1 OCTOBER 1853, Page 2

at Yartropulis.

At a Common Hall held on Thursday, the Liverymen unanimously elected Mr. Alderman Sidney to be Lord Mayor for the ensuing year. Thanks were voted to the present Lord Mayor, especially distinguishing him for his liberal support of the cause of education. The same compli- ment was also paid to the Sheriffs.

The new Sheriffs, Mr. Alderman Wire and Mr. Wallis, have been sworn in this week.

At a meeting of the Court of Common Council, on Wednesday, a mo- tion was made on the report of draught regulations for the new Orphan School, "that the Master elected be a minister of the Church of Eng- land." Mr. Charles Gilpin opposed this; not in a sectarian spirit, he said, but because he thought that the Court ought not to tie itself to the selection of a person of any particular creed. On a division, the motion was carried by 35 to 27. Mr. Gilpin gave notice that at the next meet- ing he should move that the resolution be rescinded.

A deputation from the Protestant Alliance; headed by the Earl of Shaftesbury, waited upon Lord Clarendon on Wednesday, to state the case of Miss Margaret Cunyngham, arrested at Lucca for distributing an Italian version of the Bible and also of the Pilgrines Progress; and to urge the Government to procure her immediate liberation. Lord Shaftes- bury strongly condemned the law under which the lady was arrested. Lord Clarendon concurred with Lord Shaftesbury in his opinion of the law in question, which is not only contrary to the principles of the gospel but to the spirit of the age. He was quite familiar with the facts of the case, having received a despatch from Mr. Scarlett on the subject ; and he had lost no time in forwarding his directions to that gentleman. Mr. Scarlett had acted with the greatest zeal in the matter, and in a manner to secure Lord Clarendon's entire approbation. All the members of the Cabinet with whom he had an opportunity of communicating entirely agreed with him, and no exertion should be spared on his part to secure Miss Cunyngham's release. Lord Clarendon concluded by thanking the deputation for urging this subject upon his attention ; adding, that their so doing afforded a strong indication of the interest felt in the case by all cleave.

A deputation from the Evangelical Alliance, headed by Sir Cul- ling Eardley, also waited on Lord Clarendon, on Thursday, and re- ceived a similar reply. Lord Clarendon stated, that all outward re- spect had been paid to Miss Margaret Cunyngham; that her mother was allowed to see her; and that every legitimate effort would be made by the British Government to vindicate its right to interfere in this case and restore the young lady to liberty.

A meeting of "the friends of Greece" was held at Crosby Hall on Thursday. Very few persons attended. The Earl of Harrington, who was to act as chairman, did not appear ; and the post was occupied by the Reverend Mr. Hibbert. The chief speakers were Mr. Percy St. John and Mr. Horace St. John ; and the object of the meeting was to found an "Eastern Church League "—not to advance the designs of Russia, but to set up a Greek empire with Constantinople for its capital. Notwith- standing the paucity of attendance, there were several dissentients, who thought that the Turkish Government was no more tyrannical than other governments : but a resolution in favour of the League was carried, and a committee was appointed to found the Greek Empire.

Mr. John Bright M.P. has made and sustained a claim to a vote for the City in respect of his occupation of a house in Skinner Street, used as a carpet-warehouse by a firm of which he was a member. He resided in Gloucester Terrace, where he lived during the session of Parliament, renting the house by the month.

The gain of the Liberals during the recent revision of the Parliament- ary lists in the City is 304.

The Revising Barrister for the borough of MaryIebone opened his court on Thursday. No fewer than fwe thousand electors will be struck off the lists in Marylebone, St. Pancras, and Paddington parishes, for non-payment of Assessed Taxes within the period allowed by law.

The Department of Practical Art is about to open a class or classes at Marlborough House, for the instruction of the Metropolitan schoolmasters and schoolmistresses in the elements of art. Nearly two hundred of these novel pupils of both sexes met at Shaftesbury Hall, Aldersgate Street, on Saturday, under the presidence of Mr. Burchett, head master at Marl- borough House. Resolutions were passed urging the necessity of prac- tically acquainting schoolmasters and schoolmistresses with the plans of the department ; and also suggesting the establishment of a central school in the City, in order to accommodate those who live at a distance from Pall Mall.

Tables of distances and fares have now been set up at all the cab- stands in the Metropolis. The Police attendants at the stands commence their duties this day.

At a meeting of the proprietors of the North Metropolitan Railway, on Thursday, Mr. Malins, the Chairman, announced that the Directors had entered into an agreement with the Great Western Railway, in conse- quence of which the North Metropolitan will apply to Parliament for powers to extend their line to the Great Western station at Paddington ;

lik7ii;,=* their

for the Great Western to subscribe to the mate Mr. S. Baker and Captain Bulkeley, Great West-

'to •fr he North Metropolitan board. They are also ...n-K/ tr!hie to the Post-office, should the City Terminus initrtaking. Mr. Stooke master of the Queen of the Taiga, two seamen, and two Las. ears, have been sent to England as prisoners by the Governor of Gibraltar, on a charge of murdering five Lascars on the high seas. Thirteen Di.. ropeans and Lasears accompanied them as witnesses. The accused were pro. duced before the Thames Police Magistrate on Tuesday. The papers sent from Gibraltar do not appear to have assisted the Magistrate much in com. prehending the matter ; arid even when two witnesses—one for the prosecu- tion and one on the other side—had been examined, the affair was not made very clear. It seems probable that the master and the two Englishmen ought not to have been treated as criminals. When seven hundred miles from the West coast of Africa, at night, some of the Lascars on board, who had been shipped at Singapore, armed themselves and made an attack oil the mate and an English mariner ; the mate receiving many wounds. The object of the Lascars is presumed to have been, to massacre the English and seize the ship. The mate, some seamen, and the master, had a bloody conflict with the mutineers' and overcame them ; five were killed, and the prisoners were charged with their "murder." The including the five in one charge seems ridiculous ; for if the master murdered the five Lamers, the two La's. car prisoners were not likely to have assisted him ; on the contrary, the mate declares that they formed part of the mutinous gang. Mr. Yardley said he

i should remand the case, that the proper authorities might take it n hand, and not leave him to puzzle out the facts without assistance. The two Las. cars were now involved in a charge of mutiny, and he sent them to prison; but he took bail for the master and the two sailors.

Mr. Kitchen, a publican at Tottenham, having drunk a good deal, drove his cab so fast and recklessly that he came into collision with the brougham of the French Ambassador, the pole of the cab entering the chest of Count Walewski's horse, and killing him n on the spot. The Marlborough Street Magistrate has fined Mr. Kitchen forty shillings for furious driving ; leaving him exposed to an action for the value of the horse-130l.

Some of the Zulu Caffres who are exhibited at St. George's Gallery have been insubordinate : they would go out for a walk without the leave of Mr. Caldicott, the gentleman who brought them to England; squabbled with him in front of the exhibition building; and eventually Mangos, a chief, struck Mr. Caldieott, and he and his party armed themselves with their clubs. The chief was given into custody. When taken before the West- minster Magistrate, it appeared that Mr. Caldicott and his friends tried to push the chief and his adherents into the gallery, and then the chief struck Mr. Caldicott. The Zulu made a reply worthy of any lawyer in West- minster Hall, said the Magistrate : he wanted to know "why he was pushed and struck for going out." It appeared that the agreement which the Caf. fres had entered into was to perform native dances and exhibit native cus- toms for a fixed period ; but there was no restriction to prevent them from walking out at times when their services were not needed for the exhibition. Mr. Broderip decided that the complainant had no right to coerce the Afri- cans if they fulfilled their agreement ; at the same time, he had the chief warned, through an interpreter, that violent behaviour is not allowed in England. The chief said he was sorry, and would not do so again • "but if a man pushed him, he must push again." The Magistrate told hire he must not do so, but apply for the protection of the law.

The inquest on the persons killed by the fall of the house in the Strand was concluded on Monday. Mr. Abraham, surveyor to the Duke of Sorfolk, who was also employed as surveyor by Messrs. Smith, was examined. His evi- dence was of great length, occupying five hours. He stated that the build- ing which fell was of the slightest possible construction ; one of the oldest, probably, in the Strand, having been built about the time of Henry the Eighth. "Jack," that is short shores, were placed against the lower part of the wall before the excavation was made. Wherever he saw a weak place he had a shore erected ; he never saw a house better shored. Originally he had intended to take down the party-wall ; but Mr. Thompson besought him not to do so—it would ruin his business. Mr. Abraham eventually left it to the decision of the district surveyor ; and that officer decided that it might be kept up. Before the accident, Mr. Abraham had been angry at the in- cautious way in which the excavations both in the Strand and in Arundel Street were proceeding : the day before the fall, he especially censured Rowe for undermining the out-building at the rear of Mr. Thompson's house—he pronounced that parlour to be dangerous. The party-wall of the house it- self, however, he considered to be safe. The long shores would only have endangered the wall had they been higher ; and as to "needling" the wall, it would have been "an act of insanity." Interrogated as to the muse of the accident, Mr. Abraham said, "I believe that the excavators had undermined the wall; but I did not see them do it." He acted as clerk of the works, and it was his duty to see them properly carried out. When he last saw the excavation the house had not been imperilled ; and it was distinctly under- stood that no further excavation should be made till he again saw Rowe. Mr. Livett, clerk to a coal-merchant saw on the morning of the disaster that the men had dug a couple of feet below the footings for a length of four or five feet : he remarked that if they did not mind they would have the house down ; he then went away, and in a few minutes after this the house fell. Mr. Bayliss, who lives opposite, declared that the workmen were cut- ting away at the wall from end to end; there were not five short shores, he could swear. Mr. Abraham was recalled, and swore there were five. The Coroner read the report of the three surveyors—Messrs. Dent, Lawferd, and Stevens—who had been appointed to inspect the ruins. They held that there should have been more short shores. After describing the way in which the wall had fallen with the Western face inward, they remarked- " we are of opinion, that provided the floors of No. 184 had been shored up on the West side of the party-wall, to take off the downward pressure, and provided also additional shores had been plated under those fixed in the East side, to secure the ground and basement walls of the East party-wall from pressing out, and that the wall had been underpinned to the depth of the footings of the intended new building, the accident would not have hap- pened." Mr. Stevens was examined. If the floors had been shored up in- side, he thought the house itself would not have fallen even though the wall had given way.

After the Coroner had summed up, the Jury consulted for two hours, and

• then returned this verdict—" We unanimously find, that Robert Thompson, Sarah Thompson, George Dunne, and George Rowe, came to their respective deaths by the falling of the house No. 184 Strand; and that the falling of such house is to be attributed to the gross negligence of Mr. Abraham, the surveyor employed by the Duke of Norfolk and the Me611113. Smith, in not causing the party-wall to be sufficiently shored up and underpinned before the excavations for the new building were commenced." The Coroner told the Jury that this was equivalent to a finding of "manslaughter." The Jury said they did not intend that. The Coroner suggested that they might leave out the words "gross negligence." The Jury said, they could not con- sent to that—they did not mean to charge Mr. Abraham with manslaughter, but at the same time their verdict clearly expressed their opinion, and they must maintain it whatever the consequences. The upshot was that this verdict was recorded—" Manslaughter against Henry Robert Abraham."

Chamberlain, a guard on the North Kent Railway, was found lying on the roof of a carriage when a train arrived in London, with his leg broken and other hurts : he was insensible, and soon died. It is supposed that he had missed his carriage when the train left a station, and in attempting to

walk over the roofs to gain his proper station had come in contact with a

bridge.

An old man has lost his life by a fire in the house where he lodged, at pheasant Court, Holborn. The case is notable for the courage and humanity of one man, in contradistinction to the conduct of some others. Edward Howard was attracted to the place in the afternoon by a cry of " Fire 7." Ile found the occupants throwing their goods from the house ; they begged him to ascend to the second-floor, as there was a man burning. He went up, alone; and dragged the old man out of the flames, with difficulty, for though his clothes were burning he clung to a table, feebly exclaiming, "My money, my money !"—a. purse was subsequently found in the table- drawer containing fourteen shillings—and he even tried to regain the room to save this little hoard. No one assisted Howard in rescuing the poor old ,32ess The Coroner's Jury did not omit to express their special approbation of his conduct.

A very destructive fire broke out in the printing-office of Messrs. Savill and Edwards, in Chaudos Street, early yesterday morning. Fire-brigades were quickly on the spot, but great loss was sustained. The machine-rooms and printing-offices were burnt out. Eight or nine of the neighbouring houses suffered severely, and were burnt and damaged more or less. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained.