THE WEEK AT HOME.

POLITICAL—The week at home has been nearly destitute of extra parliamentary political news. Not a single meeting or speech of the most trivial importance, out of the Houses of Parliament, has to be recorded. The accounts from Longford as to the recent election are, of course, entirely coloured by political opinion—the friends of Major O'Reilly asserting boldly that a more pacific and orderly election has not taken place for years, while the friends of Colonel White, among whom the Chief Secretary of Ireland stands foremost, de- scribe the election as an utter mockery. The truth appears to be that the popular party was the path pritre, and that as usual, in all cases of alliance between sacerdotal authority and popular passion, the limits of election-unscrupulousness were rather wider and lamer than usual. For example, it seems to be pretty certain that a Mr. Reilly, a barrister, who was proceeding to Granard to vote for Colonel White, was "severely beaten by the mob, and has since been confined to his bed, and quite unable to attend in court at the present assizes." The Longford journal also states that all who voted against Major O'Reilly were hooted, and many of them spit upon by the mob, till they looked as though they had been out in a snow-storm ! It seems probable that the priests have in this case more than neutralized the influence of the landlords.

Mr. Bright has addressed one of his perverse, but in style at least masterly, letters to a constituent at Birmingham, in which he effects the double purpose of reviling the English aristocracy and excusing himself for evading; those tedious discussions on the Estimates, by which the late JAI.. Hume practically effected so much while exciting far less irritation than Mr. Bright. The Birmingham electors, it appears, are disgusted with the pressure of the income-tax, and at a recent meeting passed a resolution respectfully requesting their representatives to resist the extension or reimposition of the _present income-tax laws. Mr. Bright replies, in a letter dated last Tuesday, that he has long wondered at the "culpable patience" with which this tax has been borne. He denies, however, that the course recommended would have any effect except to subject the Birmingham electors to disappointment and their representatives "to ridicule." He reiterates his fatalist creed, that while Parliament sees no evil in the enormous expenditure which goes on, all detailed resistance is useless, and his one demo- cratic specific for its cure, to transfer the government from the hands of the rich who tax for their own benefit, to those of the middle-classes and the poor, who, as he affirms, will economize for their own benefit. There are seven millions of men who pay taxes, and of these about six millions are never consulted as to the amount which shall be spent, or the mode in which it shall be raised. Of the one million who are apparently consulted, it may be said that political power is so unequally apportioned among them that less than one-fourth of them nominally elect a majority of the Members of the House of Commons, by which seventy millions of taxes are annually collected from seven millions of men." Lord Palmerston and Lord Russell are responsible for leading the Liberal party to abandon its ancient watchwords of "Peace, Retrenchment, and Reform." "These old statesmen," says Mr. Bright, "steeped in the traditions of the last generation, conceive the grandeur of a country to consist in the vastness of its taxation and the extent of its military preparations, and they have succeeded in so exciting the fears and imposing upon the understanding of the middle classes of the people, as to induce them to tolerate a constantly growing extravagance in the Executive Government, and a burden of taxation which in times of peace would have driven their forefathers into re- volt." Mr. Bright concludes by reiterating his assurance that it would be ridiculous to attempt a remedy without "pressure from without," and adds, with a characteristic turn of expression, indicating his profound reverence for popular will as distinguished from popular reason," I shall rejoice if that pressure be created, and it will give me infinite satisfaction to assist it and to obey it." The Liverpool shipowners have forwarded a pithy and useful peti- tion in support of Mr. HorsfalPs motion. They commence by stating, with a superfluous anxiety for truth, that they are "deeply interested in British shipping." They urge, with much force, that the present state of international agreements, as determined at the Congress of Paris, gives so great an advantage to "neutral" ships, that in case England should engage in any long war the demand for "neutral shipping" would call Into existence completely new maritime inte- rests, which must draw their supply, both of ships and men, in great measure from England. The result would be, therefore, very preju- dicial to our mercantile marine, and indirectly, also, to the sources of our naval strength, at least as regards seamen. The only remedy they conceive justly enough to be that of extending to all private shipping the exemptions now accorded to the enemies' goods, other than contraband, in neutral ships by the Congress of Paris. The petition is sound, but the danger is that Mr. Horsfall's case will be considered a mere shipping interest movement, as it has been already misrepresented,—a view which is likely enough to prove fatal to it.

A Parliamentary return shows the value of British manufactured cottons and cotton yarns exported from this country to British India during the last seven years, and of cotton imported thence. It is as follows : It is stated by the cotton manufacturers that the apparent diminution in our exports gives very little conception of the real diminution in the demand, since a very much larger proportion than formerly of the exports is now sent out on speculation to the Indian market, instead of being sent in fulfilment of explicit orders.

Soem..—The interior of the Great Exhibition will, it is said, lose all its magnificence through the permission accorded to the exhibi- tors of walling themselves round with wooden partitions in order to get more hanging space. The French department is already ceiling itself up in this way to the great detriment of the building. The public ambition as to the Albert Memorial appears to be gradually assuming a more definite shape, namely, to get a mono- lith of at least 100 feet in height of red gramte. The Builder tells us that the highest now known is said to be that of San Giovanni, on the Lateran, at Rome, 102 feet in height, and the pedestal 45 more. The obelisk itself weighs 437 tons, and is nine feet four inches square at the base, diminishing to six feet four inches at the point where the pyramid begins. The obelisk in front of St. Peter's is eight feet four square at the base, and in height 81 feet. The Flamiman is 75 feet high, and seven and a half feet square at the base. The obelisk from Luxor, on the Nile, now in Paris, is 78 feet long and eight feet two inches square at the base. In the island of Mull a pillar of coarse deep red granite of a fine colour exists, above 100 feet high and above 12 feet in diameter. It would be higher than the column before the Winter Palace at St. Petersburg, which is only 93 feet high. This stone is in the Tromore locality, and the Ross of Mull Granite Company state that it is already quarried on three sides. It lies just at the surface of the ground, has an even surface, is quite detached at top and bottom, and per- fectly sound. It would probably weigh about 600 tons. This informa- tion has been laid before the Committee of four nominated by the Queen, which is holding anxious deliberation on the subject, with the help of Sir Roderick Murchison. Some valuable information as to the granite suitable for the purpose will be found in our earlier columns.

Law.—On Friday last, the Lords Justices commenced hearing the argument on behalf of Mr. W. F. Windham's petition, that the costs of the recent lunacy inquisition should be paid by the original petitioners—Major-General Windham, Lord Alfred Hervey, and others. It will be remembered that the Commission of Lunacy was preceded by a preliminary investigation before the Lords Justices, who decided that there was a case for inquiry. Sir Hugh Cairns appeared for Mr. Windham. He laid it down that if the promoters of the inquiry had stated faithfully and fairly in their. original affidavits to the Lords Justices all they knew tending to elucidate the state of Mr. Windham's mind, there would be no case for throw- ing back on the original petitioners the costs of an inquiry prosecuted with the consent of the Lords Justices. But he was, he said, in a condition to prove that this was not the case; that the affidavits were not faithful representations of all the petitioners knew that bore upon the point in question. He took, for example, the affidavit of Lord Alfred Hervey. It appeared that Mr. Windham was, and al- ways had been, in his estimation, of weak mind and incapable of managing his own affairs, and that, unless restrained, his affairs would go to rain. Yet in his evidence before the Master, Lord Alfred had admitted that he had frequently received letters from his nephew, and that they were as rational as any man could write. Not one of these letters had been submitted to their Lordships in the preliminary inquiry. Moreover, Lord Alfred had stated in his oral evidence that any one might converse for hours with Mr. Windham and find no trace of imbecility. The same position was taken up with respect to the affidavits of the other petitioners, the Marquis of Bristol, 8rc., that they were not full and complete representatives of the whole data for judging on Mr. Windham's state of mind, as compared with the oral evidence extracted in the examination before the Master from the same witnesses. The Lords Justices had therefore never been placed in a position to decide fairly on the preliminary inquiry, and the petitioners were directly in fault for not having stated can- didly the whole case. On this ground it was contended that the costs should be defrayed by the petitioners, who had failed in laying evidence, as adequate as they had it in their power to lay, before the Lords Justices. Mr. Milward, following up Sir Hugh Cairns's arga- meat, read the private examination of Mr. Windham by the Master

Exports of Cotton Manufactures. Value.

1855 6,458,086 • • •

• • •

1856 6,684,835 1857 ... 6,933,850 1858 ... 11,358,656 1859 14,713,812

1860 ... 12,425,736 • • •

. • •

1861 ... 11,618,350

Imports of Cotton. Quantities. Cwta. 1,296,243 1,611,577 2,235,162 1,185,023 1,717,240 1,822,689 3,295,004

and jury. It certainly seemed to evince no imbecility of mind, though of coarse not indicating any remarkable intelligence Mr. Karslake, on the same side, contended that a very important series of facts, bearing on Mr. Windham's education, and accounting naturally for many of the low tastes, which would otherwise impress the Lords Justices very unfavourably as to the calibre of Mr. Wind- ham's understanding, had been suppressed by the petitioners in their affidavits asking for the preliminary inquiry. Mr. Bacon, in replying for General Windham and his co-petitioners, maintained that all which was really essential to the decision of the Lords Justices had been set forth in the affidavits, which he read at full length, occupy- ing four hours in so doing. The case has now lasted a week, and it seems not quite unlikely that Lord Justice Sir Knight Bruce's gloomy anticipation, that this petition would occupy a period approaching that of the lunacy inquiry itself, will be justified. Devereux, the sailor-boy, who was found guilty of murdering the crimp who had impounded his clothes and money, and whose appeal to the New Court moved Mr. Baron Martin and the jury so deeply, has been respited.

On Thursday a very painful case was brought before a coroner's jury at Limehouse, which ended in a verdict of manslaughter against the medical officer of the Stepney Union, Mr. Robinson, of 14, Wilson- street, Limehouse. Mrs. Elizabeth Cruse, aged 33, died on the 6th inst., understhe following circumstances : She had been attended in childbirth by a certificated midwife, but some difficulty being ex- perienced, Mr. Robinson was called in. Instead of obviating the dif- ficulty, which appears to have been something in the nature of a rupture, he, "with great cruelty and force," as the witness ex- pressed it, removed a large portion of the intestines, which gave the poor woman frightful agony, and caused her death in thirty-six hours. Dr. Gray, surgeon to the Northern Hospital, assisted by Mr. Orton, made a post-mortem examination, and both attributed the death solely to the injuries inflicted by the surgeon in the removal of the intes- tines. Dr. Barnes, Accoucheur to the London Hospital, was ex- amined at great length, and his evidence was very unfavourable to Mr. Robinson. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, and Mr. Robinson is committed to Newgate.

MISCELLANHOUS.—Several destructive fires have alarmed London during the week, the worst at Durrant's Wharf, Trinity-street, Rotherhithe. The engines had to wait two hours before the mains of the Kent Company yielded any water. The fire extended itself to several buildings, and caught hold of a pile of 5000 railway sleepers on the wharf, which it destroyed. The damage done is very serious.

COMMERCIAL. —The commercial aspect of affairs continues un- altered. There is no speculation and very little bond ficle business

either in London or in the country. In Lancashire the depression in trade is causing the labouring classes, who have money, to turn their attention to emigration, and British Columbia and Vancouver's

Island are especially objects of interest. Ships are being laid on for the berth at both Loudon and Liverpool, and a considerable exodus is considered likely. As regards financial affairs there has been some little increase in the demand for discounts, but it has subsided, and the rate out of doors, which had previously been 21, 4, is now back to 24 per cent. The influx of the precious metals during the last fortnight has been extraordinarily great. No less than 1,450,000/. arrived up to Saturday last, and this week there have been fresh arrivals. This has caused an influx of gold at the Bank of England. The weekly return to Wednesday last shows an increase to the bullion of 353,2131., and there have since been parcels sent in of 142,0001., so that about 500,0001. has gone in and out of the supplies referred to. There is besides 560,000/. gold known to be on its way to England from America at this moment, namely, Ne- therby, with 21,8001.; Marian Moore, 33,1481.; Result, 157,624/4 Young Australia, 79,3361.; Alfred, 103,584l.; Yorkshire, 51,5601.; Omar Pasha, 82,0681.: total, 529,120/. A new Egyptian loan of 1,600,000/. is expected next week, and a new Turkish loan in a few days. The conversion of the French Rentes has been more suc- cessful than was looked for some short time since, and a new loan in France is not now considered probable. The Market for the English Funded Securities is firm, with more business transacting. Consols are at 934, 931 for money; and 934, 931 for the account ; New and Reduced Three per Cents, 924, 921. Exchequer Bills, 19s., 22s. premium. Bank Stock fell as low as 233, but has recovered to 235, 237. Old India Stock is heavy, and down to 222, 224. The New, on the contrary, has improved to 1071, 1; the Five per Cent. Rupee paper 1031, 1; the Five-and-a-Half per Cents 1074, 8; and the Bonds 27s., 30s. prem. The great feature of the Foreign Market has been a very extensive business in New Turkish Bonds, which fell to 691, but have since been up to 71, 711, and are now at 701, 74. The New are at 851, and Mires Loan, after falling to 624, has re- recovered to 641. Mexican Bonds were heavy, and down to 33/, but have recovered to 341, 341. Buenos Ayres 93, 95. Peruvians have advanced to 99, 101: Venezuela 244; Spanish Passive 191, ; Certificates 61, 7. Business has been extremely active in Railway Shares ; the tenders in the leading lines are numerous and for a large amount, and prices have materially improved and are still rising. Caledonian are at 108/, 1094, ex div.; Eastern Counties, 581, 591; Great Western, 744, 1; Great Northern, 117, 118; North Western, 941, 95; Brighton, 1.24, 126; South Western, 101, 102; Midland, 1291, ; South Eastern, 851, 86. A new Banking Company has been started, called the Alliance Bank of London and Liverpool, with a capital of two millions. It will do business on the ordinary principles of joint-stock banks, but will maintain brandies in LiverpooL