The Week.

one , to make the qualification , of the new voters identical in principle with that of the ten-pound householders , and to establish a five-pound rating franchise . The supplementay amend'vnent has for its object the alteration of the law , so that a fivepound rating franchise shall in effect mean little more than a six-pound rental . The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave Mr .

Gladstone the assurance that the Reform Bill would be the first ¦ order on the paper . —Sir S . M . Peto moved the resolution of which he had given notice , praying for a committee to inquire into the manner in which funds had been raised for the Loudon , Chatham , and Dover Railway . His object was to demonstrate that he was innocent of charges which had

been preferred against him . The Chancellor of the Exchequer opposed the motion , on the ground that the House coulcl not enter upon investigations of such a character . He spoke in terms of eulogy of Sir M . Peto . Mr . batman had a notice on the paper of an amendment , calling for an inquiry into the manner in which Mr . T . Baring , Mr . Preshfleld , and Sir M .

Peto had been concerned in raising money for the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada . This amendment he wished to withdraw , and a short , angry discussion took pUce , in which Mr . Baring aud Mr . Preshfleld not only vindicated themselves , hut found others who bore testimony to their uprightness . In the course of the discussion Mr . Gladstone endorsed the eulogy of Sir M .

Peto by the Chancellor of the Exchequer . Finally the motion -was withdrawn . —Colonel French obtained leave to bring in a Reform Bill for Ireland . It proposes to reduce the county franchise from £ 12 to £ S , and the borough franchise to £ 4 . No borough is to be disfranchised , but all boroughs with less

than 1 , 000 electors are to have other boroughs grouped with them . Mr . Vance made some comments of an adverse nature on the bill , but Lord Naas declined to discuss it at present . — Then the House went into a long discussion in reference to "bribery at Totnes ancl the influence of the Duke of Somerset there . Sir Lawrence Palk introduced the question , ancl went at some length into the report of the Bribery

Commissioners , with a view of showing that the Duke of Somerset , by himself and his agent , had been guilty of tho greatest possible intimidation . Tho details wore not of a savoury character . Mr . A . Seymour , tho solo remaining member for Totness , defending himself something iu the to quoque style , ancl then Sir Roimdoll Palmer entered upon an

elaborate defence of tho Duko of Somerset , who , ho contended , had never been guilty of either bribery or intimidation . Several other members took part in the discussion , but nothing came of it . —At a later period of tho evening Mr Hunt moved for leave to bring in the Government bill for tho bettor prevention of bribery

and corrupt practices at elections . Some surpriso was expressed that this was not done by tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer , and that no explanations of tho character of tho bill wore given . Sir S . Northcoto mado somo explanation on this subjoct , and the bill was brought in ancl read a first time . On the 10 th inst ., tho Mines Assessment Bill was read a second time , and ordered to be referred to a select committee . —A lengthy and interesting

discussion took place in reference to tho Tests Abolition ( Oxford ) Bill . It was proposed by Professor Fawcott to make tho bill include tho University of Cambridge , and , after a long debate , tho proposal was adopted by 253 votes to 1 G 0 . Suhsoquontly tho bill passed through committee—Tho House next entered upon tho discussion of Mr Neate ' s bill for putting trades' unions on tho

same basis as friendly societies . Tho Attorney-General opposed tho bill , which was supported by Mr . Thomas Hughes and Mr . J . S . Mill . Mr . Barrow was speaking against tho bill when , at a quarter to six o ' clock , tho debate was , in accordance with tho standing orders , suspended . GESTEBAI HOME NEWS . —The Registrar-General ' s report for

the past week shows a diminution of 50 in the number of deaths as compared with the average , and 148 fewer than in the preceding week . The number of deaths registered in the last three weeks respectively were 1 , 731 , 1 , 601 , and 1 , 453 . The diminution is chiefly in respect to bronchitis . The annual rates of mortality in 13 principal towns were as follow : —Hull , 24 ,

London , Sheffield , and Birmingham 25 , Bristol 26 , Edinburgh , Dublin , Manchester , and Salford 28 , Liverpool 29 , Leeds and Newcastle-on-Tyne 30 , and Glasgow 34 . An extraordinary procession passed through the chief metropolitan thoroughfares on the 4-th inst . It consisted of about a thousand unfortunate and miserable-looking persons residing in tbe eastern districts of

London , who , having been thrown out of employ , have no means of livelihood save that which they may derive from public charity . They are described as presenting a haggard and pitiable appearance . A valuable peice of ecclesiastical patronage has been placed at the disposal of the Government hy tbe death of Dr . Wigram , the Bishop of Rochester . He had

only been bishop since I 860 . He was better known as Archdeacon of Winchester , and in that capacity published many of the sermons ancl charges which ho had delivered in his archdeaconry . On the Sth inst . the Recorder of London announced that the Lord Chief Justice would charge the grand jury in the case of Colonel Nelson ancl Lieutenant Brand on thelOth inst .

at ten o'clock . The position which Mr . Russell Giu-ney occupied , as one of Her Majesty ' s Commissioners , necessarily prevented him from taking any part in this important judicial inquiry . Some serious charges were inquired into on the 9 th instant at our police-courts . A young man named George Dundas was brought before the magistrates , at the Wandsworth Policecourt , charged with having made a murderous attack on Mr . Alexander Thorn , a collecting clerk to Messrs . Young and

Bainbridge , brewers , of Wandsworth , and , m conjunction with a kindred spirit not yet in custody , robbing him . It was proved that the prosecutor had been waylaid , brutally beaten , and robbed . The accused , who turned out to he one of the two men who were tried at tlie Central Criminal Court , on the 8 th inst ., for robberies at the Kensington Palace Gardens and at

Wimbledon , and who was acquitted , stoutly denied that he was the person wanted in this case , but he was nevertheless ordered to be remanded . At the Southwark Police-court a person named Robert William Stocker was accused of severely cutting and wounding his brother-m-lew . A domestic quarrel seems to have been proceeding when the wife's brother made his

appearance , ancl he was immediately savagely attacked by the husband , who made several thrusts at him with a knife . In trying to protect himself the prosecutor was cut severely in the hands . The prisoner gave a different version to tbe story , but it did not dissuade the magistrate from committing him for trial . Another peculiar case of personal violence occupied the

attention of the Marlborough-street magistrates . The announcement that on the 10 th instant the Lord Chief Justice would charge the grand jury in the care of Colonel Nelson and Lieutenant Brand , who are charged with the murder of the late Mr- Gordon , had the effect of attracting a large number of spectators to the Central Criminal Court , including

many members of the bar . Those who were fortunate enough to obtain access to the court had every reason to congratulate themselves ; for the Lord Chief Justice delivered a charge which will probably occupy a memorable place in the judicial anals of this country . His lordship was of opinion that Jamaica was entitled to bo regarded , not as a conquered country , but as a

settled colony , and that therefore the people were invested with all tho rights of British subjects . He entered at great length into the question of martial law , ancl examined every instance