alt truf u lie.

Yesterday was the first day of Michaelmas term ; and, in accordance with the old custom, the Lord Mayor Elect was presented to the Lord Chancellor; Mr. Sergeant Mereweather doing the duty as biographer of Mr. &lemons, which the Recorder was prevented from performing, by the death of his brother, Lord Wharncliffe. The Lord Chancellor, in ex- pressing his approbation of the choice of Mr. Salomons, praised the inde- pendent course pursued by the citizens of London in this matter, and Characterized it as a proof of the advancing spirit of toleration. Earlier in the morning, the Lord Chancellor entertained the Judges, Ser- geants, and Queen's Counsel, at breakfast, in the usual fashion ; and then proceeded with his brethren to open the Courts at Westminster. It is re- marked, as a matter of congratulation to the public, that, in consequence of recent improvements in the law, notably by the Common Law Proce- dure Acts of 1852 and 1854, there are only fifty-seven rules in arrear and undisposed of in all the Common Law Courts. This ought to be gratifying to the public, but we suspect the gentlemen of the long robe may regard it in a different light.

A Court of Common Council was held on Monday, to consider a mo- tion respecting the reform of the Court. _ Mr. Fry moved the following resolution- " That it is desirable to cooperate with her Majesty's Government in peen- ing through Parliament a bill for the reform of the Corporation, founded upon the resolutions agreed to by this Court on the 24th of February 1854; that the Remembrancer be directed to prepare the draught of a bill in con- formity with the above resolution to be submitted for the approval of this Court; and that a conference be held thereon with her Majesty's Govern- ment."

This motion raised considerable opposition. It was thought that it would be a waste of time to send a bill to Parliament founded on those resolutions. Mr. Cox moved an amendment which he subsequently Withdrew, to the effect that the resolutions should be reconsidered seria- tim. Ultimately, Mr. Fry's motion Was defeated by the adoption of two amendments. Mr. Bezley moved " that no further discussion take place until the Court have the Go-ternment bill before them." Carried by 38 to 30. Mr. Jones moved that a Committee should be appointed to confer with the Government on a bill for a reform of the constitution. Carried by 32 to 28. The following were appointed as a Committee—Alderman Finnis, Alderman Cubitt, Alderman Eagleton, Mr. W. Jones, Mr. Abra- ham, Mr. T. H. Fry, Mr. T. H. Hall, Mr. W. L. Taylor, Mr. T. Parker, Deputy Hale, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Wood, Mr. Ross, Mr. Cox, and Mr. Gres- ham "rhe writ which empowers the electors of Southwark to choose a repre- sentative in the House of Commons, within fourteen days thereof, was issued by the Speaker on the 26th October; and all this week the can- vassers have been busy every day, and every night the rival candidates have addressed meetings in most quarters of the borough, combating each other, and declaring their convictions on public affairs. Mr. Scovell's printed address we have before quoted. Sir Charles Napier this week issued his ; and a brief and characteristic one it is, running as follows, like an order to a fleet- " I have been told that my address .is not sufficiently explicit. I shall now remedy that defect as shortly as possible. 1st, I am for a vigorous pro- secution of the war. 2d, I am a supporter of the vote by ballot. 3d, I am for extending the franchise to all who pay rates and taxes. 4th, I am for shortening the duration of Parliament. 5th, I am against all jobbing and corruption of every description, and, in consequence, a supporter of adminis- trative reform. 6th, I am for an abolition of church-rates. 7th, I am for a reform in the Church, and a more equitable adjustment of Church property ; and I have always thought the Bishops would be better in their dioceses than in the House of Lords.'

This address was read by Sir Charles himself in the Bermondsey dis- trict on Wednesday, and of course "rapturously cheered." In another speech Sir Charles made this statement— They had all heard of Lord Dundonald, or, if not of him, of the gallant Lord Cochrane, who was the admiration of the Navy and the nation when a young man. That nobleman had discovered a means, as he thought, of de- stroying the power of the enemy ; and, having had an opportunity of judging of that scheme—for, in fact, Lord Dundonald bad disclosed it to him—Sir Charles had no hesitation in expressing his belief that it was a practicable one, and ought at least to have been hied. That scheme had also been dis- closed to Lord Palmerston, to Lord Panmure' and the Lords of the Admi- ralty: but tha *heir set *he faces against it; and, although we were at war 'Paha powerfatememy, and there wasreason to believe it would have proved efficacious, it bad never been allowed to be tried.

'Thethird dear-bread meeting in Hyde Park was held on Sunday. It appears that a society called the Working Men's Provision League is at the bottom of the agitation ; and that the " inspired and hairy carpen- ter," who has spoken at all the meetings, is an agent of the society. On Sunday, after a ring had been formed, a Mr. Beacon, president of the League, was formally appointed chairman. He cautioned the multitude not to commit a breach of order, and then gave way to his friend the car- penter. This worthy puffed the League, and told such pretty fables. as these,—that we refused Turkish wheat at 28s. a quarter, and took at 73s. a quarter; that immense quantities of corn had been sunk in the sea to enance the price of that article. Meanwhile, a rival, Mr: Ernest Jones, was enlightening another mob, and recommending the establishment of national granaries, the enactment of a law to prevent the exportation of corn from this country, and the abolition of the law of pri- mogeniture and the existing system of entail. The mobs quietly dispersed as the day waned ; but a considerable detachment committed some havoc among the windows of Stanhope Street, May Fair.

A great innovation is contemplated in the Metropolitan omnibus sys- tem. A " London Omnibus Company " has been formed for the purpose of introducing the French plan of " correspondence." The fares are not to exceed a penny per mile; the same speed as at present wilt be main- tained; and an unceasing current of omnibuses will roll through our streets in numbers proportioned to the public demand. The servants will wear uniform, and their coats will be conspicuously numbered. It is anticipated that by the beginning of 1856 the company will have com- pleted the purchase of five hundred omnibuses, now running in the Metropolis.

The termination of the trial of Paul, Strahan, and Bates, and the sentence passed upon them by. the Judge, appeared in our Postscript last-week. We now supply an outline of the proceedings on Saturday which preceded the verdict.

The ease for the prosecution and the speeches of the counsel retained by the prisoners were closed on Friday ; and Saturday's business opened with

the evidence in defence. That turned solely on the point of law—the de- fendants relying on the "disclosures" made by them in the Court of Bank- ruptcy. But in examining the defendants' solicitor, Mr. J. G. Lewis, the

fact was elicited that the defendants were "advised" to make a joint dis- closure, "partly with reference to'the criminal charge" which Dr. Griffith had instituted, and partly with reference to other matters. In his reply upon the whole case, the Attorney-General said there were two questions—

one for the Jury, the other for the Judges. The first was, whether a case had been made out against the defendants ? It could not be denied that Sir John Paul made away with the securities of Dr. Griffith which formed the subject of the prosecution. With regard to Strahan and Bates, were they aware of this transaction ? The strength of the case against the defendants rested on the fact that they had embarked in transactions involving the un- authorized disposal of securities to an immense extent—they had disposed of securities to the amount of 113,0001. ; and could the Jury believe that all these enormous transactions were carried out by one member of the firm without the consent of the others except in the last instance ? By a minute examina- tion of the items in the so-called "private account" of Sir John Paul—an account dealing in large sums only, and " clearly an account of the proceeds of securities to meet the exigencies of the day "—from the large items which it dealt with "it must be assumed that the other partners were conversant with the various items. There was, indeed, no other form in which these payments could have been carried to the credit of the bank without letting the clerks know that the partners had disposed of the securities intrusted

to them." Besides, the order for the purchase of Danish Bonds to replace those sold in March 1854, was given by "the firm generally," and not by- Sir John Paul alone. The second question regarded the effect of the le disclosure in the Bankruptcy Court,—a question for the consideration of t Bench. But the Attorney-General thought that the Jury could feel no doubt whether the disclosure was honestly Made, or for the purpose of evading the criminal law. [Here Mr. Sergeant Byles asked the Court to reserve the point; but the Court declined.] In summing up, Mr. Baron Alderson went elaborately over the evidence ; minutely setting forth the degree of its bearing against the defendants re- spectively, and disposing of the point of law with great distinctness. He

showed that the "disclosure" made by the defendants was not of the kind

contemplated by the statute ; that it was not a disclosure at all of the parti- cular transaction charged against them • and he asked the Jury to say whether that disclosure was "a real and bone fide proceeding in bank- ruptcy, or whether it was a got-up proceeding and sham—a farce prepared to be played in open court " Not that the answer of the Jury would de- termine the point, but lest, in the event of its being hereafter discussed, some one should say that he ought to have left it to the Jury.

The Jury deliberated together for a few minutes in their box, and then retired to consider their verdict. After an absence of about twenty minutes they returned, and pronounced a verdict of Guilty against all the defendants. Mr. Baron Alderson inquired their opinion of the "disclosure" before the Court of Bankruptcy. The Foreman replied, that the opinion of the Jury

was that it was no disclosure within the meaning of the act. Mr. Baron Alderson—" You look on it, then, as a sham- affair?" The Foreman stated that the Jury did not consider it a bona fide disclosure. Mr. Baron Alderson intimated his entire concurrence with the Jury in this opinion. A verdict of " Guilty " was entered on the first and third counts.

Mr. Baron Alderson, after a short pause, proceeded to pronounce the judg- ment of the Court upon the prisoners in the following terms. "William Strahan, Sir John Dean Paul, and Robert Makin Bates, the Jury have now found you guilty of the offence charged upon you in this indict- ment—the offence of disposing of securities which were intrusted by your customers to you as bankers, for the purpose of being kept safe for their use, and which you appropriated, under circumstances of temptation, to your own. A greater and more serious offence can hardly be imagined in a great com- mercial city like this. It tends to shake confidence in all persons in the position you occupied, and it has shaken the public oonfidence in establish- ments like that you for a long period honourably conducted. I do very, very

much regret, that it falls to my lot to pass any sentence on persons in your situation ; but the public interests and public justice require it ; and it is

not for me to shrink from the discharge of any duty, however painful, which

properly belongs to my office. I should have been very glad if it had pleased God that some one else now had to discharge that duty. I have seen at least

one of you under very different circumstances, sitting at my side in high office, [Sir John Paul had been High Sheriff of Surrey,] instead of being where you now are ; and I could scarcely then have fancied to myself that it would ever come to me to pass sentence on you. But so it is ; and this is a proof that we all ought to pray not to be led into temptation. You have been well educated, and held a high, position in life, and the punishment which must fall on you will consequently be the more seriously and severely felt by you, and will also greatly affect those connected with you, who will most sensi- tively feel the disgrace of your position. All that I have to say is, that I cannot conceive any worse case of the sort arising under the act of Parlia- ment applicable to your offence. Therefore, as I cannot conceive any worse case under the act, I can do nothing else but impose the sentence therein provided for the worst case, namely, the most severe punishment ; which is, that you be severally transported for fourteen years."

The prisoners, who seemed astounded by their sentence, leant against the dock as if they expected their counsel to make some observations to the Court ; but, after a short interval, they slowly retired in custody. The reverend prosecutor, Dr. Griffith, was observed to shed tears when the sen- tence was pronounced ; but the judgment appeared to give satisfaction to a crowded court.

Signor Monti, the sculptor, who became a bankrupt about a year ago, re- ceived, on Wednesday, a firacl

-ass certificate from Mr. Commissioner Fon- blanque, and high commendation for the manner in which he has behaved since the bankruptcy. Signor Monti failed because he had miscalculated the cost of production of works of art for the Crystal Palace. Since the last meeting the assignees have realized between 20001. and 30001. by employing Signor Monti, at a small salary, in perfecting works of art in his studio. He offered still to continue working on those conditions ; but it was understood that he should only complete for the assignees what is in hand, and not en- ter on anything new.

At the Middlesex Sessions, on Monday, Owen M`Carthy, a militiaman, was convicted of robbing Captain Stanton, in the clever and impudent man- ner narrated last week. It would seem also that he was concerned in the first robbery of the Captain, and was therefore well able to show practically how the thieves " did it." He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

William Radley, " engineer," has been remanded by Sir Peter Laurie on a charge of obtaining iron safes from Milner and Son, by forging the name of " Lord Colvill." Radley says he has been deceived and defrauded by "Lord Colvin of Ochiltree,"—a person who claims the title and estates, but who has failed to establish his claim. The safes were sent to Camberwell to . a house hired by this Lord Colvin; they were removed thence to various places, and there is no doubt that some one obtained possession of them for , fraudulent purposes ; Lord Colvill says it was Bartley, who held a power of attorney. to act for him, but was not authorized to get the safes. Sir Peter' Laurie inclines to believe Radley, and proper inquiries are to be made. To Mr. Hopley, the manager for Milner and Son, who so easily parted with the property to a " lord," Sir Peter said—" Your evidence is very short : it is merely that you were fool enough to send the goods without due caution."

Mr. Jardine, the Bow Street Magistrate, has liberated Isabella Ward, who was charged with an assault on Elizabeth Joyce—to wit, thrusting her into the street immediately after she had given birth to a child. He said there had clearly been no assault; Isabella Ward had no authority in the house to which Elizabeth Joyce had been taken. It appears that the child was pre- maturely born,—in fact, said Mr. Jardine, it was more a case of miscarriage than of parturition ; and this altered the features of the case as against the workhouse people : whose conduct, however, is under investigation by the Poor-law authorities.

A large quantity of gas had escaped from a defective main, through a sewer, into the United Service Institution, Whitehall. It was evident that the escape was mainly in the basement ; so two gas-fitters, spite of warn- ings, went down with a lighted candle to find out the source Of course an explosion ensued, and the men were much burnt.