The Lord Mayor recently addressed a letter to the Magistrates
of Lambeth Street Police-office, stating that several poor persons had complained at the Mansionhouse of the refusal of the Lambeth Street otheers to allow them to communicate with the Magistrates, and recom- mending an inquiry into such practice of the people stationed at the door of the office. The Magistrates are reported to have answered to tins effect—that if any complaint were made to them respecting the City ofhcers, they should deem it expedient not to pay the slightest attention to it. The Lord Mayor, in reply to this communication, wrote again to the Magistrates on Thursday week, expressing his surprise at the manner in which his first letter had been received, and informing them that he was given to understand that the Police-officers of Lambeth Street Office refused to allow the paupers access to the Magistrates excepting on Saturdays. The following is the laconic reply of the Lambeth Street Magistrates, dated the same day—" The Magistrates of this office beg to acknowledge the receipt of the Lord Mayor's com- munication."
The Police reports of the week consist for the most part of the de- tails of applications of paupers for relief, and complaints of the opera- tion of the New Poor-Law Bill. According to the accounts in the papers, there seem to have been several cases of considerable hardship ; but it is the practice at present to colour all such more highly than is consistent with truth ; and we doubt the existence of extreme suffer- ing and poverty, when the offer of an asylum in a well-regulated work- house is refused. In almost every instance that has come before the Magistrates, the complaint has been, that instead of a weekly sum of money, the pauper has been offered the workhouse for himself or his children. The Magistrates, especially, the Lord Mayor, continue to indulge in sidewinded or direct abuse of the law, which they ought to teach the people to respect and obey.
On Monday, Catherine Hillier was brought before Mr. Halls at Bow Street, for:final examination, charged with forging an order for the payment of the sum of 468/. with intent to defraud Lord Stradbroke. His Lordship attended, and stated that the signature on the cheek was not in his handwriting. The prisoner was then committed for trial to Newgate.
Francisco Lousada, an Italian gentleman, was on Wednesday bound over to keep the peace towards Sir Charles Wolseley, whom he had threatened to horsewhip. The complaint of Sir Charles was heard in private, and the facts of the case did not transpire.
At the Hatton Garden Office, on Thursday, several drivers of omnibuses were fined in small sums, for misconduct of various kinds. One of the complainants was Sir Charles Forbes, who was in con- siderable danger last Sunday, when riding in his carriage in the New Road, from the careless racing of two omnibuses.
Mrs. Penleaze, wife of the Member for Southampton, attended at the Marlborough Street Office on Thursday, to state some particulars relative to an extensive robbery of jewels, watches, &c. which bad been committed in her house. The hearing was a private one, and the result is not given.
Yesterday week, as the Bath and Bristol mail was about to leave Piccadilly, the guard put down the small private bag in which are con- veyed all the valuable parcels, and having turned his attention away from it but an instant, it was gone. It is expected that the thieves will have rich booty. A very fine child, about two years old, was scalded to death in a house in Gray's Inn Lane, on Wednesday evening, during the absence of the careless mother, who left a kettle of boiling water within reach, which the infant pulled down upon itself.
The Cornet steam-vessel ran down a boat off Rotherhithe on the evening of yesterday week, and caused the death of a boy who was rowing it. An inquest was held oi 'assly on Saturday ; and the Jury returned a verdict of " Acciemr atb," with a deodand of 20/. on the steamer, which belongs to the New Gravesend Company.
The gasometer at the Ratcliffe Gas-works exploded early on Tues- day morning, scattering the machinery connected with it to a consider- able distance. None of the workmen were injured. The amount of the damage is stated to be 1,5001.
An inquest was held on Saturday morning, on the body of Mr. Thomas Mayhew, who destroyed himself on Thursday, in his chambers in Barnard's Inn. The deceased was the proprietor and principal con- tributor to various plays and periodical publications ; among which were Figaro in London, Lo Studio, and The National Library; and he had become considerably embarrassed in his affairs. He was found in his chambers, lying on the door, with several phials ancla charcoal- burner near him. He had written to a friend shortly before commit- ting the fatal act, which showed him to have been in a deranged state of
mind. One remark in the letter was to the effect, that his plays would fetch a better price in consequence of the nature of his death. The Jury returned a verdict, "that the deceased destroyed himself with prussic acid and the fumes of charcoal, being at the same time in an unsound state of mind."
On the same day, an inquest was held at the Cock, Kennington Green, on the body of Mary Mead, who lived in the service of Mr. Bennett, a schoolmaster at Kennington, and was found sitting upon
her bed, with her legs resting on the floor, in the last agonies of death. A pool of blood was near her; and a medical gentleman ascertained that it proceeded from a wound in her right leg. It was supposed that,
while getting into bed, she struck her leg against the side of the bed- stead, and that when asleep she slowly bled to death. She never spoke after she was first found. Verdict, " Natural death."
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