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The new Ministry held its first Cabinet Council on Monday, at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, in Downing Street. he Ministers present were, Viscount Palmerston, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, Duke of Argyll, Sir G. C. Lewis, Lord John Russell, the Duke of Newcastle, the Right Honourable Sidney Herbert, Sir dhaties Wood, Right Honourable W. E. Gladstone, the Duke of Somer- set, the Earl of Elgin, Sir George Grey, Right Honourable E. Cardwell, and the Right Honourable T. Milner Gibson. A second Cabinet Coun- cil was held on Wednesday.

Sonic progress has been made in completing the list of minor Minis- terial appointments. Mr. Samuel Laing is appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He has for several years withdrawn from all con- nexion with commercial undertakings, with the exception of one or two foreign railways, the directorship of which he has resigned on taking office.

The Right Honourable Henry Fitzroy will be First Commissioner of Public Works, and Mr. Massey, late Under-Secretary for the Home De- partment, succeeds Mr. Fitzroy as Chairman of Committees. Lord Alfred Paget resumes his old office at the Court as Clerk-Marshal. Lord Bury is Controller of the Household. Mr. Bagwell is a Lord of the Treasury.

Lord Sydney will be the new Lord Chamberlain ; and Lord Castlerosse and Lord Proby will respectively fill the offices of Vice-Chamberlain and Treasurer of the Household. The Right Honourable Maziere Brady has been appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland, by which that gentle- man's pension of 4000/. per annum as ex-Chancellor will be saved to the public.

Sir Alexander Cockburn has been appointed Chief Justice of England in the place of Lord Chancellor Campbell. Sir William Erle will suc- ceed Sir Alexander Cockburn as Chief Justice of the Common new, and it is probable that Mr. James Wilde will succeed to the Puisne Judgeship vacant by Sir William Erie's promotion.

• The Queen has appointed General Sir Thomas M‘Mahon, General the Earl of Cathcart, General Sir William Gomm, General Sir Robert Gar- diner, to be Knights Grand Cross of the Bath ; and General Henry Wyndham and Lieutenant-General John Aitchison to be Knights Com- manders of the Bath.

The dignity of an Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland has been granted to the Earl of Eglinton. His title will be the Earl of Winton.

The Queen has bestowed the Victoria Cross upon Lieutenant Francis Edward Henry Farquharson, and Privates Walter Cook and Duncan Millar, 42d Regiment ; Lieutenant William George Cubitt, 13th Bengal Native Infantry; Lieutenant Hanson Jarrett, 26th Bengal Native in- fantry; and Private John M‘Govern, 1st Bengal Fusiliers ; for acts of personal daring performed in India.

According to letters from Malta to the 16th instant, a fleet of eight steam liners is ready for departure, destined, it is asserted, for the Adria- tic Sea.

Kossuth has passed through France on his way to Genoa. During his stay in Paris he was in communication with Hungarian and other refugees. "Something" is to be " done " in Hungary in connexion with the French Government.

The Manchester Examiner assumed, rightly or wrongly, to be the pro- vincial organ of Mr. Bright, feels painfully the exclusion of that gentle- man from the Cabinet, and hints at a contingent hostility on his part, which will, under certain circumstances, upset the coach.

"In looking over the list of the new Ministry, one name will occur to every one as conspicuous by its absence'; we refer, of course, to Mr. Bright. His claims to a place in the Cabinet, judged solely by his political abilities and the weight of his personal character, are so obvious and indis- putable, that some mystery is supposed to rest upon his exclusion. To set misapprehension at rest we deem it advisable to state that there is no mys-

tery at all about the matter. He has not been asked to take office, and, we believe, that no fact could be more in unison with his personal inclinations ; but why i this course has been adopted towards one whose Parliamentary in-

fluence s so great, whose prefimment services to the cause of Reform are acknowledged on all sides, and who, if any member of the section of the

Liberal party to which he belongs were to be admitted to office, had cer- tainly a prior claim —this i a question more interesting than difficult of solution. Such things have doubtless an inner as well as an outer history, but the whole case may be easily comprehended without descending to re- condite surmises. That Mr. Bright's political principles were not deemed an insuperable bar to office is obvious from the selection of Mr. M. Gibson and Mr. Cobden, whose views are identical with his own. The objection is a small one. Mr. Bright, by his eloquent advocacy of great truths, has had the insufferable misfortune to render himself personally obnoxious to a few proud and feeble oligarchs, whose influence is mighty in the serener heights of aristocratic Whiggism, and not unfelt perhaps at Court; and to their in- trigues, incessant and bitter, he is indebted for the privilege of remaining unattached. What could be more natural ? Exclusion from office on such grounds is the best tribute which could be paid to his abilities and his poli- tical worth. We have only to add, that if the necessities of the Cabinet and the desire to retain power compel them to cooperate with Lord John Russell in fulfilling the just expectation of the Liberal party, then it will undoubt- edly receive the support of the country, and of the independent party in Parliament ; but if the same dishonest intrigues which have characterized the admission into the higher places in the Cabinet of incompetent men, and the known secret opposition to the more liberal policy of Lord John Russell of a portion of those who have already violated their deliberate pledges, should ultimately prevail, then we may rest assured that there will be a speedy end of Lord Palmerston's Administration, and the reign of Whig incompetency will be closed for ever."

The Birmingham Daily Post meets the cry of indignation uttered by another of Mr. Brighes supposed organs, in replying to the question, somewhat indignantly put—why has not office been offered to Mr. Bright ? The writer answers : "-Mr. Bright has both publicly, and, we believe, privately given it to be distinctly understood that office is not his ambition and that he is not dis- posed to accept of a place. What Mr. Bright says' he means, and there is none of the mock modesty of the nob o episcopari about his declarations. He feels that he is more useful as an independent Member, that he serves his country best when unfettered, and that in taking office, though he would sacrifice no principle, he must perhaps, for the sake of carrying on Govern- ment, occasionally yield his assent where he could scarcely give his entire approbation. To suppose for a moment that anyindigiUty ' has been offered to our Member by Lord Palmerston, in this fancied 'exclusion' is pure nonsense. Mr. Bright may well say save me from my friends.' He has indicated a course which he feels that he can pursue consistently and with satisfaction to himself, but others seem determined to chalk out aline of conduct for him, and begin by attempting to destroy that good under- standing between Mr. Bright and Ministers which he at least is disposed to maintain until he sees reason to withdraw his confidence."

The Economist has published a letter on the Cooperative Associations of Paris from the pen of Mr. William Coningham which may prove in- teresting to our readers, since Mr. Coningham is known to have specially studied the subject.

"Sir—In the notice which you did me the honour to take of my pamph- let on the Paris Associations, you observe that the success of the cooperative movement is to be measured by the duration of the associations, and that a knowledge of their present condition would be of greater value than any narrative of their past history. This may perhaps be true, and without entering at any length into particulars, I may briefly describe their present condition.

"A considerable number of these societies have survived the political and financial crisis through which France has passed since the year 1848, and are steadily developing their resources. I may instance the associated Armchair Manufacturers,' (who have recently added a steam engine to their establishment,) the Last Makers,' (Formiers,) the File Makers,' the Block Tinmen,' (Ferblantiers,) the Pianoforte Manufacturers,' the bhair Makers,' (Tourneurs en Chaises,) &c., &c. ; and the association of ' Masons,' in the Rue St. Victor, which consists of 150 families, i singularly prospe- rous, and in one year'has divided as much as 50 per cent profit on the capi- tal of the shareholders.

"One remarkable change has been introduced in the organization of these societies ; namely, the permanent character which it has been found necessary to impart to the officer of manager (*.ant.) The officers of the society are now no longer exposed to the ordeal of an annual reelection ; they are liable to be displaced only on the score of maladministration or of misconduct.

"I found the spirit of self-dependence among the workmen, and of at- tachment to the principles of cooperation, as strong as ever, and some of the most inteligent among them assured me that nothing would induce them to relapse into their former state of dependence on the will of an employer, and consequent liability to arbitrary dismissal. "Mutual benefit societies, from which they anticipate, and indeed have already received, considerable advantages, have been founded among them under the immecliate sanction of the Imperial Government. These are a few of the salient points, which may, perhaps, interest your readers, and be of use to the operative classes in this country, on whom the spirit of cooperation has taken a strong hold.

"I remain, Sir, yours obediently, WILLUM CONINGHAM. "23, Wilton Place, Tune 13."

On Friday, the 18th instant, Professor Faraday delivered a lecture at the Royal Institution, "On Becquerel' Phenomena of Phosphorescence " ; phosphoric light was first contrasted with electric light, and that pro- duced by the combustion of hydrogen ; and was described as having been pent up in certain bodies at the time of their formation, and set free by the application of heat, but not as the product of combustion. Phos- phorescence and fluorescence were then compared. Fluorescence had been represented as a special luminous appearence in certain bodies dur- ing their exposure to light, but not the actual effect of that illumination. Phosphorescence was called forth in the same manner, but was visible after the removal of the source of light. M. Becquerel, however, had succeeded in proving by the aid of a delicate instrument termed a Phos- phorescope, that both phenomena were of the same character ; he had also ascertained that the excitement of phosphorescent bodies by light

was materially interfered with by the action of glass, which intercepted the heating portions of the ray. The lecturer then referred to a state- ment of his, published two years ago in the Philosophical Transactions, that from observations he had made, he believed lightning left its mark in the sky. No explanation of this phenomenon was given at the time, but the independent researches of M. Becquerel had since proved oxygen to be a phosphorescent body. This was confirmed during the lecture by several beautiful experiments ; and it was shown that the electric fluid in its passage through the atmosphere might really write its track in the heavens with phosphoric light. The lecture was delivered before a very crowded audience, and concluded the Friday evening course for the sesSiorl.

Royal Geographical Society, Monday evening, June 27, half-past eights p.m. Papers to be read—

R

F. 1. .G.S. Notes on a Voyage to New Guinea, by Alfred K. Wallace, Esq.,

2. Remarks on Portuguese Journeys across Central Africa, by James Mac- queen, Esq., F.R.G.S. 3. Travels in Eastern Siani and Cambodia, by D. 0. King, Esq., dre.

Lord Napier presides at the one-hundred-and-fifth anniversary dinner of the Society of Arts, at St. James's Hall, on the 28th instant, and the annual general meeting for receiving the Council's report, &c., will be held next day at the rooms in the Adelphi.

The Red Sea telegraphic line has been safely carried from Suez to Aden, and the first message has been sent along the wire to the Queen. "Your Majesty's possesions at Aden" so runs the despatch, "are in telegraphic communication with Egypt."

At the same time M. de Lesseps has begun the works for his famous Suez Canal in defiance of the Egyptian Government, and has been openly supported in this audacious proceeding by the French Consul.

The Rome and Civita Vecchia telegraph lino was opened to the public on the 13th.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has appointed Mr. C. L. Ryan, of the Treasury, to be his private secretary. Mr. J. M. Maynard, of the War Office, has been appointed private secretary to Mr. Sidney Herbert, Secre- tary for War; and Mr. B. Beton, of the War Office, private secretary to the Earl of Ripon, Under Secretary.

Lord John Russell has appointed the Honourable George Elliot and Mr. George Russell to be his private secretaries. Mr. Villiers Lister has been appointed Precis Writer.—Globe.

Mehemet Ali, brother of the Viceroy of Egypt, has arrived in Madrid, and been received at a private audience by the Queen and entertained at a grand dinner. Her Majesty has conferred on him the Order of Labelle the Catholic.

It is not often that a single steamer is freighted with Bo many Indian officers of note as the Madras, which arrived on the 10th at Suez from Bom- bay. The officers are—Major-General H. J. Roberts, C.B. ; Colonel W. Lang; Colonel J. Le Grand Jacob, C.B. ; Colonel C. Blood ; (lit.) Lieu- tenant Colonel H. B. Edwardes, C.B.

The Genoa Gazelle announces that the Spanish Generals Pronio, de Li- vers, Orrian, Coello, O'Donnell, and Lopez Domugnez have arrived at Genoa, and are about to proceed to the allied camp, being duly authorized for that purpose.

A copy in marble of Denham's bust of the Queen, has been presented to M. and Madame Otto Goldscbmidt, in acknowledgement of the good service they did, by giving a concert in aid of the Nightingale Fund which rea- lized 2000/.

The Grand Duchess Dowager of Weimar, mother of the Princess of Prus- sia, and aunt of the Emperor Alexander, died on Thursday evening at eight o'clock.

"Messrs. Scholefield and Bright were returned by near 3000 majority, yet the 'few hundred pounds' are wanting to cover their election expenses. No pleasure is free from its share of alloy, and the bill' is the anti-climax of all entertainments, political and social. We have no desire to pry into the financial arrangements of Mr. /Wand's friends; we hope they have been pleasantly made, and to the satisfaction of all concerned. But the Liberals have not quite, done their duty. Scarcely half of the cost of the re- turn of Messrs. Scholefield and Bright has been subscribed. . . . . We share the belief held by those who take the more just view of the relation of the constituency to the representatives, that the services rendered to the community by such men as our members makes their free return to Parlia- ment a simple duty on the part of the constituency. Impressed with this belief, and feeling very strongly the injustice of allowing the coat of the late contest to fall upon them, a number of gentlemen who have already sub- scribed have placed in our hands additional subscriptions towards the pay- ment of the second half of the expenses. The supplementary amount thus promised is already about 501., and we shall be glad to receive and acknow- ledge further sums."—.Birmingham Journal.

An equestrian statue, by Von Clodt, to the memory of the late Emperor Nicholas, in the uniform of his first regiment, will be displayed at St. Petersburg on the 7th July, his birthday.

Regret is feelingly expressed in various quarters at the death of Mr. Jacob Bell, the chemist of Oxford Street, in his forty-ninth year, who was better known to the art-world as the friend and agent of Sir Edwin Landseer. As President of the Pharmaceutical Society, he advanced the education and standing of his profession ; as a generous associate and patron of living painters of his country, whose talents he honours in his noble bequest to the nation, he will be long remembered, whilst his unostentatious charity among all classes of society will keep his name alive among the present generation. He has left thirteen first-class pictures to the nation. Of Landseer's there are—" The Maid and the Magpie," exhibited last, year at the Royal Academy; the celebrated picture of the "Shoeing," "The Sleeping Bloodhoun " "Alexander and Diogenes," "Dignity and Impu- dence," and "The Defeat of Comm" ; there are also "The Sacking of a Jew's House," by C. Landseer ; a couple of landscape! by Lee and Sidney Cooper • O'Neil's picture of "The Foundling examined by the Board of Guardiens " ; one of Ward's best historical works—" James II. receiving the News of the Landing of the Prince of Orange" the Derby-day" of Mr. Frith; and a smaller but exquisite copy of "The Horse Fair," of Rosa Bonheur.

For seven weeks the number of deaths in London has decreased. Last week it declined as low as 913, that is 60 below the average, if no allowance be made for the increase of population, and 167 below the average obtained by allowing for the increase. The Registrar-General styles this a compa- ratively satisfactory state of the public health." .