gin Alftetropolis.
The annual election of Common Councilmen and other Ward officers took place on Thursday, St. Thomas's Day, in all uncontested cases. In five Wards, however, there were contests; namely, in Farringdon-Without, Cripplegate-Within, Cordwainers', Castle Baynard, and Portsoken. The result of the polls last night was in each instance unfavourable to the new candidates. The polls close today.
At Marlborough Street Police-office, on Saturday, the inquiry respecting cer- tain valuables said to belong to the Count de Neuilly was resumed. It took a
sprrer turn: all claim to the property by Louis Philippe was abandoned. It ap- that M. Bapat, of Paris, who was jeweller to the King, was sent for to mien* the jewellery; but on examining it, he found that it was not the property it had been supposed to be: the articles nearly resembled those which had belong- ed to the Ex-King--so nearly that none but a jeweller could have seen the differ- ence; but they were not the Royal jewels, of which they might be described as fac-similes. As soon as this discovery was made, Count de Neuilly abandoned the charge against the three persons accused; and Mr. Bodkin now stated that no proceeding of a criminal nature would take place respecting any portion of the property. Mr. Wontner complained of the inconvenience and the imputations which had been thrown on the accused; and he explained the position of the Baron de Bassagnes, the old gentleman, and why he had been obliged to come to England to endeavour to raise money on his valuables: the Baron had a property in the Isle of Bourbon, and 500 slaves; and when the Republic freed the slaves, remittances from the colony ceased. The picture did not belong to the Baron, but was in the custody of his secretary, Engine de Soulier. The Magistrate, Mr. Hardwick, said that the extraordinary circumstances of the case had justified inquiry, but the accused were now at liberty. At the end of the proceedings before him, a Customhouse-officer came forward to seize the property on behalf of the Crown, on the ground that import-duty had not been paid on it. Mr. Weather said it had been passed as passengers' baggage. The officer replied, that proofs of that must be produced; and be seized the articles, in order that an inquiry might be made.
At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, Samuel Smith Mickelburg was tried for embezzling money the property of Mr. Fleming, a brewer of Camberwell, in whose employ he had been. The brewhonse, it may be remembered, was re- cently burnt down; and the prisoner was charged with having fired it; but the case against him utterly failed. The present charge of embezzlement, however, was proved to the satisfaction of the Jury; who, after some consultation, found a verdict of " Guilty," with a recommendation to mercy on account of previous good character. He has been sentenced to seven years' transportation.
On Thursday, Powell, Watts, and Lewis, seamen of the Lemuel, were tried for stealing gold-dust worth 6,8001., and other property, on the coast of Africa. The men were convicted, on clear evidence, and sentenced to be transported for seven year.
Jane Pullen, the widow whose child perished in consequence of the mother's having tied it by the neck to a bed-post, was tried for the manslaughter. The evidence showed that the woman had generally been kind to her daughter, and that there was no apparent intention on her part to cause the child's death. She was found guilty, but recommended to mercy, on account of her good character. The sentence was a year's imprisonment.
At Bow Street Police-office, on Saturday, the proceedings in respect of the Hay- market "monster St. Leger sweep" were resumed. Mr. Bodkin stated, that he attended by direction of the Secretary. of State for the Home Department, who had consulted the Law-officers of the Crown upon the subject, and were now de-. termined to put down by the strong arm of the law such mischievous and perni- cious establishments as monster sweeps: if the present law were found insuf- ficient, they were resolved to apply to Parliament for larger powers. He selected the case of Thomas Casey to proceed with; the other cases to be regulated by the result of that The proceedings were founded on the law prohibiting lotteries, and making the persons engaging in them liable to punishment as " rogues and ✓ agabonds. On behalf of Casey, Mr. Clarkson objected, unsuccessfully, to the jurisdiction. Mr. Hardwick convicted Casey, and sentenced him to imprisonment for a month; but liberated him on bail, notice of appeal being immediately given.
.4 illicit manufacture of malt has been discovered in Warner Place, Hackney Road. An exciseman had lived next door to the place for some time, yet had sus- pected nothing. One day he.noticed a waggon in the street, containing sacks; he made an inspection, and found twelve sacks of newly-made malt. There was a kiln on the premises, with malt in various stages of manufacture. William Shearman, a man who was captured in the house, has been fined 301. by the Wor- ship Street Magistrate.
Au extraordinary case was investigated at the Southwark Police-office last week. Elizabeth Travel, a young woman, was charged with attempting to set fire to her master's house, and with stealing several articles of jewellery. She had been in Mr. Baker's service, at Bermondsey, about a week, when one night she locked herself in a bedroom, piled a large quantity of clothing on the floor, and set it on fire: a person forced open thr door, and found Travel sitting on the bed, nearly naked, but decorated, as if ready for self-sacrifice in the flames, with Miss Baker's jewellery. The fire was put out, and the young woman was se- cured. She made no remark to the Magistrate upon her strange conduct: he thought she must have been deranged, and sent her to the workhouse, to wait the result of further inquiries. Clothing worth some 501. was destroyed.
An inquest, held by Mr. Baker, on Monday, has exposed the pestiferous con- dition of Hairbrain Court and Slater's Court, in Rosemary Lane, Whitechapel. Richard Poole, who died of Asiatic cholera last Saturday, occupied a cellar with- out window or chimney, in a house in Hairbrain Court; and half-a-dozen other fatal cases have lately occurred in the same court. Dr. Liddle had prescribed for Poole; but his wile would not let her husband go to the workhouse, and she did not send for the medicine: she only said, " Send him some food today, and send me a coffin for him tomorrow." " There could be no doubt of the shocking state of the houses in Hairbrain and Slater's Courts. The stench in them was horrible. Had no doubt that the overcrowded and the ill-ventilated and badly- drained state of the place would make them foci of epidemic disease. The power medical men orlielaicile was totally insufficient to remedy the evil. To do so AtIrran ought to be pulled down. The privies in the majority of set; foot of the stairs or cellar, and the staircase formed a ven- the whole house with the miasmata. Had been in the habit of going to this place for sixteen years, and had frequently reported it. About eight months ago, he reported it to the Board of Guardians; they gave di_ rections about it to the Trustees of the parish, and the evil was then mitigated; but now it was in as bad a state as ever.' Mr. Brushfield, the Chairman of the Board of Guardians, elicited from Dr. Liddle, that he had not " lately " reported the unhealthy state of the houses: Dr. Liddle said he had ceased to report because his reports were not attended to he admitted that if the Guardians knew, the existence of such a state of things, and had the power to remedy it, they would' deserve the heaviest censure. "He would take care it should be investf.
ted." The Jury returned a verdict that Richard Poole died by the visitation of God from Asiatic cholera; which they attributed to the filthy and abominable con- dition of these habitations and courts; and they could not separate without ex- pressing their opinion that the Board of Guardians for the Whitechapel Union had been guilty of very great neglect in not carrying out the orders of the Board of Health. In the verdict which the Jury first brought in, the words were "gross neglect"; but, at the suggestion of the Coroner, who said that these words would be tantamount to a verdict of manslaughter, they were altered into " very great neglect."
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