drily Vrtrnpulig.

Parliament having been prorogued till the 27th of this month, the Lord Chancellor and certain Peers who composed the Royal Commission, appeared in the House of Lords on Thursday and again prorogued it till the 15th of December. The meeting on that day will, however, be purely formal.

The Metropolitan and Provincial Law Association has been holding a session in the metropolis. Mr. James Beaumont (President) delivered on Wednesday an opening address. He reviewed the recent legislation affecting the emoluments of solicitors and attorneys, and stated that the average income of the whole body did not exceed 300/. a year. He suggested that there should be a regular body of practitioners fur the Di- vorce Courts, instead of allowing both proctors and attorneys to practise. Referring to the profits of the profession Mr. Beaumont said :—" I find, upon inquiry, that the number of attorneys admitted in the Court of Queen's Bench last year was only 319, against 441 admitted in 1838, 492 admitted in 1833, and 541 admitted in 1828. In the year 1828, when the population was smaller by several millions, the number was 541 ; in 1853, when it had enormously increased, the number had fallen to 319. I do not know that more conclusive proof could be furnished that, in the estimation of the public and of our own body, our profession is no longer a profitable calling for their sons." The following list of papers read at the meetings of the Association will give an idea of the subjects discussed. Education of Attorneys and Solicitors (Mr. E. W. Field). "Trade Protection Societies and Offices, and the relation of Solicitors thereto "- On the Union of the Profession W. Slisen.

Organisation of the Profession D J Miller. The Court of Admiralty J 'Morris. The Trustees Relief Act J 4iictt.

Land Registry J Turner.

Land Transfer A. Cox.

Registration of Title J Rayner.

Bar Etiquette W. Shaen.

Chancery Reform J 0. Watson Abolition of Oaths C A. Smith Trial by Jury T G. Gibson

The Lord Mayor's Court R. Brander. Guildhall Antiquities Deputy Lott.

The dividend this week for the building operatives "locked out" is lower than it has been for some weeks. It is reduced from 4s. to 3s. 6d. for each skilled labourer and from 3s. to 2s. Gd. for each unskilled labourer. The men " from Trollope's "—the only men properly speaking " on strike "—received as before 12s. for each skilled and 8s. for each un- skilled labourer. In consequence of the opening of several yards on the unconditional withdrawal of the document, the number of men to receive the dividend was reduced from 6028 to 5789, being 329 fewer than last week. There was in the amount of the sum paid a reduction of 1991. 9s. 6d., being the difference between the amount (10981. 58.) dis- tributed last week and 8991. 16s. Gd., the sum distributed on Monday last.

At a meeting in the evening at St. Martin's Hall, Mr. Potter advised the operatives not to be alarmed at the numbers which were stated to have returned to work under the declaration. He found that Mr. Wales had written to the newspapers to state that 10,000 men had accepted the document in full, and that 3000 others had agreed to it as a shop rule; but that was 3000 men more than had been originally locked out, and, if it was true, why did they not see the large buildings being proceeded with as before the strike ?

The new drinking fountain for Chelsea will be at the south-west angle of the north-west entrance to Sloane Square. The mural fountains at the British Museum are now completed. The basins are sculptured from blocks of grey marble representing shells, and streams of water issue from the mouths of lions carved in basso-relievo.

It appears from a letter read on Thursday at St. George's-in-the-East Vestry, that the Reverend Mr. King, the Rector, leaves to the Bishop's decision only the two following points-1. The hour of the lecturer's afternoon service ; 2. The use of coloured stoles and the chasuble.

The October Session of the Central Criminal Court was opened on Monday, the Lord Mayor presiding, and several aldermen being present. The Re- corder delivered a charge to the Grand Jury briefly describing the duties which lay before them, and the Court then proceeded to business. The ad- ourned Quarter Sessions for Surrey were also opened on Monday before . E. Johnson, Esq., chairman.

A case of peculiarly painful interest occupied the attention of the Lord Chief Baron and Mr. Justice Williams, at the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Charles Annois, a Portuguese seaman, was charged with the murder of Philip Barker on the high seas. It was shown in evidence that on the 10th of August, he was shipped at Lisbon on board the Margaret. In a few days the sailors and the prisoner quarrelled, Annois refusing to wash their dinner plates. The captain, Philip Barker, ordered him to do so. On the night of the 21st of August, the prisoner stole into the Captain's cabin, and murdered him by cutting his throat ; he then went forward to the men's sleeping cabin, and attempted to cut the throat of Joseph Cumming, a sailor, who woke in time to prevent him. Cumming rushed after the prisoner, waking the other men. The death of the Captain was then discovered; but as the prisoner was armed with a revolver, it was not easy to capture him. The mate got his men together, and was about to rush on the prisoner, when Annois ran into the Captain's cabin, where he destroyed and broke the furniture ; but eventually he gave himself up. The ship had been at once brought to Falmouth, and the prisoner delivered into custody. No effort was made to controvert the evidence, and the Jury re- turned a verdict of guilty. The prisoner was condemned to death in the usual way.

George Frederick Royal has been tried this week at the Central Criminal Court on the charge of murdering Zipporah Wright, by administering poison to her. Royal was an artisan of rather wandering habits—had been a groom, an errand-boy, a shoemaker, and in early life he had been an apprentice to a chemist. He was married, but separated from his wife, and the woman Zipporah Wright, lived with him as his wife. The woman was still in a delicate state of health after her confinement, when she suddenly got ill with all the symptoms of poisoning. Mrs. Allen, one of the witnesses, de- posed to a conversation with the deceased the day before her death. About eleven o'clock on Friday morning, she said to deceased, "Are you aware that you will not live many hours?" Deceased said, "Yes, I am quite aware of it, my mother has told me so." She asked the deceased whether she had taken auything to injure herself, and she said, "I have not taken anything." Witness asked her if any one had given her anything. She said, " George gave me some beer, and then drank the remainder of it." Witness then asked her if she had anything after she came home. She said, " Yes, I had a little coffee, but it was very bitter." She said, "Then what did you take it for ?" to which she replied, " George made me, as there was nothing else in the room." Afterwards deceased said, " God forgive that man " (mean- ing the prisoner).

Another witness deposed that after the doctor was called in the prisoner, before any one had uttered a suspicion, asked, " Does the doctor say I poisoned her ?" Dr. Robert Webb, who attended the woman, gave his opinion that death was caused by some foreign irritant. " He was not able to pronounce with certainty what the irritant was which was extracted—it might be cantharides or eroton oil, or it might be a combination of poisons." Dr. Letheby, who analyzed the body, gave it as his opinion that the de- ceased took a powerful irritant, which caused her death. That irritant, he believed, could not have been generated in the system. Dr. Letheby con- tinued—" Although I cannot state what the nature of the ingredient was, I am satisfied that it was an acrid poison of a very deadly character."—verdict, Not Guilty.

A young man named William Farren, formerly a clerk in the City Bank, was sentenced to three years' penal servitude for stealing about 801., the property of his employers. He had pleaded guilty to the charge.

Three sisters, named Julia, Ann, and Kate Nash, were tried at the Middlesex Sessions on Saturday, for stealing a cup and saucer, value 41., a reticule, value 31., and six scarfs, value 21. The cup and saucer had been taken from the shop of Mr. Joseph, an importer of works of art in Bond Street. The prisoners had visited the shop on the 27th of September, and left it without making any purchase. Immediately afterwards the cup and saucer were missed ; the prisoners were followed, and were found with them in their possession. The facts were not disputed, and the girls were each sentenced to twelve months' hard labour. It was then stated that there were other cases against them. A box with a child's alphabet and two par- cels of silk scarfs had been found on them. Mr. Sleigh said in their defence that their disposition for stealing was unaccountable ; they were the children of highly respectable parents, and were themselves educated and under no pressure from want. A fourth sister, living at Brompton, who seemed deeply affected, was called, and bore out what Mr. Sleigh had said.

She could not account, she said, for her sisters' propensity for stealing. Julia, it had long been suspected in the family, was not exactly right in her head. The Assistant-Judge said the Court could make no distinction between this case and any other. In the opinion of himself and the bench the suggestion of a mania for stealing was, at least so far as this case was concerned, not to be regarded in the slightest degree. The duty of the Court was to protect the public and punish crime, and the sentence upon each of the prisoners was three years' penal servitude.

Mr. Tallent, a bookseller in Paternoster Row, was summoned before Sir Peter Laurie, on Tuesday, to show cause why he refused to pay the amount of 178. 6d. for a church-rate in the parish of St. Faith-the-Virgin, under St. Paul's. It was stated on behalf of Mr. Tallent, that he objected to the rate ; it was "not valid." He objected to the rate on account of the Popish practices in the church. Mr. Hicks, the churchwarden, said he had not observed any Popish practices in the services of the church. " The service is intoned, and that is the worst feature in it." Mr. Hicks continued- " Our Rector is the son of the Reverend Dr. Milman, the Dean of St. Paul's, and the service is similar to the cathedral service, in which, of course, there is a great deal of music." Sir Peter Laurie—" Does this intoning cost more or entail any extra ex- pense ?" Mr. Hicks—" It does not coat the vestry a farthing, sir, for the Rector pays for it all out of his own pocket." Mr. Martin, the Chief Clerk, said—" If you will make a rate including only such items as the law recognizes as necessary for the decent observance of public worship in the church, then you may come here and enforce your demand ; but the application of the rate to other purposes is illegal, and any claim for a rate so applied cannot be supported." Mr. Hicks—" My year of office is nearly expired, and I will therefore leave that for my successor. As there seems to be some difficulty in the pre- sent ease I will let it pass." Mr. Martin—" I would recommend you, at all events, to delay enforcing your claim until you have inserted in the rate only such items as the law sanctions for the support of the church." The summons was then dismissed for want of jurisdiction, the church- wardens being left to their remedy in the Ecclesiastical Court.

Edward Edwards, a mason on strike, was committed for trial on Saturday, at Southwark, for uttering base coin.

At Greenwich, on Saturday, George Nicholas Giles was committed for trial by Mr. Train, for stealing a quantity of wool, the property of Messrs. Edmonds and Hughes, 17, St. Dunstan's Hill, City. The prisoner, a lighterman, had been employed to convey a cargo of wool up the river, and on Wednesday night had abstracted several sacks.

George Aston, an eatinghouse-keeper, was charged at Clerkenwell, on Saturday, with feloniously receiving a quantity of silver plate and various small articles of value. In consequence of information received, a police- man went to Aston's house and found a quantity of plate and a number of brooches, watches, &e., concealed in drawers and elsewhere. In defence, it was stated that the prisoner had come lawfully by all the property, and that if time were given him he would be able to prove this. He was remanded for a week.

James Alpin, a journeyman shoemaker, was charged at Worship Street, on Thursday, with a serious offence. He lived at Sheppard's Court, Shore- ditch. Connor, a neighbour, heard his wife in altercation with the prisoner on the 7th of last month ; he went out, and the prisoner, after abusing him, went away. Shortly afterwards, however, lie again heard the prisoner, and going out, found that he had returned, bringing his wife. The woman at- tacked Connor, who called to the prisoner to take her away. Instead of doing this, however, lie stabbed Connor in the hip with a knife, and se- verely injured him. On behalf of the prisoner the facts were generally denied, but no evidence was adduced. He was remanded.

A rough fellow "named Francis Alpin was committed for trial on Thurs- day, at Clerkenwell, for violently assaulting several policemen in the execu- tion of their duty.

A great fire took place early on Thursday morning at Bermondsey. It broke out about four in the morning, at the house of a dyer, in White's Ground, Crucifix Lane ; and before engines could be brought up, it spread fiercely in every direction. The flames, darting across the street, drove out the inhabitants of the opposite houses, and they fled in their night-dresses. The dyer's having been destroyed, and water plentifully poured on the neighbouring houses, the fire was at last quelled.