3littruvulis.

The anniversary of the great civic festival, the day of the Lord Mayor's Show, was celebrated on Monday with rather more than the usual display. First the new potentate, Lord Mayor Quested Finn* entertained a goodly host at the Mansionhouse at breakfast. Then, at- tended by a retinue of officials, he proceeded to the Guildhall, where he was sworn in,' and invested with the robes and insignia of office. This necessary preliminary having been accomplished, the Lord Mayor issued from the Guildhall amid a flourish of trumpets, and took his place in the pageant of the day. Mr. Finnis is an Alderman of the Tower Ward, and it is the custom that the procession ehould traverse the principal streets of the ward represented by the reigning Mayor. Accordingly, when the procession bean its march, it turned Eastward, traversed Leadenhall Street, the Mmones, and passed by Tower Hill, Tower Street, and Eastcheap, to London Bridge. Led by Constables and Marshals' men, followed by the Companies and their officials, the main body of the pageant consisted of a military band on a great scale ; a series of emblem- atical figures ; Boydell's traction-engine drawn by six horses; a prize reaping-machine, in a car filled with slietrves of corn, turnips, hay, pota- toes, and mangold wurzel, from Tiptree Farm ; a steam-plough drawn by two horses ; a ship, manned and dressed, drawn by six horses ; twelve knights, in full armour, and their squires, three abreast ; the humbler City. officials • Mr. Sheriff Keats, Mr. Sheriff Mechi, the late Lord Mayor, and lastly the Lord Mayor de facto. It may be said that the City supplied the Companies, Mr. Finnis the men in armour, drawn from the chivalry of Astley's, Mr. Mechi the agricultural display, and Mr. Keats the ship. The long route traversed by the procession was crowded with spectators, in number far beyond that of any recent dis- play of a similar kind ; and Mr. Meohi's contributions were the ac- lmowledged favourites of the hour.

Arrived at London Bridge, the Lord Mayor "took water" ; and his stately barge—not rowed, however, but tugged by a " Citizen " steamer/ and followed by a crowd of boats—proceeded to Westminster. The bridges were full of spectators, and salutes were fired from the shore. Landing at Westminster, the Lord Mayor went to the Court of Ex-

chequer. He was introduced to the Court by the Recorder ; who, as is customary, gave a sketch of Mr. Finnis's career. 4 The gentleman whom he had the honour to present to their Lordships, Alderman Thomas Quested P. Finnis, a member of the honourable company of Borger's, was highly qualified to fill that office to which he had been advanced by his fellow citizens. Mr. Alderman Pim& was the fitting type of a British merchant. Industrious and self-relying in his youth, enter- nrising and persevering in his manhood, upright and honourable in all his dealings, bold and yet prudent in his adventure, he bad met with that suc- cess to which he was so kirly entitled. But, not content with confining himself to his own country, Alderman Finnis had extended his operations to distant lands, and had been the means of spreading the net of commerce over the Asiatic and other distant regions. It was the pride of Alderman pinnis, that he was one of the first to lead the way to establish commerce on the banks of the Euphrates and the Tigris ; and there now existed in the city of Bagdad a commercial house of which Alderman Finnis was at came the founder and the head. Thus he had given encouragement not only to commerce but to science ; for he had been mainly instrumental in advan- cing those great discoveries which are associated with the name of Nineveh. As regarded the descent of Alderman Finnis, be might remind his Lordship, that he was descended from those who held a respectable but modest station amongst the gentry of the county of Kent, and that among his ancestors he reckoned the names of those who had filled the office of chief magis- trates of the Cinque Ports. Early in life he had been anxious to devote himself to the Navy ; but two of his elder brothers having died—one, whb was in the Navy, having fallen during the war, and the other, who was in the Army, having died in India—his friends were indite& to select for him the more peaceful pursuits of commerce. For forty-two or forty-three years Alderman Fining had pursued his business on the same premises which are now identified with the name of the firm of which he is the head. It was not likely that such a man should not attract the notice of his fellow citizens ; and accordingly he was elected a Councillor of the Tower Ward. In the course of a few years, during which he gave -many proofs of signal usefulness, he, on the death of Alderman Lucas, the Alderman of the same ward, succeeded to the magistracy and the gown. The Recorder could state from his own experience, that a more able, amore intelligent, or a more im- partial magistrate, did not exist in this metropolis. He felt that when the time came when they would have to look back to Alderman Finnis's career as Lord Mayor, it would be seen that he had fulfilled all the expectations so justly entertained of him by his fellow citizens. He believed Alderman Fimiis was, besides, a man of a liberal mind and expanded understanding ; which would assist all corporate measures for amelioration and improvement on which that body was earnestly bent."

The Recorder having paid due compliments to the late Lord Mayor, and the Chief Baron having offered his congratulations, the Lord Mayor returned like manner visited the other Courts. He then i:riled water to Blackfriarts Bridge, and thence through the streets to Guildhall.

The evening's banquet did not greatly differ from the usual routine. But the decoration of the Guildhall afforded a striking contrast to that of last Lord Mayor's day. Then it was all warlilre ; now it was all peace- ful—decied out with allegories representing Peace as the patroness of Agriculture, Commerce and the Arts. Besides a host of civic worthies, there sat down to dinner, the Commander-in-ehief the Prime Minister, the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Wiir, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Fell of Harrowby, Sir Benjamin Hall, Sir William Williams of Kars, the Chief Baron and several Judges. The oratory of the occasion did not rise above the average ; and, as usual, it rather ex- pressed sentiments and feelings than opinions. The two noticeable speeches were those of the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Palmerston. The health of the Duke was proposed after that of the Royal Family. In reply, his Royal Highness remarked that it was the first occasion on which he addressed his fellow citizens since his assumption of a more important position than he had hitherto held- " I ain aware that, in undertaking the duties of that position, much is naturally and justly expected from me ; but. I hope you will 'believe one when I assure you that it ever has been, and will always continue to be, my anxious and earnest desire to act in such a manner that when, at some fu- ture period, I may have to resign or retire from the post I have now the honour to occupy, it will be with the feeling that I have conscientiously dis- charged my duty to my country. (Cheers.) If by such a course I gain the good on and the kindly feeling of my fellow countrymen, I shall feel that I 'have obtained the most gratifying reward which can faille, the lot of any public man. I had expected, my Lord Mayor, that your Lordship might possibly have honoured me by coupling my name with -the toast of the Army.' You have in some respects done me great honour by naming me alone ; but I am desirous, on behalf of the Army, which I now have the honour to represent, to express in their name my sense of the Aliatinguished attention which they have received since their return from the seat of war. Notes could be more gratifying to the feelings of the Army than the cor- dial welcome they have exenced from the whole community eince their return from the Crimea. Cheering.) That good feeling has been nowhere more cordially displayed than in this great metropolis ; and we are deeply indebted to my excellent friend the late Lord Mayor for the ability with which he presided over the banquet given to the Guards. On 'behalf of the Army I beg to thank my friend the late Lord Mayor and the cihzens of mien for the very handsome compliment they then paid to our troops. (Renewed cheers.) I am sure also, that the Army rand be equally gratified by the cordial welcomes which have been accorded to them in the sister capitals of Dublin and Edinburgh. The best reward of a soldier is the kindly approval of his fellow countrymen. The people of England have exhibited that kindly feeling towards the Army ; and as at this moment the representative of the Army, I beg to tell you they are grateful for the compliment." (Loud cheers.)

Lord Falmerston's speech touched on the same topics which he dealt with more fully at Manchester. .One or two passages have attracted some notice-- " Yon, my Lord Mayor, have adverted to the events of the late war, and to the peace which has followed. At the commencement of the present year, this.country possessed the finest army and the most magnificent fleet that were ever engaged in defending the honour and the rights of England. (Loud chem.) The spirit of the people was roused to as high a pitch as was ever witnessed an this country. There was every prospect that, if the war had contianed, future successes would have been obtained, equal at all events to those which had crowned the armies of the Allies : but when we found that we could obtain by negotiation terms of peace which would sa- tisfy our just demands, and which would secure the future peace and incle- peudence of Europe, we thought it our duty to sheathe the sword, and, in conjunction with our allies, to put an end to the hostilities which were at the tune in progress. We were convinced that the people of England would willingly forego the prospects of future military and naval glory when they ere satisfied that the objects of the war had been substantially mecca-

eic.„ _(Cheers.) It now remaina that the conditions of the peace shall ue laitfitully executed—(Prolonged cheering)—and honourably observed— (Renewed and continued cheers)—and then I trust that thepeace of Europe will be placed upon a secure and permanent foundation." (Cheers.)

The Brazilian Minister spoke on behalf of the Foreign Ambassadors; using the French language, and chiefly praising free institutions, and peace, that inexhaustible source of riches and civilization. Sir George Lewis, speaking for the House of Commons, said that now, peace having been concluded, the House of Commons will be enabled to devote its entire attention "to those reforms which are demanded by the voice of the people."

Mr. Thwaites and a deputation from the Metropolitan Board of Works waited upon Sir Benjamin Hall on Monday, wi the plan adopted by the Board for the improvement of Southwark. The new line of street, should the plan be sanctioned, will begin near the obelisk in Wellington Street, at the South corner of York Street, cross Red Lion Street, Counter Street, and, avoiding the Borough Market, the College Almshouses, and Barclay and Perkins's Brewery—all expensive properties—pass the Southwark Bridge Road, and strike the Blackfriars Road at a point ex- actly opposite Stamford Street. The width of the street from front to front will be seventy feet, including the width of the footways, twelve feet on each side. Sir Benjamin Hall again remarked on the delay of the Board; but, expressing his desire to give them all the assistance he could, promised to think over the subject deeply, and give his decision on Thursday. In the mean time, the Board might prepare the notices, including deviations ; and if he did not sanction the plan, the only ex- pense incurred would be that of the notices. Two other deputations with plans waited on the First Commissioner : one plan was received foe consideration ; and one dismissed on the spot, as utterly objectionable—the deputation declaring that their projector had " sold" them.

At the meeting of the Metropolitan Board of Works on Wednesday, the clerk read a letter from Sir Benjamin Hall, returning the plan for main-drainage of the Metropolis recently adopted by the Board, and withholding his approval. His reason for this course is, that the plan "as regards the outfall is at variance with the intentions of the Legisla- ture, and contrary to the spirit of the statute." The First Commissioner states, that "he has no desire and no intention to interfere in any way whatever in the matter beyond discharging the duty which is imposed on him by the statute " ; but if the &cid desires to confer with him before considering any plans, he will be happy to receive them. Mr. Thwaites explained, that he had a long conversation with Sir Benjamin at the Guildhall at the civic dinner on Monday, and had at his invite- lion met and discussed the question with him at the Board of Works on Tuesday. At these interviews, Mr. Thwaites explained the difficulties of the Board, and impressed on the First Commissioner his conviction that not only the London ratepayers but the Government ought to sub- scribe largely towards whatever •extension of drainage may be deemed necessary. Sr Benjamin said, that if the Board would make out their claim to his satisfaction, he would.submit the matter to the Government. Mr. Thwaites remarked that Sir Benjamin showed a desire to assist the Board, and he trusted they would meet him and go over the difficult parts of the question. I It was agreed that Sir Benjamin's letter should be considered on Friday. After the Board had adjourned, the Chairman received from the First Commissioner a formal approval of the Southwark improvement plan.

The two Members for Southwark, Mr. Apsley Pellatt and Sir Charles Napier, met their constituents on Tuesday, at the Literary Institution, Borough Road, to state their respective doings in Parliament. The no- ticeable thing in Mr. Pellatt's speech was, that he could, unlike many; other Members on similar occasions, boast of having carried three bills through the House of Commons,—one on laying down the rule that no crossed check shall be payable except through an account ; a second re- gulating Dissenters' marriages ; a third abolishing the exemptions con- tained in the Smoke Act. Sir Charles Napier described how on certain questions he had voted, not according to his own convictions, but ac- cording to what he believed to be those of his constituents. For in- stance—

He had voted against the Government on the question of opening the British Museum on Sundays : not that he saw any harm in it himself— indeed, he thought it likely to be useful in drawing working men away from public-houses ; but he was informed that there was a strong feeling against the measure in Southwark—("No, no !")—and he had voted in ac- cordance with what he believed to be the opinion of his constituents. (er Voice—" You voted wrong, then.")

Sir Charles gave an account of an interview between himself and the Grand Duke Constantine— Since the conclusion of.peace Sir Charles had been to Cronstadt, to satisfy. himself whether he had done right or wrong in not attacking it. He found the fortifications stronger even than he had believed them to be when he- was there with the fleet ; in fact, they were perfectly and entirely impreg- nable. The Grand Duke Constantine had granted him an interview, and had shown him all his plans of defence; and certainly, more judicious and more proper plans never were conceived. lie is a man of great talent and ability, and had spoken to him in a perfectly honest, plain, straightforward way. " His remark to me," said Sir Charles, " was, If you had attempted to come in, there would have been nearly a thousand FMB bearing on your fleet.; there was not water enough for your large ships ; the channel wee narrow, and it was so thickly filled with infernal machines that our own ships going in and out were afraid of being blown up.' Will you allow me, said I, to speak plainly to you ? Why did you not come out to meet us at Kiel ? We were then badly manned and badly disciplined. If you had ocane out, I don't know what the consequences might have been. ' said the •Grand Duke, if I had had screws, I should have come out to meet you.: I did not know that you were so badly manned until it was too late.' And I think that it was lucky he didn't come. Not that there was an Englishman there who would not have fought to the last drop rather than retreat ; but after all, ships without disciplined men are no bettor than fortifications without soldiers. People are fond of talking about the British navy being unconquerable ; but the British navy is men, not ships."

The Members were thanked for their conduct during the past session.

The Winter session of the Christian Young Men's Association was opened on Tuesday, at Exeter Hall, with a lecture from Sir William Page Wood, on Truth and its Counterfeits, and the tests whereby " any reasonable being" may be enabled "to discriminate truth from its cent- terfeits.-= The Royal Geographical Society held its first meeting this season on Monday. Admiral Beechey presided, and there was a large muster of men conspicuous in science. Admiral Beechey read a letter from Dr. Kane, " their distinguished gold-medalist and Arctic traveller," re- gretting that severe illness prevented him from visiting the Society. At the suggestion of the President, a resolution was passed authorizing him to wait on Dr. Kane and express the sincere regret of the Society that Dr. Kane should have been prevented from appearing at the meeting to receive the unanimous and hearty welcome which awaited him. Among the papers read, was one describing a proposed exploration of Borneo, which its author, Lieutenant de Crespigny, R.N., is about to undertake at his own costs and charges, and which he believes he can accomplish in two years. At the invitation of the President, Mr. John Craufurd gave an interesting account of the characteristics and resources of Borneo.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Monday, Sir Frederick Thesiger moved for a rule to show cause why a criminal information should not be filed against Mr. J. A. Rose, one of the late Under-Sheriffs of London, for a libel on Mr. lorry, a barrister of the Central Criminal Court. Mr. lorry had taken a brief to defend a prisoner : several things conspired to make him suppose that the case would not come on, but it was called unexpected- ly, in his absence : another series of accidents prevented Mr. lorry from meeting the person who had feed him, but he sent the money back by his own solicitor. Mr. Under-Sheriff Rose made strong comments on the case, in the presence of Mr. lorry and others, on Mr. lorry's "negligence, and reluctance" to return a fee ; and impatiently interrupted explanation. The manuscript of a condemnatory account of the case sent to the Times was traced to Mr. Rose. Lord Chief Justice Campbell said, that under or- dinary circumstances the application for a rule would have been granted ; but Mr. Horry had sent a letter to the Times, not only containing a simple statement of the case, but a defensive and recriminatory vindication of him- self: under these circumstances, the Court would not interfere by granting a criminal information.

Another great fraud in the transfer of shares ! The case appears quite a parallel to that of Robson's, but on a vaster scale. Mr. Leopold Redpath, Registrar of Shares to the Great Northern Railway, with a salary of some .30W. a year, lived at Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, in a luxurious style ; he was well known in the fashionable world, and at the same time a great patron of charitable institutions—a Governor of Christ's Hospital and of the Royal St. Ann's Society. All this was notorious : it is said that the Direc- tors of the Railway believed the wealthy Mr. Redpath accepted the paltiy 3001. a year situation merely for the sake of having some occupation. Of late there were strange discrepancies in the accounts of the Company—payments of dividends on stock exceeding the Company's capital. It was resolved to have a thorough investigation of the accounts. Mr. Redpath pronounced it useless ; but when it was begun, on Tuesday, he absconded. Surprising discoveries have followed. At present the total of the frauds he has com-

mitted is not known with exactness; reports make it vary from 100,0001. to 200,0001. It is stated that the frauds were effected by the registrar enter- ing a larger amount in the books when a bona fide transfer was made--10001. for 1001., and so on ; we suppose selling the 9001. in the market on his own account, but the statements are obscure. After Redpath had fled, a subor- dinate in his office, Mr. Charles J. Cumming Kent, was arrested,. privately examined by the Clerkenwell Magistrate, and sent to prison : he is charged with complicity in the fraud of his principal.

It will be recollected that in May last year a great robbery of gold, to the value of 15,0001., occurred while treasure was in transit from London to Paris, via the South-Eastern Railway. Up to a very recent day all efforts to trace the robbers were futile ; but now three men are in custody for this robbery, one being already a convict for a forgery. William Pierce and James Burgess have been in custody for a week past, waiting the pro- duction of the chief witness, Edward Agar, an inmate of Portland Gaol. On Thursday, Agar was produced before the Lord Mayor, and the case against his accomplices was commenced. Mr. Bodkin explained what the prosecution intended to prove. According to Agar's revelations, he, Pierce,

i

Burgess, and one Tester, the last not in custody and probably not in Eng- land, were engaged in the robbery. Agar is a professional criminal ; Pierce was formerly in the service of the Railway. Company as a printer; Burgess was a guard, and Tester a clerk, both in the employment of the Company. Of course Agar's evidence alone would not convict, but it was expected that it would be so corroborated as to lead to a conviction. Agar had lived with a woman named Kay ; he had a child by her; when Agar was convicted of the forgery, Pierce, who was to have protected her, did not use this woman well, and she disclosed to the Railway .Company what she knew of the rob- bery. Agar, hitherto firm to his associates, now turned round upon them. Edward Agar was examined at great length before the Lord Mayor, and he gave a most minute account of the whole preparations for the rob- bery and of its perpetration. Burgess was the guard of the night mail- tram which carries bullion to Folkstone. He was " talked over " by Pierce, then no longer in the service of the railway, to take part in a robbery of gold. Four were to be " in it "—Burgess, Tester, Pierce, and Agar. Arrangements were made with skill and deliberation. By various devices, Agar got impressions in wax of the keys which opened the bullion-safe, and which were kept in an office at Folkstone. He made keys from these moulds ; went to Dover in the train, and tried the keys on the safe; they did not act at first, but he altered them so that they opened the safe. Thus one part of the work was done. Next, two hundredweight of shot was purchased, with leather courier-bags and carpet-bags to place it in : this shot was to replace the gold abstracted, so that the robbery might not be immediately detected by the lightness of the bullion-boxes. Agar and Pierce, in the character of passengers, were to convey the shot to the train. Both had the courier-bags filled with shot suspended to their bodies under short cloaks ; two carpet-bags had more shot stowed in them, and packed round with hay. The robbers could not tell till the evening when treasure would go in the mail-train ; so every night for about a fortnight Agar and Pierce, loaded with the shot-bags, drove in a cab from Agar's lodgings to the vicinity of the railway ; and as, night after night, their con- federate Tester intimated to them that there was no bullion, they returned to Agar's lodgings, not having entered the railway station. At length the bullion-safe was to go by the mail-train. Agar and Pierce then drove up to the station, in the character of first-class passengers ; Burgess, the guard, as an ordinary matter, placed the two heavy carpet-bags of the gentlemen in the luggage-van ; and Pierce got into a first-class carriage. But Agar, with his courier-bags under his cloak, stepped into the luggage-van while the stationmaster's attention was attracted in another direction. The train started, and the robber was alone with his prey. In the course of the jour- ney, he unlocked the safe, took out two boxes, and, being provided with proper tools, opened them, took out the bars of gold, foreign gold-coin, and some coupons; the boxes were filled with bags of shot from the courier- bags and the carpet-bags, nailed up, and newly sealed. Tester had been a passenger in the train. A bar of gold was passed to him, through Burgess, at Red Hill station. From that station the operations in the van were con-

ducted by Agar, Pierce, and Burgess. At Folkston, where the rifled safe was left, Agar and Pierce took their seats in a first-class carriage. At Dover they got out as ordinary passengers, went to the luggage-van, and received their carpet-bags, containing the plunder. They stopped but a short time at Dover; returning to London by the mail-train at two in the morning. In London, where they met Tester, the bullion and foreign coin were converted into English money.

At this point, time failed for the further examination of Agar, and the investigation was adjourned till Monday.

Richard Cope, the victim of Marley the ticket-,M-leave-man, died on Sun- day. It appears that the prospects of recovery were favourable until yester- day week. The medical witnesses stated that the immediate cause of death was disease of the lungs arising from the injuries received by the patient, and that those injuries were the primary cause of death. A Coroner's Jury has found a verdict of " Wilful murder" in the case ; and Marley stands committed for trial.

No fewer than five German Legionaries have appeared before the Police Magistrates on charges of stabbing and attempted stabbing. They have recourse to their knives, against women and men, on little or no provo- cation. Two of the captured knives were of Sheffield make, but bore these inscriptions—one, 'The real American knife"; the other, "Americans must and shall rule America."

An inquiry has been held by Mr. Traill, the Greenwich Magistrate, and Captain Robertson R.N., into the cause of the loss of the Royal Mail steamer Tay. Captain William Strutt, the commander of the Tay, a number of her officers, and other person, were examined. They described how the vessel suddenly struck before daylight, at a time when a good look-out was kept, and when it was computed that the ship was many miles from land. The water was almost smooth at the time, but soon after the waves rolled in heavily ; these rollers were ascribed at the time to a distant storm ; and it was afterwards ascertained that a hurricane had prevailed to the North of Cuba. The witnesses ascribed the disaster to the storm-wave raised by the hurricane having driven the ship out of her course, while no warning was given. It came out that Captain Strutt depended on the revolutions of the engine to mark the ship's rate, instead of repeatedly using the log. The Massey patent log was out of order, and he did not put the common log in use this voyage from Vera Cruz to Tampico. Captain Liott, one of the ma- nagers of the company, stated that the disuse of the log was a decided act of disobedience of the Company's regulations. The inquiry closed on Mon- day, and the Court will report to the Board of Trade.

A very extensive fire occurred in St. Martin's Lane on Sunday morning. It broke out about seven o'clock, in the large premises belonging to Messrs. Almond, army and navy accoutrement-manufacturers, in Swan Yard, near Long Acre ; and in spite of the efforts of the firemen the manufactory- was destroyed, with the Parthenium dancing-room, a livery-stable, and several other buildings. The loss is estimated at upwards of 20,000/.

A large part of the South Metropolitan District Schools, at Sutton, was destroyed by fire on Thursday. Though nine hundred children were in the schools, no one was hurt.

A number of gentlemen are forming a small company to erect a model- lodginghouse in Eagle Court, Strand ; a locality where such a building is much needed. Miss Burdett Courts has promised to take 10001. of shares if the remaining 40001. are subscribed ; and she will endow St. Michael's Church, Burleigh Street, with the profits of the investment.