The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE Cor / RT . —The Queen and the younger members of the Royal Family remain at AVindsor . The Prince and Princess of " Wales have returned to Marlborough House , ivhere they received on Wednesday evening Mr . Charles Stratton ( otherwise General Tom Thumb ) and family , afterwards visiting the Princess ' s Tlieatre . Monday was the birthday of the Princess

lloyal , Crown Princess of Prussia , her Royal Highness having now attained her 21-th year . The occasion ivas celebrated both in London and "Windsor in the usual i . i . 't ___ ier . At Windsor it was made the occasion of another interesting ceremony . On her last birthday her Royal Highness was in England , and observed the day by proceeding ivith her husband to lay the

foundation-stone of a new chapel of ease in AVindsor . That church has been completed iu tiie course of the year , and lias IIOAV been consecrated by the Bishop of Oxford , the Princess of "Wales , the Princess Helena , and most of the notabilities of Windsor , being present at the ceremony . GENERAL HOJIE JSEAVS . —It appears from tho report of the

Registrar General that the metropolitan mortality has risen to an alarming height . The deaths for the last three or four weeks have been rising at the rate of about 100 a-iveek , but last week the increase rose to 156 . The excess over the average mortality of the corresponding week iu the last ten years , allowing for increase of population , is no less than 331 . The disease

that has proved the most fatal is bronchitis . There ivere 1 , 960 births during the week , which is 56 above the ten years' average . Mr . Purdy ' s report last iveek upon the state of pauperism in the twenty-eight cotton unions is more favourable than any recently issued ; and we trust it indicates that a check has been given to those rather large accessions to the union relief lists which we have now recorded for several weeks past . Sixteen

¦ unions exhibit an increase , and twelve either show no increase , or an actual decrease . The net increase for the second week of JNovember , is 070 only . Burnley union has increased 290 ; Ilaslingden , 200 ; and Manchester , 250 . Among the unions ivhieh have had fewer paupers to relieve we note Blackburn , with a decrease of 130 ; Bury , 120 ; Saddloworth , 130 ; and

Stockport , 1-10 . The total number now on the rates is 111 , 510 , of whom 30 , 7 S 0 are adult able-bodied paupers . The sums distributed by the Guardians last week , as out-door relief , amounted to £ 6 , 811- ; but , it should bo remembered , that one-fifth of tho outdoor paupers receive . assistance from the local relief committees as ivell as from the poor rate . At a meeting of the

Common Council the thanks of the Court were unanimously voted to the retiring Lord Mayor . An interesting discussion took place on the finances of the City in relation to a report brought up recommending that £ 1 , 000 should be spent on th ' e widening of certain thoroughfares . Some members contended that the City was on the verge of insolvency , while

othersand they seemed to be the prevailing party—contended that the finances were never in a more flourishing condition . The vote of £ 1 , 000 was then agreed to . A petition was presented from one of the ivards praying that the City ivould become its own gas manufacturer , which was referred to a committee . Mr . C ' obden met his constituents at Rochdale on Wednesday ,

and made a lengthened address , reviewing tho events of the session , explaining the course he had taken ivith regard both to the Ministers and the Opposition . Jlr . Cox , M . P . for 1 'insbury , met his constituents at the Agricultural Hall , Islington , ou Tuesday . The meeting was very numerously attended and boisterous in its demonstrations . The principal topic under discussion was the part Jlr . Cox had taken in the inquiry into Jlr . Stansfeld ' s connection with JIa / . zini last

session . Jlr . Cox defended himself with much vigour , and carried the majority of the meeting with him . '" he Morning Post and the Olseroer state that the navy and army estimates for next year will , in all probability , give evidence of considerable retrenchment , and that , as a consequence , we may expect a reduction of the income tax and the malt tax , and some

further modification of the customs duties . The question whether the Corporation of London or the chartered governors of St . Thomas ' s Hospital have the right to fix . the site for the new hospital has been again before the Lord Chancellor . It may ho remembered tb . it on a ju-cvious day he intimated his opinion that the right lay with the chartered governors , but adjourned

the case that it might be put in such a shape as to allow the Corporation to carry it to the House of Lords . It is now stated , however , that the City ivould not appeal the matter further , as they ivere satisfied ivith the adverse decisions of his lordship and Vice Chancellor AVood . The appeal was therefore dismissed ivith costs . At the meeting of the Board of Works last week

Jlr . Bazalgette denied the statement which has gone abroad that the outfall of the sewage into the Thames had occasioned an epidemic in AVoolwich . The deaths occurring there arose from scarlet fever . There ivas , however , some inconvenience produced by the present mode of discharge of the low-level drainage , which ivould be remedied as soon as the pumping operation ivas erected . An Oxford tradesman recently sued

an undergraduate of the University for a trilling sum . But the University is entitled by ancient charter to hear and determine all such causes in its own court ; and as the practice of taking undergraduates before the superior civil courts for small debts appears to be on the increase , the University , by its Chancellor , the Earl of Derby , applied to the Queen ' s Bench for a rule to

show cause why this action should not be removed to the Chancellor ' s Court . The Lord Chief Justice granted the rule . A curious ivill case has been decided by the Lords Justices in Chancery . It appears that many years ago the then Sir Thomas Jlostyn made a will , leaving a number of legacies , and among others one of £ 20 , 000 to his natural daughter . But when tho testator died it ivas found that lie had left little behind him

but debts , and all the legatees renounced their legacies except the daughter , who was married , and whoso son is the plaintiff i tho present case . In 1813 a compromise was arranged between the legatee and the testator's nephew , Lord Jlostyn , which ivas sanctioned by tho Court of Chancery , and tho present suit ivas brought to set aside that compromise on the ground of fraud-The JIaster of the Bolls , before whom the suit in the first

instance came , decided for the defendant , and the plaintiff appealed . The Lords justices sustained the appeal , and quashed the compromise on the ground that all the facts were not brought before the parties at the time the compromise was made . The trial for divorce between Admiral Codrington and his wife , which has occupied so much of the public attention , came to a

close on AVednesday , ivlien the jury found a verdict that Mrs . Codrington had committed adultery both with Colonel Anderson and ivith Lieutenant Mildmay , and that Admiral Codrington had not by his conduct conduced to his wile ' s adultery . Tho question of costs was reserved . Some time ago Jlessrs . Jones and Highatt were convicted of enlisting seamen for a

Confederate cruiser , which was at the time lying at Calais . Some points of law were reserved , however , ivhieh came on for argument before the Court of Queen ' s Bench on Monday . But after the case ivas called the counsel for the prisoners intimated that they would not contest the matter further , on the understanding that the fine to be imposed on them did not exceed £ 50 . The Attorney-General , for the Crown , agreed to this arrangement , as the law had been doubtful and the points ivere