The Week.

Customs duties at Nmgpo were being collected by an officer of the French navy . But there was reason to doubt the accuracy of the most important of these rumours . —Several measures were advanced a stage , and the Chancellor of the Exchequer obtained leave to bring in a'bill for the extension of the malt credits . On Tuesday , the Liverpool Licensing Bill—a purely local measure , providing for several alterations in the mode of licensing public-houses—was thrown out on the second readingalthough

, supported , amongst others , by the Chancellor of the Exchequer . _ -In reply to Mr . Laird , Lorcl Clarence Paget said the iron-clad s ]) ip Royal Oak would be out of the hands of the dockyard authorities in a few weeks , while the TRoi jal Sovereign was expected to be finished before the close of the year . — -Lord Palmerston , in answer to a question from Mr . Bentinck , stated that the Government had received no information respecting the

raising of the Charleston blockade beyond what had appeared in the newspapers , and for the present he declined to commit himself to any opinion as to the legality or illegality of the future blockade . A message from the Queen , relating to the marriage of the Prince of AVales , similar to that read in the House of Lords , was laid on the table , and a formal address in lagreed to . The policy of the Government with regard to

repy commercial treaties formed the subject of a long discussion , in which Mr . Disraeli , Mr . Milner Gibson , Mr . Seymour Fitzgerald , and other members took part . On AVednesday , Mr . Hadfiekl moved the second reading of the Qualification for Offices Abolition Bill , which was opposed by Mr . Newdegate . On a division , however , the second reading was carried by 74 votes against 63 . —Viscount Raynham moved the second reading of his

Aggravated Assaults on Women and Children Bill , the object of which was to punish such offences generally with greater severity , and in some eases with flogging . —The bill was opposed by Mr . Alderman Sidney ancl the Attorney-General , and eventually thrown out by 153 votes to 43 . GENERAL HOME NEWS . —The Upper House of Convocation 1 ms determined , hy a majority , to carry out the suggestion of the Lower House , that a Committee should be appointed to examine and report upon Bishop Colenso ' s work on the Pentateuch The Manchester Albert Memorial Committee have passed a resolution , by a majority of six to three , in favour of

erecting the Memorial in Bancroft-street , on the vacant space of ground in front of the Police Yard . The Navy Estimates , which have just been published , show that the Admiralty propose to curry on the service for the ensuing year at the reduced cost of £ 10 , 736 , 032 . The House of Commons will be asked to vote the same number of seamen and marines as last year , but reductions have been effected under other heads to the considerable amount of £ 1 , 058 , 000 . At the meeting of the

Central Relief Committee , at Manchester , Mr . Farnall reported a further diminution in the pauperism of the distressed districts , and made the gratifying announcement tbat , so far as his information went , the health of the suffering unions was in a favourable condition . The hop-growers having succeeded by their agitation in obtaining tbe removal of the hop duties from off their peculiar shoulders , the farmers have been stimulated to follow in the same coursewith a view to repeal the malt

, duties . As with the hop duties , too , the first summons to the work has come from Kent , and at the call a large and influential body of gentlemen interested in agriculture met on Tuesday at the Bridge House Hotel to consider the question . The chair was taken by Lord Holmesdale , M . P . for AVest Kent . There was great unanimity of purpose on the part of the meeting , and a vote having been passed that the malt tax was oppressive

to the fanners and injurious to the public , and that steps should be taken to secure its immediate reduction with a view to its total repeal , the next resolution was the forming a central association , with a provisional committee to enlist all barley growers in the cause . The proceedings against Mr . Jowett , one of the writers of Fssays and TReviews , were commenced before ^ the Assessor of the Vice-Chancellor ' s Court , at Oxford , on Friday ; but the ease was at once adjourned on the

application of the defendant ' s proctor . It is urged , on behalf of ¦ Mr Jowett , that the great Reformation period furnishes no parallel to this case , and the rev . gentleman's proctor intends , at the next hearing , to protest against the jurisdiction of the Court , and against the form of the citation , and at the same time to oppose the issuing of a fresh citation or the amendment of the present one . The Times announces that Sir William Armstrong has resigned his official position as ordnance engineer , in order that he may attend more

closely to the extensive works at Elswiek . Sir William Armstrong explains that the contract for the manufacture of ordnance , between the Government and the Elswiek Company , is now to be terminated . He adds that , although he has resigned his official post as Ordnance Engineer , he " still desires to render the Government gratuitously any further assistance they may require . " The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce have presented an address to the captain of the ship

George Cfi-iswold , which has brought over a guantity of provisions collected at New York for the relief of the Lancashire operatives . The presentation took place at St . George's Hall . The Central Relief Committee purpose to offer a similar compliment to Captain Lunt and his officers . The steamship GiSraltar , better known as the Sumter , has again eluded the vigilance of the Federal officers . Some time agoit is

under-, stood , the Sumter was sold to an English firm , and was rechristened the Gibraltar , but , notwithstanding this , she has for some months past been strictly blockaded at " the Rock " by a Northern cruiser , whose commander , is alleged to have declared that it was his intention to seize her if possible , no matter what change of ownership might have taken place . By a clever ruse , however , the Gibraltar got safely away a few clays ago , and is

now lying quietly moored in the Mersey . The great Jones-Herbert case has been settled . Mr . Jones , of Clytha , is now officially recognised as Mr . Herbert , and his name on the commission of the peace has been altered accordingly . The royal licence , for which Lord Hanover stuck out so punctiliously , has been dispensed with ; and Mr . Jones has become Mr . Herbert by a process as inexpensive as that by which Mr . Bugg

transformed himself into Mr . Norfolk Howard . Mr . Windham is once more before the public . This time he figures as a defendant in an action for debt . The name of Llewellin , which figured so conspicuously in the lunacy inquiry , as the landlord ancl landlady of the lodgings which Mr . Windham occupied , will not have been forgotten , and the husband now sues him for the rent , alleging a claim for £ 109 . Mr . AVindham , on the other hand ,

paid £ 25 into court , and as a further defence , pleaded infancy . But before the case had proceeded fin- his counsel agreed to pay the whole money claimed . The complaint against the British Columbia Overland Transit Company for deserting the passengers

who had entrusted themselves to their care in the wilds of America , outside the pale of colonial civilisation , may be remembered . Mr . Collingwood , on behalf of himself ancl his fellow passengers , brough an action against the directors , which was commenced in the Court of Common Pleas . The defendants deny that they were directors of the company . Mr . Collingwood was examined , and Mr . Henson , who acted as secretary to the company , was under examination when the court adjourned . .

After a two days hearing the jury decided against the directors , with a verdict of £ 160 . The directors have raised several points of law , which they propose to have considered before the full Court . In the meantime execution has been stayed . Mrs . Theresa Yelverton , who some time ago obtained substantial damages against a brother-in-law of Major Yelverton for defamation of character , has " raised an action" for libel iu the Court of Session against Mrs . Forbesthe lady who contests

, with her the claim of being the Major's lawfully-wedded wife . The libel complained of is contained in a letter which was published in the Fxaminer about the commencement of the present year . Damages are laid at £ 2000 . Mr . James Allen , an extensive miller residing at Heyford , in Oxfordshire , was murdured while on his way home from the neighbouring town of Bicester , on Friday evening . A young man , named Austin , who

left Bicester with the deceased , is in custody on suspicion . Austin , it appears , came into Heyford , ancl informed one of Mr . Allen ' s servants that the deceased wished to see him immediately , as two men had stopped the gig with the view of getting some accounts settled . The man went to the spot indicated by Austin , and there found his master ' s corpse lying in the road . Mr . Allen had been twice shot through the head . ——It will be be remembered that some time ago there was an encounter

between some poachers and the gamekeepers on the estate of Mr . Musters , in Nottinghamshire , in which both parties were roughly handled , though the poachers at the time got clear off . Only one of them has since been taken , and he , having been brought before Lorcl Belper and the sitting magistrates at Nottingham , and a strong case being made out against him , was committed to take his trial . At the Surrey Sessions the persons charged with taking forcible and unlawful possession of the dilapidated houses in Stamford-street , Blackfriars-rotid ,