gbe Metropolis.
A meeting of Corn-law Repealers was held on Monday evening, at the Jacob's Well in Shoreditch, to form an auxiliary Anti-Corn-law Association, in connexion with the Metropolitan Anti-Corn-law Asso- ciation. A meeting was held for a similar purpose on Tuesday, at the Thatched House Tavern, Islington. On Wednesday, a meeting was held at the Europa Tavern, Rother- hithe, to organize a more extensive and influential Association than has heretorore existed in the district. On the same evening, a lecture- meeting at Gravesend unanimously resolved to establish a local Asso- ciation.
The Committee of the Middlesex Reform Registration Club have printed a report, in which they give an account of their labours and of . their receipts and expenditure from the 1st November 1839 to the 6th May 1841. We are sorry to perceive that a heavy balance is due to -the treasurer. The subscriptions received during the above period, in- cluding a subscription of 200/. by Mr. Byng, amount only to 419/. 4s. 6d. It is stated that two Members could easily be returned on the Liberal interest, but the operations of the Club are paralyzed by the want of funds. A heavy reproach attaches to the rich Whigs on this account.— Morning Chronicle.
The result of the Church-rate poll at Hackney was declared on Saturday—for the rate, 771 votes ; against, 454; majority, 317. The party opposed to the rate complained that the number of their votes -was considerably reduced by a trick, the poor-rate up to Michaelmas having been demanded two months before the usual time. At the meeting of rate-payers assembled to receive the announcement of the poll the following resolution was proposed and carried unanimously- " That it is the opinion of this meeting, that the demand of the poor's-rate out of the ordinary course, preparatory to a meeting of the inhabitants on the subject of church-rate, deserves their severest reprobation ; and that if, as is understood, that demand was at first made by direction of the Vestry Clerk unauthorized by any competent authdrity, this meeting hereby express their strong disapprobation of the proceeding, and their hope that the Church- wardens, Overseers, and Trustees of the Poor, will take effectual measures to prevent any servant of theirs from ever again offering the like insult to the parishioners." The Vestry Clerk declined to give any explanation ; but averred that he had intended no insult to the parishioners. A vote of thanks was passed for the impartial conduct of the Reverend T. 0. Goodchild, the Rector, iu the chair: in acknowledging which, the Rector expressed his surprise and sorrow that so many persons had been found to vote against the rate ; he believed it was in a great degree owing to the impression which prevailed that a trick had been attempted ; butif such were the case, he was in no way a party to it. He then dissolved the meeting. By the Church party, the contest was regarded as one of immense importance : gentlemen, it is said, were out canvassing from morning till night ; and the officials of the Church, from the highest to the lowest, gave a helping-hand.
A meeting of rate-payers was held at West Hackney, on Thursday, at which the Churchwardens' accounts passed without opposition. The Churchwardens then, without remark, proposed a rate of 2id. in the pound. Mr. Miall, who has lately come to the parish from Leicester, moved an amendment, that the meeting be adjourned for twelvemonths ; and that amendment was carried by 90 to 31. A poll was demanded. At the close of the poll yesterday, the numbers were—for the rate, 206; against it, 332; majority, 126. Two out of the three districts of Hackney have now refused a rate.
A respectable inhabitant of West Hackney has just had his son sent home from school, with a letter from the master expressing his regret that, out of deference to the wishes of the parents of other scholars, he is compelled to decline the further education of the child. Two boys, the master says, have been already taken from his school, and the re- moval of others is threatened if the heterodox pupil remain.—Morning Chronicle.
Sir Peter Laurie, in adjudicating upon some case of little importance at the Mansionhouse, on Tuesday, made an important announcement on the subject of prison-discipline-
He felt great gratification in being able to assure the public from the chair in which be sat, that the Penitentiary system, which had been so loudly repro- bated by men of humanity, was about to be completely altered. He had heard from unquestionable authority, that after the long tnal which had been given to the solitary and maddening process in that place of punishment, it was at length discovered that the cruel rigours of the plan were not productive of the good anticipated ; that the silent and solitary system, instead of causing an improvement of morals, deprived several of the wretched delinquents sentenced to pine within its walls of the use of their reason altogether ; and that the Government was at length awakened to the necessity of prison reform as re- garded the horrible place of punishment called the Penitentiary. Three men and three women had completely lost their reason last year, and the same number of men and women had lost their reason within the last six months.
Mr. Hobler feared that the model-prison which Government are building will be the means of establishing a more rigorous system of punishments than was possible even in the Penitentiary. Sir Peter had no apprehension of the kind: he did not think that any thing could possibly be so bad as the Penitentiary.
One of those silly affairs called an affair of honour" took place, at Wormwood Scrubbs, on Thursday morning. Mr. Henry Launcelot and Captain Anthony Bellgrave, having some pique unknown, vindicated their dignity by standing exactly sixteen paces apart and propelling small pieces of lead against each other. Having done so once without any result, the seconds tried to reconcile them ; but they were inex- orable. The next interchange of bullets lodged one in the fleshy part of Captain Bellgrave's thigh. The ball was extracted on the spot. The offended honour of the two was soothed by Mr. Launcelot's success in driving the lead into the fleshy part of the Captain's thigh : they shook hands, and went home.
Schmalcalder, a German jewel commission agent, who was lately charged by Mr. Lyon Samuels with defrauding him of valuable dia- monds under a pretence of having lost them, was finally examined on Saturday, at the Mansionhouse. He had been remanded from time to time till then, at his own request, that he might try and settle the busi- ness by restitution or compensation in value. He was now committed for trial; the Mayor refusing bail.
On Saturday, an inquest was held on the body of John Wicks, aged ten years, who died in St. Bartholomew's Hospital from breaking his arm and dislocating his elbow in falling from a swing. After the house- surgeon had given his evidence, the boy's mother came forward with a complaint of the brutal treatment which her son had received from the sister and nurse of the ward in which he had lain ill. He had been strapped to his bed, flogged with a birch several times, and on one occa- sion the sister had put a large adhesive plaster over his mouth to pre- vent his crying out. The nurse was examined, and admitted the truth of the charge ; adding, that it was usual to resort to such means with refrac- tory children. The sister, who was not sworn, also admitted the ac- cusation, and justified herself by the behaviour of the youth. The surgeon, on being recalled, said that such treatment had not hastened death, but it might have irritated the symptoms. The Jury expressed their indignation aloud ; and the Coroner said that an investigation would doubtless be made by the Governors of the institution into such shameful behaviour. A verdict of "Accidental Death" was found ; to which the Jury appended a sharp censure upon Sophia Causton, the assister, whose conduct they hoped the Governors would inquire into. On Tuesday, a Special Court of Almoners of the Hospital was held, attended by Mr. Alderman Lucas, the President, and a number of Go- vernors, to investigate the charge made against the sister and nurses of the ward. The inquiry occupied a considerable time. The Court were of opinion that no blame was imputable to the house-surgeon, but that the sister and two nurses were unfit for their station ; and they were accordingly dismissed. The nurses urged that they felt they were doing wrong, but could not help obeying the directions of their supe- rior, the sister. They were told they might have appealed to the matron, the steward, or the clerk, who all reside in the Hospital, and would listen to any complaints.
An inquest was held by Mr. Wakley, on Tuesday, on the body of William Morton, formerly an omnibus-proprietor, who hanged himself. The deceased had been at one time a partner with Mr. Shillibeer, but meeting with heavy losses, he was reduced to become a conductor ; having taken to drinking, he had been latterly out of employment. It was stated that he had been in the habit of drinking a bottle of brandy a day ; and that he had before attempted to cut his throat. The Jury found a verdict of "Temporary Insanity." Mr. Shillibeer has ad- dressed a letter to the Times contradicting a statement of some of the Jurors that the losses of the deceased originated in his connexion with him : that connexion terminated eight years ago, when Shillibeer left his partner in possession of the full value of the capital be had brought into the concern. A recent circumstance of a private nature, coupled with the wretched man's confirmed habits of drunkenness, was the cause of his suicide.
John Hopkinson and William Cox, excavators on the Eastern Coun- ties Railway, have been taken to the London Hospital, suffering from injuries received from two different falls of the embankments last week. Hopkinson, who was hurt early on Saturday morning, 'while he was working in the night-gang, has had all his ribs and both his thighs broken, and has received fatal internal injuries. Cox was admitted to the Hospital in almost as bad a state.
Helen Lahern, aged nineteen, while cleaning the windows of Mrs. Wagstaff's house near Belgrave Square, fell from the height of thirl feet upon the area pavement. On being- taken, insensible, to St. George s Hospital, she was found to have sustained no fracture ; but she was so terribly jarred and internally injured, that her life is in great danger.
On Sunday morning, considerable alarm was produced in St. James's Square, by the discovery of a fire raging in the basement story of the Army and Navy Club-house, at the corner of King Street. The Police immediately gave the alarm, and engines were soon on the spot. The damage is confined to the kitchen. The fire commenced in a large closet, and is supposed to have originated from a spark falling among a quantity of linen. The Club-house and its costly furniture are insured in the Imperial and Phcenix offices to the extent of 20,000/.
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