lattropolis.

A Common Hall was held on Tuesday, to elect Sheriffs for the ensuing year. It had been supposed that Alderman Challis and Mr. Kennard would be elected without opposition; but Mr. Chaplin and Mr. Laurie (nephew of Sir Peter) were unexpectedly nominated, were declared to have the majority on the show of hands, and, no poll being demanded, were pronounced to be duly elected.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday, for the despatch of busi- nces; but the business transacted consisted entirely in matters of detail, of no gitneral interest.

The Corporation of the city of London have forwarded a donation of one hundred guineas in aid of the funds of the Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest; which is at present situate at Chelsea, but will shortly be removed to the western wing of the new building now in course of erection at Brampton.

The anniversary dinner in aid of the funds of the London Homoeopathic Insti- Wien, Hanover Square, took place on Wednesday, at the Albion; Lord Wilton in the chair; supported by Lord. Robert Grosvenor, Mr. Wilson Patten, M.P., &c. Nearly a hundred persons sat down; and the meeting was an animated and interesting one. Some observations of the Chairman on the conduct of Mr. Wakley at a recent inquest, and on the rebuke subsequently administered to that gentleman by'Dr. Curie, were received with great applause. The donations an- nounced amounted to 2051

The first annual meeting of the Society for the Improvement of the Condition of the Labouring 'Classes was held at Willis's Rooms on Thursday. Lord Ashley presided; and the Bishop of Norwich with several ecclesiastical dignitaries, many Peers, Members of the House of Commons, and distinguished philanthropists, were present. The report stated, that negotiations had been opened in twenty-two places near London, to obtain allotments of land, and with great difficulty several bad been obtained, for the poor; the experiment being attended with great success. A farther report from the Sub-Committee on dwellings for'the poor was promised, respecting the Society's new model buildings at Pentonville. In the third branch of the Society's operation, loans at moderate interest, nothing had been done. The receipts had been 4,6261; the expenses, 3,7261.; balance on hand, 9001. The report was adopted, and resolutions in support of the Society were passed unanimously.

An annual public banquet was held at Freemason's Hall on Saturday, by the South Australian Society and other friends of the colony. Mr. Woolryche Whit- More presided; he was supported by Sir Hyde Parker, Mr. George Fife Angas, and other stanch advocates of the colony; and near him sat some colonists insiting this country—Mr. E. J. Eyre, the enterprising traveller, Mr. George Mor- phett, Mr. F. Dutton, and others. In proposing the toast of " her Majesty's Ministers," the Chairman said, that with respect to one department of the Govern- ment, namely the Colonial-office, they should drink the toast more in anticipation of favours to be received than of any which they had already met with. How-

ever, he did not forget that to the Duke of they the infant colony of Australia was deeply indebted. Mr. George Morphett described the progress and state of the colony. He said, that it dated its existence only since September 1837, and in the following March the town of Adelaide was still partly a wilder- ness; and yet now it contained at least 1,400 houses, the majority of which were of stone, while all possessed more or less pretensions to comfort and neatness. At the time be left the colony, there were seven vessels of from 120 to 500 tons burthen taking in cargoes there. They had already a considerable tract under cultivation, of which twenty thousand acres were enclosed; and if the unjust restrictions which prevented the importation of Australian wheat into this country were removed, their agriculture would receive an immense stimulus. They had 1,200 stations, extending from 130 miles North to 68 miles South of Adelaide. It was true, they could not have done so much if they had been at much expense for clearing; or if they had been subject to what the Government had called during the recent three-nights debate, " the freehold titles of the Na- tives." (Load cries of " Hear, hear .r' ) In 1840, they exported 52,000 pounds of wool, at the total value of 2,6001.; and in the present year, he anticipated that

the export of wool would amount to 1,500,000 ; which, if sold .at the same

rate as the former, would produce 75,000/. They also exported oil, guns, bark, and many other articles. Their imports were from Great Britain, Sydney, ludia, and the Isle of France; to all of which places the produce of the colony was sent in exchange. The number of sheep at present in the colony was 450,000; and if the complaint which was made against the colony of a want of water were well founded, it was clear that such a number of sheep, besides cattle and horses, could not be maintained. The salubrity of the colony was undoubted. He could say for himself that he never enjoyed better health in his life than since he went to the colony; and a proof of the excellence of the climate was, that the deaths in the colony did not amount to one in a hundred annually. Mr. Foster added some statistics. In the year ending the 30th of September 1844, they exported no less than 17,544 bags of wheat and 7,831 bags of flour, besides 2,000 or 3,000 bags of oats, notwithstanding the many difficulties with which they had to contend, and the very trifling inducements which were held oat to their agricultu- rists for exertion. Out of two millions of acres of land in the colony, fully one half was available for the purposes of agriculture. Of these, 700,000 acres had been surveyed, and 350,000 selected; out of which only 26,000 or 27,000 bad been as yet cultivated. Mr. F. Dutton supplied several interesting details con- nected with the mining researches carried on in the colony: the best copper Ore raised last year sold for 43/ lls. a ton, other ore sold for 39/. a ton, and the lowest-priced ore raised produced 81. a ton. Mr. Lewis Gilles added, that from March 1844 to January 1845, no less than 1,113 tons of ore had been shipped from South Australia. The evening passed in a very agreeable manner. In Isis closing speech, the Chairman expressed a hope that the restrictions at present imposed on the agriculture of South Australia would be of short duration.

The Thames Regatta began on Tuesday, and lasted for three days. It was an- nounced as being under the patronage of Prince Albert, with a distinguished list of Vice-Patrons, including the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Ripon, Lord John Russell, and the Lord Mayor. Putney and Fulham were crowded daily, and the long space on the North bank of the River, from Putney Bridge to Chiswick, waa lined with spectators; while the river was covered with boats and steamers. The races were rowed in several heats. Wednesday was accounted the grand day: the sport was more attractive, the crowd was greater, and the weather, with less wind and smoother water, was more propitious. The chief race was that ofgen- tlemen amateurs, in eight-oared boats, for the Grand Challenge Cup. In the first heat, the Neptune Club was beaten by the Cambridge University Subscription- rooms boat. In the second heat, there was a serious mishap—the boat of the Oxford University Club sharply fouling the St. George's Club boat; whose rowers at once threw up their oars: of coarse the umpires decided against the Oxford boat as disqualified for the grand heat, and the other boat was admitted. The grand heat, between 'the winners, is thus described- '. Both boats left Putney Bridge like a shot. The several crews pulled tremendously;. Cambridge soon began to show their head in advance ; and, notwithstanding the stre- nuous exertions of their rivals, who were a length in advance of the Vice-Chancellor's, the St. George's put on an extraordinary spurt, and got, by dint of the most severe row- ing, another half-length of their opponents. Near the Crab Tree, It became a question as to whether the leading boat should pass ahead or astern of a barge, and both went astern of the craft ; when the oar No. 2 of the St. George's fouled the stern of the Cam- bridge boat. The umpire's decision was in favour of Cambridge ;.who, from the circum- stance of the fouling, as described, were slightly in advance.'

The principal race on Thursday was that of four-oared boats for the Champion Prize of 1001., " open to all the world." There were three boats in the heat—that of the Clasper! of Newcastle that of Coombes's crew, and that Of Pocock's crew; who reached the goal in tie order mentioned; but the race was vitiated by the fact that they all started without the signal. The Silver Chal- lenge Cup, for amateurs, was won by the Oxford University boat, beating the St. George's, the Royal Academy, and the Thetis Clubs.

A diminutive steam-boat has commenced plying on the river Lea, between Lea- Bridge Road and Tottenham. It is thirty-two feet long, and only five feet wide.

Mr. Green made his 801st aerial voyage on Wednesday. He ascended in his balloon from Cremome House, Chelsea, accompanied by seven passengers. The descent was safely accomplished at Hornehurch, in Essex.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Monday and Tuesday, Henry Gompertz, William Witham, and Robert Witham, were tried for having conspired to defraud, under false pretences, George Pitt Rose, eldest son of Sr George H. Rose, and late a Captain in the Ninth Lancers, of bills or acceptances to the amount of about 17,0001, for which the prosecutor was either now liable or had been sued. Mr. Rose had been in want of money, and had applied to Gompertz for assistance; bills were obtained from Mr. Rose for the amount mentioned, but he only received 1,200/. From the evidence it appeared, that Mr. Rose had cut off the entail to his father's estate on receiving 8,0001; he wished to restore it by repaying the money, and desired to raise some 30,0001. besides on the estate; and for that pur- pose he applied, in 1841, to Gompertz; the latter represented that he could ob- tain the money from a Mr. Parker, who appears to have been a merely fictitious person. The Withams are father and son, attornies in Gray's Inn. The son, Ro- bert, and another son Francis, since dead,. were connected with Gompertz, and engaged in the transaction; Mr. William Witham did not directly interfere in it Gompertz has been in the Queen's Bench prison three times, for large debts, since 1839. Mr. William Henry Smith, an attorney, was requested by William Witham to act for Parker; he consented, and acted for months without having seen such a person. This conduct Lord Denman strongly condemned. After deliberating for an hour-and-a-half, the Jury found Gompertz and Robert Witham guilty; but recotnmended the latter to mercy, in consequence of his youth and the negligence of his father in the conduct of the business in question. William Witham, the father, they found not guilty. Francis having died since the transaction, no ques- tion was addressed to the Jury in respect to him. In the same Court, on Tuesday, Mr. Barnard Gregory was convicted of a libel on the Duke of Brunswick in the Satirist. The libel, which appeared in 1843, consisted of four papers, imputing to the Duke the murder of l■ . Grimwood. Judgment deferred.

At the Central Criminal Court, on Monday, Dodge, a stationer, pleaded guilty to receiving property stolen from Sir William Maguey: he was sentenced to be imprisoned, with hard labour, for eighteen months. Though no reward was offered for the apprehension of the murderer of Delarae , the Commissioners of the Treasury 'have granted a sum of money to Mr. Watson, the person upon whose information Rocker was taken into custody.

An alarming explosion occurred on Saturday morning, at the proof-house of the Gunmakers Company, in Church Lane, Whitechapel. A number of persons were employed in a work-shop in charging musket-barrels for the purpose of proving them; one which a lad was loading exploded, and fired a quantity of powder in some vessels on a bench: the explosion blew out a range of windows, broke many others, and shook the neighbourhood; but the only person who was injured was the boy, who had a finger blown off, and was otherwise hurt.

Mr. Smith, the proprietor of the shooting-gallery in Holborn, expired on Thurs- day last week, from an abscess, caused by the wound in his back. It may be remembered he was shot last July by the Honourable Mr. Touchet ; who was tried, and acquitted, on the ground of insanity.

Captain Charles be Salis,. of the Scots Fusileer Guards, a gentleman in his twenty-fourth year, met with a fatal accident on Wednesday evening. He was passing along Victoria Row, Pimlico, on horseback, when the animal he was riding stumbled and fell, and in falling rolled over its rider; who received a mealiest

of the brain or fracture of the skull, besides other serious injuries. He was in- sensible till his death, which occurred on Thursday night. The deceased was one of the sons of the Countess De Sails, and was unmarried.