The Week.

year . It seems that Sir George Cornewall Lewis had not been in very good health during the winter . A few days ago he caught a severe cold , which was followed by a " chill" and a bilious attack . Dangerous symptoms set in ou Sunday , and on the following da } ' he died . He leaves no issue , and the baronetcy descends to his brother , the Rev . Gilbert Frankland Lewis . It is at present too early to speculate as to his successor at the

AVar Office , or in the representation of the Radnor district of boroughs . Mr . Hamilton , one of the members for the county of Dublin , has intimated his intention of resigning his seat in consequence of ill-health . The conservatives have decided to nominate his son , Mr . Ion Hamilton , but it is stated that the Liberal party will make an effort to obtain possession ofthe seat .

It is thought probable that a member of the well-known AVhite family will be requested to oppose the Tory candidate . The Duke of Somerset and several of his colleagues at the Admiralty , including Lord Clarence Paget , aad Admiral Robinson , the Comptroller of the Navy ; the Dukes of Newcastle and Devonshire , Lord De Grey and Ripon , Sir John Hay , and other

persons of distinction , visited Sheffield last week , for the purpose of witnessing the operation of rolling armour plates at the well known Atlas AVorks , which are the property of the Mayor of that borough . Availing themselves of this opportunity , the Corporation presented an address of welcome to the Lords of the Admiralty . The First Lord , iu acknowledging the

compliment , said he believed that there was a feeling among the nations that England had nothing to gain by any war , and , consequently , the policy of this country , in kee | iing up its navy had been well received on the Continent , where we had many friendly allies . The Admiralty would still persevere in thenefforts to ^ secure for England the best armament they could possibly devise , and he was certain that , if ever it became

necessary to employ our naval strength against an enemy , the resources of the country " would astonish the world . " A reduction of twopence in the income tax ; an increase in the duty on chicory , so as to bring it up to the rate imposed on coffee ; an alteration in the sugar duties ; the abolition of the petty charges on trade ; and a reduction of fivepence per pound in the tea duty;—such , it is rumoured , will be the main features

of the financial scheme whicli Mr . Gladstone will submit to the House of Commons on Thursday night . The Court of Aldermen met on Tuesday , when some conversation took place on the incidents on tiie night of the illuminations . The sum of £ 125 had been graciously forwarded to the Lord Mayor by her Majesty ancl the Prince of Wales , for the relief of those who

had suffered by the casualties on the night of the illuminations ; ancl the knowledge of this fact had drawn upon him a host of applications from persons who said they were injured on that occasion both in and out of the City . He wished , under these circumstances , that a committee would take the distribution of the money off his hands . The Court wore , however , of opinion

that his lordship would distribute it more satisfactorily himself , taking . care that none but those who had sustained serious injuries should participate in it . The grand race for tho championship of the Thames , ancl for a pleasant prize of £ 100 , has been rowed . The combatants were Robert Chambers , champion of the Thames ancl the Tyne , ancl George Everson , of Greenwich ,

and the former is the victor . Mr . Farnall reports a further decrease of 4491 iu tiie number of persons receiving parochial relief in the cotton manufacturing districts ; but lie also shows that 4-14 , 489 individuals , or a fraction over 20 per cent , of the population of the unions included in his tables , are supported either by the poor rates or by charity . To this vast aggregate of poverty and suffering must be added the nmates of the various workhouses , who number 11 , 458 .

The Mansion House Committee was waited upon on Friday last by a deputation from one ofthe London parishes , who presented a memorial , strongly urging that a grant should be made to assist emigration from the cotton manufacturing districts . The proposal was not unfavourably received , and it is stated that the question will probably be fully considered at the next

meeting of the committee . The question of emigration as a means of partially relieving the distress in the cotton manufacturing districts , was considered at an influentially attended meeting held in Manchester , under the presidency of the Mayor . The meeting expressed its unanimous opinion " 'That it is expediene to assist unemployed persons who may desire to emigrate , and

whose training and habits adapt them to the exegencies ef a colonial life ; " ancl a com mittee was appointed to collect and disseminate information on this important subject , and to receive subscriptions in aid of the movement . The President of the Poor Law Board , in the course of an address he delivered at Willenhall , took the opportunity of paying a warm tribute to

the endurance and patriotism of the suffering operatives of these districts , and of jiointing out that there was nothing in the recent disturbances to justify a change in that favourable opinion which the country hacl so substantially expressed in the large contributions which had been raised for the relief of the distress . The . riots , he said , could not be traced " either to

Englishmen , or even to men ; " they were the work of " Irish youths . " Delegates representing the various adult schools of Ashton , Dunkinfield , and Stalybridge met on Saturday , for the purpose of protesting against the imputation that the great body of the operatives of those districts participated in , or sympathised with , the recent disgraceful disturbances . It was urged that the riots were the work of a band of malcontents who were " generally" not natives of the county ; and in an

address to lord Shaftesbury , which was unanimously adopted , the operatives declared their intention of co-operating with the authorities , should any further attempt be made to disturb the peace . A similar meeting was held on the same day at Mossley . Some time ago , the New York Chamber of Commerce sent a vory strongly worded paper to the Liverpool Chamber ,

complaining of the building ancl fitting-out of the Alabama at a British port . This communication was referred to a Committee whose report was read the last meeting ofthe Council . The report stated that the fitting out of such ships as the famous Confede rate cruiser was clearly a breach ofthe Foreign Enlistment Act that that Act , however , was so worded as to be capable of easy

evasion ; and that its " insufficiency " in this respect " tended to expose our professions of neutrality to the charge of insincerity and to establish precedents which might in future be turned with harrassing effect upon ourselves . " After a good deal o £ discussion , it was decided to send copies of the report to Lord Russell and the New York Chamber .

An authorative contradiction is given to the statement that the Messrs . Laird , of Birkenhead , are building vessels for the Confederate ' service . It is also denied that the Government have ordered the workmen employed upon the alleged Confederate gunboat , Alexandria , at Liverpool , to cease their operations , although that craft is still in the hands of the

authorities . The Virginia or Japan , which recently left the Clyde for a trading voyage in the Chinese seas , has been met in the English Channel by the steamer Alar , and furnished , it is said , with provisions , guns , ancl ammunition . One of the Virginia ' s condensers had burst , seriously injuring two men , who were convey ed to Plymouth hy the Alar . The Alar also brought away from the Virginia 15 other men , who are reported to have backed out of their engagement . The alleged Confederate cruiser had still , however , a complement of SO men ;