Cbr litirtrupoTIL A ballot was taken on Wednesday at the
East India House, for the election of six Directors in the room of the Honourable Hugh Lindsay, Mr. John Morris, Sir Robert Campbell, Mr. John Goldshorough Ravenshaw, Mr. Josias Du Pre Alexander, and Mr. Neil Benjarnia Edrnonstone, who go out by rotation. At six o'clock the glasses were closed and delivered to the scrutineers; who reported that the election had fallen on Mr. Henry Alexander, Mr. William Stanley Clarke, Mr. Robert Cutler Fergusson, Mr. George Raikes, Mr. John Thornhill, and Sir William Young.
A requisition has been presented to the Lord Mayor, to call a public meeting to consider the propriety of petitioning Parliament to intro- duce a system of Poor-laws into Ireland, and he has accordingly ap- pointed Wednesday next for that purpose. The meeting is to be held at the Guildhall.
The inhabitants of the parish of Christchurch, Surxy, assembled on Tuesday last in Vestry, to elect Church Wardens and transact other business for the ensuing year. On the proposition for granting to the Organist 15/. per annum, as usual (in addition to 15/. per annum, the gift of Dr. Boyce, deceased), Mr. Bowditch objected, as a Dissenter, to pay for the amusement of other persons ; and moved, as an amend- ment, that no grant should be made to the Organist out of the parish funds; which was agreed to. A poll, however, was demanded; but as it appeared to be a matter of doubt whether the parish came under the operation of Mr. Sturges Bourne's -Act, the Chairman declined pro- ceeding to the poll, until he had obtained legal advice on the point. The most extraordinary part of the day's proceeding was the refusal of the Vestry to vote any money to the Clergyman. So plainly, indeed, was the determination of the parishioners expressed, that none of the Rector's friends dared to put the question. It appears that, under an old local act, the Rector is to receive 601. per annum if resident; he derives, also, it is stated, some' income from a fund called Marshall s Trast. The former Vestries not considering- this sum sufficient for the adequate support of their Rector, were accustomed to vote him yearly 400 guineas additional-300 for himself and 160 for his Curate. During the last few years, this vote has been objected to, and las been re- peatedly negatived in Vestry, but always carried on recuning to the poll. Last year, however, the opponent party changed tleir tactics, and suffered the proposition to be carried by the Vestry, but afterwards refused to pay ; contending that the grant was illegal, the Vestry having no power to pass such a vote ; which refusal was subsequently confirmed by the opinion of Dr. Lushington. Not content with this, thff also attacked the grant of 60/. per annum, on the ground that the Rector was not resident. This certainly was acting on the letter, but not on the spirit of the Act ; for the Rector's house, though not within the bounds of the parish, was nevertheless not BOO yards from the parish church. The Rector then gave up his house, and took a loeging in the parish,—the Chairman said, only a back room ; but it was still stated, that such a residence was not a residence within the mewing of the act, and that he ought to be an inhabitant householder for which pur- pose, it was asserted, sufficient funds were provided by lilars1 all's Fund. The Rector, who is at present in the country, oziaccount of ill health, consequently loses, not only his 300/., but. also his 60/. per. annum, ac- companied by the additional burden of paying his own Curste.
[ This seems to be bearing rather hardly upon the Rector. However, as far as the Dissenters are concerned, they are not to be.blamed for taking every strictly legal method to relieve themselves from the burden of supporting the Church. The abolition Of Select Vestries will turn out, we suspect, to be a heavy blow on the Establishment in those parishes where Dissenters abound. In the course of a. few years, per- haps, the Dissenting Ministers, who trust to the voluntary contributions of their hearers, will be' better off than the beneficed Clergy of the Establishment. The proceedings of these parishioners of Christ- church are certainly ominous.] The annual parochial meeting of the inhabitants of St. Mary's, Lambeth, was held on Tuesday for the election of parish-officers ; when, after a very noisy and violent discussion, the Vestry-Clerk was declared reelected ; but a poll was demanded, and is to be taken on Mon- day next. A resolution was moved by one of the opposing party, that the Rector, Dr. D'Oyly, should leave the chair, on account of his al- leged unfair and partial conduct ; but this resolution the Chairman re- fused to put to the meeting, and retained his seat. The usual business was then transacted amidst great uproar ; and the meeting did not se- parate till a late hour.
The county-rate assessments in the united parishes of St. Andrew, Holborn-above-the-Bars, and St. George the Martyr, have increased since 1827 from 922/. 19s. lid. to 2,252/. 16s. 3d., the amount of the rate for the present year. The parishioners suspect that there has been some gross mismanagement of the funds; and are very indignant at the attempt of the Magistrates to procure a salary of 1,200/. per annum for their Chairman, 650/. being the amount of the former salary. Com- mittees have been formed to prepare petitions to Parliament, and organize a spirited opposition to this new attempt to impose upon the rate-payers.
The rate-payers of the parish of St. Marylebone met at the Horse Bazaar, in King Street, on Thursday, for the purpose of having sub- muted to them the annual report of the Parochial Committee. Dr. Harrison was: in the chair.. Mr. Watts the Secretary to the Com- mittee, stated that the Committee had effected a saving of 300/. per annum in salaries, 6000/. in the paving department, and had reduced the law expenses from 700/. to 40/. They likewise were engaged .in reducing the cost of the Workhouse, and the Police. Resolutions were passed in commendation of the conduct of the Committee, and expressive of the determination of the parish to support them.
It is rumoured that Sir William Horne is to be raised to the Bench of the Court of Exchequer, in the place of Baron Bayley, at the commencement of the ensuing term ; that Sir John Campbell will be made Attorney-General, and Mr. Pepys Solicitor-General. Sir William Home's removal will of course create a vacancy in the repre- sentation of Marylebone ; and it is believed that the friends of Go- vernment are already making exertions to secure the return of Mr. Murray in his room.
Sir Peter Laurie, the returning-officer for Marylebone, has, it is said, been unable to collect from Sir S. Whalley, Mr. Murphy, or Mr. Murray, the 781. 10s. the proportion of the legal expenses due from each of them for the last election, although he is disposed to accom- modate them so far as to take the money by instalments of one pound per week.
It is further said that Sir S. Whalley's qualification will not bear ex- amination; and that the worthy Knight intends, therefore, not to de- fend his return, which has been petitioned against in consequence, but to get, the defect remedied without delay, and again offer him- self to the electors. This is a very silly exhibition ; and it would serve Sir Samuel not amiss, if the Marylebone electors should amend the return as well as the qualification of their Member.
The venerable and worthy, though eccentric preacher, Rowland Hill, has at last " gone the way of all flesh." He died on Thursday after- noon, at his house in Blackfriars Road : his age was eighty-nine. Mr. Hill's physical powers had been long declining, but his intellectual energies remained almost unimpaired to the last moment of his life : he sunk under a gradual decay of nature, and died without a groan. On Monday morning (the 8th instant), he preached for the last time to an immense audience composed principally of the boys belonging to the Sunday School Union, whom he had been in the habit of address- ing on every successive Easter Monday for some years past. Ott Tuesday morning, he expressed a desire to address the girls connected with the same schools, which was also his accustomed practice; but being very unwell, he was dissuaded from it by his friends; and his assistant, the Rev. Mr. Waite, officiated in his room. During the morning of that day, he found it necessary to lie down in his bed, from which he never rose more.
The election of the Chairman of the Middlesex Sessions takes place t Clerkenwell on Thursday next.
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