockery to the previous menaces. On the 14th January Lord Russell had assured Prussia that "lie could not dould" that Den- mark would be assisted by Powers friendly to Denmark in the defence of Schleswig. On the 26th he writes a mock request to the invaders to assist him in the resisting the invasion of Denmark in order that (according to Mr. Layard), on their refusal,—and France had already refused in no obscure terms,—he may absolve himself solemnly from any further duty. Mr. Layard omitted care- fully all the " strong " despatches which he proposed to recite, and boasted that the climax of them all, the despatch of the 26th January, was, not a menace, but a farce.

Prince John of Glucksburg, a younger brother of King Christian, has been sent to Berlin to see what terms can be obtained for Denmark, and a rumour is current, which has apparently some basis, that he is instructed to offer, on beh,tlf of the kingdom, that if peace is conceded Denmark en masse will enter the Germanic Confederation. That there is a party favourable to such an idea is certain, and it is probable that King Christian would not be averse to it, but the Danes are still teo attached to their free nationality. They would lose too much of their internal freedom, otherwise the blow to the Powers which have abandoned them would involve an almost poetical justice. Russia would lose half her maritime power, for she could not leave the Baltic without German consent, France would lose her hold upon Sweden, Eng- land would lose her power of keeping Russia within bounds by threatening Cronstadt, and Germany would draw down on herself an armed demand from Napoleon for "compensation." Everybody would be punished at once, but history rarely moves in that visibly retributive way.

Lord Palmerston, who is Master of the Corporation of Trinity. House, made one of his jocular speeches there this day week, ia. the presence of the Prince of Wales. Not that he was very jocular about his Royal guest,—on the contrary, on that theme, though he was loyal and cordial enough, he was evidently embarrassed by a sterile imagination. "I am convinced," he said, "that every day will more and more connect the feelings and attachments of the country with the progress and daily Wits of his Royal Highness." That "every day" should connect the attachments of the country more and more with the "daily habits" of his Royal Highness is a wonderful vision of Lord Palnyerston's, suggesting a growing tenderness of interest in his Royal Highness's baths and cigars. Lord Palmerston became more like himself when, as Master of Trinity House, he had to propose "Her Majesty's Ministers." He was now, he said, acting in a double capacity, in the position of "a child with two heads,"—with one head he proposed the health of the other head, and not even so politically, but only personally. He did not propose political health to the present Ministry, but only personal health to those who for the time being are Her Majesty's Ministers, and this on the ground that, if while retaining office they have bad health, the public service would suffer.

The news of the week is not favourable to the I'ederals. General Grant was foiled with the loss, it is said, of a whole brigade, on the 22nd of June, in his attempt to move to the West and master the Weldon railway, which runs South from Petersburg, and thus cut off the Confederates from their Southern supplies, and has been obliged in consequence to draw in his lines again and return to Petersburg. His cavalry under General Wilson have, however, it is said, reached as far as the Danville railroad, and cut that com- munication with Richmond. General Sheridan with his large cavalry force has crossed the James River at City Point, and will also operate no doubt on General Grant's left, to prevent the use of the Weldon line. General Hunter, after his raid on Lynchburg, and finding his ammunition failing, is retreating again up the Shenan- doah without, he says, a single unsuccessful encounter ; but, ac- cording to Confederate accounts, with the loss of thirteen guns. General Lee had despatched a large force to drive him back. General Sherman has.lieen heavily repulsed in Georgia in an attack on the Confederate petition liefornMarietta. Two columns of his army under Macpherson andl'hontas simultaneouslyattacked the position at Kenesaw Mountains and were repulsed.

General Cameron has had a very heavy loss in New Zealand. In an unsuccessful attack on a Maori position at Tanranga on the 29th of April, he lost seven officers killed, seven wounded (of whom three subsequently died), twenty-one men killed and seventy-seven wounded. The Maories abandoned the position in the night after this successful defence. The reason for the terri- ble slaughter of officers is still only conjectural. But the spirit of competition between the naval and military services seems to have been at work, as two naval officers were among the killed and three (of whom two died subsequently) among the wounded. The military officers killed were all of the 43rd Regiment.

The Legislature of Maryland has abolished slavery in that State, and the fugitive slave law has now been repealed by both Houses of the Federal Legislature, and the repealing bill only wants the assent of Mr. Lincoln, which it will not want long.

On Thursday it was known that a large proportion of the Irish members had determined to vote against the Ministry,—enough, says the Times, to give a majority of 51 votes against Ministers in Ireland alone,—in England and Scotland the majority of the votes would be the other way,—and at once it became evident that this alliance of the Irish Liberals with the Tories would endanger some of the other Tory votes. On Thursday night Mr. C. Ben- tinck made a speech which, though it utterly denounced the Government, less for its Danish policy than for Mr. Glad- stone's economies and the insufficient preparations for war, ended with a warning to his party that he would give no sanction to a Tory alliance with the Ultramontanes. He did not so much threaten to stand aloof as to do all in his power to embarass his party if, after achieving a victory, they evinced any disposition to consult the wishes of the Ultramontanes and fulfil their part of the political bargain. Mr. Cogan, a Catholic Liberal and the member for Kildare county, indignantly repudiated the supposed bargain, and confessed that he intended to vote with the Tories because he thought them more pacific than the present Ministry, and because he thought the Irish Secretary a discredit to Ireland. He did not refer to the anti-papal policy of the present Government, but there can be no doubt that Cardinal Wiseman has really dictated this hostile Irish move. How a Tory party is to hold together which angles at once for the support of Mr. Newdegate and Mr. Cogan, it is not easy to conceive.

On Tuesday Mr. Cobden made from his point of view one of the ablest speeches of the debate, clear, emphatic, and brimful of "points." He held that this country was in an unsatisfactory position, but it would produce one good. The "break-down would have the effect of extracting international questions from the dark recesses of the Foreign Office." "it is the last page in the -long history of past diplomacy." He censured bitterly the habit of uttering menaces without counting our strength, denied the possibility of blockading Prussia effectually, and pointed to the ex- cessive dispersion of the army ; as to French aid, he denounced the dangers to which all commercial interests had been exposed by a secret alliance with France from which Parliament could not have disentangled itself; as to Russia, "It was only last autumn that our Foreign Minister, speaking on the Polish question at Blair- gowrie, denounced Russia in terms which I believe amounted to a declaration of outlawry, and yet within four months, I believe, from that time we were sending proposals to Russia to join us in going to war with Germany. Call that a policy ?" That is perhaps the very best single epigram uttered in the whole debate. He left his vote unpledged, an error avoided by Mr. Forster, who, agreeing in the main with Mr. Cobden, made in addition the capital party point that the only hint of a policy Mr. Disraeli had let drop was subserviency to France.

Of all the speeches made during the debate Mr. Horsman's was perhaps the most brilliant. It was literally studded with epigrams. He held that the Germans were "self-branded with infamy," that they had repeated in Denmark their "robber's policy in Poland," and that England was bound by solemn obligations to protect the victim. But he held that the shame of England's failure fell on Parliament, whose business it was to control foreign relations, and eapecially on the Opposition, whose duty it PM to criticize. Both had held their peace. He could not assent to Mr. Cobden's reading: of the policy of non-intervention, but still less to a policy of. non-intervention "which seeks to disturb by words, but shrinks from the responsibility of acts ; which advances boldly, to Jretreat ignominiously ; which broaches doctrines- only to aban- dbn them ; which becomes the champion of. the weak only to- betray them ; which insults the wrongdoer, only to fall back and crouch as he advances.' He believed that East Russell's despatch of September, 1862, defending the German. view_ in Schleswig, had been a torch applied to a pile of combustibles, and that had we declared the passage of_the Eider a ground of war, war would never have broken out. Nevertheless he would not vote for Mr. Disraeli's motion, for the true failure was that of the Opposition.

There was a most excited scene in the House of Commons on Thursday night. Mr. Layard had accused the Opposition of falsification of extracts, a phrase which Mr. Hardy denounced as a "calumnious statement." Mr. Layard rose to order, and on the Speaker deciding that nothing had been said out of order, Lord Palmerston himself sprang up and repudiated the authority of the Speaker, asserting that the words were really un-Parliamentary, —a curious and almost unique instance of conflict between the Speaker and leader of the House. Mr. Gladstone also maintained amidst indescribable clamour that the Speaker was wrong, and the House was only restored to order by Mr. Bernal Osborne, who varied his usual habit of snubbing the Speaker by defending him. At last Mr. Denison, with the perfect temper which almost redeems his want of authority, calmed matters down by suggesting that everybody might acknowledge himself a little in the wrong, which weak device proved successful. The debate then proceeded more quietly ; but conciliation is not the only duty of the Speaker, and we trust the rumour which alleges that Mr. Denison is to be raised to the peerage as Viscount Ossington may prove correct.

Lord Stanley made the strongest of the pacific speeches on the Tory side, Lord R. Cecil the strongest of the Danish speeches on the same side. The latter spoke evidently under restraint on Tuesday night, but his answer to Mr. Gladstone was in its way exceedingly effective and even masterly. Lord Stanley maintained that "to engage in a European war for the sake of these Duchiea [did not he mean for the sake of Denmark ?] would be an act not of impolicy but of insanity." He almost maintained the Cob- denic doctrine of non-intervention, intimated that Austria and Prussia did quite right to be neutral in the Crimean war, and criticized the Ministry only for exciting the hope of aid and disap- pointing it. If there were a dissolution, he said, they would go to their constituents on the cry, "France has been alienated, Germany insulted, Denmark abandoned, Poland encouraged to revolt,—and deserted." Under Lord Stanley as foreign Minister none of these things would happen, because England would be indifferent to all European catastrophes, and wrap herself up in cold isolation.

The news of the week from Denmark is merely an amplification of the accounts received last week of the capture of Alsen. It ap- pears that the Prussians crossed the strait in 800 small boats, that the Schleswigers in the Danish army scarcely fought, that the Danes resisted gallantly, and that they lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners nearly five thousand men. It is stated that all the Schleswigers were released, but that 400 Swedish volunteers upon the island were massacred after resistance had ceased. Earl Rus- sell, in answer to a question from Lord Shaftesbury, stated that no information as to this atrocious story bad reached him, no corres- pondent of the papers has mentioned it, and it seems in itself highly improbable. Even Prussians cannot be willing to put their country out of the pale of civilized States, or draw down upon themselves the hatred, if not the vengeance, of the whole population of Scandinavia.

The Prince and Princess of Wales on Monday visited the Lon- don Hospital in the IVlsitechapel Road, to which a new wing has been added. They were enthusiastically received by the popula- tion, and at the entertainment which followed subscriptions were announced to the amount of 32,000/. Some of the gifts were splendidly liberal, Messrs. F: T. Fowell Buxton, and J. Gurney Barclay, for instance, giving 3,000/. each, and the other great brewing firms of the district 1,0001. each. Such gifts are large even for men who, as Thackeray said, draw wealth "from a thousand mash-tubs," and firms whose employes are specially liable to acci- dent.

The Post has been publishing a series of despatches which, taken together, prove that the three Courts of Eastern Europe have re- cemented the Holy Alliance, declared Poland an internal plea.

tion, guaranteed each other's possessions, and are in full accord upon the subject of Denmark. A famous discussion is raging in all Continental papers upon the authenticity of these papers, the Courts of Berlins and Vienna have formally repudiated them, and the Prussian official organ wants the editor of the Post whipped. On the whole, and with some misgiving in consequence of the German denials, we incline to think the more important papers forgeries. Herr von Bismarck would scarcely record officially a difference of opinion between himself and the Royal family, and is still less likely to tell all his diplomatic agents his most secret de- signs. At the same time some of the papers look genuine, the • formal denial is a very suspicious fact, and the Emperor Napoleon would have an interest in paying high for such papers and publish- ing them in England.

There is an idea current in Paris that a day or two will see the publication of an autographic letter from the Emperor of the French giving with Napoleonic frankness his view of the Danish affair.

Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia seems to be a good soldier, but his orders of the day would have given Shakespeare a new hint for Parolles. On the 30th June, when announcing the capture of Alsen by an army three times the size of the garrison, and armed with weapons which kill at twice the distance, he issued an address of which the following is one paragraph :—" I have opened the second part of this campaign by permitting the valiant army corps I have commanded until now, and with which I have gained nothing but victories, to conquer Alsen under my own eye. This expedition is an instance of the passage of an arm of the sea unique in the history of war,—a storm by water of well-defended entrenchments." The bombast of that sentence is hardly so re- markable as its self-deification. The troops do not gain victories, -" I permit them to conquer." Obviously the impression in the princely mind is that victory or defeat depends entirely upon the princely will, or,—at the utmost,—the glance of the princely eye.

The Select Committee lately appointed on Turnpike Trusts have reported in favour of the total abolition of tolls, the expenses being thrown upon the parishes, to be combined usually over a large area. The bonded debt of England and North Wales secured upon the tolls is now about 4,000,0007., worth in open market about 3,000,0007., which might be liquidated by annual payments of say 180,0007. for 25 years. They would manage the roads as far as practicable on the Scotch system, regulating the assessment by counties, and appointing a surveyor for each county. The system they recommend is already carried out in South Wales, where the people almost rebelled against the toll-gates.

A very exciting contest took place yesterday week on occasion of the third reading of the Oxford Tests Abolition Bill, which, as it had not been altered in committee, would have admitted Dissenters not only to the degree of M.A., but into the governing body of the University. Sir W. Heathcote moved his amendment -on the third reading much earlier than had been expected, and as many members had paired with absent men till half-past eleven, and many others were absent without pairing, the Tories looked with dismay on the prospect of a snatched division. After Sir W. Heathcote's speech the House divided, and his amendment was rejected by a majority of 10,-150 against, to 140 for it. The object of the Conservatives was now to gain time before the divi- sion was taken on the original motion. Lord Robert Cecil, amidst loud cries of " Divide!" began a very vigorous attack on Sir G. Grey for promising an amendment in committee to keep Dis- senters out of Convocation, which was not introduced, and then simply absenting himself from the division instead of voting against the Bill. This, he said, in allusion to a taunt of Sir George Grey, was what the Home Secretary evidently thought

"discriminating resistance." Discriminating resistance" was resistance when it suited yon,--mch resistance as the Government had offered to the German aggre3sion on Denmark,—was, in short, a polite equivalent for "betray and run away." This attack roused Sir G. Grey into a faint apology, and by this time the Tories had got an accession to their numbers. The next division -showed a tie, 170 each way. The Speaker gave his casting vote so as to give the House the chance of another division, and finally the division list showed 173 against and 171 for the Bill,—which was, we regret to say, therefore lost, through the able generalship of Lord R. Cecil.

The Social Science Association will meet at York on the 22nd of September, and continue its session till the 29th of September, not meet on the 29th of September, as we erroneously stated last week.

Caledonian

Great Eastern ..

Great Northern ..

Great Western.' .. . Lancashire and Yorkshire London and Brighton London and North-Weatern London and South•Western London, Chatham, and Dover ..

Midland ..

Morth•Easteru, Berwick .• Do. York .. Weft Midland, Word Friday, July 1.

120

48 131 Cs

114 1161

102 98

133 106 421 95 49

Friday, July 8. 1201 60 106 114 117 1361 71

98 42

116

46

•• •• ye •• ••

• •

The Factory Act Extension Bill, which, as we have had occasion to explain, extends to the Potteries and other manufactories the admirable principle of the Factory Acts, was read a third time and passed the Commons yesterday week.

Lord Palmerston yesterday week, in answer to Lord Burghley, maintained that Lord Russell was perfectly justified in first pro- mising the Danes neither to propose himself, nor to support any one else in proposing, any division of Schleswig less favourable to the Danes than the line of the Schlei,—and then proposing him- self and supporting others in proposing a reference to arbitration which would have given the arbiter the choice of any line between the Schlei and Apenrade. We confess we cannot conceive any clearer breach of the spirit of an engagement. The Danes con- ceded as much as England wished on condition that they were not pressed to concede more,—and they were pressed to concede more. Lord Palmerston also apologized for his noble friend's strong language in saying that the assurances of Austria and Prussia about not wishing to annex purely Danish territory could no longer be trusted, as they had so often proved delusive. Lord Palmerston, in deference to "parties for whom my noble friend and the Government are naturally disposed to show the greatest possible consideration and respect," assured the country that no slur was intended on any one's honesty. The statement only meant that the aggressive party would again overpower even honest in- tentions of forbearance on the part of the statesmen. Did Lord Russell mean no more ? If not, he meant much less than any candid critic of the Conference would think.

The Horse Show this week at the Islington Agricultural Hall was interesting, but not nearly so much so to human beings in general as the Dog Show. In the first place, there was a capital view of the horses' ample backs, but not so good a one of their heads, which are the principal interest, and which were generally at the far end of the stall. Next, they are inferior though more useful animals. Lastly, their moral varieties are far less wide and cha- racteristic. However, there were many exquisitely shaped horses, especially thorough-bred stallions and hunters, an admirable display of weight-carrying cobs, and some very pretty little sagacious ponies with as much sense as a dog. The leaping in the ring was poor. Two artificial hedges were put up with the convenient property of rotating when touched by the horses' feet,—which ordinary hedges do not possess,—and few indeed were the leaps in which the hedge did not move upon its axis. We saw one rider ingloriously dis- mounted, to the great satisfaction of the crowd, who clapped every partially successful leap as if leaping were an accomplishment of preternatural difficulty. Lord Stamford's " Citadel " was the great hero of the show.

The West Birmingham Railway and Canal Company, capital 400,0007., in 16,000 shares of 25/. each, proposes to purchase the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, and to construct a railway in the districts to the west of Birmingham. It also proposes to form a junction with the Stourbridge Extension Railway, so as to secure the coal traffic of East Worcestershire.

The stock of bullion in the Bank of England is now 13,930,8091. The minimum rate of discount at that establishment remains at 6 per cent.

On Saturday last Consols left off at 90* for money and 001 1 for the August account. Yesterday they closed at the following prices :—For money, 90* I ; for time, 901 1.

Yesterday and on Friday week the leading Foreign Securities closed at the subjoined prices :—

Greek Do. Coupons .. Mexican Spanish Passive • • ..

Do. Certificates -- Turkish Spar Cents., 1858..

, 1662.. Consolides— .. • • — ..

.. ..

• • • • ..

.. Friday, July 1.

251 • • 11 • • 41 — 29 •• 10 701 • • 68 i •• 491 Friday, July 8-

.. 861

9 2 ex. al .. — .. 701 — 481

.. po

Annexed is a table showing the latest tacial quotations of the leading British Railways yesterday and on Friday week :-