Channel Islands.

SAMABES LODGE ( NO . 559 ) . —A meeting was held on Tuesday , December 27 th , for the purpose of installing the W . M . for the present year , to which office Bro . F . A . Godfray had been elected . The Prov . G . Master opened the lodge in the first degree for the confirmation of minutes , and subsequently in the second degree . He then gave up the chair to Bro . Dr . Hopkins , P . M ., who had been requested to perforin the ceremony . The W . M . elect was duly presented , his assent was given to the prescribed

charges and regulations , and those who had not passed the chair having retired , a board of Past Masters was duly constituted , in whose presence Bro . Godfray was installed in the chair of King Solomon . The board having been closed , on the re-admission of the brethren the usual processions took place , and the proclamations and charges were given . The officers were then named by the new W . M ., and such of them as were present were invested . The lodge was resumed in the first degree .

A notice of motion was given to reduce the initiation fee from twenty to five guineas , in order to make this a working lodge , which it has not been hitherto , the high charges having been prohibitory—indeed , such was the original intention , with a special object , which has not been realised . No other business offering , except a vote of thanks , which was passed to the Installing Master , the lodge was closed at seven o'clock .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COURT . —The Queen and younger members of the Royal Family are still at Osborne . The Prince and Princess of Wales are now on a visit at Holkham . Prince Alfred has arrived at Berlin . HOME NEWS . —The recent cold weather has told severely on the health of aged people in London . The Registrar-General ' s report raises the list of deaths from 1 , 523 of the previous week

to 1 , 697 , the increase being mainly if not altogether among persons above sixty years of age , and bronchitis being the principal disease . The number of deaths is 177 above the estimated ten years'average . The births during the week were 1 , 956 , which is about 130 above the average . With the opening of the year we record another decrease in the

pauperism of the distressed cotton unions . Mr . Purdy reports that during the past week eleven unions increased by 810 paupers , that five remained stationary , and that the others showed a diminution of 1 , 660 , thus leaving a net decrease of 850 . With one exception , the unions which have less favourable lists only experienced small increments such as are commonly felt throughout the kingdom at this season . Manchester , however , placed on her pauper register 360 additional names in the fourth week

of December . The following unions reduced theirs by the respective numbers stated : —Ashton-under-Lyne , 270 ; Blackburn , 230 ; Bury , 260 ; Haslingden , 270 ; Preston , 210 ; and Stockport , 160 . The out-relief amounted to £ 6 , 345 , or £ 2 , 232 less than in the last week of 1863 . Mr . Farnall , the Metropolitan Inspector of the Poor Laws , has made a report to the President of the Poor Law Board ,

respecting the working , of the Houseless Poor Act , passed last session . He states that all the parishes have acted upon it , the only union which has not provided separate accommodation being the West London , whose workhouse is required by a railway . In only one of these vagrant wards was admission refused in consequence of its being full . There is now accommodation

for 1 , 400 persons . The largest number accommodated in one night , in the first week of this month , was 712 , the lowest 607 . Mr . Farnall recommends that in every instance the vagrants should be required to do a task of work in return for the accommodation . Mr . Pilkington , M . P ., in the course of a speech at Blackburn lately , said that although he could not take

a very hopeful view of the cotton trade for the present year , "he felt certain there would be more employment than there had been in the past two years . " Lord Palmerston on Wed

ncsday presented prizes given by the Romsey Labourers' Encouragement Association . His lordship , in addressing the successful labourers , pointed out the necessity which was imposed upon them of educating their children . As to the description of education he pointed out that it should be useful and practical , and gave some lively illustrations of what he meant .

Mr . Charles Buxton , M . P ., addressed his constituents at Maidstone on Tuesday evening . In the course of his speech he alluded to the plan of Reform which he promulgated a short time ago , and frankly owned that it met with general disapproval . With reference to the Royal Commission for inquiring into the subscriptions and declarations required of the clergy , he said

that he believed , when its report became known , it would meet with general approval , and if acted upon would do much towards preserving the intellectual vigour of the Church . ——In a speech at Oxford , on Monday , Mr . Carilwell—the Secretary of State for the Colonies—briefly referred to the case of the St . Alban's raiders , which has assumed such grave importance .

He said that no men were more sensible than the Governor-General of Canada and his advisers of that which was due to the honour of the British Crown and to the " inviolate neutrality" of British territory ; and it was certain that "if the present law in Canada were adequate they would carry it into execution with promptitude ; but if , on the other hand , the present law were found inadequate , it would not bo allowed to remain so . "

A new Exchange was opened at Birmingham , on Monday . At a luncheon which followed the formal ceremony , Mr . Bright made a speech , in which he expressed his sense of the . growing importance of the great industrial interest . It seemed to him that the power of statesmen and warriors , and evenofmonarchs , was on the wane , while in every part of the world the influence

of merchants and manufacturers , in the aggregate , was sensibly increasing . The nations of Europe maintained vast armaments , but , notwithstanding what " some foolish newspapers " might say , war was much less possible now than in bygone days . There was the strongest possible disposition among the people of Europe to preserve the peace , and he looked forward

to the time when the subsidence of national jealousies would lead Governments to reduce their naval and military establishments to a point which " a moderate , peaceful , and just spirit would encourage and defend . " Mr . Gladstone , there is no doubt , is perfectly satisfied with the revenue returns for 1864 . Notwithstanding the large remissions of taxation upon which

the right hon . gentleman has ventured , the national income for the past year reached the sum of £ 70 , 125 , 374 , or only £ 308 , 246 below the revenue for 1863 . The Customs and income tax show , of course , a heavy falling off—over two millions and a half between them—but under every other head there has been an increase , the net result being as we have stated .

Last year there was a marked decrease in the number of emigrants who left Liverpool for various parts of the world— -the falling off , as compared with 1863 , being no less than 12 , 537 . ¦ Saturday night being the last night of the year , religions services were held in several churches and dissenting chapels , the congregations meeting about eleven and remaining together

till the New Year came in . We believe these services originated among the Wesleyan Methodists , with whom the Watch Night is still , we believe , universal ; but it has since spread both among Churchmen and Dissenters . There is but too great probability of a strike taking place among the workmen connected with the building trades in the midland counties . The

masters have agreed among themselves to give every man who leaves their employment what they call a " discharge note , " and they pledge each other that no one will take a working man into his employment unless he first produce this " discharge