erbe airtropotiO.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday. After some preliminary business had been disposed of, The Town Clerk said, that he had now to lay before the Court a printed circu- hr which he had received, signed by Edmund Newton, the junior Alderman of Norwich. (Laughter.) A member suggested that the Court owed to its own character not to notice such a production. De would propose that it should be laid under the table. (A laugh.) Mr. Alderman Newton's epistle was accordingly consigned to that honourable situation.

Considerable discussion then arose on the presentation of a petition from the inhabitants .of the united parishes of St. Clement, East-

cheap, and SL Martin Alger, against the pulling down of their church, which was expected to take place in the course of some City improve- ments. Counsel addressed the Court at length in behalf of the peti...

tioners ; and it was filially agreed that the Committee, to whom this matter had been referred, should not proceed further at present, and that the petition should be laid on the table. Similar petitions were presented from several other parishes in the City.

The evidence given before the Corporation Commissioners this week has, generally speaking, been very uninteresting. The salaries and

duties of the numerous City officers have formed the principal subjects of inquiry. On Monday, Mr. Goldham, the Clerk of Billingsgate Market, mentioned the following particulars respecting the fish trade, which are worth extracting. He stated that— Sometimes as many as 3,000 putrid salmon, weighing on an average 101bs. each, were brought to the market in one morning; which, if not seized, would be sold to the hawkers, and retailed by them. In consequence of recent ar- rangements in his office, the difficulties of procuring stale fish had so much in- creased, that the hawkers were obliged to purchase fresh fish, as they cannot

obtain the cheaper article. It appears that, with the exception of oysters, the

fish sold at Hungerford Market is first taken to Billingsgate, as the boats would lose a tide if they were to go direct to the former. The place of Deputy Oyster

Meter, who superintends the measuring of the oysters from the boats, is a very lucrative one, wising from the fees paid on the quantity measured ; this situa- tion formerly sold for as much as 2,000/.

The Middlesex Magistrates held a meeting at the Clerkenwell Ses- sions-house on Thursday ; and treated themselves to a long and rather

warm discussion of the remarks made upon the conduct of the Magis-

trates at the Old Bailey. It was finally resolved, on the motion of Sir William Curtis, that the report of the Committee, to whom the

matter had been referred, and which he held to be a complete justifica- tion of the conduct of the Magistrates, should not be made the subject of any further proceedings. This business occupied the entire day.

On Thursday evening, the members of the Westminster Central Committee for the repeal of the Assessed Taxes met at the British Coffeehouse, for the purpose of hearing read the correspondence be- tween Lord Althorp and their Secretary. It appeared that the Com- mittee wished his Lordship to see a deputation from their body on this subject : this, however, he declined, for the reasons stated in the fol- lowing note from his private Secretary, Mr. T. Drummond.

"If this were a subject to be brought under the notice of Government for the first time, his Lordship would be most happy to receive the deputation you have named ; but having already received deputations from nearly every quarter of the Metropolis, Lord Althorp trusts the Committee will not press their requestl; the more especially as the Government have resolved on the course which they mean to pursue with regard to the taxes in question, and will take an early op - portunity of communicating their intentions to Parliament."

Some debate arose upon the course of proceeding which the Corn- mittee should adopt under these circumstances. Several gentlemen were of opinion that the terms of the note were on the whole satisfac- tory, though vague ; others held a different opinion, and said that Lord Althorp had made promises before, and that they had little confidence in what he wrote to them.

Mr. Green proposed a resolution, "that the letter of Lord Althorp ought to be viewed in favourable light, and that their anticipations were raised as to the result of his Lordship's exertions." Mr. Rogers se- conded the resolution.

Mr. Pitt proposed an amendment, " That the deputies from each parish do convene meetings of their respective parishes, to receive re- ports of past proceedings and further instructions as soon as possible after the meeting of Parliament." The amendment was put and car- ried unanimously.

The Chairman stated that a great public meeting would be held that day fortnight on the subject ; when the county Members and those for Westminster had promised attendance. The Select Vestry of the parish of Marylebone have determined on holding a great parochial meeting in the yard of the workhouse, on Monday the 3d February, being the day before the assembling of Par- liament, for the purpose of adopting a petition, praying the immediate abolition of the House and Window duties. Lord Kenyon, who, as the Senior Churchwarden, is at present in Wales, has been wri.ten to, and has promised to come up to town in time to take the chair on tins occasion. The authorities of St. Pancras have also determined on holding a meeting on the same day, and for the same purpose.

The parish Vestry of St. James's have refused the use of the vestry-

room to the Commissioners of Assessed Taxes, on the ground that the declared hostility of the parishioners to those imposts, millers it im- proper to afford the persons whose business it is to eaforce them any facilities in doing so.

At t Vestry meeting, held on Tuesday, the rate-payers of the parish of Lambeth agreed to impose a church-rate of 2d. in the pound on the parish, by a majority of 331 to 220.

Last night, the Commissioners of the Westminster Cunt of Re- quests held a meeting to investigate the affairs of that Court. It ap- peared from the proceedings, that the managing clerks of the Court, finding that there was a considerable defalcation in their funds, em- ployed an accountant to make erasures and false entries in their books, and prepare a false return for Parliament. By this fraud, the balance in band was made to appear only 260/., instead of 2,600/. The ac- countant betrayed his employers to a Mr. Hodgson, one of the clerks not implicated in the fraud ; and threatened an exposure of the whole affair, unless lie was made an officer of the High Bailiff. Mr. Hodg- son refused to have any thing to do with this man, and consulted Sir James Searlett on the matter; who advised him to procure Austin's assistinice in restoring the right entries. These statements were made at the meeting last night. The business is at present incomplete ; and Mr. T. S. Duncombe, the Chairman, recommended thg meeting to suspend all discussion for the present.

A very numerous meeting of persons employed in the drapery trade was held on Thursday night at Exeter Hall, for the purpose of found- ing an institution, to be called the Drapers' Institution ; J. Hume, Esq., in the chair. Several speakers addressed the meeting in sup- port of the objects of the institution, which are to provide by voluntary contributions from the drapers themselves, and the public, reading- rooms, scientific lectures, libraries, and temporary assistance to such of the members as may by unavoidable circumstances be brought into a state of distress. The speakers disclaimed all connexion with Trades Unions ; which sentiment was reechoed by the assembly. They also denounced the establish in el, t of any perpetual annuity or pension society, as being calculated to check economy and industry. A series of rules for the regulation of the institution were agreed to, arid a great number of members enrolled themselves.

The choice of a Chairman of the Committee of Lloyd's was balloted for on Wednesday. The numbers were—for Mr. G. R. Robinson, M. P. 403; for Mr. P. M. Stewart, M. I'. 136.

The London and Westminster Bank will commence business early in March. The differences of opinion, therefore, which have existed respecting the new system a banking will shortly be put to the test.— Times.

Ministers, it is rumoured, intend to do away with the South Sea House altogether, as a separate establishment, and to transfer the whole of the business, together with the services of the clerks and other offi- cers, to the Bank of England. The Directors who are twenty-four in number, will not, it is supposed, be retained ; and in the aggregate it is expected that an annual saving of about 20,000/. will be made by the proposed change.

The St. Katherine's Dock Company have declared a dividend of 11j per cent. for the last half.year. The shareholders were informed by their Chairman, who thought that the opening of the China trade would be beneficial to their business, that considerably larger dividends might be expected in future.

A sum of 1,300/. has been raised by subscription for the erection of a suitable monument in St. Paul's Cathedral to the memory of the late Dr. Babington.