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A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday, for the despatch of busi- ness. A communication was read from the authorities of Christ's Hospital, de- cidedly repelling the claim made by the Aldermen and Common Council, that the Lord Mayor should be considered, ex officio, President of all the Hospitals in the City. The petition was referred to the Christ's Hospital Committee. The Coal, Corn, and Finance Committee presented a report, stating that Sir Gmr. Clerk had introduced a bill into Parliament to continue the Coal Act until July 1862, but had suggested the discontinuance of the duty of one penny per ton on coal, cinders, and cuhn: the Committee recommended acquiescence in that sug- gestion; and the report was adopted. The l'arliamentary Committee presented a report against the Charitable Trusts Bill; objecting to the great power of the proposed Commission, and recommending a petition for exemption of the City charities from the operation of the bill. An amendment to petition against the bill altogether was adopted.

A Court of Aldermen was held yesterday. A copy of the letter from Christ's Hospital was presented, and referred for consideration to a Committee of the whole Court.

The Free-trade Bazaar, in Covent Garden Theatre, closed on Wednesday, with a kind of impromptu promenade-soiree; enlivened by music, which Mr. Alfred Novelle, his sister Sabina, and other musicians, volunteered. Daring, the ex- hibition, about 100,000 persons had paid for admission; goods valued at 20,000/. had been contributed as free gifts; 400 ladies had acted as stall-keepers; and the goods unsold are to be conveyed to Manchester, for a bazaar there, gratui- tously, for love of free trade.

The first exhibition of the Horticultural Society for the season, at Chiswick Gardens, took place on Saturday. In spite of unpropitious weather, several thou sands of persons were in the gardens. The vegetation of the place was very baokward; but the exotics in the conservatories were in good order; and the prizes distributed, gold and silver medals, were many.

The New Zealand Company held their annual general meeting on Thursday. In the absence of Mr. Somes the Governor, Lord Ingestre took the chair; and the attendance of Directors and Shareholders, comprising several Members of Parlia- ment and gentlemen of influence in the City, was numerous. Dr. Evans attended as a delegate from the settlers on Cook's Strait. The business brought forward was of great importance; consisting of a statement by the Directors narrating the most recent negotiations with the Government respecting the matters in dispute, and a statement by Dr. Evans, telling the occasion of his mission from the colo- nists and his reception by the Colonial Department here. Each story was a good deal broken up by reference to documents; and we shall make the gist of each plainer, while we consult the economy of space, by giving condensed and consecu- tive accounts. In consequence of a private conversation with Sir James Graham, who su,g- Nested an amicable settlement of the disputes between the Government and the Company, Mr. Charles Buller made a communication to the Directors and they ap- pointed a Secret Committee, of which Mr. Buller was one, and Lord Ingestre the Chairman. Mr. Buller then stated to that Secret Committee, that, by the invitation of Sir James Graham, he had made a proposal to Lord Stanley as the basis for a settlement of the disputes; that various interviews between Lord Stanley, Sir James Graham, and himself, had taken place; and that to obviate some objections, he had put the proposal in an amended shape. He was informed by Sir James Graham, that Lord Stanley had no insuperable objection to the plan, but was ready, under two conditions, to entertain it as the basis of a negotiation, and to give it a full and fair consideration. The conditions were, that the plan should be proposed officially by the Company, and that, as a preliminary step, the motion upon the affairs of New Zealand, of which Mr. Hillier had given notice in the House of Commons, should be withdrawn or disposed of; as the Government could not enter into any negotiation under an appearance of pressure or a wish to shrink from discussion. Mr. Buller accordingly made the Directors a party to the negotiation, and withdrew his notice; and the Chairman of the Secret Committee wrote to Lord Stanley, enclosing a plan almost in the terms of Mr. Buller's second letter. The plan was this. Proceeding upon the considera- tion that the Missionary forstem in New Zealand and that of the Company were incompatible, the Missionaries avowedly striving to prevent colonization, it was suggested that New Zealand should be divided into two parts,—one, the Northern Peninsula of the North Island, the chief scene of Missionary labours and 'interests, the district comprising Aockland, and the only part to which the "treaty of Wai- tangi," upheld by Government, applied at all; the other portion comprising the Southern part of the North Island and the Middle Island, to be called the Pre- via& of Victoria: the Northerly district to be left undisturbed for the exercise of Missionary influence if notgovernment - the new province to be placed under a new Company, in which the present Company should merge, with a proprietary charter empowering them to govern the pro- vince, and a capital of a million sterling. This plan was based on the method by which the old colonies founded by England were originally settled, without ex- pense to the parent state. In reply to this letter, it was intimated by Lord Stanley, that the difficulties Of proceeding on the basis suggested were insu- perable." [It will be observed, that no change nor fresh negotiation had taken place since the objections were declared to be not "insuperable."] At the same time Lord Stanley expressed a desire for an amicable arrangement; and sug- geated two alternative propositions, either of which was to be officially proposed by the Company,—namely, either to attempt a settlement of the questions at issue on their present footing, or to buy up the interests of the Company and dis- solve that body. The former suggestion the Secret Committee at once declined, as offering no real prospect of a settlement. The proposal of buying up was de- liberately considered., but respectfully declined; because the Company would not abandon in the struggle the interests of the colonists; which were quite forgotten by the Colonial Minister in making his suggestions, until mentioned at an inter- view by Mr. Buller. In declining, the Secret Committee observed, that no advan- tage could result from their originating fresh proposals; and that as the session was wearing away, they should lose time for their appeal to Parliament. Dr. Evans's statement was to this effect. The Government price of land in New Zealand [as one of the Australasian Colonies] was fixed thy Act of Par- liament] at IL an acre. In March 1844, Governor Fitzroy issued a proclama- tion, waiving the Government right of preemption, and allowing land to be pur- chased directly from the Native; on payment of a "registration-fee" of 10s. to the local Government. A body of two hundred Natives, armed with tomahawks, waited on the Governor, and demanded that the fee should be abolished: it was abolished I—thus throwing the whole territory of New Zealand away to be jobbed by land-sharks, and ruining the settlers, who had purchased at the minimum rate of twenty shillings. Despairing of redress from Governor Fitzroy after his manifoldextravaganees, the settlers sent Dr. Evans as a delegate to represent their case to the Government at home; intrusting him with a memorial especially le- velled against theyrocLamation and the present Colonial Office construction of the treaty of Waitangi. Dr. Evans set out from Wellington in December last; and on the 6th May he wrote to Lord Stanley, announcing his arrival in England. In the same letter, he gave reasons why the colonists had thought it absolutely ne- cessary to depart fromsi the usual course, which is to send memorials and allegations of grievances to the Government at home through the local Government. In the first place, there was no dispute about the facts; the case of the colonists resting on the Governor's own proclamation. Further, they could not afford to charter a vessel on purpose to carry their memorial six hundred miles to Auckland; "and even if they could have defrayed this charge, it was doubtful whether months or even a year might not elapse before the Governor would be able to forward the document direct to your Lordship, while the delays of transmitting correspondence through Sydney are perfectly notorious." But there was a graver reason. "We have," says Dr. Evans, in his letter to Lord Stanley, "watched the whole course of Cap- tam Fitzroy's conduct as Governor of New &eland, with the most anxious atten- tion; .and it has bedome a settled opinion among us—an opinion gradually forced upon us by a long series of his acts, as well as by his personal demeanour on nu- memos public occasions—that his min' d is in such a state as to preclude any now sonable conjecture as to what his conduct will be in any given circumstances. We think it quite as likely that he may throw our memorial into the fire, or asej‘ it back to us with an insulting message, as that he should transmit it to your, Lordship." Dr. Evans gives a long string of instances, some of which are familiar to readers of the Spectator. Among them, one was curious: he solemnly pro.. posed, as a benefit to the settlers, to confiscate the lands of the absentee proprie- tors, as marked out in black on a prepared map which he produced, and redistribute them among the residents; and he was angrily astonished when the colonists deprecated that spoliation in their favour. The result of Dr. Evans's letter was an invitation to go to the Colonial Office; which he obeyed. He saw Mr. Hope, the Under-Secretary; who kept him in eon- versatiou for an hour, talking about Captain Fitzroy, and then dismissed him, without one word about the memorial. Mr. Hope's manner was curious; and it is elucidated by Lord Stanley's having announced, about the same time, that Captain Fitzroy had been recalled—as if materials were desired to justify that recall. "I felt myself," says Dr. Evans, writing a second letter to Lord Stanley, "to be placed in the position of a witness whom an attorney was examining for the purpose of preparing a brief for the plaintiff, Captain Fitzroy being the defend- ant. 1 here was an earnestness in Mr. Hope's manner during his examination of me, and a zeal in the pursuit of every detail which affected Captain Fitzroy i inju- riously, which satisfied me at the time and has left a fixed impression, that Mr. Hope intended to encourage mete make out against Captain Fitzroy the strongest case that it was in my power to establish." Dr. Evans again demanded consi- deration of the memorial which he had come from the Antipodes to .present. The reply was from Mr. Hope; repudiating the construetion put upon his man- ner, and saying—" Lord Stanley having, as you are aware, determined to appoint a successor to Captain Fitzroy in the Government of New Zealand, it is his inten- tion to reserve for him whatever instructions he may think it right to give, as well upon the question brought under his notice by the memorial you refer to, as on others." Under these circumstances, Dr. Evans cane before the Company, throwing the case of the colonists into their hands. He described the colony as being in so unsettled a state—the Native whetting his tomahawk, the White set- tler sleeping on his tire-arms—as to threaten a Sicilian Vespers, unless the inter- ference of. Government were judicious and prompt. Some disaster was imminent. The Natives were no longer on those friendly terms with the settlers which in their early career justified the settlers in transmitting the favourable accounts of the colony's prospects that had been sent to England. Delegates were now tra- versing the country in all directions, reconciling hostile tribes; they were accu- mulating arms and ammunition; and this, not, he should say, for any defined purpose nor from having any distinct intelligible ground of quarrel, but from a

vague dread and discontent, instilled into them by insidious prompting. Dr. Evans concluded his most impressive statement, which had been listened to with profound interest, by thanking the Directore, on the part of the colonists, for their honourable and disinterested conduct.

Several other speakers also supported the Directors very heartily. The report was adopted ; thanks were voted to the Directors, Dr. Evans and Lord Ingestre, the Chairman of the day; and some routine business having been transacted, the meeting broke up.

The annual meeting of the National School Society was held, in the rooms of the Central Metropolitan School, on Wednesday; the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding. The children of the Central School were examined in various branches by the Bishop of Lichfield, and exercised in singing by Mr. Mullah. The report stated, that the amount of the special fund at the end of the last year was 151,98,5L ; expended by the Committee, 75,4001.; collections under the Queen's Letter, 33,3831. During the past year, 848 applications for assistance had been made; granted, 63,2671.; applicants for admission into training at Westminster, 305; received into the establishment on probation, 184; teachers trained and sent to situations, 177. Several resolutions were past, and a collection was made.

The fourth annual general meeting of the members of the London Library was held in the large room of the establishment, in Pall Mall, on Saturday; the Earl of Clarendon in the chair, supported by Lord Lytteltou, Mr. Mouckton Mines, M.P., the Reverend Mr. Milman, and other distinguished members. The report stated that the progress of the Library had been satisfactory during the past year: 118 new members had been admitted, making the total 676; large additions had been made to the library, which now comprises about 24,000 volumes; the circulation during the year was 26,210 volumes. A new general catalogue of the whole collection is promised as soon as possible. The Coin-, rnittee had determined to take the lease of more spacious premises, namely, the house No. 12 St. James's Square; the occupation to commence next autumn.. The finance accounts were passed, and some new officers were elected.

In the Sheriff's Court, on Tuesday, a Jury sat to assess damages in the case of Howard versus Gossett, decided recently in the Court of Queen's Bench. The amount awarded was 2001.

An autograph of Shakspete has recently been discovered on the vellum cover of a little Italian book of the sixteenth century, and has been the subject of dispute at Marlborough Street Police-office, this week. The work is entitled "I Quattro Libri della I ilosofia Naturale," by Giovan Saravia, published in 1565. Mr.. Howard, a bookseller, recently purchased the volume, with several others, of a dealer in books living at Heston, for a few shillings; having detected the si gns- ture, which is very faint, on the cover. This discovery having been made the book is now valued at 100/. or more. Mr. Howard placed it in the hands of Mr. Fletcher, the auctioneer, for sale; whereupon a Mr. Taylor claimed it as his pro- perty, declaring that it Lad been stolen from his library. He was not aware of the existence of the autograph on the cover of the volume, which he bought for six- pence fifty years ago. Mr. Alexander, the Iloxton bookseller who sold it to Mr. Howard, said he bought it with others at an auction. Mr. Howard refused to yield up his prize; and as the matter had not been brought before the Magistrate by way of summons, no decision was pronounced. At the suggestion, however, of Mr. Fletcher, the disputants, to avoid a lawsuit, agreed to divide the proceed; of the sale of the book.

The Duke of Wellington appeared at Marlborough Police-office on Saturday last,. to prefer a charge of furious or reckless driving, against Woods, a Fulliam carrier. His Grace was attempting to cross Park Lane, when the defendant drove alone' at a quick pace, and without heeding if any person was in the road; so that when the Duke stepped from behinds a waggon, he was struck on the shoulder by the carrier's cart, and narrowly escaped being thrown under the wheel of both cart and waggon. The carrier pleaded that the whole afliiir was accidental, and that he called out to the Duke, to warn him. Mr. Hall, a resident in Park Lan; witnessed the transaction ; and declared that the man was driving very negligently rather than furiously, though his pace was rapid. Mr. Hardwick, the Magistrate, chose to treat the case as an assault; and, in spite of entreaties for mercy on the score of poverty, fined the man four pounds, with commitment to prison for one month in default of payment. [The charge against Woods was for furious driving, not for an assault; and Mr. Hard- wick s decision has not escaped animadversion; it being insinuated that the punishment of the defendant was in a ratio with the rank of the complainant rather than with the offence. On the other side it is observed, that the law re- cognizes a constructive assault; that negligent driving under circumstances that endenger the lives or limbs of the lieges is a constructive assault; that this offence Is very prevalent in the vicinity of the spot where the Duke was endane gored; and that such being the case, even admitting Mr. Hardwick's ratio does dead' to he questionable, the punishment is not in excess.1

Sir William Magnay seems peculiarly unfortunate in having dishonest servants. This week his coachman has been remanded from Guildhall Police-office, on a charge of stealing a quantity of his master's hay; and Webb, a coal-dealer, has been held to bail for receiving it.

Mr. Temple, a grocer of Isleworth, has been killed at Snowhill, by being thrown out of his cart; a cab driven at a reckless rate having run against it. The cab- driver, named bat, has been arrested; and a Coroner's Jury have returned a verdict of " Manslaughter " against him.

A fire, attended by a deplorable loss of life, occurred shortly after midnight on 'Tuesday morning, at Raggett's Hotel, in Dover Street, Piccadilly. Most of the inmates were in bed when the fire occurred, and the scene which ensued was dreadful: the ladies ran to the windows and the balcony in their night-dresses, shrieking for aid, escape by the staircase being cut off by the flames; for the fire had instantly taken possession of a large portion of the building, which was old-fashioned, and principally formed of timber, with lath-and-plaster partitions. The progress of the conflagration was so rapid, that all the inmates of the hotel were in the most fearful position. Fire-escapes were brought to the spot; and several persons were safely lowered into the street, while others got on to a balcony, from which they were taken down by the crowd: but four persons perished in the Barnes; and Miss Haggett, the hotel-keeper's daughter, in attempting to enter a fire-escape too hastily, fell from the third-floor window, and was so much injured that she died shortly after. The very extensive building was almost entirely destroyed, despite the exertions of a numerous corps of firemen with twelve engines. The destruction of property is estimated at many thou- sands. The cause of the fire was understood to be a spark from a candle, which set lightlo the curtains in the bedroom of Miss King, a young lady whose family were staying at the hotel. When the ruins were searched, three bodies, shockingly charred and black- ened, were found. They were supposed to be those of Mrs. John Round, the wife of the Member for Malden; Mr. Haggett, the proprietor of the hotel; and Mrs. Jones, a nurse in the family of Lord Huntingdon. The Earl of Huntingdon saved his infant son by taking it from the nurse, who appears to have been stunned by the danger she was in; the Earl attempted to rescue the poor wo.man after he had placed his child in safety; but the flames drove him back. A footman hung out of a third-floor window until his hands were burnt, which compelled him to relinquish his hold : he fell upon the balcony, and was saved. Mrs. Raggett was confined to her bed with a broken leg; but her two sons carried her out of the house. Mrs. Round had intended to be present at the Queen's drawingroom on Tuesday: she was at supper when the fire broke out; and her daughter, who escaped out of window, left her in the care of a man who attempted to carry the lady downstairs, hut failed. The man is supposed to be Mr. Haggett, whose body was found beside that of Mrs. Round. The Earl ot Huntingdon and his lady had just returned from the French play when the fire broke out. Mrs. Round and her daughter had also visited the theatre that evening. The walls were partially shored-up on Thursday, and the firemen began the search of the ruins. They found a toilet-box containing jewels of-some value, belonging to the Countess of Huntingdon; the jewels were but slightly injured.

They also found a large chest of plate the property of Mr. King; and upon this a very extraordinary proceeding took place: Mr. Abbott, the owner of the build-

ing, interfered to prevent the plate's being delivered to Mr. King, declaring that

Mr. Raggett had been indebted to him for four years' rent, and he should seize what property he found in the ruins. The landlord, however, did not prevent

Lord Huntingdon and the relatives of Mrs. Round from taking away the articles belonging to them which had been found; but, with the exception of the jewels, these were of trifling value. The inquest was commenced on Wednesday evening, on four bodies—those of Mr. Haggett, his daughter, Mrs. Jones, and a female unknown, supposed to be Mrs. Round, but so burnt that it could not be identified. There was no doubt that another person had perished, namely, Mrs. Barnes, a chambermaid; but the body had not been found, the ruins not having yet been thoroughly searched. Miss King of Bristol, who was lodging at the hotel, described the first discovery of the fire, which broke out in her bedchamber—" I was in my bedroom, on the first floor, between twelve and one o'clock on Tuesday morning. I went into an adjoining room to obtain some water to make liquorice-tea, and before returning to my bed-room I heard a crackling noise. I immediately went towards my room to ascertain whence it proceeded; when I perceived a large mass of flames issuing as it were from my bedroom-door and from over the door." She did not leave her candle in the bedroom when she went out for the water. She could not say how

the fire originated. Lord Huntingdon described his own escape, and the rescue of his infant: his eyebrows were burnt, and so was his child's hair. He thought the fire-escape was employed in a very bungling manner. Mr. F. W. Haggett said that Mrs. Round occupied a sitting-room and two bedrooms on the second floor. There was only one door out into the passage from all these three rooms;

and one was obliged, to obtain entrance to the two inner rooms, to go through the outer room. He thought the fire-escape had been mismanaged, and believed the

men who had charge of it were drunk. His family had lost every farthing they possessed by the fire. He had no doubt that the fire originated in Miss Kings room. The candle must have come in contact with the curtains. He did not think that a spark would have done it, as the curtains were of quilted dimity. The inquest was adjourned till Friday, to allow of search being made for the body Of the missing chambermaid. The inquest was resumed on Friday afternoon. During the day, another body had been found in the ruins. It was that of a female; but so disfigured by burning that recognition was impossible. Mr. Davis, a surgeon, who had known Mrs. Round from her childhood and had attended her professionally, was of opinion that this was not her body, the bones being larger and the jaw-bone and teeth dissimilar: he thought one of the bodies found on Tuesday was Mrs. Round's. Other evidence favoured the supposition that the remains were those of Mrs. Barnes, the chambermaid. Strong evidence was given as to the drunkenness and incapacity of the man in charge of the Ere-escape. He told Mr. Wilborn of Albemarle Street, who interfered to hasten his movements, that the fire-escape was locked, though, in fact, it only fastened with a spring; lie threatened to knock Mr. Wilborn down, and actually tried to prevent his assisting. A delay of four minutes was thus occasioned; and at least Miss Haggett's life might have been saved by greater promptitude and efficiency. Mr. Lowe, Secretary to the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, said that the man would be discharged. The Jury., after a short consultation, returned a verdict of "Accidental Death," accompanied by the follovring presentment- " The Jury request that the Coroner will write to Sir James Graham, bee Majesty's Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the purpose of culling his special attention to the evidence given at this inquest, in order that the Government may take measures for preventing in future such an awful sacrifice of human life."