311timalio.

A meeting under the presidency of the Lord Mayor was held on Thursday, in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansionhouse, for the purpose of raising subscriptions to relieve the sufferers by the late fire at Montreal. Most of the leading City firms were represented at the meeting. Some of the persons present were, Baron Rothschild M.P., Mr. Peter Rolt M.P., Mr. B. Oliveira M.P., the Honourable Arthur Kinnaird M.P., Mr. R. C. L. Bevan, Mr. John Dillon, Mr. E. Gurney, Mr. T. Hankey, Governor of the Bank of England, and Mr. George Peabody, the eminent American. Resolutions were passed, expressing regret for the calamity, appealing to the public on behalf of the sufferers, and appointing a com- mittee to collect the subscriptions. A good many names, for sums vary- ing from ten to two hundred guineas, were put down.

When the Great Exhibition was suggesting so many useful plans of improvement last year, the Post-office was not forgotten. An Association was formed, composed of some very prominent men, native and foreign, for the purpose of promoting a cheap and uniform system of Colonial and International Postage. But since the latter days of the Exhibition, when one meeting was held, the Association appears to have slept, until this week. A meeting was held, at the house of the Society of Arts, on Tuesday ; and the following resolutions were unanimously adopted—

"That it appears to this Areociation, that all the arguments used by Mr. i

Rowland Hill in favour of the justice of a uniform rate of postage apply cer- tainly to Colonial and probably to Foreign correspondence. That the cost of volti klf-ico,Jseyance, as was proved by Mr. Rowland Hill, depends upon the number refs, and not upon the distance; and that therefore the justice of a uni- is evident. That the Association welcomes the recognition of this in the recent adoption of uniform rates for printed papers to some F nies. That the simplicity and convenience of prepayment also alt ,e

fro k-t pply to Colonial and Foreign correspondence."

antille has consented to become President of the Association. On the 1st of September, the newly-organized wood-engraving depart. ment of the female students of the Metropolitan School of Practical Art will meet for the first time at Marlborough House, under the direction of Mr. Thompson. For the future, the class will meet daily for three hours, and no pupil will be admitted who cannot draw well from solid forms.

The three days' -trial at Guildford Assizes respecting the treatment of the girl Henrietta-Griffiths by the Lady Superior of the Convent of " Our Lady of Norwood" terminated on Saturday, in a verdict for the defendants. The charges brought by Henrietta were met by positive evidence showing that she had not been cruelly treated ; and that, in fact, she bad fared just in the same way ae the other children in the class of orphans. She was a very unhealthy child, and the discipline was very severe ; but there vas nothing to show that in her case the severity had been increased. On the contrary, medical men had been called in at an early period of her stay in the convent, and their directions had been properly attended to. Henrietta had even been allowed to leave the convent, in order that Mr. Alexander the ocu- list might be consulted ; and she had been previously confined in a dark room, on account of the weakness of her eyes, at the express instance of the phy. aieian of the establishment, Dr. Chapman. She lost the sight of one of her eyes, but this only proved that she was not strong enough to bear up under the severe discipline of the convent, The other children were all very healthy. It is remarkable that Dr. Wiseman was subpeenaed, but could not be found; and also that the prosecution placed the names of Dr. Wiseman and Dr. Aehilli on the same subpoena. The court was crowded with per- sons attracted by the expectation of scandalous revelations; but they were dis- appointed. Lord Chief Justice Jervis summed up decidedly in favour of the defendants, and a quarter of an hour was sufficient for the Jury to agree to their verdict.

A will case, which has been for some time before the Prerogative Court, was concluded on Tuesday. It was an affair of granting probate to a will executed by Mr. John Easthope, son of Sir John Eaathope, on the 10th of February 1844. By this will, the bulk of his property was left to his 61.8. ter, Miss Easthope ; legacies of 5001. each being given under it to Mrs. M'Gillivray and Mrs. Doyle, his other sisters; and the riding-horses and carriages to Sir John Easthope. Mr. Easthope kept this will until the 3d of September 1846, when he went to the office of his solicitor, Mr. Joseph Parkes, and requested him to revoke the appointment of Sir John Easthope as executor. But Mr. Parkes refused, thinking from his manner that Mr. Eaathope was of unsound mind. Such turned out to be the fact. On leav- ing the office of Mr. Parkes, Mr. Easthope met Mr. Harkness, his principal clerk, and then gave instructions as to the purchase of Stock and Shares which led Mr. Harkness to the same conclusion as Mi. Parkes. Leaving his clerk, Mr. Easthope went to the house of Mr. Doyle, his brother-in-law, at Camberwell ; and, according to the account of Woods, footman at Mr. Doyle's, Mr. Easthope rose early the next morning and destroyed a quantity of pa- pers at the kitchen-fire, threatening to knock down Woods if he interfered. After this date, Mr. Easthope became so evidently insane that he was put under restraint ; and his father was made committee of his person by the de. cision of a commission de lunatics. In 1849 Mr. Easthope died : the will could not be found; Sir John became entitled to the personal estate and ef- fects of his son ; Miss Easthope felt aggrieved, and hence the lawsuit. Since 1846 Miss Easthope had been from time to time accusing her father of destroying the will. Search was made for it, but Sir John could not find it either among the papers of Mr. Easthope or at any banker's or at Mr. Parkes's. Sir John Easthope bad .promised, that if any reasonable account could be made put respecting the missing will, he would set it up by a deed; but he refused to sign a deed making all the property over to Miss Easthope. Sir John Dodson accepted the draught will propounded by Miss Easthope; be also held that Sir John Easthope was free from any imputation, or that there had been a conspiracy among his daughters against him. Each party to pay their own costs.

A strange case came to light at Bow Street Police Office yesterday ; very likely to be followed by ultenor proceedings. Lord Frankfort appeared before Mr. !Henry, on a summons obtained by Lord Henry Lennox, to whom, it was alleged, Lord Frankfort had sent improper letters. It would appear that Lord Frankfort is in the habit of sending to persona of both sexes letters under feigned names, of which the following. is a specimen. "Mr. Mad:teeth presents his duty to the parties, and informs them that he con- tinues to arrange assignations between ladies and gentlemen to meet in private ; and having been trained under Wilmer Harris, he now acts direct under precedent. Mr. MaeB. begs to call the attention of ladies to his pe- culiar system, and that he will wait on them himself, and send up his card in a tissue envelope, and arrange a meeting for them with the gay Lothario of the evening. He would engage to show them their husbands asleep while the lady would be with the gallant ; married ladies to have half their husband's fortunes, and spinsters to be otherwise provided for. He had put the husband of one lady into the Ecclesiastical Court, and had broken the neck of another husband and baronet ; so he was quite safe." [The letter concluded by offering further services-of a similar nature.] Inspector Field and Sergeant Thornton proved that they had watched the servant of Lord Frankfort to the Post-office at Charing Cross, and there seized the letters and took her into custody; she then admitted that she had received them from Lord Frankfort. John Grey, formerly a Policeman, de- posed that in interviews be had had with Lord 1"`rankfort, they conversed on the subject of the letters. Lord Frankfort told Grey to urge Field to come to a compromise, as he had committed a theft and a trespass in stealing the stamps. After stating the particulars of one interview, Grey said—" I saw his Lordship again on the 28th, at his own house in Buckingham Street ; when I said I could not see Mr. Field yesterday, for he went to Goodwood Races, and Sergeant Thornton is out of town. His Lordship replied, ' They are in a damnable mess. Send some one to them ; but don't make it appear that he comes from me, for they have committed a highway robbery on my personal property, as well as a trespass. If they have acted on a warrant issued by the Secretary of State and Sir Richard Mayne—for they are both hasty—I shall bring it before the Parliament, and the Derby Government will be thrown out, and Sir Richard Mayne will lose his place, for they will both deny, and the men will be left to their own resources; for I can get a verdict against them.' That terminated the conversation of the 28th."

Lord Frankfort repeatedly denied the correctness of the statements of the witnesses. Mr. M'Beath, whose name was used, believed that the hand- writing of the letters was that of Lord Frankfort. The case was adjourned until Tuesday ; and Lord Frankfort was bound over in a 5001. bond to appear.

At the Mansionhouse, on Wednesday, after hearing evidence on a previous day and arguments by counsel then, Alderman Finnis ordered Mr. Thomas Woolley, a ship-broker, to return 101. passage-money paid by Mr. Bastard, with Si. compensation, the Australian packet in which Mr. Bastard had taken a passage not having ;ailed for more than a month after the time appointed. Counsel for Mr. Woolley contended that the applicant was entitled only to la. a day subsistence-money ; but the Alderman construed the act of Parliament differently. An appeal was threatened. A number of other passengers who had been disappointed consented to abide by the arbitration of Captain Lean, the Government Emigration Agent, as to the compensation they should re- ceive for the delay. As soon as the Australian " gold-ships " arrive in the port of London, swarms of people who prey upon "poor Jack" hasten to board the vessels, that they may ease the seamen of some portion of the high wages they have received or of any gold they may have brought from the diggings. The nuisance has become so great, that the treasure brought in the ship is held to be in some danger ; and the London Dock Company have been obliged to have strong guards of Police to protect the vessels, and forcibly to expel the in- truders, who pretend that they have business with the sailors. Some of these fellows have boarded the ships even before they have reached their berths by the quays. The law can deal with such gentry by heavy fines or imprisonment ; and the Company have invoked its aid. Nolan' a " crimp's runner," has been fined 51., by the Thames Police Magistrate, for boarding the Stebonheath without permission of the master : the highest penalty is 201.

The case of Collins, the picture-pawner, was brought to a close by the Westminster Magistrate on Saturday ; when the accused was committed for trial on three or four distinct charges.

The notorious Captain Atcherley has been summoned before the Marl- borough Street Magistrate, for detaining certain papers belonging to Pierre Basquet, an Indian chief, who has figured for some time in the Captain's public 'appearances as his client " Peter." Pierre says he has a claim upon the Government for his tribe ; Captain Atcherley, it appears, met Peter in Pall Mall one day, and got possession of the papers, promising to use his " influence " in behalf of the claimants, and feeling himself bound to do so as " sponsor for the Indians." Pierre now demanded them back ; but his protector considered he had a lien upon them for the expenses he had incur- red in supporting the chief. Captain Atcherley addressed the Magistrate in his usual incoherent manner ; but eventually gave up the papers. He then asked if he was bound to maintain Pierre any longer ? Mr. Bingham an- swered, that he was not, and directed him to deliver the Indian chief to a relieving-officer. Pierre willingly assented to this.

George Webb, a young man, is in custody, and has been twice examined by the Hammersmith Magistrate, for plundering three churches—at Ham- mersmith, Brorapton, and Camberwell—whence velvet, gowns, wine, candle- sticks, and other property, were stolen. Webb gave himself up to the Police as one of two thieves who broke into Hammersmith Church; and he subse- quently acknowledged-the other robberies.

The two Irishmen and the two women who savagely assaulted Policeman Oakes in Vauxhall Walk, more than a month since, have been committed Tor trial by the Lambeth Magistrate ; Oakes having recovered sufficiently to give evidence, though he is still very feeble.

Since this committal, a lot of drunken Irishmen from the same neighbour- hood have been fined for fighting among themselves at midn*ht, and as- saulting the Police who attempted to quell the disturbance. When only a single Policeman had arrived, some cowardly rascal called out, "There's only one Policeman—we can do for him !"

There was a great fire at Tottenham very early on Sunday morning. Tot- tenham Mills were very extensive premises, on an island surrounded by the Lea : one pile of building was an oil-mill, another a corn-mill, with the usual offices attached ; and there were also dwelling-houses adjacent. The fire originated in the oil-mill, where extensive alterations were in progress ; and thence it spread to the corn-mill, which was only eighteen feet distant ; both the mills were destroyed, with some of the minor buildings and an old malt- house ; the dwellings were but partially burnt. While the fire was raging, a large vessel filled with oil burst, and the flames ascended to a great height; other vessels subsequently gave way, and streams of blazing oil floated down the Lea. A great number of persons will be thrown out of employment by the disaster. The proprietor, Mr. Edward Bell, was partially insured.