Zht Stlettopolis.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday. A by-law was passed, imposing a penalty of 10/. on steamers passing within the Government-moorings at Woolwich ; some danger being apprehended to the military stores from sparks emitted by the steamers' chimneys. A report on "the City Kitchen," a charity for the distribution of coals and potatoes, was presented. The receipts last year amounted to 2;558/., the expenditure to 2,4021.; there was at the banker's 1,0101., comprising nearly all the subscriptions for the =Tent year. The asso- ciation petitioned for aid, and the committee recommended a grant of 2001., which was agreed to. The rest of the business was of little interest.

The Irish Waste Lands Committee met at the King's Head Tavern, in the Poultry, on Thursday ; the Earl of Devon in the chair. The report gave a highly satisfactory account of 1,800 persons who had been located on the estates of Ballinakel since 1838. The people and the district are among the poorest and wildest in Ireland, but rapidly improving under the encouragement of the society. The subjoined comparison of estimated values will exhibit the improvement.

Landlords' Tenants' Tenants' Years. Improvements. Improvements. Property. Rental. 18.38 .... 2.6111. ,... 2,5521. .... 2,4161. .... 5411.

1844 .... 5,0321. .... 3,7961. .... 4.8211. .... 1,2631.

Thanks were voted to Colonel Robinson, to whose exertions these results are ascribed.

The usual weekly meeting of the Anti-Corn-law League was held in Covent Garden Theatre, on Wednesday. There being none bat the usual leading performers—no stars—the theatre was less crowded than it had previously been on such occasions. The first speaker was Mr. Henry Ashworth ; who dilated on the prosperity of manufacturing

Lancashire as compared with agricultural districts. He told of a nobleman, a friend to the Duke of Buckingham, who some years ago visited the cottages of persons who had migrated from Buckingham- shire—comfortable cottages with two stories and three bedrooms : some of the cottagers were asked if they should like to go back to BuCk- inghamshire? One answered, that all the horses of the Duke of Buck- ingham should not drag him back again. When asked why he was so much attached to his new employment, he said that he could not make 901. a year in Buckinghamshire. Mr. Milner Gibson defended the League from the charge of being an aggressive body : it is defensive, and the aggressive body is the "Central Association," falsely called "for the Protection of Agriculture," but really for the destruction of trade and the maintenance of political ascendancy. The Anti-League meetings also furnished a topic for Mr. Bright ; after, whose speech the meeting broke up.

A numerons and influential meeting of persons connected with the coal-trade was held at the Coal Exchange, near Billingsgate, on Wed- nesday, to petition Parliament against the proposed new tax of 5d. a ton on cu,::-. defray the cost of the Thames embankment. Sir James Duke presided. It was stated that the tax would amount to 55,000/. a year ; the coal and shipping interest being already sufficiently burdened by an existing tax of la. ld. per ton, while the impost weighs heavily on the London manufacturer. A petition was unanimously agreed to ; the Chairman to communicate copies of it to Sir Robert Peel and Mr. 'Gladstone. A large meeting of Finsbury electors was convened at White Con. duit House, on Thursday, by the Complete Suffrage party, to support Mr. Sharman Crawford's plan of stopping the Supplies : but again the Chartists appeared, carried resolutions of their own, drove the feebler politicians from the field, and finished by voting confidence in la Thomas Dancombe, who was present. Captain Atcherley imparted variety to the proceedings, by urging a vote of sympathy with the dia.. tressed Irish.

The action for criminal conversation brought by Lord William Paget against the Earl of Cardigan has at length come to trial. On Tuesday, the Court of Common Pleas was crowded in every part by persons anxious to witness the proceedings ; which began at nine o'clock, with the calling over a Special Jury. The plaintiff's counsel were, Sir Tho- mas Wilde, Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, and Mr. Wordsworth ; the defend, ant's, the Solicitor-General, Mr. Sergeant Channel], and Mr. Peacock:

The plaintiff's case, as stated by Sir Thomas Wilde and developed in the evidence, was this. Lord William Paget is the second son of the Marquis of Anglesey, and is connected with some of the noblest faith. lies in the kingdom. In 1827, he was married to Frances, the daughter of General de Rottenburg ; then very young. On Friday the 4th of August last, Lady William Paget came to town, to a house recently taken by her husband, in Queen Street, May Fair : for what reason she came was not stated. On Saturday morning, John Thomas, Lord William's valet, took a letter from Lady William to the Earl of Cardigan. On the same day, Lord William Paget caused his valet, John Thomas, to place a. person named Winter under a sofa in the back-drawingroom ; Lord. William bringing his wife into the front-drawingroom, and leaving her therm Lord Cardigan visited the house, and saw Lady William Paget ; but the folding-doors between the two drawingrooms were shut, and Winter was not sufficiently certain of what passed to depose to it,—though, related to Lord William Paget, it served to confirm his suspicions. On the Sunday, Thomas again took a letter to the Earl ; who pttid a visit late in the afternoon. Winter had again been placed under the sofa. On this occasion, one of the folding-doors was opened by Lady William Paget herself ; and Winter's evidence as to what then occurred formed the whole ground of the present action. Minor points in his account consisted of scraps of conversation which be overheard at that interview ; in the course of which Lady William Paget solicited Lord Cardigan's interest in procuring promotion in the Post-office for some person. The Earl said that he was not in the good graces of the present Minis- try ; but she pressed him, saying that it would make Lord William in a good humour. Lord Cardigan staid two hours. In ten minutes after he left the house Winter had told his tale to Lord William Paget, for Thomas had fetched his master he knew where to find him—in a cab in Berkeley Square ! Lord William was very much excited : his wife did not, as she intended, go to dine with the Dutchess of Rich- mood; and after that day a blackness was observed ahout her eye. Lord William slept on the Sunday night in Thomas's room.

The cross-examination was long and searching; and it brought some material facts to light. Thomas, the valet, could not say whether or not Lord William gave him the letter to Lord Cardigan on the Satur. day : it was given to him when Lord and Lady William were together. The husband and wife went on the Saturday evening to the Italian Opera, in Lord Cardigan's box ; they slept together that night ; Thomas could not say whether Lord William did not return to his own bed on the Monday night; Lady William went down to Portsmouth in a day or two, and Lord William followed her. Winter, by his own account, was a very indifferent character, and yet he was on a curious footing of intimacy with Lord William Paget : he had dined with his Lordship "two or three times, in an accidental sort of way." He had been clerk to Mr. Samuel Bamford Hamer ; at whose table he sometimes waited, At Mr. Hamer's, he often saw Mr. Cassidy (the " caterer " in the no- torious affair at Paris); and he had seen Mr. Cassidy and Lord William there together. After leaving Mr. Hamer at his own desire, Winter was employed by Mr. Bartlett, an attorney; who has since charged him with embezzling a bill of exchange ; which bill Lord William seems to have claimed, but not recovered, though Winter told him in whose hands it was. Winter also took some letters out of Mr. Hamer'sdesk, and gave them to Miss Bellew (the heroine of the Paris affair): "Miss Bellew sent for me and talked me over ; and, as I knew Mr. Haro.er's intentions were not very honourable, and Mr. Cassidy made me many promises, I promised to procure them for her." For some time„ until the day before the one fixed for the trial in December last, Winter rea ceived 1/. a week from Mr. Bebb, the plaintiff's attorney : he asked two guineas for swearing to an affidavit, but Mr. Bebb turned indignantly from him. He would not deny that he had given different versions of his story. He did not appear at the Central Criminal Court, because he had not been subpoenaed, and he did not think that he had been well used. He had promised to pay a creditor of his own after the trial at the Central Criminal Court, as he expected to have money then ; and he expected to have money now. The coat and waistcoat he now had on had been given him by Lord William Paget. Evidence was also ex,- treated from the witnesses respecting Lord William's conduct as a huv. band. Thomas said that his master staid for six or seven months at the White Bear in Piccadilly ; where one night he introduced a female, whom the waiter had privately to let out of the house and for months before that he lodged at Dubourg's in the Haymarket. The witness never saw Lord William "behave in an unmanly manner" towards his wife, but he had heard him use abusive language towards her. The Duke of Richmond, who was called as a witness by the plaintiff (his brother.in-law) on this point, said that at times Lord William showed great attention to the lady ; but-his absences were frequent, and long. The Dutchess of Richmond still continues on terms of intimacy with Lady William Paget.

The defence of the Solicitor-General consisted of comments on this cross-examination. He dwelt on the improbability of Winter's account, and on the character of the witness. He pointed to the unexplained fact, that Lady William had been brought up to town the very day be- fore Winter was employed. He insisted that Winter was set, not to discover any thing, but merely toady that he had discovered something. After the abortive trial at the Central Criminal Court, Winter went to the office of Mr. Powell, Lord Cardigan's attorney ; but of coal-sews attempt was made to buy him oft Not the smallest familiarity-between the amused parties could have passed to excite Lord William's sus- picion; for if such familiarity could have been proved, that point would not have been neglected. He utterly denied the charge; and asserted that the object of the action was to extort money from a wealthy noble- man, unpopular with the public. Without waiting for Chief Justice Tindal to sum up, and without retiring, the Jury returned a verdict for the defendant. Loud cheers hailed the announcement.

In the Court of Bankruptcy, on Tuesday, Mr. Charles Mathews was again examined. The examination was extended to a great length, and went into many minute particulars ; very determined opposition to the bankrupt being offered by Mr. James, counsel for Mr. Anderson, the- husband of Madame Vestris's sister. In November Mr. Mathews went to Paris ; and one point was to ascertain how a sum of about 3501., which had been raised by the sale of furniture and the pledging of some articles with a pawnbroker, had been expended. Mr. Mathews explained- " I was unable to fulfil my engagements in England, from the pressure of my creditors; and mentioning this to Mr. Davis, he asked me whether I thought I could play in Paris. It all at once struck me that M. &mire, the French come- dian, whom I knew, had said that if Mrs. Mathews and myself ever thought of coming to Paris he should be delighted to make arrangements for us ; and although I am averse to postponing difficulties by what is termed getting out of the way, (for I know it is only putting off the evil day,) nevertheless, as I could do nothing anywhere, or attempt to show myself, I determined that I would come to a reasonable proposition. When I arrived at Paris, it was ar- ranged by M. Bouffe that I should play for the benefit of M. Clerc : but when it was found that many of the claims were upon bills of exchange, I then dis- covered that I was in a worse position than before. M. Bouffe took me to a solicitor, who confirmed my opinion; and he said that even old creditors who held my bills could proceed against me. Finding every thing thus knocked on the head, what was I to do but to return to England, and arrange the best way I could? It will be recollected, that the failure of my prospects in France was one great cause for the increase of my expenses. Indeed they were enormous ; for we could not travel by diligence, or a common conveyance, for fear of being recognized; and I was obliged to get a private carriage, or anything I could get, to:take us away."

It had been reported that Mr. and Mrs. Mathews left London in an omnibus and four. It now appeared, that in following Mr. Mathews to France, his wife proceeded by the Folkstone railway ; but when she got to Tunbridge she found that the railroad went no farther: in order to take the luggage on, the driver of the omnibus attached another pair of horses to his carriage. Such was the origin of the tale! A more difficult point for Mr. Mathews was this. Messrs. Hunt and Mortimer purchased Mrs. Mathews's jewels from Mr. Watkins, a solicitor, for 1,1004 ; but agreed to allow her to have the use of them on payment of 31. 3s. a week. Apparently under some apprehension, the jewels were demanded back of Mr. Mathews ; but he obtained leave to retain them for the lady's use during the trip to Paris. On the 7th December, Messrs Hunt and Mortimer learnt that the jewels had been pledged ; but they were subsequently given up. They had in fact been pledged to' Mr. Whistler. Mr. Mathews supposed that as long as the weekly payments were kept up, he and his wife had the right to the absolute disposal of the jewels ; but he now regretted to perceive that he had done wrong in that matter. There was a good deal of personal disputation between Mr. Mathews and Mr. Anderson ; Mr. Mathews insisting that a loan was originally forced upon his acceptance by Mrs. Anderson— add Mr. Anderson insisting that it had been extorted from him by the importunity of Mrs. Bartolozzi, Mrs. Mathews's mother ; Mr. Mathews insisting that he had lent his brother-in-law 30/. to bet at Epsom withal—and Mi. Anderson, that there had been no such loan. Mr. Mathews made some-heavy accusations against a Mr. Davis, whom he knew as 'a mosey-lender, and whom he charged with double-dealing, and with intercepting letters and even money : Mr. Davis said that he could disprove these statements. At six o'clock, the further hearing of the case was adjourned.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Monday, Messrs. Williams and Brottram, importers of goods from France, and Mr. Horsley, their clerk, were tried for defrauding the Customs revenue. In 1840, with the connivance of Homersham and Burnby, the landing-waiters whose names have become so notorious in connexion with these cases, they landed goods worth 1,100/. as being worth only 4181., pay- ing as duty only 1381. instead of 4201. For that service the two land- ing-waiters received 20/. each. &trilby, who appeared as witness for the Crown, said that transactions of the sort were going on from 1837 to 1842. He made disclosares to the Commissioners of Customs, not from remorse—he had no such feeling, nor from fear of discovery ; but because the frauds had reached the frightful extent of 400,000/. or 500,0001.; and therefore he determined to stop them. Mr. Cockburn, who defended Mottram, said that Williams had suffered judgment to go by default, and Horsley had absconded : the department of the business in which the frauds had occurred was under their management : Wil- liams and Mottram had since become bankrupt; their books had been open to inspection, but there was nothing in them to affect his client ; and he contended that the evidence of Burnby, which had inculpated Mottram as privy to the frauds, was not to be trusted. The Jury re- turned a verdict of "Guilty."

'At the Mansionhouse, yesterday, Barber, Fletcher, Griffin, and Mrs. Dhrey, the persons accused of extensive will-forgeries, were brought up on remand; and again remanded, on the application of Barber's counsel, to-allow time for the preparation of evidence and the prisoner's defence. The other prisoners assented to the remand, which was ordered by the Court; Saturday the 23d instant being fixed for the next examination. It-was understood that Mrs. Dorey's confession was in the hands of Mr. Ffeshfield, the solicitor for the prosecution.

It is understood that a clerk in the Bank of England has acknow- ledged that he had supplied Fletcher with information in all the cases with which the prisoners stand, charged. He is under suspension ; but the extent of his culpability is doubtful.