The Poor-Law Commissioners held a meeting yesterday, at their office
in Whitehall Yard. Mr. Erankland Lewis and Mr. John Lefevre, Commissioners, and Mr. Chadwick, the Secretary, were present.
Amongst the alterations likely to be carried into immediate effect, is a plan for opening a public thoroughfare into St. James's Park on the site of the present Foreign Office in Downing Street, and for erecting a suitable line of buildings for the Foreign and other Govern- ment Offices in the immediate vicinity; Downing Street and the ad- joining houses being intended to be cleared away for that purpose.
Medical men concur inn stating, that there is more sickness at this time in the Metropolis than has been at any preceding period of the year.
The supplies of wheat in Mark Lane during the last week were larger than in any former similar period since the year 1821.
Mr. Shillibeer, the original introducer of omnibuses into the Me- tropolis, is, it is said, appointed one of the Commissioners, with a salary of 6001. per annum, of the new Board for controlling the vaga- nes of these cumbrous machines, under the recent Act of Parliament.
On Saturday evening, a young lady on a visit at Camden New Town, at a convivial party, dressed herself as a beggar-girl, and strolled the middle of several streets, singing sweetly. She was attended, un- observed, for protection. Several donations were made her ; and an elderly gentleman descended from his drawing, room into the street with a contribution ; and on presenting it, added his overture, but somewhat out of time, and in a key too low for the lady's auditory. No one de- tected the playful fraud.
An extraordinary scene of confusion was presented on Sunday morn- ing at the steam-wharf, by London Bridge, where were congregated hundreds beyond what could possibly be accommodated on board the Six steamers appointed to start from that wharf. A large proportion of the assembled crowd consisted of persons who had purchased tickets during the past week, and who were loud in their complaints of the trick which they considered had been played upon them. It seems of late the two rival Companies whose boats start from this wharf have lowered their fares to Is., Sunday included, provided the ticket is pur- chased the previous week, or day, of the appointed agent on the wharf. The ticket on its face gives a right to the buyer to go by any boat be- longing to the Company by which the agent is employed, and on any day, or hour of the day, at which any one of the several packets enu- merated in the ticket is to start. An immense number of these tickets had been sold by the agents of both Companies during the past week ; and, as it turns out, to parties most of whom Inel determined to rein !,T them available on Sunday last. The consequence was, that the shoals of persons which were momentarily anis lug at the wharf far exceeded the means of conveyance provided by either Company. The rush to get on board was tremendous, and it was hardly possible to prevent dal boats from being overloaded to a dangerous extent. Each of the six boats started considerably before the appointed time; and they were compelled to drag away the platform leading from the wharf to the deck of the boat, when the platform itself was crowded with a dozen or more persons. The Mercury is estimated to have had at least r.200 per- sons on board, and even the little Pearl is said to have had 6tal on deck when it put otr.—Cfwrier.
The Marquis of Hertford bad a narrow escape the day previous to his departure from tow n. His Lordship was driving a pair of high- bred horses in a new phaeton in Hyde Park ; and when near the stone
laid by the Duke of W elliiigton for the building now in progress, the horses took fright and galloped off. At the angle, near the Hermi-
tage, the animals rushed through the fence, and threw hit Lordship and a young lady out of the vehicle ; but, happily, neither received the slightest injury. The carriage was broken to pieces.
Mr. Henry Willis, a gentleman of fortune residing in Chelsea, was thrown out of his gig yesterday morning, and received much injury. His horse became restive, and ran the gig against a coal-waggon; and the concussion threw Mr. Willis on his head upon the pavement; at first he appeared to be lifeless, but afterwards partially recovered.
Mrs. Pardoe, a lady residing in Quebec Street, Bryanston Square, was nearly burnt to death on Wednesday, by her clothes accidentally catching lire. Mr. Pardoe was sitting at breakfast, with her feet on a stool before the fire, and a blazing coal flew out of the grate and set fire to her gown. Inn an instant the flame communicated to the rest of her apparel ; Mrs. Pardoe entered the rooni at this instant, and with great presence of mind enveloped Mrs. Pardo° with some heavy damask window-curtains, and succeeded in extingiii-hing the fire. Medical aid was instantly procured ; when Mrs. Pardoe was found to have sustained such serious injury that but very slight hope is entertained of her surviving.
The inhabitants of St. Giles's have been alarmed by a report that a "ghost" for the last night or two bad been paying visits to the church- yard. On Wednesday night, a great crowd assembled, and a tall figure was plainly discerned moving among the tombstones. Some two or three of the bystanders, less superstitious than the rest, got over the railings, and found, instead of a being of " no tnortal mould," a poor Irishwoman. It appeared that this poor creature, had recently lost her son, who was buried last week in the above-mentioned churchyard, and the woman having heaid that some persons, known to be "resurrection- men," had been lurking in the neighbourhood, she became fearful that they were waiting an opportunity to exhume the body of her child, and determined to watch the grave. Her putting this plan into execution raised the apprehensions of the superstitious, and on Wednesday night the crowd became so dense that the police were obliged to interfere.— Standard.
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