ffitettopolfs.
The City fend rages. The Court of Aldermen, the Court of Common Council, and a Committee of that Court, all had meetings on Tuesday. The Lord Mayor still declined to put the question on the franchise; and the Common Council, which met for the usual election of officers, spent the. time in squabbling, and adjourned without doing anything,—a course which has produced much inconvenience.
" The Irish party " held a meeting on Saturday, at their chambers in Parliament Street; Lord Monteagle, as usual, presiding. Mr. Spottiswoode submitted a plan for raising the 16,000,0001. which would beasanted in case Lord George Bentinck's measures should pass. The money might be easily provided by the means of Exchequer notes of IL each, bearing no interest, and receivable in taxes and other Government payments without cost to the Exchequer, and without disarranging the national finances. Mr. Spottiswoode's proposition led to an animated discussion; but no re- solution appears to have been adopted.
At a very full meeting of the Marylebone Vestry, on Saturday, Lord George Bentinck's railway measure formed the subject of discussion; and the Vestry agreed to a . resolution characterizing it as " most nefarious," Sir Benjamin Hall's assurance that there would be a large majority against **bill was greeted by loud cheers.
The foundation of the "Whittington Club" was celebrated, on Wed- nesday, by a soiree at the London Tavern • Mr. Douglas Jerrold, the Pre- sident and founder of the Club, in the chair, There were several speeches, some music, and finally dancing.
In the Court of Queen's Bench, lust week, Lord.Denman gave judgment in the case of Gosling versus Vesey, (better known as the " Braintree case,") which we accidentally omitted to mention., A. rate was proposed in Vestry meeting; the majority moved and carried a resolution protesting against any rate, on Volun- tary principles, and left the court; the rate was then made by the minority. Their right to do so was questioned, and the dissentient party appealed to the law courts. Lord Denman decided that the parishioners are bound to make a rate, and that the assembled Vestry had only the power to regulate its amount. The resolution of the majority, therefore, was not a legitimate amendment, but was to be considered as quite irrelevant to the business in hand; and the rate made by the minority must be held to be good..
A great many robberies have recently been committed at City banking-houses, by a particular class of well-dressed thieves. They. enter as if on business; watch where money is deposited on the persons of the recipients; and then either follow and pilfer the cash, or give an intimation to confederates who are waiting in the streets, and who commit the robbery. At the Mansionhouse, on Saturday, Wood and Clark, two fashionably-dressed young men, were accused by Policeman Hayden of having entered two banks with a felonious intent. The officer watched and followed them; they went into the banking-houses, but transacted no business. When taken into custody, a genuine ;chteheekswwaeli-fumuond Wood. This, the policeman was the customary swell-mob men carried a real check, so that when questioned as to their business, they might pretend they had mistaken the bankers; thus the prisoners had entered two banks, but not the one on which the check was drawn. `Wood said he was not guilty of any bad intention; it was a mistake; he kept two omnibuses and eleven cabs. Hayden remarked that that was true; and he should not hesitate to look for thieves in Wood's omnibuses: his vehicles were used by
associates as facilitating robbery. It was proved that Clark had been its custody before on a similar charge. Eventually, the Lord Mayor dismissed the accused with a caution, they not having committed any overt act sufficient to bring them withiareach of the law.
On Tuesday, a robbery of upwards of seven thousand pounds was committed. A clerk to Messrs. Strahan and Company, the bankers in the Strand, having placed his note-case in his coat-pocket, without any chain attaching it to his person, it was abstracted as he was leaving Deacon's bank, in Birchin Lane. The numbers of the notes were known, and their payment was stopped.
An investigation which has been proceeding at the Worship Street Police-office has been the subject of considerable comment, as involving—what has been im- pugned on several occasions recently—the credibility of Police witnesses. Last week, Policeman Charles Andrews Amos charged Ellen Bolton, a prostitute, with disorderly conduct: of course, he swore to the truth of his statement. The accused declared that this charge had been trumped up by the constable: he had violently used improper freedoms with her, and on her threatening to proceed to the station-house and complain, he took her into custody. A girl who was with her could confirm this. The witness, however, not being forthcoming, Mr. Ar- nold, the sitting Magistrate, committed her for seven days, on the strength of the Policeman's statement.
Presently, after Bolton had been removed, her witness arrived. The story she told exactly corroborated Bolton's; whereupon the Magistrate liberated the pri- soner and a report of the matter was sent to the Commissioners of Police. They' ordered the constable to be taken before the Magistrate.
On Saturday he appeared; Mr. Broughton presiding. The two girls made their statement. Bolton said, she told the Inspector, who received the charge against her, how she had been ill-used by Amos. Mr. Heritage, who appeared for the accused, failed to shake the testimony of the witnesses in cross-examination. At a late hour, the proceedings were adjourned.
On Wednesday the tables were turned. Mr. Heritage, who appeared for Amos, again cross-examined the girls, and pointed out discrepancies in their evidence: he then called a number of witne sus who resided on the spot where the accused was said to have assaulted Bolton; and they declared that they heard no outcries on the night in question, which they must have done had Bolton screamed. The- officer who took the charge at the station-house deposerlthat Bolton had not made any complaint to him against Amos. The man received a very high character from his superiors. Mr. Broughton declared that the evidence of the girls was. not trustworthy; and he discharged the accused.
The thaw caused a fatal disaster on Tuesday morning. A large dust-heap on the. banks of the Regent's Canal, at Camden Town, was rendered so rotten that it fell down, burying a number of people under it. One young man was taken out dead, and others had a narrow escape.
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