Zbe iftetropolis.

A Court of Aldermen was held on Tuesday ; and Mr. David Salo- mons, recently elected to the vacancy in the Court, was required to take the usual oath and declaration. He asked for further time, in order that he might take high legal opinion upon his qualification : but the Recorder declared that such an indulgence of time would be a dereliction of the Court's duty ; and the Lord Mayor called upon Mr. Salomons at once to comply with the forms. Mr. Salomons then pro- ceeded to address the Court at some length ; contending, that it would be lawful to admit him as a member without any declaration, leaving to him the option of refusing to make it and to incur in his own person any penalties or liabilities thence arising. He grounded this view on some acts of Parliament for the relief of Quakers, Moravians, and Se- paratists, and on some judicial decisions. He particularly rested on the act of 1838 for the further relief of Quakers, Moravians, and Sepa- ratists; which provided, that in all cases in which an oath is required to be administered to any person, as juryman, witness, &c., in a court of law or equity, or on appointment to any office, the same shall be ad- ministered in such form as such person shall declare to be most binding upon him. So that every man, whether he be Jew or Gentile, Hindoo or Mahomedan, might, under this act, be sworn in under any form most binding upon his conscience. He reminded the Court, that he had been appointed a High Sheriff of Kent, Deputy-Lieutenant of Kent, and Justice of the Peace in two counties ; and that, by the Conservative Government, a Jew had been appointed Sheriff of Devon, and Sir Moses Montefiore had been placed in the commission of the peace for Middlesex and for the district of the Cinque Ports. Jews are actually members of the Corporations in Birmingham, Southampton, and Ports- mouth. With these reasons for a favourable judgment, he left the case in the hands of the Court.

In the course of Mr. Salomons's speech, the Recorder frequently inter- rupted him with Comments; and he remarked, that if Mr. Salomons would claim exemption as a Separatist, there would be no further diffi- culty in the matter. Sir Peter Laurie contended, that the specific ex- emption of Separatists and other Christian Dissenters distinctly showed that the Legislature intended not to touch the restrictions as respected other sects ; and that Mr. Salomons could not claim exemption from regulations enforced against everybody else. He moved "that David Salomons, esquire, be now required to make and subscribe the declara- tion according to the provision of the 9th George IV. c. 17"; which was seconded by Alderman Hughes.

Sir John Key supported Mr. Salomons, and quoted the decision pro- nounced by the Judges in the former case of Mr. Salomons-

" We are of opinion," said the Lord Chief Justice of England, "the Court of Aldermen ought to have admitted him by administering the oaths of office ; that he, when BO admitted, had the option of making or declining to make the declaration : and that if he had declined after admission, none of the conse- quences attached by the act to the refusal could accrue."

Sir John moved that Mr. Salomons be at once sworn into the office of Alderman ; which was seconded by Alderman Hunter.

On being put, the amendment was negatived by 10 to 6; and the original motion was carried. The Town-Clerk therefore called upon Mr. Salomons to subscribe to the declaration ; which he declined to do. On the motion of Sir Peter Laurie, the election of Mr. Salomons was declared void, and a precept was ordered to issue for a new election in the Ward of Portsoken. Mr. Salomons protested against the decision of the Court ; and announced the intention of appealing against it. The Court then broke up.

Mr. Salomons has issued an address to the electors, in which he says- " The contest is not over; it is removed only to another tribunal, where I shall meet with more able judges and more temperate expositors of the law." Mr. Moon is again a candidate for the vacant gown ; and Mr. Thomas Bousfield has also offered himself.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday. The Recorder read King Louis Philippe's reply to the address of the Corporation. On the motion of Sir Peter Laurie, seconded by Mr. Jupp, and modified at the suggestion of Mr. Anderton, it was resolved that a copy of the ad- dress should be properly emblazoned, framed, and glazed, (for which there was not time before its presentation.) and sent to the King of the French ; that the reply should be emblazoned and recorded ; and that it should be engraved, in order that a copy might be distributed to every member of the Court. A letter from Sir James Graham was read, stating that the Queen had signified her intention of visiting the City of London on Monday the 28th instant, for the purpose of opening the New Exchange ; and that her Majesty would arrive at Temple Bar at

noon. On the motion of Mr. Richard Lambert Jones, seconded by Mr. Harrison, it was resolved that a loyal and dutiful address be pre- sented to her Majesty ; and that the Mercers Company (who joined in building the Exchange) should be duly recognized in the address and apprized of the arrangements. The Court then adjourned.

A public meeting was held in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansionhonse, on Wednesday, to organize an association for furnishing the labouring poor with baths and wash-houses. The Lord Mayor presided : on the

platform were, the Bishop of London, Archdeacon Wilberforce, and many other clergymen, Lord Dudley Stuart, Mr. Byng, M.P., Mr. Col- quhoun, M.P., Sir William Clay, M.P., Sir John Pine and several other members of the Corporation, Mr. David Salomons, Mr. Cotton, Go- vernor of the Bank, and other gentlemen of influence.

The Bishop of London moved the following resolution-

" That great ad vantage has been found to result to the labouring classes from the establishment of baths and wash-houses for their accommodation, whereby habits of cleanliness have been promoted, and their families have been relieved from the inconvenience of washing their clothes in their own rooms." This he supported in a speech of some length; referring to the vast amount of human misery and wretchedness masked by the splendid front of the great London streets ; misery attributable in a great mea- sure to crowded habitations, and the consequent inability to cultivate habits of cleanliness, essential to physical comfort and sound morality. The public are much indebted to Government for recent inquiries into the sanatory condition of the poor, and to the Commissioners who have conducted such inquiries. To show the connexion between physical evil and moral degradation, he read a passage from the evidence of a be- nevolent and intelligent individual who has taken a prominent part in the matter—Dr. Southwood Smith : "A clean, fresh, and well-ordered house, exercises over its inmates a moral no less than a physical influence, and has a direct tendency to make the mem- bers of the family sober, peaceable, and considerate of the feelings and happi- ness of each other ; nor is it difficult to trace a connexion between habitual feelings of this sort and the formation of habits of respect for property, for the laws in general, and even for those higher duties and obligations the observance of which no laws can enforce; whereas a filthy, squalid, unwholesome dwelling, in which none of the decencies common to society even in the lowest stage of civilization are or can be observed,"—note that, said the Bishop, for that is the ground of this appeal—" tends directly to make every dweller in such a hovel regardless of the feelings and happiness of each other, selfish and sensual; and the connexion is obvious between the constant indulgence of appetites and passions of this class, and the formation of habits of idleness, dishonesty, de- bauchery, and violence." The reluctance of landlords to make alterations opposes great ob- stacles to the improvement of dwellings for the poor ; but the want of cleanliness might be alleviated by the formation of public baths and wash-houses. At Liverpool such establishments had existed for two years ; and he bad recently inspected them— As many as 220 labourers had bathed in them on one Saturday ; though the baths were rather on a limited scale, there being only eighteen separate ones and a vapour-bath. The Superintendent overheard one labouring man say to another, after using a tepid bath, " I feel as if I could do another week's work now 1 have been in the bath." Suppose that to take place on a Saturday, the results were not likely to be confined to agreeable sensations and the revival of physical strength ; but the working-man would be more fit, and probably more disposed, to the due observance of that holy day which immediately fol- lows Saturday, to the health and prosperity of the soul. There was hardly any one cause which operated more to keep away the poorest classes from the Lord's house on the Lord's day than the habits of uncleanliness in which they were, against their own inclination, compelled to live. The establishment has succeeded so well, that the Corporation have determined to erect another public bath.

In London there is perhaps greater necessity for such an establish- ment, and certainly there are larger means. It was proposed to esta- blish, not large common baths, but a number of separate baths, the bather having the liberty to let in as much hot or cold water as he might desire. By delivering the poor from habits of uncleanliness, much may be done towards improving their dwellings. And those who, accumulating large fortunes, share in the wealth of London, should remember that the very greatness of the Metropolis is the chief cause of the crowded population ; even the improvements which contribute to the outward dignity of London, by removing such wretched districts as St. Giles's, render the crowd in other places still more dense. With whole families in a single room, the inmates enfeebled by disease, the process of washing clothes is irksome, and even injurious from the dampness which it generates : the process is postponed as long as possible; and when resorted to, what kind of washing was it? In too many cases they washed their linen in dirty water, in water already used. He knew it to be a fact, that to a large extent, as a substitute for soap, those poor persons would use articles too disgusting to be named ; and, consequently, the linen when washed was more pestilent than be- fore. Mr. Toynbee, a medical gentleman, says- " Sick children have been neglected and left dirty, from the inability to fetch the water. One source of dampness and smell is the vessels of dirty water re- tained in the rooms. The towels given me to wipe my hands, although osten- sibly clean, yet having been washed ia dirty water, are unfit for use. The smell of their linen, which they tell me is clean, is often offensive."

These things contribute to a decline in the average health of the popu- lation, and give an impulse to the use of stimulating drinks. What is wanted is pure air and pure water ; which can best be supplied in a public establishment. It was therefore proposed to supply water to the poorer classes for the purpose of baths, and for the purpose of furnishing them with public wash-houses ; where the wife of a working-man would be supplied with hot and cold water, with tubs and other conveniences, at the cheap rate of id. for every six hours, besides the use of a drying- room, where all the linen washed would be quickly and effectually dried.

Mr. Byng, in seconding the motion, which was carried unanimously, intimated that he should subscribe liberally.

Archdeacon Wilberforce moved the subjoined resolution, meeting some objections to the project, and stating that it was intended to erect three of the establishments on the City side of the river, and one on the Southwark side-

" That it is highly desirable to extend the advantages of such establishments to the labouring classes of the Metropolis, especially in those crowded and po- pulous districts where the want of such accommodation is severely felt."

Lord Dudley Stuart seconded the resolution; and it passed nentine contradicente.

Subsequent resolutions authorized the appointment of a Committee to carry the measures into effect ; requested the Bishop of London to be President of the Association, (which he agreed to be); authorized a public subscription ; and appointed the Lord Mayor, Mr. Samuel Jones Loyd, Mr. John Abel Smith, and Mr. Anthony De Rothschild, trustees of the fund. These resolutions were severally proposed and seconded by Archdeacon Hale, Sir George Larpent, Mr. Colquhoun, Mr. Wire, Mr. David Salomons, Alderman Johnson, Dr. Russell, and Mr. George Frederick Young.

In moving thanks to the Chairman, Mr. Cotton stated that the move- ment mainly originated with Mr. Buller, the honorary secretary ; and that the members of the Government, in their individual capacity, viewed it with approbation. The motion was seconded by Mr. Moon ; and, like all that preceded it, carried unanimously. In acknowledging the com- pliment, the Lord Mayor declared that he should do his best to carry out the object in view. The meeting was then dissolved.

At a meeting of Middlesex Magistrates, in the Sessions-House, on Thursday, a communication was read from Mr. Sergeant Adams an- nouncing his resignation of the Chairmanship of the bench of Magis- trates, he having been appointed Assistant-Judge of that Court. A new Chairman will be elected in January next. A county-rate of one penny in the pound was agreed to.

A fire, which destroyed property to a large amount, broke out at the New Cross Railway-station on Monday night, about nine o'clock. Pre- parations were in progress for the reception of the King of the French, when fire was discovered in the engine-repository, a fine octagonal building, 150 feet in circumference and 80 high. The upper part is used as workshops ; and the fire is supposed to have been caused by the spontaneous ignition of some vegetable black. In the lower part of the building were a number of engines and tenders, and of these only two engines were saved. There was a large body of the Police present to receive the French King, and engines arrived speedily after the outbreak of the fire, so that assistance was prompt and abundant ; yet the octagon building was completely gutted, and another structure used as a factory, and 120 feet long, was also destroyed, The fire was with difficulty prevented from extending to the other offices ; and it was daybreak before the flames were completely subdued. The loss is estimated at nearly 20,0001.; the Railway Company are insured to the extent of 13,6001.

The annual accidents from the making of fireworks have commenced. A man and his wife have been killed by an explosion of squib-com- position, at Camberwell.

The Britannia tavern at Blackwell was destroyed by fire on Thurs- day morning. The Plough and India House taverns were also much injured.