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At a special Court of Common Council, held on Thursday by adjourn- ment from the preceding Thursday, a motion favourable to Mr. Charles Pearson's plan for a central railway terminus, and for meat and vegetable markets, in Farringdon Street, was carried by 57 to 56—majority 1. A deputation from the parishes of the City of London, which suffer from the existing laws of pauper settlement and rating to the relief of the poor, had an interview with Mr. Walpole, the new Secretary of State for the Home Department, on Thursday. Sir James Duke introduced the deputation, and Alderman Sidney was its chief spokesman. Mr. Walpole said, that "upon so large a question they could not expect him at once to give an opinion : it was one, however, that ought to be considered at the earliest opportunity, but with what result must of course be left to the deliberation and consideration of the Government. He certainly would give the very fullest consideration to the subject as soon as he could undertake it."
The Parliamentary tactics of those Liberal Members of the House of Commons who have been accustomed to follow Lord John Russell, were considered and agreed upon at a general meeting, to which John had invited them, at noon on Thursday. The assembly was John's diningroom at Chesham Place, and numbered upwards d and sixty Members. Lord John was " attended by nearly olleagues in office." The daily journals have their various what passed, some more and some less detailed than others, g the stamp of complete accuracy. We collate their narratives with floating oral accounts, and present, as nearly as =pro- feasional reports enable us' the outlines and colour of the proceedings. Lord John Russell stated, that he had called Iris friends together to con- sult:them as to the best source to be adopted -towards the new Government. When the late. Sir Robert Peel relinquished the government of the country, he put a question to the Ministry which succeeded, and Lord John Russell answered that question with a full explanation of the policy which his Go_ vernment intended to carry out. Acting on that precedent, Lord John has made application to Mr. Disraeli, to know whether he will take a similar seurse, and make a similar full exposition for the benefit of the country, on Monday next, of the principles on which the Cabinet of which he is a mem- ber intends to carry on the Government of the country. But Mr. Disraeli replied, that it is not the intention of Government to make any such state- ment. Lord John Russell thought it extremely desirable that such a state- ment should be made ; and in the event of Ministers not being explicit as to their commercial policy, that they should be forced to inform the country -what their views and intentions are. Nor did he deem it enough that the new Cabinet should be made to declare their policy now with respect to the question of Free-trade; they should also be compelled to avow, if they did not avow of their own accord, what course they mean to pursue after a dia.. solution of Parliament, in the event of their remaining in office. Lord John intimated, that he had consulted all his friends, and also Sir James Graham and Mr. Cobden. Sir James Graham had concurred in Lord John's opinion of the duty incumbent on the new Ministers to explain their policy ; and had declared that he and his political friends are ready to co- operate in procuring such an explanation, and in securing Free-trade to the country,
With respect to the question'of Parliamentary Reform, Lord John stated that -he proposes to " postpone for three months" his Reform Bill ; "be- cause it is a measure for a Government, and not for a private Member." He intimated that should another.Governinent be formed, and he a member of it, he might bring forward an "improved measure" of Parliamentary Re- form.
The ex[pectant]-Premier spoke with "considerable spirit," and "in a tone of great liberality," say the sympathizing accounts ; and the proba- bility of these phtenomena,of manner and tactic is not so.small that we need to confirm tiled from our own information.
The gentlemen of " the Blanchester school" were quite ready to sub- -scribe to the policy thus sketched by Lord John Russell ; it was indeed the identical policy which Mr. Cobden lately explained, at the resuscita- tion of the League. Mr. Bernal Osborne, and several other Members, desired that the Derby Cabinet should be forced to declare their intended policy on the question of Parliamentary Reform as well as on that of Free-trade.
Some other Members rose and told Lord John Russell some plain truths about his past errors, and gave him some plain warnings about his own future conduct. Mr. Hume told him, that his dropping of the question .Of Reform was a most unsatisfactory sign. He, and those who act with him, were of opinion that before agreeing to endeavour to turn the Derby Ministry out, the country has a right to know something about the new Administration which it is proposed to raise on the ruins of the present one : Lord John must be told plainly, that no attempt to reconstruct the Administration which had just fallen to pieces can possibly answer. This frank avowal caused some of the Whig veterans to smile grimly and emit inetrruptive sounds : Mr. Hume put the interruptions aside, and reiterated the warning he had given more distinctly : he repeated, that no mere reconstruction of the defunct Administration would get hack the lost confidence of the country ; and in stating that plainly to Lord John Russell himself, he was only telling him what many of those present would confess and murmur at-behind his back.
Mr. Hume's strictures were evidently heard with satisfaction and assent by many. Mr. Thomas Duncomhe expressed an opinion that the question of Free-trade-is safe enough, and that there is no necessity for seeking to throw out the Derby Government on that ground alone. He thought Parliamentary Reform should be -made the battle-field. He thought that Lord John Russell's abandonment of his -hill was -very bad usage to the Parliamentary Reformers, after -his promises last year. Ultimately, however, a policy of cooperation was adopted fiy all. An understanding was come to, that, "in thefirstinstances " the Derby Cabi- net shall be brought to.book on the question of Free-trade. Mr. Charles Villiers is to cross-examine Mr. Disraeli when he has composed himselfin Lis resumed seat on Monday • and then, afterwards, the motion in the Souse of Commons, for which Mr. Villiers prepared the way by the general notice which he put on the paper yesterday fortnight, will be definitely and appositely framed and promptly brought before the House.
The Daily News thus specifically reports and earries forward the stages of future practical action by the combined Opposition party in Parliament. "Mr. Disraeli must explain about corn, and Sir. John Pakington about sugar. The occasion willadmit of no delay. The explanations must be clear and eomplete. Neither the wit of the Chancellor of the Exchequer nor the dulness of the Secretary for the Colonies will stand them in need. They must speak out. If they avow, as they are expected to do, the reactionary theory of Anti-Free-trade and a tax on bread, then a definite motion will at once be prepared that must lead to a -vote adverse to the present Ministry, and compelling an immediate dissolution of Parliament If they should try to shuffle and wriggle and fence, and strive to blink the open and manly avowal of the plans they intend to act upon,—and if they thus betray their desire to use the means of office as long as possible as far as may be for work- ing up a new Parliament that shall aid their reactionary schemes,—then the Liberals may be expected to throw their entire and combined weight against the common foe—probably 230 Tories in a House of 658 Members—and will be prepared to vote the Supplies for three months only ; thus using the con- stitutional means for compelling an immediate recourse to that tribunal by which it is avowed the result must be finally tested."
A Commission of Lunacy has been held to inquire into tbe state of mind of Mr. John Price, a Chancery prisoner in the Queen's Bench Prison. Mr. Price is a gentleman of Margate ; he is eighty-four years old, and blind ; he has property to the extent of 80,0001. Nineteen years ago, he leut money to a Mr. Darby, on mortgage of property at Broadstairs; in 1849, Mr. Price re- fused to receive the interest from Mr. Darby, claimed the property as his own, and would give no account. Mr. Darby made an application in Chan- cery; Mr. Price refused to obey an order to render accounts, and he was com- mitted for contempt. His son obtained this commission that his father might be released. It appeared from the evidence, that for eight or nine years past the old gentleman has exhibited tokens of insanity : without the least muse he had an ill feeling against his son, and declared that be was con- stantly attempting to kill him by throwing poison on his bed-clothes; he also averred that he received electric shocks from his son, even at times when the son was not near him. Old Mr. Price hung his bed-clothes and his dress out of window, or before the fire, to dry the supposed 11- quid poison thrown upon them. He said other persons were in league with his son ; and he had padlocks put on his door to keep out the "poisoners," but he found them useless, for " the Devil got through the keyhole." When the Jury visited the unfortunate gentleman in the prison, he exhibited great shrewdness in parrying or answering some of the questions put; he denied several of the statements that had been made to prove his madness, but others of his replies were sufficient to show his unhappy condition. The Jury found that he had been of unsound mind since October 1843. The Reverend Matthew Barton, of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, wag charged before the Marlborough Street Magistrate with stealing a bill for 501. Mr. Barton wanted to raise money ; he gave an acceptance for 501. to a bill-discounter ; he never got any money for it, but it was subsequently presented to him by a stranger for payment. Mr. Barton, by advice of his solicitors, went to the house where the bill was lying, got sight of it, and then folded it up and put it into his pocket : this was the alleged stealing. The holder of the bill declared that he became possessed of it in the fair way of business. Mr. Bingham decided that no case of theft had been made out; the accused had not acted anima jimandi; the matter might be the subject of a civil suit, but not of a criminal charge. The accused was liberated.
At the Middlesex Sessions, two boys, twelve and thirteen years of age, have been convicted of throwing stones at a train near Harrow, and have been sent to prison for a month—" unfortunately" the act of Parliament did not allow the Judge to sentence them to whipping. The Railway Com- pany have been compelled to prosecute from the frequency with which mis- chievous persons pelt the trains : in this case, a guard narrowly escaped a blow on the head from a stone.
Three plate-layers have been killed on the North-western Railway, near Kilburn. Five men were at work at mid-day ; a elown-train approached, blowing its whistle ; the men moved on to the up-line of rails; at that mo- ment s mail-train dashed up, also whistling ; but the noise of the down- train prevented the workmen from noticing the up-train till it was too late for all to escape : two only got from the rails in time. It appeared at the inquest, on Monday, that the five men were part ef a larger body engaged in relay ing the rails; they were sent forward some distance in advanoe of the other labourers to prepare the road for their work ; the smaller party had no per- son specially charged to watch over their safety. The Jury pronounced the deaths "accidental," but recommended that for the future every gang of labourers on the line ahould have a superintendent to give notice of the ap- proach of trains.
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