COMMON COVNCTL.—At a court held yesterday. a petition against the
punishment of death finr forgery was agreed on; only one band—that of the sturdy stickler for every thing that is or has heen, 3Ir. Samuel Dixon—being held up against it Mr. Harmer, whose lont- practice in criminal cases renders him one of tie. best witnesses on the subject in Europe, spoke strongly and conclusively against the present law. PROTESTANT DISSENTING MINISTERS.—The Twelfth Annual Meeting for the Relief of thus Aged and Infirm of this respectable body, was held on Wednesday. Ail " occasional donation " of 501. from Wil- liam Smith, Esq. M.P. was among the announcements. There were se- venteen applicants for the Society's bounty last year : the receipts during which were 711/. 10s. 2d.; the expenditure, 252/. Lis. (P1.; leav- ing a balance, applicable to the approaching exhibitions and other claims, of 558/. 17. V.
NATIONAL SCHOOL SoctEwys—The annual meeting of this Society was held on 1Vednesday, at the Central School in Baldwin's Gardens, Holborn. It was remarkable only for a couple of speeches, Iron Mr. M. Burgoyne and General Thorntom—the former recommending the combi- nation of instruction in the useful arts with the instruction given by the Society ; and the latter, who supported his views, advising the dropping of reading, writing, and arithmetic altogether. The General added, that in most of the cases which came before him as a Justice of the Peace, the delinquents had been educated at the National School. That the General's experience is very different from that of every other Mita in the kingdom, we have reason to believe; and indeed it would require a very strong array of facts to convince a person of common sense, that. the more en- lightened a workman or :: labourer is—the more be is raised al»ve a mere machine—the less valuable to society is lie likely to become. Such a non- sensical opinion has long been passing away. Mr. Burgoyne and General Thornton will now find few abettors in their horror of intelligence; they found none at the Society's meeting. ZOOLOGICAL SOC/ET y.—The Council of the Zoological Society have appointed Mr. James Morrison, of the firm of Todd, Morrison, and Co. its Treasurer. This is business-like. Mr. Morrison is not only ,espon_ sible, but a man of business, and fit to be trusted with the Society's funds, now reathing I 2,000/. per annum. MEXICAN BONDS.—A meeting of the holders of these hitherto un- productive documents was held on Wednesday, at the City of London Tavern ; when resolutions declaratory of the satisfaction:of the Meeting at the.appropriationsacts of the Mexican Government were passed, and a committee was appointed to watch over their operation. Sir Robert Wilson stated, that Lord Aberdeen had expressed his wish to give every facility to the bondholders, by permitting the British Consuls in Mexico to receive the duties approptiated to the payment of the dividends.
FINSBURY INSTIT C TIC:N.-011 Thursday, the Governors and friends of the Finsbury Institution assembled at the Albion Tavern, Aldersgate Street, to celebrate ti in seventh anniversary dinner, for the benefit of that charity. The chair suns taken at live o'clock, by Alemander Daw- son, Esq. M.P.
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