44r. Rittraftlio.

At a meeting of the Court of Aldermen, on Tuesday, Mr. Alderman Sidney submitted a resolution asserting that it would be unwise and un- just- to prosecute retail dealers within the City who are not freemen. After some discussion, Mr. Alderman Salomons proposed an amendment, stating the inexpediency of prosecuting non-freemen, and pronouncing an opinion that the most effectual course for the enlargement of the corpora- tion constituency would be "to make forthwith a renewed application for the assistance of the Legislature, in which the Court would cordially join." This was accepted by Mr. Alderman Sidney, as. an improvement bn his motion. Sir Peter Laurie thought it was " fatal" to go to Parlia- ment for anything ; it was only " thrusting the Corporation into the lion's mouth." Nevertheless, he supported the amendment;, which was carried unanimously.

In the Court of Common Council, on Thursday, howevery,the amended resolution was thrown-out, by 41 to 38.

The City of London being jealous of the City Solicitor's connexion with the Central Terminus Company, Mr. Pearson was compelled to withdraw from the latter. On Thursday, the day for his reelection, before proposing Mr. Pearson's name, Mr. Deputy Corney wished to know what his future intentions were with respect to public undertakings. Mr. Pearson gave a satisfactory answer. An attempt was then made to carry an amend- ment, calling for an inquiry into the duties of the office, before proceed- ing to the election; but it was withdrawn, and Mr. Pearson was unani- mously elected.

The "National Association for the Protection of British Industry" is dissolved. The formal act was consummated at the South Sea House, on Monday. The meeting was held "for the purpose of considering and de- ciding on the course which it might be expedient for the Association to pursue " ; and also to consider a letter forwarded by Mr. George Frede- rick Young, the chairman of the acting committee. The President of the Association, the Duke of Richmond, took the chair. Among the members present were, Mr. Newdegate M.P., Sir Bowyer Smijth M.P., Sir Edward Ball M.P., Mr. Alderman Thompson M.P., Mr. Cayley Worsley, Mr. Chewier, Mr. Ellman, and Mr. Bosanquet. There were also three or four clergymen, and some other members of provincial societies.

Mr. Young's letter was dated from "Geneva, December 18, 1852 "; and it unreservedly proposed the dissolution of the Association. The writer stated, that from the first announcement of the policy of the late Government, it was evident to him that "the cause of Protection was lost" ; but that it would ill become him to express an opinion on the course pursued "by those in whom the hopes and expectations of the Protectionist party were centred." He cannot trace any connexion "between such prosperity as exists and the commercial policy to which it is ascribed " ; and he could easily demonstrate the real causes to which it is attributable. He is firmly convinced that if the protective principle had been inflexibly maintained, and moderately and ljustly applied, the prosperity would have been greater and the "enormous ooses" avoided. Therefore he remains "an unchanged Protectionist " ; "deeply deploring the incautious facility with which many of our party have admitted the assumed connexion between the policy they opposed and the prosperity vaunted as its result."

When this letter had been read, the Duke of Richmond expressed his general concurrence with the views of the writer.

He was convinced that the nation can never be great, prosperous, and free, without Protection ; but at the present moment, we ought not to agitate when we have no party in Parliament to support our views." Wages will rise ; possibly the Manchester men will find that the time will come when the manufacturers of the United States can undersell them even in the Manchester market itself. The day of reaction will arrive; but to continue the Association would rather retard than hasten it.

After the Duke had spoken, resolutions were voted, on the motion of the various heads of the defunct party. Votes of thanks were then passed to the Duke of Richmond, Mr. Newdegate, Dr. Beke, the secretary, and Mr. George Frederick Young. The last was a kind of summary of the causes of the failure of the agitation- " That the best thanks of the Association are justly due and are hereby given to George Frederick Young, Esq., the chairman of the acting com- mittee, for his constant and energetic guidance of the labours of the Asso- ciation, whereby he gave renewed vitality and power to the action of the Protectionist party, until his health sank beneath the exertions requisite for maintaining a contest which, although it had been rendered unequal through the abandonment of the protective principle by its ones trusted advocates, and by the premature and lamented death of Lord George Bentinck, would have been successful, but for the vast change in the industrial and commer- cial position of this country caused by the discoveries and production of gold in California and Australia ; a circumstance unparalleled in the history of the world, and of peculiar operation upon this country, which has given a stimulus to enterprise nowise attributable to the so-called Free-trade policy, and has thereby for the present obviated several of the inconveniences and dangers of that system, and thus saved it from falling into disrepute."

Propositions for establishing cheap Colonial postage were lately issued by the Colonial and International Postage Association ; and a special meeting of the Society of Arts was held on Tuesday to consider them. Sir John Boileau occupied the chair. In the course of his opening speech, he read the following extract from a letter by Sir John Peking- ton, lately received- ' I greatly desire to see a system of cheap postage established between this country and our Colonies. When I was at the Colonial Department, I pressed on the Postmaster-General my opinion of the great importance of conceding this boon. I begged his marked attention to the point, and if I had continued in office it was my intention to have used every exertion to effect it. I shall be happy to cooperate with your committee in any manner in my power; and I trust the present Government may be induced to attach as much importance to the subject as I did. I consider it a great national subject, the interest of which is daily increasing." Mr. Yapp, the Secretary of the Postage Society, detailed some of the existing grievances- " At present, the postage on a letter to our foreign possessions varies from 8d. to la. 10d., the average being about a shilling. There are two rates to each colony, according to whether the letter be sent by private ship or by packet. In some cases the letters must be prepaid, in others it is optional, while from some of the Colonies letters cannot be prepaid under any circum- stances; and, lastly, whatever the amount paid on this side, a writer knows not how much his correspondent will have to pay before the letter will be given up to him. The total gross income from Colonial correspondence is less than 200,0001. per annum. Thus, supposing the average postage to be 18., we have less than four millions of Colonial letters, or only one-hundredth part of the total number of letters passing through the Post-office during the year. Consequently, many letters must go by other channels." The main resolution agreed to was, that the penny postage system should be extended to " the whole of the British Colonies and Posses- sions."

The delegates of the working men who desire that the Crystal Palace shall be opened on Sunday met again on Wednesday, in great stren

at Drury Lane Theatre. As Mr. Mayhew was unable to attend, his place was ably supplied by Mr. Prideaux, a cabinetmaker. The resolutions were similar in spirit and terms to those passed at the last meeting.

Mr. Oliveira M.P. has been assessed in damages to the amount of 1001. in an action for libel, brought by the Honourable Lennox Butler in the Court of Exchequer. The case was tried on Wednesday. The libel con- sisted in an allegation made by Mr. Oliveira at Hull, during the last general election, that Mr. Butler had been expelled from the Star Club some years ago, for refusing to pay a sum of 101. 8s. due from him ; and further, that at an interview between the two, Mr. Oliveira had threatened to kick Mr. Ittlerfutifthis house. After uttering this libel, Mr. Oliveira withdrew in favour of Lord Godetich ; to whose committee he supplied the libellous matter in the shape of a letter, a copy of which was also sent' o Mr. Butler, in reply to his demand for explanation. The committee published the letter. Mr. Oliveira pleaded the truth of the libel injustification ; but no attempt was made to sustain the plea at the trial. Mr. Butler was examined. It appeared from his evidence, that he and his father, the late Lord Dunboyne, belonged to the Star Club in 1834. In 1836 he called on Mr. Oliveira to an- nounce the resignation of Lord Dunboyne and pay his subscription. Mr. Oliveira was greatly displeased, and showed much incivility; but no threat of kicking was offered. Witness did not remember whether any de- mand on him for 101. 88. was made at that interview. The demand was a sort of " whip" to cover deficiencies, and was made after he had left the Club, when he had paid in every sixpence he owed. Mr. Oliveira was not examined. His counsel, Mr. James, submitted that his client believed he was speaking the truth at the time ; and he trusted the Jury would do justice between the parties by agreeing to a moderate verdict. The Chief Baron praised Mr. Butler for referring the dispute to the civil court instead of fighting a duel. Mr. Oliveira would have done well not to stir up an old quarrel when appealed to for an explanation, but to have expressed re- gret. The question for the Jury was, what damages they would award the plaintiff from the defendant, for the assertion of charges which certainly re- flected considerably on him as a gentleman and man of honour, and in sup- port of which there was now no attempt at proof. Damages 1001.

At the Central Criminal Court, last week, Edward John Lamude was in- dicted for obtaining Si. 10a. by false pretences, with intent to defraud. Ac- cording to the counsel for the prosecution, Mr. Parry, a young gentleman named Ward saw a chain in the window of Messrs. Benson, Cornhill, which was labelled " fine gold," and the price marked on a ticket was 31. 108. Lamude was shopman there. He told Mr. Ward the chain was all gold, though not of the finest quality. Mr. Ward brought it for 31.10a. But it turned out that the chain was greatly alloyed. Mr. Parry alleged that when assay- ed it was found to be not worth more than 30s., allowing 10a. for workmanship. Mr. Baron Alderson intimated to Mr. Parry that the charge could not be sustained. Lamude wasonly a shopman ; there was no proof of guilty know- ledge ; and even had it been otherwise, when a man purchased an article thus exhibited he did so at his own peril. It was a gross cheat and fraud, no doubt, supposing the facts to be as the counsel stated ; but, if the charge applied to any one, surely it was to the master and not to the servant. In the Judge's opinion, however, the act was not an indictable offence. There were a great many similar cases in the books which confirmed this view. In one case, where parties had sold some stuff which they represented to be port wine, but which was in reality composed of beer and logwood, and in another where a cask which was represented to contain eighteen gallons was found only to have sixteen, it was held that it did not amount to an in- dictable offence. The quart and the pint bottle question, too, which had lately excited a good deal of attention, was one of the same class of cases. _In point of fact, people must take care of themselves ; and when they pur- chased an article they did not understand, they should take care and have a warranty, and then they had a civil remedy. It was impossible for him to leave the case to the Jury in any other form than as a fraudulent bargain, and a fraudulent bargain is not an indictable offence. It is not like using false weights or marks ; all that had been done was to obtain more for an article than it was worth. Mr. Parry said he could carry the case no further. The Judge explained his view of the case to the Jury ; again remarking, that as it was put, it was a gross fraud, but not an indictable offence. After a short deliberation, the Jury asked whether, if in any case it should ,turn out that there was only one- twentieth portion of gold in an article instead of one-third, it would alter his view of the matter ? Baron Alderson said, it was difficult to draw a line in such a case, but he did not think it would alter the opinion he had given., The Jury then said, they did not think the ease was made out against the defendant. Baron Alderson—" You think there is no evidence to show that he was aware of the contents of the chain ? " The Jury—" Yes." Baron Alderson—" If the facts have been correctly stated, it is a very wrong pro- ceeding indeed, and a great fraud, although not an indictable offence.' Sir Frederick Thesiger, who appeared for the defence, said, he hoped it would be understood that only one side of the case had been heard. Baron Alder- son—" Oh, certainly." The Jury then returned a verdict of " Not guilty."

Robert Ferdinand Pries, aged thirty-one, was tried " for unlawfully and feloniously uttering an accountable receipt for goods, with intent to defraud." The document was a paper purporting to be signed by "Brown and Young," granary-keepers, in which it was set forth that Brown and Young had transferred to the names of Collman and Stolterfoht 7000 quarters of wheat deposited with them by Pries. On the strength of this paper, the prisoner got an advance of money. The document was forged. There was no real defence ; but Mr. Huddleston, the prisoner's counsel, contended that the document was not an " accountable receipt" for goods. The Judges, Baron Alderson and Baron Martin, not only pronounced the indictment good, but refused to " reserve" the point—" there was nothing to reserve." Of course the verdict was " Guilty." The sentence was transportation for life. Pries did not betray any emotion.

Elizabeth Vickers, accused of the murder of her master, Mr. Jones, was re- examined by the Lambeth Magistrate on Tuesday. Some more evidence was given. The accused violently interrupted the witnesses, reproving them, and sometimes exclaiming that they lied. Articles pawned by her she declared were her property, not Mr. Jones a. The house at Brixton was found in a shamefully dirty state, and amid the piles of foul linen were articles stained with blood. Under his will, which has been proved by the executor, Jones left 14001. in legacies, and made Vickers residuary legatee. Her solicitor offered no defence; and she was fully committed for trial.

George Corton; a gloomy-looking young man, is in custody on a charge of cutting and wounding his father, a locksmith in Great Winchester Street. He was examined at Guildhall Police Office, on Monday, and remanded, the father being still in the hospital. It appears that father and son had quar- relled ; the son came to the shop, and the father ordered him out, and at- tempted to put him out. The son stabbed the father repeatedly with a clasp-knife : fortunately, the wounds were not dangerous.

A Coroner's Jury has returned a verdict of " Wilful murder" against Thomas Mackett, the labourer, living in Marylebone, who is supposed to have drowned Eliza Lea in the Regent's Canal. He was reexamined by the Marylebone Magistrate on Wednesday, when more evidence of a crimi- natory character, but entirely circumstantial, was taken ; and he was again remanded.

A few weeks ago, ajeweller's shop in the Walworth Road was plundered of 7001. worth of articles, by burglars who entered by a skylight ; and last week the upper rooms of a public-house in Hill Street, in the Fame locality, were entered during the evening, and money and other property to a con- siderable amount were carried off. Two men are awaiting trial for an alleged share in the first robbery.

Sarah Smith, a demure-looking middle-aged woman, has counterfeited dis- tress too touchingly for her own purposes. She went to Mrs. Lawrence, wife of the Churchwarden of Whitechapel, and told the lady a most moving tale of her husband's having died in the hospital, leaving her with seven children ; four of these were very ill, but the mother had neither medicine

nor food for her family. Mrs. Lawrence gave her money, and promised more aid. After the woman had gone, the lady reflected on her tale, thought she had not assisted her sufficiently, and hurried to the address she had received from Smith. No Mrs. Smith lived there ; and it turned out that her husband is alive, and she has no children—in short, she had been living well by impositions on the charitable. The Worship Street Magis- trate has sent the woman to prison for three months.

Sir James Duke has sent two of the begging-girls, who infest the neigh- bourhood of the Bank, to prison.

St. Thomas's Hospital has been robbed by John Hawkins, who had for- merly been an inmate of the hospital, and latterly an out-patient. Valu- able drugs having recently disappeared in a very mysterious way, a watch was set, and Hawkins was detected leaving the hospital with hydrate of potass in a bag : on him were found keys which enabled him to open the door of the apothecary's-room, he store-room, and an outer gate. The

Southwark Magistrate has sent ungrateful rascal to prison.

Involved in railway speculations, the Reverend Richard Lee, Rector of St. Dunstan Stepney, has gone off, none know whither. His rectory was worth 800/. a year ; his liabilities amount to upwards of 11,0001. Of course the living is sequestrated. It is said that Mr. Lee was a man of inexpensive habits ; and in the same breath that he was a "great speculator."

Dwyer, the Policeman who was almost killed by Cannon the sweep, at- tended at the Lambeth Police Office on Wednesday, and informed the Ma- gistrate that he was much better, though still suffering severely. The Home Secretary has presented him with a gratuity of 501., and the Commissioners of Police have just granted him six weeks leave of absence, with full pay. The subscriptions received by the Magistrates for his use amounted to 1021. Is. Id. ; of which Dwyer had only had 21. Mr. Elliott said he would consider what was best to be done with the hundred pounds : Dwyer thought of investing it in the Funds.

The Committee of Aldermen have had a merry discussion respecting the City pigeons that have their abode in and about the Guildhall. The hall- keeper had ordered them to be killed off, on the ground that they annoy him and the neighbours, and even the guests at the City banquets in the Hall. It appeared that the birds have increased from sixteen to eighty, and really do cause some annoyance ; and eventually the Aldermen consented that their numbers should be reduced one half.

The great obelisk exhibited at the Crystal Palace in 1851, and which it was at one time feared would leave the country, has been purchased by the in- habitants of Whitechapel. It is to be erected in the centre of the haymarket, supporting four lamps, and surrounded by an octagonal pavement with eight posts,-for the protection of foot-passengers. The ceremonial of laying the first stone took place on Thursday sennight.

During the fog on Tuesday sennight, two men were drowned in the Grand Junction Canal at Paddington, in different spots, by walking into the water in the darkness.

On Sunday evening, the ship Heiress was partially destroyed by a fire which broke out in the hold while the vessel was lying in the West India Docks. Fortunately, the fire did not spread to other vessels. The Heiress was to have sailed for Ceylon on Monday morning.

An infant has died at Ratcliff from sucking "a penny Napoleon made of sweet stuff" and coated with a poisonous colour—" Scheele's green," an arseni- cal compound. The verdict of the Jury attached great blame to the con- fectioner who sold the article, but did not pronounce him or the manufac- turer criminally responsible by a finding of "manslaughter."