t aittruptio.

London kept the Queen's birthday, on Tuesday. Lord Hardinge in- spected the Household Brigade on the parade-ground behind the Horse Guar& in the morning; the guns of the Park and Tower boomed out at mid-day ;' and in the evening the line of streets from the Bank to the West end of Piccadilly was illuminated : the show of lights, the stars, crowns, garlands, and devices, were more than usually splendid and taste- ful., night was clear and fresh ; and a gay crowd filled the lighted streets. 'Altogether, the holyday evening was very joyously spent.

The Ministers gave grand dinner-parties in honour of the occasion. There were no fewer than ten of these banquets. The Earl of Aber- deen. entertained the Duke of Cambridge and a number of Peers. Lord ,PalmeistOn's party consisted of the Lord Chancellor, the Judges, the Speaker, the Lord Mayor, some of the Ministers, and a few othengentlemen. The Earl of Clarendon gathered round hini all the Mi- nisters from Foreign countries, with other gentlemen who are or have been connected with the Diplomatic serviceas Sir Robert Peel. The Duke of Newcastle was surrounded by the heads of the Army, his imme- diate 'subordinates in the Colonial department, and some Governors, Bishops, and other Colonial notables. The assembly at the Chancel- lor of the Exchequer's consisted of gentlemen connected with the Bank, the Custom's," the Board of Inland Revenue, the Treasury, and others : Sir William: Molesworth, Mr. Strutt, and Mr. Cardwell, were of this party: Sir Charles Wood, as President of the India Board, received the East India' Directors. The Duke of Norfolk, Lord Steward of the Houaehialk entertained a numerous body of noblemen and gentlemen connected with his department. The Lord Chamberlain, the Marquis of Breadalbarie, had a party chosen on the same principle. So had the Master ofthe.Horse; but the Duke of Wellington was prevented by in- disPOsition-Trom appearing as host,- and his brother Lord Charles Wel- lesley prekided. The Attorney-General feasted a large assemblage at the Albion, consisting of the Solicitor-General, the Queen's Advocate, Ser- geants-at-law, Queen's counsel, and barristers.

The Archbishop of York entertained the Primate, a number of Bishops, and three other dignitaries of the Church.

This week the contest for the office of City Chamberlain has been carried on with great vigour and a keen spirit on both sides. The nomi- nation took place on Monday; the candidates were Alderman Sir John Key, and:Mr. Benjamin Scott, the "working Chamberlain." Sir John had a majority of 16 on the first day's poll ; but on the second, third, and fourth; Mr. Scott headed his opponent by 79, 63, and 25, respectively. Yesterday; however, Sir John had regained his vantage-ground, and the 'nutabers stood- - - - Key 2421 Scott 2407 At a meeting of the Court of Common Council, on Saturday, a resolution pledging the Court to effect improvements in Holborn Valley and Victoria Street in concurrence with the proposed City terminus was carried by 62 to 28.

Pfihetitally to their appointment, the City deputation in the matter of JeWish exclusion attended on Saturday at the Paymaster-General's Office in Whitehall, to receive further explanations from Lord John Russell. But instead of Lord John, they found a note, stating that he was obliged to ,attend a Cabinet, Council then about to meet; and recommending thaCnothing should be done until the nature of Lord Lyndhurst's bill had been ascertained.

The ancient Company of Fishmongers held their annual dinner on Wednesday ; the Prime Warden, Mr. Benjamin Shaw, in the chair. On his right sat Lord Hardinge, Baron Goldsmid, Sir Richard Bethel', Mr. John-Maaterinan M.P., and Sir James Duke M.P.; on his left, Admiral Sir 'Charlgri Napier, Mr. Hayter M.P., and Mr. Keogh M.P. Among the 'company Were a good sprinkling of Nonconformist Members of Parliament, including' Mr. EdWard Miall and Mr. Edward Ball. On the toast " the 'Army and NaVy," Lord Hardinge spoke ; commenting on the high state of the-gisciPliiie of the Army, and the unity of feeling that animates the two services. ; • • He was proud to have his name associated with that of his gallant friend Sir Charles Napier, whom he had known for upwards of forty years; his first acquaintance with him having commenced at the battle of Busaeo, when the present General Sir Charles Napier having been wounded with a spent ball, he saw his gallant friend the Admiral carrying him off the field of battle. Admiral Napier had therefore learnt the profession of a soldier under the great Duke-;- and if he had continued in it, he might have been as distin- guished as a soldier as he had since been as a sailor. ,,:Admiral Napier returned thanks for the Navy—never with more plea- sure, for at last we have got a good Navy, thanks to the late Govern- talent, whhie views had been followed up by their successors. -11e-con-fmented on the black storm brewing in the East ; and took a gloomy view of the prospects of Turkey, to whom we " could give little support!' For although France and England have fleets in the Mediterranean, we must not forget that the Russians have thirty sail of the line in the Baltic, while we have only ten here. But if war were declared, the Navy would be " ready, aye ready," to do its duty.

Sir James Duke, Baron Goldsmid, Mr. Keogh, Sir R. Bethel], and other gentlemen, made speeches ; Mr. Hayter doing duty for Ministers.

The conflict respecting the " Management Clauses" seems likely to end in the establishment of an Education Society separate from the Na- tional Society. On Wednesday, Lord Lilford presided over a meeting at Willis's Rooms, called to satisfy the views of those clergymen and lay- men who are dissatisfied with the policy of the National Society. The Reverend Edmund Girdlestone, of Dean, who supports the Management Clauses, moved a resolution setting forth the necessity of founding a new educational society on the basis of " sound Protestant principles," and " the plain meaning of the Church of England's evangelical articles and formularies." He narrated the history of the proceedings in the National Society in respect of the Management Clauses ; pointing out the victories obtained by Mr. Archdeacon Denison, and stating that Mr. Girdlestone and his friends had done all they could " to make the National Society a true representative of the Protestant Church of Great Britain "; and, having failed, they felt that they ought to attempt the foundation of a new society—a society which would he neither High Church nor Low Church, but Church-of-England—not intended to supplant but to act as a supplement to the older institution. Mr. Arthur Kinnaird seconded the resolution ; and it was carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. J. C. Colquhoun, a resolution formally constituting the society was carried ; and on the motion of the Reverend Francis Close, a third resolution, in- viting the foiiitation of branch societies, was adopted.

At the last weekly meeting of the Indian Reform Society, it was re- solved that no appeal should be made to public opinion until after the an- nouncement of the Government measure on the 3d of next month ; but that if the Government policy do not satisfy the just claims of the native petitioners, a public meeting should be immediately convened in London to oppose it.

M. Kossuth attended a thin meeting of the " Friends of Italy," held on Wednesday in the Music Hall, Store Street. Among the speakers were Professor Newman and Mr. George Dawson. M. Kossuth, in obedience to a call, spoke briefly at the close of the meeting, simply to inform the public again that he has done with oratory, and to express his hostility to Austria. The meeting was very hearty, and mainly composed of re- spectable-looking Englishmen and bearded foreigners.

The Committee of the Anti-Slavery Society held a soiree on Wednes- day, in Willis's Rooms, for the purpose of presenting an address to Mrs. Beecher Stowe. Mr. Joseph Sturge took the chair, in the absence of the Earl of Shaftesbury. • On the platform was a marble bust of Mrs. Stowe, by Mr. Burnard. The meeting was composed chiefly of ladies, and these were mostly Quakers. After the long and verbose address had been read and presented to Mrs. Stowe; her husband spoke on the subject with his usual facility and volume. The ladies and gentlemen present then filed before the heroine of these displays ; abstaining, by request, from the ceremony of shaking hands. The ceremonial ovation being concluded, tea and supper were served.

The anniversary meeting of the Royal Geographical Society was held on Monday, in the theatre of the Royal Institution, .Albemarle Street ; the President, Sir Roderick Murchison, in the chair. In the report, various facts descriptive of the state of the Society were mentioned. The Society consists of 701 ordinary and 62 honorary and corresponding members. Of the former, 105 have been added to the list since the last anniversary ; of the latter, two have been nominated, M. Pierre de Tchithatchet; author of works on the Altai Mountains and Asia Minor, and Signor Cristoforo Negri, Chief of the Consular Department of Sar- dinia. Of the ordinary members 12 have died, 4 resigned, and the names of 37 have been erased as defaulters. - The funded capital of the Society, 20001. Three-and-a-quarter per Cents, remains intact. The receipts of the past year amounted to 15401., minus a sum of 381. received in aid of the Arctic-Expedition and paid over to Lady Franklin. Since the last anniversary, the' Twenty-second volume of the Society's Journals has been published ; and since 1847 the bookseller's returns have ranged from 30/ to 1201. The gold medals have been awarded to Mr. Francis Calton, for having, at his own expense, explored a large portion of Central Africa; and to Commander Inglefield, for his survey of the coasts of Baffin's Bay, Smith's Sound, and Lancaster Sound, during the past summer. The report closes with a complaint of want of suitable apartments for the dif- play of maps and charts, which are now hidden. It claims public aid, on the ground that its labours are gratuitous, while the fruits. thereof are national. Sir Roderick Murchison delivered the usual address giving an account of the Society's doings during the past year, and future operations contemplated. He is succeeded in the presidency by theEtirl'of At the sittings of the Court of CoMMon Pleas on Tuesday, the Queen's birthday, the Lord Chief Justice took Mr; Sergeant Themes and Mr. James to task for not benonring the day by 'appearing in full dress., ' Bothgentlemen apologized ; but -stated hi extenuation, that they had foblid the'Jridges of the Court 'of Queen's Bench and the leaders of the-bar in' the 'Other courts not in full dress, and that they did not intend disrespect to her Majesty. Mr. Ser- geant Thomas had 'actually put on his full-bottomed wig, but put it off again when he heard that the abovementioned judges and leaders had on their bar wigs. The Lord Chief JuStice said this was the first time such an omis-

sion had occurred in hii experience. • •

The Grand Jury at the Surrey Session's have returned a true bill against the Maks 'and their workman for unlawfully manufacturing rockets. The defeplants have removed the case 'by a writ of certiorari into the Court of QUeen's Bench.

Sarah Minchin, a servant-girl, living at Mr. Smith's, a grocer, in Cam- bridge Street, Hyde Park, is in custody on a charge of attempting to murder her master's son, a boy of thirteen. She struck him with a carving-knife, While he was in bed in the morning, inflicted a wound on his throat, and cut his hands. -A shopman heard the boy's cries, and entered the room in time to save him from instant death. The motive for the crime seems to have been some petty quarrel. The girl had nothing to say when brought before the Marylebone Magistrate. The Worship Street Magistrate has sent Mr. George Thomas Steadman, a solicitor living at Hackney, to the House of Correction for three months, for abandoning his wife and children and leaving them chargeable to the parish. The wife, said he had deserted her to live with an actress. He offered an allowance of only ten shillings a week, pleading poverty ; but it appeared on inquiry that his circumstances were not so straitened as he said.

Garratt was finally examined before Alderman Wire on Monday.. The only new witness was Mr. James Murray Wilson, of St. Petersburg, from whom the prisoner obtained 25001. by means of the forged letter of credit. Garratt gave bills of exchange for the amount upon the Union Bank of London. From Mr. Wilson's statement it appears that Garratt gut money at Moscow as well as from him and from Shickler and Co. of Berlin. Mr. Wontner addressed the Alderman on behalf of the prisoner, urging that no offence had been committed in England. Alderman Wire resolved to commit for a misdemeanour—a fraudulent attempt to obtain money from the Union Bank ; but as there was some doubt respecting the law, he offered to take bail-5001. from Garrett, and two sureties of 2501. each.

The Thames Police Magistrate has interfered to put an end to a " privi- lege to drown people." At a private ferry between the Isle of Dogs and Greenwich, the wirtermen think they have a right to carry as many people in their boats as they can stow in them, without reference to their licensed number. John Moss carried fourteen on Whit Sunday ; his licence says " eight "; but Moss told Mr. Yardley that he might carry "as many as he liked" at a private ferry. In order to convince him that he had not "the pr irate right to drown persons," Mr. Yardley fined him 20s.