Zbe gattropolis.
On Thursday, a quarterly general Court of Proprietors of South Sea Stock was held at the Company's house, in Threadneedle Street. Mr. C. Franks, the Sub-Governor, took the chair ; upon which a curious point was raised. Mr. Jones objected to Mr. Franks taking the chair, -on the ground that he had not been legally elected, there being in fact no Governor of the Company at the time of the election of the Sub- Governor. The Queen had been appointed Governor, but she did not posses the necessary qualification ; and no act of Parliament had been passed legalizing that appointment notwithstanding the want of quali- fication. The Chairman said that the Queen had been requested to ac- cept the office of Governor ; which she was graciously pleased to do, under the belief that the necessary act of Parliament had been passed. It appeared, however, that the passing of the act was inadvertently neglected, both in the reign of William the Fourth and in the pre- sent reign. The Directors had called the attention of Lord Nor- manby to the subject • and he had introduced a bill into the House of Lords to enable the Queen to be Governor of the Company, dispensing with the qualification. That bill, however, had not been proceeded with; owing, as he believed, to the fact that within the last month the Government might be said to be in a state of abeyance, and unable to carry any measure through Parliament. Notwithstanding the objection started, Mr. Franks felt it his duty to continue in the chair. Even if the objection of his doing so was a valid one, still, as late Chairman, he ought to preside. Mr. Jones said the former election of the Sub-Go- vernor was equally illegal with the recent one. After some further discussion on this point, the ordinary business was proceeded 'with. A dividend of q per Cent.. was declared.
A correspondent of the Morning Post describes a malicious injury which has been done to the pictures in the exhibition of the Royal Academy- " A wanton outrage, which has caused the greatest indignation and created much excitement in the world of art, was discovered to have been perpetrated at the Royal Academy Exhibition on Friday last. Upon the porters of this institution going round the rooms, as it is their custom at dusk, to ascertain that all the visiters had left, their attention was attracted by the appearance of -dust upon a picture of Mr. Simpson, of Mary Queen of Scots going Hawking,' which, upon a closer inspection, was found to be caused by some villain having completely scratched out the eyes of every figure portrayed upon the canvas. This discovery naturally created an alarm for the safety of the other valuable pictures in the collection ; and a careful inspection was made, when the same -wanton and malicious attempts at destruction were found apparent upon the 4Italian Peasants,' by Mr. M'Innes, and upon 'A Portrait of a Baronet,' by Mr. Corbett. The picture by Mr. M'Clise, R.A., of Hunt the Slipper,' in illustration of The Vicar of Wakefield, is also very seriously damaged. It was at first conjectured that these rascally acts were those of a child; but, setting aside the fact that no child could have been the cause without discovery, unless purposely screened by adults from the view of those who are placed in -the apartments to prevent the pictures being touched, some of the outrages are higher than a child can reach. The pictures by Mr. M'Clise, R.A., Mr. Simpson, and Mr. M'Innes, it is gratifying to add, are not beyond repair; but 'that of Mr. Corbett, being upon panel, is more seriously damaged, and it is feared cannot be restored. A rail, it is said, is at once to be placed around each 1-00171 to prevent the too near approach of the visiters. This would certainly, in some measure prevent a recurrence of those malicious acts ; but nothing but -the most watchful superintendence, and upon discovery, the severest punish- ment, will deter those who could be capable of such wanton mischief."
A similar injury was on Wednesday done to one of the paintings in the Suffolk Street Gallery, painted by Mr. Thomas Clater in illustration -of the Witch of Datchworth, in Queen Hoo Hall. The eyes of the younger figures are picked out, as if by the nail ; the canvass being quite bared of the soft paint.
There was a tumult and riot at Kensington throughout Saturday and Sunday, among the numerous Irish who live in the portion of the town south of the High Street, called Jenning's Buildings. Among the very many who were wounded seriously was Redmond Barry, a husband and the father of four children. He was stabbed in the abdomen with a sharp instrument, by a person not discovered.
On Saturday afternoon, Mr. French, of Holland Place, Brixton Road, committed suicide, by throwing himself from his bedroom-window. He was formerly in business, and was well known in the City. He had i been ill and n bed for some days.
Mr. Ely, a proprietor in a cartridge and percussion-cap manufactory in Emmates Mews, Old Bond Street, lost his life on Friday evening, by -the explosion of some detonating composition with which he was trying an experiment. The mixture went off with such terrible force that the -roof of the room in which he stood was torn off, and his body was almost entirely dismembered.
Last night, a few minutes past eleven o'clock, a most extensive and destructive fire broke out in the manufactory belonging to Messrs. Riley, upholsterers, Brook Street, New Road. The flames communi- cated to the dwellinghouse in the New Road. The engines soon arrived with a strong body of firemen ; and at half-past twelve the fire was got under. The adjoining premises however, on the right and left, are extensively damaged. It is not known in what manner the fire originated. The family had retired to bed, and escaped in their night- dresses.
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