TOE _Metropolis.
=Hitherto the City Liberals have had all the election talk to themselves. There are now, however, some signs of awakening activity in the Conser- vative camp. Mr. Robert C. L. Bevan, a leading partner in the banking- house of Barclay, Bevan, and Co., has come forward as a candidate; "im- pelled by a deep conviction of the critical position in which the Protestant institutions of this great empire are now placed." His aim will be to de- fend the commercial interests of the empire in general, and of London in particular; to uphold our free constitution, and especially to oppose the endowment of the Church of Rome. "I regard the advance of the Romish church and hierarchy into political influence in this country as dangerous to the existence of civil and religious liberty. Nor can I consider it to be right that national support should be given to a system of error."
At a meeting of the City Conservative Association, on Thursday, it was unanimously resolved to support Mr. Masterman, Mr. Alderman Johnson, and Mr. Robert C. L. Bevan, at the ensuing election; Mr. Masterman having yielded to the entreaties of his Conservative constituents that he should stand once more.
The Ifarylebone Reform Association held a meeting on Thursday, to make some arrangement by which the redundancy of Liberal candidates for the seat which Sir Charles Napier vacates should be prevented from having the effect of " letting in a Tory." The three new candidates— Lord Dudley Stuart, Mr. Sergeant Shee, and Mr. Daniel Whittle Harvey— attended, and retired together to devise a plan by which they agreed that they would be bound. They produced their plan, and it was adopted unanimously: a committee was appointed to ascertain the sentiments of all such electors as should pledge themselves only to vote for Reformers in respect to the .choice of the three candidates. A resolution was moved to bring the sitting Member, Sir Benjamin Hall, within the same arrange- ment; and, after a stormy discussion, that resolution was carried, by 91 to 84.
A new candidate for Southwark has appeared in the person of Mr. Wil- liam Willson, of Staple Street, Long Acre.
A sailing-match of unusual interest took place on Wednesday; the occa- sion being 100 sovereigns given by the Royal Thames Yacht Club as a prize for yachts from all parts of England. The distance was the space from Erith Reach round the Nore Light Vessel and back. Eleven vessels started—the Eclipse, (50 tons), of Weymouth, owner, Mr. T. P. Wick- ham; Secret, (25), London, Mr. J. W. Smith; Princess Olga, (35), Cowes, Mr. T. B. Rutherford; .Antagonist, (25), London, Mr. G. P. Naylor-' In°, (25), London, Mr. H. Gibson; Snake, (20), Poole, T. and L M. Wiinhill; Lily of Devon, (31), Plymouth, Mr. W. F. Moore; Blue Belle (31), London, Mr. T. Hodges; Little Gauntlet, (15), Portsmouth, Mr. 1, Fountaine; Chamois,' (8), Southton, Mr. S. Pigott; Bianca, (31), Cowes, Lord C. Paget. Half a minute per ton was allowed for difference of weight. Under a'smart South-west wind, the fleet scudded down the river. The first -vessel which rounded the Nore Light was the Eclipse, followed at an in- terval of about six minutes by the Secret. The whole distance was per- formed by.the Eclipse, which maintained the first place, in 6 hours minutes; but the Secret, which arrived in 12 minutes 7 seconds after, being
=hied by her difference of tonnage to claim 12i minutes, was declared the winner by a few seconds; and received the prize from the Commodore, Lord Alfred Paget.
The Judges, to whom the House of Lords had referred the question of law as to the tree construction to be put upon the will of Mr. Charles Robert Blundell, have decided that Mr. Thomas Weld Blundell is the person designated by the tes- tator as the devisee of his estates, although erroneously named in the will; that the devise is not void for uncertainty; and that Thomas %Veld Blundell is entitled to the estates in question.
In the Insolvent Debtors Court, on Tuesday, Edward Richards was opposed by Mr. SaLsmans, a goldsmith residing in Maddox Street, on the ground of fraud. It appeared that, in the capacity of agent for Faulkner and Fabian, well known for their share in a late railway scrip affair, Richards had obtained advances from Salamans on certain scrip in the Buckinghamshire Railway, which turned out to be forged. It came out in the course of the inquiry that Richards had been dis- charged from the Insolvent Debtors Court in May 1844; that he had since been secretary to the Kentish Coast Railway, as well as director of a long list of rail- ways., including the Brazilian, Cambridge and Lincoln Extension, Direct Hull and Lincoln, Hall and York, Ronda Railway, Ely and Lincoln, Toronto and Lake Huron, Western Jamaica, Trinidad, &c. The insolvent said he had received about 1,0001. from the Kentish Coast Company; which he expended in buying up their shares in the market, but found out at last that the solicitor to the com- pany was selling. That plan was called "rigging the market." Mr. Commis- sioner Phillips viewed the insolvent with suspicion; but, giving him the benefit of a doubt, remanded him for six months from the date of his vesting order.
At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, Joseph Willett, formerly a currier of Cwgeshall, was tried for perjury. In 1844 the accused was made a bankrupt; in his examinations at the Bankruptcy Court he repeatedly swore that he had handed a bag containing 921. to Mr. Beckmore, a solicitor, on the occasion of the prisoner's trial at Chelmsford for an assault. It was proved that the bag contained only 121.; which Mr. Beckmore received in part payment towards the expenses of the trial. The defendant called Benjamin Washer, a man who had been in his employ, to prove the delivery of the 921.; but this person's cross-ex- amination tended to make Willett's case still worse. He was immediately found guilty. In passing sentence, Mr. Justice Patteson remarked, that not only had the prisoner committed the deliberate perjury of which he was accused, but there was too mach reason to fear that he had also endeavoured to defend himself by perjury and fraud: sentence, one month's imprisonment in the house of correc- tion, and after that transportation for seven years.
On Thursday, Thacker and Ringrove two postmen, were tried for embezzling twenty letters. Thacker, in sorting the letters at the General Post-office, placed the twenty on one side; and Ringrove, who had no business to touch them, carried them away: on Ringrove was found correspondence the postage of which amounted to 6/. 138. 8d., whereas he was only charged with 41. Os. 9d. The whole day was occupied by this trial; the counsel for the defence endeavouring by lengthy cross- examinations of the Post-office officials to make out that the present prosecution arose from spite against the prisoners, conceived in the squabbles about the Post- °Ace Directory and other matters. But this course failed: the men were found guilty, and sentenced to be transported for seven years.
. At Marlborough Street Police-office, on Saturday., Charles Pollard, "gentle- man," of No. 10 Essex Street, Strand, was reixammed on a charge of fraudu- lently obtaining or steQling two bills of exchange for 1,0001. each from Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. The Prince deposed, that in consequence of a disap- pointment in the receipt of remittances from his Florentine agent, at the begin- ning of last month he was desirous of raising a sum of money on bills of exchange of a short date. By some means unknown, this came to the knowledge of Mr. Pollard, and he called on the Prince respecting the matter: he proposed that the Prince should sign two blank bill-stamps; but this was declined, and Pollard went away. A few days after, he called again; he produced two bills for 1,0001., in- duced the Prince to accept them, and signed his name as the drawer. He took away the documents, promising to bring the money for them. On the following day he called to announce that he could not get the bills discounted at the mo- ment, without the loss of 2001. From that time nothing more was heard of Mr. Pollard, the bills, or the money. The Prince called and sent to Essex Street in vain: Mr. Pollard was never "at home"- but a witness proved that he had been in the house on every occasion. Eventually, the accused was arrested. Mr. Hawkins, the counsel for the defendant, contended that there was no case against Isis client: the stamped paper was his property, and it was quite lawful for him to take it away. The Magistrate, Mr. Hardwick, was of a very different opinion: he held that after Prince LouisNapoleon had attached his names to the bills he had a property in them; and that in carrying them off and not accounting for them afterwards, the prisoner acted in a way which made it necessary for a July. to consider whether a larceny had not been committed. He remanded him till Tuesday; refusing to take bail.
On Tuesday, more witnesses were examined. Mr. Symons, a wine-merchant, deposed to the prisoner's having applied to him to discount one of the Prince's bills for 1;00014 proposing to give 751. for discount, and to take two hogsheads of wine, the remainder to be cash. Witness did not get sight of the bill; Pollard saying it was in pledge with "a silversmith in the Strand" for 3001. Two persons named Smith and Watson accompanied the prisoner in his visits to Mr. Symons. A Policeman who had searched Pollard's lodgings stated that he could not find the bills there. The prisoner was committed for trial; the Magistrate still re- fusing to accept of bad.
A determined attempt to rob a postman was made on Wednesday morning. As Bradley, a letter-carrier who takes the general post letters to the Lombard Street bankers, was on his way about eight o'clock, passing through Mitre Court, an alley between Milk Street and Wood Street, he was assailed by three men, and knocked down by a blow on the head from a "life-preserver." The thieves at- tempted to seize the letter-bags; but Bradley kept a tight hold; calling. out " Murder!" very lustily: his assailants took alarm and ran away. There is an iron gate at the Wood Street end of the court, and ibis the thieves had locked by means of a false key; the key and the life-preserver were found on the pavement. The postman was severely cut on the head. The attack had evidently been pre- parec with deliberate care. The Post-office authorities have offered a reward of 300/. for the detection and conviction of the robbers.
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