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The freedom of the City of London was presented to Lord Gough on Thursday, as an acknowledgment of his great services in India. The ceremony was performed in full Court of Common Council, in pursuance of a resolution passed as long ago as the 6th of April 1846. The Cham- berlain pronounced a glowing eulogium on the venerable warrior's long career : and Lord Gough acknowledged with fitting impressiveness the value of such a testimony of estimation from a city eminently distinguish. ed for its wisdom, influence, and wealth. Many ladies were present, and showed by animated gestures their sympathy with the applause showered on the military citizen.

In the evening, a very grand banquet was given to Lord Gough at the Mansionhouse. The Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Dutchess of Cleveland, some score of Earls and other Peers, Sir Robert Peel and many other Members of the House of Commons, were among the three hundred guests.

The Lord Mayor's annual banquet to the Judges, on Tuesday, was on a grander scale than usual. Together with Lord Brougham, the majority of the Judges now in office, most of the leading banisters, the Metropoli- tan Magistrates, and eivedignitaries, were there—about three hundred altogether. In answering toasts, Lord Campbell was proud to say that the Bench of England never had been more respectable, or more deserving of admiration, than at this moment ; and Lord Brougham certified with regard to the House of Peers, that if that illustrious House should be up- rooted, English liberty would be shaken to its foundations ; for he looked upon the House of Peers to be just as essential a prop of English freedom ae-the Commons House of Parliament itself.

Mr. Thomas Duneombe, like Mr. Thomas Wakley, replies to the com- plaints against him of neglecting his Parliamentary duties. His letter is less profoundly dutiful than that of his colleague— "I confess that, until the receipt of your favour, I did not suppose that there could have been found in the well-informed and extensive borough of Finsbury any person ignorant of the fact, that severe and dangerous illness has been the sole cause of my absence from Parliament, to the duties of which it has ever been my pride, during the twenty-three years that I have had the honour of a seat m the House of Commons, to give an independent and most unremitting attention, and during which penod my attendance I am most thankful to say, has never received a week a interruption, until I was overwhelmed by my recent painful and protracted illness.. . . .--How- ever, I am happy to inform you, that improved and improving health enables me now to resume my Parliamentary duties.

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"I beg to inform you, that, being assured as I am that the great majority of my constituents do not consider a passing illness, contracted in their ser- vice, as sufficient ground for a withdrawal of their confidence, I shall, when the present Parliament has passed away, give to those on whose behalf you address me an opportunity of recording their votes against me—as some of them have done before."

If, however his medical attendant be wrong, and his hopes of recovery disappointed, 'he will not require any appeal from those who have five times honoured him by returning him to Parliament, to pursue the course which his own 'honour as well as their interests demand at his hands.

The National Society held its annual meeting on Wednesday, at the central school in Westminster : the Archbishop of Canterbury presided ; the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Exeter, the Bishop of Oxford, and some half-dozen other Prelates, with several Peers and Members of Par- liament, were present. The Chairman congratulated the meeting that the resolutions to be proposed were not likely to tend to any serious dif- ferences of opinion. The report evidenced the very flourishing state of the Society's funds : during 1849 the receipts were 7,3581.—an excess of 1,0001. beyond those of 1848. Church education makes excellent progress in Wales : a model school now exists in each archdeaconry of South Wales. Church-extension is steadily adVancing. The Society's Committee referred to the conclusion of their correspondence with the Committee of Council : they regret that the Privy Council persists in refusing aid towards the building of Church schools where the promoters decline to insert one of the management-clauses; but the Society's Committee will continue their grants, whether assisted by the Committee of Council or not; while the promoters abide by the Society's terms of union.

After the regular business was transacted, the Reverend G. E. Denison moved a series of resolutions, commencing with recitals which asserted his view of the points at issue in the " management-clause " dispute, and ending with an affirmation that the meeting was much gratified with the facility given by the Society to the circulation and adoption of properly- framed management-clauses, which will prove highly useful to the founders of Church schools. Mr. Denison spoke with his accustomed earnestness.

He confessed that he had not words at present to express the intense anxiety and distress which pervaded his mind respecting ecclesiastical affairs. He wished not to give offence, but he believed that if they had been united that if they bad been led as they ought to have been—that if it had not been left to the presbytery and laity of the Church of Kngland to stand forth in the defence of the faith—but he would say no more lest he of- fended. (Cheers, and cries of " Order ! " and " Question ! ") It had been said that he and those who thought similarly laboured under a great mistake—that the Government were favourable to Church education. It had, for instance, given delight to some that Lord John Russell had made the speech he recently delivered against Mr. Fox's secular education scheme, in which his Lordship declared himself favourable to religious education. But, in making use of the phrase "religious educatiom" did his Lordship mean Church education ? Nothing of the kind. Mr. Fox wanted to esta- blish Deism ; and Lord John Russell was satisfied so long as he could get the

children of the poor into a school where they would be taught relipous

in- dependently of Church education. Lord Lansdowne had recently said in his place in Parliament, that nine-tenths of the speeches made at Willis's Rooms, and the memorial which emanated from the meeting there held, were untrue, and that they were known to be untrue when they were uttered. It was not creditable, however, for any gentleman to make use of language of this kind towards others as conscientious, as honourable, and as correctly informed as himself. He would, however, not ask any reparation at the hands of Leta Lansdowne, beyond that of asking him to grant a full, free, and fair inquiry into the whole case ; and if he refused that, the honest, plain-spoken people of England would very soon decide on whose side the truth lay. He believed there is a great and increasing movement in behalf of holy mother church— the church of their baptism ; which would end perhaps in extorting justice from the Government, and if not, it would end in the greatest calamity which could befall the English people—the disruption between Church and State. (Meer* and cries of " Question !")

Lord John Manners supported Mr. Denison's preamble and resolutions. The Earl of Harrowby vindicated the acts of the Society ; and declared his feeling that the conduct of the Government was most grossly unjust, un- reasonable, and inconsistent.

The Reverend H. Hughes moved an amendment, to the effect that ami- cable relations between the Society and the Committee of Council would promote the cause of sound religious instruction ; which the Reverend R. Burgess of Chelsea seconded.

Mr. Page Wood, M.P., totally dissented from Mr. Denison's opinion that Church agitation is necessary, and deprecated rambling and exacer- bating discussion.

In the parish of St. John and St. Margaret, Westminster, twelve thousand. children are running wild about the streets ; and he asked whether this is the time, under such circumstances, to allow infidelity to make rapid ad- ditional progress in the metropolis and the country ? If there is to be any remedy made by legitimate means, surely it is unwise to excite the suspi- cions of statesmen that debates of this nature are designed to create a tyranny on the part of the clergy over the laity. Mr. Hughes's amendment was put and lost ; another amendment was moved and seconded, but withdrawn on the objection that it was not suf- ficiently relevant to the resolution. It was then proposed to strike out the preamble to Mr. Denison's resolutions, and to pass that resolution "pure and simple," as the French say : this course was thought a suf-- ficient concession by Mr. Denison's opponents, and the resolution thus truncated was passed.

In the House of Lords, on Tuesday morning, Lord Brougham moved the second reading of the Earl of Lincoln's Divorce Bill. The Right Honourable Henry Pelham Pelham-Clinton, son and heir of the Dulls= of Newcastle, was married to Lady Susan Harriet Catherine, only daughter of the tenth Duke of Hamilton, in the year 1832. Up to August 1848, Lord and Lady Lincoln lived together, and five children were the fruit of the marriage. On the 2d of August 1848, Lady Lincoln left England for the Continent., without- her husband's leave, but ostensibly to consult the German medical faculty for her health, which had been delicate. On the Continent her movements soon became consentaneous with those of Lord Walpole, the eldest son of the Earl of Orford. While it was believed that her indiscretion did not extend to ac- tual criminality, Mr. Gladstone, M. P., went to the Continent, as the intimate friend of both parties, and as much for the sake of Lady Lincoln as for the sake of the husband to endeavour to place her in security. After some pa- tience of pursuit, he found that she was living at the Villa Mancini, near. Como, under the assumed name of " Mrs. Lawrence." He was repulsed in his endeavours to gain an interview with her : his card having been sent in, first to "Mrs. Lawrence," the reply was given that " Mrs. Lawrence knew no Mr. Gladstone" ; sent in to "Lady Lincoln," enclosed to "Mrs. Lawrence," the reply was, that "the lady knew no such person as Lady Lincoln." Lady Lin- coln gave birth to a son, at Como, in August 1849, which could not have been offspring of her husband, and which was christened by the name of " Ho- ratio Walpole." These points, and others which left no doubt of Lady Lincoln's criminality, having been established by the examination of several witnesses at the bar, including Mr. Gladstone, Lord Roleadale intimated a fear lest the House should be assenting to the bill in the absence of proof so full as would be required if the facts were not so generally known. From his personal knowledge of the parties, he had no doubt there had been no collusion, but that was not shown by the evidence : though the lady departed without her husband's leave, the last letters between them were friendly.. They should be careful lest they set a preatlent in the case of parties con- nected with themselves, which they would not follow in general cases. Lord Brougham concurred in these most proper cautions. If a husband exposed his wife to the arts of a seducer, it was clear he would not be en- titled to a bill : but if a wife, without any consent or connivance on the part of the husband, did that which enabled the husband to claim a bill, then the mere fact of his wishing for such a bill would not be collusion ; for in such a case Lord Brougham hardly knew a party that would be entitled to it. With respect to Lady Lincoln, he had long been intimate with her family„ and he must say that it was a high sense of honour which led them not to interfere in the present instance : they felt that an act of adultery had been committed, and they bad no wish to force a spurious issue into the noble house of Newcastle. The lady herself was of the same mind ; and she had given instructions, as was proved by her solicitor, Mr. Ranken, that there should be no opposition to this bill. Lord Langdale was glad the objections had been thus raised and answered : they did not constitute a sufficient rea- son for refusing the second reading of the bill. The bastardizing of the child must, of course, be left for future examination. The bill was read a second time.

In the Court of Common Pleas on Monday, Chief Baron Wilde delivered the judgment of the Court on the Bishop of Exeter's application in the Gorham case, which had been refused by the Court of Queen's Bench. The chief re- liance now, as distinguished from the grounds urged before the Court of Queen's Bench, was on the authority of many text-writers of authority, who expressly or impliedly attribute to the later of the two statutes so much quoted m the case—the 26th Henry VIII. cap. 19—the effect of incor- porating a restriction enacted by the former statute—the 24th Henry VIII. cap. 12—as well as the general declarations of that statute, whereby certain. classes of eases touching the King would be excepted from the general law which made them determinable by the Court of Delegates, and the Privy Council since substituted for the Delegates, and referred to the Upper Rouge of Convocation. By an elaborate dissection and apposition of all the parts of the later statute, the Court showed, firstly, that the operative language which the Bishop relies on would itself be satisfiedwith the construction which he contends against ; while, secondly, all the other portions of the statute re- quire the adverse construction to give them their obvious effect and to recon- cile them with each other. The passages of all the later test-writers were then taken, and traced with singular industry and circumstantial research to one common origin in a particular commentary by Lord Coke on the two statutes in question ; that commentary is analyzed, and it is shown that all the later writers have misunderstood it, and wrongly attributed to it a relation to both—the statutes in question, rather than to the first of those statutes only. Finally, the whole, stream of decisions has been reasoemied ; all the eases have been epitomized, and every One is shown to be against the applieation ; although some of them were much agitated in a time almost proximate to the passing of the statutes whose meaning is now doubted, and others were conducted in modern times by awn (Sir William Scott, for instance) the very least likely to appeal to an incompetent jurisdiction, or to have been unaware of the real state of the law. The Court, therefore, refused the rule asked by the Bishop of Exeter ; and the case again stands where it was left by the decision of the Privy Council, in Mr. Gorham's favour.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Thursday, Mr. Kenealy was brought up to receive judgment for the assault on the little boy his illegitimate child. An affidavit was pat in by Mr. Kenealy. Mr. Whately addressed the Court in mitigation of punishment ; also Sergeant Murphy, who spoke warmly as a fellow townsman and friend. Mr. Justice Patteson passed sentence. ; The prisoner's conduct generally towards the child was commendable ; the faults of the boy might require reasonable chastisement ; Mr. Kenealy had only erred once ; but on that occasion he had inflicted an excessive beating, and he must be punished as an example. The Judge sentenced him to be confined in the Queen's Prison for one month, among the first class of mire. demeanants.

At Marlborough Street Police Office, on Thursday, Mr. William Hornby and Mr. Terence Flanagan were charged with assaulting the Police. Police- man Jennings had_ been set to watch a gaming-house in Albemarle Street ; the defendants, " fresh " from enjoying themselves at the Derby, wanted to get into the house, but were refused admittance ; then they began a squabble with the Policeman, which ended in llornby's assaulting the officer and

blocking him- down, Flanagan abetting. The defendants pleaded "too much wine," and said that the Policeman was insolent. Mr. Bingham sent Mr.

Hornby to prison for seven days, and fined Mr. Flanagan 20s. Then Flana- gan interceded for his friend, as he was "a highly respectable gentleman," " in the commission of the peace himself," related to a Member of Parlia-

ment, and onintimate terms with other Members: he was very sorry for his conduct, which had its rise in a frolic on "the Derby day." Mr. Bingham, knowing that Mr. Hornby would be removed from the Magistracy if he were imprisoned, and considering the Derby excuse, commuted his sentence to a fine of 51.

At the Marylebone Police Office, on Wednesday, Mr. William Henshall, a man of property living at Kentish Town, was charged with stealing two beicks, value one penny from the wall of a bridge belonging to the Com-

missioners of Sewers. Many bricks had been taken from the wall, and a Policeman was set to watch : he saw Mr. Henshall detach two bricks with a

chisel, put them into his handkerchief, and walk away. A path in Mr. Henshall's yard was found to be paved with similar bricks. A solicitor ex- pressed the prisoner's contrition for the "indiscretion " ; and offered to repair the wall and pay a sum to the poor-box. Mr. Broughton enlarged on the fact that the respectability of the prisoner was an aggravation of his offence; and then—fined him fifty shillings, for unlawful possession of the bricks. Of course the shillings were immediately forthcoming.

At Marylebone Police Office, on Monday, Elizabeth Ann Chambers, a middle-aged woman of ladylike appearance, was charged with the uttering of forged aomptances. In April 1849, she engaged a furnished house in Nottingham Terrace, New Road, from Miss Goodman, agreeing to pay 1801. a year. Subsequently, she induced Miss Goodman to discount two bills, for 3001. and 1001., purporting to be accepted by the Reverend Charles Randolph, Kempton Rectory, Andover. In April last she absconded ; and the bills were disowned by Mr. Randolph. When taken to the station-house, Mrs. Chambers told the Inspector that Mr. Randolph was her cousin, had furnish- ed her With money to pay her father's debts, and had given her authority to use his name whenever she wanted funds. A gentleman informed the Ma- gistrate that he had a charge against her for a fraud of 400/. Inspector Jackson expressed an opinion that other cases would be forthcoming. She was remanded for a week, and a summons issued for the attendance of Mr. Randolph.

At Lambeth Police Office, on Saturday, Octavius Ryland, a well-dressed middle-aged man, was charged with sending threatening letters to the Re-

verend Dr. Collyer, minister of Hanover Chapel, Peckham, with intent to extort money. Dr. Collyer stated that he had known the prisoner a great many years. Recently, he received from him a letter, stating that he was starving, demanding money, and threatening, if 201. were not given, to publish letters in a weekly periodical reflecting on the doctor's character. The writer said he would only appeal to Dr. Collyer's self-interest—" I know

that it is useless to appeal to your remembrance that you are my father, or to your charitable or humane feelings." He could obtain money for the letters, and he would do so, or for their suppression. There were many as- persions on the Doctor in the letter. In the paper enclosed—" Recollections of my Life, Chapter I."—Ryland referred to some accusations against Dr.

Collyer nearly thirty years ago, and also charged him with improper conduct at that time towards the writer and his brother. Dr. Collyer wrote a note to Ryland, stating that he should put the papers into legal hands; but "be- cause of his extremity" lie enclosed half a sovereign. Ryland wrote again, renewing his threats. When ho called for an answer he was given into cus- tody. Before the Magistrate, he said he would reserve his defence for another place.—Committed.

At the end of last week, the Police had in custody no fewer than four of the swindlers who have been extracting money from young men by pretend- ing to appoint to situations. On Friday, Sparkes, Nixon, Wright, and Campbell, were brought before the Bow Street Magistrate. Evidence was heard to show that the prisoners were leagued together in their nefarious practices ; and several witnesses gave strong testimony of the fraudulent conspiracy in which they had been engaged. Mr. Jardine was occupied the greater part of Tuesday and Wednesday in taking the depositions in due form : he than committed the prisoners for trial—buff to be permitted if they can get sureties. They behaved with great levity and impudence.

One Cooper having got 51. from Clitlbrd, a publican, by pretending to bet on the Derby, and depositing what turned out to be a forged note of a bet at

a tavern, he was brought before the Marlborough Street Magistrate on a charge of fraud. His solioitor urged that the whole proceeding was illegal. Mr. Bingham said the line of defence was, in fact, going so far as to say that thief might rob thief, and gambler rob gambler. He doubted very much that this was the law. At all events, he would take time to consider the question. Mr. Bishop, the Clerk, handed to the Magistrate the 8th and 9th Victoria, e. 109, see. 17, which made it punishable to obtain money by any kind of false pretence from a person on account of any game, sport, or pastime, and which applied exactly to the case before the COurt.-1Iemanded. Some time back, George Hackett was charged at Marlborough Skeet Police Office with burglary; while confined in a cell there, a confederate -came with a key and let him out ; officers have since been on the watch for him. On

Wednesday, the ruffian intended to go to Epsom ; taking a woman with him in a cart, probably, as Alderman Humphery remarked, by way of "decoy."

Policeman Storey, intercepted tin' on London Bridge. Hackett leaped from the cart, struggled with the officer, and beat him desperately on the heed with

a -"life-preserver"; 1iut Wes- at TaWlecured, with his female Com- panion. When charged at the .heamionhouee with the assault, Hackett wanted to make out that the Pegeeman had been hurt by a fall, not by thn life-preserver. "15," mill be " had bit him with the life-preserver; 'la'. have knocked his skull in, and-no.raistake : so your worship must see thathe- is wrong there." Alderman Hinixphery—" How. AD you blow it would hawk knocked his skull in ? have you ever knooked.a skull in ? " Hackett—" No; but I know a life preserver would do it easy. I should lib to have hishead examined; you-have only his.wariLfor it." This impudent defence was come_ pletely contradicted, and the ruffian was committed for triaL

Bartholomew Keating, a. letter-carrier of the Charing Cross branch office, , has been committed to prison by the Bow Street Magistrate, for detaining a large number of letters intrusted- to - him for delivery. The letters had not been opened; the man pretended that.they had been refused ; but this wis false.

Applications have been made attire Mansionhouse-for -relief on account of destitute Germans and Poles, driven to this country by political troubles at home. At a time when there are more than usual Chums on its means, the funds of the Literary Association of the Friends ef Poland are exhausted. Alderman Gibbs said he could do nothing for the refugees; they might aPPLY- at the unions; unfortunately, there were thousands of English people as destitute as these foreigners.

Ann Seaborn, a married woman living near Primrose Hill, threw herself- and an infant into a. well in the garden, and both perished. There were two other children in the cottage ; many hours after, one of these managed to find the father at a public-house, and told what had happened. It is said that the woman was jealous of the attentions of her husband to another- female. The verdict of the Coroner's Airy was 5"remporary insanity."

A man has been killed in the Copenhagen Fields tunnel of the Great- Northern liailsvay, by an immense quantity Of earth falling upon him.

On the premises of the hydraulic engineers Messrs. Freeman, Roe, and Hansom, opposite to-the .Adelphi Theatre, were stored a quantity of ex lo-: sive railway signals. The windows .of the room-contained panes with bull's. - eyes in them ; these, concentrating the sun's rays on some of the signals, caused them .to explode, and thus set fire to thepremises. The fire did much damage, but was put out without injury to neighbours.