19 JULY 1845, Page 8

the Itletropolis.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday, for the purpose of con- ferring the freedom of the city of London on Sir Henry Pottinger. Before the set business of the meeting commenced, the Lord Mayor informed the Court, that there stood upon the table the two silver cups voted to Sir Robert Sale and Sir William Nett; and he suggested that the one should be forwarded to Sir William Notes widow, the other to Sir Robert Sale in India. A motion to that effect was affirmed. Sir Henry Pottinger was then conducted into the Court; and the oaths having been administered, the Chamberlain, after a highly complimentary speech, presented to him the freedom of the city in a magnificent gold box, upon which was inscribed the vote of the Corporation. Having acknowledged the compliment in suitable terms, Sir Henry shook hands with the Lord Mayor, the City Cham- berlain, and several of the Aldermen and Common Councilmen, and retired amidst loud cheering. The Court entered into a sharp discussion on a proposal to grant 5001. for the relief of the sufferers by the great fire at Quebec. Mr. Anderton moved to reduce the amount to 2001., as he thought the sufferers by the recent fire at Blackwell had greater claims on the generosity of the City. The larger amount, however, was agreed to by a large majority; and the Court adjourned.

In the Consistory Court, on Wednesday Dr. Lushington gave judgment in the case of Catterall against Sweetman, falsely calling herself Catterall. It was a suit instituted by Mr. Joseph Catterall against Georgians Ann Sweetman, to obtain a decree of nullity of marriage; and the present question was as to the admissibility of the libel. It pleaded that the parties were married in New South Wales, on the 29th July 1835, by Mr. Lang, an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland; that neither of the parties was a member of that church, or in com- munion with it; that they did not sign a declaration to that effect, contrary to an act passed in the colony, in July 1834, "to remove doubts as to the validity of certain marriages had and solemnized within the colony," which required such a declaration to be made; and that therefore the marriage was null and void. The point of difficulty was, whether the marriage was in itself void, or only deprived of the validity given by the local act. From his examination of authorities Dr. Lushington drew two conclusions,—first, tthat there had been no decision that any words in a statute as to marriage, though prohibitory and negative, bad been held to infer a nullity, unless that nullity was declared in the act; secondly, that viewing the successive marriage-acts, it appeared thatprohibitory words without a declaration of nullity were not considered by the Legislature as creating a nullity. In any case of doubt, that Court ought not to pronounce a marriage null and void; and in this case he entertained the gravest doubt. As the legislative nullity was the only ground upon which the libel stood, it must be rejected; unless the party were desirous to amend, by pleading that the marriage was null and void by the law antecedent to the statute.

In the Court of Bankruptcy, on Tuesday, Mr. Chambers, the banker, whose case has been in progress of litigation for so many years, at last obtained his certificate.

In the same Court, on Wednesday, Mr. Commissioner Goulburn, with strong expressions of regret on account of the bankrupt's great age and infirmities, re- fused a certificate to Mr. Thomas Johnson senior, the acting partner of the late Romford Bank.

An illicit distillery on a large scale, conducted with great skill and success, was seized by the officers of Excise on Wednesday afternoon, at Globe Road, Mile End. Extensive premises were ostensibly occupied as a glue, size, and naphtha manu- factory, by a firm called "Carter and Suns," while in fact a great distilling busi- ness was carried on. Stills, spirits, and materials were seized, to the value of 3,0001.; and four men were captured. The distillery was in full operation at the time, four stills being at work. On Thursday, at the Thames Police-office, the four men were fined 301. each, and committed to prison in default of payment. It was stated that the distillery had been in operation for six months.