14 DECEMBER 1844, Page 2

Ebe Biletropolis.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday, and a good deal of routine business was transacted. The report of a committee recom- mending a petition from the Reverend Mr. Tyler, praying for pecuniary aid towards erecting and endowing the new free church of St. Giles's in the Fields, caused a renewed discussion on Puseyism, &c. ; and even- tually the further consideration of the report was deferred for a year. The Court resolved that a silver cup valued at 100 guineas, with the freedom of the city, should be presented to Major-General Sir Robert Henry Sale, G.C.B., and also to Major-General Sir William Nott, G.C.B. ; Some members opposed both motions, on the score that the Indian wars were unjust, and that the money would be better bestowed in charity.

The Society of Apothecaries have issued a statement on the position of " general practitioners" with respect to Sir James Graham's Medical Reform Bill ; in which they say—" As far as the Society have been able to collect the sentiments of the profession on the subject, they have reason to believe that an opinion very extensively prevails that the in- terests of the class of general practitioners would be best promoted by an independent organization of all its members by a charter of incorpora- tion of a collegiate character." They recommend such a measure as a useful and facile adjunct to Sir James Graham's bill.

A numerous and highly respectable meeting of medical " general practitioners " was held at the Hanover Square Rooms, on Saturday evening, to concert measures for resisting Sir James Graham's Medical. Reform Bill ; Mr. Pennington, of Portman Square presiding. Several gentlemen of standing expressed strong disapprobation of the bill, as tending to degrade the profession and to encourage empiricism ; reso- lutions in the same sense were adopted ; a committee was appointed to take steps for preventing the reintroduction of Sir James Graham's bill; and all,the gentlemen present formed themselves into an association for the protection of the profession.} Sir Henry Pottinger was entertained on Wednesday at a public ban- quet, by the merchants of London trading with China and the East In- dies, at Merchant Tailors Hall. Among the company were the Earl of Aberdeen, Sir James Graham, the Marquis of Normanby, Viscount Pal- merston, the Earl of Arundel, the Earl of Clare, the Earl of Lonsdale, Sir John Cam Hobhouse, with other official and ex-official persons; Admiral Sir William Parker, Major-General Sir John Schoedde, and several officers of the Army and Navy engaged in China; the Chairmen of the Bank of England and East India Company, and others connected with great trading bodies ; Sir William Magnay, and many City gen- tlemen ; several Members of Parliament ; in all about 330 guests.

In the reception-room, before the dinner, an address was presented to Sir Henry Pottinger, by Sir George Larpent, on behalf of seventy-three of the principal mercantile firms, congratulating him on the success of his mission to China.

The banquet was of the moat sumptuous kind: the tables glittered with a profusion of gold and silver, and the bill of fare was right royal in its luxury. The guests sat down to table at seven o'clock ; Mr. John Abel Smith, M.P., presiding ; having on his right hand Sir Henry Pottinger, Lord Normanby, and Lord Palmerston ; on his left, Lord Aberdeen and Sir James Graham. The routine toasts duly honoured, the Chairman in a eulogistic speech, proposed the chief toast of the evening—" The health of Sir Henry Pottinger." Sir Henry began his reply with some pleasantly-worded expressions of modesty ; and he imputed great part of the successes in China to his naval and military coadjutors-

" I may say, that in every respect that expedition far exceeded my most sanguine expectations, even with the full belief 1 had that all that was possible would be done. 1 say, that the expedition up to Nankin was the most ex- traordinary event in the history of any country in the world. It surmounted physical difficulties which the Chinese themselves believed utterly impossible. When the Bogue forts had been silenced at the mouth of the river by ths„ gallantry of our troops, the Governor of Nankin, I know for a fact, wrote to the Emperor saying he might feel quite easy, for the expedition could never reach him."

The Nankin treaty, be believed, included everything desirable, both for England and for China-

" I am now speaking impartially. Having reflected seriously on it since I returned to England, I really see no point in which any amendment of im- portance can be made. There are some points, no doubt, susceptible of amend- meat; but on all the leading important points it requires no alteration. It is one great advantage, that it is likely to benefit England and China in the name degree. The interests of both countries are, in fact, similarly affected. A. very erroneous impression went abroad, through, 1 believe, some papers on the Continent, that there bad been some mistake committed in the treaty. That is quite incorrect. It arose from the necessity of my making public an abstract of the treaty, while the Chinese published the whole ; and a translation was made with many important omissions. Having been asked seriously whether there was any ground for the allegation that mistakes had been committed, I am happy to say that there was no cause whatever for the alarm. The eats-, blishment at Hong-kong having been alluded to, I feel it right on this moat public occasion to say, that I look upon. Hong-kong still as the best position for British enterprise. Unfortunately, it has been unhealthy; but there is no- thing in its appearance or situation that should render it so, and those who would substitute Chusan for it are, in my humble opinion, in error. Chasm is an island containing 60,000 inhabitants, and is situated in the midst of an archipelago containing at least 1,000,000 inhabitants, which it would at all times be difficult to prevent coming. into jealous and angry discussions with this country; whilst our own colony is sufficient for all commercial purposes." The Chairman gave "The health of Sir William Parker and the Naval Service in China"; remarking, that "it was a brave heart and clear head

that imagined even the possibility of taking a whole English fleet two hundred and fifty miles up a river unsurveyed and previously unknown." Admiral Parker returned thanks. Next, "The health of Major-General Sehoedde and the Military engaged in the operations in China" ; the Chairman highly complimenting the gallantry and discipline by which less than 9,000 meat , all arms received the terrified and unconditional submission of a fortified city containing more than a million of inhabit- ants. Sir John Schoedde acknowledged the toast. Several others fol- lowed. The Earl of Aberdeen and his colleagues having been thus saluted, the Earl took occasion to compliment Sir Henry Pottinger, and the late Ministry by whom he had been appointed. " The health of Viscount Palmerston," given from the Chair, drew forth Lord Palmer- ston's tribute to the Plenipotentiary, and a reciprocal compliment to the Ministers who had carried out the policy which their predecessors had begun in China. The only toast given by Sir Henry Pottinger, and that in a single sentence, was " Prosperity to the City of London and the trade thereof." The meeting did not break up till after midnight.

The Anti-Corn-law League resumed its meetings in Covent Garden Theatre on Wednesday ; when the place was crowded in all parts—it was computed that five or six thousand persons were present. Many leading Free-traders were there ; speeches were delivered by Mr. George Wilson, the Chairman, Mr. Villiers, Mr. Cobden, and Mr. Bright ; and the audience were not only attentive but animated in their exhibitions of approbation and sympathy throughout. The addresses were very long : instead of attempting an analysis which could not be satisfactory in the limited space, we prefer picking out the more sub- stantial passages and matters of fact.

The Chairman reported the results of the League's activity in inves- tigating and amending the registration of Parliamentary voters in one hundred and forty boroughs. They had as yet complete accounts from only one hundred and eight boroughs ; in ninety-nine or a hundred the Free-traders had obtained a majority in the Revision Courts ; in seven, or at the most eight, the Monopolists had gained. It was imagined that some boroughs are in such a dead lock of opinion that the attempt to effect a change would be hopeless : but that notion was a fallacy. An analysis of the registration in thirty-three boroughs showed that there is a change in the electoral body of ten or fifteen per cent every year— an entire change of the body in ten ur fifteen years at farthest ; and it is the new voters coming on the register upon whom public opinion acts most forcibly. Stating several details as to the alterations in the representation which would result in the hundred and eight boroughs, Mr. Wilson said, that the total gain to the Free-traders would be 32 Totes in Parliament, equal to a gain of 64 on a division. He believed that the gain with respect to the remaining boroughs of the hundred and forty would be in a similar ratio. At the last revision, the League had taken only one county fairly into their hands—South Lancashire in that county on the next election, a Free-trade candidate would have a majority of is Ire than 1,700 votes. The Registration Courts closed, the League had Lamed their attention to other matters ; and notice was drawn to the monstrous discrepancy between the proportion of votes as compared with the number of inhabitants in the commercial and in the rural districts of counties : in the manufacturing districts of South Lan- cashire, the voters are as 1 to 80 of the inhabitants ; in the agricultural districts, as 1 in 22 : in agricultural Buckinghamshire, the proportion is 1 to 25 ; in Middlesex, 1 to 115: in West Surrey, 1 to 26 ; in East Surrey, 1 to 78. The League determined to promote the enfranchise- ment of new voters throughout the country ; and the result would be, that at the next election there would be 1,000 new voters in South Lan- cashire; in South Cheshire, 500; in Halifax, 200 new county voters ; in Leeds, 400; and in Huddersfield the number of county voters will be tripled. Instead of 13,000 voters, Middlesex ought to have 30,000.

Mr. Villiers remarked, that in attending to the registry, the League were only fulfilling the injunction of Sir Robert Peel. He urged the present as a very fit time for examining the result of reductions in the prices of provisions, which some said would be so injurious. There have been two good harvests, and a large importation of corn : in 1842, corn was 67s. a quarter; in January 1845 it will probably be under 47s, : yet trade is improving, workmen are successfully " striking " for higher wages, and everybody is talking of the surplus revenue : let the next revenue-tables, on the 6th of January, be scrutinized in that view.

Mr. Cobden contrasted the multitudinous meeting before him with one of the Duke of Richmond's Protection Society to be held on the next Friday, at which probably a few Earls and Dukes and others would assemble. He vindicated the manufacturers and traders—even Moses and Son—from the charge of " grinding the faces of the poor " ; which he retorted on 'those who maintain monopolies, and then make a paltry return in the shape of charity,—the Free-trader, by the by, being as liberal as any : he knew of one Leaguer in Manchester who bad given as much for the parks and pleasure-grounds in that town as had been subscribed for the starving poor of Suffolk by all the county landlords. He rather sneered at the meeting in Exeter Hall to improve the sanatory state of towns, and at the charity which will give water, drainage, open courts and alleys, anything but bread ; though nothing is more certain, as far at least as the Lancashire district goes, than the fact that the

mortality rises and falls with the price of food. Let those who would benefit the poor consult Adam Smith as well as Southwood Smith. He alluded also to the dinner given by the City merchants to Sir Henry Pottinger- " What has Sir Henry Pottinger done for these merchant-monopolists and princes of the City ? He has been to China, and extorted from the Chinese Government, for the benefit of the Chinese people I admit, a tariff. What is that tariff? I will tell you. It is founded on three principles. The first is, that no duties whatever shall be enforced on corn or provision imported into the Celestial Empire ; nay, if a ship comes in loaded with provisions, that there should be not only no duty enforced on the cargo, but the ship is exempted from port-charges—and that is the only exemption of the kind in the world. The second principle is, that there should be no duties for protection ; and the third is, that there shall be moderate duties for revenue. Why, it is for that very tariff we have been contending at the Anti-Corn-law League for these five years past; the only difference between my friends and myself and Sir Henry Pottinger being, that while he has succeeded, by force of arms, in con- ferring on the Chinese this beneficial change, we have endeavoured, by force of argument, to extort a similar boon, for the benefit of the English people, from OUr aristocracy. And a further difference is this, that while our monopolist- merchants are ready to make demonstrations in favour of Sir Henry Pottinger for his success in China, they have met ns with obloquy, opposition, and abuse, for endeavouring, although without success, to do the same thing here. • • • A friend of mine asked me lately whether 1 was willing to subscribe ? [to the plate for Sir Henry.] I replied, that I thought Sir Henry a most worthy man, far better than those who had subscribed a testimonial to him. I believe,' said I, he has done excellent service to the Chinese people ; and if the Chinese will send over a Sir Henry Pottinger to England, and if the Chinese Pottinger can succeed by force of argument (for I want no force of arms) in extracting from the stony hearts of the landed monopolists the same tariff for England our general has given to China, then I will join heartily in giving him a piece of plate.' " Mr. Cobden added something to what Mr. Wilson had said about the augmentation of county voters. He declared that it was no " new movement" of the League's, but a regular sequel of the tactics which they had pursued all along. The first county that the League had to present Mr. Villiers should have the refusal of- " The first objection to this coarse is, 'That's a game two can play at.' I can answer that objection by saying, we sit down to play with opponents who have all the stakes in their bands, while we have nothing to lose. The mono- polists have played their game in the counties, and they have played out. With lynx-like vision they discovered, on the passing of the Reform Bill, the Chandos clause, as a means of working out their end ; and they made brothers, sons, uncles, ay and to the third generation, partners under the tenant-at-will clause, though they were no more partners than you are. This they did success- fully, and gained the counties. /low there is another clause in the Reform Act, meant to benefit the unprivileged and industrious, and those who live by their labour—I mean the forty-shilling franchise. Now, I will set the forty-shilling freehold clause against the Chandos clause, and we will beat the Tories in the counties. You have beard how disproportionately large the constituency is in the rural districts compared to the towns: we will reduce the balance, by in- ducing those in towns to qualify. How many here, fustian-jacket men, who have not, I dare say, votes ? " He went on to explain how a house might be purchased for 301. or 407., thereby obtaining a 40s. freehold. By the 310 January the League would have 2,000 new votes in Yorkshire. He wanted them [his hearers] to win Middlesex also ; and there are already 1,000 good votes not on the register. He advised fathers to give their sons on reaching ma- turity such property as would carry a qualification. " Some fathers say, ' I am willing to give my son a qualification, but 1 don't like the expense of the con- veyance.' Now, first observing that none but Free-trade lawyers should be em- ployed, for obvious reasons, I would suggest to the son to pay the expense of the conveyance himself. If the father refuses, come to me and I'll pay the money. These are the means of qualifying, which if adopted, Middlesex will be per- fectly safe at the next election. Recollect, besides, you must take care that none not qualified remains on the list. Some say, to start such objections is acting like the Carlton Club. Now, if both parties agree to leave on all votes put on the register, I agree to the proposal ; but if our opponents strike off the votes on our side and we do not retaliate, 1 wonder which will win. Some one wiser than his neighbours will perhaps tell you, that the land being in the possession of the landlords, they can cut up the land as they please, and qualify only those whom they choose. As Mr. Villiers has well said, their estates are not their own in many cases—four-fifths of the parchments are not at home. But if they retained their property and wished to multiply votes, will they enfranchise the labourers ? They would like such allotments very much. The only difficulty 1 see in the case—judging from the accounts of Dorsetshire and Wiltshire—is that at the end of a year one-half the body will be found in the Union workhouse and the other in gaol for poaching. No, the landlords have done their worst. They want money, men, and zeal, in their cause. I believe we have struck the nail on the head. We never made any proposal which met with such an unanimous response from all parts of the kingdom. It took two hours daily to read the letters which were received with reference to our resolution from all parte of the country. We sent circulars to every one who ever sub- scribed to our funds, and we have everywhere been met in the same enthusiastic spirit. We have received, among others, a letter from Ips- wich, saying that Suffolk might be easily gained on our plan. We do not want many counties. If we gain the more populous places, North and South Lancashire, the West Riding of Yorkshire, North Chester, and Middlesex, the landed monopolists would give up corn to save a great deal more. Some object to this plan as not quite legitimate. We do nothing but what is prescribed by the constitution; we can conform to the law in spirit and fact ; and do so by thousands and tens of thousands if you can. There is nothing in the pro- posal savouring of trick and finesse. The days of factitious votes are passed." The League raised the cry, " Qualify, qualify, qualify 1 " and again he cried, " Register, register, register!"

Before the meeting separated, the Chairman announced that a bazaar would be held in May, for the benefit of the League fund.

A public meeting was held at Exeter Hall on Wednesday, to take measures for improving the healthiness of dwellings for the industrious

poor. The Marquis of Normanby presided : several influential noble-

men and gentlemen were on the platform ; and letters of concurrence were read from others, and from the Bishops of London, St. David's, and

Norwich. Among the letter-writers was Lord Ashley, who was kept away by severe indisposition ; the day on which be wrote being the first on which he was free from pain, while he felt the necessity of husband- ing his physical and moral energies for the next session. The Chair- man observed, that although the object of the meeting was one which met with marked concurrence from persons of all parties and denomi- nations, there had hitherto been no combined effort to carry it into effect. He dwelt upon the disgraceful and dangerous fact, that densely- crowded courts and alleys, hotbeds of disease, are mingled with the well- ventilated squares of the Metropolis. He quoted several statistical figures, showing that the mortality in eight agricultural counties, those in which the least social change has taken place, is higher than it was thirty years ago. It is remarkable that in Lancashire, where property has increased 136 per cent, the mortality has increased from 1 in 46 to 1 in 36 ; and in Manchester it is 1 in 38, wealth and death walking hand is hand. The question, however, was not only one of bricks and mortar ; but the comfort of the dwelling must depend also on the moral and do- mestic habits of the inmates ; and they again cannot be acquired without some amount of daily leisure. Lord Normanby quoted several returns and reports to show that the desired changes in the construction of towns and dwellings could be effected at a comparatively insignificant cost. It had been calculated, that, spreading the charges over a n timber of years, every house could be completely supplied with water, properly ventilated and drained, streets opened and widened, public parks kept up, and a medical officer of health retained, all at a cost of 15s. to each house. Dr. Playfair estimated that 389,0001. could be saved to Manchester by the adoption of such measures. Lord Normanby contrasted the houses of the English poor with other humble abodes— It bad happened to him to visit hundreds of Negro huts in the days when slavery existed ; he had also examined many Irish cabins in different parts of

that unfortunate country ; and he declared he would rather pass his life in any one of the first, or in most of the last, than he would inhabit one of those commonly used as dwellings by the industrious poor of this country—those npo. whom the prosperity and quietness of this country so greatly depended.

In the course of his speech Lord Normanby alluded to the abuse of burial-clubs-

Mr. Clay of Preston stated that he had known the answer by some of these people to an application for payment of a debt, "I have not the money just now, but wait till Charles or Dick dies, and then I will pay you." In these clubs there was no restriction except as to the age of the child—no inquiries were made. Mr. Clay also related an anecdote of a lady of his acquaintance, who, being told by a woman who officiated for her as wet-nurse, that the nurse's child was ill, offered to send her own medical man immediately to its relief. What was the answer this benevolent lady received ? " Never mind, thank ye, ma'am ; it's in two burial-clubs." Was it not monstrous that we should have an indication and an adjunct of extreme civilization, intended for the ameliora- tion of grief and for the preservation of the natural affections of humanity, thus applied, and rendered subservient to an object and used with a feeling against which savage instinct even would revolt.

Sir Robert Inglis earnestly insisted on the necessity of establishing a uniform system of sewerage and drainage throughout the country. Mr. Hawes urged the necessity of providing abodes for the poor in place of those which are razed to make room for Metropolitan improvements. Mr. Sheil recommended " a little wholesome agitation." Mr. Carden suggested that the Association should include in its objects the reform of interments in large towns. The Reverend W. W. Champneys pre- sented himself as one of the working clergy. His parish contains about 35,000 souls, and the average duration of human life there is twenty-five years, while in a neighbouring parish it is forty. He de- scribed a very narrow street, with very close alleys and courts diverging, containing within the space of half a quarter of a mile 1,162 persons, a population equal to two or three country parishes. In the progress of improvements, the population of that street had gone : whither ?— either to houses of the same sort in other neighbourhoods, or it was now over-crowding other spots in the immediate vicinity. Instead, then, of the poor being benefited by this, they were injured. A poor parishioner of his had told him that he had the greatest difficulty in finding a place to shelter his head, at 2s. 6d. or 3s. 6d. a week, on ac- count of rents having risen in consequence of the pulling down of 'houses. Dr. Southwood Smith alluded to the 40,000 persons who are yearly carried off by fever ; a disease whose agony he could not re- member without terror, although he had endured it with all the alle- viation of being surrounded by dear friends, while he daily saw those who endured the same sufferings with every possible aggravation of their wretchedness. Sir William Clay, the Honourable William Cowper, Mr. Slaney, Lord Shelburne, and other gentlemen, also addressed the meeting. Several resolutions—asserting that it is necessary to enforce precautions to improve the health of large towns, that the Legislature must interfere, that the improvement in the sanatory condition of a locality is uni- formly attended with diminution of parochial expense, and that an Association should be formed to carry out such objects—were adopted unanimously ; as well as a petition to Parliament founded on them, and a further resolution appointing a committee and authorizing a subscrip- tion on behalf of the Association.

The Christmas show of the Smithfield Cattle Club was opened to a private view, at Bake, Street Bazaar, on Tuesday evening. The stock comprised one hute'..ed head of cattle, nearly three hundred head of sheep, and other ,nimals. Among them was a deer bred at Windsor Park. Prince Albert was the winner of a second prize of 51. for a pen of pigs. The show was opened to the public on Wednesday ; when about 10,000 persons passed through the rooms.

The exhibition has been crowded daily. Yesterday it was visited by the Duke of Cambridge and the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklen- burg-Strelitz ; whose visit was signalized by a striking adventure. A black pig, of fatness vast, leaped from an adjoining pen into the one oc- cupied by Prince Albert's pigs, and seizing one by the ear, bit it fiercely. Hideous was the tumult and the din. Police-Inspector Tedman and others rushed to the rescue ; but ultimately the princely swine them- selves expelled the discomfited intruder. The Duke of Cambridge laughed heartily, and vouchsafed a bon-mot, addressed to the Grand Duke, and recorded by the papers—" He never saw such a disloyal pig as the black one.'"

At a meeting of the Smithfield Club yesterday, the Earl of Hard- wicke was elected one of the Vice-Presidents, in the room of the late Lord Western ; and it was announced that in future, instead of one, two gold medals would be given—one for the best oxen and steers, the other for the best cow and heifer. The forty-sixth annual dinner took place at Freemasons Hall in the evening ; Earl Spencer presiding, with the usual attendance of titled and leading agriculturists.

The case of Burgess, the Bank of England clerk, was finally investi- gated at the Mansionhouse, on Wednesday. Two witnesses, one a clerk in the banking-house of Sir John Lubbock and Company, and the other a teller at the Bank, completed the chain of evidence, and the prisoner was committed for trial.

The intention of the Bank of England to call in all the 1,0001. notes dated 13th May last has been officially noted to all the Banks by Mr. Hobler, with the view of adopting some measures for cancelling those stolen from Messrs. Rogers and Co.

A fatal accident occurred on the Dover Railway, near the Brick- layers' Arms Station, very early on Wednesday morning. A goods- train left the station at twenty minutes after midnight for Dover. There were no passengers in the train ; but attached to the end of the eleven luggage-waggons forming it, was a second-class carriage with packages for the Foreign mail in charge of a Post-office clerk, and a break-waggon in which were five or six railway servants. The train bad gone about three-quarters of a mile from the station, and bad just got on to the wooden viaduct, when the engine-boiler burst,

with a double The first concussion forced the fire-bars of

the furnace .01E513f the viaduct ; and the second, after

partially hurled the engine over it into the fields be -waggons were dashed into a heap

012 the nd of the train were uninjured, and

the occ ; but the engine-driver was found dead uu ile the stoker was discovered in the

rear of the train on the opposite rail, with his skull fractured, his left arm broken, and other parts of his body dreadfully scalded—he lin- gered in a state of stupor till Thursday night, when he died. The engine was a new one. On examination, the safety-valve was found to have been fastened down ; which is conjectured to have been the cause of the accident.

Yesterday an inquest was held before Mr. Baker on the body of the engine-driver. The evidence as to the cause of the accident was not very clear ; the damaged state of the engine hindering the examination of it in that respect. The Jury returned the following verdict-

" That the deceased, Robert Buckley, died from bodily injuries, arising from the sudden explosion of the boiler of a certain locomotive steam-engine; but from what cause that explosion arose, by reason of the deaths of both persons present, we can derive no evidence."

An inquest has been held at Wapping on the body of a young sailor that was drowned with Everest, the waterman whose boat was run down by the Thunder steamer ; and a verdict of " Manslaughter " was returned against Simms, the master of the steam-boat ; who will be tried for the offence when the sentence passed on him last week shall have expired. The accident happened on the 25th October, but the seaman's body was only found on Thursday week.

A youth named Birch was shot dead at Chiswick, on Thursday, by a gun going off while a brother and cousin of the boy were disputing its possession. The three were in the fields shooting birds.

The frost which set in rather sharply last week has continued since, but not with much severity, though a North-east wind has made the air bite shrewdly. The ornamental waters in the Parks were covered with ice thick enough to bear adventurous skaters on Saturday ; but many a ducking was experienced on that day and on Sunday by the breaking of the ice in divers places. Thanks to the Humane Society, with the ice-men, ropes, ladders, sledges, poles, to pull out those immersed, and warm baths in marquees to revive them when rescued, no lives have been lost, so far as is known. In St. James's Park, where the ice was in a very insecure state, two bad breakages happened on Sunday, by which many persons, twenty or more, were placed in great danger ; and some needed all the skill and diligence of the Humane Society's offi- cers to revive them. The Skating Club erected their marquee on the banks of the Long Water in Kensington Gardens on Tuesday morning, and have since been delighting beholders with their scientific move- ments. The canals and docks have been coated with ice, but not so as to put a stop to navigation.

During Thursday the wind veered at times to the South, and it was milder ; but at night it got back to North-east, and there was a very sharp frost, the temperature on Friday morning being lower than it had been since the preceding Friday. During the day a good deal of ice was floating on the Thames.