The Week.

out in the afternoon , accompanied by her Royal Highness Princess Christian , and attended by Lady Churchill . Her Majesty drove out on the morning of the Oth inst ., attended hy the Lady in Waiting . Tho Queen drove out in the afternoon in a carriage and four , accompanied by their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Christian . Her Majesty and Princess

Louise walked and rode on ponies on the morning of the 10 th inst . IUPEBIAL PABLIAJIENT . —In the HOUSE OP LOEDS on the 4-th inst . the business was without interest . On the 5 th inst . Royal Assent was given by commission to several bills . The other business had no special interest . On the 7 th inst . there

was a conversation in reference to the relations between England and Spain . The Earl of Malmesbury appealed to the Marquis of Clanricarde to postpone his motion as to the Tornado until after Easter , on the ground that no reply had yet been received to Lord Stanley ' s last despatch to the Spanish Government . The Marquis of Clanricarde acceded . On the 9 th

inst . a bill relating to the tenure of land in Ireland , brought in by the Marquis of Clanricarde , was read a second time and ordered to be referred to a select committee . One of its propositions is to abolish the power Of the landlord to distrain for rent . Subsequently there was a debate on ritualism In the HOUSE OF COSIMONS , Mr . Disraeli condescended to tell Sir

William Hutt that there were other alterations to be proposed by the Government in the Reform Bill than the omission of the dual vote . These alterations , it seems , refer to the compound householders , for whose benefit special clauses are to be introduced , making it more easy for them to get upon the register . —There were questions in reference to Russian America and our relations with Spain , but nothing of importance was elicited from the Government . —

The Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced his budget in one of the shortest speeches that has of late years been made on such an occasion . He commenced by showing that tlie estimates of Mr . Gladstone last year had been fully justified . The increase in the receipts over the estimate had been £ 2 , 421 , 000 , aud the . actual expenditure £ 251 , 000 less than the estimate . There was thus a surplus of over two millions and a half . Coming to the

year 1 S 67-8 , ho estimated the expenditure as follows : Interest on the debt , £ 26 , 000 , 000 ; Charges on consolidated fund , £ 1 , 000 , 000 ; Army , £ 15 , 253 , 000 ; Navy , £ 10 , 920 , 000 ; Civil Service , £ 8 , 203 , 000 ; Revenue Department , £ 5 , 045 , 000 ; Packet Service , £ 807 , 000 ; Total , £ 68 , 134 , 000 . The income : Customs , £ 22 , 000 , 000 ; Excise , £ 20 , 700 , 000 ; Stamps , £ 9 , 550 , 000 ; Taxes ,

£ 3 , 500 , 000 ; Property Tax , £ 6 , 000 , 000 ; Post Oflice , £ -1 , 650 , 000 . Crown Lands , £ 340 , 000 ; Miscellaneous , £ 2 , 600 , 000 ; Total ' £ 69 , 340 , 000 . There was thus an estimated surplus of £ 1 , 206 , 000 The Chancellor of the Exchequer then proceeded to dispose of this . He should have been glad to deal with the malt tax , but that could only he clone in a comprehensive way , and he was not in

a position to take that way . He proposed , first of all , to adopt with some alterations , the plan of Mr . Gladstone last year , for the reduction of the National debt by £ 24 , 000 , and for that purpose he proposed to create life annuities . The £ 24 , 000 would be divided into two sums , viz ., £ 18 , 000 , which would be converted into an annuity of £ 1 , 332 , 000 , terminable on the 5 th

July , 1 S 85 ; and £ 6 , 000 converted into an anility of £ 440 , 000 ] terminable also in 1 SS 5 . The total net annual charge for this would be £ 1 , 056 , 000 , of which the portion coming on the year 1867-8 would be £ 750 , 000 . This left £ 456 , 000 of the surplus . Had the balances iu tne exchequer been the same as they were last year , he should not have recommended that this sum should be touched . But they were stronger , and therefore the Government proposed to deal with the marine insurance tlutv ,

which would be equalised at 3 d . per cent ., except in the case of time policies which might exceed six months—the duty on which would be Gel- per cent . This reduction would require £ 210 , 000 , leaving a balance of £ 24 ( 5 , 000 . The right hon . gentleman saw no cause for alarm in the state of affairs generally , and while Lord Stanley was at the head of tbe Foreign

Oflice , he had no fear that England would be engaged in any unnecessary wars . The statement was clear anel simple , and the House had no difficulty in understanding . Forthwith , accordingly , there arose a chorus of suggestions as to different ways of disposing of the surplus . Mr . Denman wanted tho attorneys' certificate duty removed . Mr . White objected to

the reduction of the national debt when so many small articles yet remained heavily taxed . Sir George Bowyer took exception to the scheme for reducing the debt , and so did Mr . Hubbard , who avowed that he would at the proper time take the sense of the House as to whether the fire insurance duty should not be abolished before a reduction of the debt was attempted . Mr .

Gladstone went into an elaborate criticism of the proposals , giving them a general approval . Then came a host of claimants for a reduction of the malt duty . Professor Pawcett insisted that the proper way of reducing the national debt was to apply whatever surplus there was in each year to that purpose . Eventually the necessary resolutions were agreed to . On the

Sth inst ., Mr . Serjeant Armstrong gave notice of an amendment of the oath taken by members of the House , the effect of which is that they shall swear they have not been guilty of bribery to secure their election . — On the motion for going into committee of supply , there arose a debate oneducation . It was begun by Mr . Lowe , who moved "That this House dissents from so much of the minute of the Committee of Council of Education as provides for the increase of

the grants now made to primary schools . " There was an interesting discussion , ancl eventually the motion , was negatived by 203 votes to 40 . —Among the questions under discussionsubsequently was that of the convict Tootuer . Sir R . Collier introduced the subject , and contended that the verdict against Toomer was an improper one , that the punishment was

altogether too severe , and that the Home Secretary ought to have given to Toomer an opportunity of proving bis innocence . He urged Mr . Walpole even yet to advise the exercise of the Royal prerogative . Mr . Walpole defended his own conduct , and saicl if the question of shortening Toomer ' s punishment came before him it should have his best consideration . In the discussion

whieh followed , the conduct of the Home Secretary in regard to the case was much condemned by certain members , and as warmly defended by some of his Ministerial friends . —Sir Robert Peel introduced the question of the cession of Luxemburg , ancl elicited from Lord Stanley a plain statement of what part the English Government had taken in tlie negotiations . On the Sth inst .

Lord Stanley was questioned with reference to the relations between England and Spain , and simply stated that he had as yet received no answer to his last despatch . Mr . Darby Griffith was not satisfied , however , and wished to be informed whether it was true that the Mediterranean fleet had left Malta with sealed orders — it was presumed to

proceed to the Spanish coast . Lord Stanley replied to this question , that if it was meant to ask what were the orders given to commanders of ships iu her Majesty ' s navy , he must decline to answer it . As for the sailing of ships from Malta , nothing was more common than that two or three ships should go from Malta to the Spanish coast . On the 9 th inst . Mr

Gladstone gave notice of an amendment to the Reform Bill , supplementary to those which appeared previously . These amendments propose to reduce the occupancy from two years to