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A Court of Aldermen was held on Tuesday, for the despatch of busi- ness. The Lord Mayor was requhted to issue his precept for a new election in the Ward of Farringdon Within ; a double return having been made of Mr. Rutter and Mr. M'Laughlan, who each bad 151 votes. Mr. Laurie, the City Pleader, and Mr. Clarkson, were beard on *petition against Mr. Eyton, an old member of the Common Council for Cornhill, on the ground that he was disqualified, from having no house or tenement in the Ward. The Court decided that the election was void ; and it was resolved that the Lord Mayor should be requested to issue his precept for a fresh election. Sir Peter •Laurie drew alien tion to the subject of wooden pavement ; and, referring to some recent proceedings against drivers for loitering in the Poultry, he said that it

was the unanimous opinion of the drivers that on wooden pavement it was next to impossible either to pull up, drive on, or stop their horses. He cited some further instances of the evil— On Sunday morning he had witnessed a curious sight. As the Blues were returning from the Horse Guards to their barracks, they all dismounted in Argyll Street, in which the wooden pavement is laid down, and led their horses until they reached Portland Street, where the stone pavement recom- menced; and upon making inquiry, he learned that the extraordinary action of dismounting was occasioned by the severe fall of a soldier upon the wooden pavement, upon which a horse of any spirit could scarcely stand. He was on the bench when the driver of one of Cloud's omnibuses was tried by Lord Denman for having run over a man in Coventry Street, in which the wooden pavement was laid down ; and the prisoner was acquitted, proof having been given that it was impossible for the driver of an omnibus to pull up on such a surface. At the last Sessions, a cabman was acquitted before Baron Gurney upon similar grounds; and Mr. Payne had recently held an inquest upon an unfortunate young female who was killed in the Poultry.

He trusted that the authorities would interfere to prevent the exten- sion of the new plan of paving; and he asked Alderman Gibbs, the Chairman of the Commissioners of Sewers, whether that body intended to do any thing to remedy the evil? Alderman Gibbs declared, that there was a mania in favour of wooden pavements ; although he had been informed by medical authority, that since wooden pavements had come into fashion accidents bad increased one-third in number. Soon afterwards, the conversation dropped, and the Court adjourned.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday, the first since the election of members on St. Thomas's Day. A letter was read, stating that the residuary legatees of the late Mrs. Weybridge would give effect to her bequest to the City, though informally executed, of two oil-paintings, likenesses of her father, Sir William Staines, and Alderman Wood. The bequest was unanimously accepted. Among other reports, was a final one from the Blackfriars Bridge Committee, submitting their closing accounts, and recommending that certain du- ties which remain to be performed should devolve upon the Bridge- house Committee. The report was affirmed. Another, from the Royal Exchange and Gresham Trust Committees, stated that Sir Richard Westmacott had been engaged to embellish the tympanum of the portico to the new Exchange, at a cost not to exceed 3,1504 Other routine business having been transacted, the Court adjourned.

At a meeting of the Middlesex Magistrates, on Thursday, it was stated that Mrs. Mary Phillips, of Nova Scotia, who lately died at Bologna, had bequeathed a considerable fortune to be divided between four charitable institutions in London--St. George's Hospital, the Blind School, the Welsh School, and Hanwell Lunatic Asylum. A letter was read from a discharged convalescent patient of the Asylum, who had" person- ally experienced the tender mercies of private asylums," bearing testimony to the excellent effect of the judicious and humane system pursued at Hanwell. A letter was read tendering the resignation of the Chaplain of the New Prison, in consequence of ill health. A county-rate of one penny in the pound was agreed to.

At a meeting of the Marylebone Vestry, on Saturday, a letter was read from the solicitors to the Board of Woods and Forests, notifying that the soil and freehold of the Regent's Circus are vested in the Queen, the Vestrymen having no authority to erect a monument to the " Scottish martyrs ' ; and that the solicitor had been instrnctedto ob- tain an injunction in the Court of Chancery. The Vestry had given the ground for a monument to be erected at the expense of Mr. Joseph Hume. It was resolved to suspend further proceedings, and to com- municate the notice and the resolution to Mr. Hume.

It is announced that " a deputation from the Council of the National Anti-Corn-law League will sit daily at the Crown and Anchor, from eleven o'clock in the morning until four o'clock in the afternoon, for the purpose of receiving subscriptions, and communicating with their friends in the Metropolis as to the progress already made in the cause, and to confer with them as to the most efficient means for promoting further contributions to the great League fund." It has also been resolved by a meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, to hold weekly meetings of members of the Metropolitan Anti- Corn-law Associations at that place, to hear reports of progress, and confer with the deputation of the League. Meetings in furtherance of the agitation have been held in Christ- church Southwark, Kingsland, and Lambeth, and by St. Martin's Vestry.

A numerous meeting of the inhabitants of the parish of Hammersmith was held on Monday, to petition Parliament against the Income-tax. A series of resolutions with that object having been moved and seconded, an amendment was proposed, declaring that direct taxation was prefer- able to indirect taxation, and that the inhabitants declined to petition the Legislature for the repeal of the Income-tax. In seconding the amend- ment, Mr. Millwood remarked, it seemed to him that their object was to ask the Minister to reimpose the taxes on the working-man—on his salt, his beer, and so on. In his opinion, however, they could do no- thing until they called upon the Government to grant the People's Char- ter. Three hands were held up for the amendment, and the original resolutions were carried.

A numerous meeting, convened by the London Missionary Society, was held at Exeter Hall on Tuesday,—Mr. William T. Blair in the chair; when resolutions were passed, among others, expressing thanksgiving to God for the termination of the Chinese war, and for the enlarged faci- lities for trade, and directing the removal of the Anglo-Chinese col- lege to Hong-kong.

In the Prerogative Court, on Monday, Sir Herbert Jenner Fast de- cided the question of granting administration of the effects of the late Sophy Dawes, the Baroness de Fench&es. The Baroness was the daughter of Richard Dew and Jane Callaway, who married in the Isle of Wight in 1775, and had several children. She became acquainted with the Duke of Bourbon, from whom she obtained the large property which bad now to be distributed. The question raised was one as to the identity of the deceased : the only difficulty in the case arose from her improperly describing herself as a widow named Dawes when she

married the Baron de Fencheres ; but the facts and documents were so Clear, that Sir Herbert had no doubt that the parties claiming to ad- minister were the legitimate brother and sister of the Baroness. The effect of this decision is to give to the surviving relatives of the Baroness all the property in England and France, amounting to about 200,000/. ; except some property secured to the Baron by the marriage-settlement.

In the Conn of Queen's Bench, on Wednesday, Lord Denman gave judgment in the case of the Queen versus Sir Martin Archer Shee and others; the question at issue being raised on an appeal against an as- sessment to the poor-rate in respect to a certain portion of the National Gallery used for the purposes of the Royal Academy. In the case of the King versus Tarrett, said Lord Denman, where a Lieutenant- Colonel in the Artillery had been rated for property belonging to the Crown, the Court had been of opinion that he had been properly rated, on account of the private benefit he derived from his private occupation of the apartments. If, however, the party rated had the use of premises as the mere servant of the Crown, and had no beneficial occupation re- sulting from it, then he was not rateable. So, if the property of the Crown or of the public were used expressly for public purposes, the case would come within the exemption ; and of such kind Lord Den- man held to be the present case. The assessment therefore was quashed. Lord Huntingtower passed his final examination in the Court of Bankruptcy on Monday. The bankrupt was examined as to his trans- actions with Colonel Copland. At their introduction in 1839, he said, the understanding was, that Colonel Copland should get Lord Hunting- tower's bills discounted and give him half the proceeds. The transac- tions between them were " numberless"; he mentioned some, in which bills were given for 10,0001., 8,0001., and 6,0001. The entire sum that he remembered to have received from him in cash was 501.: there might have been a few small sums of 51. or so, but he had no recollec- tion of them. Since Colonel Copland's examination, Lord Hunting- tower had been at some pains to trace his own movements on the 8th December 1841, when the deed of mortgage was executed at Mr. Fisher's office in Bucklersbury. He found that he came to the Easton Hotel by the Great Western Railway, at half-past eight o'clock in the evening, from Penton ; that he left the hotel at nine o'clock, (for Mr. 'Fisher's office,) returned at ten, had some tea, and went out again at eleven. His impression was, that he, Colonel Copland, Mrs. Edmonds, and Mr. Vane, (the solicitor who acted on his behalf,) all went together in a hackney-coach ; and he thought that Colonel Copland said they were going to Bucklersbury to sign the deed-

" My recollection is had with reference to that subject. I had been up all the previous night at Penton, where 1 bad a hill of sale or some process in my house. There were several parties down there. The place was in the greatest state of confusion. Mr. Jacobs, the nephew of Moss Davis, I think, was there. Mr. Hume was there. Mr. Pyne was there ; and Colonel Copland was there. He (Copland) saw the state of confusion and my embarrassment. On my road to London, I found the weather very cold,;and drank several glasses of brandy- and-water, so that when I arrived I was not as sober as I ought to have been to execute a deed of such importance. I have no recollection where we, (Mrs. Edmonds and Copland,) started from to go to Bucklersbury. I had had no communication with Mr. Fisher or Mr. Dobson respecting that mortgage prior to its execution on the 8th of December. I have no recollection of having seen Mr. Vane, the attesting witness, before or since that evening. I certainly never employed Mr. Vahe in any other matter; but I suppose I gave him in- structions on the night the deed was executed, though I have no recollection of having done so ; and I only infer I employed him from the fact of his being -the attesting witness. I think the heads of the deedwere read by Mr. Fisher. I do not remember ever having seen a draught of the deed, nor do I believe that I -have. I had never, to the best of my recollection, seen the draft of a warrant of attorney given at the same time to secure the amount of the mortgage. I don't remember that the warrant of attorney was read over and explained to me on that occasion. At the meeting at Mr. Fisher's I signed several papers, and received 8001. I do not recollect any thing else that took place. With refer- ence to the extent of the mortgage-deed, warrant of attorney, &c., I was given to understand by all the parties, 1 think, that the papers which I signed could not be acted upon for seven years ; that Mrs. Edmonds, whom I then believed 'to be'a woman of property, had bound herself down to pay the interest ; that Colonel Copland owed the money to Dobson ; and that I should never be called upon to pay a shilling principal or interest. I was informed of the latter part by Captain Copland."

Mr. Henry Morgan Vane, of Carlton Chambers, 12, Regent Street, was examined it his own request. He said that he had known Colonel Copland for twelve years, and had been his solicitor for five. On Wednesday week he received the following letter- " Monday.

" My dear Vane—These d—d examinations, which are brought forward from Huntingtower's bankruptcy, have nearly driven me mad, as you may sup- pose. They want to upset the mortgage ; and if you can conveniently keep out of London at present, it would be better. I am coming down to the North, to Alnwick, in a day or two, and will meet you." (The rest of the letter referred to other matters, and need not be published.)

Mr. Vane replied thus-

Braneepeth Castle. 10th January.

" Colonel Copland—I have just received your letter, at which I am as much surprised as at the report of your examination in the newspapers of the 5th in- stant, and which I had not seen until today. You must be aware that that re- port is incorrect. I never either met or bad any connexion whatever with Lord Huntingtower until I was introduced to him and Mrs. Edmonds by you at Mr. Fisher's, when the mortgage was executed; and I have never seen or communi- ' cated with either of them since. You must know that I appeared there by your appointment, at your particular request. and on your behalf, end that I neither went there nor returned with them. These facts I consider so essen- tial to my character, that I shall take the earliest opportunity of stating them before the Bankruptcy Commissioner. " I remain, Sir, your most obedient servant, H. M. VANE." " Lietenant-Colonel Copland."

Mr. Vane quoted a note somewhat similar to the former of those above, received by his brother Frederick on Monday morning last from Colonel Copland, exhorting him to keep Mr. Vane out of the way should be come to town. Mr. Vane said that he was prepared to come forward when called upon, to state circumstances connected with the execution of the mortgage which ought to be made public. Mr. James, Lord Huntingtower's counsel, stated, that Mr. Mark- well, the proprietor of Long's Hotel, felt much aggrieved at Colonel Copland's having frequently described himself as lodging at that esta- blishment; for it was a fact that he had not occupied apartments there since 1833: he had been allowed to address his letters there, and that was all, In the course of further proceedings, a claim was rejected, on a bil; of exchange for 42/. Its. given in payment of fruit supplied to the bank- rupt's grandmother, the Countess of Dysart, and to the bankrupt. In support of this claim, it was stated that Lord Huntingtower had "eaten as many as a dozen Charmontel pears at the counter at a time." Mr. Commissioner Fonblanque could not consider Charmontel pears neces- sary for a minor ; and the claim was rejected. Captain Canty claimed 500/. on a promissory note, given in consideration of waiving an arrest arising out of several transactions, including the purchase of a horse which the bankrupt bad " done him out of "; and the proof was ordered to stand over for want of evidence. Captain Canty complained of his great losses in assisting the aristocracy and scions of the Peerage ; Mr. Fonblanque recommended him to keep a special Peerage book.

At the close of the day's proceedings, Lord Huntingtower was de- clared to have passed.

A very destructive fire happened in the Old Kent Road, on Monday night. It broke out about seven o'clock, at one end of the large floor- cloth manufactory belonging to Mr. Josiah Rolls, near the Canal Bridge ; and in less than ten minutes, the factory, which was 150 feet long by 60 broad, was on fire from top to bottom. Soon afterwards the flames broke through the roof and set fire to the neighbouring floor- cloth manufactory of Mr. Goulston, which was a very lofty building. The conflagration now rose to a great height, menacing the whole neighbourhood, and illuminating the country around. Engines did not arrive from town until a little before eight o'clock ; and no water could be obtained except from a public-house pump. By great efforts, how- ever, the damage, except some scorching of the adjacent houses, was confined to the two manufactories, and to two dwelling-houses belong- ing to Mr. Rolls : but all those buildings were destroyed. The loss is roughly estimated at little short of 20,000/. ; but the two manufacturers were insured.