Zbe Metropolis.

A Court of Common Council was held on Monday. Upon the mo- tion of Mr. R. L. Jones, a reference was made to the Coal, Corn, and Finance Committee, to inquire into the mode of collecting the revenue arising from coals brought into the port of London ; and another to the London Bridge Approaches Committee, to consider what improve- ments it is expedient to make in the public streets and avenues within the City, with the opinion of the Committee as to the hest means of completing the same. It was resolved that the names of persons an- nually put in nomination for Sheriffs should be removed from the list at the expiration of the fifth year. Grants were made of 50/. to an infant school of St. Mary, Haggerstone' of 100/. for a school in St. Leonard's, Sboreditch, and of 2001. to the Soup Kitchen. Upon the motion of Mr. King, it was agreed that in all elections to any office or place in the gift of the Court, the number of candidates, if more than two, be reduced to that number by poll.

At a Court of Directors of the East India Company, on Wednesday, resolutions to the same effect with those lately passed by both Houses of Parliament, thanking the Governor-General of India and the officers and men recently employed in Afghanistan, were adopted unanimously.

A handsome entertainment was given by the Colonial Society, at their house in St. James's Square, on Monday evening, to 'Sir Charles. Metcalfe, on the occasion of his departure for his government of Bri- tish North America. Among the guests, besides Sir Charles, were Mr. Hope, M.P., Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Mr.. Glad- stone, M. P., Vice- President of the Board of Trade, Mr. J. S. Brown- rigg, M.P., Captain Brownrieg, Sir Francis Bond Head, and Captain Balfour. Among those at the cross-table, were the Earl of Mount- cashel, Sir Duncan Mbougall, Mr. Burge the Agent for Jamaica, Mr. Bliss the Agent for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Dr. Rolph, and Mr. Urquhart. About seventy gentlemen sat down to dinner. Sir Augustus D'Este presided. 1 he affair is thus characterized by the Colonial Gazette-

'. The scene was unusual and interesting. Some sixty or seventy gentlemen, representing all parts of the Colonial empire, were collected to do honour to a public servant on the score of an arduous task which he has• undertaken, and on the faith that his intentions sere the best that could be. For Sir Charles appeared hitherto to have given no intimation as to the precise course of his Canadian policy. People only know that he has won fame in India, and ex- tinguished intestine commotion in Jamaica, with such a cunning virtue that he has turned one of the moat distracted into one of the most united of exist- ing communities. People hope that he may do as much for Canada : how, perhaps they scarcely pets. It is an earnest, however, of his good influence, that in his presence the ruder bursts of party hear, which are apt to blaze forth amid the vine and excitement of a dinner-company like that assembled on Monday at the Colonial Society, were hushed; and the spectator rather guessed what some of the more ardent spirits were thinking of than heard dis • tinet allusion to them.

Sir Charles Metcalfe himself is calculated to make a very peculiar impres- sion by his appearance and manners. The leading traits of his face are benig- nity and shrewdness; his manner is plain to homeliness; and when he speaks it is in a subdued conversational tone, as if he did not care to make a speech," yet with a mild emphasis that tells you he is very desirous that you should understand and believe what he says. And that is generally simple, kind, and marled by clear common sense. A close observer would infer that Sir Charles's successes have resulted from great simplicity of character—a singleness of pur- pose which has made him aim at the one thing desirable for all, as a matter of philanthropy and duty. The question is, whether his gentler nature—it looks almost artless—can stand proof against the hurtling and distracting conflict of party interests in Canada. Hie shrewd smile reassures your hopes.'

The Russia Company gave their annual dinner at the London Tavern on Wednesday ; Mr. Astell, the Governor of the Company, in the chair. Among the guests were, Baron Brunow, the Russian Ambassador, Lord Hey, tesbury, Viscount Canning, Mr. John George Shaw Lefevre, Sir John H. Petty, Sir James Lushington, Sir James Leighton, Lieutenant Colonel Thornton, Sir W. H. Clarke, Mr. Masterman, M.P., Mr. H. Stuart, M.P., and several gentlemen connected with the Russia trade, and official and military Russian gentlemen. In acknowledging the toast of the Emperor of Russia, Baron Brunow spoke all of peace—

When he last year had the honour of meeting them lie stated, that the endeavours of the Governments of England and Russia were. directed to the improvement of the commercial relations between the two countries; and it was satisfactory to him to be now able to say, that those endeavours had been brought to a successful issue in the treaty of commerce and navigation which had been et.tered into between them. It strongly evinced the friendly dis- position of the two countries, while it gave increased facility and encourage- ment to trade between the subjects of the high contracting parties. Those friendly dispositions had been recently confirmed, since the signature of the treaty, by the modification introduced in the warehousing system in Russia.

Viscount Canning, returning thanks for Ministers, undertook for them that no exertion would be spared to draw closer the bond that had been entered into between the two countries.

Ti e Anti-Corn-law League have had another great meeting this -week, on Wednesday, at the Crown and Anchor Tavern. Mr. George 'Wilson, of Manchester, occupied the chair, and several Manchester mernorrs of the League were present ; as well as Mr. Charles Villiers, M.P., Sir De Lacy Evans, Mr. Cobden, M.P., and a great number of representatives of the Metropolitan Associations. The Chairman pre- sented to Mr. Cobden the address which was adopted at Manchester last week, on the subject of the attack made on him in the House of Commons; it having received in the interval 32,000 signatures of the inhabitants. The meeting was addressed by Mr. Cobden, Mr. Villiers, Sir De Lacy Evans, and other gentlemen. The large room was over- crowded ; and a second meeting was formed in the room adjoining, a chairman appointed, and the speaking there continued for upwards of two hours.

The Eastern Counties Railway was the scene of a great disappoint- ment on Monday. About three hundred gentlemen assembled at the offices of the Company in Shoreditch ; and at ten o'clock they were con- veyed in a train, with the Chairman and Directors, to open the line to Colchester. Beyond Brentwood, however, the train stopped ; and after some delay it was announced that it was unsafe to proceed further : Mr. Braithwaite, the engineer, had gone over a part of the line, and he found the depression of the rails for a few yards so great that it would not be prudent to proceed. After a long delay, the Company arrived at Brent wood, on their return, at four o'clock ; where the Directors fur- nished refreshments ; and thence they came back to London. The Directors and their friends accomplished the journey to Col- chester on Wednesday.

Vice-Chancellor Wigram gave judgment, on Saturday, on a bill filed by Nicholas. Suisse, the valet of the late Marquis of Hertford, against Lord Lowther and the other executors, to compel payment of legacies under the Marquis's will. The Marquis made nineteen codicils to his will, under eight of which the plaintiff claimed legacies : in six of the codicils be was specially named ; in the other codicils he was classed with the other servants of the Marquis. The question which was before the Court was, whether the legacy of half of the sum of 16,000/., given by the last codicil as a provision for the servants, was a legacy in addi- tion to the former beques s to the plaintiff, or whether it was in substi- tution of such preceding legacies, which amounted to 10,600/. The Court decided that it was additional, and decreed payment of the whole SUM.

An action was tried in the Court of Common Pleas, on Saturday, brought by the Rev. W. Moore, curate of St. Mary and St. Peter, in Lincolnshire, against the Rev. Spencer Rodney Drummond, the offici- ating clergyman at the Brighton Chapel Royal in July last. Mr. Moore went to Brighton for the benefit of his health ,• and was accom- panied by his father, a schoolmaster of Blackheath. On the 31st July, Sunday, they attended at the Chapel Royal. At the close of the service, Mr. Drummond addressed the congregation in these words—" My dear friends, it is rather unusual fbr a clergyman to address his congregation after service, but there are two well-known pickpockets in the chapel, and therefore be careful." The plantiff and his father were not aware that they were the objects of this warning, and were therefore thunder- struck when on leaving the place of worship they were assailed by a crowd with hisses and hustling. Mr. Lucas, a peace-officer, took them under his protection, put them into a coach, and accompanied them to the house of a friend; who testified to their respectability : he then took them to the house of Mr. Drummond; who expressed his regret at what had occurred, and gave Mr. Payne, the clerk to the chapel, as his authority. Thence they went to Mr. Payne ; who admitted that he had made the statement to Mr. Drummond, yet said that he had no ground for doing so. On the Monday, the two gentlemen left Brighton ; Mr. W. Moore injured in his health by the occurrence. On the Tues- day, they received by letter an ample apology, which had been commu- nicated to the local papers ; but that reparation was not considered suf- ficient, and damages were now sought from a Jury. On the other side,

Mr. Drummond's letter of apology was put in ; and it was couched in the most unqualified terms of regret, Mr. Drummond hoping that the aggrieved persons would not withhold from him the assurance of their Christiau forgiveness. The Jury awarded 40s. damages.

In the Sheriffs' Court, on Thursday, Commissioners James Wilde and James Burchell sat as a Special Commission under the authority of Lord Abinger and the Queen's Remembrancer, with a Special Jury, to inquire if Messrs. Dean and Sedgwick were indebted in any and what sum to the Queen, for duties on foreign goods imported into this coun- try. Mr. Watford, the Solicitor to the Customs, stated that this was the first proceeding of the kind. In February 1841, Mr. Dean imported two cases of silk ; when Mr. Dean's agent and Mr. Berners, an officer of the Customs, agreed that the cases weighed 50 pounds and the silk 40 pounds, and duty was paid only on 40 pounds. It was proved from the manifest, that the charge for freight from Boulogne was 25s. ; this would indicate 50 cubic feet as the urea of the cases, which were pro- duced in court; that area would give 800 pounds as the weight of the contents, if they were broad silk ; and it was contended that the im- porters must prove that they were not. Mr. William Beckwith, a silk- manufacturer, deposed, that he had packed, easily, into the cases 420 pounds, 560 pounds, and 770 pounds, according to the different qua of the silks packed. The charge against Mr. Sedgwick was withdrawn, Vz as he had previously retired front the partnership. Mr. Dean refused to answer any questions ; his counsel, Mr. Chambers, deny ing the au- thority of the Court, and the right to convict upon such mere inference. The Jury returned a verdict, that duty had not been paid upon 350 pounds, and they awarded 2621. as the amount due.

The trial of Daniel M`Naughten, fur the murder of Mr. Edward Drummond, commenced yesterday, at the Central Criminal Court. The Court was crowded from an early hour ; the French and other Foreign Ambassadors, the Earl of Surrey, Lord Arthur Lennox, Lord C. Paget, and several ladies and gentlemen being on the bench. Lord Chief Justice Tindal, Mr. Justice Williams, and Mr. Justice Cole- ridge, took their seats at ten o'clock. M,Naughten looked well when he entered, and pleaded "Not Guilty" in a tolerably firm voice ; but as the trial proceeded be became weak and faint, and appeared to be in the utmost mental agony. The prosecution was conducted by the Solicitor-General, with whom were Mr. Waddington and Mr. R. Gurney ; the prisoner was defended by Mr. Cockburn, Q.C., Mr. Clarkson, and Mr. Bodkin. The facts of the case, as related by the Solicitor-General and the witnesses, are too recent and have been too often described to be repeated row. Much of the cross-examination of the witnesses for the prosecution turned upon evidence of the state of 111'Naughten's mind. The facts elicited were very trivial, and proved little, if any thing; but the principal points on this head may be briefly stated. Mrs. Dutton, his landlady, described his habits ; which were exceedingly regular, reserved, and penurious; but she had no idea that his mind was disordered. On cross-examination, she said that once when he was ill his head was bad : be was always very sullen and retired, avoiding conversation, and hanging his head. She had heard him get out of bed several times during the night, and moan and groan ; but in a general way he slept very well. David Gordon, a brass-founder of Glasgow, who had known M'Naughten in that place, met him in Lon- don in November last ; when he said that he was seeking work. They passed Sir Robert Peel's house : Gordon said, " I believe that is where Sir Robert Peel stops? " and M•Naughten exclaimed "— and sink it," and something else which Gordon did not recollect. APNaughten was eery regular in his habits, and Gordon had no idea of his intellect be- ing disordered, It was shown by Mr. Thompson, a Magistrate of Gor- bals, who had been a house-factor, by Mr. Swanston, Curator of the Glasgow Mechanics Institution, Mr. James Douglas, a surgeon and lecturer on anatomy, and others, that lal`Naughten was shrewd in business and intelligent in his conduct generally : he took an active part in discussing the affairs of the Mechanics Institution ; and he attended lectures on anatomy, and appeared to understand what he was about. On the other hand, Mr. Swanston observed once a glare with his eyes which he did not like : he used to object to pay the penny due on renewing a book, and that was the cause of the marked change which took place. Mr. William M'Laren, a blacksmith, said that just before M•Naughten gave up business, he contracted a habit of rolling his eyes, and at the same time they became more prominent. It came out among other matters which showed his attention to business, that on the 19th July he answered an advertisement which appeared in the Spec:taw of the 16th, about entering into a business or partnership: his letter de- manded particulars, and made overtures. The case fur the prosecution closed at seven o'clock ; and Mr. Cockburn applied for a postponement of the trial. Sir Nicholas Tindal asked, if the case would be brought to a close on Saturday ? Mr. Cockburn would not make a promise which might mislead the Court ; but eventually the trial was adjourned till nine o'clock this morning.

Cannell, the potboy at the Auction Mart Tavern, was tried at the same Court, on Wednesday, for shooting Mrs. Magous. The facts of the case have not yet been forgotten. It came out, however, that Mrs. Magnus has a husband living; though she represented herself as a widow, fearing that a husband would prove an obstruction to her getting the place. Cannel' failed to make out the allegation that Mrs. Magnus had admitted him to familiarities; and Chief Justice Tindal said, that the bedroom transaction must be excluded from con- sideration, as it offered no palliation of the offence imputed. The Jury, after a few minutes' consultation, returned a verdict of guilty of firing with intent to do grievous bodily harm, but recommending the prisoner to mercy on account of his previuusly good character. He was sen- tenced to transportation for fifteen years. On hearing the sentence, a female in the gallery screamed and went into hysterics.

Joshua Jones Ashley was finally committed from Marlborough Street Police-office, on Saturday, for stealing plate from several clubs.