C4t aittrovolio.

The question of who shall be Recorder for London, what duties he shall perform, what salary he shall receive, agitates the Court of Alder- men and the Common Council. The question came before the Common Council on Thursday, on the presentation of -a report from the Court of Aldermen, expressing an opinion that the salary paid, 30001. a year, should not be altered. Mr. Lowman Taylor objected to this as an in- terference with the rights of the Common Council, which for a century past has regulated the salary of the Recorder. The resignation of the present Recorder has been tendered, but has not yet been accepted. Next Thursday the Court of Aldermen were to elect Mr. Wortley's suc- cessor; and Mr. Anderton and others complain that the Court of Aldermen are about to elect a Recorder whose salary and duties have not been fixed. It was finally ordered that the Aldermen's report should be re- ceived minus the sentence respecting salary ; and that, before the Court of Aldermen elect a new officer, a Committee of the Court of Common Council shall inquire into and report upon the duties and emoluments of the office.

The good folks of Erith and Gravesend seem determined to "leave no stone unturned," the turning of which may help to obstruct the Metro- politan Board of Works in carrying out their great drainage scheme. On Saturday, a deputation from both towns waited on the General Pur- poses Committee of the Court of Aldermen for the -purpose of inducing the Corporation, as conservators-of the Thames, to take some step in the matter. Sir Culling Eardley, as spokesman of the deputations, sub- mitted that the proposed outfalls would lead to " downright obstructions to the navigation." ; that, inasmuch as large quantities of fish brought to London is conveyed in wellboats, the infection of the water would damage the fish ; that crews and passengers of ships would suffer from the filthy state of the river ; and that whatever plan may be carried out, it should have the assent of the Conservators of the Thames. Alderman Wire, the Chairman of the Committee, promised to give the subject every attention.

The Metropolitan Board of Works held a special meeting on Tuesday, to consider its drainage scheme. The first business was to rescind the resolution of the 22d October, adopting the plan for outfalls rejected by the Minister of Works. To this there was some little objection, but it was of no avail ; the resolution was rescinded so far as it related to plan B. Then Mr. Carpmael moved that the plan B, as amended. at the sug- gestion of Sir Benjamin Hall, should be approved. Along-debate en- sued, during which various schemes were canvassed. Two -distinct amendments were also -moved,--one, that a plan based on the deodor- izing of the sewage should be adopted ; another, intended to ascertain what Government would contribute towards a scheme for carrying the sewage to the sea. The debate was adjourned until next -Tuesday.

The Metropolitan suburb of Islington demands additional-churches. The population, extremely small at the beginning of the century, has in- creased-to 120,000 ; but there has been hardly any increase of church- accommodation during that period. So great is the need, that ,a cattle- shed has been used as a place of assembly - there have been preachings in an omnibus-yard ; and the walls of a garden have lately been raised and the space enclosed covered-in for the same purpose. It is-estimated that there are 30,000 persons the pariah " living without the ordi- nances of religion." Under these circumstances, a Church-Extension So- ciety has been formed, and it has put forth a plan for the building of ten churches, at a cost of 50,000/. The Society met on Monday evening, in the Parochial School-rooms, Liverpool Road. Dr. Tait, the new Bishop of London, took the chair ; his first -appearance in public since the in- stallation. In his speech from the chair, Dr. Tait, after paying a tribute of respect to his predecessor. Dr. Blomfield, who had been instrumental in building upwards of two hundred churches in and near the Metro- polis, observed, that a good deal might be said in favour of those who argue that schemes of church-extension had better for •a little be allowed to stand still.

" It is often urged,. and urged with great plausibility, that building churches throughout the kingdom is something like the occupation-of a con- quered land : and there is an examrde ready at hand in the-ease of Ireland. ;Garrisons were in former times stationed,at intervals throughout that land, and fortresses built in which they were to reside, and yet, after -all, no real conquest of the country took place ; for the ancient inhabitants only retired to their fastnesses, and there remained, in primitive independence, not- withstanding all attempts to subjugate them. And so it might be with the Church ; for, after all, -additional churches might be merely the towers which contained the garrisons, and the people whom they wished to bring within the pale might remain at a distance and refuse to listen to the voice of the preacher or to be at all affected by the erection of the new,churches. No doubt, it is possible that chorches may be built and yet the people never visit them ; and it would therefore be very wrong to mistake the erection of -numerous churches for the spread of the-gospel throughout the land. The church-goers belong-mainly to the upper and middle classes. A large body of the poor cannot, and another large body will not, enter the churches. But in Islington there is not sufficient accommodation for those who desire to attend church ; and it is hoped that the Church-Extension Society will be able to provide permanently for -the church-accommodation rendered necessary by the progressive increase of the population. There is a great

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deal said just now of the necessity of extending endowments. Of course, no -one would doubt -that -endowments are very good things ; but it is swot . irepoittont to remember, that although they could not do without endowments, the Church of England never has been and never will be afraid to depend upon that sympathy which it enjoys at the hands of all classes of the country ; and therefore, in this particular instance, they are willing to throw themselves on the good feeling of those among whom they live, feeling certain that they will cheerfully respond to the call. They are not advocating—for it would be absurd to do so—the voluntary principle ; but they are willing to admit so much of it into their system as to show that the Church of England may fearlessly rely upon this, that those who benefit by the ministration of the clergy are willing to support their minister, not only by paying for their seats, but at such a rate as will enable the proper authorities to provide accommodation for the poor. And when he spoke of accommodation for the poor, he did not mean a merejoke ; for they must be well aware that what is generally termed accommodation for the poor by means of free sittings is really no accommodation at all. They know very well, that if at any time they themselves have occasion to go into a free sitting, they very often found that such accommodation was not afforded as is adequate to the wants of the people, who, in consequence of restricted means, are obliged to avail themselves of those sittings. One thing in par- ticular he wished to remind them of, and that was, the very imperfect and indeed only so-called accommodation provided at present in most churches for children. Generally speaking, they are put in some dark corner of the church—more often in a gallery—where nobody can see them, and they can see nobody, and where to hear is out of all question." The meeting was -well-attended. A resolution was passed in favour of the objects of the Society ; and upwards of 50001. was subscribed on the spot, including 6001. from Dr. Tait himself.

A new Roman Catholic church in the Commercial Road East was opened by Cardinal Wiseman on Monday. It is a handsome stone structure, in the decorated Gothic style ; with nave, aisles, and chapels, but no -galleries : it is calculated that there is room for two thousand people. The -funds for this temple have been provided almost entirely by the small subscriptions, for a series of years, of the poor Catholic la- bourers of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Mr. William Williams, the Member for Lambeth, volunteered a meet- ing with his constituents on Wednesday, in the lecture-hall of the Wal- worth Literary Institution. As his object was to explain his conduct during the past session, it could hardly be that his discourse would abound in novelties ; but, if not original, Mr. 'Williams was amusing—at least to his hearers.

The Government, he said, brought in a bill for the removal of the Na- tional .Gallery, upon which enormous sums had been expended, from Tra- falgar Square to Kensington Gore. That project was promoted by Prince Albert and his party in the Court ; it was supported by the Government and all their tools ; and it was also supported by the Opposition—headed by Mr. Disraeli—and all their tools : but the independent Members were too strong even for that combination, and the bill was thrown out. If the bill had been carried, it would have led to an enormous outlay of the public money, and to the entire exclusion of the great body of the people from the gallery con- taining those treasures of art which were the property of the nation ; for a man would lose nearly the whole day in walkiug_from Lambeth to the pro- posed site at Kensington Gore and back again. Few persons besides those who keep carriages, or who can afford to pay for vehicles, would have been enabled to visit the Gallery. He was sorry to -say that there was a strong desire which was increasing year by year, among the aristocratic class, to keep the people at as great a distance from them as possible, and to deprive them of the enjoyments to which they are entitled. The Kensington Gore job was one of the grossest of which he had ever heard : 327,0001. had al- ready been spent in the purchase of land ; and, although he had made in- quiries of the Government, they would not say what further amount they meant to expend.

On another point—the Army—Mr. Williams was equally successful in eliciting the approbation and provoking the merriment of his audience. The Government is about to concentrate the Army, whichis now scattered over the country, in great camps at Aldershot% Shorncliffe, the Curragh of Kildare, and other places ; where, in imitation of the plan pursued by Con- tinental despots, the soldiers would be kept entirely from contact with the people. No less than 1,600,0001. had been voted during the last two years for building barracks and huts for the soldiers in those great camps ; and it is stated that accommodation is to be provided at Aldershott for from 30,000 to 40,000 men. A splendid pavilion was erected for the Queen in the midst of that great camp ; and her Majesty had remained there with her Court for days and nights, entertaining the officers at dinner and inspecting the soldiers on parade. A few weeks ago, he saw an account in the public newspapers of her Majesty having gone down to the pavilion and having witnessed in the camp a theatrical performance, the players being officers of the different regiments. This he thought was a novel course to be pur- sued by a Queen of England. Last year, upwards of 40,000 men—soldiers of the Line and Militia, including Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry, were stationed at Aldershott ; and the Government obtained a vote from the House of Commons of 7300/. to pay the Hampshire and Surrey Police for taking care of these 40,000 soldiers. It was reported, and he was sorry to say with some foundation, that the Government intended to saddle the country with a much larger army than had formerly been maintained in a time of peace. (A voice--" We won't have it.") That would depend upon the people. It was said that when the late war broke out the Army was totally inefficient : and so it was, except with regard to the discipline and bravery of the soldiers, who saved the credit and honour of the country when the officers alone were incapable of discharging their duties. It was said the Army would be placed m a more efficient state :.but he ventured to assert, that if the:country should be unfortunate enough to be involved in war within five years from this time, the Army, as far as the officers are concerned, would be found just as unprepared for war as it was at this moment, and its whole management would fall into incompetent aristo- cratic hands. If Lard Palmeraton insisted upon saddling the country with a larger standing army, and thus increasing the expenditure of 1857 beyond that of 1853, he would not deserve the support of the people ; and it would depend on the pressure exercised by the people upon Parliament whether the noble Lord should pursue such a course or not. (Loud cheers.)

Mr;Williama was asked whether it was not possible to abolish the House of Lords ? He replied, that he knew of no power which would enable his friend to carry out that view. Another question referred to the dowry of the Princess Royal. Mr. Williams had heard an amount mentioned that was "perfectly ridiculous" : they might depend on him for protecting their pockets ; very little money ought to go in the direc- tion of Prussia.

After a vote of confidence in the Member had been adopted, the meet- ing agreed to resolutions calling for intelligent public accounts and an effi- cient audit, measures that would " save millions " ; so that the Income-tax might be removed or greatly diminished ; and pointing out next session as a favourable time for the introduction of "a bill for extending the elective franchise and the taking of -votes by ballot, as well as for a ge-

neral revision of the taxation of the country, and an amendment of the existing commercial laws, which protect the criminal while they punish his victims."

The agitation against the Income-tax, lately started at the London Tavern, has been taken up in Southwark. A meeting, at which the High Bailiff presided, was held in the Southwark Town-hull on Thursday evening. Dr. Challice and one of the Borough Members, Mr. Pellatt, took part in the proceedings. There was complete unanimity, and the meeting arrived at conclusions similar to those adopted at the London Tavern, and at many places in the country,—namely, that the tafc should be diminished to sevenpence in the pound next April ; that there should be different and equitable rates for permanent and for precarious incomes ; that no person should pay the tax on incomes under 1511. ; that in higher assessments the first 1501. ought not to be chargeable ; and that " as the tax presses with peculiar hardship on persons with small incomes, they should be the that to be relieved."

The Smithfield Club Cattle Show, held at the Bazaar in Baker Street, was opened to the public on Tuesday. The number of animals exhibited exceeded that of last year, and the quality was of a high order. The winners of the gold medals were Mr. Heath of Ludham Hall, Norwich, for the best steer of any class; Mr. Stratton of Broad Hinton, Swindon, for the best heifer ; Mr. Walmsley of Rudston, Bridlington, for the beat pen of one-year-old long-woolled sheep ; the Duke of Richmond, for the best pen of one-year-old short-woolled sheep ; and Mr. Coate of Ha- moon, near Blandford, for the best pen of pigs. Prince Albert won three second prizes for Devons and short-horns.

The annual dinner was given at the Freemasons' Tavern on Wednes- day. The Duke of Richmond was in his place at the head of the table as President of the Club. In proposing the Queen's health, he expressed her Majesty's regret at having been prevented from visiting the yard on the first day of the show, by the loss of a dear relative. In giving "Success to the Club," the Duke said that it was in a most flourishing condition. It continued to receive the support of the tenant-farmers of England, and if they would not withdraw that support he had no doubt it would continue to flourish. Yesterday, in consequence of the prospe- rous condition of their funds, it was referred to a committee to report whether there should not be an increase of 2001. to 3001. a year of the premiums, and an extension of the classes for what prizes were awarded_ The Committee met on Thursday ; and, such is the prosperous state of the Club, they were enabled to increase the sum devoted to prizes by 3501.—that is, from 8501. to 12001. The additional prizes will be dis- tributed over the whole range of the different classes of animals ex- hibited. The show has this year been attended by larger numbers than in any previous year of its existence. On Thursday there was a " dead- lock" for some time, and policemen were required to "modify the in- conveniences" it occasioned.

The meeting-room of the Royal Geographical Society was unusually full on Monday night ; the large concourse being drawn thither in ex- pectation of seeing Dr. Livingstone. Unfortunately, he was detained by the breaking down of the Candia. Sir Roderick Murchison stated, that he hoped to present the famous traveller to the Society at a special meet- ing on Monday,—a hope which the arrival of Dr. Livingstone in London on Wednesday converted into a certainty. A resolution was adopted ex- pressing deep sorrow at the death of Admiral Beeehey, the President of the Society ; and directing Sir Roderick to convey to his widow and fa- mily the sincere condolences of the members. After several papers had been read, Captain Shcrard Osborn reported, "that he had just heard from Captain Cater, formerly of her Majesty's ship Intrepid, Conservator of the Humber, that Captain Parker, of the Truelove, announces that the Esquimau had large sledges of wood, which they had got from a ship that had been broken up on the beach; and that there was another vessel pressed up in the ice, but not yet broken up, down Prince Regent Inlet. The wood the sledges were made of had treenail-holes. These natives frequent Pond Bay, in Baffin Strait." Captain Osborn believes these vessels to be two more of the deserted squadron.

The death of Admiral Beechey having left the chair vacant, it was resolved that Sir Roderick Murchison _should be President until the next anniversary meeting.

A public meeting was held at the Russell Institute on Wednesday, for the purpose of considering whether the probabilities of success would justify the sending of a new expedition to the Arctic regions in search of Sir John Franklin. This meeting was attended by many distinguished Arctic travellers,—Captain Osborn, Captain Inglefield, Lieutenant Phu, Dr. King, Dr. Seeman, Dr. Richards, Dr. M'Cormick, Mr. Barrow, and others. They concurred in thinking that the scheme projected by Lieu- tenant Pim for a search by land and sea should be carried out ; and a resolution embodying that view was adopted.

As St. Andrew's Day—the 30th November—fell this year on a Sun- day, the dinner in aid of the funds of the Scottish Hospital was of course postponed. It took place on Tuesday this week, at the London Tavern. The Lord Mayor presided ; and the guests included General Monteith, General Campbell, Sir William Williams of Kars, Mr. Sheriff Mechi, Mr. Justice Halliburton, and one diplomatist—the Hay tian Minister.

The appeal to the Lords Justices in the case of the Royal British Bank dragged its slow length along, wearisome to every one but the recipients of fees, till Tuesday, when Sir Fitzroy Kelly made his speech in reply, calling for a reversal of Vice-Chanceller hindersley's decision in favour of a wind- ing-up under Bankruptcy. Lord Justice Knight Bruce stated, that judg- ment will be pronounced on the 19th ; adding—" Any arrangement the par- ties may make among themselves can in the mean time be mentioned to the Court, and so the judgment be rendered unnecessary ; but the Court can be- no party to their discussion."

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Wednesday, the London Genend Omnibus Company consented to a verdict for 4001. as compensation to Mr. Cleghorn, a gentleman who was seriously hurt by the giving way of an outside scat beside the driver while the omnibus was passing thellayruarket.

Five forgeries have been discovered among the certificates of scrip sent in for registration to the offices of the Oriental Gas Company.

Redpath and Kent were reexamined by the Clerkenwell Magistrate on Thursday. More evidence was given to show. how Redpath had sold stock