10 NOVEMBER 1855, Page 2

311ttrllitulio.

Yesterday was " Lord Mayor's Day " ; and brought with it •the cus- tomary civic proceedings—shorn, however, of the customary pageantry. The new Lord Mayor's procession was as simple as it well could be, and purely municipal ; the only.adjunots to the train of funotionaries being a few dragoons. The Chief Magistrate proceeded, as usual, to Westminster Hail by water ; and was duly introduced to the Barons of the Court of Exchequer by the Recorder ; who, in his brief biographical sketch of the career of Mr. Salerooms, brought into prominent relief the prisgress ef Jewish emanci- pation, as illustrated in that career ; and expressed an opinion, that " the day upon which the present Lord Mayor was elected would form a me- morable day not only in the annals of the city of London but in the history of religious freedom." The Chief Baron's speech of reeognition fully reciprocated the feeling expressed by the Recorder.

An attempt made to establish a public library in the City of London, under Mr. Ewart's act of last session, has been defeated by acclamation. The Lord Mayor convened and held a public meeting on Monday, in the Egyptian Hall, for the purpose of founding a library ; and be expounded to a large body of ratepayers the object and beneficial nature of the act. Mr. Ewert M.P., althengh not a ratepayer, was allowed to move the adoption of his own act, Me told his audience of •the great success which had attended the setting up of libraries in Liverpool, Manchester, and other places; and combated the argument against the proposal, that the poor would injure the books, by stating the fact that out of 110,000 volumes lent at Liverpool only one was injured : nay, " so reverently careful were the poor people of the books, that they brought clean napkins to wrap them.in when received, and returned them in the same manlier." Major-General Sykes seconded the resolution, amid an uproar that shortened his speech. A ratepayer inquired,whether the City of London has not already a free library at the Guildhall ? To which question there were multitudinous cries of "Yes, yes !" Then Mr. Deputy Peacock moved the "previous question" by way of amendment. The library at the Guildhall was used by exactly seven persons in the month of October. If it were urged that the place was not suitable, the Corporation could move the books to a suitable place, and make the 12,400 volumes 100,000, without touthing the pockets of the ratepayers, already struggling-under war taxes and local rates. Mr. Cox and Mr. Bower supported the amend- ment. There are thirty-five public libraries and twenty-seven museums in London, easily accessible "to pensons of a really literary turn." The Reverend Mr. ifackengie Auld that the books at the Guildhall are not books, of general utility : they chiegy eencern the antiquities of the City of London, the privileges of its officsers, and contain excellent accounts of the processionsmf the Lord Mayors-4nd who would like to study 12,000 volumes on such subjects ? Neither is the library accessible at hours that suit young men. But Mr. Tite, Alderman Sidney, and others, op- posed the original resolution ; and, after great confusion, the "previous question" was carried, by "a complete forest of hands."

The Southwark election-contest has lost the greater part of its interest ; for it seems to be already settled that Sir Charles Napier is to be the Member. On Monday, Mr. Seovell announced, in a letter to the electors, that he finds "the cry of 'an ill-used man' renders his return so un- certain," unless he entered upon an expensive contest, that he with- drew from the field. He thinks, indeed, that his " claims" on the constituency, the identity of his interests with theirs his acquaintance with the needs of the borough, and his solicitude for its educational and charitable institutions, ought to have placed his "return beyond the pos- sible effects of a popular delusion, without an outlay, although strictly legal, disgracefully expensive" : but he bows to the electors and to fate.

There has been a talk of other candidates, but the firm hold which the " ill-used" Admiral has taken of the borough has deterred them from coming forward.

A special meeting of the Metropolitan Sewers Commission was held on Thursday, to hear Mr. Bazalgette answer the charges brought against him by Mr. F. 0. Ward. Mr. Bazalgette accordingly entered with great minuteness into the question's at issue,—Mr. Bazalgette's data and calcu- lations as to the size, slope, and rain-discharging power of the proposed tunnels, and as to their magnitude and cost. Mr. Offor then moved the following resolution- " That this Court, having meat carefully considered the allegations and charges brought by Mr. Ward against the chief engineer of this Commisakii, and his reply to those charges, are of opinion that they are founded on mis- conceptions, and that there is no reason to doubt the efficiency and rectitude of the chief engineer or consulting engineers, and that they are entitled to the continued confidence of this Court.' Sir John Shelley moved, as an amendment, that the statements of Mr. Ward and the reply of Mr. Bazalgette should be referred to a committee of eminent engineers and mathematicians. Negatived by 8 -to 4. A second amendment for adjournment was also negatived; and Mr. Offor'a resolution was carried ; Sir John Shelley, Mr. Thwaites, and -Dr. Waller Lewis, recording, a protest against it.

The meetings in Hyde Park, now become chronic, are simply disgrace- ful infractions of order. On Sunday again, the Park was surrendered for the whole of the afternoon to a lawless, ruffianly mob" ; who set upon and pelted out of the Park •a poor Turk in a fez cap ; and, having disposed of the Turk, the cream of the blackguards began an internecine war among themselves, turning aside now and then to assail any respect- ably-dressed person who chanced to approach -them. However, three Park-keepers and a policeman managed to arrest and gallantly carry of one fellow who had cutanother fellow's.face open with a stone. There was some speakingg, but on the whole-the spectacle was simply one of riotous nlisghief and brutality.

It appears from the proceedings of a meeting of omnibus7proprietom, held on Wednesday, that the new "Omnibus Company" is not likely. to come into existence. It was :projected by French gentlemen at Paris; the scheme does not appear to have been taken up by the Paris specula- tors--not a shilling has been subscribed. The statements published abOut the company appear to have been abnost entirely groundless. The great body of the omnibus-proprietors complain of the conduct of a feW of their body in-nertiating with therFrenehmen.

At the Surrey Sessions, on Wednesday, Charles de Fleury, the daring Trench swindler, was convicted of obtaining a large quantity of -bricks by fraudulent means. Sentence, twelve months' imprisonment.

Mr. Elliot, the Lambeth Magistrate, has granted a summons against the .p,everen0 Dr. John Vaughan, ineumbent of the district church of St. Mat, thew-at Brixton, •ler falsifying registers of burial. The application for the summons, or a warrant, was made on Menday, at the instance of the parish authorities, in pursuance of a resolution passed at a public meeting, It was alleged that Dr. Vaughan had interred persons not parishioners in the ohurehyard ; double fees are paid:in such cases ; Dr. Vaughan, several wit- messes averred, bad catered false -addresses, to make it appear that the de- ceased had lived in the district, and hail placed, opposite to the entries only single fees ; half the fees,go to the Rector of the mother church pf ,Lambeth, half to the Churchwardens of St. Matthew ; of course if Dr. Vaughan has acted as alleged, he -has pocketed -the extra fees himself. The Registrars' -certificates of the deaths of two persons, not parishioners, buried by Dr. Vaughan, are missing.

,Andmoli, an Italian, is in easterly far sending a threatening letter to Mr. Fordiunclo Azzoni, demanding -the stnn of 500/, Mr. Azzoni found an anonymous letter ip his letter-box • it purported to come from a secret so- ciety of Italians in London, and threatened Mr. Azzoni with death unless he paid a tax of 5001. in gold ; a person would meet him at midnight, oppo- site the General Post-office, to receive the money, and certain words were to be used as signals. Mr...alzqui communicated with the feline ; and went to the-rendezvous, carrying a bag .containing 300 farthings. Andreoli met him, and the appointed words were spoken ; but when Mr. Azzoni was about to deliver the bag of farthings, Amdreoli grew frightened2 and wished Mr. Azzoni to go elsewhere with him • on Mr. Azzoni refusing, the other pre- pared to run, but the Police pounce;Impon him. Lieutenants Woener and Rotzell, and Ensign Prodzynski, of the British ,German Legioa, arc in custody, and have been produeed before the Purace Police Magistrate, for deserting the service : Woener is further charged with stealing 601. of public money, which, had been hits-listed to him for the pay- ment of the soldiers.

Sir Peter Laurie has diseharged,William Itadley, the engineer accused of forging "Lord Colvill's" name to an order for iron safes. "Lord Colvin" .admitted that he had signed a power of attorney for Hadley, but said jt was writ from tam by fraud. A crowd fg persons in the court sleclared that goods and money had been got from Mon by,fraud, either by Radley or Colvin, or

heth•

The wounded burglar who was carried off from the Middlesex Hospital, formation tending to improve the working of railways. hy four confederates, -in ao daring a manner, has been recaptured.

The inhabitants round Peckham Rye subscribed for a large bonfire, a "Guy.," and a great quantity of fireworks, for a display on the night of the 5th. In consequence, a vast assemblage of "roughs," disorderly people, and thieves, assembled and behaved in a riotous manner. Two offenders have been fined by the Lambeth Magistrate.