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The election of Common Councilman for the ward of Farringdon Without is not yet determined. There was a meeting of the wardmote on Wednesday ; when Mr. Wells, one of the defeated candidates, said he should petition the Court of Aldermen to set aside the last election, for informality. This would be the quickest way of settling the matter, as a scrutiny might continue for an indefinite period.

A meeting for the relief of the destitute poor in Bethnal Green was held on Thursday afternoon. It was stated that the parish contains 70,000 inhabitants, most of whom are in a state of poverty ; therefore it was utterly impossible for the parish to find means to support them. A resolution was adopted, to the effect that an immediate appeal be made to the more wealthy classes for their contributions.

The affair of Mr. William Tooke of the Useful Knowledge Society, end his attempt to use the influence of the Society for electioneering purposes, has not been permitted to drop. A requisition was sent to the Chairman by some of the Committee, to call a special meeting for Wednesday last, for the purpose of making an alteration in the by-laws, so as to render the election of the Treasurer as well as of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, annual. Mr. Tooke prudently took the hint, and ten- dered his resignation ; feeling, as he says, that in consequence of the division of sentiment existing.in the Committee, he shall not be again

able to meet it with that cordiality which hitherto had marked his in- tercourse with the members. It would have been strange if they had met with cordiality.

The frost continued with great severity till Tuesday. On Monday night the thermometer fell to 24 degrees ; and on Tuesday morning at six o'clock, it was as low as 20 degrees. The wind on Tuesday veered gra- dually round to south-west, and the thermometer rose rapidly. On . Wednesday evening, there was a fall of rain and sleet ; and at twelve- that night the thermometer was at 39 deg. On Thursday night, there was a return of frost ; but before morning it had disappeared. The . sheets of water in the Perlis offered good skating till Wednesday. The ice was daily cm o wded, but it was so strong that no accidents occurred. e: The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council assembled yesterday, 11% to hear the argument in the appeal concerning the will of the late James 71** Wood, the rich Gloucester banker. The appellants are Sir Matthew Wood and the two other surviving executors; the respondents are- the Corporation of Gloucester and the legatees under the codicil. Sir Frederick Pollock, for the respondent, took an objection to the constitution of the Council, as Dr. Lushington, one of the judges, had been engaged as counsel in the case. After some, discussion, it was- arranged that the argument should be adjourned till Monday.

At Union Hall Police-office, on Wednesday, William Kingate, a. warehouseman in the employ of Messrs. Knight and Young, the publishers of the Penny Cyclopedia was charged with having stolen upwards of a ton weight of copies of the work, which he had sold for- waste paper. He wet remanded.

A cast Of" the Queen's great cheese," of which much has been said in the papers, is preparing for exhibition-in London, before the cheese itself is placed on her Majesty's table. Two persons who are engaged in the speculation having taken a cast of the cheese, they placed it in a room at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, for exhibition. The proprietor- finding there was some delay, and that no rent was forthcoming, refused to deliver the key till he was paid. The parties summoned him to ap- pear at Marlborough Street Office ; where on Thursday the case was beard. Among other charges made by the complainants, they said they- had reason to believe the defendant was in league with others to exhi-- bit the real cheese ; which would of course destroy all chance of getting the sight-seeing people to pay for looking at the plaster cast. It was arranged that the claimants might remove their sham cheese on pay- ment of five guineas.

A man named Dutton, who was formerly a servant of Mr. G. L. Blount, of Baker Street, Portman Square, has been committed for trial from Marylebone Police-office, charged with obtaining money from his former master, who is eighty-four years old, by threatening to expose his private character. The prisoner married a servant of Mr.. Blount, and left his employ about nine years since.

The Magistrates at Kensington Petty Sessions had to decide, on Saturday, a question involving the much-contested point of "taking the- wall." Two gentlemen met on Stanford Bridge, and each was deter- mined not to give up the post of honour. The one who had his right hand to the wall conceived he had "the law on his side." The left- hand gentleman had also made it a point of honour always to take the wall ;. and sooner than give place, he turned back, keeping still to the wall. At last the other attempted to thrust himself through a breach between the wall and his opponent ; when the latter struck him with his stick, and a regular fracas ensued. The Magistrates decided in favour of the complainant, who had his right hand to the wall, and fined the defend- ant five shillings.

We last week noticed a Police case at Lambeth Street Office, in which a woman called Moroner, but whose real name is Bailey, made com- plaints against parties who annoyed her for the purpose of obtaining documents relating to the death of Mrs. Maclean, at Cape Coast Castle. A letter from Mr. Forster, contradicting her statement, appeared in the- Times yesterday. He has obtained a declaration from Mrs. Bailey, con- W,111 taining the following admission-

" t hereby declare, that the statement which I made to Mr. Norton, at the Lam- I'd beth Street Police Court, on Thursday last, to the effect that I had been visited by different persons, some of them apparently of dis.inctiou, ccroing in their carriages, and requiring me to give up documents which I alleged to have in my pc.ssession, in reference to the death of the late Mrs. Maclean, is entirely unfounded; and that I am Cert pi:messed of no such documents or papers of importance, but merely the statements ' ,.hat took place when I arrived. I very sincerely regret having been led by the pub- lic excitement on this subject to invent these stories. It is true that I embarked with. Mrs. Maclean as her personal servant at Portsmouth, and attended her in that capacity up to the time of her death at CapeCoast Castle ; but I hereby solemnly declare, that E. never saw or heard of any thing to justify the calumnies which have been circulated against her husbandon the subject of her death. I neither saw nor heard of any treatment ; nor do I believe Mr. Maclean capable of any of thosethiugs which I have- heard laid to his charge by public rumour."

There were a great many fires in London during the Christmas fes-- tivities ; whether produced by the extra culinary preparations, or by the carelessness which those festivities induce. On Saturday morning, the sugar-house of Messrs. Goodhart, of Ratcliffe Highway, was de- stroyed before the flames could be extinguished. No water could be- obtained for a long time, owing to the frost. The damage done to the- building and property is estimated at 25,000/. During the fire, a -wall fell upon several firemen and others, who received much injury. One of the firemen had his legs fractured, and was obliged to have one of them amputated. It is stated, that on Saturday and the two following Ai days there were twenty-one fires in the Metropolis ; but none of them were of much extent.

An inquest was held on Monday on the body of Lieutenant-General Sir William Henry Pringle, aged sixty-eight, who fell down in a fit the preceding Wednesday afternoon, in the drawing-room of his house in Stratford Place, and died shortly afterwards. Lady Pringle was with the deceased at the.time. The Jury returned a verdict of " Na- tural Death."

On Wednesday, the main body of the Seventy-ninth Regiment of High- landers, under the command of Colonel Fergusson, arrived from Weedon Barracks, by the London and Birmingham Railroad, at Easton Grove terminus ; and immediately afterwards marched en route through the streets of the Metropolis, over Waterloo Bridge, to Deptford, with their band performing martial airs. The regiment embarked yesterday ItS

Deptford, on board the General Abercrombie, Government-ship, for Gibraltar.

The melancholy-looking eagle at the Swiss cottage in the Colosseum made its escape on Wednesday morning, and was afterwards found in the Regent's Park, devouring the carcase of a dead cat. The keepers, by approaching the bird cautiously, succeeded in securing it in a strong net ; and it was restored to its perch near the waterfall.