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The Court of Common Council met on Tuesday, and took into consi- deration the recommendations of the recent Commission of Inquiry with respect to the reform of the Corporation. The Chairman of the Consoli- dated Committee thought it would be most prudent to propose the recom- mendations of the Commission seriatim ; and accordingly, he moved the first proposition, recommending the issue of a new charter embodying such of the provisions of existing charters, and such City customs, as might be deemed expedient. This was met by an amendment, moved by Mr. T. H. Fry, and seconded by Sir Peter Laurie, asserting that the said propositions were subversive of the charters, rights, and privileges of the citizens. Upon a division, Mr. Fry's amendment was carried by 59 to 40. Fifteen Aldermen supported Mr. Fry ; his opponents were all Common Councilmen.

Before the original motion could be put, the Court adjourned; leaving the question still undecided.

At the meeting of the Metropolitan Sewers Ccimmission, on Tuesday, Mr. Thwaites consented to modify his propositions ; omitting all reference to the "Great London Drainage Scheme," and declaring that in the opinion of the Court, "the plan of low level sewers and branches, subject to an extension of the outlet to Plumstead Marshes, proposed by the late Mr. Frank Forster in conjunction with Mr. Robert Stephenson is the best calculated to drain the district South of the Thames." This reso- lution was carried unanimously.

Coining seems now an unpunishable offence. An illustration of the in- adequacy of the law is afforded by a case now before the Lambeth Magis- trate. Sergeant Quinnear arrested Edward Littleton, at his lodgings, with pieces of bell-metal, block-tin, twenty-three files of various sizes, shears, scissors, an electrotype machine, and other things used by coiners, in his possession. When arrested, Littleton openly expressed his wonder that such a smart fellow as Quiunear should take so much trouble for nothing. Quinnear carries him before the Magistrate, and prefers a charge of having "coining implements" in his possession ; expressing at the same time a fear that Littleton's sneer was only too well-founded, as none of the above- named articles are mentioned in the act of Parliament relating to smashers. Mr. Norton—" What ! not twenty-three files' and some of them with the coining-metal actually on them ? and all the bell and other metal, the elec- trotyping machine, and other things that can leave no doubt on the mind of any one that the man is a coiner ? " Littleton said it was absurd to sup- pose the articles were intended for coining—no doubt, Mr. Norton himself could find similar things in his own house. Mr. Norton said the act men- tioned " edging-tools"; he should take the files to constitute them, and remand the prisoner. On a subsequent day, a Mint clerk called and stated that the Solicitor of the Mint did not think there was sufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution. Mr. Norton, emphatically condemning the law, again remanded Littleton that the Mint Solicitor might make further in- quiries.

Tinleteg hy the horrible cases which come before the Metropolitan Magis- trancferising -numbers, no improvement has taken place in the treat- mept of woriaerl. 'three such cases are reported this week.

AffiiasierkLyoni ternirldle-aged man, a green-grocer in the Old Kent Road, istAsk.'cody, on.a.eliarge If killing his wife. One night, in a fit of rage §a91 because she cams home in liquor—he kicked her from the shop the street; One blooresseh were ruptured, and the poor woman bled to death in an hour or two. A neighbour, who witnessed the assault, deposed that neither Mrs._ Lyon nor her husband appeared to have been drinking.

Maurice Hearn, a bricklayer living near Gray's Inn Lane, has in a similar manner killed Mary Kelly, a young woman who lived with him. ACoroner's Jury gave a verdict of "Manslaughter." Alexander Hodder, a baker, has literally smashed one side of a woman's face, apparently with a blow from a shoemaker's hammer. Mrs. Wright was walking home at night, behind her husband ; suddenly she was felled to the ground by a fearful blow from Hodder: after she fell, he looked closely into her face, apparently to see if he had struck the woman he in- tended,—which he had not. Mrs. Wright's face was cut to pieces, the inside of her mouth was a mass of wounds, and her teeth were loosened, Hodder was a perfect stranger to her. It seems the wretch intended the blow for the victim's sister, with whom he had formerly lived, but who is now married. The Worship Street Magistrate has sent him to prison for six months.

Mr. Samuel R. Kelly, a printer, of Lambeth Hill, and his two eons, have been held to bail by the Southwark Magistrate to answer s charge of assault- ing Mr. Kelly's wile. Mr. Kelly is the unfortunate man whose wife persists in living with the "Reverend" Robert Gibson, who was formerly. her "minister," but who now keeps a chandler's shop in Gravel Lane. With Mrs. Kelly lived her child, a girl five years old ; Mr. Kelly and his sons en- tered the house to get possession of this child ; in taking it the mother was struck, and the child was carried off. Mr. Combo refused to treat this case summarily as one of an "assault on a woman," and said Mr. Kelly was entitled to the custody of his child. The lady about whom there has been so much contention is "a plain, meagre-looking, middle-aged female" ; who avowed that she lived under the "protection" of Gibson.

Mr. Gill Collinson, occupier of a house in Artillery Street, has gallantly apprehended a burglar. Mr. Collinson had let the shop to a shoemaker, who resided elsewhere' during the night, he heard a noise in the shop; he went into the street in his night clothes, found there were thieves in the shop, and thought he had caught them in a trap : he held the door fast from the outside, and shouted for aid; but none came, and the robbers managed to open the door. Two got away, but Mr. Collinson grappled with the third, and by desperate efforts, struggling on the pavement in his shirt, he held the robber till a Policeman came. Mr. Collinson was severely hurt, for his antagonist was a powerful man, and tried to strangle him.

Mr. Alfred Spence, a "gentleman," has placed himself in an awkward position by "dining" too generously. He must needs make a disturbance at the door of a police-station in the night, while a prisoner was taken in ; a Policeman told him to "move on" ; instead of doing so, he flourished a penknife cut a cabman, and also cut the skin of the Policeman's nose. When before the Marlborough Street Magistrate, Mr. Spence expressed his regret at acting so foolishly while drunk : but he was committed on the se- rious charge of "cutting and wounding."

On Sunday morning, some men and boys began " snowballing " in Tra- falgar Square ; they pelted passengers and vehicles ; their numbers swelled to more than a thousand ; when the Pollee interfered, they were blinded and covered with snow ; the soldiers coming from barracks were beaten back the service in St. Martin's Church was interrupted by the uproar ; and eventually it required a hundred Policemen to quell the 'disturbance. They managed to capture four of the rioters, and though rescues were attempted, got them to the police-station. On Monday, the Bow Street Magistrate fined each of the rioters forty shillings. ; The campaign against smoke has been so vigorously prosecuted in the City, that it is reported a very perceptible improvement of the atmosphere has fol- low ad in several localities. Messrs. Waterlow, printers, of London Wall, were the last offenders prosecuted : they seem to have striven earnestly, by adopting various plans to prevent their furnace from creating annoyance ; and further time has been granted to them ere a fine be inflicted.

An effort was made on Saturday to obtain a respite for the assassin Barthelemy. Mr. Herring, the solicitor who conducted the defence, hail an interview with Lord Campbell, who presided at the trial: Mr. Justice Erie and Mr. Justice Crompton were present. Mr. Herring asked if Lord Campbell would interfere in the convict's favour if it could be shown that the supposed deadly weapon found in Mr. Moore's room was not taken there by Barthelemy, but was an article used by Mr. Moore in his business ? Lord Campbell said he must decline to interfere he saw no reason why the law should not take its course.

The murderer was hanged on Monday. During his imprisonment, since conviction, he declined to accept the services either of the Protestant or the Roman Catholic priest; avowing from the first that he had no faith, and persisting to the last in his disbelief in God. He did not expect a reprieve. He said he did not intend to murder Mr. Moore, but that a quarrel arose when Moore refused to pay Barthelemy's female companion some money to which she was entitled ; then followed the deadly struggle. As to Collard's death, it was accidentally caused—the murderer was." sorry" for it. At the last moments of his life he expressed no sorrow for his crimes, and made no further revelations : the only thing he seemed -anxious about was that his clothes might not be exhibited on an effigy of himself in the Tussiud "chamber of horrors." While still expressing his disbelief in the existence of a God, he said he wished he had faith, for the consolations it imparted ;, but that belief did not depend upon the will. He should "soon know the secret whether there is a God or not." He was firm and self-possessed to the last, and calmly conversed with those around. He asked to be per- mitted to hold a letter in his hand till he died. When he ascended the scaffold he was saluted with a yell by the vast crowd which surrounded it. He was soon dead. When the corpse was removed, firmly clenched in the left hand was a letter which he had received from " Sophie," dated " Poictiers," which exhorted him to repent : it is surmised that the writer was the woman who went with Barthelemy to Mr. Hioore's. The Abbe Roux, a French priest who attended the culprit, writes to the Times to cast doubt on some of the statements published respecting Barthe- lemy's atheism. lie seems to think that at the very last he believed. Only two hours before his death he wrote to the Abbe, regretting that he could not believe : had he written-later, probably he would have made a different confession. The Abbe hopes he repented at the last. Barthelemy had de- clared he was born a Catholic' and wished to die a Catholic. As the murderer left the prison for the scaffold, "ii m's dit en me quittant, area un accent qua je n'oublierai de ma vie—' Priez, priez, priez!' "

The wintry weather which set in last week was attended by the usual disasters in the Parks; people venturing upon the ice before it had attained a sufficient thickness to be safe. This occurred as early as Saturday, and on Sunday still more persons penned their lives: On both days there were nu- merous accidents from the ice breaking, but the only fatal one was in St. James's Park. The Royal Humane Society corps was not in full force on Saturday, and the marquee was not erected ; only three ice-men were in the Park. The ice at the East end was very dangerous, but the threats and en- treaties of the parkkeepera and Police could not keep people from it. In the afternoon four boys attempted to cross the lake;, the ice broke, and they

were immersed in the water ; others went to aid them and shared their fate, so that there were eight persons struggling in the water. Four were got out alive ; but the others—three boys and a young man—were quite dead when they were received at the hospitals. A Coroner's Jury pronounced the deaths to be " Accidental" ; but they censured the want of aid from the Humane Society—the Society should be more active, or the Parks should be closed while the ice is dangerous.

The pay of the third-class police-constables has been raised two shillings a week. Lord Palmerston has directed a new arrangement of night-duty, by which the labours of the force will be reduced in severity.

The plan of having two streams of vehicles each way over London Bridge —two slow and two fast—answers admirably, and stoppages of traffic no longer oocni. But the Police have some trouble in making carters keep in their proper lines. On Saturday three offenders were fined at Guildhall ; and Alderman Wilson informed them that he would send them to prison next time they refused to obey rules intended for the public advantage.