Zrtrutintio.
On Sunday, the day appropriated to the special solemnity of national thanksgiving, all the churches were filled. The Queen herself, with her husband and children, attended the afternoon service at Westminster Abbey. The Peers had been there in the morning—at least the Lord Chancellor and about a dozen others—listening to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The Commons, headed by the Speaker, and mustering 100 strong, went to St. Margaret's, where their own Chaplain, the Reverend Thomas Gamier, preached to them. The Lord Mayor and the Corpora- tion, according to ancient custom, betook themselves to St. Paul's, and heard an impressive discourse from Dean Milman. The Archbishop of Canterbury preached at Trinity Church Chelsea; and the pulpits of the other churches were occupied chiefly by their proper incumbents. The general character of the sermons delivered does not call for remark. The preachers reminded those who have been " balked of their meed of glory," that high-wrought expectations have been disappointed before now, and that the issue of battles is with God : and while denouncing the horrible character of all wars, some of them did not forget to remind us that peace has its perils and war its blessings.
The Lord Mayor entertained the Ministers at the Mansionhouse on Wednesday. It was a civic ovation; remarkable, among other things, for the first reappearance of the flag of Russia among the flags and deco- rations of the Egyptian Hall. The chief Ministers present were Lord Palmerston, Lord Clarendon, Lord Panmure, Earl Granville, Sir George Lewis, Sir Charles Wood, Lord Cranworth, and Mr. Labouchere. There was also a large number of Peers and Members of the Commons; and the French, Turkish, Sardinian, Prussian, and Greek Ministers. The Lord Mayor did his share of the honours with modesty and brevity, and the other speakers did not run into excesses. One of the earliest speeches was that of Count de Persigny in replying to " the Emperor of the French." He eulogized the war as one of the most glorious episodes in the history of civilization; and dwelt emphatically on the extinction of the ancient animosities accomplished by the fraternity of battle, and more than that has been done for their union by the repudiation of the false economical doctrine that the prosperity of one country is founded on the ruin of its neighbours. Among the other speakers were Lord Palmerston, who made a handsome acknowledgment of popular support ; and Lord Clarendon, one passage in whose speech of the nks has an inte- rest independent of the banquet. " General Williams and his brave companions found in the person or General Mouravieff a splendid example of Russian chivalry and - magas.. nimity. I received a letter, only today, from General illiams, from which, as it illustrates the character of that highminded commander, I will take the liberty of reading a brief extract. General Williams writes—' have already told your Lordship of General Mouraviefl"s kindness towards myself and my party; but his humanity and benevolent treatment of the poor famished garrison of Kars will gain for him the respect of the civilized world, and must tend to lessen, if not eradicate, the animosity which for more than a century has existed between Russia and Turkey, especially on the part of the latter. I shall therefore quit General Mouravieff with great regret; although I have every hope that on my arrival at Riazan we shall hear of the reestablishment of peace, and continue our journey towards England.' Incidents like these can only strengthen the cordiality of the relations between the two Powers, 'which I -trust are now reestablished on a lasting basis."
The annual dinner of the Literary Fund usually derives its oratorical distinction from the speech of the Chairman. The dinner of this year, held on Wednesday at the Freemasons' Tavern, is an exception, the chief orator being one of the guests. The chair was occupied by the Duke of Cambridge ; who frankly craved indulgence, on the ground that he occu- pied no literary position, but he would not admit that he was inferior to any man as a warm friend of the institution. The guest who made the speech of the evening was the American Minister. In acknowledg- ing a toast to "the literature and science of the United States," Kr. Dallas pointed out that a countryman of his own, Benjamin Franklin, had presided over the small and hesitating meeting that in 1773 consti- tuted the germ of this flourishing society ; and that a relative of his own, now achieving fame in the United States, is the great grandson of Ben- jamin Franklin. It was the lot of Mr. Dallas, ten years ago, to preside as Chancellor over the Smithsonian Institution—that magnificent bequest of a benevolent Eng- lishman; and he remarked that in giving it a direction analogous to that of the Literary Fund, the Government of the United States had paid a just homage to the principles of the society. Alluding to the heavy debt, in the coin of the-brawn which America owes to England, he said that her authors are working hard to pay it, and they look upon payment in full as by no means a hopeless achievement. He was delight.ed to hear intermingled the names of Alison, Bancroft, Prescott, Macaulay, Irving, and Grote ; and he was glad to perceive that die sarcastic criticism has grown obsolete and been permanently banished, which he had heard in his youth, " Who reads as American book ? " "The influence of authors over communities, when combined, is neither to be doubted nor exaggerated. Let us, then, trust that the copious, strong, polished language common to England and Ame- rica, will -tease to be the medium of strife, and become;on the contrary, an instrument of mutual instruction, conciliation, and peace."
The subscriptions of the evening amounted to 13501.
The May meetings have set in with their usual frequency ; one, some- times two or more, almost every day. At the annual meeting of the Church of England Sunday School Institute, there was reported a ba- lance of 1/. 78. 6d. It was stated that there are 18,000 children attend- in,g the Sunday schools of London. The Naval and Military Bible So- ciety has circulated 42,657 Bibles. within the year, at a cost of 25591. : balance 4/. The Church Missionary Society reports a revenue of 115,208/., an expenditure of 116,880/. ; leaving with the excess of last year a debt of 6493/. to be provided for by a loan. There are at present in connexion with the society 128 stations ; 203 clergymen, English, foreigners, natives, and East Indians ; 33 European lay agents ; 9 Eu- ropean female teachers (exclusive of missionaries' wives) • 1716 native and country-born catechists and teachers of all classes. The number of communicants in 1853 was 16,772 ; in 1854, 17,124 ; in 1855, 17,909 ; in 1866, 18,739. The Society for the Church Missions to the Roman Catholics reports that the ordinary income of the year was short of that of the preceding year to the extent of 10,063/. The British and Foreign Bible Society state in their report that they have circulated during the year 1,474,394 copies of the Bible ; of which 204,518 copies were cir- culated in immediate connexion with the late war. Their aggregate in- come was 130,4381. ; their expenditure 134,8131.
The foundation-stone of a new school in the parish of St. Thomas Charterhouse was laid by Mr. Gladstone on Thursday. This, the region of Whitecross Street and Golden Lane, contains 9000 inhabitants, 2400 families, 3100 children between three and fourteen, of whom only 715 attend a school. The wild condition of these children, and their inabi- lity to attend the present schools, having been represented to the Lord President of the Council, the Committee of Council on Education has voted a grant of two-thirds of the expenses of erecting a new school for the special benefit of the poorest children in the district.
. A Magistrate of Brighton committed a man to prison for " playing in a certain open and public place, to wit, a third-class carriage, used on the Brighton Railway, with a certain instrument, to wit, cards, at a certain game of chance called odd man." Freestone, the card-player, carried the case before the Court of Exchequer ; and his counsel moved that the prisoner should be discharged, on the ground that a railway-carriage is not an open and public place within the meaning of the 5th George IV., under which
Be conviction had been made. The objection was technical. The Chief aion—" The railway is a public highway, beyond all doubt. If a man Were by powerful artillery to bring a train to a stand-still and rob the pas- sengers, I take it he would be guilty of highway robbery." Mr. Baron Al- derson—" Or if a passenger travelling opposite to you in a railway-carriage were to pull out a pistol and call upon you to deliver,' that would be high- way robbery too." The Court decided that the conviction did not show that the offence had been committed in an open and public place. Mr. Baron Alderson said—" It may be that if the conviction had alleged that 'the carriage was then and there running and being used on the said railway,' it -would have been good; but I abstain from giving any opinion on that point, it being sufficient to-say that the conviction as it stands is bad."
Among the crowd assembled at Charing Cross to hear and see the procla- mation of peace, was Miss Clementine Archer, a young lady from the country. She had been separated from her friends by the pressure of the crowd, and seeing them on the other aide of the road desired to rejoin them. As the Police had orders to prevent such movements, they stopped her ; but one of them in doing so used unjustifiable violence. lie placed his arms round the young lady's waist J then seized her shoulders; and as she struggled and got free, he beat her with his staff. When she rejoined her friends a com- plaint was made ; and she was taken to police-stations to identify the rade assailant. She fixed on Constable Taylor, "D 57," and on Tuesday a charge was preferred against him at Bow Street. She had recognized him at the Marylcbone station, having previously surveyed the men drawn up in line without pointing him out : after she had done so, however, she turned round, saw him rather behind her, and then identified him. Miss Archer and the friend who accompanied her both state that the man imme- diately exclaimed, " I deny using my staff." The man's comrades affirm that his expression was, " I deny having taken out my staff at all." They admit that a part of the " D " division was at Charing Cross, but deny that any such occurrence took place there : and Miss Archer had originally named " Warwick' Street", as the place of the assault ; but this seems to have been only a misnomer, originating in her unacquaintance with town. Miss Archer's solicitor asked the Magistrate to adjourn the inquiry, in order that further evidence might be produced. But Mr. Jardine dismissed the Charge.
[This case has excited much attention, and some surprise at the adminis- tration of Police Court law. The Police authorities admit that seine mem- ber of the force committed this outrage. Under such circumstances, it would seem to be the duty of the responsible officers of the force to discover a culprit who brings discredit upon the whole body, and whose impunity is equally injurious to the discipline of the men and to their authority with the public. Really it is difficult to understand why Mr. Jardine did not give another opportunity for the production of further evidence.]
A burglary attended with cruel violence was perpetrated on the 25th of last month, at the house of Mrs. Humphreys, Stamford Hill. Mrs. Hum- phreys is a widow, eighty years of age ; she lives in her house with only a servant-girl ; the robbers evidently knew a good deal about her affair& An attempt was made by false messages and a forged letter to wile both the lady and her servant from the house at the same time ; but this failed. Soon after, the burglary was committed. Four ruffians effected an entrance early in the morning by pulling down part of a wall ; when the servant entered a t parlouat six o'clock she was knocked down, threatened with a knife, and bound to a chair ; Mrs. Humphreys was tied neck and heels iu her bed, and pillows placed over her mouth and head : life was almost gone when the servant, after the departure of the thieves, managed to release herself and went to her mistress's assistance. A good deal of property was carried off. The Worship Street Magistrate has remanded one man on suspicion, but liberated another man and a woman who had been arrested.
Mrs. Graham, the wife of an actor at the Princess's Theatre, has been committed by the Marlborough Street Magistrate for attempting to shoot her husband. She snapped a pistol at him as he left the theatre at night ; it missed fire ; it was leaded with ball. Mrs. Graham said she only intended to frighten her husband. The couple have been separated for some time. It is proposed to try Palmer, at the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday next ; but there is an expectation that an application will be made to post- pone the trial to the following Monday, when the ordinary business will have been disposed of. Palmer was brought to Loudon on Sunday,, and, lodged in Newgate. He appeared to be in excellent health, Twelve men and boys were very badly hurt by the bursting of a tour- billon rocket which they were making at Woolwich Arsenal on Tuesday. evening.
An alarming accident, attended with some damage to property but with- out any loss of life, occurred at the West India Docks on Tuesday evening At the Limehouse entrance of the South West India Dock, or City Canal, there are two pairs of lock-gates. On Tuesday the outer gates were under repair, and the whole pressure of tho water in the canal was against the inner gates. The North-east wind caused a swell against the gates, and a number of lighters also increased the pressure against them. About half- past nine o'clock, when the tide had ebbed, the gates suddenly gave way, and the water poured forth in a torrent, carrying with it the barges and other small vessels, sweeping them into the river, and swamping some.. The ships in the dock broke their moorings, were dashed against each other, and were much damaged, but they finally settled in the mud it is supposed that some are strained.
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