'be _Metropolis.
According to what has become the annual custom Guildhall, as fitted up for the Ninth of November, was devoted, on Wednesday night, to the service of the Polish refugees for a grand charity-fete. The visiters numbered some 2,000; among them were the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, and several of the City aristocracy ; the Due de Guiche, the Earl of Chesterfield, the Count de Grammont, the Earl of Hillsborough, the Earl of Portarlington, Lord Foley and the Honour- able Misses Foley, Viscount Castlereagh, Mr. Thomas Dnncombe, M.P., Mr. Mark Philips, M.P., Sir Felix Booth. The fete consisted of a ball and concert ; the musicians contributing their professional aid gratuitonsly,—namely, Mrs. Alfred Shaw, Miss Rainforth, Miss Has- san°, Miss Maria B. Hawes Signor Ferrari, Signor Burdini, Mr. Har- rison, Mr. Manvers, and Mr. Benedict, who conducted. Every thing went off well. There was a very numerous meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern on Thursday night, to consider -the conduct of the late Special Commissions for the trial of the rioters in the North. Mr. Duncomhe took the chair, supported by Mr. Feargus O'Connor, Colonel Thomp- son, Mr. Roberts of Bath, the gratuitous defender of some of the Chart- ists at Stafford, and other leading Chartists. Miss Mary Anne 'Walker was on the platform. The Chairman, in stating the objects of the meeting, contended that an unjust prejudice was created against the prisoners, even at Stafford ; and be alluded to the exclusion from the court, of Peplow, a person concerned in the defence of some of the prisoners, because he was a Chartist: Chief Justice Tindal, however, caused him to be admitted. The treatment of the prisoners at Chester and Liverpool reminded him of Jeffreys- " An individual was brought before that celebrated judge, and it was found that the charge laid against him had no foundation in fact. At the last mo- ment, however, the counsel against the prisoner stated, as an addition to this charge which could not be sustained, that the man sometimes attended church and sometimes the conventicle—in short, that he was a trimmer. 'Oh, ho !' said Judge Jeffreys, he is a trimmer, is he ? I have heard of that monster before, but I have never seen one : stand up, prisoner, and let me see your shape, that I may know how these monsters are formed !" Now that man Wag condemned, not because he was guilty of the crime laid to his charge, hut be- cause he was a trimmer." Resolutions were passed expressing sympathy with the distressed condition of the labouring classes, shown so parucularly during the late unfortunate disturbances in the Northern and Midland counties; admit- ting that those really convicted of any crime connected with the late outbreak were deserving of punishment, but stating the opinion that the punishments ought to have been better proportioned to the offences and more tempered by mercy ; and declaring that a "General Defence and Support Fund" should be established for the benefit of the families of the 300 convicted prisoners. The last resolution, comprising the prayer of a petition to be founded on the resolutions, we copy in extenso- • That James Scarlett, Lord Abinger, Chief Baron of her Majesty's Exche- quer, one of the Judges appointed to preside on such Special Commission, did deliver certain charges, which, as your petitioners would humbly represent, were improper as proceeding from a Judge upon the Bench; being of an unfair, un- just, and political tendency, calculated to prejudice, mislead, and exasperate the minds of the Juries to whom such charges were addressed, and by whom the individuals indicted as participating in the late disturbance were to be tried. "Your petitioners, therefore, most earnestly but respectfully pray your honourable House to institute such an inquiry, by the appointment of a Com- mittee or otherwise, into the proceedings of the late Special Commission, as your honourable House in wisdom and justice may deem fit. And your peti- tioners further pray your honourable House to address her Majesty, that she may be pleased to visit the before-mentioned James Lord Chief Baron Able- ger with such a mark of her Royal displeasure as may induce other Judges hereafter to preserve the purity of the judicial functions unsullied by political rancour or party-spirit."
A meeting of the Metropolitan Anti.Corn-law Association was held on Monday, to receive the report of a Sub .Committee appointed to devise a plan for the future operation of the Anti-Corn-law party in the Metropolis. Among those present were Sir De Lacy Evans, Mr. Charles Villiers, Colonel Thompson, and a number of members and secretaries of the branch associations. After stating the object of the meeting, the Chairman, Mr. P. Taylor, alluded to a report circulated by the Observer, that an agent had been employed by Government to collect violent passages in the speeches against the Corn-laws, for the purpose of ulterior proceedings— The League, so far as be was acquainted with their proceedings, bad at no time been the advocates of physical force; they had at no time had any thing to do with popular outbreaks, or popular tumults, or insurrections. They had, indeed, told her Majesty's Government what would be the effect of the line of conduct which they were pursuing—what would be the inevitable result of their continued wrongdoing; but they had had nothing to do with those con- sequences. Their object had been to instil knowledge into the minds of the people.
Mr. Sidney Smith, the Secretary, read the report of the Sub-Commit. tee ; which recommended no new method of agitation, but rather more strenuously to carry out the old method ; and a plan was proposed for more frequent and systematic meetings, for enrolling members, re- ceiving subscriptions, and distributing tracts. Addresses were delivered by Sir De Lacy Evans, Colonel Thompson, and Mr. R. R. Moore of Manchester.
A meeting was held on Tuesday evening, at the school-room in Totten Street, Stepney Churchyard, to take into consideration the state of the shirt-makers in the Metropolis. The chair was taken by the Reverend W. Allen ; and Mr. Cumming, a surgeon, stated the case of his clients. His attention had been called to the subject by a tragical instance of the poverty of the class— A woman had taken vitriol for the purpose of destroying herself; and, on in- quiring the cause which led her to take such a step, he learned that her husband was a sailor, and that she, not being able to receive any part of his wages in his absence, had endeavoured to earn her subsistence by making sailors' shirts ; but finding, that, though she worked from six in the morning till eleven at night, and sometimes all night, she could not earn enough to enable her to procure the necessaries of life, she had been induced to pawn the work which she had in hand. To avoid being apprehended she had taken the vitriol; and it was from having attended this woman that his attention had first been called to the subject. From the particular, Mr. Cumming passed to the general case— He was informed that making a shirt the workwomen received only one penny ; and that out of this penny they were obliged to find thread, which re- duced the sum paid for making a shirt to little more than three-farthings, and that it took a good hand fully two hours to make a shirt of that particular sort. He felt horrified when he found that in this country women worked thirteen hours a day for about 6d., and he was assured that there were many thousands employed in this manner who did not earn more than 41d. a day each. He
asked the women present whether he had not stated the truth : he believed he was right in sa)ing that out of the sum paid them they had to find their own
thread ? (One of the women said, "Needless too, Sir.") The women only re- quired the price to be raised from Id. to 2d. ; and as the shirts were generally made for sailors, he thought the trade could easily afford to raise the prices be cause sailors would never grudge the additional penny." Mr. Cumming having remarked, that, if nothing else were done, the Guardians of the Poor ought to assist the women, one of those Pre- sent said that the Guardians rather did them an injury, because tl,'T had shirts made in the workhouse. Another woman showed a shirt of a superior kind which she made, and for which she was paid 6d. ; but 11100k prod hand fourteen hears to make such a shirt. It was stated that there were about five hundred women in the parish who were occupied in ab1rt-making at about 6d. a day ; being employed by eight or nine houses for the sale of slop clothing:. In some shops middlemen are em- ployed, who receive a halfpenny in each sixpence. A committee was appointed to collect further information on the subject, to make repre- sentations to the persons engaged in the trade, and, if necessary, to call a public meeting.
A curious scene was witnessed in the Court of Queen's Bench on Wednesday ; the law playing with a prisoner as a cat with a mouse. Captain Douglas, who had been in custody on a charge of desertion, was brought up on a writ of habeas corpus. The facts of the case may be briefly recapitulated. Captain Douglas, has been in the service of the East India Company twenty years : his regiment, the Forty- ninth Native Infantry, was at Madras; he had leave of absence to go to the Neilgherry Hills, and his leave would expire in March next. He had, however, come to England under a feigned name; and it is said to have been discovered that he was guilty of malversation in a civil office which he held. He was lately arrested on a charge of desertion, taken before Mr. Hardwicke, the Magistrate at Marl- borough Street Police-office, and committed to Tothill Fields Prison ; thence he was transferred, on a warrant from the Secretary at War, to the custody of Lieutenant-Colonel Hay, the commander of the East India Company's forces at Chatham. Mr. Kelly, Mr. Rogers, and Mr. Montagu Chambers appeared for Captain Douglas; the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, Mr. Clarkson, Mr. Pollock, and Mr. Forsyth for the East India Company. Mr. Kelly urged at considerable length three objections to the course which had been taken: it was not shown that Captain Douglas ought to be with his regiment ; the 32d section of the Mutiny Act, the only one which applied to the East India Company's forces, extended the act to their forces in the United Kingdom, Captain Douglas's corps being in India ; and the 22d section of the act, which authorised the committal of deserters by a Magistrate, applies not to officers but only to common soldiers. The Bench held the objections to be valid, and Captain Douglas was ordered to be discharged. He was leaving the Court, when the Attorney-General called him back ; and, while the Captain was hesitating whether he should return or not, moved that he should be committed on a charge of mal-versation in the office he held in India, where he had unlawfully received the sum of 12,8001., and that on such charge he should take his trial in this country. Mr. Kelly interposed; and Lord Denman de- eded that the judgment of the Court must have some effect, and that Captain Douglas was free to go where he pleased. He left the Court ; but outside he was arrested under a writ of capias, to recover penalties to the amount of 12,8001., the sum alleged to have been misappropriated in his office. About an hour and a half afterwards, Mr. Kelly obtained the attention of the Court, and a long argument arose as to the legality of the second arrest ; the Captain's counsel contending that it was a civil process, and that the plaintiffs could not take advantage of Captain Douglas's wrongful custody and presence in the court to arrest him. The Bench held the proceediug to be of a criminal nature, and refused to entertain the application for the prisoner's discharge. He was ac- cordingly removed in custody.
In the Secondaries Court, on Tuesday, Mr. Simpson, a painter, ob- tained a verdict for 13/. 16s. 7d. for work done in painting parts of the Barbados, a ship chartered by the North American Association to con- vey emigrants to Prince Edward Island. There was no defence.
At Bow Street, on Wednesday, Mr. John Vaughan, a pawnbroker, of the Strand, appeared in answer to a summons to show cause why he refused to deliver up to Alice Lowe two china snuff boxes which had been pledged at his shop, after the duplicates, principal, and interest, had been tendered. They formed part of the property for stealing which from Lord Frankfort she had been tried and acquitted. Lowe came to the Police-office in a carriage, attended by a servant in livery ! Mr. Montague stated for Mr. Vaughan, that he had been served with a notice calling upon him to deliver up to Lord Frankfort's solicitor the boxes, under a threat of an action. Mr. Vaughan was willing to deliver the boxes to the pledger, but he demanded an indemnification against the consequences. Mr. Adolphus insisted that the defendant had no legal right todetain property after principal, interest, and the duplicates relat- ing to it had been tendered, unless he had previously received notice from the person who had pledged it to the contrary. Mr. Twyford, the Magistrate, demanded proof that the action threatened by Lord Frank- ford was bond fide ; which was promised. Mr. Adolphus said, that in that case he should advise Alice Lowe to bring another action against Mr. Vaughan. Mr. Twyford said, that would be the fairest way to dispose of the whole matter ; and, under such circumstances, he would adjourn the case until the first Wednesday in March next.
A shocking disclosure has been made at Harrow. Patrick Leith Strachan, who occupied the station of a gentleman, and who has recently returned from America, is said to have been detected in a systematic endeavour to debauch one of the pupils at the school; and it is supposed that his schemes extended to Sandhurst and other public schools. He was committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court, but was admitted to bail, giving his own security under 500/. penalty and two others of 2501. each. [So Mr. Strachan, if he is guilty, is to be let off for 1,000/. and contingent expenses!] At a special meeting of the St. Pancras Vestry, on Wednesday, a report was read from the Directors of the poor, charging the recent report of the Assistant Poor-law Commissioners, on the state of educa- tion among the pauper children of the parish, with misrepresentation ; and at the suggestion of the Directors, a committee was appointed by the Vestry, to inquire into the propriety of taking legal steps to invalidate the whole proceedings of the Commissioners, on the ground that Mr. Twaselton, an Assistant Poor-law Commissioner, is incapacitated by the terms of the Act 5 and 6 Vict. chap. 57, from acting as a Special Commissioner,
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