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The Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association held the first of a series of aggregate meetings, in Drury Lane Theatre, on Monday evening. The theatre was crammed to overflow. Sir Joshua Walmsley, M.P., pre- sided, and several other Radical Members of Parliament were present; Mr. Feargus O'Connor attending with a strong muster of Chartists. A letter was read from Mr. Hume apologizing for his inability to attend. Mr. Cob- den also apologized for absence, in the following terms- " Eastbourne, susses, Aug. 7. "Sir—Will you be good enough to express to the Committee my regret that absence from town will prevent my being present at the next meeting of the Me- tropolitan and Parliamentary Reform Association? You have many years of good work before you, and it will not therefore be amiss to keep an army of re- serve for another campaign. In the mean time, you are doing battle heroically, and I remain, Sir, year obedient servant, E1CHARD CORDES." " E. Whitty, Esq."

Sir Joshua Walmsley congratulated the meeting, that in a short six months the Association had succeeded in uniting those who had long been alienated, and in giving form and consistency to the demand for civil rights. Such a meeting was a good reply to the assertion that the middle classes are apathetic and the masses chilled into indifference.

The great feature of the present movement was, that the link that had been broken was again welded, and by it the two great classes which had been sepa- rated were firmly united for the just purposes of political elevation. Their object was a worthy one—that of causing the institutions of the country to live in the breasts and affections of the people. The masses are now everywhere sullen and discontented; for the people are in antagonism with their representatives. It is for the people to determine whether a territorial oligarchy shall continue to sub- vert the entire spirit-ef the constitution, or whether they will vindicate their ma- jesty, and insure peace, happiness, and contentment, to every portion of the empire.

Mr. George Thompson, M.P., read the report; which contained these pas- sages.

"After repeated deliberations, and having consulted with the leaders of all classes of Reformers, it was resolved to advocate the following reforms- " 1. Such an extension of the franchise as will give to every male occupier of a tenement, or any portion of a tenement, for which he shall be rated, or shall have claimed to be rated, to the relief of the poor, the right to be registered as an elector.

"2. The adoption of the system of voting by ballot. "3. The limitation of the duration of Parliament to three years. "4. Such a change in the arrangement of the electoral districts as shall pro- duce a more equal apportionment of representatives to constituents. "5. The abolition of the property qualification for Members of Parliament. • •

"It would be idle to attempt to conceal that much of the success which waits to reward the persevering efforts of this Association must be the result of the in- dividual exertions of the people. Two great practical modes of action should be ever borne in mind: the existing registers must be closely watched and purified; the county constituencies must be enlarged by the vigorous and simultaneous working, in every locality, of freehold-qualification societies.

"In this movement the men of Birmingham set the example, which was speedily followed by the Midland counties. In Manchester, and in almost all other large towns, freehold land and building societies have also been formed; whilst in the Metropolis this Council has aided in the establishment of one for the emancipation of the home counties. By the aid of these societies, the forty- ahilling is brought within the reach of every industrious man placed above the struggle for the merest necessaries of life. A judicious investment of 201., which may be subscribed at the rate of ls a week, will thus secure an an- nual return to the subscriber of at least 10 per cent upon his outlay, and place diim upon the register for the county in which his qualification is situated."

Mr. Charles Lusbington opened his speech with an eulogium on the absent Mr. Joseph Hume— Mr. Hume commenced his career at a time when, according to the prejudices of the day, to advocate reform was almost to contend for treason; but, although he was reviled by the enem ■.8 of reform, he pursued his course steadily, and had succeeded in conferring upon his country inestimable benefits by the extinction of abuses and the reduction of the national expenditure. Their gratitude was therefore essentially due to that venerable and consistent Reformer. A public compliment was already paid to that honourable gentleman by a particular seat being reserved for him in the House of Commons, into which no other Member intruded ; and when nature should assert her stern and final decree, Mr. Lashing-

ton felt convinced that a niche would be assigned him in the temple of pubric gratitude, where the memory of his patriotic deeds would be consecrated and embalmed. (Cheers.)

Mr. Lushington enlarged on the text, that in the present House of Commons representation of the people is a mockery. Seven-eighths of the Members are be believed, totally opposed to any reform. He had been in minorities of 18 er on questions of reform, and he believed the smallest number was that which sae. ported the People's Charter. On that occasion, only 13 Members besides the two tellers supported the motion. He held in his hand twenty-one propositions for reform submitted to the House of Commons and negatived in it by lses majorities. The Prime Minister derides the idea of reform ; and the peop are left to writhe in compulsory submission to aggravated abases—fiagrant bat unacknowledged, iniquitous but unredressed. What was the remedy? They could not rely on the House of Commons, so they must rely on themselves; they must secure an amendment and reform of the suffrage, and must have universd suffrage. (Enthusiastic cheering.) Universal suffrage is proffered by the Fleas_ cial Association, purified to a small extent merely to protect it from abuse—fase the invasion of the common beggar and the common vagabond. (4 Voice, " Where's the rights o' manr—Laughter and cheers.) But while they get universal suffrage, they must also secure the privileges of the ballot. (Cheen.) They never heard of seditious tumults or disturbances against the Government of the United States, because there the people are their own governors, and would not attempt to destroy their own authority. In France too—( Groans and hisses: cries of " .Rome!")—his opinion was that the exercise of universal suffrage bed averted great evils. He exhorted his hearers to persevere in the use of moral means, avoiding the minutest infraction of the law. They would thus confound all attempts to entrap and punish them. Public opinion cannot be batteredby artillery, and is not protected by barricades. Complete success can be obGained beat by the most constitutional means. The Reverend Thomas Spencer enforced the necessity of national economy; inveighing against such extravagances as paying Queen Adelaide 100,000I. and Lord Brougham 5,0001. a year. He took a simile from recent events— A few years ago, the directors of railways objected to expressions of opinion on the part of shareholders respecting the management of their affairs. They said, "Let us alone; we will manage the railway property for you: if you pot a question to us we will resign." Well, the shareholders were good boys, and did not interfere. But by and by, it was discovered that these men had played the rogue, and the shareholders found it necessary to take the management of their affairs into their own hands. The people of England were now the shareholders, and the aristocracy were the directors who said Don't you interfere," while they taxed the working man nearly 50 per cent, the middle class 25 per cent, and themselves only 5 per cent. The shareholders want to see every man paying ac. cording to his property. No working man would wish to escape all taxation; and all were ready to pay their shilling fairly and equally assessed. (Loud cheers of assent.) He urged them to press on. If they met in assemblies such as the present, the Government would in two years say, "We cannot stop them; we will take the question out of their hands; and have it they shall."

Lord Dudley Stuart was greeted with loud applause. A voice claimed "a cheer for Hungary"- and the assembly rose almost as one man, and gave a demonstration that seemed to shake the building. Lord Dudley Stuart said, the shout would echo to the banks of the Danube and Theiss, and glorify the Hungarian patriots in the laour of their present triumph and victory. He alluded to one of those patriots now present, Count Te- leki; who advanced and bowed, amidst a vociferous renewal of the cheers. Lord Dudley Stuart advocated fiscal reforms, the abrogation of present taxes and imposition of a property-tax--not an income-tax. He gave in his adhesion to the objects of the Association, especially the proposal of a large extension of the suffrage by giving a vote to every man who is rated, however low, or who chooses to claim to be rated.

He did not know how far such an extension of the suffrage might give universal satisfaction; but it would be a great and a most important step towards improve- ment. It would at least effect. one purpose—that, whereas the electoral body was now only a minority of the adult population and the non-electors a large majority, places would be changed ; the electors would become the large majority, whilst those excluded would be the minority: and after all, if this was not found suf- ficient, it would not prevent the people going farther. He had always been for progressive reform. Long ago he had voted for what was called the Reform Bill: now he voted for what he called the Reform Bill of the present day, as proposed by the houourable gentleman in the chair. Lord Nugent followed, with a similar adhesion, and with a forcible speech.

It had been said by a great man, that "when bad men conspire good men must combine"; and he thought they ought now to sink all minor differences and com- bine to make head against the corruption, the self-interest, and the tyranny which was endeavouring to stop the coarse of reform. He must confess that he did not concur in one sentence of the report, which recommended that the franchise should be thrown open to all persons who paid even the smallest rates ; for he saw no just limit to the principle of representation excepting as combined with universal suffrage. He had never been able to see (they must pardon him the use of the expression) the common sense of what was called money qualification of any sort. All who paid taxes, directly or indirectly, were entitled to the benefit of the prin- ciple that connected representation with taxation. Every man who eats bread contributes, directly or indirectly, to the taxation of the country. And although the odious bread-tax now happily remains only matter of shameful his- tory, yet so long as any one ot the implements of husbandry, or the land it- self on which corn is grown, is taxed—so long as the timber is taxed by which they made the ship that imports corn—so long, in a word, as any duty is paid on any article that tends either to produce or import corn, let them not be told that bread is untaxed. Every man who eats bread, the staff of life, pays a tax to the state; and he adopted the immortal words of Lord Camden, to the effect that taxa- tion without representation is robbery. (Cheers.) He had no right to use a harsh phrase towards any man because he happens not to see a subject in the same light as himself; but he had a perfect right tense hard words hypothetical' against himself. Therefore, if with his present opinions, he ever found himseit voting in the House of Commons for a tax or grant of public money, and was not prepared immediately afterwards to support universal suffrage, he should consider himself a thief and a robber. (Cheers and laughter.)

He defended the vote by ballot. The ballot had been called unmanly and tul- English: but it was no more so than the proceedings before grand juries. He had taken the oaths as a grand juryman to keep secret his own and his fellows' coun- sel; and why was this done? To guarantee the jurymen against corruption, op- pression or violence. (Cheers.) It must not be said, then, that the ballot was un-English or unmanly, until they were prepared to abandon trial by jury.

It WBS most necessary at this time to combine in support of Liberal principles. The Whig Government—(Groans and hisses)—opposed Parliamentary and Financial Reform, and Colonial Reform—(Hisses)—and with such a Government the Liberal party could not act. He did not wish to speak with disrespect of absent persons ; but he would allude to one member of the Administration who had hitherto kept the character of the Government from disgrace and degradation by refusing to become an accomplice to the tyranny of other Powers of Europe. There was one who had not allowed himself, either hastily or by mistake, to call the most glorious struggle that had been made for centuries "an insurrec- tion," but who had termed that struggle "the war between Hungari and Austria." (Great cheering.) The meeting perhaps might not be aware that Lord Palmerston, by his eronduct, had raised himself to the glory of being the subject of an intrigue intended to cast him from his position. ("Hear, hear!" and shouts of "Shame! ") At that very time an intrigue was proceed- ing, fostered by the criminals who had been ejected from their own countries by re- edutions--fostered by the Metternichs, the object of which was to undermine Lord Palmerston with his colleagues, and to substitute in his place a Foreign Dieter of a Metternich choice, who was thought a more fitting associate for a whig Ministry. Why, then, did not Lord Palmerston appeal to the people and throw himself upon them? (Loud cheers.). The period, perhaps, had not yet arrived for such a step; but if Lord Palmerston was what he hoped and be- lieved him to be, the time was not far distant when they would see the result of the struggle between the noble Lord and his opponents. He would therefore say, Up with Lord Palmerston, and down with intriguers." (A cheer was called for and given for Lord Palmerston; and immediately afterwards three hearty cheers were given for " gallant Hungary.")

Mr. Feargus O'Connor was received with loud cheering by the Chartist portion of the meeting. .

He rejoiced it would go forth that there were now no differences between the middle and working classes, and that they were determined to unite to obtain the justice that had so long been withheld from them. He had laboured long, inces- santly, and ardently, for the purpose of procuring something for the people ; and if from vanity and ambition be were to tell them that this Association would do nothing for them, he should mislead them. He told them to get what the Asso- ciation were striving for, and then they might carry the rest afterwards if they pleased. He saw happy days for England in the prospect now before him. Po- litical parties were divided now, not into Whigs, Tones, and Radicals, but into eibereU and Bliberals. He regarded the present meeting as a fair representation of the mind of the working and middle classes. He would bury the past in oblivion, and with it all the persecutiops and prosecutions and slanders he had been exposed to; and he would say he had not worked in vain if he had brought about this happy combination between the veritable working and middle classes of England. Mr. Clarke the Chartist candidate for Reading, and Mr. George Thomp- son of the Tower Hamlets, made brief speeches; and the meeting broke up with hearty cheering for Kossuth.

Mr. John Oliver Hanson has been elected by the Bank of England pro- prietors to the vacancy in the direction caused by the death of Mr. James Pattison.

The Committee of Health appointed by the Court of Common Council met on Wednesday. Mr. Simon complained of a nuisance in the house of butcher at the corner of Nicholas Lune: a cellar under the house was used as a place for slaughtering sheep and pigs. Another place of the muse nature was proved to exist in Duke's Head Court, Ivy Lane: two carcasses of putrid meat had been found there. Each case was referred to the City Solicitor for immediate prosecution.

The case of the Countess of Landsfeldt was to have been resumed at Marl- borough Street Police-office on Monday ; but the lady did not appear. Mr. Clarkson stated, that he had important additional evidence to offer for the pro- mention; but he had been informed that the accused was then hundreds of miles beyond the jurisdistion of the Court, and therefore it would be useless at that time to produce the testimony. Me wished that the bail should have their re- cognizances extended to any reasonable length of time, in order that they might cam* the lady to reappear. Mr. Bridkinz the counsel for the defence, said he could offer no reason for the absence of his client—he had not recommended it: the offer respecting the bail was a liberal one Mr. Hardwick had some doubt as to his power of extending the bail. Mr. Clarkson repeated, that he wished every leniency to be shown. to the sureties: he believed that Mr. Heald and the lady had gone to Italy, and the bail therefore had no power over the lady. Eventually the recognizances were respited for a month.

At Westminster Police Court, on Saturday, Mr. John Daly, surgeon, of Vaux- hall Road, was charged by Mr. Moses Morgan, chemist, of Westminster, with robbing him at a house in Aberdeen. The two gentlemen went to Scotland in company about a fortnight since. On the let instant, they were together in Aberdeen, and took a sleeping-room for joint use in No. 17 Upper Kirkgate. In the evening of that day, they drank ale together at a tavern; and Mr. Morgan observed, and openly remarked, that the ale tasted as if it contained laudanum. They went home to their room about ten; and Mr. Morgan, for safety in a strange house, barricaded the door in such a way that it could only be opened by a person inside. He placed his waistcoat, containing 45/. in notes, under his pil- low, and his watch and some sovereigns and silver on the table. He left Mr. Daly smoking in an easy chair when he went to sleep. When he awoke, at four in the morning, his waistcoat had been moved from under his pillow, and all his notes, money, and watch, had been carried off. Mr. Daly had disappeared, though it had been intended that he should stay till Saturday and return to town with ?dr. Morgan. A person answering Mr. Daly's description had left Aberdeen by the midnight mail on the night of the robbery. Mr. Daly was arrested, at his own house in Vauxhall Road, on Saturday. He was remanded by Mr. Seeker till Thursday.

At Bow Street Police-office, on Wednesday, David Lloyd, secretary to "the Holne Park Tin and Copper Mine Company," was charged with forgery, by Mr. Edward Hollis. Mr. Hollis took thirty-five shares in the company; Lloyd in- duced him, in April, to give a promissory note for 351., the amount of the deposit en the shares ; but this note was to be held as a security only, and not to be ne- gotiated. Subsequently it was negotiated, and became the subject of legal pro- ceedings. On the production of the document before a judge, the words "value received" and " or order" were upon it; but they were not there when Mr. Hollis attached his signature: this was the forgery. As to the company itself; Mr.

Hollis stated that the leases of the mines were never completed. Mr. Stephen Thomas, a mineral surveyor, said that in May last the prisoner asked him to get the note cashed ; the disputed words were not then upon it, but had been inserted subsequently. This witness admitted that 865 shares were apportioned to him, and a like number to the prisoner, for which no money was paid, though some of the shares were afterwards sold to the prosecutor. Lloyd was committed for trial.

A man who calls himself "James Beale," but appears to have many other mum, has been examined twice at Guildhall Police-office, on a charge of un- lawfully attempting to obtain a loan of 1001. from the trustees of Samuel Wilson's Charity. This is a City charity; sums of 1001. are lent to young tradesmen, at 1 Per cent for the first year and 2 per cent for the next four years; account-books must be produced to show that the applicant makes a profit; and the keepers of pubhc.houses and beer-shops are ineligible. Beale applied for a loan; he pre- tended that he was an ivory-turner, and produced account-books; and he named sureties and referees. Two gentlemen recognized the fellow as having applied before under another name, and also as the keeper of a beer-shop; it does not ap- pear that the prisoner was ever a turner; one of proffered sureties was Wright, the man who is in custody for swindling; and the whole evidence showed that Beale and his associates were disreputable in their conduct. He has been remanded.

At Worship Street Police Court, on Saturday, Francis Baker was charged with several 'robberies of parcels from children. A boy and a girl, eleven and twelve Years old, were in company carrying two parcels of shirts from a seamstress in

Limehouse to a hosier in Houndsditch. The prisoner, who had watched them from Limehouse, spoke to them and offered them fonrpence each to carry similar parcels for him from a place near to another place in their way. They consented, and the girl went with him to get the new burden, leaving the boy in care of her shirts. In a short time the prisoner returned, and told the boy that the girl had got a dinner given her as well as her fourpence, and if be would go he might get his share. The boy went, and the prisoner gooduaturedly "carried his load"; the prisoner walked so fast that the boy fell a little behind—hindered by the crowd of passengers; and presently the prisoner was out of sight altogether, with the shirts for a booty. The children did not find each other ant for a long time: they returned to Limehouse about four hours after, crying bitterly. Thor poor seamstress went immediately with them to the Police Court for assistance, and there found the prisoner already under arrest. A policeman had caught him in the act of serving two other little messengers the same cruel trick, and had borne him off in custody. It was found that he had robbed more than half a dozen pairs of children. He was committed for trial on three selected cases.

Two Italian boys having been charged, at the Marlborough Street Police, office, with begging in the streets, Mr. Hardwick issued a warrant against the more culpable parties, the "padroni" of the boys, who import children to live on the money they extract from 'English charity. On Thursday, the padroni were brought before the Magistrate; evidence was given by the boys to prove that their employers sent them out to beg ; and one of the cases was made out. The defendant wanted to compromise the matter by sending the boys back to Italy. Mr. Hardwick would not listen to this: he regretted that he could not send the offender to prison for a year; but he ordered him to be imprisoned in the House of Correction for a month. There was great dismay among the culprit's com- peers who crowded the court at this decision.

The London public are warned to be on their guard against forged Bank of England notes. The other day, a tradesman in Fleet Street was offered a ten- pound note by a stranger in payment of some purchases; the note seemed good, but the shopkeeper, an engraver, narrowly examined it, and discovered that the signature, "J. Cann," was not written but printed. The customer said he could not believe the note was forged, but as he had no more money with him he would leave the note while he obtained a fresh supply: he did not return. The note was exceedingly well executed, and would deceive most people. Its number is ".1—K 54,065," and the date "October 4, 1848." A forged five-pound note has been passed on the proprietor of Poole's Coffeehouse. It purports to be issued by the Manchester branch of the Bank of England, and is signed "H. Hogleen"—this signature also is engraved. These printed signatures can be detected by looking at the back of the notes: if written, the ink shows through, but if printed there is hardly a mark.

It is said that the private desk of Mr. Hall, at Bow Street Police-office, has been broken open, and money and other articles stolen.

Mr. John James Watts, one of the parochial surgeons of St. George's in the East, has died under very extraordinary circumstances. He had latterly ab- sented himself from his practice, leaving his partner, who had not heard of hint for five weeks, to perform the whole; and he seems to have fallen into great dis- tress. One night last week, Mr. Watts, who was in his sixty-sixth year, engaged a bed for himself and an elderly female at a coffeehouse in Whitechapel Road. Next morning, the couple were found very ill; the medical men treated the cases as those of cholera; Mr. Watts did not long survive; and the woman, a widow named Craig, remained dangerously ill. A post-mortem examination showed that the deceased had been poisoned: oxalic acid and corrosive sublimate were found in the viscera. Packets of poison were found on Mr. Watts's person. At the inquest, Mr. Broadwater, the deceased's partner, said that from recent cir- cumstances he doubted Mr. Watts's sanity. Sarah Craig had told her brother that she was seized with illness after drinking something given to her by her par- smear. Mr. Watts was a married man, but had been separated from his wife thirty years ago. The whole case seemed very mysterious ; and the Jury re- turned this special verdict—" That the deceased died from the effects of poison; but how or in what manner administered, or whether taken by the deceased or otherwise, there was not sufficient evidence for the Jury to say.'

Sarah Craig died subsequently ; also Mrs. Lewis, the keeper of the coffeehouse. An inquest was held ; and after hearing medical and other evidence, the Jury found an unanimous verdict that the women died of cholera. Mr. Nash, a sur- geon, who declared that Mr. Watts had died of poison, also averred that these two persons had perished from the same cause, and that he could prove it if he were allowed to make the necessary examination of the bodies.

Maria Lindsay, a single woman of twenty-two, and her child, an infant seven months old, have been found drowned in the Surrey Canal. There appears to be little doubt that the woman destroyed herself and child. She could not obtain any assistance from her seducer, and could not even find him latterly: this preyed on her mind, especially as she was not in very good circumstances, though she had some employment in attending a coal-shed. A Coroner's Jury gave a ver- dict that Maria Lindsay had murdered her child, and destroyed herself, while in an unsound state of mind.