Zbe I-Metropolis.
The Lord Mayor, the Recorder, several Aldermen, the Sheriffs, and other officers of the City, held Courts of Conservancy of the River Thames for the counties of Middlesex and Surrey, on Friday. The Middlesex Jury made a presentment pointing out several floating piers as nuisances, both because they impede the navigation and cause accu- mulation of mud, and because they are ill-constructed, inconvenient, and unsafe. They recommended that the proprietors of such piers should be compelled to construct others, under the superintendence of the Conservators, safe, unobstructing, open to the public use generally, and liable to removal in the event of improvements where they are situate. They also pointed out a serious encroachment, in the obstruc- tion of a public footpath between Vauxhall Bridge and the Chelsea Water-works. The encroachment is to be brought before the Court of Aldermen. The Surrey Jury made similar reports respecting several floating-piers within their jurisdiction, and many barges and timber- rafts which impede the navigation of the river.
A meeting of the inhabitants of Marylebone to consider the state of Ireland, convened at the instance of the Members, Sir Benjamin, Hall and Sir Charles Napier, was held on Monday, at Hall's Riding- school. The school, which holds about 3,000 persons, was well filled. Sir Benjamin Hall was called to the chair ; and there were on the plat- form Sir Charles Napier, Mr. Thomas Duncombe, M.P., Mr. Sharman Crawford, M.P., Mr. Hume, M.P., Mr. William Williams, M.P., Mr. Feargus O'Connor, Mr. Robert Owen, and others. The Chairman stated, that the meeting was called to petition the Queen : from Sir James Graham's declaration that concession to Ireland had reached its farthest limit, he inferred that coercion was to be carried yet further— (Cries of " No, no; they detten't ")—and he wished that meeting to be the precursor of others. Slr De Lacy Evans enumerated the Irish grievances which just now attract Most attention. He was interrupted by com- mentaries from the body of ,the meeting, which appear to indicate that a great portion were Irish : when he said that there was a commotion in Ireland, one called out, " So there ought to be!"—at which there was loud cheering " for several minutes ": when he said that Ireland would be reduced to the state of a rotten borough, another called out " She never will ; Repeal will prevent that" : when he spoke of justice to Ireland, a persoe cried, " It 's too late ; we must have Repeal." He snored a resolution expressing the deep sorrow and alarm of the meet- ing at the state of public feeling in Ireland, and their pain and indigna- tion at the present policy of Ministers as indicated in the Arms Bill, the dismissal of Magistrates, and the absence of all adequate plans for the just and equitable rule of the Irish people. Mr. George Daniell, seconding the resolution, expressed an opinion that if justice were done the banner of Repeal would fall powerless ; at which there were cries of " No, no I" Mr. Feargus O'Connor addressed the meeting as " brother Repealers "; and declared, that if it was proposed to strike the standard of Repeal on the plea of giving more extended justice to Ireland, it would only be an attempt to do pettifogging justice ; for Ireland never would rest satisfied until it was relieved from provin- cial (?) legislation. Mr. Ridley, a Chartist, moved as an amendment, a resolution declaring the conduct of the late and present Governments towards Ireland unjust and tyrannical, and asserting the right of the Irish to take legal measures for the Repeal of the Union. Mr. Thomas Duncombe proposed to combine the original resolution and the amend- ment. He emulated Mr. O'Connell— They were told that the Whig and Tory party were prepared to go to war with Ireland rather than concede the Repeal of the Union. (Cries of "They dare not!" and cheering.) In the House of Commons, war with Ireland was talked of with as much levity as that House would pass a turnpike-bill or vote a royal pension. (Loud groaning, and cries of Shame ! ") But he would ask, were the people of England prepared to go to war with Ireland in order to support the injustice of centuries ? ("No, no!") Were they prepared to go to war in support of an Administration which was the laughingstock of Ire- land and the contempt of England ? (" No, no ! ") Or were they prepared to go to war in support of that odious impost on the Irish people, an Irish State Church ? (Tremendous cries of "No, no! ") No, he would say they were not—(" Cheers, and " No! ")—and he would tell them more. The very first shot this despotic Government fired—the very first salvo stained with Irish blood—would be a signal which would not allow the horrors of civil war to be confined to Ireland. (Enthusiastic cheering for several minutes.) The people of this country had a long account to settle with former Governments, and would not only not join in this unholy crusade against the people of Ireland, j but would rather join hands with them and secure the remedy of mutual wrongs and mutual grievances. (Cheers, and "We will! ") Were he an Irish- man, he should demand the Repeal upon the same principle that the working people of this country demanded the Charter—(Cheers)--because they had no confidence in the present House of Commons. (Cheering.) If, then, English- men had no confidence in the present House of Commons, with what face could they call upon the Irish people to confide? ("Hear, hear!")
Mr. Robert Owen made an attempt to obtain a hearing, but his voice was drowned. The Chairman announced that the amendment had been incorporated with the resolution ; and in that shape it was carried by acclamation. Sir Charles Napier manfully declared his disapproval of Repeal ; and Mr. Sharman Crawford dilated on the grievances of Ireland, especially the ejectments. Other resolutions, which were car- ried unanimously, denounced Sir James Graham's declaration about concession, and directed the resolutions to be embodied in a memorial to the Queen, praying that a just and conciliatory policy might be adopted, comprising civil and ecclesiastical reform and equal laws, and that the Queen would dismiss her present advisers and appeal to the sense of the people ; the memorial to be presented by the Earl of Charlemont and the Earl of Leitrim. The last resolution was that of thanks to the Chairman.
The inquest into the death of Colonel Fawcett was resumed before Mr. Wakley at the Camden Arms, Randolph Street, Camden Town, on Tuesday morning. The evidence threw some further light on the facts. The Reverend Mr. Hannam, the clergyman who attended Colo- nel Fawcett immediately before his death, had been summoned, and was in attendance ; but he stated that his conversation with Colonel Fawcett was entirely religious, and in his presence the dying man stated nothing which conveyed the slightest knowledge as to who was his antagonist ; and therefore Mr. Hannam was at once released from attendance. Sir Benjamin Brodie gave some additional evidence; from which it appeared, that at half-past six o'clock on Saturday the Is: July, a young gentleman, pale and thin, came to his house, and handed him a pencil-note written by Mr. Gulliver to Mr. Liston, re- questing that gentleman to attend on the wounded man ; but the bearer, being unable to find Mr. Liston, had proceeded to Sir Benjamin Brodie. Sir Benjamin proposed that the young gentleman should return with him ; but be said that he was going on for " the wife." He did not say how the wound was inflicted, but only that it was " an unfortunate affair." Sarah Lawford, cook to Mrs. Norton, of 188 Sloane Street, the house in which Colonel Fawcett lodged, and Harriet Dollamore, lady's- maid to Mrs. Fawcett, deposed that Mr. Munro came at nine o'clock on the Wednesday or 'Thursday evening before the Colonel's death, and was in the drawing-room with Colonel and Mrs. Fawcett. Previously the brothers-in-law had been on friendly terms ; but on that evening there were some angry words : Colonel Fawcett opened the drawing- room-door, and desired Lawford to open the street-door for Mr. Munro, adding, "for out of this house he shall go." Mr. Munro was then standing at the drawing-room door ; but he returned to the room, shut- ting himself in, and remained about five minutes : he talked loud, and he was heard to say, " If it was not for family connexions, I would " — He came out of the room, and left the house. On the Friday, a gentleman called on the Colonel : the cook took in his card; she thought his name was Grant ; and a card shown to her, with " Mr. D. Trevor Grant" in print and "27 Great Portland Street" in manu- script, was like the one that she took in. Mr. Isidore Blake produced a certificate from Dr. Anthony Todd Thompson, stating that it would be very dangerous for Mrs. Fawcett to attend at the inquest. Mr. Thomas Lock Williams, bootmaker, of 20 Haymarket, stated that he had two lodgers, Mr. William Clarke and Mr. William Cuddy. Mr. Cuddy was Lieutenant in the Fifty-fifth Regiment. On Saturday morning, 1st July, between four and five o'clock, there was a ring at the bell : Mr. Williams himself opened the door ; a brougham was standing there, and a short gentleman asked to go into Mr. Cuddy's room : the gentleman went up, and Mr. Williams heard two people come down. The witness again saw Mr. Cuddy several times be- tween seven and eleven o'clock : he said that he was about to quit the lodgings for a few days. Mr. Williams helped him to pack up, and to put his things into a cab ; and the driver was ordered to drive to the Brighton Railway. Mr. Williams had not seen his lodger since. Mrs. Elizabeth Arnaud, whose husband is a court plumassier and lets lodgings at 27 Great Portland Street, deposed that Lieutenant Grant of the Forty-fourth Regiment had lodged at her house. The card pro- duced (the one shown to Lawford) was his. He was tall and fair, and about thirty years of age. She spoke to him on Friday afternoon (the 30th June) : that night his bed did not appear to have been slept upon. She had not seen him since ; and he had left her lodgings without giving her any notice of his intention to quit. Mr. Munro breakfasted with Mr. Grant on the 30th June. Other witnesses were examined ; but their evidence was of little interest. Mr. Isidore Blake stated, that he bad never seen Colonel Fawcett, Mr. Munro, Mr. Gulliver, Mr. Cuddy, and Mr. Grant. together. He produced the following documents : they were exactly in the same state as when he found them in Colonel Fawcett's portfolio ; the letters seeming to have been written to the Colonel's second-
" 30th Juue 1843. " My dear — [Here the name was torn out.] " The enclosed gives you the fullest insight to the nature of the quarrel between Mr. Munro and me that I can offer.
" Had he not been the husband of my wife's sister, and his conduct in flatly contradicting me, and then saying he would have thrown me down stairs, I should have demanded a meeting, not giving him the option of making an apology. And this demanding an apology seems to me as absurd as his lan- guage and manners were unjustifiable. " It now rests with you ; and on the principle of fighting my tailor if chal- lenged, should Mr. Munro wish it, oblige me by having the meeting this evening, if possible.
" Yours faithfully, LTNAR FAWCETT." [Enclosed in the foregoing.]
" After some conversation with Mr. Munro relative to Mrs. Smith, I said, 'No matter, it was a blunder I might have made had I been acting for you, but she has bamboozled us,' or 'you '—I cannot say which. Upon which Mr. Munro, in a very loud voice, said, This is four times you have accused me of allowing you to be imposed on.' No, Munro, I have never said or thought you allowed me to be imposed on; the contrary, I said it was a blunder which I might have made towars you under similar circumstances.' Mr. Munro, in a most bullying manner, saying, ' I say you have, four times.' On which I said, ' A flat contradiction I shall endure from no man. From this moment, Sir, we are strangers; and I desire you leave my house, and never enter it again' on which I stood up, and, ringing the bell, desired the servant to open the door for Mr. Munro. Mr. Munro said, he would not leave the house. I said, ' The hall-door remains open until you do.' Mr. Munro, after remaining about five minutes and finishing his tea, left the house. " He returned soon after • he said, to apologize to Mrs. Fawcett for having left without wishing her good night. He then addressed me : 'Do not suppose I left the house because you desired me. 1 would stay here all night in spite of you ; and if it was not for the connexion of the family, I should, on your ordering me to leave the house—an insult such as I have never before re- ceived—I should have thrown you bead over heels down stairs.' To this ruffianly threat I said, 'Mr. Munro, that is not the way gentlemen settle their differences; and as to our family connexions, I beg you may cease to think of it.' During this intrusion, Mr. Munro:continued to swagger his cane, and kept his hat on.
" I pledge my honour to the above being the truth of what passed between us, to the best of my recollection ; and when he had left, my wife was surprised at my forbearance in not calling in the Police.
"30th June 1843. (Signed) LYNAR FAWCETT."
" 30th Juue 1843.
" My dear—[the name was here again torn away from the letter]—You are fully authorized on my part to assure Mr. Munro, that I never accused him of allowing me to be wronged wilfully. That I neither insulted him, nor had the most distant intention of insulting hint any way; but that I turned him out of my house for most grossly insulting me. " Yours faithfully, LYNAR FAWCETT." The Coroner having summed up the evidence, the Jury returned the following verdict- " We find that Alexander Thompson Munro, Duncan Trevor Grant, and William Holland Leckie Daniel Cuddy, are guilty of wilful murder as principals in the first degree; and that George Gulliver is guilty of wilful murder as principal in the second degree, the Jury believing that he was present only as medical attendant."
The several witnesses examined daring the inquest were bound over in their own recognizances to appear when required ; and the Coroner issued his warrants for the committal and apprehension of the parties against whom the verdict was returned.
At Bow Street Police Office, on Tuesday, Charles Tilden, the young man who was arrested last week while loitering about Sir Robert Peel's residence, was reexamined. A long conversation ensued; from which it appeared that the prisoner was merely a sulky, wilful boy ; and he was discharged upon entering into his own recognizances in the sum of 20/. and finding two sureties in 101. each to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for six months.
A destructive fire broke out between five and six o'clock on Satur- day morning, on the premises of Messrs. Johnson and Pinching, ex- tensive wholesale oil and colourmen, in the New Road, St. George's-in- the-East ; close by the Blackwell Railway. Inspector Norman, of the H. Police division, saw the building in flames, gave the alarm, and fire- engines were soon on the spot. Fireman Isaacs and Police-Sergeant Wilson forced an entrance, to ascertain if the flames could not be stopped : they had scarcely entered when some turpentine exploded, and they were buried in the falling brick-work. They were extricated with some bruises. Two of the enclosed railway arches were occupied by the firm as stores ; to those the fire extended, and in a few seconds there was another explosion of combustibles, followed again by others ; in all there were seven or eight distinct explosions. The windows of the neighbouring buildings were broken by the concussions. The fire was not subdued until the whole warehouse was in ruins. The damage was estimated at 10,000/. ; and Messrs. Johnson and Pinching, who are young in business, had insured to only half that amount. Several of the neighbours- incurred loss by the hasty removal of furniture. One arch of the railway was much damaged. After a careful survey, it was considered that the traffic might safely proceed; but next day it was found necessary to shore up the arch.
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