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A Court of Aldermen was held for the despatch of business on Tues- day. An official account was read of the reception of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs at Windsor Castle on the 25th January, to witness the baptism. Mr. Levick was appointed to the office of Corn-Inspector, vacant by the death of his father. The Reverend Mr. Wayte was elected Chaplain of Giltspur Street Compter, in the room of the Reve- rend Mr. Boddington, who has resigned.
A special general meeting of the shareholders of the Eastern Coun- ties Railway Company was held at the station in High Street, Shore- ditch, on Tuesday, for the purpose of raising a further sum of money by the issue of new shares, and for declaring the forfeiture of certain shares on which the calls were unpaid. The chair was taken by Mr. Bosanquet, who submitted to the meeting the plan of the Directors ; which was embodied in a string of resolutions, and suggested the crea- tion of 36,000 new shares of 251. each, upon which the sum of 81. 6s. 8d. only was to be payable in the following manner-2/. 6s. 8d. on the 5th April, 21. on the 4th June, 2/. on the 5th August, and 2/. on the 5th October next ; the new shares to be reckoned equal to three of the ori- ginal shares or three convertible debentures. The resolutions were adopted unanimously. Two hundred and fifty-seven shares were de- clared to be forfeited ; and the meeting adjourned.
A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday, to consider the report from the Committee on the Sheriffs and Secondaries Courts. The report recommended, among other minor arrangements, that there should forthwith be elected one Judge of the Sheriffs Court, to receive a salary of 5001. a year as one of the Commissioners of the Central Criminal Court, and not less than 3001. a year as Judge of the Sheriffs Court. On the motion that the report be adopted, Sir Matthew Wood moved as an amendment, that two Judges be elected. The amendment was rejected by 80 to 53; and the original motion was agreed to. Alderman T. Wood gave notice, that at the next Court he should move that the Court proceed to fill up the vacancy in the Judge- ship of the Giltspur Street Compter Court.
In the Metropolis, the'new Corn-law has been condemned by meetings of St. Pancras parish, of St. Martin's Reform Registration Association, West Hackney, and Stoke Newington Anti-Corn-law Association, at Islington, Hampstead, and Brentford. At Wandsworth and Mr:ry- lebone the meetings added a declaration in favour of extension of the Suffrage.
The half-yearly general meeting of the Great Western Railway Con,. pany took place at their offices in Princes Street, Bank, on Thursday; Mr. C. Russell, M.P., Chairman of the board of Directors, presiding. The report expressed the pleasure of the Directors in laying before the proprietors the result of the first six months' business on the entire line of the Great Western Railway, together with that on portions of the Bristol and Exeter, and of the Cheltenham Railway between Swindon and Cirencester. The gross receipts for six months, up to the 31st of December 1841, were 337,3521. ; of which sum 295,0111. was earned ex- clusively on the Great Western Railway. The number of passengers conveyed on the line between the 1st of July and the 31st of December 1841, was 882,119, travelling an aggregate number of 27,538,764 miles. The expenses on the traffic amounted to 125,9101., being in the ratio of 37'323 per cent on the receipts. The whole expenses deducted, there would remain a balance available to the Company of 119,1871. The re- port, after recommending that the sum of 20,0001. per annum should be appropriated for ten years to meet the first cost, and probable depreciation of stock, concluded by recommending that a dividend of 61. per cent. on the amount called up should be declared for the last half-year. The engineer's report, after referring to the satisfactory state of the work throughout the line, alluded to the late dreadful accident at Sonning Hill: it was attributed to a large basin of gravel existing within the clay near the cutting, which became overcharged with water. The re- port was adopted.
The half-yearly meeting of the proprietors of the Incorporated Ge- neral Steam Navigation Company was held on Tuesday, at the office of the Company in Lombard Street. The chair was taken by Mr. Wol- verley Attwood. The report and half-yearly accounts were read, and appeared to afford general satisfaction. The usual dividend and bonus were declared; and after voting the thanks of the proprietors to the Chairman and Directors, the meeting separated.
An action was tried in the Court of Common Pleas, on Monday, brought by Mr. Sawaskiewicz, a Polish refugee, against Mr. Lawson, the publisher of the 7'imes, to recover compensation in damages for in- jury sustained in consequence of the publication in that journal of ex- tracts from a pamphlet which the plaintiff bad written. In 1840, Mr. Sawaskiewicz wrote a political essay, entitled, " Why the Eastern Ques- tion cannot be satisfactorily settled " ; and he obtained an introduction to Mr. Barnes, then the principal conductor of the Times, to procure its publication in that newspaper. Mr. Barnes, however, found that the essay was not suited to the paper, and especially objected to its being too long ; but he gave the Pole 10/. The request was again pressed ; and Mr. Barnes recommended the author to publish his essay in the form of a pamphlet, promising to notice it in the Times. Mr. Sawaskiewicz told that to Mr. Ridgway, who consented to publish the pamphlet. A copy was furnished to the Times before its publication, and extracts to the extent of three columns were made; and now the plea was set up that those extracts were injurious to the sale of the pamphlet I and Sawaskiewicz claimed remuneration for that and for the expense. 7:1lleb. he had incurred in the publication of the pamphlet on unfulfilled pro- mises!! For the defence it was represented, that throughout the affair Mr. Barnes was only actuated by motives of charity ; and a verdict was given for the defendant.
An action came before the Court of Exchequer, on Tuesday, at the suit of Mr. Thornton against Mr. Portman and others, to recover money had and received for his use. The case excited intense interest in the sporting world. Mr. Thornton is a merchant in the City, who had laid divers wagers with Mr. Gurney, a gentleman well known on the turf. Mr. Portman and some other gentlemen, with the sanction of the Jockey Club, became trustees for Mr. Gurney. By the rules of the Club, a party who does not pay his losses cannot claim the bets which he wins. Mr. Gurney had betted very largely at the Epsom Races, and was unable to pay his losses on the settling-day. Mr. Portman had lost the sum of 1,3501. to Mr. Gurney ; and when asked by the trustees to pay his debt, he refused, as Mr. Gurney had not paid him ; unless the trustees would undertake to pay in full all Mr. Gurney's debts on the Epsom account. The trustees signed an undertaking, accepting the money from Mr. Thornton on condition that they should return it if the debts were not paid in full by a fixed time. They had failed to do so ; and hence the present action. Witnesses were called for the defence, who proved that their claims had been satisfied by a part payment of the debts due to them from Mr. Gurney, and the trustees understood that to satisfy the condition of the undertaking. Lord Abinger said that the debt due from Mr. Thornton, arising out of a transaction not sanctioned by the law, could not be held as legally due ; but the undertaking was in a legal form, and could be enforced. The Jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with 1,3501. damages. Mr. Thornton's counsel was de- sired to say, that he never meant to put the money in his pocket, but he should present it to Christ's Hospital.
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