6 JUNE 1857, Page 4

3littrnpnlis.

Immediately after the Lambeth election, it was intimated that Mr. Wilkinson, the defeated candidate, would petition against the return of Mr. Roupell. The threat has been carried out, and Mr. Roupell is accused of having,'-by himself and his agents, had recourse to bribery,. treating, and undue influence, to procure his return. Mr. Roupell's friends assembled on Wednesday in open meeting, declared the charges to be utterly unfounded, and appointed a committee to collect subscriptions for the purpose of "defending the borough from the gross scandal attempted to be fastened on it." Mr. Frederick Doulton, the chairman, gave an amusing version of the mode in which the petition had been got up.

The friends of Mr. Wilkinson determined to get up evidence, and two persons were employed for that purpose. At-the end of the first week one of the men applied for payment. When Aked what evidence he had obtained, he stated that he had gone through the whole borough, but could find nothing to report against Mr. Roupell, his agents, or his committee. " Then," said the committee, "you are not the man for us—you were engaged on the principle of no evidence no pay." When the man applied to a' magistrate on the subject, he ascertained that the magistrate could not in-, tot-fere. Of course, when the other man found that he could not get paid without procuring some information, evidence became as plentiful as black:, berries. The first thing which he reported was this—he took from his pocket a small piece ef card containing the significant ,words "gin and water," and forthwith through thalength and breadth of the borough it was gravely asserted that Mr.iicipt5 had circulated no less than six thousand

little bits of card entitling Aolders to a full draught of that delicious beverage. Having obtainefil evidence, the question arose, who was to

father it ; and, after sonie'cliseUion, it was settled that the names of Patteson Nickolls, of Trafalgar.Rotg gentleman, and Robert Henry Bristowe, of Grove Road, Brilfon Road; stockbroker, should be affixed to the petition. He had no doubt these gentlemen would say; they had anted on public principle ; but they woad be ashamed of their work when the day of reckoning

arrived." • Tr" votes rimided in favour of Mr. Roupell amounted to the large numblie.if 9318.

o'nr:

' Afil-'ineeting of the inhabitants of Chelsea, to adopt resolutions in support of the agitation for equal rating in the Metropolis' a Mr. Austin, while questioning the accuracy of some of the current calculations respecting inequality, said he supported the movement out "higher grounds." They were these— He considered that the poor ought to be supported by the rich, who are the parties benefited by their labour ; and the middle-class man ought not to be called upon to contribute anything to this okieet. The rich stand en--, tirely aloof from the poor ; the middle-class men la obliged to act between them ; and it is quite sufficient that he should „be piatinually mixing with them; residing among them, and in some degree saring hi their evils, without being called upon to contribute to their support.

The meeting carried resolutions condemnuig flie existing law, and fic-, daring that the poor of each parish in the'Vetionelia :ought to be Considered the poor of the entire Mettepolitiiicommimity, and should be re

. .

lieved and maintained by an equal Metropolitan rate, based on a uniform Mode of assessment.

• 4

According to the Irish journals, there WRS a meeting of Roman Catho lics at. the Stafford Club on Monday, for the purpose of considering the proviethni of the new Oaths Bill.L" If originated with the English Roman Catholics,and the Duke of Norfolk presided ; but Mr. Bowyer and a few, chosen Irish Members were invited. A resolution was proposed de-plaiiiiilthat.the present oath imposed on Roman Catholics is an insult to:Alvin religion ; but the resolution proved distasteful, and was withdrawr4ter It is further stated, and an article in the Cork Examiner 60froliorates the report, that an attempt will be made to secure the Irish vote rgaist; the Oaths Bill, on the ground that it does not deal with the Roman Cathaic oath. The Cork Examiner says— If there is to be a settlement, let it be a complete one. If the Jews entef -Parliament unsworn, let it be in virtue of a common privilege and principle Of equality, which shall make at least as much allowance for the conscience of a Catholic as that of an unbeliever. We have a right to say that unless justice be cline to ourselves we shall not do anything to lessen the motives and inducements for dealing with the whole question.', A general meeting of railway shareholders was held at the London Tavern, on Wednesday ; the object being to sanction a memorial to the President of the Board of Trade, setting forth the grievances of railway shareholders and asking for redress. In an explanatory speech, Mr. J. E. Vance the chairman of the meeting, complained that their property had been almost annihilated by legislation ; that the 300,000,0001. invested in railways does not pay more on an average than 3/, 12s. 4d. per ; that the Government had exercised undue interference, and bound them down to a maximum profit of 10 per cent; that Sir Robert Peel, kyenunciating the maxim that competition in regard to railways be the order of the day, had inflicted the greatest injury on iailWay property ; and that in carrying out-thie principle of competition the House' of Commons sanctioned railway schemes that would not pay. Another" source of injustice is the taxation, loCal and general, levied on ; Then the Post-office.has taken away a portion of the parcel tisitle: The jurisdiction delegated to Committees of the House of Commons was another object of bitter "complahit.Mr. Vance asked whether it was wonderful that the xchanges are against us, when the British GOvernment fixes a rate for passengers and goods, and permits comrietition; while foreign Govermiients offer immense advantages for the

investment of capital in their railways ? • t

• The meeting adopted resolutions declaring that the grievances inflicted Cal-railiv-sy shareholders by legislation demand' redress ; establishing a ninitier-. of permanent committees, and callingon railway proprietors ce--contribide in proportionto their holdings to defray the expenses necessary. for carrying out the objects of the meeting. "--.A.rit''nfeeting of the Shipwrecked Mariners Society, last Friday, it was reablZiea.to appropriate 59001. of its funded property to head a subscription for an institution to be called the Royal Hospital for worn-out and disabled. Merchant-Seamen; at present no such society exists in England.

` The Reverend Dr. Pelham, the new Bishop of Norwich, was "confirmed" on Thursday, in BeaChurch, with the usual forms and coreM0111667' He will be consecrated neXt Thinsday; in the parish-church of

Marylebone. . .

Vice-Chancellor Kindersley on Saturday pronounced a decision in two cases respecting the sale of British Bank shares. Certain holders sold their shares in the market; but before a proper transfer could be registered at the bank, with the consent of the directors, as required by the act of Parliament and the deed of settlement, the bank stopped. The Vice-Chancellor decided that the original holders of the shares, as between themselves and the other shareholders, remained liable—that they must be placed on the list of edntlibutories.

,Aiiap.efsoqie interest was decided in the Court of Queen's Bench on Wednesday. One Lancashire had beeneonvicted of sellinka glass of" sweet wine," to be drunk on the premises, witho'fit a licence ; siich.rne being alleged to be " exciseable liquor. '. Lord Campbell and a majority of the Judges held that "sweet or made wines" are not exciseable liquor within the meaning of the stiff/I-CC* Justice Erie ffilientedi }folding lilt although the dutv.on sweet ijie had been repealed, the law still required that the vendor should hav.e a...Ueence.—Conviction quashed ; but without costs. An interesting question has been determined this week in the Court of Exchequer. 'A labourer contracted himself for a year to his master. Some

ra

dispute arose as to wages ; the man absented himself, and the master sum*tag him before a Justice of the Peace. The labourer was sent to prison for one month. When he .left prison he did not return to complete his contract: Thereupon his employer summoned him again' and again he was seqtte prison for a. month. On the 29th May his habeas corpus was sued

i out n the Court of Exchequer, and he was brought up on Monday. The case was argued for two days. Mr. Baron Watson held thatthe conviction was good. Mr. Baron Bramwell, Mr. Baron Martin, and the Chief Baron Pollock, held that the prisoner was entitled to his discharge, as the statute only contemplated one offence. The man was discharged. .

; In the Court for the Consideration of Crown Cases Reserved, on Saturday, judgment -was given in a novel "nuisance" ease. Messrs. Lister and Co. had been convicted by a jury of creating a nuisance by keeping large quantities of naphtha in a warehouse within the City : the indictment did. not allege that there was any noxious effluvium,. but if was grounded on the danger to all around if the naphtha by any means became ignited. The questiffir for'the jury was, did the accumulation ot i.tich an inflammable liquirtereate danger to life and property-? A The Judge who tried the case reactved.the ultimate decision for., the present Court. The Court affirmed the conviction : the keeping of great qualities of naphtha in a crowded locality, even with all,internal precautions by the warehousemen, is, like an accumulation of gunpowder, dangerous to a neighbOurheed—it is a "Ind .. t‘.• • a".

Thomas Brookes, a young man formerly, in the service of Mr. Barton, an • advertising-agent, and Henry George Hardy, another young fellow, have been remanded by the Bow Street Magistrate on several charges of forgery. Brookes; after he had left Mr. Barton's service, got a check-book from the London and Westminster Bank, by means of an order to which .1fr..Barton's name was forged. Then Brooks,, Hardy, and two others not in custody, put into circulation no fewer than forty-eight checks purporting to be drawn by Mr. Barton, obtaining goods and money in exchange : the bank, however, paid none of the checks when presented. John Brett, a broker of Somers Town, has been committed by the Clerkl, enwell Magistrate for throwing vitriol at Thomas Robinson, a rival broker: The'vitriol felron the neck and face of Robinson, and he suffered so much that, time his life was in danger. Some persons who were near at the time Of the outrage were also burnt by portions of the vitriol,' Robinson's son has been tried and acquittedon'a charge of perpetrating the same of fence towards Brett's daughter. "

. The Bow Street Magistrate has sent William Thomas, a countryman, to prison for a week for scratching on the polished balustrade of the grand staircase of the British Museum ` Ellen Chore" and "W. T."

The inquest on the six sufferers by the accident in Tottenham Court Road terminated on Thursday. , The Jury returned this verdict—" That the deaths of Frederick Bury!, Anne Driscoll, John Garnett, Richard 'Punier, James Revil, and Joseph. Taylor, were caused by the falling of the houses Nos. 146; 147, and 148, Tottenham Court Road : that cutting the holes in the wall of 147 and 148 was the immediate cause of the accident, the party-wall of 146 and 147 being very indifferent, requiring more than ordinary. caution, which in this case was not observed : that the cutting away the . party-wall between 147 and 148 was done in an unskilful and improper mawner : that the Jury cannot separate without expressing their strong elmdemnation of the present conflicting state of the -law as to the District and Police Surveyors, whose duties appear to be quite independent, and even antagonistic ; and the Jury sincerely hope that an immediate alteration will be made in the Building Act as at present constituted."

The part of the Atlantic submarine cable manufactured at East Greenwich was in danger on Saturday morning, from a fire at Messrs. Glass and Co.'s premises : fortunately, the damage was confined to the destruction of the building in which the fire originated.

The Royal Thames Yacht Club had their first match this season on Tuesday. The winner of the chief prize was the Mosquito ; the Thought carried off the second prize.