ebt Strutrtypotts.

The Society for Promoting the Amendment of the Law held its first public westing on Saturday; Lord Brougham, President of the Society, in the chair. The Dukes of Cleveland and Richmond, the Marquises of Clan- ricarde and Norman-by, the Earl of Radnor, Lords Monteagle 'and Bean- Went, Lord Chief Justice Denman, Lord John Manners, Mr. Lynch, Mr. DnekWoeth, Mr. Staticie Corninieeioners Evans and Fane, Mr. Bethel of the Chancery bar, Mr. JosePh Home, Mr. W. Hawes, Mr. Travers, and other gentlemen of ihfluence, countenanced 'the Society's important objects by their presence.

Lord Brougham explained those objects, and the progress the Society had already made— More than twelve months ago, this v had been established for promoting the amendment of the law, not on any rash or speculative views, but on sound prineiples both as to the objects to be attained and the manner of effecting them. During that time, it had made very considerable- progressin the great design which the members had proposed to theniselves. The coarse they took was this: they divided themselves into Committees, each of which devoted itself to one par- ticular subject,—one engaged in the consideration of the 'criminal law, another at that of the language of acts of Parliament, another on the law of real property, and the rest on the various branches of the law to which their attention might be beneficially directed. The reports of those separate Committees had been printed at different times, and extensively circulated; and it appeared to the members that the time had at last arrived when it was fit to call on their fellow subjects to assist in the labours and share in the counsels of the society.

The Committees had reported in favour of certain legislative measures; and of those measures he had introduced into the House of Lords no fewer than nine, out of which four had become the law of the land. One was for the merging or extinction of outstanding terms which had been satisfied. This bill had been entirely approved of by the profession, and still more by those for whose benefit it was made, by the landowners and others, to whom security of title and cheapness of conveyancing was of very great importance. - He had also brought in a bill for the abolition of imprisonment for debt. As to its merits a great difference of opin- ion existed among professional men and the trading community. In one part it had wrought exceedingly ill—that part which abolished imprisonment for debts under 201. This exception had been made by the humanity of the Lord Chancellor. There had, in fact, been such a picture drawn of the dreadful horrors of the small- -debt prisons that no man could resist it; for a man there suffered more for a debt -of forty shillings than one who-owed twenty thousand pounds, or even than a prisoner who had committed murder. This evil was very strongly felt, and Lord Lyndhurst said there must be an end to imprisonment for small debts; but, un- fortunately, it was not considered by those who drew the clause, nor by those who passed it, that all the debts of the world were composed of small amounts; and the next year the creditors came and showed that out of nine hundred debts upon their books eight hundred were under twenty pounds. He immediately moved for the appointment of a Committee of the Lords • and in consequence of their resolution he brought in a bill to remedy the evil. This bill rested rather on his own responsibility. But there was a bill of the Society's for introducing short deeds: this measure had produced the best results, and was to be extended by a bill of the present session to settlements, mortgages, and wills; and more

cularly, farm-leases. The Society were proceeding it by bit; and God torbid that they should do otherwise. The Criminal Code es prepared by Mr. Starkie and his fellow Commissioners, would have been ready before this time; but the Lord Chancellor said, "I must beg you to stop till we see how we are to remove the penal statutes which deform our statute-book, and which have occupied the attention of the Commissioners for so many months." Their six-months' labour had borne the fruits of the Lord Chancellor's bill for the removal of Religious Disabilities, now before the House of Lords. H the people were called on to obey the law, it was the bounden duty of the Government to let the law be so arranged as that they could understand it. It was bound to give them a code of criminal laws; and he hoped soon to find that part of the Society's labours attained. They were called "dilettante legislators ": but h6 begged to state who those dilettante legislators were. He would take the instances of the Terms Bill and the Short Deeds Bill; supported by the Lord Chancellor, an ex-Chancellor, another ex- Chancellor of Ireland, the Lord Chief Justice' the Master of the Rolls: these "dilettante legislators" gave the bills in every part of their progress their entire and hearty support. Bt in framing these bills, he could only proceed with the aid of the Society. Again, it was said that the Real Property Commission should be revived: but the Fines and Recoveries Bill was the work of the Real Property Commissioners•' the Dower Bill was drawn by them and others; and severe of the Real Property Commissioners were members of this Society. All these were bills which had made the law of real property so different to what it was, that old Mr. Shadwell, if he were to rise again, would not know what country he was in. To have recourse to the Real Property Commissioners from those who were called "dilettante legislators," was like an appeal from Philip to Philip.

After Lord Brougham's introduetory address, Lord Monteagle moved the first resolution-

" That the well-considered and practical amendment of the law Is of the utmost Im- portance to all classes of the community ; and that the subject may be advantageously promoted by a society composed of members of all classes of the legal profession, and of other persons not belonging to that profession, desirous to cooperate with them." As a country gentleman, Lord Monteagle was deeply concerned in the effective- ness of the law bearing on the land of England. He and others, not professional, knew the law's imperfections by the consequences of litigation entailed. There was not one Peer in the Committee which recently sat to consider the peculiar burdens on land who did not leave it with the impression that the present state or the law was one of the greatest grievances to which the proprietors of land were subjected. This had been brought before them very strongly in the shape of a question and answer, which he hoped, without disrespect to his Lordship in the chair, he might quote. A legal friend of his was asked what he believed was the greatest burden upon land in this country? Ms answer was, "The Court of Chancery." The Committee, however' did not rest satisfied with this general opinion., but went into the examination of men of the highest learning and expe- rience In their profession; aired he believed that all were impressed with the opin- ion that reform in this matter was required.

The resolution was seconded by Mr. Sergeant D'Oyly, and carried sem. c as were all the others that followed. The Marquis of Clanricarde moved-

" That the transfer of real property Is greatly impeded by the existing system of con- veyancing; and that the market value of land is thus kept down below its proper value." It was a remarkable fact, that the members of the Committee referred to by Lord llonteagle' in politics so wide apart, should yet, on the substance of the re- solution he had to propose, be so completely agreed. One report had been made by the majority, and another most able one (he trusted he might be permitted to say, without expressing any opinion in other respects) by the minority; but when they came to recommend what should be done to relieve land from its burdens, they arrived on the first point at the same result. Lord Beaumont, in seconding the resolution, said— It was impossible for any one to have been present in the House during the ex- aminations on real property without being impressed with the conviction that the country was hardened beyond all others in respect to the law of real property. Mr. Bethel moved the third resolution— "That the proceedings of the Court of Chancery rewire great and extensive amend- This resolution rightly discriminated between the principles of the Court of Chancery and its procedure. In speaking of the procedure, there was one point to which he would direct attention, as showing the necessity for the law being simplified; and that was the condition of charities. Owing to the great expense which attended inquiries into the management of charities in the Court of Chan- c&7, the greatest abuses were allowed to exist without check; or if they were hi-

d into, the expense not unfrequently swallowed up the whole of the charity.

. Bethell next referred to the possibility of having in Chancery a proceeding long known with advantage to the common law, and which if known there also might realize the means of conveying cheap and esteemed justice to the poor. What he alluded to was that the Judges of the Court should attend at chambers to receive in some extemporary form a great number of applications. Such a practice might frequently be the means either of avoiding litigation, or of enabling the Court to make orders which would be sufficient, in many cases, without being followed up by farther litigation. Another evil he would point oat: when a de- cree was pronounced in the Coact of Chancery, the unhappy suitor, instead of hailing it as a deliverance from his sufferings, only found that he was intro- duced into a worse position. He meant the necessity which followed the decree for investigation in the Master's Office. The Master had no power of preventing this repetition of the evil; but if there was an opportunity afforded of going at Once from the Master to the Judge in chambers, a great deal of litigation would be saved. Mr. Bethel concluded by acknowledging the efforts which the present Lord Chancellor had made to improve the procedure of the Court. Lord Brougham, in putting the resolution to the meeting,-complimented Mr. Bethel on the valuable suggestions he had made— He entirely agreed with them. The Judges of the Chancery Court were now five in number—two more than he had thought requisite; and they might be most usefully employed in affording at chambers a common ground where suitors them- selves might meet without professional advisers.

Mr. Commissioner Fane moves the fourth resolution-

" That the law of debtor and creditor Is causing great dissatisfaction in the trading and other branches of the community, inasmuch as it is neither sufficiently considerate towards the honest debtor nor sufficiently stringent towards the dishonest debtor."

He had been engaged in the administration of the law of debtor and creditor; and though the result had been to convince him that for one honest there were a thousand dishonest debtors, stillit was impossible to deny that occasionally there does turn up a case of honesty on the part of a debtor; and in many cases an im- pression had been created on his mind that the honest debtor did not meet with the consideration due to his misfortunes. It appeared to him that this was so because the body of creditors, or the majority of them, had not power to bind the minority. Why should it be so? Why should one resisting creditor have the power to force the whole affair into bankruptcy?

The Duke of Richmond moved the fifth resolution- " That great as are the amendments recently effected in the criminal law, mach yet remains tobe done both as to punishment and procedure, more especially as regards Vie system of secondary punishments and the treatment of juvenile offenders, and the due preparation of the criminal code and digest." Presiding, as he often did, at the Quarter-sessions, he had often brought under his notice cases of hardship caused by the law, which were a disgrace to its effi- ciency. Sitting at a court of Quarter-sessions' he had seen children of ten, eleven, and twelve years of age, brought up to be tried for felony, and if convicted, having the brand of felon imprinted on their brows. Was it right that a child of ten or twelve years old, who hardly knew right from wrong, should be brought before the Grand Jury, tried by the verdict of twelve men, and if it stole to the amount of an egg, branded as a felon 1—for when that is so it is very difficult ever after to make !aim follow an honest course of life.

The Earl of Radnor moved the sixth resolution-

" That the existing system of framing public acts of Parliament leads to a mode of drawing them deficient in closeness and uniformity of language ; and that it is desir- able that some measures should be adopted to secure these manifest advantages to the Houses of Parliament, the courts of justice, and the public at large."

Mr. Joseph Hume moved the seventh resolution-

" That in an especial manner some improvement in the course of legislative proce- dure is required for transacting the private and local business of the country in Parlia- ment, in a manner satisfactory to all parties, and consistently with the undoubted privileges of Parliament."

Mr. Hume mentioned several instances of conflicting powers in Liverpool, given by local acts which had been obtained in the same session, whereby great incon- venience and embarrassment were occasioned to the court deciding. This, in his opinion, would be remedied by the adoption of a system of model bills for all local purposes.

After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, this important meeting sepa- rated.

The Queen's birthday was celebrated, by special appointment, on Tues- day. Bells were rang, great guns let off, and flags displayed from church- towers and mast-heads. At ten o'clock the household troops were paraded in St. James's Park, in the presence of Prince Albert, Ibraham Pacha and suite, Prince George of Cambridge, and the Duke of Wellington. Her Ma- jesty's Ministers and other Officers of State gave banquets. The club- houses and places of amusement, the houses of the Royal tradespeople, and many other dwellings, were illuminated in the evening. A countless throng of people and carriages filled the principal streets till midnight; the loveliest moon and the clearest atmosphere forming, with the blaze of gas and the radiance of many-tinted lamps, effects of light that Turner him- self might have revelled in.

Prince Albert dined with the Benchers of Lincoln's Inn on Wednesday, in their new hall. Nearly three hundred of the Benchers were present to Tneet the Prince; Lords Brougham and Denman, and the Bishop of.Dur- ham, were amongst the number. Prince Al .. wore his silk gown and the "star of the Order of the Garter.

At a Court of Aldermen, on Tuesday, the Lord Mayor presented the following letter, which he had received from the King of the French in 'answer to the address lately voted to his Majesty- " Neuilly, 16th May 1846. 1' My Lord Mayor—I have to request your Lordship to convey to the Court of

Aldermen, and to the Court of Common Council of the City of London, the deep sense of gratification with which I acknowledge the addresses they have voted to

me on the occasion of the late attempt on my life. Impressed as I sin with the importance so justly attached to the manifestations of your great metropolis, I duly appretiate this signal testimony, both of their high esteem and friendly dis- position towards my nation and counte y and of their good-will towards myself and my family. The many tokens of kindness, and the hospitality I have re- ceived among you at various periods of my long career, have left an indelible im-

pression on my mind and on my heart. I sin gratified to hear from you, that you do justice to my constant and unceasing efforts to joromote the good under- standing and friendly intercourse between France and England. It is with the

sincerest satisfaction that I see the progress of this policy spreading more and more, under the protection of Divine Providence, its beneficial effects, not only on both our countries, but over all the world; where the advantages of that pacific policy are daily better felt and more justly appretiated. It is with the gracious concurrence of my august friend and ally, your beloved Sovereign, that I request your Lordship to convey this expression of my feelings, not only in my own name but also in the name of the Queen and of all the members of nay to the Court of Aldermen and to the Common Council of the City of London.

" My Lord Mayor, your affectionate Louts PHILIPPE." Alderman Humphery moved that this letter be treated with signal marks of respect— It was a document of the highest value; and he should propose, that after the Lord Mayor should have read it to the Court of Common Council, it be deposited in a box and placed in the library of the Corporation. It was impossible to hear. the fervent wish of his Majesty for the continuation of the pacific relations of the world, without admiration of "the glorious terms" in which that feeling was expressed, and an anxious hope that his Majesty might long and happily reign over the great people he so prosperously and happily governed. Sir Peter Laurie seconded the motion— The example set by the King of the French was one which was indeed worthy of imitation. Rendering the most glorious services to his own country, by pro- moting the acts of peace, that great Monarch contributed largely to the good of all mankind by exhibiting the affectionate feeling with which he contemplated the happy symptoms of the continued existence of peace and good-will amongst his fellow creatures. The citizens of London would be delighted with perusing a document which alluded in such terms of kindness and affection to their own be- loved Sovereign; who, as it were, sanctioned and recommended his Majesty's most gracious acknowledgment.

The motion was agreed to with acclamation.

The receipt of this letter of acknowledgment from Louis Philippe has exposed the Aldermen to a charge of "double dealing" preferred by the Court of Common Council. At a Court held on Thursday, the Lord Mayor produced the letter; telling the Court that he had received it in answer to the address voted by the Corporation. Mr. Wire inquired whether one address, or two addresses, had been forwarded to the King? The Lord Mayor answered, that there were two. Mr. Lawrence said that the Court of Aldermen, in sending an address on their own account, had- been guilty of a gross breach of faith. Mr. Anderton followed up the charge, by asserting that a most unworthy trick had been played upon the Court of Common Council.

The Lord Mayor—" I presented two addresses." (Laughter.) Mr. Anderton—" Why, I thought you were a regular John Bull Lord Mayor." The Lord Mayor—, And so lam: who denies it ? " (Cheers and laughter. Mr. Anderton—" I must declare that I am disappointed. Did your Lordship

receive two, or only one answer." The Lord Mayor—" Only one."

At length the letter was read; and its kindly contents restored the Court to good humour. Mr. Wire remarked, that after all, the disagreement be- tween the two Courts had only arisen from the enthusiastic feeling of ad- miration and respect entertained towards the great man whom they all sought to honour. The Court directed the letter to be deposited in a box, and a lithographed copy to be sent to each of the members.

Lord Ashley, when presiding at the annual meeting of the Ragged School Union, on Tuesday, at the Music Hall, Bedford Square, mentioned that he was engaged in collecting statistics on the subject of such schools, with the view of letting the public and the Legislature understand the condition and necessities of the class of children who attend them. Frote one Sunday evening school he had received answers to his queries— During the past year, the average attendance was 260. Their ages ranged from five to twenty years. Of that number, 42 had no parents, 21 had step- mothers, 7 were children of convicts. The answer to what were their apparent means-of subsistence, was, that as far as could be ascertained, they lived by picking up coals and other things on the banks of the river, and by strolling and other similar means. Of these, 27 had been imprisoned. He pat the question, what drove these children first to crime? and the answer was, that in some cases the parents sent them oat, saying that they must get their living how they could; others had no parents, and were unable to resist the temptations to which they were exposed; 86 had run away front their homes; 19 slept in lodging-houses- 41 lived by begging; 29 never slept on beds; 17 had no shoes nor stockings; 87 had no hats, caps, or bonnets; and 12 bad no body-linen. He had reason to believe that this return afforded a rather favourable specimen than otherwise of the general condition of "ragged school" chil- dren.

The first annual general meeting of the English Homompathic Associa tion was held on Wednesday evening, in the great room of the Society of Arts; which was completely filled. Lord Robert Grosvenor presided. The report stated a rapid increase of members; the total now being little short of six hundred. The funds of the society are also in prosperous con- dition; a surplus of 401. remaining after a large expenditure during the year incurred by the publication of an octavo work on Homceopathy, written by Mr. Sampson at the request of the Association, which had been issued at a low price, and a copy of which had been presented gratuitously to each of the members. The Association was stated to be in friendly communication with the Homceopathic Societies of Paris and America. Mr. Sampson was called upon to read the first annual address; and Mr. W. H. Ashurst, Dr. Curio, Mr. Leaf, and Dr. Epps, were among the speakers.

On Wednesday night, a few minutes before eight o'clock, and just before the business of the Post-office was concluded, the following notice was put up in the letter-carriers' branch of the Inland Office—" His Lordship the Postmaster- General has given directions to stop the admission of any more subscribers to the early delivery, and to forbid the letter-carriers to receive such upon pain of dis- missal.-10th June 1846."

The Cockney inundation inflicted such a scarcity of eatables at Gravesend last Sunday, that bread was sold at double the ordinary price. During eight days front the 31st ultimo to last Sunday, no fewer than 65,00 persons bathed in the Serpentine.

The recent hot weather has seriously interfered with the working of the atm,-

spheric system on the Croydon Railway; the intense heat having liquefied the composition with which the valve of the pipe is closed, and thus frequently pre- vented the formation of a vacuum. On such occasions, locomotives have been employed to draw the trains. A new composition is in preparation to seal the valve.

Several of the members of the Irish Society had a narrow escape from injury on Saturday morning. About one o'clock a quantity of the ceiling of the large room at the Society's house in Pall Mall fell in, bringing down a number of the lamps and a portion of the chandelier; the weight of plaster was so great that a table was broken in two or three places. Several of the members were in the room at the time; but, fortunately, none of the rubbish fell upon them; though two gentlemen had been sitting at the table which was broken a few minutes be- fore. The giving way of the ceiling is ascribed to an escape of water from pipes.

A sad accident happened on the Thames on Thursday evening. A gentleman was rowing two ladies in a boat; it accidentally struck the pier at the Red House, Battersea, and upset; all the party were plunged into the water, and pe- rished, in spite of every effort made by the people in a steamer to aid them by throwing ropes. The body of the gentleman was got out in about a quarter' of an hour, but past resuscitation: the other bodies were not recovered that night.

In a field at Battle Bridge, where it had been lurking for some days, to the great alarm of the inhabitants, a wolf was shot on Sunday night, by a party of men who went out to hunt it. The wolf had just captured a large cat; which it held with great tenacity even after death.

The Coroner's inquest on the body of Anne Siouan, who was found dead in a house at Shadwell, commenced last week, and was resumed on Monday. William Darlow admitted that the still which had been in the house was his, and he had used it for illicit purposes: he employed deceased and Gibbins, the accused, to assist in carrying on the distillation. On the morning of the murder, Gibbin.s came to him, said his wife had fallen down stairs and killed herself, and recom- mended him to carry off the still before the Police got into the house: witness did so. The inquiry was adjourned to Wednesday. The accused was not present; and the Jury desired Mr. Coroner Baker to apply to Sir James Graham, that Gibbins might be forthcoming on the next meeting. The inquiry was closed on Wednesday. A letter had been received by the Co.. toner from the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, stating that Sir James Graham declined to interfere to cause the man Gibbins to be brought

before the Jury: so the inquest proceeded in his absence. Evidence was given that on the night of the murder Gibbins was seen to apply at his house for ad- mission, but deceased would not let him in; then a noise was heard, as of some one falling down stairs; Gibbins was outside the house at that time, and presently he went away. Gibbins told Sloman's mother that the woman fell down stairs while descending to admit him. Deceased and Gibbins often quarrelled. Any- one could have entered the house by getting over a fence at the rear. The key of the house was found in deceased's pocket. Mr. Robinson, a surgeon, stated that the injuries on the body could not have resulted from a fall down stairs; they might have been inflicted by a blunt instrument, such as a piece of iron, which was found in the yard. The Jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown." An inquest was held in Eastcheap, on Friday and Tuesday, upon the body of Mr. Richard Dresser, an accountant, who died under the hydropathie treatment at Dr. Ellis's establishment, Sudbroke Park, near Petersham. The deceased volun- tarily went to Sudbroke Park on the 22d of last month, in the hope of being cured of rheumatism, with which he considered he was affected; and on the 26th be died. After his decease, Dr. Ellis stated to a cousin of Mr. Dresser's, that the patient had suffered from hepatitis; and had he known it he would not have ad- mitted him. Dr. Ellis examined the corpse, and wrote a diagnosis, in which also he declared the cause of death to have been "hepatitis of the sub-acute character, giving rise to suppuration, occasioning exudations of lymph, and a rapid exten- sion of the disease to the adjoining viscera." Mrs. Dresser, widow of the de- ceased, described a visit she paid to her husband at Petersham, and the hydro- pathic treatment he experienced: to her it appeared very injurious. Mr. Dresser said he was kept v• low in diet, which he had not been used to. After a bath, Mr. Dresser app-ar dreadfully altered: one of the bathmen told her the patient's perspiration had stopped, and that was in his favour. Mr. James Hicks, a sur- geon in the Old Kent Road, who had formerly attended deceased, made a post motley; examination of the body. Mr. Dresser had died of congestion—" I con- sider the immediate cause of death to have been extreme congestion of the in- ternal organs, the lungs and heart; which existed to such an extent as to produce all the effects of suffocation in not allowing air to get into the lungs. This con- gestion was likely to be produced by cold externally, whether by cold air or cold fluids to the body. Cold applications have the effect of repelling the blood from the surface of the body to the internal organs, from which in weak constitutions the system is unable to relieve itself. I have read the paper written by Dr. Ellis as to the cause of death. It does not contain at all the true cause of deceased's death; quite the contrary. There was not the least appearance of disease in the liver. There had evidently been congestion of the lungs when the wet clothes were applied; and if the water were cold it would produce death. In such eases there should be applications of hot flannels and stimulants, so as to restore circu- lation. There was no suppuration of any kind." The liver was healthy, but congested. Mr. Waterworth, Mr. Hicks's partner, agreed with him as to the cause of death, except that he did not consider the liver to be congested. Dr. Ellis's diagnosis was quite erroneous. Deceased was a man of very feeble power as regarded the action of the heart. He did not think there was any rea- son for treating Mr. Dresser for diseased liver; and had such a disease existed, particularly vnth suppuration, putting him in a bath would peril his life. Mr. Prendergast, who appeared for Dr. Ellis, claimed a right to address the Jury; but Mr. Coroner Payne would not allow it. Mr. Prendergast called no witnesses, not even to prove that Dr. Ellis was really a qualified practitioner in the eye of the law; which the Coroner had suggested he should do. The Coroner summed up, explaining to the Jury the law of the case. The Jury retired for twenty min' utes: on their return, the foreman said they were of opinion "That Mr. Richard Dresser had lost his life by the improper treatment he received in the hydropathic establishment at Sudbroke Park." The Coroner—" Do you say from gross rashness, or from causes over which there was no control? You must either state that, or that it was in consequence of the rash treatment he received there. I must get the Jury to retire again and amend their verdict." The Jury again retired for about a quarter of an hour; and on there return, the foreman sad— We have unanimously agreed, that Mr. Dresser's ;death resulted from the rash treatment he received under Dr. Ellis's care: we are unanimous in a ver- dict of mantltughter against Dr. Ellis.'" The Coroner then bound over Dr. Ellis in the sum of 5001., and two of his friends in the sum of 250/ each, as his secu- rities that he should appear and take his trial at the next session of the Central Criminal Court on the charge of manslaughter.

At the Worship Street Police-office, on Wednesday, three boys were charged with placing stones and bricks on the rail of the Eastern Counties Railway. A Policeman detected them on the line at Old Ford, and found a brick on the up- line so placed that it would most probably have thrown any train which should have arrived off the line. The prisoners were all severely admonished by the Magistrate, and fuel Alexander Reid, the sailor who was found in Buckingham Palace Gardens on the night of the 13th May, has been again trespassing in the grounds. A Police man was going round the gardens at mid-day on Saturday, when he saw a man skulking behind a tree; he captured him, and on taking his prisoner to the sta- tion-house another Policeman recognized the man. This second intrusion induced Sir James Graham to have the sailor privately examined before Mr. Hall, the Chief Magistrate of Row Street, at the Home Office. The man was remanded. It may be remembered that Reid deserted from a man-of-war at Portsmouth, and he was sent thither by the Magistrate: how he escaped from custody does not appear.

Pearson, a lunatic confined in Mr. Warburton's asylum at Bethnal Green, has killed another patient, by kicks on the head. From the evidence given at the inquest it appears that Pearson was not violent in his conduct usually, and he had been left at liberty in the same ward with the deceased, Robert East. The attack was made early one morning, before the keeper, who slept in the room, had arisen. The Jury returned this verdict—" That George Pearson, not being of sound mind, did kick the deceased about the head, but not feloniously, nor of malice aforethought, giving him a mortal wound, of which he died."

Morley, a carman, has been killed, in Lower Thames Street, by incautiously attempting to perform by himself a task in which several men should have assist- ed. He had a barrel of lead, weighing 1,300 pounds, to leave at Brewer's Quay: on arriving there, he was told to wait till some of the people could assist him; but, being anxious to proceed, he attempted to lower the ponderous mass without any aid—it slipped, rolled upon and crushed him, and he died the following day.