311iortItaurting.

Tan corporation of Leicester presented an address to Mr. Cobden thanking him for his exertions in negotiating the commercial treaty with France, and "hailing" the treaty as the auspicious omen of a happier and more peaceful era between the two countries. Mr. Cobden is much pleased with the "eloquence" of the good folks of Leicester. But he is not content with expressing this as his published reply. He makes an onslaught upon his critics. There is 'an entire class" who do not believe, he says, that the treaty will inaugurate this new era.

"It must not be forgotten that those public speakers and journalists who, with- out one fact to justify them—for they would not wait for the facts—charged the French Government with deliberate deception and treachery towards me in the affair of the Treaty, are the same persons who have incessantly proclaimed the hostile designs of that Government upon our peace and security, who have ac- cused it of having made formidable naval preparations, and who are for ever discovering its plots and conspiracies against our interests in all parts of the world; and their accusations are just as little entitled to credit in the one case as the other. I offer this as my deliberate judgment after nearly fifteen months' residence in France, with the best possible opportunities of obtaining a knowledge of those facts which can alone afford the means of arriving at a correct conclu- sion, and claiming for myself in other respects no greater advantage over my opponents than in the possession of that moderate share of sagacity and temper which enabled me to take a more correct view than themselves of the designs of the French Government with regard to the Treaty. "Yes, those parties have subjected themselves to a more serious disadvantage. When a witness is convicted d giving. false evidence against his neighbour his testimony is for ever discredited by a jury of his countrymen. And should the parties to whom I allude be found again charging the French Government with treacherous designs and arrogating to themselves exclusive sources of informa- tion respecting its intentions, we should be wanting in discernment and sagacity, and be guilty of great injustice towards that Government, if, after the specimens we have had of their rash and unscrupulous allegations, we were to allow our judgment to be in the slightest degree influenced by their statements."

He calls upon the people to frown down the efforts of those who seek to sow dissensions, and confides to the people the task of securing the moral results of the treaty" by cultivating the sentiments of ;peace and good-will with their powerful, intelligent, and amiable neighbour." The Manchester City Council has adopted this resolution in re- ference to Mr. Cobden and the French treaty "That this council recognizes the important benefits which have been conferred by Mr. Richard Cobden upon the great interests of this city and district ; and, as the representatives of a large manufacturing and trading po- pulation, tenders to him this renewed public expression of its grati- tude for his eminently successful services, by which commercial intercourse has been extended between the people of France and England, and the cause of peace greatly promoted."

The Government have promised the African Aid Society, that a consul shall be appointed to reside at Abbeokuta, and that fresh efforts shall be made to induce the King of Dahomey to abstain from the slave trade.

Colonel M'Murdo, Inspector-General of Volunteers, has issued the following memorandum:—" Volunteers, when in mourning, will wear a piece of black crape, three inches wide, round the left arm, above the elbow." The following order has issued from the Adjutant-General's Office, Dublin:— " In obedience to an order received from his Royal Highness the General Com- manding-in-Chief, the General Commanding the Forces in Ireland directs that Major the Hon. W. C. Yelverton, Royal Artillery, be suspended from all military duties until further order."

Miss Susan Durant has received a commission to execute one of the poetical marbles for the Mansion House—being, so far as we recollect, the first English lady who has ever obtained a compliment of this particular kind.-4 thenceum. Lord Brougham who is at present residing at his villa at Cannes, is expected to return home immediately after the Easter parliamentary recess. The noble and learned lord is in excellent health. He purposes to make a short stay in Paris, on his way home.

The Company of Gunmakers have resolved to present the freedom of the com- pany to Sir William Armstrong. Mr. Ernest Clay, first paid attache in Mexico, is appointed paid attaché at Paris; Mr. Johnston, unpaid attache at Hanover, is appointed paid attaché in Mexico.

The Honourable Mrs. Yelverton is about to publish a book, perhaps the worst experiment she could make, but an experiment that is sure to pay—at least, once.

Sir William Pym, a descendant of the great Commonwealthman, and for many years in the medical department of the army, has died this week. He was seized with paralysis in the billiard-room of the United Service Club, and never recovered. He was in his eighty-fifth year. Despatches from Washington, of the 8th instant, in the New York papers, state that Mr. Seward was seriously ill, and that there was much anxiety about him.

The committee appointed by the Lower House of Convocation' on the direction of the archbishop and bishops, to examine the Essays and Reviews, for the purpose of reporting thereon to the general body of Convocation' will commence i their sittings n the course of the present week. The committee consists of the Venerable George Anthony Denison, M.A., Archdeacon of Taunton; the Ve- nerable Anthony Grant, D.C.L., Archdeacon of St. Alban', anti Canon of Ro- chester; the Venerable E. B. Hone, MA., Archdeacon of Worcester; the Vene- rable James Randall, MA., Archdeacon of Berks ; the Rev. Harold Browne, B.D. Norrisian Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge ; the Rev. Dr. Jelf, Principal of King's College, London, proctor for the Chapter of Oxford; the Rev. Dr. Jebb, Rector of Peterslow, proctor for the clergy of Hereford ; the Rev. Dr. Leighton Warden of All Souls' College, Oxford, proctor for the clergy of the diocese of Oxford; the HOD. and Rev. Samuel Best, M.A., Rector of St. Abbotts Anne, proctor for the clergy of Manchester diocese ; the Rev. Sir Henry Thomp- son Bart., Rector of Front, proctor for the clergy of Lewes; the Rev. James Fetidall, M.A., Vicar of Comberton, near Cambridge, proctor for the clergy of Ely; the Rev. Frederick Vincent, M.A., Rector of Slinfold, near Homham, proctor for the clergy of Chichester; anti the Rev. Canon Woodgate, B.D., Rec- tor of Bellbroughton, near Stourbridge, proctor for the clergy of Worcester diocese.

A rumour has been current during the last day or two that the trustees of Rugby School have called upon Dr. Temple to resign the bead-mastership of the school in consequence of his participation in the authorship of Essays and Reviews. We notice the rumour simply for the purpose of saying that the result of inquiries in well-founded quarters leads us to tho conclusion that there is no foundation for the statement. On Sunday last, while preaching at Rugby, Dr. Temple took occasion to refer to the volume with which his name has become identified, and in the course of his remarks he stated that the essay contributed by him to that volume was preached some years ago as a sermon before the University of Oxford without exciting any adverse comment.—Aria's Birming- ham Gazette.

The Rev. Mr. Bennett, the well-known Vicar of Frome, has published a pam- phlet in which he strongly advocates the total abolition of church rates. Com- pulsory payments for religious services he declares to have been the invention of an age "when reverence, enthusiasm, and truth had died away, and the world began to introduce into Christianity its own subjects, as a matter of formal obli- gation rather than of spiritual privilege."

The first number of a clandestine journal, under the title of Raly and Rome, has just appeared at Rome, but fictitiously dated from Perugia. Many thousand copies of it have been sold. It predicts the speedy emancipation of Rome.

A bill has been presented to the Italian Parliament, fixing the first Sunday of June for the annual celebration of a festival in honour of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy

The Northern Bee of St. Petersburg lately made a violent attack against the temporal power of the Pope. We also sail in the Invalids Russe a eulogistic article on Napoleon III. and Victor Emmanuel. Italian ingenuity in the invention of secret watchwords is inexhaustible. We all remember the part played by the cry of "Viva Verdi!" The Romans now salute each other on meeting with the common-place remark "Non plove"—it does not rain. It is to be read "Non Pio, V. E."—not Pius (but) Victor Em- manuel.

Napoleon III. is said to have recently accosted M. Billault, his previous Home Minister, in terms of some asperity, observing, "You have filled my Chamber with Vendeans." "Your reproach is not just, Sire," replied the Minister; "je n'ai choisi qua des imhicilles.' " Cela rerient an mime," is said to have rejoined the Emperor.

To celebrate the emancipation of the Russian serfs the exterior of Orset House, Westbourne-terrace, the residence of the well-known Russian patriot Alexander Herten, was illuminated on Monday evening.

Accounts have reached the Admiralty by which some apprehensions enter- tained for the safety of her Majesty's gunboat Forward have been entirely. re- moved. The vessel reached Esquimalt Harbour in safety on the 25th of January.

The number of deaths last week was /226, somewhere about 201 below the calculated average, and ZOO fewer than in January. Whooping-cough has been very fatal. Bronchitis and pneumonia both exhibit results very considerably below their respective averages, and a similar observation applies to asthma. It seems a reasonable supposition that the cold weather hastened the deaths of many persons subject to these complaints or predisposed to them, whose lives in a season not unusually severe would have been extended for weeks or months, and that to this circumstance the present decrease of the mortality should be attributed. _Mary Ann Brough, formerly nurse of the Prince of Wales, in 1854 killed six of her children at Esher. It was shown that she was insane, and she was sent to Bethlehem Hospital. Dr. Hood, the medical officer there, believes that her insanity was organic. She has just died of apoplexy.

The return moved for by the Earl of Camperdown has been printed. The quantity of Twiner manufactured in this country in 1858 was 192,847,825 lb.; in 1859, 217,827,197 lb.; in 1860, 223,575,285 lb.—a considerable increase in each year. So recently as 1848 the quantity was only 121,820,229 lb. The net pro- duce of the duty was 1,103,7541. in 1858, 1,258,4641. in 1859, 1,821,1051. in 1860. The net produce of the Customs duty on paper imported into this country was 98861. in 1858, 14,9411. in 1859, and 27,2361. in 1860. The paper duty therefore brings in more than half as much as the income tax on trades and pro- fessions produces at its original rate of 7d.