i ht ait t tufn l io.

At a meeting of the City Commissioners of Sewers, on Tuesday, the 'Medical Officer of Health reported that sixty-one cases of cholera had -occurred in the four weeks ending on Monday ; but, "in consequence of the 'vastexertions of the Commission, the dreadful disease had not ap- peared in a severe form in any of the districts of the City where on for- mer occasions it had assumed the very worst features." The Chief Clerk stated that the New River Company had consented to supply water for cleansing courts and alleys when required.

There is an agitation among the ratepayers of Lambeth respecting alleged ill-treatment of the poor in the workhouse. The first disclosures were made by Mr. Hyde, formerly assistant-surgeon in the workhouse ; and his statements have been confirmed by others. A public meeting was held last week, and a number of grievances were detailed. Accord- ing to the statements made, Mr. Rayner, the Master, behaves unkindly or harshly to those under his care ; the paupers are stinted in food, aged couples separated, holidays are denied, and petty articles are taken from the inmates ; it was even alleged that the death of weakly persons had been accelerated by bad treatment. Another meeting is to be held.

The Marylebone Free Library in Gloucester Place, New Road, has now been open to the public for six months, and it afords a gratifying experience of the value of such institutions. During that period the room has been visited by 17,397 persons—of course many have visited it oftener than once' and it has issued 18,163 volumes.

From a record of the books used by the visitors, we find that -Grote's History of Greece has been issued 137 times; Macaulay's History of Eng- land, 178 times; Layard's Nineveh, 90 times ; Southey's Nelson, 150 times; M'Culloch's Geographical Dictionary, 69 times; Lardner's Steam-Engine, 30 times. Bacon's Works, 33 times ; Ithiers's French Revolution, 147 times ; Naval and Military Sketch-Book, 144 times. Among the novelists, the works of Mr. Dickens, Mr. Thackeray, and Sir Bulwer Lytton, have been largely issued ; but the Arabian Nights and Robinson Crusoe far exceed any of them in popularity, the former having been issued 561 times, the latter 318. Among the serials, the London Journal stands highest, 918 times; and Chambers's Journal next, 475 times.

We mentioned last week that Mr. Newcome, an emigration-agent, at that time a bankrupt, had been sent to prison by Alderman Humphery for non- return of passage-money and payment of penalty to an intending emigrant. The matter came before the Bankruptcy Court on Monday ; when Mr. Com- missioner Fonblanque, after hearing counsel on both 'sides, decided that the bankrupt had been illegally arrested, as he was enjoying the protection of the Court at the time, and that for which he was committed was essentially a debt: but Mr. Newcome must give an undertaking not to proceed against those by whom he had been arrested.

Mr. Norton, the Lambeth Magistrate, has fined the keeper of a beer-shop in the Waterloo Road for a wholesale infraction of the Beer Act. At the same time, the Magistrate condemned the act, and expressed his belief that it must be repealed : as to "travellers," he believed a person going on busi- ness from the East end of the town to the West as much a traveller as a plea- sure-seeker who goes from London to Richmond.

The Aldermen sitting at Guildhall have decided that drovers bringing cattle into Smithfield are "travellers," and publicans may supply them with refreshments between ten o'clock on Sunday night and four on Monday morning ; but they must be careful that they supply only drovers.

Mr. Hardwick, the Marlborough Street Magistrate, does not think omui- bus-drivers and conductors between Brentford and London, nor persons who live in London but come late from the country, are " travellers" whom publicans may supply after ten o'clock on Sunday night.

Two men have been fined by the Southwark Magistrate for selling gin and beer, not only during prohibited hours but without a licence. In one ease, thirty or forty people were found drinking in a stable.

The Bow Street reporter states, that although the new Beer Act has redu- ced the Police- charges for intoxication on Monday, it has increased them on Tuesday : the topers drink out on Monday the funds they are prevented from expending on the Sunday.

Mr. 'Benjamin Slomm, machinist of Drury Lane Theatre, was charged stt Bow Street Police Office, on Wednesday, with wilful perjury. On Satur- day night, at half-past eleven o'clock, Madame Caradori was arrested, taken to a sponging-house, and kept there till next night, and only liberated on paying 30/. for an alleged debt and costs. This treatment arose from Mr. Sloman making an affidavit that the lady owed him 221., and that she had informed him that she was about to leave England; on the latter statement Mr. Baron Martin .grantei an order 'for Madame Oaradorgs arrest. She swore on Wednesday that she had never made -auch an intimation to !R- man; and she showed that she not onlyintended to stop in England for some months, but that she had applied,for letters.of naturalization. As to the debt, she owed Mr. !Roman nothing. 'It would seem that she had been announced by others to sing on Monday, 'but that she did not intend to ap- pear in London that night. 'The real ground on -which Mr. Sloman claimed the 22/. is not clear: probably he consideredltadame Caradori as one of those persons at whose risk the theatre was 'to be carried on. In any ease the arrest was most harsh, the money never having been claimed of Madame Caradori till she was arrested. The affair was too long to be thoroughly in- vestigated on Wednesday, and it was adjourned ; but Mr. Henry advised the defendant to endeavour to effect a settlement. Signor Pavesi' another singer, was also arrested under circumstances similar to those of Madame Caradori.

The Reverend Dr. Ferguson' priest of St. Thomas's Chapel in Fulham Fields, has been held to bail by the Hammersmith Magistrate on a charge of having performed a marriage in his chapel without the attendance of the Registrar of the district. The parties married were a Roman Catholic man and a Protestant girl.

Sophia Knight, of Freed Street, Paddington, is in custody for murderbtg an infant which had been 'intrusted to her to nurse: while drunk, she heat it on the head and face, and death resulted.

Mr. Stewart Ker, the victim of the savage assault by the brothers Newton, is beginning to recover. In consequence of this change, the Lambeth Magis- trate has liberated Francis Robert Newton on bail.

George Thomas, collector to a tradesman, went to the Junior United Ser- vice Club at two o'clock in the morning to endeavour to get a settlement of an account due from Captain Darvill ; he annoyed other members of the club, was insolent, and was pushed out of the place by Mr. Atkinson, a mem- ber. Thomas accused Mr. Atkinson of assaulting him ; but the Marlborough Street Magistrate dismissed the complaint, considering that Thomas had chosen a most unseasonable time and an improper place to make his de- mand.

A Mr. Ferguson bought a gold chain at the shop of Mr. 'Mills, in Oxford Street, for 91.; the shopman said the gold was worth 71.4 the purchaser af- terwards found it was really worth only 31, 4s. Re applied in vaM for a restitution of a portion of the purchase-money, and then sued .Mr. Mills in -the Bloomsbury County Court. The-judge awarded 2/. to Mr. Ferguson.

Lord Frankfort has frequently complained to the Marlborough Street Ma- gistrate of people being in a cotspiracy* to insult him in the streets and poison him at home. Mere delusions.

The inquiry before the Coroner's Jury, sitting in Southwark Town-hail, into the causes of the accident so fatal to life, last week, terminated on'Tues- day. The witnesses examined were chiefly the servants of the Brighton Company and the South-Eastern Company. Of the former—Mr. Parker, station-master at Croydon ; George Smart,, an engine-fitter; Thomas Stead- man, switchman at the Fast Croydon station • John Chirmear, signalman on the South aide of the Croydon station.; station; Stanley, telegraph clerk at Forest Hill ; and Henry Chapman, telegraph clerk at Stoat's Nest station. The servants of the South-Eastern Company examined were—Mr. Brown, -superintendent of the South-Eastern Railway ; Captain Barlow, Manager of the South-Eastern Railway ; and Mr. William Brown, station-master at the

• Bricklayer's Arms station. Mr. Parker said he had always worked the Croydon station by signals, not by telegraph ; the telegraph was useless, and he never used it. The first half of the excursion-train had a red tailboard, indicating that something was to follow. Four trains succeeded without tailboards ; and, in accordance with his usual custom, he went to dinner as soon as these had passed. He did not know that the excursion- train had been split in two at Milford. He did not remember more than one tailboard being used to announce the coming of a special train when others intervened. The other witnesses spoke to the speed of the train—forty miles an hour ; to the sufficiency of the semaphore to stop trains coming at that rate ; a Dover express was stopped at Croydon by the semaphore signal on Saturday last. The wit- nesses for the South-Eastern Company, Captain Barlow and Mr. George Brown especially, spoke to the inefficiency of the semaphore signal. A train going at the rate of forty miles an hour can be pulled up in 933 yards ; about 1373 yards are protected by the semaphore; and could it be seen, a driver would have ample time to stop; but it could not be seen in time. Had the distance-signal been used, the accident would not have happened. The-tail- board on the first half of the train was considered sufficient ; for had each of the four intervening trains used tailboards, four extra trains ought to have been expected. Mr. Brown defended the system of issuing any number of tickets for an excursion and making a monster-train—" it is quite consistent with the safety of the passengers."

Mr. G. Waters, a draper of,Horsemonden, and Mr. Haines, a tide=waiter at Folkstone two passengers, deposed to the great speed of the train ; and the records Of the telegraph proved that the rate from Stoat's Nest to Croydon was nearly sixty miles an hour.

. The Jury returned this verdict, after considerable deliberation-

" The Jury have agreed to a verdict of manslaughter against Robert Simpson, the driver of the excursion-train; and the Jury think that the signals at the Croydon station are contradictory. and likely to mislead ; and they further wish to express their opinion that no tram should be allowedlo run upon the lines without notice being given at all the stations throughout the line." Caroline Harrison, another passengerrhaving died the same eveniag, the 1nry were empanelled anew, and returned the same verdict.

The inquest at Croydon, on James Gammon, terminated on Wednesday. 'Again there was a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Simpson.

John Blencowe, the fireman of the passenger-train which met with an- " accident" on the North London Railway, has died from his hurts: The evidence at the inquest was similar to that given sat the'former inquiry; and the Jury. returned a verdict that he "died -from the effects of certain scalds and injuries, tetanus supervening in consequence, by a collision be- tween two trains on the line of the-North London -Railway ; but how or by what precise cause the said collision took place, no satisfactory, evidence ap- peared to the jurors." The jurors were, however, of opinion that there was not sufficient power to carry the luggage-train to its journey's end. Inquests held by Mr. Baker, the Coroner, in. Upper East Smithfield, show how the cholera is encouraged in London. In a court four feet wide, with eight houses, the most restricted accommodation for decency, a wall sixty feet high to shut out pure air and keep in.foul,,150 human beings herdto- gether, further oppressed in many cases by want of food. Several have died of cholera—three in one room. The Coroner candidly confessed that he MIS " afraid " to enter the place : it was dangerous for the jurymen to go there to view the bodies. The verdict called the immediate attention of :the -parish-officers to the dangerous locality, which is called Hum's Buildings. A Baptist chapel in' Mars Street, Hackney, recently-belonging to the late Reverend Dr. Cox, was burnt down on Saturday night. When the organist went in the evening to tune the organ, he discovered that the instrument was on fire, and the flames spread so rapidly, that he had some difficulty escaping. Engines were soon on the spot ; but the edifice Whieh iaBfltWi up in costly style, with a fine organowas completely gaited.

Early on the same morning, some manufacturing premises in Gloucester street, Camden Town, occupied by several persons, were to a great extent destroyed by fire. Mr. Jacobs, a pianoforte-manufacturer, was the largest sufferer.

Narly on Wednesday morning, the extensive premises of Messrs. Balsa and Co., export druggists in Lower Themes Street, were almost entirely destroyed by fire. Many surrounding houses were a good deal damaged ; and at one time St. Magnue Church was on fire, but that building was saved.

An explosion of gas occurred on Wednesday at noon in the shop of Mr. Amadio, an optician, in Throgmorton Street : great damage was done to the shop and contents, and several passers-by were hurt.