NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE final settlement of the Bank, East India, and Slavery ques- tions (to mention the most prominent subjects among a mass of all- THE final settlement of the Bank, East India, and Slavery ques- tions (to mention the most prominent subjects among a mass of all- important ones), is now left to the discretion and the votes of about forty Peers and twice as many Commoners. Their Lordships have only their own consciences to satisfy as to the purity of their

motives and the wisdom of their proceedings; we have therefore little to say to the absentees respecting their neglect of Parlia- -mentary duty. But the nation has a right to call upon its self- styled Representatives to give some sound reasons for their flight ,from their duty, and disregard of their often-repeated pledges to -be assiduous and untiring in their attendance at the House of Commons. His constituents would put one of these runaway Members in rather an unpleasant dilemma, were they to ask him, whether he had worked during the session so much more severely than Mr. Hums and Mr. W ARBURTON, that he found it impos- sible to stay till it was over ? The really valuable Members of Parliament are most of them, we observe, still at their posts. The men who work the hardest also work the longest. The use- less sprigs of fashion, who are fit for nothing but to vote, and play schoolboy pranks behind the Speaker's chair, are always the first to decamp.

The House of Lords has been principally occupied with dis- cussing the clauses of the Slavery bill ; which has been carried through the Committee with few and unimportant amendments, and will finally pass next week. Several efforts were made by the Duke of WELLINGTON to render the bill more conformable to his wise notions; • but they all proved abortive, and seldom received the support of more than fifteen or sixteen of that section of the Peerage which forms his personal staff. It would be difficult to select any quantity of discussion more thoroughly impregnated with dulness, than that which the Daily Papers have so faithfully reported to have passed within the walls of their Lordships' House in the course of the past week. The Duke of CUMBERLAND one evening attacked Lord BROUGHAM for styling him " illustrious by courtesy ;" and the Marquis of SALISBURY was also affronted by the same noble Lord's loud talking, and disorderly conduct on the woolsack. Neither Of these rencontres, however, were enlivened by wit or smartness, and only proved that their Lordships were quarrelsome as well as dull.

The third reading of the Bank Charter Bill, which was fixed first for Tuesday, then for Wednesday, and finally for Friday, has been again put off. Last night, Lord ALTHORP gave an inaudible reply to a question regarding the day when it really might be expected to come on. It is not improbable that it may be post- poned till next session after all.

The East India Bill was read a third time last night in the House of Lords. It will probably pass on Monday next; when the public are to be enlightened by Lord ELLENBOROUGH'S last words upon the subject. On Wednesday, the bill for the reform of the Scotch Burghs was read a second time in the House of Lords. Lord BROUGHAM, who undertakes the management of the bill, certainly did not ex- onerate the iniquities which it is intended to sweep away.: in fact, he did not make the most of a very strong case. As for the measure itself, it cannot by any means be deemed a perfect one; its sole merit consists in pulling down—it is extremely deficient in the means of reconstruction. In future sessions it will doubt- less be amended in this respect ; and in the mean time, we heartily congratulate our Northern friends upon the approaching downfal of the principle of self-election, the reign of which-has so long been a curse and disgrace to the land. Mr. BLANIIRE has introduced a bill to put a stop to about five thousand suits, which those clearsighted men the Clergy of Eng- land have instituted for the recovery of tithes. It seems that, in consequence of a bill brought into Parliament by the late Lord TENTERDEN, the doctrine that 'indium tempus =arra ecclesice is

done away with, and a limit of sixty years is established, beyond which it is unnecessary to go in order to establish a modus, or prove the right to exemption from being tithed. Unluckily, how- ever, this bill did not come into operation till the 15th August 1833; and within the last fortnight, thodsands of actions have beers commenced for the recovery of tithes which have not been

paid for more than sixty years. Sir JOHN CAMPBELL and Lord ALTHORP might well call this infatuated conduct on the part of the Clergy, and such as must endanger the very existence of the Church. In mercy to these misguided men, it is to be hoped that Mr. BLAM IRE'S bill will be pushed through the Parliament with- out delay.

We regret to see that Sir JOHN CAMPBELL has been obliged to withdraw his bill to abolish imprisonment for debt. He promises, however, that next session he will reintroduce it, with such altera- tions as will facilitate its passing into a law.

Mr. BUCKINGHAM'S motion to get rid of the practice of im- pressment for the Navy, was negatived, on Thursday, by a slender

majority—the numbers being 59 to 54. it was strenuously op-

posed by Sir JAMES GRAHAM, Captain ELLIOTT, and Lord AL- THORP,—that is to say, by the whole force of ;.he Government.

Such, however, is the abhorrence in which the practice is held, that the motion was all but carried,—very much to the chagrin, we have no doubt, of the First Lord of the Admiralty ; who spoke

in reply to Mr. BUCKINGHAM with the self-satisfaction of a man who feels certain of being backed by a large majority. • Sir JAMES was peculiarly unfortunate in his opening remarks, where- in he sneered at Mr. BUCKINGHAM for making a long speech,

and reprimanded him for bringing forward such a motion so late in the session as the 15th day of August. Although in the matter

of speechmaking he promised to follow Mr. BUCKINGHAM'S pre-

cept and avoid his example, still he appears to have made (in re- porters' measure) the longer speech of the two ; and it turns out

that the motion, which has stood in the Order-book for several months, had been postponed three times at the request of Minis- ters—twice at the urgent solicitation of Sir JAMES GRAM Ait himself.

This is the policy of Ministers—and a most contemptible policy it is. They humbly entreat members to put off disagreeable mo-

tions, or use every effort to prevent attendance and procure the

" countine. out " of the House, and then, forsooth, have the assu- rance to charge them with bringing forward questions at " a late period of the session," as if it were a misdemeanour,—every man who hears them being all the while perfectly aware that the delay is the result of Ministerial trickery. The efforts of the Prussian Government to prevent the admis- sion of British manufactures into Germany, formed the subject of a discussion in the House of Commons on Thursday. It has been well known for some time past, that Prussia has been play- ing a deep, but, as we doubt not it will turn out to be, a losing game in commercial politics. The Continental system of NAPO-

LEON fell to pieces, and so will hers. To buy and sell at the best markets, is what traders will accomplish by fair means or foul. The only parties whom the proposed new Prussian system will not injure more or less, are the smugglers. Those active and enterprising gentlemen will thrive at our mutual expense. In the meanwhile, as we prohibit the importation of Prussian corn and timber, except under enormous duties, it is unreasonable to complain of their refusal to purchase our hardware and woollens.