The Week.

final destruction of slavery . After some remarks from Lord Chelmsford and the Duke of Argyll , the discussion ended . On Monday and Tuesday , no business of importance was transacted . In the HOUSE OE Cconroxs on Thursday , the 28 th ult ., Mr . Milner Gibson said the Astronomer Royal had urged the necessity of a verification of the Exchequer standards of weights and measures , and the subject was now under

consideration . As at present advised , however , he did not think it was necessary to adopt : t suggestion which had been made that , pending this inquiry , the law against the use of incorrect weights and measures should ho relaxed . —Lord Staulgy , in reply to a question , said the Patent Law Commissioners' report would bo ready before Whitsuntide . —In answer to a

question from Mr . Hopwood , Sir George Grey said the Government had no intention to propose a Conference on American affairs . The right lion , baronet , in reply to another question , said papertube manufactories were not included in the Factory Act Extension Bill , as the Commissioners had not yet reported ujion those works . —The temporary detention of the Confederate vessel Tuscaloosa at the Cape formed the subject of another long debate , which was raised by Mr . Peacocke , who moved that the instructions of the Duke of Newcastle of the 4 th Nov .

were contrary to the principles ot international law . ihe Solicitor-General defended the regulations . He trusted , then , that the House would not affirm tho proposition contained in the resolution . It was not necessary ; it was useless ; it would have no practical effect ; and it might hereafter be attended with serious inconvenience and injury to the best interests of the country . After some discussion , the motion was

negatived by 219 against 1 S 5 votes , leaving a majority of 34 votes in favour of the Government . On Friday , Sir George Grey stated , in reply to questions from Mr . Disraeli and Mr . Horsman , that the Conference separated , on Monday , without fixing the date for the next meeting ; but he declined to explain the reason for this adjournment . —A

question from Mr . Percy Wyndham elicited the fact that the Government intend to propose some amendment of the Salmon Fisheries Act of 1862 . —On the motion for going into Committee of Supply , Mr . Berkeley moved that on Monday the House would resolve itself into a committee to consider an address to the Queen , praying that compensation be made to Mr . Bewicke , of Threepwood Hall , who a few years ago was sentenced to a term of penal servitude for an offence which , as

has since been shown , he never committed . Sir George Grey resisted the motion , but was willing to have the subject referred to a Select Committee . After some discussion , Mr . Berkeley accepted this suggestion , but Mr . Disraeli urged that the House should divide on tliu question . A division accordingly took Xilace , aud the Government was beaten by a majority of two .

Technically , this vote was that the House should not go into Committee of Supply , and Mr . Berkeley's motion was then put as the " original question . " Sir George Grey moved , as an amendment , that a Select Committee be appointed to consider the subject ; and after some discussion , the proposition of the right hon . baronet was carried by a majority of 148 to 100 .

On Monday , Sir Robert Peel , in answer to a question from Mr . Maguire , said the Government had no intention of introducing this session a tenant right measure for Ireland . —Mr . Gladstone , deferring to the opinion generally expressed by the Scotch members in a debate the other night , withdrew the bill which he had introduced to authorise the existing banks in Scotland to

issue additional notes to tho amount of the lapsed issue of the late Western Bank . —Jlr . Bruce , in reply to a question , said the recent experiments in vaccinating sheep had shown that the process afforded no security against small-pox . —In answer to a

question from Sir John Pakington , Lord Clarence Paget said the Channel fleet , as regards stores , & c , was ready to proceed to any part of the world in twenty-four hours . —Sir George Grey said it was intended to bring in an indemnity bill for the protection of the five Under Secretaries of State who recently sat illegally in the House . —The consideration of the Customs and Inland Revenue Bill as amended led to - several

discussions . One of the amendments proposed was that the sugar duties should be continued for one year only ,- but , on a division , Jlr . Gladstone found himself supported by a large majority . On Tuesday Mr . Cobilen gave notice of 3 motion declaring it to be the duty of this country to maintain a policy of strict nonintervention in tho civil war in China . —In answer to a question

from Mr . Darby Griffith , Sir George Grey said the Government had received the strongest assurances from Vienna that the Austrian squadron , now assembling in the North Sea , would not enter the Baltic— -its mission being simply to protect German commerce , and to prevent a Danish blockade of the Elbe and AA eser . That being the case , he declined to state what

course Admiral Dacres had been ordered to pursue iu the event of the Austrians attempting to pass the Cattegat . —Jlr . Cardwell , in answer to a question , said it was quite true that permission had been given to the Federal troops to pursue the insurgent Sioux into British territory , but this had heen done purely on grounds of humanity . —A long debate took place on the

subject of capital punishment . Mr . W . Ewavt moved for a Select Committee to consider the expediency of maintaining the present system , while Lord H . Lennox proposed , as an amendment , that the inquiry should be limited to the " operation of the laws relating to capital punishment . " Jlr . Neate suggested a Royal Commission , and Sir George Grey , who urged that it was absolutely necessary , in the interest of society , to visit

murder with the punishment of death , accepted the proposal of the member for Oxford . The motion and amendment were ultimately withdrawn , and it was agreed to address the Crown for the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the operation of the present law , and into the mode in which the prerogative of mercy is exercised . On AVednesday , Mr . D . Griffith gave notice that on Friday week he should call attention

to the permission which had been given to the Austrian fleet to leave these shores and take up a position favourable for the further prosecution of the war against Denmark , without any practical check or supervision hy means of a British naval force . —On the motion for going into committee on the AVeights and Jleasures ( Jletric System ) Bill , Jlr . Humberston , while

admitting that a change in the system of weights and measures was necessary , said he thought it should be effected by a process more simple than that proposed by the Bill . He be lieved the measure would benefit neither our home nor our foreign trade , and therefore he should oppose the going into committee . Mr . Adderley supported the metric system as being

simple , while the present system was confused . After a few words from Mr . D . Griffith , the House went into committee on the Bill . On clause 2 , Jlr . Milner Gibson opposed it ou the ground that it made the metric system legal and to be used when no standards had been deposited . A lengthy discussion , followed , in the course of which Jlr . Ewart declared that the

objection taken by Jfr . Gibson aimed at the very essence of the Bill . He contended that there were standards in existence , and urged that any doubts upon the subject might he set at rest by the issue of a Royal Coinmissson . Mr . JI . Gibson declined to promise that there should be aRoyal Commission . His object was to prevent the metric system from being made compulsory at present . Mr . Cobden suggested that the further consideration of the Bill should be postponed , in order that