Zbe Aletropolis.

A Court of Common Council was held on Monday. Mr. Hale gave notice of a motion for next Court relative to the establishment of an insti- tution for educating and maintaining the children of necessitous freemen; the redemption-fees in respect of freedoms to be applied towards defraying the expense. The motion is to oomprise also the expediency of applying to Parliament for leave to appropriate the capital and income of the Corpora, -ticrn School to the same purpose. It appeared from the report of the Navigation Committee, that the "whiting shoal," hitherto a serious ob- struction to the navigation of the Thames at Limehouse, was fast disappear- ing under the operations adopted for its removal. The various officers appointed by the Court were reElected, and other routine business was dis- posed of. A meeting of the Spitalfields Hand-loom Weavers Union was held on Saturday, at the Crown and Anchor, Waterloo Town, Bethnal Green, to devise measures of resistance to the Government proposal for reducing the import-duty on manufactured silks. Mr. Gurnell was in the chair; and Mr. Bury explained the views of the Council; which were, that the trade be called together "to show to Sir Robert Peel and the Free-traders that the propositions of the Government would tend to the irretrieveile ruin of the home-trade." This and other suggestions by the Council were adopted.

Another meeting of Spitalfields silk-weavers was held on Wednesday evening, at the French Chapel, Brown's Lane. Resolutions prognosticating ruin to the weavers from the removal of the protective duties were passed; also a petition to Parliament. An attempt to move an amendment was made by Mr. Hackman; who stated that the fears entertained of foreign competition were groundless: even in the Channel Islands, where silks were imported without any duty, the only silks sold were of English manufac- ture. The amendment was unsuccessful.

At the Court of Queen's Bench, on Saturday, in the case of the Queen verses the Reverend Josiah Bartlett, the Attorney-General moved that the rule calling upon the defendant to show cause why a criminal information should not be filed against him for a grossly indecent libel which he had published concerning him- self and his own sister-in-law, Mrs. Mariana Tozer, be made absolute. On the part of Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Sergeant Wilkins showed cause against the rule on a formal point; but expressed his client's deep repentance for the offence with his full confession that all the imputations and insinuations which he had made against Mrs. Tozer were without foundation; and said in extenuation, that he must have written the letter which contained them in "a fit of madness." The Attorney-General was gratified by the ample retractation which load been ten- dered; but he felt bound to demand that the rule be made absolute; which was done.

In the Court of Exchequer, on Tuesday, bliss Grant, a singer, sued Mr. Mad- dox, the proprietor and manner of the Princess's Theatre in Oxford Street, for 941, as balance of salary. The case turned upon the meaning to be attached to the terms of an agreement. A written contract had been drawn up, stipulating that the engagement was to continue for three "years," and that the salary was to be Si. per week for the first "year," 61. for the second, and 71 for the third. The salary was regularly paid while the theatre was open; but when it closed for the season, Mr. Maddox refused to pay anything during the recess; alleging that an engagement for three "years" meant simply an engagement for three seasons. Kiss Grant was willing to accept this construction, provided Mr. Maddox would pay the increased salary of 6/, per week for the second season, and 71. for the third season; but Mr. Maddox refused. The sum sued for consisted of the unpaid arrears. For the defence, evidence was adduced to show that the understanding in theatrical life is that an engagement for a year at a weekly salary only entitles a performer to be paid during such part of the year as the theatre is open. The Lord Chief Baron indicated an .opmion favourable to the defence: and the Jury, with some hesitation, returned a verdict for Mr. Maddox.

At the Bail Court, on Monday, Mrs. Chappell, widow of the well-known music- seller in Bond Street, was charged with wilful and corrupt perjury. The case arose out of proceedings adopted by Mrs. Chappell in the Court of Chancery to restrain Mr. Purday, the music-seller, from publishing the opera of Fm e Die- veto. Mr. Purday published the work in 1840: in applying for an injunction against him, Mrs. Chappell made affidavit that the music in question was pub- lished by. her husband in February 1830, and that Mr. Pnrday's proceedings were an invasion of her copyright. It appeared from the evidence of the defendant's son, that the opera was entered in Stationers' Hall on the 9th February 1830, but the actual publication did not take place till May. The mistake which occurred in the affidavit was attributable to him; his mother depending upon him for the facts, and he proceeding on an understanding which existed among the trade that an entry in Stationers' Hall was tantamount to publication. The Jury re- turned a verdict of "Not Guilty," under the belief that the statement contained in the affidavit was made by mistake.

At the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday, John Potter, an escaped conviot, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, to be followed by transportation for life. Potter voluntarily surrendered himself some months no; alleging that he had been converted to a better moral state, and was anxious to return to his fellow convicts in the hope of being useful to them in a religious sense. Sympathy was felt for the man, and an application to Sir James Graham for a pardon was the result; but Sir James intimated that the ease could not be taken oat of the ordi- nary course.

On Thursday, the Grand Jury found a true bill against the Lord Mayor, Alder. men and Commonalty of the city of London, for erecting a certain nuisance and obstruction on the river Thames, called the Blackfriars Free Pier. The bill con- tains twelve counts. The prosecution is instituted by the Watermen's Steam- packet Company, The announcement of the finding caused some merriment; by no means diminished when the Recorder expressed a doubt of his competence to try the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London.

Richard Cooke, a surgeon, was tried for bigamy; having married a Miss Chap- man while he had a wife living. Miss Chapman is a niece of Lady Ellis; her Ladyship had promised to give her a fortune of 5001.; and this prize was the motive of the prisoner's offer of marriage. He had pretended that lie would settle 9001. on Miss Chapman; but he had no property. Cooke was convicted, and sentenced to be transported for seven years. George Johnstone mann' er, was tried for the murder of Thomas RaZ011, on board the barque Tory, on the voyage from Hongkong to England. The trial occupied two days—Thursday and Friday. The evidence was similar to that adduced be- fore the Police Magistrate. No witnesses were called for the defence • but the cross-examination was directed to elicit evidence that the crew had been muti- nous, and that Mr. Johnstone was insane when he committed those acts of out- rageous violence with which he was charged. Such was the defence advanced by his counsel; who ascribed the prisoner's insanity to the mutiny, to the fear of losing the valuable cargo belonging to the owners, and to the hardships of short provi- sions. The tameness with which the crew submitted to the master's violences was referred to as the sign of a guilty consciousness of their mutiny. The Jury returned a verdict of acquittal, on the ground of insanity. Other indictments against the prisoner were abandoned by the Crown; but he was ordered to be detained in safe custody.

•

Al the Lambeth Police-office, on Wednesday, a young man, Jones, was com- mitted for trial as the writer of two anonymous letters to Mrs. Hamblin, of Crayford Road, Camberwell. One of the letters was delivered by Smith, the man recently sentenced to transportation for extorting money from Mrs. Hamblin; the .other was sent by post after Smith's arrest, and threatened a second visit. On the apprehension of the thief it WU found that he could not write; and after a long search, Jones, a companion of Smith, was suspected. Two persons who had employed Jones swore to the handwriting as his.

At Greenwich Police Court, on Wednesday, a workman employed in Deptford Dockyard was charged with stealing an old staple, the property of her Majesty, valued at five-sixteenths of a farthing. As the man had been dismissed from his employment in consequence, the Magistrate considered that sufficient punish- ment, without inflicting any penalty.

A fatal accident happened at the City. of London Theatre on Tuesday night. 'Mr. Canfield, "the American Samson," in one of his feats made use of a heavy .utnnon; the discharge of the gun forced open a trap-door in the stage, but no one noticed it. Six men proceeded to carry the cannon off the stage; two of them fell down the opening; and the cannon, falling upon the head of one, killed him an the spot. The other man was much hurt.

The Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolis for the week end- ing on Saturday last shows the following general results.

Number of deaths. Winter average. Annual average.

Eymotic (or Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagions) Diseases 184 ... 183 ... 188 Dropsy, Cancer,and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat 85

101 Diseases of the Brain. Spinal Narrow, Nerves, and Senses . 145

157 Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration 285

294 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 29

27 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion

72 Diseases of the Kidneys &c

7 Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, &c. 10

10

Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, dm

10

7 Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, Ac 3

2

Old Age Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 50 20

67

26

Total (including tuxspecIfIed causes) 901 ... 1,080 ... 988

The temperature of the thermometer ranged from 56.3° in the sun to 38.00 in the shade; the mean temperature by day being warmer than the average mean temperature by 10.4°. The mean direction of the wind for the week was West- south-west.