IL 311ttrupolis.

The Lord Mayor's show went off in the usual style on Wednesday; the theatrical portion of it under the appropriate -control of " Mr. Cooke of Astley's Amphitheatre." A goodly number of civic dignitaries break- fasted with Lord Mayor Sidney ; and at noon the gorgeous procession set out from Guildhall. One part of it consisted of a representation of " the nations." Turkey had 1ence of Russia, and was loudly rt fte cheered ; its antagonist iiisSe, - r traversing the City, the Lord Mayor and his eompany embarked inAlie civic barges and proceeded to Westminster. -Here the Recorder preelented Mr. Sidney to the Barons of the Court of Exchequer, and the usual forme were complied with end- ing with an invitation of he Barons to dinner—from the Lord Mayer and Mr. Sheriff TVire. Re€mbarking, the procession returned to Black., friars, and thence in due array to Guildhall. In this ancient hall, at a later hour, a at company sat down to din. net. la the thief seats were Lord Aberdeen, Lord John Russell, Lord

Clarendon, Lord Palmerston, Lord Canning, Sir James Graham, Sir Wil-

liam Molesworth, Sir Charles Wood, the American Minister, the Pam. guay Minister, and several Members of the House of Commons. The " loving cup " having passed round, the speaking began. Sir James Graham spoke for the Navy. Mr. Buchanan, the American Minister, expressed his warm admiration of the " magnificent spectacle " he bad that day seen—" fully equal to the descriptions of the splendid pageants of the middle ages" which he had read in his own country.

Lord Aberdeen replied for " her Majesty's Ministers." " Perhaps it is not too much," he said, " to hope that persons in the po. gluons which we occupy ought to have a favourable construction placed at

least upon their motives and intentions in the discharge of their duties. It is true that we are the servants of the Crown ; but, happily, in these our days those services are not incompatible with the most sincere desire to_promote the happiness, welfare, and prosperity of the people. Notwithstanding the prosperous condition of this country in allitsgreat interests, and the wonder- ful advancement in every department of art, science, and industry, I am quite aware that much remains to be done, the success of which may be greatly promoted by the efforts of her Majesty's Ministers. Much improve- ment, much reform, is required, whether social, moral, or political, in the condition of the people. My Lord Mayor, I know that much is expected of us by the country, and I hope that we shall be found ready and willing to answer to the call. In a country such as ours, and in an age of civi- lization such as that in which we live, these are the real triumphs, these are glories which every Government ought to aspire to I trust that nothing may happen to impede or cheek the progress of improvement, or of that refori the success of which I so ardently desire to see effected. It can only be suc- cessfully done by the continuance of the tranquillity which we have so long enjoyed, and by the absence of all disturbing causes, whether foreign or do- mestic. My Lord Mayor, some time ago, when last I had the honour of being the guest of your predecessor in office, I declared, and some now pre- sent may have heard me, that the policy of her Majesty's Government was the policy of peace. (Loud cheers.) My Lord Mayor, I desire on this occa- sion to repeat that declaration. But I go further, and say that no other principle of policy will ever be enunciated by me. (Renewed applause.) But, empliotie as these words may be, they are not to be understood as sig- nifying the impossibility of war; on the contrary, we know full well that this cannot be the case. I desire, however, to signify, as far as I am con- cerned, that war will never he undertaken by me without reluctance, and never but when demanded—and plainly demanded—by a due sense of the honour and interests of this country. This I believe to be the duty of an English Minister; I ani certain it is the duty of a Christian." (Loud cheers.)

Lord Clarendon spoke for the House of Lords, and Lord John Russell for the House of Commons.

Lord Clarendon gave it as his conscientious opinion that the House of Lords had done good service, not alone in the exercise of their judicial func- tions as the highest court of appeal, but also in their legislative capacity. Their speeches might not be so lengthy, nor their debates so often adjourned, as in another place; but nevertheless, the public business was conscienti- ously transacted, and with an earnest desire to promote the religious, moral, and temporal prosperity of the country. The days are gone by when any class of society could rely on exclusive or aristocratic privileges; but be be- lieved the House of Lords will still retain its high position, from the de- ference which it shows to public opinion, and its willingness to receive im- pulses from without on all great and important national questions. We have seen that on a late important question vitally affecting its own interests, the House of Lords voluntarily cast aside all its prejudices, and at once deferred to the emphatically expressed wish of the people. Of this he was sure, that there is no body of men more anxious to obtain and deserve the good opinion of their fellow-citizens.

Lord John Russell, alluding to the pending inquiry into the affairs of the Corporation, said that as a representative of the City he was proud to find, that when an inquiry was proposed, the authoritiesof the City, instead of shrinking from it, openly and manfully courted the inquiry. He felt sure they will continue to give every facility to the prosecution of the inquiry; and that if there are abuses to be corrected—if there are reforms to be made—they will be carried out on the old principles on which the Corpo- ration was founded,—principles belonging, indeed, to an earlier period of their history, but which are still in vigorous operation at the present time, —he meant the principles of free election by the citizens, and of the inde- pendent municipal government. It would be the desire of the Government to adapt the principles which have come clown to them from the feudal ages to the wants of the more enlightened and civilized times in which we live. Lord Chief Justice Campbell spoke for himself and the Judges.

In allusion to the inquiry into the City affairs, he said that when he was Attorney-General, in 1834, when the municipal institutions of England ge- nerally were reformed, he proposed to Lord John Russell that the Corpora- tion of London should be included; but other considerations prevailed at that time. Hia opinion was, that a gradual and cautious reform of ex- isting abuses was the only true Conservatism. But he had no sympathy with some of the schemes that have been broached; and, far from wishing to see the municipal institutions of London abolished, it was his wish and prayer that Albeit the Tenth might receive the homage and partake of the hospitality of the citizens of London in the hall where they were now as- sembled. (Laughter and cheers.) He believed that the inquiry which was now going on would excite great surprise over the Continent, where a very exalted notion was entertained of the dignity of the Lord Mayor. No doubt, the most exaggerated notions were afloat there as to the purport and scope of the present inquiry; and he could well suppose some sue notice as this frightening the quiet burghers of Paris or Vienna—" The Lord Mayor is abolished—the revolution has begun." (Laughter.) But he had no fear that such would be the result of the present investigation ; on the contrary, he believed that the Corporation, purified from any abuses that may have attached to it from the lapse of time, would perpetuate the blessings of a local government to a late posterity.

Mr. Sheriff Wallis does not appear to have been present; and Mr. Sheriff Wire's health alone was drunk.

The meeting convened by the Lord Mayor to consider the propriety. of erecting some memorial of the Great Exhibition of 1851, in connexion with a "testimonial of admiration and esteem" to Prince Albert, was held on Monday, in the Mansionhouse. The gentlemen present were first collected in the Lord Mayor's parlour ; but more came than had been expected, and Mr. Challis took his friends into the Egyptian Mall. He made a long prefatory speech on taking the chair, An application having been made to him to subscribe towards the beau- tiful work of art of Maroehetti—the Coeur de Lion—which -it was proposed to erect as a record of the Great Exhibition, he thought that an emblem of we and of semi-savage strength, however beautiful in execution or design, way scarcely fitted to commemorate an event the object of which was to pro- mote unity among the nations of the earth and peace and good-will among the various races of mankind. He thought that Prince Albert's connexion with the Exhibition could not be overlooked, and that the nation ought to have an opportunity of testifying their respect and esteem for his Royal Highness in connexion with it. The Bishop of Oxford moved the first resolution,—setting forth, " that the Exhibition of 1851 was an event of the greatest importance to the nations of the world," and "a new starting-point for the future progress of productive industry!' "If it were," said the Bishop, "as it has by great misapprehension been misunderstood to be, a part of your proposal today—if we were met to propose to erect a statue or other memorial in honour of those domestic and personal virtues which now, young comparatively as he is, have been unobtrusively exhibited by his Royal Highness for many years before the not unobservant eye of a great people,—though, per- haps, no man values such an exhibition of virtue more than I do, yet I should not have been here today. I agree that, however deserving such marks of the confidence and gratitude of a nation may be, they best await the termination of a life, and would be premature in its course. But I know that nothing of the sort is intended ; you propose to fix by a standing memorial the recollection of the great success of the Exhibition of 1851. Now, I think there are abundant reasons why such a movement should be made at this time rather than later, and why such a movement should be made at all. I think, if made at all, it should be made now rather than later ; be- calm it is the natural course of things that facts, however important in themselves, should by degrees pass from the recollection of man as events flow on, and should, being seen from a distance, lose in estimation their proper magnitude. It is in the very nature of things solid, that instead of hems borne along the surface of the stream of time, they should sink gradu- ally down beneath its waters. With regard, therefore, to this great fact— and a great fact I hold it to have been—if any memorial is to be raised at all, it ought to be raised whilst yet the memory of its greatness holds its true place in the memory of those who witnessed it." Mr. Deputy Bennoch read some letters out of more than a thousand received by Lord Mayor Challis. Among them were one from Lord Aberdeen enclosing 501., and one from Lord Campbell enclosing 101. : there were also letters requesting their names to be put down as sub- scribers, from the Duke of Norfolk 100/., the Marquis of Breadalbane 501., the Duke of Sutherland 501., the Duke of Argyll 301., the Duke of Bedford 501., Earl Spencer 501., Lord Ashburton 501., the Marquis of Westminster 501., Lord John Russell 501., Mr. William Beckett of Leeds 1001., and others.

The resolution to raise a monument in which a statue of Prince Albert "should be a principal feature," was moved by the Provost of Eton, and seconded by Mr. Samuel Morley. The other speakers were Mr. Alder- man Wire, Mr. Dakin, Mr. Tice, Mr. S. C. Hall, Mr. John Wood, and Mr. Scott Russell.

The Lord Mayor announced that there were six hundred subscribers, and that the promised subscriptions amounted to nearly 5000/.

Mr. Acland continued his examination before the City Commission on Tuesday. He went into the accounts of the Corporation, and seemed to make out some discrepancies; and he concluded with a statement in reply to a categorical question from Mr. Lewis, that the accounts have been drawn up in the "least intelligible form." Mr. Aeland offered no further explanation of his statement that 1000/. a year has been given in subsidies to the press.

Three witnesses were examined on Thursday. Mr. Fisher, solicitor to the brewing firm of Combe, Delafield, and Company, stated a grievance arising out of the City claims for porterage and corn-metage. The firm took a wharf called " the Duchy Wharf" in 1833, situate on the West- minster side of Waterloo Bridge, for the purpose of landing malt there from their malting-houses at Yarmouth. The City claimed in 1835 the right to the porterage, and subsequently the metage of the corn. This was resisted; and bills were filed in the Court of Chancery, and answers were put in. As the legal advisers of the firm thought certain City docu- ments would throw light on the claims, they filed a bill of discovery ; and Vice-Chancellor Knight Bruce, in 1842, made an order that the docu- ments should be laid open to inspection. The City appealed against tbis decision; Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst confirmed it on appeal, in 1845. The appal was then made to the House of Lords, where it now lies. The suits arising out of these claims have cost the firm 2000/. None of them are settled, because the House of Lords has not decided on the appeal.

Mr. John Hubbard, Governor of the Bank of England, was examined. He said he had not turned his attention to the constitution and working of the Corporation. He believed the City merchants refused to be Alder- men because they have neither the time nor the education requisite to perform judicial functions; at least that was his own case. Ile also felt that attendance at so many civic feasts would not suit his constitution. Mr. John Dillon, of the firm of Morrison and Dillon, gave evidence. Mr. Dillon thinks it would not be deairable to abolish the Corporation ; but he thinks that the police, sewerage, and lighting and paving, should be under the control of boards for the whole of the Metropolis ; these boards to be formed out of corporations established in the Metropolitan boroughs. He doubts the soundness of the argument, as against the Cor- poration, that merchants will not accept civic offices or take any interest in City iiffairs : if they looked back they would find their ancestors were Aldermen and Mayors, and many of them have amassed fortunes under the system. He thinks the contempt they throw upon City honours is an excuse for neglecting the duties imposed by those offices. As to the City accounts, they can be much improved. At present nobody knows what the income of the Corporation is ; and you cannot make "head or tail" of the accounts.

At a meeting of the Court of Aldermen, on Tuesday, Mr. Alderman Wilson said he hoped that the public would suspend judgment as to the validity of Mr. Acland's evidence: the Court of Aldermen had yet to be heard, and they would give a satisfactory reply.

The fifty-ninth anniversary of the acquittal of Hardy, Thelwall, and Horne Tooke, was celebrated at Radley's Hotel on Saturday last, by a small remnant ; Mr. W. J. Fox U.P. in the chair. It was suggested, "that as many of the objects for which these patriots had striven were now accomplished, and the feelings which gathered round the event di- minished in interest as Since wore on and those who had been active in those times were removed from amongst us, the commemoration might with propriety cease." Next year's anniversary (the sixtieth) is there-. fore to be held with the understanding that it 1/1 the last ; and the small party of Saturday undertook to use their best exertions to make the meeting as effective as possible.

At the first meeting of the Law Amendment Society for the session of 1853-'4, on Monday last, Mr. James Stewart gave an account of recent legislation bearing upon and carrying out reforms in the law. He considers that the country is now ripe for a Minister °Mate who shall assume the functions of a Minister of Justice.

At present no one knows where the responsibility lies, whether with the Lord Chancellor or with the Home Secretary. Is that a right state of things ? In all the other great departments of the state—the Finance, the Army, the Navy, or whatever else—if anything goes wrong, we know ex- actly avhere to apply to : but is it so in the general administration of justice in this country ? No. He believed that if a Minister of. Justice were ap- pointed, the functions of the Law Amendment Society would be at au end ; until such a department be established, they are obliged to consider the administration of the law to be in a state of deficiency. The present Soli- citor-General, in a letter addressed to Mr. Stewart, expressed himself on the subject in the following terms—" You will recollect that I advocated the appointment of the Lords Justices as a Court of Appeal in Equity, on the ground that it was necessary to have a Minister of Justice. The Lord Chancellor would be thus relieved of a great part of his. labour, and could perform the duty of such a Minister." Remembering the success of their other Committees, Mr. Stewart moved. the appointment of a Committee "to consider the propriety of establishing a Minister of Justice in this country."—The motion was adopted.

The Council of University College held their first session for the Acade- mical year 1853-'4 on Saturday last. They awarded three Andrews scholarships as follows : the first, 70/., to Mr. Thomas Savage ; the second, 45/., to Mr. William B. Jones; the third, 45/., to Mr. Henry M. Bompas.

At the opening of the winter session of the Epidemiological Society, on. Monday, Dr. James Bird read a paper on the laws of epidemic and contoa- gious diseases.

An "Infant Nursery" was opened on Thursday, in Green Street, Lei- cester Square. It is intended for the reception and care of children whose parents have not time to attend to them during the day. Mrs. Gladstone, Lady Goderieh, Mrs. Stuart Wortley, and other ladies, will superintend it. The Reverend Mr. Mackenzie is the President.

The foundation of a Roman Catholic chapel and schools in Saffron Hill is in course of preparation.

Vice-Chancellor Page Wood delivered a judgment of some interest on Tuesday. The Attorney-General had filed an information on the relation of certain Methodists of Birstal in the West Riding of Yorkshire, with a view of getting a decision from the Court that a meeting-house at Birstal, and property belonging to it, should be subject to the trusts of a deed dated 1751 ; and that new trustees should be appointed in certain cases. The chapel was founded by John Nelson, one of the earliest adherents of John Wesley. By the deed of 1751, the nomination of the preacher or preachers was placed in the hands of John. Walley, and at his death of Charles Wesley. Subsequently to 1751, however, the gathering of ministers took place which ultimately became known as the Conference; the Birstal Circuit was formed, and the preachers were appointed by the Conference. Certain deeds executed later vested the appointment of the preachers in the trustees; and those deeds or parts of them the Court were prayed to declare null. The Vice-Chancellor went very fully into the history of the whole transaction, and came to the conclusion that, in accord- ance with the original foundation, the appointment of the preachers lay with the Conference; and decreed that the deeds or parts of deeds executed since 1751 are null and void in so far as they vary from that deed. He thought it was not shown that, under the deed of 1751, trustees not holding with Methodism could be removed ; neither would separation and hostility be ground for removal. [It is understood that five of the trustees belong to the Reform party.] An information has been filed by the Attorney-General against the Arch- bishop of York, in his character as visitor to a charity at Hemsworth in Yorkshire. On Wednesday, the Solicitor-General appeared before the Mas- ter of the Rolls to support the information. It appear& that in 1548, Arch- bishop Holgate founded a free grammar school at Hemsworth, and endowed it with lands and an advowson. For a long period the objects of the founder were overlooked, and the funds of the charity were so grossly misapplied that the office of master was a sinecure. Some improvement took place in 1801 ; but the charity has never been fully carried out. The Solicitor-General asked the Court to direct a scheme and an inquiry to be made as to the pre- sent state of the funds ; and prayed that the advowson might be sold and the proceeds invested for the benefit of the charity. Hitherto the master, the Reverend Mr. Graham, has not resided at Hemsworth, but at Facer. two miles off; and it was prayed that Mr. Graham should not continue to be schoolmaster unless he resided. The Master of the Rolls decided that there should be an inquiry, and a new scheme for the regulation of the charity.

A suit for divorce is now pending in the Consistory Court. Jeruima Mary Bacon Frank married, in 1851, an Italian named Ciocci, a teacher of lan- guages at Brighton. Mrs. Ciocci is older than her husband, and her fortune was 40,0001. She sues for divorce on the ground of adultery and cruelty. The statements of the witnesses accuse Ciocci of committing the grossest im- moralities ; and the witnesses for the defence put in contradictory statements. It is impossible to go into the charges. One of the witnesses is Jane Legg, who appeared against Dr. Achilli.

A pig-dealer in Gore Lane, Kensington, who is surrounded by aristocratic neighbours, has been cleverly defeating the authorities in their attempts to remove the nuisance he creates. His pig-yard is in two parishes ; when a summons was issued from one parish, he removed the pigs into the other parish ; and vice verea. The Magistrates directed summonses to be issued on account of both parishes simultaneously. George Palmer, a supernumerary at Aetley's Amphitheatre, has been killed by the accidental discharge of a gun. He had to fire the gun on the stage ; and in preparing to place powder in it, he blew down the barrel, near a gas- light ; the gun had been already charged at the time, and it went of with fatal effect. It is not known who loaded the gun—a witness at the inquest suggested it might have been done in a "lark," as " supers " lark with one another in this way.

Several accidents occurred in London on Saturday night, caused by the explosion of Guy Fawkes fireworks; but the consequences were not very se- rious. Bitter complaints are made of the disorderly proceedings on 'lower Hill by a mob of the very dregs of the populace. James Bright, accompanied by his little daughter, went into the coal Ex- change after seeing the Lord Mayor's show on Wednesday. They ascent the building and got on to the glazed roof; while they were walking over one of the long slabs of glass, it broke, and they fell to the pavement within the Exchange, a depth of seventy feet. Bright was killed, but the child, though her thigh was fractured, escaped with life, and is expected to re- cover.

A temporary stand erected by a costermonger near the Mansionhouse for the accommodation of sight-seers on Wednesday, broke down while it was crowded with people, and a gentleman suffered a compound fracture of the leg.