23 OCTOBER 1852, Page 2

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At the meeting of the Court of Common Council, on Thursday, a re- port from the Committee appointed to consider a petition against the choice of Copenhagen Fields as a site for the new cattle-market was brought up and received, with one dissentient. The report fully ap- proves of the site, and contradicts in detail the reasons against it alleged in a petition..

The Lord Mayor Elect, in answer to a question, stated that tho usual banquet at Guildhall will not take place on the 9th November. Her Majesty's Ministers could not attend on that day on account of the funereal arrangements : they have been invited to fix an early day after the funeral.

Mr. Bennoch gave notice of a motion for a committee to inquire into the government of Bethlehem Hospital.

The Greenwiob, Deptford, and Woolwich quota to the Militia, is 272 ; and last week no fewer than 124 volunteers attended the first meeting for attestation.

Lambeth is about to build itself new Vestry-rooms, on Kennington Green ; and on Wednesday the Reverend C. B. Delhi]; Rector of the parish, laid the foundation-stone.

At a meeting held on Monday in the Vestry-rooms of St. James's Westinhister, attended amongst others by Mr. Jacob Bell, it was resolved that a committee should be appointed to watch any bill which may be introduced into Parliament next session on the law of settlement. The opinion of the meeting did not seem altogether hostile to a law of settle- ment, but only to the present law ; the speakers desiring it amended.

Another railway-cab question has been brought before Mr. A'Beckett, the able Southwark Magistrate. A cabman named Williams summoned another cabalen, Thomas Hall, for plying for hire in a plasm not appointed by the Ceruusiatiouere of Police—to wit, within the Brighton Railway terminus at London Bridge. A certain number of cabs are privileged to enter the gates ; the unprivileged feel aggrieved, a very lucrative part of the cab business being thus converted into a monopoly. The investigation was of some length ; Mr. Lewis contending on the part of the railway company, that termini of railways do not come within the provisions of the act. Mr. A'Beckett decided to the contrary ; but as the custom had not been im- pugned for years, he did not wish to cause any inconvenience by a sudden change of the system, and would give the company time to devise another plan, which would not infringe the law while it was useful to the public. Judgment was respited to the 15th November.

At the Middlesex Sessions, on Monday, two men were convicted of robbing their employers; they had been good honest servants till they frequented betting-offices. Robert Burnell was convicted of extorting 11. 10s. from Ann Edwards. He pretended that he had instructions to prosecute her for keeping an tin- proper house. Mrs. Edwards happened to have two young women lodging

with her, but there does not appear to have been the slightest ground for BurneIrs charge. Mrs. Edwards, however, who knew "-nothing about law,"

was so terrified by his false statements and the exhibition of documents and an act of Parliament, that she sent away her lodgers and gave Burnell money. But he was insatiable in his demands, and this led to his detection. It seems that the fellow has been twice convicted of similar offences. Mr. Sergeant Adams sentenced him to prison for one year.

On Tuesday, John Puddington was convicted of stealing twelve valuable snuff-boxes, an opera-glass, and other articles, the property of the Earl of Lonadale. He had been employed with other persons by an upholsterer to cover the furniture at the Earl's mansion, and took advantage of the oppor- tunities offered to plunder largely from a glass case: Several of the snuff-boxes were of considerable intrinsic value. Some of the articles were traced to pawn- brokers and bullion-dealers, but others are yet to be discovered. Sentence was suspended; and the convict will have an opportunity of obtaining the prosecutor's recommendation to mercy by telling what he has done with the missing valuables. After he had been convicted on the clearest evidence, he still protested innocence. James Phillips has been committed for trial by the Marlborough Street Magistrate for the murder of his aunt, Ann Matthews, with whom he had cohabited.

Richard Stannett, a youth of eighteen, has been killed by John Lewis, a young man, at Brentford. The two and another youth worked as shoe- makers in the same shop:- Lewis seems to have been teazed by the others ; one morning he became fixed to his bench by coblees-wax which had been mischievously placed on the seat ; Stannett jeered at him; Lewis became ex- cited, and threatened with his knife ; a little while after Stannett struck him, upon which Lewis plunged his knife into the offender's belly. The knife didnot enter far, bet it struck vital parts. The Magistrates have coin- mitted the repentant homicide for trial.

At the Mansionhouse, on Monday, John Gerard was charged with obtain- ing 140 tons of iron from the agent of the Coltness Iron Company by frau- dulent pretences. He pretended that he had an iron-foundry at Hackney, got the iron sent to his " works "—a bit of ground with a little counting- house upon it—and then resold it for less than he was to pay for it. This ironfouuder has served three months in Maidstone Gaol for picking a woman's pocket at Charlton fair. He was remanded, as other charges will be brought against him.

Hill, a superintendent locker of customs, and Turner, a quay foreman at the London Docks, have been fined 51. each by the Thames Police Magis- trate for taking 3.1- gills of brandy from a cask. Turner pleaded that he took the brandy merely to have a glass of grog, as it was a very cold day. Both have been in the respective services for many years, and they will forfeit their posts for the paltry phial of brandy.

Daniel Daly, an Irishman who protests that he "don't know what belongs to the law at all more than a fool," has been sent to prison by the Thames Magistrate for a very sly attempt to evade the new law respecting lodging- houses. When a notice was given to him to register his room within a month, he moved to another room before the month had expired; a notice was given him about the second room; within the month he moved back to- his first room—a foul den. But Mr: Yardley has taught him that this "dodge" is not tab° played with impunity.

The inquiries of the Police into the burglary at Mr. Jones's, though not immediately successful in tracing the perpetrators, have been the means of

detecting another crime. Henry Heasman had of late bought several ex- pensive articles of Mr. Jones ; there was something about the transactions that made Mr. Jones mention the matter to the Police ; Heasman was traced, and he is now in custody for robbing his master by wholesale, though he does not appear to have been implicated in the burglary at Mr. Joneeet. Hess- man was ehopman to Mr. Capps, a grocer at Bayswater ; recently, Mr. Capps found great deficiencies in his stock as compared with his receipts. The Police went to him about Mr. Jones's matter, and it was resolved to test Heasman's honesty : marked money was paid by a man in the employment

of the Police ; and the greater part of that money was quickly found in Heasman's possession. Notes also were found upon him to the amount of 301., and a check for 281. belonging to Mr. Capps. In the prisoner's box were a roll of notes of the value of 5151., two diamond rings, three diamond studs, a gold watch, and a receipt to the amount of 350t. for a grocery busi- ness purchased by Ileasman, and carried on in the Edgware Road by " Duy and Ileasinan," On the back of some of the notes were the names of cus- tomers of Mr. Capps. The accused had no defence to offer. A person named Long, who had recently arrived from America, but who does not seem to have brought the usual Yankee 'cuteness with him, was robbed of 1001. last week, by means of a very stale trick. Long intended to go to Australia, and he went to the Docks to inquire about a ship ; there some sharpers accosted him—of course they too were going to Australia. Conver- sation led to drinking at public-houses; and at one of these a shorper agreed to go to Australia with Long, and proposed that they should sign stamped papers to that effect. The rogue left his money with his associates while be went to buy a stamp ; Long deposited his 1001., and accompanied the sharper : the sequel need hardly be told—the thieves and the money disappeared.

The Coroner's Jury which sat at Stepney on the bodies of Jane Collins and the child she was summed to have killed has found this verdict—" That the deceased, William Thomas Elliott, was found dead in bed, from effusion of blood on the brain, but how caused they had no legal proof; and that Jane Collins destroyed herself while labouring under temporary insanity.'

On the occasion of a Coroner's inquest at Walworth, a person who was summoned as a juror objected that he was not liable to serve—he was neither a householder nor ratepayer in the district, though he occasionally slept at his mother-in-law's at Walworth. The Coroner informed him that he was liable to serve, and that even a mere passer-by could be compelled to serve on a Coroner's jury.

John Gosling, a keeper at the Zoological Society's Gardens, has lost his life through a foolish temerity. On Wednesday morning, before the opening of the gardens to the public, he took out a cobra di capelio from its cage, and, to show off before another man, allowed it to crawl about his body : suddenly it bit him on the nose. He knew his danger ; but he had presence of mind enough to replace the serpent in its den, and sent for the head keeper im- mediately. Gosling was speedily taken to London University Hospital, and the aurvons endeavoured to save him ; but in less than an hour he sank under the deadly poison, and died with little appearance of suffering.

M. Cournet, formerly an officer in the French Navy, has perished in a duel, at Crown Farm, near Windsor. The duel took place on Tuesday afternoon, with pistols ; a bullet passed through Courtnees body, and he died in a few hours. Three foreigners who were concerned in the matter were arrested at Waterloo terminus on returning from Windsor ; a fourth was captured when he came with a French surgeon to the inn at Egham whither the -wounded man had been conveyed. These men were examined by the Chertsey Magistrates on Wednesday. Their names are, Baronet, Alain, Mornay, and Barthelemy. Two long swords were found wrapped up in a cloak in the possession of one of the men arrested in London. There was no evidence to show that either of theaccused was the surviving principal in the duel. All were remanded. The cause of the quarrel is said to have been originally an aspersion which the deceased had cast on a brother refugee.

The inquest was commenced on Thursday. It appeared from the evi- dance, that six foreigners went to Windsor ; four are m custody, one is dead, and the sixth has not yet been traced. No pistols were found on the spot, or in the possession of the prisoners. Many witnesses related hew they had seen the men arrive at and pass through Windso:, and what occurred after Coarnet had been wounded ; but no one pointtd oat the surviving principal : M. Gustave Negate, who identified the body, admitted that he knew that his deceased friend was about to fight, in consequence of a political dispute ; but this gentleman declined to disclose all he knew—he would bear the consequences of refusing. The Coroner was obliged to place him in the charge of the Police. A number of foreigners were brought into the court, but it does not appear that any one could be recognized as the man who is wanted. The four prisoners remain in custody ; and the inquest has been adjourned till Tuesday.

The accused have been remanded, and on Thursday they were lodged in Horsemonger Lane Gaol. Baronet and Alain, the seconds of Cournet, refuse to state what they know of the affair, or to indicate the adversary of Cournet.