Sbe jaltetropolts.

The Windsor branch of the South-western Railway, extending at present from Richmond to Datchet, was inspected on Saturday by Captain Wynne, one of the Government Inspectors. Captain Wynne also examined a new line of rails from Nine Elms to the Wandsworth junctibn, recently formed for the Richmond and Windsor traffic. The Inspector granted a certificate permitting the opening of each line; and the trains commenced running to Datchet on Tuesday.

The engine-drivers who had seceded from the North-western Railway held a meeting at the Hampstead Road Tavern on Sunday. Mr. Jonas Brown, who presided, said, that in consequence of the resolution they came to on Thursday offering to refer the dispute to Mr. Bury, Mr. Gooch, and

Mr. Madigan, the last gentleman was on Friday put in communication with them. The result was an understanding that the classification should be abandoned, and the men not be plated at the caprice of any superintendent: thereupon, at Mr. Madigan's request, a letter was written on behalf of the men "leaving the grievance unconditionally in Mr. Glyn's hands." On Friday evening, the men requested Lord Dudley Stuart to abstain from putting in the House of Commons about twenty questions on the state of the working of the line; and on Saturday, an order of the North-western direction appeared, stating that as the "drivers and firemen" had left their ease unconditionally in Mr. Glyn's hands, and expressed "their willingness to resume their duties under whatever circumstances their services might be required," "they would be reemployed accordingly." On Saturday evening, twenty-two drivers were sent for, and told they would be required on Monday morning: but on going to prepare for work, they found it was meant they should not have their old firemen but have as firemen all the new hands employed last week as drivers. "If there was no trick intended," said the chairman, "why were the firemen not to go back as well as the drivers?" Mr. Finch called attention to the fact, that men who last week had charge of engines as drivers were now only considered competent to act as firemen. The chairman advised, in order that any appearance of dictation might be avoided, that the drivers should go to work on Monday; but if their old firemen were not with them on Tuesday, all should leave the employment at once. Mr. Finch objected, that if work was recom- menced it could not be left without a fortnight's notice. Finally, this re- solution was unanimously adopted- " That the arrangements proposed to them this evening by Mr. Walker for the working of the line on Monday, being a total violation of the understanding com- municated by Mr. Madigan on behalf of the Board of Directors on Saturday, that it be therefore determined by this meeting that they will not resume work upon the London and North-western Railway unless the firemen who have seceded be included in the settlement of the dispute."

On Tuesday another meeting was held, at which the amicable settle- ment of all differences was announced, in the following speech by Mr. Jonas Brown. [We have reason to know that the intelligence and sober but hearty feeling which it shows are characteristic of the body which Mr. Brown represented.] "Fellow workmen, we have now the pleasure of knowing that there no longer exists any disagreement between ourselves and the authorities of the great com- pany in whose service a very large number of us have spent, and that very hap- pily, the best part of our lives. (Cheers.) Everything has been amicably set- tled. Many of our fellow workmen returned to their duties yesterday, and the rest of us are to do so tomorrow. This result has been brought about by our having left our case in the bands of the Chairman of our Company. Mr. Glyn's proverbial kindness and liberality to all the officers and servants of the Company over the interests of which he has so long presided, was a sufficient guarantee to us that he would not act unjustly or illiberally towards us. From what has transpired within the last two days, the particulars of which it is not now neces- sary to state, we have learned quite enough to convince us that we did not over- estimate Mr. Glyn's kind feelings towards us, or his desire to act justly and con- siderately with regard to the dispute which has been a source of so much regret and pain to us. I may here mention, in justice to that gentleman, that he has all along been not so much opposed to our claims as he has to what he considered a determination on our part to dictate to him and the Company. To convince Mr. Glyn that such never had been our object, we, the whole facts of the dispute having been previously laid before him, at once offered to leave the whole case in his hands, and abide by his honourable decision. You, fellow workmen, know the result. All the remainder old bands will resume work in the course of to- morrow; and I think I may venture to state, as long as we do our duty to the Company in the same manner that we have performed it so many years, we shall never have reason to regret the confidence we have placed in Mr. Glyn. And now, fellow workmen, all I have to impress upon you is, to conduct yourselves for the future with the same moderation that has marked your behaviour through- out a dispute, the angry circumstances attending which will, I trust, from this moment be forgotten by our employers and ourselves." (Loud cheers.) Resolutions in personal compliment to Mr. Glyn and Mr. Madigan were unanimously passed. The Chairman congratulated his fellow workmen on the fact, that during the whole proceedings there had not been exhibited amongst so great a body of men one single case of drunkenness.

The Somers Town Chartists have held a full meeting, and adopted a reso- lution deploring the "odium and contempt" brought upon their "sacred cause" "by the insane conduct of a few, no doubt honest, but misguided and unthinking men, who allowed themselves to be stimulated on by those who were actuated by the most vile and basest of motives." Alluding to the evidence of the informer Powell, they deem it "their imperative duty to protest against all secret proceedings, and to repudiate, denounce, and condemn these in detail, as subversive to the great cause of progression and liberty; being confidently of opinion that incendiaries°, anarchy, and blood- shed, will never eventuate in redressing the wrongs or achieving the rights of the working classes."

At Bow Street, on Saturday, Coffey was brought up to answer the charge against him, supported by Powell the approver, of taking part in a treasonable conspiracy. Powell stated that Coffey was one of the conspiring delegates pre- sent at the meeting held on Tuesday week in the Lord Denman public-house. He was one of those who answered " Yes '' to the questions "Yes or no? would they come out and fight ? " He also said, "Make haste—you know I take the Western division." There were pass-words fixed; the words "Frost" and "Mitchel" were proposed, but "Justice" was fixed on. The pass question was, "What do you want?" and the answer, "'Justice," admitted the respondent to the meeting. On being apprehended, Coffey did not yield promptly; he searched in a drawer, and turned round thence with a pistol in his hand, which he tried to give to his wife: this pistol was produced to the Magistrate, loaded and capped, and was unloaded in court. Coffey said nothing in reply to the general charge: "the witness," he remarked, "would make the most of it, no doubt; but there was no occasion to put down that he resisted the officer—he would have submitted if the officer had shown a warrant." Coffey was remanded till the 31st, wishing "good day" to the "gentlemen" present, with an air of hilariousness. Mrs. Coffey was present, and audibly testified her contempt of the proceedings; upon which she was put out of the court.

On Monday, William Yowling, portrait-painter, an Irish Confederate, was ex- amined on charges made against him by Powell, similar to those made against Coffey. A letter written by Dowling to his sister in Dublin, found on his person When he was arrested, told of the horror and abomination with which his friends regarded the Chartists; and how he was therefore compelled, when partaking of their hospitality, "to pat on the hypocrite,"—a process at which, she might pre- sume, he was getting quite an adept. He gave a lively description of an evening which he had spent at a Foreign Ambassador's, in the absence of his Excellency, but in the society of the landlord of the house—" a jolly old buck." And, finally, he assured her that his neck was in danger, his arrest almost certain, and the

bankruptcy of his prospects inevitable; the whole of their proceedings having been betrayed by Powell, a fellow who went by the name of Johnson. The letter was signed with a false signature. In defence, Dowling said that he was aware, when be entered upon politics, of the dangers to which he should expose himself; but he wished it to be understood that he did not stand there as an English factionist, but as an Irish nationalist. His object was, not to disturb English society, but to free his own country; and he was f ully prepared to abide the consequences of all that he had done in that cause. Mr. Henry ordered him to be remanded till the 31st instant, the day fixed for the further examination of the other Chartists in custody.

At the Mansionhouse, on Wednesday, John Shaw was examined on a charge of attending at a seditious meeting, held in the Milton Street Theatre on the 28th of July. The meeting was called by handbill, and was presided over by Shaw: Government reporters were present. His speech was of considerable length and

ability. In its beginning he affected to consider the mee as one called for a charitable and religions purpose: but he proceeded to in. "ncc the question of the probable situation of Ireland at that moment. He rejoiced to hope that Ire- land was then "up"; and, turning to the subject of English Chartism, he said- " The English Chartists have been from time to time warning the Government, all the time that they have been trampling upon our liberties, of what the ulti- mate consequences must be; and I do hope and trust—and here is open and ad- vised speaking again—I hope and trust that Irishmen-will not be satisfied, and that Englishmen will also fraternize with them—not going for a simple repeal of the Union, but that they will never rest satisfied until they cry out with one thundering voice 'Republic for ever 1' " Shaw did not impugn the correctness of the report of his speech; but questioned the reporter, with the object of show- ing that he attempted to preserve order at the meeting in question, and at other meetings where the reporter had seen him. - The reporter declared he had done so. The Lord Mayor committed Shaw for trial. Shaw applied to be let out on bail: but the Lord Mayor referred him to the Judges of the Central Criminal Court. The prisoner's demeanour was very respectful, and his remarks intelli- gent On retiring, he observed that he had got a severe lesson as to the conse- quences of attending a meeting considered to be unlawful.

The decision of Mr. Commissioner Fane in the case of Mr. Jullien, in the Bankrupt Court last week, was not quite final. Mr. Fane reserved for considera- tion a suggestion that the grant of Mr. Jullien's certificate should be conditional on his setting apart some of his future earnings towards paying off his present debts. On Saturday Mr. Fane rejected this suggestion. His judgment is interesting. "I have long thought that the Bankrupt Act was over harsh towards the un- fortunate debtor, and absurdly lenient towards the dishonest one. The proper mode of dealing with the dishonest debtor, who has not accounted for his pro- perty, would be to withhold his certificate, restore each of his creditors to his original rights, and by subjecting all property found in the possession of uncer- tificated bankrupts to the law of reputed ownership, enabling each creditor to seize it as he could find it Such a law would prevent concealments by effectually thwarting their object, which is future undisputed enjoyment But, though such may be the proper mode of dealing with the dishonest debtor, the proper mode of dealing with the honest bankrupt, who has delivered up everything, is to make him a new man, to enable him to reenter the world of industry totally unshackled. If he has no property, he should, at all events, have no burdens. A contrary course is, in my opinion, equally unjust and impolitic; impolitic, because its probable effect mast be to check future exertion, and thus to defeat its own ob- ject It is difficult enough to get on in the struggles of life without capital, and with the discredit of former failure: I will not add to that difficulty the burden of old debts in a case like the present, where there is not the least reason for think- ing there is any property concealed. True it is that Monsieur Jullien produces nothing for his creditors; but why is this? Because the principle of the law is, that the creditors of an insolvent may scramble for his property; and the for tunate scramblers in this case were an attorney and a sheriff's-officer, who between them have divided property worth nearly 5,000/. I hope that M. Jul- lien's future career may be more fortunate; and if he should hereafter be enabled to do anything for his present creditors, and he should, in accordance with the honourable sentiments he has expressed, make any payments to them, I shall be happy to hear of it; but it shall be the result of a moral, not a legal obligation. He shall have the credit of having done voluntarily what the law would not com- pel him to do."

An extraordinary scene cccurred in the presence of Mr. Baron Alderson, at Judge's chambers, on Saturday. Mrs. Halifax, "wife of the butler of a dis- tinguished nobleman in Portland Place," left her husband in October last, to live in the Fulham Road with a retired solicitor named Bannister; who died in July, and left her all his very considerable property. For legal reasons this bequest was nominally made to Mrs. Hallifax's sister, Miss Kingett, who now lives with her. Ann Hallifax, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. liallifax, has been educated at a boarding school in Chesterfield Street, May Fair, and was there till March last: in that month, however, Mrs. Hallifax decoyed her away to Fulham; and she has kept her out of her father's sight and reach ever since. It was alleged that the young girl had been led into a very immoral life by her mother and aunt. Last week, Mr. Hallifax applied for, and obtained, the issue of a writ of habeas corpus against Miss Kingett, to produce the young girl, and show cause why she should not be restored to her father. On Saturday this writ was obeyed, and all the parties appeared. Mr. Baron Alderson took the young girl into a private chamber, and examined her alone as to which parent she would prefer to live with. On returning to court he said he found she strongly desired to be with her mother; but her age (fifteen) was such that he had no power to send her back to her mother's custody. "He must decline to interfere—must discharge the writ— must leave the parties to adopt their own course." On this remark, Mr. Halal promptly "adopted the course" thus described—" To the astonishment of the learned Baron and the numerous persons in the chambers, the father and his attorney immediately seized the girl, and forced her out of the room: she uttered the most piercing shrieks, calling 'Mother, mother! I will go with nobody bat my mother l' They got her outside the chambers; where two other persons had been stationed by the father to assist in the event of a rescue; and ultimately they succeeded in forcing her through Sergeant's Inn, into Chancery Lane, and into a cab; although she screamed and straggled violently, being somewhat tall and powerful for her age. The mother and sister, not being provided with as- sistance, were content to oppose her removal with their tongues; which they did most freely, calling the father by the most vile epithets. Two of the City Police were called, but they refused to interfere; and the daughter was safely conveyed away in the custody of her father, and placed with her uncle in Great Chesterfield Street; where, it was stated, she will be strictly watched, for fear of escape' At the Central Criminal Court, on Monday, Thomas William Snaps was in- dicted , by direction of the Lords of the Treasury, for having unlawfully induced William Jacobs to promise him 2001. for the use of his influence in obtaining s Government appointment. Mr. Jacobs advertised for a situation, offering 6001. for a post under Government. Snaps was a junior clerk in the office of the Oeneees Remembrancer; he answered the advertisement, and required that 200/. shouldbe paid down for" preliminary expenses " ; but this was not done. Snaps had no ur flaence, apparently, by which he could have obtained a situation for Mr. Jacob& The prisoner pleaded guilty. In consideration of his having been discharged freel his post for this misconduct, he VMS sentenced to be Imprisoned for one moats only, meal no-finewasimposed. On Wednesday, a number of employes in the Post-office were tried for stealing articles passing tbough their hands in the coarse of their duty. Robert Wynn, a youth of seventeen, a clerk in the Inland Department, was indicted for secreting and stealing two letters containing money; the letters were found dropped in a place where the accused had been; but they were unopened. It was urged that he had taken the letters by mistake and had dropped them to conceal his error when the officer pounced on him. The Jury consulted for three hours, and then band "that the prisoner dropped the letters in order to avoid the consequences of his mistake in taking them, and that he did not intend to steal them." A legal discussion arose on this, whether it constituted a verdict of " guilty " or "not guilty," as the law punishes "secreting" as well as stealing; and eventually Mr. Baron Platt said he would consult the other Judges on the point. Witehall, a letter-carrier, was convicted of stealing a letter containing two sixpences and a pawnbroker's duplicate. William Harvey, a postman at Croydon, was tried for steeling a copy of the Times: it had been addressed to a Mrs. Robinson, but did not arrive; the fragments were found in Harvey's house. The man received a good character: Mrs. Robinson had never had cause to complain before; and it was urged that the prisoner had omitted to deliver the paper in error, had taken it home, and there some one had torn off the cover. Verdict, "Not guilty." Prenderville, a London letter-carrier, was convicted of feloniously receiving a check for 291. which had been stolen from a letter: he changed the check at Moses and Son's, under a false name. The sentence was ten years' transportation Catherine Herrien was tried for stealing money from the till of a public-house at Greenwich. The case exhibited the lamentable results of intemperance. The prisoner is thirty-two years of age, the wife of a gentleman, and the mother of several children; but she is addicted to drinking. During a period of intoxication she committed this theft. She had been convicted before of stealing under similar circumstances. The sentence was one year's imprisonment, with hard labour.

On Thursday, Hannah Leath, a married woman in her thirty-eighth year, was in- dicted for administering sugar of lead to her child, a boy of ten. From the evi- dence it appeared that the woman had given the poison to four of her children; she then sent for her sister and told her what she had done; surgical aid saved the lives of the sufferers. The family was in the greatest poverty, and distress seems to have driven the mother to desperation. The verdict was "Guilty," but with a recommendation to mercy. Mr. Baron Platt ordered sentence of death to be recorded; but stated that he should back the recommendation of the Jury.

Smith, Sammon and Harris, were tried for stealing property belonging to Messrs. Chaplin and Home; and Elsworthy, a cowkeeper, for aiding in the offence and feloniously receiving the goods. Smith was permitted to tarn approver. He and Sammon were formerly in the employment of the prosecutors; and they, with Harris, had taken advantage of this to go to receiving-houses and obtain goods on pretence of conveying them to railways. They used Elsworthy's cart. This man was acquitted; but the other two were found guilty, and were sentenced to seven years' transportation.

At the Clerkenwell Police-office, on Tuesday, Edwin Fox was charged with an attempt to steal a watch from the shop of Mr. King, in Goswell Street. The rogue was caught in a trap. In consequence of previous attempts at robbery, Mr. King's shop-door had been made to fasten with a spring when any person entered. Fox pretended he wanted to buy a watch, and got it into his band- he then at- tempted to open the door to make off with it; but the spring bailed him, and though he threw snuff into Mr. King's eyes, he was captured. He is committed for trial.

The extensive workshops of the North Kent Railway at the entrance of the Charlton tunnel, Blackheath, were almost entirely destroyed by fire very early on Thursday morning, despite the exertions of workmen and the Fire Brigade. The disaster originated in the excessive heat of the shaft of the engine-house.

The inquest on Mary Bentley, the girl who perished by the extraordinary ex- plosion of gas in Albany Street, was resumed on Monday, at University College in the first instance. Mr. John Lowen Loten, a master mariner, the brother of the occupant, was still confined to his bed; but was recovering, and was examined. He described how the explosion occurred on his entering the shop with a light. "I took up the candle, and proceeded with it in my hand to open the door into the shop. I know no more of what happened until I found myself among the ruins. I have an indistinct recollection of seeing a flash of light, and I heard a tremendous report. When I came to myself, I found I was lying on a party. wall outside the back of the house. I was blown completely through a closet and the crockery-ware in it, and through the wall of the house into the back-yard." Miss Burgh was blown through the house on to a balcony in its rear. Mr. John Loten had noticed a smell of gas for some time, but he could not detect the cause. There was no gunpowder in the shop. He was carrying the candle high when he entered—above his head. His watch-guard was melted in two places by the flame. Miss Burgh was examined; but only briefly, as she was in a very weak state. She stated, that while the shop-boy was putting up the shatters, he struck the meter, and all the lights were extinguished: she then tried the handle of the meter, and it worked properly: she turned off the burners at that time. Lucas, the shop-boy, explained that the shutters were kept under the meter, and the blow was given in drawing one of them out. The smell was very strong before he touched the shutters. Several witnesses spoke to the escape of gas for a long time—even for years past; though gas-fitters had frequently examined the pipes and meter. There was no chimney in the shop, nor other ventilation, and leather was nailed over the doors to prevent draughts. Dr. Ar- nett, the author of "Elements of Physics," was examined at the instance of Wakley. The most explosive combination of coal-gas, he said, is one measure of gas to ten of atmospheric air: on ignition that would expand instantaneously to fifteen times its previous bulk, with a most astonishing force. The effects in this case were more disastrous than in any similar explosion, probably because the admixture was nearer the quantities he had named. tie thought that the boy must have broken off the cock of the meter. If Captain Loten had not held the candle so high when he entered, the explosion might not have occurred, as the upper stratum of gas and atmospheric air would be most explosive. The best preventive of such accidents would be to have a ventilating aperture in the chimney, near the ceiling of the room. A policeman who picked up the deceased had some difficultly in finding her, for the concussion had blown out the street-lamps for a long distance. The inquest was adjourned, in order that the Jury might examine some shop where a meter is fixed in a simi- lar position to that at Mr. Loten's. It is stated that the meter was made of tin only, and that such instruments used to be made of iron.

The inquest concluded on Wednesday. The evidence then adduced did not throw mach additional light on the matter; but a model was exhibited which showed the dangerous position of the meter in tie shutter-box. This was the verdict of the Jury—" That the death of M try Bentley was caused by a mortal fracture of her skull, occasioned by the accidental explosion of an admixture of coal-gas and common air in the house No. 60 Albany Street; and that whether the said coal-gas escaped into the said shop in consequence of an accidental blow given to the meter, or fittings thereof, by the removal of a certain window- shutter, there is not before the Jury sufficient evidence to show."