311,ttrofolio.
Sir William Williams was the chief guest at a splendid banquet given by a party of members of the Reform Club on Saturday. The front of the dubhouse bore the word "Ears" in gas; the entrance-hall was orna- mented with evergreens, flags, and mailed figures ; the diningroom was decked out with trophies, laurels, and flags; and the table gleamed with a profuse display of costly plate. The president of the feast was Sir Alexander Cockburn. On his right sat General Williams and Major Teesdale ; on his left Colonel Lake and Earl Forteseue : among the guests was Colonel Teesdale, invited to meet his son. The chairman .proposed the ordinary and extraordinary toasts with great point and feel- ing. There was a novelty in the mode of putting the health of Prince Albert and the Royal Family : it was given as a threefold toast- " The health of the illustrious Consort of our beloved Sovereign, the patron and protector of science, literature, and the arts ; the health of the Royal Heir of these realms, who, born and bred under such auspices, we may fondly hope will be all that his future subjects could wish or desire ; awl, lastly, the health of the illustrious Family, inseparably associated not only with the best of our historical recollections, but with the maintenance of our civil and religious liberties." Sir William Williams, in reply to his health, told over again some tints in the old story of the siege of Kars ; magnified the valour of the Turks and the vitality of Turkey ; praised General Mouravieff; appealed to the Reform Club to help in maintaining the efficiency of the Army; and restated his object in entering the House of Commons- " As I told my constituents, so I will tell you, that I enter the House of Commons solely that I may on fitting occasions offer to the country my opinions on military matters, with which I have perhaps some acquaint- ance, and also on the affairs of the East. On these two questions, and on no others, do I take my seat." Vice-Chancellor Page Wood proposed "the memory of Captain Thompson and the brave men who fell at Kars." Sir Alexander Cock- burn proposed the health of General Mouravieft, with many encomiums; but in the-course of his speech he made some just distinctions- " While I distinctly disclaim and repudiate all hypocritical magnanimity, I am ready to shake hands after the combat with a gallant enemy. Yet, where I have been forced to engage in the fight by injustice and tyranny, I am not prepared the day after it to hug to my bosom the man with whom I have stood in mortal conflict I leave it to the unctuous phraseology of diplomacy to smooth over matters of controversy between hostile nations. I am not one of those who admire Russian tactics or Russian diplomacy. But there are splendid exceptions; and if we have to complain of the conduct of the enemy towards our wounded on the heights of Inkerman, or of the man- ner in which an unarmed boat's-crew were attacked at Range, where we find an antagonist animated by the noblest sentiments of chivalry and sol- dierlike generosity let us not refuse to do him honour. Among the chival- rous soldiers of the world the gallant Mouravieff deserves a conspicuous place."
At a meeting of the Metropolitan Board of Works, on the llth instant, Mr. Savage moved the following resolution— "It being highly desirable to preserve open spaces for the health and re- creation of the inhabitants of the Metropolis, -that it be referred to the
Finance Committee to consider and report what funds might be available towards purchasing land for the purpose of forming a Park in the neigh- bourhood of Highbury or Homey, for the borough of Finsbury and the North of London ; and whether some portion of the probable surplus of the coal-tax, which will expire in 1862, might not be equitably appropriated towards this desirable object."
Mr. D'Iffanger seconded the resolution. Mr. H. L Taylor objected to a further increase of taxation ; and pointed out that in the case of Ramp- stead Heath, the Board had pledged itself to take no part in the appro- priation of land for public parks. The majority present, however, were of a different opinion, and carried the resolution by 10 to 6.
The City bankers met on Thursday, at the desire of the Decimal Coinage Commissioners, to consider the expediency of a legislative en- actment to carry out the decimal system of money. They resolved, with but one dissentient, that any legislative alteration would be undesirable.
Notice of appeal has been given in the Bankruptcy Court against the judgment by Mr. Commissioner Pane in the case of Mr. Mark Boyd, to whom he awarded a first-class certificate. The appeal is at the instance of shareholders in the Royal Bank of Australia.
The Commissioners of Assessed Taxes for Greenwich district have decided in favour of the appeal of the artisans in Deptford Dockyard against an as- sessment to the Income-tax. In consequence of the extra work and long hours of the past year, the men have earned more than 1001. in the year ; but they objected that they could not be taxed unless their wages for three years produced an average of 100/. per annum : the Conmussioners pro- nounced in favour of this view.
That annual nuisance Camberwell Fair is at length abolished. The Com- missioners of Police obtained summonses against the lords of the manor— Sir W. Bowyer Smyth and Sir Thomas Dyer—for holding a fair without lawful authority : it was stated that these gentlemen kept up the fair for the sake of gain. But when the mtitter came before the Lambeth Magis- trate, on Wednesday, solicitors who attended for them said that the lords of the manor would only be too happy to have the fair legally suppressed; and they declined to show any right to hold it. Mr. Elliott thereupon declared that this was an illegal fair, and directed the Police to issue the necessary notices that no fair could in future be allowed.
Cornelius tirell, a gentlemanly-looking young man, has been remanded by Sir James Duke on a charge of stealing six bills of exchange, of the ag- gregate value of 25001., from his employers, Messrs. Barnes and Co., of Fen- church Street. According to his own statement made after he was in cus- tody, he stole the letter containing the bills while it was lying on a desk; he opened it, took out the six bills, destroyed five, and got the sixth—for 510/. —cashed. The whole of the money has been recovered—tirell had 300/. in notes in a drawer ; and 2091. in sovereigns he had secreted in the river Lea, and he retrieved it in the officer's presence—he had buried the bag of gold. in the bed of the river, under some stones.
No fewer than three cases of burglary at Camberwell and Walworth came before the Lambeth Magistrate on Monday : he remarked that the crime of burglary was much on the increase.
Three young men, "suspected characters," and two girls of the town— almost children—have been committed by the Bow Street Magistrate for having been concerned in a garotte robbery. The victim was a German, Mr. Abe ; he inquired of the girls at night his way to King Street, Holborn; they pretended to show him the way ; got him into Charles Street, Drury Lane ; and stood by while the three men garotted and plundered the German of watch, purse, breast-pin, spectacles, and hat.
On Sunday morning, Mrs. Albion, a waterproof-clothing-maker in Rupert Street, 1Vhitechapel, accidentally broke a bottle of naphtha, which set the premises on fire : Mrs. Albion was so badly buret that she died soon after she had been taken to the hospital.
Previous page
