At a meeting of the Court of Common Council on

Tuesday, the subject ofcCorpomtion reform was again resumed. No fewer than three resolu- tions were under•consideration ; but:after some discussion,—of which the prevailing cast was in favour, of reform by means of a bill in Parliament premoted by the Corporation itself,—the following resolution was agreed to.

" That it be referred to a Committee to prepare and present to this Court a bill for extending the franchise for the Wardmote elections in the City of London to all persons occupying premises within the City and rated to the amount of 101. per annum; the bill to include such other suitable alterations in the Corporation as maybe deemed advisable, and the Committee to obtain the support of the Government to the measure, and to report forthwith."

Arrangements were made for the composition of the Committee.

At a Court of Proprietors of East India Stock, on Wednesday, Mr. Lewin submitted a motion, to the effect that the Court of Directors should withhold their support, given by advertisement, from the outgoing Direc- tors. The motion was seconded by Mr. Sergeant Gaselee, but was not much discussed on its merits. Finally, after a debate in which Sir James Weir Hogg defended the Proprietors and the Directors,—declaring that there was no corrupt practices in the distribution of patronage, and that Government did not send out despatches without the knowledge of the Court of Directors,—the motion was negatived, five hands only being held up for the affirmative.

There was another assembly of ladies at Stafford House on Saturday. They mot to receive the report of the General Committee, which was read by the Duchess of Sutherland. It appears that the address to the ladies of America has received 562,848 signatures, collected from nearly every district in her Majesty's European dominions. It will be remitted to the care of Mrs. Beecher Stowe, who has undertaken to make such arrange- ments as shall give it the greatest publicity. In the letter conveying her acquiescence, Mrs. Stowe mentioned a "new work from her pen' ; and before the ladies separated, a copy of "A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" was presented by the Committee to the Duchess of Sutherland. The sig- natures to the address fill twenty-six large folio volumes ; and they have been exhibited this week in a strong oaken case, at the Caledonian Hotel in the Adolphi.

The Highland Society dined at the Freemasons' 'Tavern on Monday, to commemorate the battle of Alexandria. The Duke of Argyll presided. In proposing the " Army and Navy," he took occasion to express his dis- sent from the " singular doctrines on peace and war " propounded under the authority of Mr. Cobden.

The fourteenth anniversary of the General Theatrical Fund was cele- brated on Monday, by a dinner at the London Tavern. The Honour- able Henry Berkeley M.P. in the chair. Mr. Buckstone, the treasurer of the society, stated that the cost of obtaining their charter was only 350/, owing to the liberality of the lawyers and that their present capital would be over 70001. Upwards of 3501. was subscribed at the table.

Notices have been forwarded from the Home Office to the authorities of St. Mary Islington, dated March 17, stating that Lord Palmerston in- tended to represent to the Queen in Council, that, for the protection of the public health, burials in the Roman 'Catholic burial-ground of St. John, and in the now Dunhill Fields burial-ground, should be discontinued at the end of the present year.

The parish of St. Pancras, in Vestry assembled, have agreed to purchase fifty acres of land at Finchley, called the " Horse-shoe Farm," for the purpose of laying it out as a cemetery. Some opposition was littered, but the proposition received the support of 41 to 2.

St. Clement's churchyard, in the Strand, will be finally closed, under an order in Council, on the 1.8th April. Notices have been issued to close several graveyards after December next. Parishes are bestirring them- selves to obtain the closure of churchyards and the purchase of suburban cemeteries : the authorities of -St. Mary Newington advertise for several acres of ground for a cemetery.

Mr. Henry, the Bow Street Magistrate, gave judgment on Thursday re- specting the Potteries Free Press : he pronounced it a newspaper, not a class publication similar to the Athenaum or the Builder ; and he fined Mr. Truelove 51. for selling it undamped. Notice of appeal to the 'Quarter- Sessions was at ones given, and bail was put in for Ifs. Truelove.

Last week, a man entered the house of Miss Kelly, the actress, in Moscow Road, Paddington. A young lady named Greville, her companion, was sleeping with her, when they were awakened by the dog. Miss Greville rose, struck a light, hastily dressed, and in Miss Kelly's dressing-room saw a man. She rushed back, closed and locked the door—Miss Kelly wanting "to go to the man" ! and both -then called for the police. Fortunately •two policemen were near, and they captured the 'flying thief—Henry Baker. One of Miss Kelly's pocket-handkerchiefs was found on him. He had open- ed and 'ransacked the drawers in the dressing-room, and had placed a stair- case barometer ready for removal. To light himself about, he had burned a quantity of valuable papers. He 'has this week been committed for " bur- • glariously breaking out of Miss Kelly's house;" and also for the robbery. Saunders, the man who murdered Mr. Toiler, 'near Ilford, has been re- spited

till Wednesday next, that further inquiries may be made into his sanity.

Mr. Bingham, the Marlborough Street Magistrate, was led to condemn the useless or evil effects of " soup-kitchens', from three cases that came before him on Tuesday. A woman was committed to prison for stealing a pair of boots ; she stole them from a woman to. hom she had sold soup-tickets ; and when this thief was arrested she had in her possession tickets from three soup-kitchens. A fellow was sent to prison for begging and assaulting the Police : this worthy was provided with four soup-tickets for as many different establishments. John Ellis was committed for a month for assaulting -the soup-distributor At Leicester Square : Ellis, a single man, got "family" soup-tickets, and then sold the soup thus obtained at a penny a quart ; when he presented a family ticket on Monday last his claim was rejected, where-

upon he assaulted the distributor. -

A burglary, very similar in its character and audacity to one last week in Lower Belgrave Street, was committed early on Saturday morning at the house of Mr. Coles, in Edward Street, Langham Place. This was a corner. house at the end-of the Policemen's beats. Very recently, a silversmith's in Regent Street, not far from Mr. Coles's, was plundered with impunity. It is suspected that the burglars who ransacked Mr..Coles's house -were the same who operated in Lower Belgrave Street. The Clerkenwell Magistrate has sent John Taggart, a warder at Penton- Tine, to prison for a month, for conveying letters and other things to a con- vict in the Model Prison. Taggart is an old soldier, has a pension, and seems to have been well-conducted heretofore. Mr. Corrie said he might apply to the Home Secretary. for a commutetian of his sentence, when Mr. Corrie would give his opinion on the case.

Mrs. Mary Ann Adams has committed suicide by leaping from Waterloo Bridge, and she has probably destroyedher infant in the same way, under most distressing circumstances. Her husband had been a clerk in the City ; he committed forgeries, and absconded ; his wife and children had to seek refuge in the workhouse ; the reverse and shame unhinged the poor woman's mind. She left a letter behind her intimating her intention to kill her- self and infant, and touchingly alluding to her husband and their elder children.

A young woman has died in University College Hospital under chloroform, administered as a preparative to an operation. It was discovered by a post- mortem examination that the deceased had a fatty degeneration of the heart, and the chloroform had paralyzed the diseased organ. This is the first fatality in the hospital from chloroform, which has been employed in 1600 cases. A Coroner's Jury pronounced the death " accidental" ; but recom- mended greater precaution in the future administration of chloroform to patients.

An "accident" on the Blackwell Railway, on Sunday, failed of full ac- complishment. The two o'clock train from Blackwell ran off the rails while _passing the Minories station; and but for the snapping of the bolt which attached the engine to the train, the consequences would have been serious. As it was, the foremost carriage became deeply imbedded in gravel, of which .a very large quantity has recently been deposited near the station, and the train was brought to a sudden halt. The "points," it appears, had not been properly closed. No passengers were hurt, although the front carriage was turned completely round by the shock.