Alltrugatit.

Guildhall was gladdened on Wednesday by the annual civic festivities peculiar to the 9th of November, but deferred this year on account of the death and funeral of the Duke of Wellington. Lord Derby, Mr. Disraeli, the Duke of Northumberland, and most of the other leading Ministers, were present. The attendance of Foreign Ministers appears to have been limited to Mr. Ingersoll, the Envoy from the United States. The usual toasts were given on this occasion; the Lord Mayor tender- ing compliments to his eminent guests with an unsparing benevolence. When "the Army and Navy" was propoaed, the Duke of Northumber- land replied for the Navy, and Lord Hardinge for the Army. The latter seemed the special favourite. The Duke of Velrmgton, he said; would be the great exemplar ; and for himself, he was proud to be at the head of the noblest army the world had ever precluded. Mr. Ingersoll, doing duty for the President of the 'United States, said that England and Ame- nca are and ought to be friends and brothers.

The Lord Mayor proposed the health of the Earl of Derby, as being, among other things, "a nobleman whose moral integrity commanded the confidence of every one." Lord Derby's speech was full of admiration for the conduct of the people on the 18th of November. His pride at finding himself a fellow countryman of those great masses, who knew so well how to conduct themselves on that great occasion, made him ask himself, with a feeling almost of self-humiliation, " What have /done to hold so high a place among such a people ? " Mr. Disraeli was proposed as one "who most embodied the sentiments they would wish to see en- tertained in the House of Commons " ; as " &great man, who had achieved his own greatness, and who by the power of his intellect was qualified to lead his fellow countrymen." Responding for the House of Commons, Mr. Disraeli alluded to the- old-and intimate relations between that House and the City. "In the hour of their adversity, the leaders of the Houle of Commons found-a refuge in the city of London!' He trusted that the new House of Commons were resolvedthat "measures entitled to public respect shall not be defeated by the manoeuvres of a fiction."

A deputation from the Committee for Reform of the Board- of Customs waited on Lord Derby, at his official residence -in Downing Street, on Tuesday ' • the Chancellor of -the Fixehequer being present. Mr. Ingrain Travers, the Chairman of the Committee, submitted a representation of the ease to the Premier. The substance of Lord Derby's-reply was, that the general subject was under the consideration of Government, and that the Solicitor of the Customs was engaged in examining the project for the consolidation of the Customs-laws. Further interrogations were addressed -to him by members of the-deputation ; and he stated that two bills were in preparation—one as regarded the revenue, the other as regarded the mer- cantile interest. Nothing more explicit- could be extracted either from the Premier or the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Lord Derby received a deputation from the Taxes on Knowledge Asso- ciation, on Wednesday ; introduced by Mr. Milner Gibson, with Mr. Hume for spokesman.. In reply to the statements addressed to him, Lord Derby particularised the advertisement-duty as very objectionable : Mi- nisters had been precluded from dealing with it from "financial zonsi- derations."

Lord Shaftesbury and a deputation waited on Mr. Walpole on -Satur- day, to place in his hands a memorial addressed to the Queen, praying her Majesty to -make known to the Grand Duke of Tuscany the feelings of the British nation respecting the imprisonment of the Medial, and en- treating her Majesty to endeavour to procure either a reversal of the judgment or a mitigation of the sentence passed on them. The memorial was signed by the Dukes of Sutherland and.Argyll, the Marquis of Chol- mondeley, the Earls of Winchelsea, Fortescue, Dude Shaftesbury, Dart- mouth, Roden, Waldegrave, Cavan, Bandon, Darnley, Donoughmore, Meath, Annesley, Clancarty, Carnwdrth - Lords- Stopford, Dunk, Lorton, Bangor, Bernard, Monck, Calthorpe, Ranfurley, De Saumarez, Rather- ton Clanmorris, Downes Massy, Moreton, Claude Hamilton, T. Pel- ham Clinton, Charles Pelham Clinton, H. Chohnondeley, Rev, Lord Waiothealey Russell ; by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Bishops of Man- chester, Worcester, Norwich, Cashel, Down, Osaory, Kilmorci, and Tuam; by 21 Members of the House of Commons, '26 Baronets, 10 Deans, 8 Archdeacons, 9 Generals and 94 other officers, 19 Admirals and 71 other officers in the Navy, 321 Justices-ofth° Peace, 030 members of the-pro- fessions 1302 clergymen, 230 Dissenting-ministers, 11,431 bankers, mer- chants, 'and private gentlemen, and by 8894 other persons ; being a total of 28,172 signatures.

Meetings have been held this week in the Metropolis to consider the Budget. Ai Eiiagsland, the objection was "to the increased charge on houses" ; at Southwark, the words of the resolution were, "that this meeting condemns nearly all the important features of the Chancellor of

the Exchequer's scheme." Both meetings were of opinion that the pro- posed fiscal changes were attempts "to revive the Corn-laws in an in- direct way." These were followed on Thursday by meetings in St. Pan- cras, Lambeth, and Marylebone ; at each place the House-tax was con- demned. St. Pancras -has " no confidence in a Ministry lost to every pri• ciple of political morality " ; Marylebone 'aPproves the principle of distinguishing between "precarious and peimanent income' ; Lam- beth is "decidedly unfavourable to the proposed extension of the Income- tax."

Guildhall, with all the decorations of the civic banquet, is to be-thrown open on Wednesday, for a ball and concert, to augment the funds of the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland, which are applied in re- lieving distressed and refugee Poles. Among the patrons and patronesses, are Lord and Lady Palmerston and Lord and Lady John Russell - and among those who have promised to subscribe to the funds of the charity we many Members of Parliament who support the present Ministry. Lord Dudley Stuart anticipates a great success on this occasion.

The annual show of the Smithfield Club has been held this week at -the Bazaar in Baker Street. The project of a more accurate classification of the stock has been carried out It is admitted that the quality of the beasts exhibited is fully up to the mark, and in some instances beyond it; while the number of entries exceeds those of last year by 20—the number being 333. There are not so many excessively fat beasts, but still enough to complain of. While the great amateur exhibitors—such as Prince Al- bert, the Duke of Richmond, the Marquis of Exeter, the Earl of Leices- ter—have won their fair share of prizes, it is considered that the profes- sional farmers and graziers carry off the honours of the show.

The annual dinner, more numerously attended than in former years, and under the preaidence of the Duke of Richmond, was held at the Free- masons' Tavern on Wednesday. In the general incidents there was nothing especially worthy of notice ; except that in proposing "prosperity to the Labouring Classes," the Duke of Richmond expressed the fullest confidence in their patriotism, loyalty, and bravery, in case any danger should threaten the country. "Give him disciplined English labourers, and he feared not the conflict with any man." Among the toasts were "the Successful Competitors"—

Mr. Stratten, the winner of the gold medal for the best steer ; Mr. Cooke, the winner of the gold medal for the best heifer ; the Marquis of Exeter, winner of the gold medal for the best long-wool sheep ; Mr. Sainsbury, winner of the gold medal for the beat short-wool sheep ; and Mr. Colt, winner of the gold medal for the beat pig. Mr. Pusey was vice-chairman, and was greeted with evident marks of regard.

Mr. Hammill, the Worship Street Magistrate, has pronounced a decision on the vexed question of railway-cabs plying for hire at railway termini, similar to that of Mr. A'Beckett, in the case of a driver plying at the Shore- -ditch terminus. Mr. A'Beckett, on Tuesday, reaffirmed his previous deci- sions, in disposing of summonses against cabmen plying and taking fares at the Brighton and the South-eastern termini. He suspends execution of the

Iffor six weeks, in order that the question may be tried elsewhere. If it be not tried in that time, he will enforce the penalties. Downes, a dog-fancier in Suffolk Place, Pentonville, was murdered on Tuesday evening, by Toole, a lodger. While Downes was in the back-yard attending to his dogs, Toole rushed upon him with a razor, and cut his throat. The assassin made no attempt to escape, and he was quickly arrested by the Police.

Toole was produced before the Clerkenwell Magistrate on Wednesday. He is an Irish labourer, with a downcast repulsive look. The evidence that he killed Downes was perfectly conclusive. He seems to have believed that Downes was too intimate with his wife. When asked if he had any defence to offer, he said he was " out of his mind "—" You can have the doctor's elinion as to the state I am in." Mrs. Downes had made an insulting re- ference to his wife's character. They "drove him mad." He was com- mitted for the murder.

Mr. Lionel George Thompson, the shipping-agent, was finally examined before the Lord Mayor and Sir Robert Carden on Tuesday, on a charge of conspiring to defraud emigrants. A number of persona proved the payment of passage-money for berths in the South Sea, which berths were never pro- vided for them. It appeared from the evidence of other parties, that Thomp- son was authorized to dispose of berths,—that is, if he transmitted the money to Liverpool for any passages, the owner would have received the emigrants on board his ship; but Thompson did not transmit the money. The firm of "Thompson Brothers" consisted of the accused alone; though his father drew checks upon the son's bankers, had formerly paid large sums to the Liverpool brokers of the ship South Sea, and was considered by them the head of the firm. The prisoner reserved Ls defence. He was committed for trial.

A case came before the Thames Police Magistrate this week which illus- trates the difficulty of getting hands to bring ships from Australia. Mr. bfickelburgh, master of the Cornelia, was summoned by Chick-Hau, a China- man, for the balance of his wages. From the evidence it was clear that the master was glad to ship any one at Sydney to aid in navigating his ship home; he hired two Chinese " able seamen" at 51. 5e. a month, and pro- mised to send them back to Sydney from London as seamen in an outward- bound vessel, at the current rate of wages. The Chinese were net " able seamen" ; the master had paid the complainant only 2/. a month, and the man now demanded the balance. Mr. Yardley said, the master must have blown he was not hiring good sailors; he certainly knew it before he left 13ydney, but ho was only too happy to get any one to work his ship; the Chinese were not unreasonable in asking high wages to leave Australia : the balance due to Chick-Hau must be paid. The Magistrate remarked, that Mr. Mickelburgh will find it difficult to obtain berths for the Chinese to Aus- tralia, seeing that able English sailors are so eager to be hired for the out- ward voyage. Buckle, the Great Western Railway guard, has been committed for trial by the Marylebone Magistrate for stealing the property of passengers. No fewer than seven charges were made out against him.

Mr. George Leadbitter, the noted Bow Sired officer—a tall man, weighing nineteen stone—has met his death by a singular accident. He was going home in a cab ; as the cab turned a corner,. he leaned out of the window to give a direction to the driver ; the great weight of his body thus thrown on one side overturned the cab, which fell upon him, and his skull was shattered to Pieces. The driver escaped by leaping from the box. The Coroner's Jury absolved the cabman from all blame.