The Week.

• City have decided to invite Mr . Peabody to a banquet , before his departure for America , to manifest their sense of the great benefit he has conferred upon the poor of London , and their ¦ respect for his personal character . The Nottingham Election Committee has got as far as the examination of Mr . Acland , the agent of Sir R . Clifton . Several witnesses have beon called

by Sir R . Clifton to prove that the people who came by train to attend Morely and Paget's meeting brought sticks and stones -with them , and that they were the aggressors . The committee indicated pretty clearly their opinion of this evidence by informing the counsel for the petitioners that they should not require rebutting evidence to be called . Southwark had its Reform

meeting on the 9 th inst . Mr . Layard and Mr . Locke , the two members , were both present , and both spoke strongly in favour of the bill . A remarkable meeting was held on Clerkenwell Green . It Avas called by a committee of Avorking men , and working men alone were there to speak . Yet over three thousand men gathered in the pouring rain and thoroughly endorsed the

Government bill by the resolutions they passed . The great Anti-Eeform party has had its demonstration out of the House of Commons . The demonstration can hardly , however , be called successful . A ^ Ir . Bishop got a special meeting of the Vestry of St . Pancras called , aud twenty-one out of the hundred and twenty vestrymen responded to the call . Mr . Bishop talked

for an hour against the Reform Bill , and moved a long resolution antagonistic to it . There the demonstration ended . Mr . Bishop could not even find a seconder , and the twenty-one vestrymen went about their usual business . The Easter banquet was held at the Mansion House . There was a brilliant gathering . The Duke of Cambridge represented Royalty , and Mr . Gosehen represented the Ministry . The proceedings were of an interesting character . The Common Serjeant , in

opening the proceedings at the Central Criminal Court , requested that some misrepresentations as to his views in respect to spiritualism might be set right . He had been reported to have said on the trial of Mr Coleman for libelling Mr . Sothern that he believed in spiritualism . No such expression , he says , fell from him . What he did say was that he knew nothing about

spiritualism , and that he Avished to repeat . After this the business Avas to deal with the case of Mr . Cooper , the spiritualist , Avho is charged with libelling Mr . Sothern . Cooper has made a full apology , with , which Serjeant Ballantine , for Mr . Sothern , was satisfied , and Cooper Avas released on finding bail to be of good conduct in future . The grand jury at the Central

Criminal Court ignored the bill against Mr . Ferguson , the pianist , for wilfully wounding a policeman . The jury accompanied their finding with a presentment recommending that policemen when on duty should carry some mark to distinguish who they were . The meeting of Liberal members at Earl Russell ' s residence on the 10 th inst . was most satisfactory .

Over two hundred and fifty gentlemen were present . Earl Russell opened tho proceedings with an able review of the attempts at Reform legislation . Mr . Laing and Mr . Edward James were virtually the only members present who found fault with the bill . Mr . Bright spoke in support of the measure . Several other gentlemen asked for explanations or

announced their intention of voting for the bill . The meeting was characterised by great unanimity . A great many Reform meetings were held on the 2 nd inst . —the most notable at Calne , Huddersfleld , Kidderminster , Chester , Coventry , and Stourbridge . Lord Grosvenor had not pluck enough to appear before his own constituents , but sent a letter , Avhich was loudly hissed . At Calne Mr . Lowe was soundly denounced , and a vote of censure was passed on his conduct . —

The Nottingham Election Committee Avas engaged on the 10 th inst . in receiving evidence of bribery on the part of Messrs . Paget and Morley ' s agents . In the evening the chairman of the committee reported that a witness named Pringle had not obeyed the Speaker's summons to attend , and moved that Pringle be taken into custody by the Sergeant at Arms . This motion was agreed to . AVe deeply regret to announce the

death of Dr . Hodgkin , the well-knoAvn philanthropist and man of science . This unexpected event took place on the 5 th inst . at Jaffa , whither he had followed Sir Moses Montefiore . Dr . Hodgkin was a man of large-hearted benevolence , of great and varied attainments , and of unquestionable authority in many branches of ethnological as well as medical science . His

loss will be keenly felt by a large class of his countrymen . The death of Dr . Babington is also reported . John William Leigh , who was convicted at the late Lewes assizes of the murder of his wife's sister at Brighton , was hung at Lewes on the 10 th inst . Leigh went to execution with the utmost composure , and even directed the executioner Avhat to do with his

neckcloth , as to the removal of which there Avas some difficulty . It is many years since there was an execution at Lewes before . We gather from a published list of the names of those who either attended the meeting at Earl Russell's house on the 10 th inst . or sent excuses that the total number was 275 . A careful examination of the absentees shows clearly that there can be no

doubt Avhatever of the success of the Government bill , aud that hy a considerable majority . Reform meetings continue to be held in different parts of the country . The feeling in favour of tho Government measure is evidently deep and general . The case on behalf of Sir E . Clifton was brought to a close on the 11 th inst ., before the Nottingham Election Committee . A witness Avas then called on the other side to rebut allegations of

bribery by agents of Messrs . Paget and Morley . Two orders as to the cattle plague are published [ in a supplement to the Gazette . The first extends the cattle slaughtering provisions of the Cattle Diseases Act from the 15 th of April to the 10 th of May . The second applies to Scotland the recent general order as to England . At the Central Criminal Court the trial of Mr .

Waters , the steward of the Earl of Shaftesbury , charged Avith embezzlement , was postponed to the November sessions . Daniel Elmore , charged with the manslaughter of his wife at Paddiiigton , pleaded guilty , Sentence deferred . FOEEIG-H - ISTEELIGKSCE . —The Haylian has brought news from Jamaica to the loth March . She brings a story that Sir

H . Storks had been compelled to call out troops to enforce an ejectment on the Hartlauds estate . The negroes submitted when they saw the soldiers . It is added that a belief exists that the negroes on the estate have large supplies of guns and ammunition . It would be interesting to known upon what foundation the belief rests . We have had more than enough of

these cock-and-bull stories lately . It seems that the French troops are actually to be recalled from Mexico . Recent communications from Marshal Bazaine have led to the order being given that the first detachment of French troops should leave Mexico in November , 1866 ; the second in March , 1 S 67 ; and tho third in November , 1 S 67 . This announcement will be

received with much satisfaction in the United States . There is no material change in the attitude of either Austria or Prussia ; but the fear of war grows stronger . Both nations are arming , and no proposal for pence comes from cither side . Iu such a state of things it is clear the situation becomes daily one of more danger . The Karlsrulier Zeilung says that Count Bismarck has addressed a note to tho non-German Powers in which it is set forth that Prussia fears she will hardly