'be Olt tropolis.

On a requisition presented by a deputation of Common Councilmen, the Lord Mayor has appointed the 1st September for a meeting of the Council to auapt an address of welcome to General Espartero on his arrival in this country.

A special Court of Directors and members of the New Zealand Com- pany was held on Monday, at their house in Broad Street Buildings. The Governor said that the meeting had been convened for the purpose of raising a loan of 50,000/. to carry out the establishment of two new colonies ; the one to be called New Edinburgh, the other the Church of England Colony. The Secretary read the report, which stated that the three distinct settlements already established are going on satisfactorily, and they comprise a population of at least 10,000 souls. The settle- ments have been placed in that position upon a capital of 200,000/. through which the Company have acquired a property of about a million of acres of fertile land in favourable portions of a colony in which the minimum price of waste land is fixed by the Legislature at 11. per acre. The outlay of' the Company, however, had been about 500,000/.; the difference being supplied by the confidence of the public—that is, by the land-sales. The report stated that the Directors are now on the best terms with Government, and that the settlement of New Edinburgh is a favourite one in Scotland. Two of the Directors, Mr. Somes and Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, expressed their determination to lend the money required, at 41 per cent, should the other shareholders and the public fail in making up the amount required. The proposition of the Directors having been carried without dissent, thanks were voted to the Chair- man, and the assembly separated.

Father Mathew administered the pledge of total abstinence at Streatham Mews, in St. Giles's, on Friday and Saturday. On Monday, be breakfasted with Colonel Dawson Darner and a large party of noble- men and other distinguished persons ; among whom were Lord and Lady Palmerston, the Marquis and Marchioness of Clanricarde, Lord Camoys, Lord Clifford, and Lord Lover. The Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel were expected, but did not come : Sir Robert sent a letter of excuse, saying that the Queen's commands detained him at Windsor. After breakfast, Father Mathew proceeded to Whitfield's Mount at Greenwich ; where twenty or twenty-five thousand persons assembled. Mr. :Mathew began his address by noticing the fine sight before him; remarking that in Ireland such an assembly would be magnified to 150,000. He was cut short in his speech, however, by a party who had come prepared to make a disturbance : a publican had erected a large booth, and had brought a dray laden with ten barrels of ale and porter, which 'served as a stimulus to the riotous. The first to take the pledge was the Honourable Captain Jerningham ; but the reci- pients were .comparatively few, on account of the crowding and the continued disorder. On Tuesday morning, Mr. Mathew breakfasted with the Honourable Mr. Howard, of Cornby Castle, in Brook Street, meeting a numerous party ; and then pursued his mission in Deptford. .Before administering the pledge, the Reverend Mathew Seling, of Dana- burg, said to be the "Temperance apostle" of Germany, was intro-

duced to Mr. Mathew, and presented a requisition to him, worded in Latin, inviting him to pay a visit to that country. On Wednesday, he breakfasted with the Marquis of Clanricarde, and dispensed the pledge near the Penitentiary in Westminster. Mr. Lawrence, a mem- ber of the American Congress, was on the platform ; and he promised Father Mathew a warm reception should he visit the United States. While he was officiating in the same spot on Thursaay, the Duke of Wellington passed on horseback : the Duke stopped for a little while, and exchanged salutations with the philanthropist.

The session of the Central Criminal Court opened on Monday. In his charge to the Grand Jury, Mr. Justice Williams alluded to the late fatal duel; repeating with assent the opinion of Lord Hale, that the second of a party killed could not be accounted guilty of murder ; and expressing his own opinion, that Mr. Gulliver, the surgeon, could not stand in a worse position than either of the seconds. Nevertheless, on Tuesday, the Grand Jury presented a true bill against Alexander Thompson Munro, principal, William Dawson Trevor Grant, William Holland Leckie Daniel Cuddy, seconds, and George Gulliver, for the wilful murder of Colonel Daniel Lynar Fawcett.

The trial came on yesterday, when Mr. Gulliver, Surgeon in the Royal Horse Guards (Blue), and Mr. Cuddy, a Lieutenant in the Fifty-fifth Regiment, surrendered to be tried. Lieutenant Munro and Lieutenant Grant were called, but did not appear. The Judges were Mr. Justice Williams and Mr. Justice Rolfe. The Attorney-General, Mr. Wad- dington, and Mr. Chambers, appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. Ser- geant Shee, Mr. Clarkson, and Mr. Ballantyne, for the prisoners. The Attorney-General said that he thought the charge against Mr. Gulliver could not-be sustained, and therefore he entered a Nolle prosegui. Mr.. Gulliver was accordingly discharged from the dock, and became a witness for the prosecution. The evidence generally did not differ from that taken at the inquest, and before the Police Magistrate, ex- cept that it was less ample and more compact. An additional witness was Mr. Gulliver ; whose evidence did not add much to the main facts, but supplied one or two points of interest. It appeared that he was asked to accompany Mr. Grant on the same morning that the duel took place. From some words that Mr. Gulliver overheard, it would appear that, after all, the fatal shot was the result of a mistake at the moment- " I had my back towards the parties, when I beard a cry, ' Ready—fire!' and also a cry of Doctor ! ' I think Lieutenant Munro called out Doctor !' I heard a report of fire-arms, and I ran up to Colonel Fawcett, who was lying on the ground wounded. A gentleman, I believe it was Mr. Cuddy, was standing by him. Lieutenant Munro ran up to Colonel Fawcett. There was something said about levelling a pistol. Colonel Fawcett said he was levelling, or covering him, or words to that effect. Lieutenant Munro said, Oh, Fawcett, I thought you were levelling at me,' or 'covering me,' or words to that effect. Colonel Fawcett said, • No, I was not.'"

The evidence of Mr. Liston confirmed Colonel Fawcett's assurance; for he said that Colonel Faweett's arm must have been raised very high at the moment when he received the shot. Sergeant Shee ad- dressed the Jury for the prisoner ; contending that the duelist, acting under an imperative necessity, could not be considered a murderer and especially the second of the man who was killed. The only wit- ness for the defence was General Sir W. Clinton ; who, being asked whether the prisoner at the bar had served in the Fifty-fifth Regiment, began his evidenee thus-

" The officer I see at the bar—I don't call him prisoner—I recognize to have been the officer who was almost the first to escalade the walls of one of the large cities of China." The General was checked in the warmth which induced him to de- viate into irrelevant matters, (though probably the escapade had its effect with the Jury,) and he stated that Mr. Cuddy had always been es- teemed a person of quiet habits. Mr. Justice Williams charged the Jury, that if the prisoner was present aiding, assisting, and abetting in a deliberate duel, at which Colonel Fawcett was killed, they must find him guilty. After some deliberation, the Jury asked if Mr. Cuddy was charged with wilful murder ? and they were told that he was. It is to be gathered that they had a doubt whether he was proved to have handled the pistols, or given other active assistance, before the shot was fired. After retiring for nearly three hours, the Jury returned a ver- dict of "Not Guilty " ; which was received with a burst of applause in court. Lieutenant Cuddy was then discharged.

Yesterday also, George William Hamilton, who formerly called him- self a solicitor, but who was described in the indictment as a labourer, was convicted of attempting to extort money from Miss Jesselina Hopper, of Derby Place, Bayswater. He had threatened to publish im- putations on her character in the Satirist, and to subposna her as a wit- ness against a brothel, as if she frequented it. He was sentenced to be transported for fourteen years.

On Thursday, the Grand Jury returned true bills against Pedro de Zulueta the younger, a respectable City merchant, Thomas Jennings, and Thomas Bernardos, mariners, for felony. The charge had been preferred directly before the Grand Jury, without the intervention of a Magistrate. Sir George Stephen appeared for the prosecution, Mr. Clarkson for Mr. de Zulueta; who was brought up in custody. The other prisoners were not in court. The indictment charged the pri- soner and the two other persons with having feloniously equipped and employed a certain vessel, called the Augusta, for the purpose of trading in slaves. In other counts the parties were charged with equip- ping the vessel for the purchase of slaves, and for the purpose of pur- chasing persons to be dealt with as slaves. Mr. de Zulueta pleaded " Not guilty." Application was made to admit him to bail ; and he entered into his own recognizance in 6,0001., and one surety in 2,0001., to appear when called on. The witnesses for the prosecution were Colonel Edward Nicholls, R. M., the Honourable Captain Den- man, and Captain Hill. The trial is postponed to the next session of the court.

On the same day, James Aberdine, called a labourer, but also the keeper of a "general shop " in a poor part of Westminster, was tried for attempting to warder his son and infant daughter. The man had attempted to kill the little girl and a son, and afterwards himself, with a hatchet ; also wounding his wife in her struggle to stop him. Both the children recovered. Dread of destitution was the motive; and the Jury acquitted him, on the ground of insanity.

The fire to the South-east of London Bridge, on Saturday morning, proved quite as destructive as the first accounts made it seem. The first to raise the alarm was a Policeman on duty in Tooley Street ; who, about two o'clock, saw a light in the oil and colour warehouse of Messrs. Ward and Co., in that street. The premises extended back to the river, between the upper and lower portion of Topping's wharf, which occupied a wide extent of ground ; and close to the oil-warehouse was the old shot-manufactory, which had recently been used for Watson's telegraph. The Policeman's rattle summoned several of his com- panions ; some of whom went to fetch engines ; while others, unable to make any one hear, burst open the gates of the wharfs. Before the messengers could reach the fire-offices, the flames burst forth from the' oil-warehouse ; and the inhabitants of the neighbouring houses rushed out, many in their night-clothes, under the greatest alarm ; which was increased by a report that there was a quantity of gunpowder in the warehouse ; but that fear seems to have been unfounded. Eogines were on the spot in ten minutes after the first alarm ; but they were for a time nearly idle from the scanty supply of water. Mr. Braidwood, the Director of the Fire Brigade, caused two immense floating-engines to be brought down the river and moored off the wharfs : they were set to work by 200 men ; and the water in the fire-mains also flowed more freely and supplied the engines on shore. But both portions of Topping's wharf, formed in great part of old wood, had already caught ire, as well as Watson's telegraph ; and no torrent of water could smother it. Efforts were now directed to save St. Olave's Church, which stood by the river, to the East of Topping's wharf; and at first with apparent success. But there was no wall between the wharf and the church; and the heat and smoke drove the firemen from their ground. At twenty minutes to three o'clock, it was discovered that both the roof and the steeple were on fire. The parish-officers had assembled ; and they succeeded in removing the communion-plate, registers, deeds, and other portable things of value. In another quarter of an hour, the wood-work of the roof, (which resembled the ceiling of St. Stephen's Walbrook,) the galleries, and organ, successively fell in. At this time the conflagration was a striking spectacle, and crowds were -collected at every favourable point of view to witness it : the burning buildings seemed to form a bed of fire, in the midst of which a column of smoke rose up the tower of the church, and at the summit flames burst forth like jets of gas. The appearance of the telegraph was -curious : after the tall wooden tower, 150 feet high, had strangely withstood the heat for half an hour, smoke began to curl out of all the windows ; then flames burst forth from top to bottom, and the whole shaft was a mass of vivid flame: the falling of the floors, one after the other, of which there were fourteen, gave an effect like that of so many explosions. The river reflected the blaze, which was seen for miles round London. Shortly after four o'clock the tower fell, luckily without hurting any person ; and one source of serious alarm was thus removed. There was a report that persons had been seen in the tower while it was on fire ; but it appears to have been unfounded. That night there was a tier of coasting-vessels moored of Topping's wharf, and their destruction at first appeared inevitable. One of the floating-engines, however, was brought to bear upon them ; and as the tide rose several of them were hauled off. Three that were closer in- shore took fire ; and one, the Fleece, of Exeter, with a general cargo, was burned to the water's edge. The buildings already named were entirely destroyed ; and at one period great fears were entertained for Fenninge's wharf. The Lord Mayor, who has some interest in that property, was there before three o'clock, in his dressing-gown and slippers. That wharf, however, was saved, with comparatively slight damage. The adjacent warehouses of Mr. Bennett, tarpaulin-manufac- turers, of Messrs. Cox, Brothers, and Co., Mr. Ruck, wholesale cheese- monger, Mr. Bloyd, seed and cloth warehouseman, and the warehouse and dwelling-house of Mr. Goodchild, were much scorched and damaged. The, total property lost has been roughly estimated at 70,0001. or 80,000/. ; but the insurance, which is said to cover the greater parr, is stated at 58,0001. The telegraph-tower is valued at 3,0001. The church was insured for 7,000/. The Sun, Phoenix, Union, and Atlas fire-offices, are sufferers, especially the first. There were several ac- cidents ; but the worst was that which happened to Mr. Harrison, a commercial traveller, whose horse took fright at the furious driving of an engine, and threw him from a gig : Mr. Harrison sustained a com- pound fracture of the leg, and severe injuries in the arms and head.

While the fire was at its height, a large piece of burning wood fell into 'the chimney of the house of Mr. Jones. a tea-dealer in High Street, Southwark ; and the fire which it caused was not extinguished before the house and stock were much damaged. While the ruins of the church were still burning, two bold couples were married by Dr. Kennedy, the Rector ; temporary shelter being pro- vided against the falling water. One bridegroom was sixty years old and his bride thirty-five ; the other two were both about twenty. When they left the church, they were cheered by the crowd outside. The scene of so great a fire has of course attracted many sightseers ; and on Sunday last the river was crowded by those who joined that amusement to the other one of boating. On that and the following days, too, London Bridge was a favourite resort whence to view the still smouldering ruins. The imprudence of some workmen created a new interest on Tuesday : they found some raisins among the ruins, ate them, and were taken very ill—they had poisoned themselves, for the raisins had become mixed with some arsenic that was stored near them. The prescription of a medical man who happened to be passing, however, saved them from worse consequences than a few hours' illness.

In respect of human life, the fire in Fetter Lane was far more dis- astrous. In the house at the corner of Bartlett's Buildings, were Mr. Newberry, an operative chemist and firework-maker, who oc- cupied it; Mr. Rose, his wife, and her sister, lodgers ; and Miss Eliza M'Criodell, another sister, who had come to see her relatives off to Ramsgate next day. At the inquest which was held on Saturday, it appeared that George Waters, a Policeman, had just passed the house of Mr. Newberry, about four o'clock that morning, when he heard a loud explosion ; and on looking back, he saw that the whole front of the shop had been blown into the street-

" I instantly sprung my rattle; and on coming up to the house, I saw Mr. Newberry up at the second-fluor window. I saw him throw the window up, and he looked out both right and left. I called to him to escape over the roof; but on looking up, I saw that the roof was blown up and that he could not escape in that direction. I then noticed him put his left leg out of the window, and afterwards the right one; he then put his right hand on the window, stood, and made a sprin. towards me. Seeing that he was coming on his Me, I made an effort to break his fall; but just before he came near me he mad* a turn, and fell between my arms to the ground, the back part of his head coming in contact with the curb. I then looked up to the third-floorfrontwoom, when I perceived two more persons ; one was a female, and the other, I think, wis a man. [Mr. and Mrs. Rose.] I immediately ran to the side-door in Bart; lett's Passage, to see if I could rescue them by means of the staircase ; when I found that the door was blown out, and I was met by a violent shower of rockets, and explosions were still going on. The whole of the hack part of the premises was destroyed, and the whole of the staircase was gone. I then re- turned into Fetter Lane, and saw Mr. Rose lying in the road in an insensible state."

The two men were carried to Bartholomew's Hospital ; but both died of fracture of the skull. Mrs. Rose was seen to fall back into the room, as if fainting. The other females perished also in the burning house ; and they were found in a bed, clasped in each other's arms. Mr. Edward Woolson, Mr. Newberry's assistant, who only attended the business in the day, and did not sleep at the house, attributed the filet° two ounces of fulminating mercury, in a box in a cupboard : there were several cats in the house, and if they had knocked the box it would have exploded. There was also two hundredweight of gunpowder. There had been a female servant, who was for the time in loco wroris to Mr. Newberry ; but they had some dispute, and she had left the plum about a fortnight before: she used to pack up the fireworks. The Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death,"—at the same time expressing a hope that the fire-ladders in future would be placed in such a aim- don that they could be more readily brought into operation for the rescue of human life.

The house itself was utterly destroyed ; and as many as twelve others, in Fetter Lane or Bartlett's Buildings, were more or less damaged. Some of the accidents were remarkable-

" From the bed. room of Mr. Franklin, a butcher, the drawers and the rest of the furniture were propelled into the middle of the room; and the walls wet► split up. The door of Mr. Newberry's was sent right through the door of Mr. Franklin's house. The windows in every house in Bartlett's Passage are more or less injured. Some portions of a chandelier fell (through the chimney, it is presumed) into the back bed-room of Mr. Morley, a tailor, in Bartlett's- Buildings. A chest of drawers from the house itself was carried past four houses to the top of the dairy-room of the Friern Farm, in Bartlett's Passage."

There were more destructive fires on Thursday night. One broke out in a warehouse belonging to the rope-manufactory of Mr. Robert Man- deville, in Kent Street, Borough; and although twelve engines were soon deluging the flames, which spread over the whole of the very extensive range of warehouses and sheds, all was destroyed. The property was insured for 3,700/. ; but the loss is said to be greater. Six houses in Castle Street were damaged.

The workhouse of Mr. Bourne, a cooper, in Cornwall Road, Lam- beth, was destroyed, and the dwelling-house much injured. Soon after the alarm, Mr. and Mrs. Bourne threw themselves from the second- floor window ; the lady breaking an arm and several ribs ; Mr. Bourne suffering less injury. Both were carried to Guy's Hospital. Mr. Bourne's property was insured.

The number of fires in the Metropolis—there were sixteen between Friday evening and Wednesday morning—has suggested a suspicion of incendiarism ; and the Morning Post publishes a paragraph by a cor- respondent, who says, that people at the Chartist Convention talked of a " newly-invented incendiary substance," and of " the facility with which London might be Moscowed."

A practical joke at Windsor, on Friday, nearly proved fatal. Shields, a private in the First Regiment of Life Guards, had laid a wager that a comrade, Bennett, could not shave him without drawing blood. Ben- nett had just succeeded, when he said, " Now I will give you a finishing- stroke,"—intending to startle Shields by drawing the back of the razor across his throat ; but unluckily he used the sharp edge by mistake, and divided several arteries. The surgeon was promptly in attend- ance, and closed up the wound, though not before an alarming effusion of blood.

The Morning Post announces that the Marquis of Exeter is about to restore, though not precisely on the same site, an old feature of the Strand- " The erection of a new and elegant arcade from the lower end of Catherine Street, in the Strand, to open into Wellington Street, by the side of the new Morning Post office, is already commenced; which building will be known by the name of Exeter Change.' The architecture of the principal entrances of the proposed arcade is of the Elizabethan style, with red brick and stone and the interior, having a curvilinear roof of glass the entire length of the building, will be fitted up with shops, exclusively appropriated to the sale of hard-ware, as in the ancient building. The whole will be erected at the sole cost of the noble Marquis. The architect is Mr. Sydney Sinirke, Messrs. Grissell and Peto the builders."