The Week.

seats Scotland should havo a fair share . Mr . McLaren and other members enforced this . —Tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer gave a very doubtful reply . Ho believed somo of tho Scotch universities and other places had claims to further representation , but it must not bo given to them at tho expense of England . Tho only inference to bo drawn from this is that if Scotland is to havo

more members tho total members of tho House must bo increased . On the 4 th inst . much anxiety was evinced to hoar what was to be said about tho question of Reform and tho Ministerial difficulties . Before tho timo when public business usually begins every scat in tho body of tho House was occupied , and tho galleries were fairly filled . Viscount Cranborno camo into tho

House at twenty minutes past four o ' clock , and took his seat on tho front bench below tho gangway on the Government side . General Peel did not arrive until later , and then ho brought up somo jiapers . Ho took his seat ou tho Ministerial bench , and intended to havo mado his statement iu respect to tho army estimates . This , however , ho did not succeed in doing , and his

career as a Minister is now probably closed . On tho motion for going into committeo of supply , tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer got up , and iu a speech which lasted only a few minutes mado a statement . Since ho last spoke ou the subject of Reform , tho majority of tho Cabinet had determined to recur to thoir original policy as to tho franchise in boroughs , and ho regretted that this

had led to the resignation of three of his colleagues . Having specially mentioned in a regretful manner tho loss of General Pool , he said arrangements had been mado which , if they mot with the approval of her Majesty , would enable him to state ou the 8 th inst ., that Lord Derby ' s Cabinet was complete . It would bo proposed that tho Reform Bill should be brought in on tho 18 th inst . Ho should ask tho House to read tho bill a second timo on ( he Monday following , ami as soon as possible to go into

committee and sit de die in diem until tho bill was got through . The utter emptiness ot this statement fairly silenced the House for a few moments . At last , however , Mr . Bernal Osborne found his voice , and insisted that the House should be told more of the circumstances which had led to the resignation of the three Ministers . He specially appealed to Lord Cranbome , but his

lordship replied that he had not her Majesty ' s permission to reveal what had taken place . Mr . Gladstone made a brief speech , pointing out the miserable delays which there had been in dealing with this question , and urged that there should be no more of them . He did not wish to be understood to withdraw tbe pledge lie had previously given as to fairly considering the hill which

might he proposed ; hut there must be no mistake about the measure . It must be straightforward . Of course , it must contain something new , hut there must be nothing new-fangled . It must not he a scheme which , with the semblance of givimr , had the reality of taking away . Having thus given notice to the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Mr . Gladstone passed to

another subject , and the debate was not continued . Later in the evening , however , Mr . Bernal Osborne returned to the charge . He complained that the information which had been refused in the House of Commons had been given in the House of Lords . The Chancellor of the Exchequer was not to be moved , however . Until lie knew what had taken place in

the House of Lords he would make no further statement . Here the matter ended . —The bill for the Confederation oftlie North American Colonies passed through committee . The other business was of no special interest , and the House rose early On the , "> ih iust . the Houso of Commons was enlivened by explanations from Mr . Disraeli , General Peel , and Lord Cranborno , as to the recent secessions from the Ministry , and by a further discussion of the wholo question , iu which Mr . Lowe , Mr . Gladstone , Mr . Horsman , Lord Stanley , and Mr . Bright took leading

part . Mr . Disraeli's statement amounted briefly to this—that Lord Derby , convinced by tho Reform demonstration held in the course of tho autumn , had come to tho conclusion that ho must deal with Reform , and deal with it on an extended basis . Mr . Disraeli himself agreed with that proposition . When tho Cabinet met proposals wero laid before it in accordance with Lord Derby ' s desire . Thoso proposals soom to have boon

objected to by tho obstructive members of tho Cabinet , and finally tho proposal made on tho 2 * ith of February was agreed to as a compromise . That proposal mot with no favour anywhere . Therefore Lord Derby reverted to his original proposition , which seems to bo household suffrage w-ith plural voting of somo kind . General Pool and Lord Craubourno gave their own .

version of tho affair . General Pool ' s speech was particularly amusing . Ho was prepared to hear tho taunts of thoso who might recal his speeches of last year , aud ho was prepared ovon to undergo tho severe punishment of going into tho lobby in favour of a Ptoiorm measure , but ho could not consent to tho Bill which the Cabinet had now

determined upon bringing in . Lord . Craubourno was still more explicit , and gave a lengthened statement of the painful inquiries which he made before he came to the conclusion that he must decline to accept Lord Derby's proposals Mr- Gladstone commented very freely upon the speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer , ancl contended that he had no right at any

time to assume that the Opposition would be willing to infer from the present Government any measure which would be less extensive than that which the late Government proposed last year . Mr . Lowe ' s speech was a bitter wail over his present isolation , and his betrayal by the Tories , whom he had helped into power last year . He had come to the conclusion that the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr . Bright had formed a coalition , and this fancy of his own he took great pains to denounce . Mr . Horsman denounced the Government for their

democratic tendencies , and brought up Lord Stanley , who said it was a great mistake to suppose that the Government were going to bring in a measure containing proposals such as those Mr . Bright had made . Mr . Bright followed , and humourously demolished the theory of a coalition between himself and the Derby Government . Having disposed of his assailant , he concluded a brief speech with an exhortation to the House

to enter manfully and frankly upon the work of passing a Reform Bill . The rest of the debate had no special interest . On the the Gth inst ., Lord Nass read a telegram which represents the rising as really serious . According to his lordship , the rising around Dublin , from Drogheda to Dundrum , is general , but it is added that the number of the insurgents is not so great as the Fenians expected . The Fenians have , however ,

torn up the railway a mile south of Thurles , and piled sleepers on the line . The telegraph wires also are cut , so that the authorities in Dublin were without any information as to what might be passing in Cork , Limerick , or Tipperary . The estimate of the number of Fenians near Dublin is said to vary from 1 , 000 to 4 , 000 . Our own correspondent says that some of the Fenian prisoners assert that 3 , 000 men are out in the Dublin mountains . Troopswith artilleryhave been sent

, , against these men , and Lord Strathnairn has accompanied the military . Many prisoners have been taken , and wounded men have been received into Meath Hospital . The Government telegram says that one of the men captured had Greek fire in his possession . To this information our correspondent adds that the Fenians had taken a body of policemen , and held them as hostages , it is further stated that the insurgents had captured a Government messenger . They seem to have been much

demoralised , however , for the picking up of large quantities of arms by the police is recorded . After Lord Naas had made his statement in reference to the Fenian rising , iu tho House , Mr . Coleridge moved the second reading of the Tests Abolition ( Oxford ) Bill . There was no discussion , and the bill was read » second time . The other business was unimportant .