The Court of Aldermen met on Tuesday; and soon after

their assembling, the Sword-bearer was ordered to inform the Sheriffs that they must retire from their seats within the bar, and remove below the bar.

Mr. Sheriff Raphael appealed to the Lord Mayor, to know whether it was by his ordels that the interference of the Sword-bearer had taken place? He was aware that the seat of the Sheriffs within the bar was conceded to them in courtesy, and not claimed as a right; but he desired that the wish of the Court might be distinctly stated; so that the Sheriffs might not be looked upon in the light of intruders, which the communication of the Sword-bearer seemed to indicate. Alderman Atkins said, that the Court of Aldermen was a close court, and that the Sheriffs had no right to a seat within the bar. The Recorder was about to explain the ancient usage in this respect, when Alderman Atkins called that officer to order. The Recorder had, he said, no right to give any opinion upon subjects under discus- sion, unless when that opinion was required by the Court. At this moment, Allerman Copeland moved that the Sheriffs should leave the court until the question should be decided one way or the other. The Sheriffs then retired ; and the doors of the court were closed against the possibility of intrusion from anybody not under an oath of secrecy. Notwithstanding the strict secrecy of the proceedings, what followed was immediately known in the passages leading to the Court and Com- mittee-rooms. Alderman Venables moved, and Alderman Kelly se- conded a resolution, that the Sheriffs should be invited to take their seats within the bar. Sir Chapman Marshall spoke on the saint side. Several other Aldermen addressed the court, and a division took place; when the resolution was rejected, by I to 6. The Sheriffswere then called in, and the decision of the court was signified to them by the Lord Mayor.

Mr. Sheriff Raphael said—" My Lord, on beholf of nay colleague and myself, I bow with submission to the decisioa of the.ceort; hut I must be permitted to state that that decision appears to us very far from progressing with the spirit of the times, and, if I may be allowed to say so, not at all in good taste."

Time Lord Mayor—" Every gentleman is allowed to entertain his own sentiments, but this is Dot the proper place in which to exprivs them."

The Sheriffs immediately withdrew.

Mr. K. F. Newman was on Thursday elected City Solicitor, with- out opposition. The situation of Bridge House Comptroller has, ja in consequence, become vacant ; fur which six candidates have alreOlf offered themselves. The minor City Companies have come forward generally through their accredited officers to give every information in their sower to the Commissioners of Municipal Inquiry. In the Butchers Company, all the Livery had the right or suffrage, and the only qualification to be a Liveryman was being a freennue—religion, country, nothing, in fact, made a difference in this respect. The only person refused the livery admission for the thirty-four years was Mr. Michael Scales. The Clerk of the Watermen's Company attended to give evidence. Free- dom was attained by apprenticeship only, and there were at present about .5000 free watermen. Their funds arise from Sunday ferries and fines, and are divided among poor freemen ; their assets now amount to S5,000/. Three per Cents. The facts elicited from the inquiry into the Clockmakers, Carmen, Founders, and Joiners Companies, the clerks of all which attended during the week, were not of much im- portance. The Wesminster Magistrates have clung to the last to the practice of transacting all business relating to salaries and ether matters of finance in their private room. At the Sessions held on Saturday, by adjournment, an end was put to this very objectionable system. A motion of Mr. AV William, long pending, was, after considerable dis- cussion, unanimously carried, that all the business of the 'Westminster Ses- sions shall in future be transacted and discussed in open Court. We will answer for it that the public will be no losers by the change of system. —Morning Chronicle.

The proprietors of East India Dock Stock held a meeting yesterday at their rooms in St. Helen's Place, for the purpose of receiving a re- port from the Directors on the negotiation with Government as to the warehousing of goods and other matters connected with the East India trade. It appeared that the Directors had forwarded a memorial to the Treasury, in which they contended that the Docks ought to have been taken by Government, on the same principle as the commercial assets generally of the East India Company had been taken. The Govern- ment seem to have given no encouragement to the proposition of the Company, and no certain information as to its intentions in the affair has as yet been communicated to the Directors. Much discontent seems to prevail in consequence of the delay of Ministers to give in

their decision. N.

The sale of the East India Company's wharf at Blackstadl took place yesterday to Mr. John Nicholson, the tea-dealer, for the sum of 25,600/.

At the Court of Bankrupts, on Thursday, a numerous meeting of the creditors of Duckett, Morland, and Co. was held for the declaration of a dividend upon the separate estate of Sir G. Duckett. Several proofs of debts having been admitted, a dividend of 20s. in the pound was declared upon the private estate.

Within the last twelve months, four bill-broking firms have failed in London, whose aggregate liabilities amount to not less than a million sterling.

The financial agency of the United States will be wholly undertaken by Messrs. N. M. Rothschild and Co. on and after the 1st of January next. Messrs. Baring and Co. are the present agents. Some disputes of no great importance are said to have led to this change.—Herold.

By the books at Lloyd's, it appears, that in consequence of the severe gales during the last week, fifty-six vessels have been totally wrecked or run ashore on the coasts of England and Holland. The loss of life has also been considerable. The greater part of the ships wrecked on the coast of Holland occurred between the 16th and 18th October, the date of the last advices : but as the weather since that time has been particularly boisterous, it is feared accounts of further losses will be received.

A meeting of watermen and lightermen was held on Wednesday at the Tower Shades Tavern, Tower Hill, for the purpose of ascertaining the sense of that body upon the propriety of forming a steam-boat com- pany, in small shares, to be called the Thames Watermen's Steam-boat Company. The project lass been for some time in contemplation ; and the watermen, with a view of competing with the numerous River steamers which have been for a long period conveying passengers short distances, to the great injury of the old-established and regular ferry- men, have at length considered the propriety of establishing a Steam Packet Company, to be composed exclusively of members of their own body, for the purpose of carrying passengers between London, Dept- ford, Greenwich, Woolwich, and Richmond. The large room of the tavern was crowded to excess with watermen and lightermen. A pro- spectus was read; from which it appeared that the Company is to con- sist exclusively of freemen and widows of the watermen ; and that the

capital be 5000/. in shares of 5/. each, to be paid by instalments, thus affording an opportunity for the hum West individual of the class whom

it is designed to benefit to embark in the undertaking. Mr. William Caldwell, of Hungerford, was called to the chair ; and he proposed seve- ral resolutions in furtherance of the objects of the meeting, which were unanimously agreed to ; and a Provisional Committee was appointed to draw up the proper forms, and to mill a general meeting of the whole body on an early day.

Arrangements are making by the Lords of the Adeairalty to keep up a regular correspondence with Lisbon, during the ensuing winter, by steam-boats.

The following notice was put up at the Foreign Post-office on Wed- nesday morning—" On and from Monday the 27th, mails will be sent

to, and received from Belgium, forts times in every week, instead of twice only as heretofore. The post days from Loudon will be Mon- days, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Letters will be taken in on Tuesdays and Fridays, until eleven, p.m., and on the other days until seven, p.m."