Int jlflttropolis.

In the Court of Aldermen, on Tuesday, there was a sharp but resultiess discussion on the Separate system of prison discipline. Sir Peter Laurie denounced it as an exciting cause of madness. Alderman Sidney defended the system; referring to the last report of the Inspectors of Prisons as con- clusive evidence in its favour. Alderman Gibbs brought up the report of the Committee upon the presentment of Langbourne Ward against the ob- structions caused by the increased trade of Leadenhall Market, and for such alterations in Lime Street as may enable them to carry on their

trade without danger, molestation, or inconvenience. He also brought up the report of the Committee on the City Police; which censured the em- ployment of policemen by the Commissioner as private servants, but re commended an increase of salary to that officer. The report was strongly opposed by Alderman Copeland and Sir Peter Laurie, but was finally car: tied by 11 to 3.

A Court of Common Council was held on Thursday; but the business transacted possessed no general interest.

At a meeting of Middlesex Magistrates, on Thursday, it was resolved to build a new County Asylum for Lunatics, at the East end of the Metro- polis.

The anniversary festival of the Scottish Hospital took place on. Monday, St. Andrew's Day, at the London Tavern. Mr. Bond Cabbell, M.P., the chairman, stated, that the expenditure of the society during the past year had exceeded the income by 6501., and that there was need of greatly in- creased exertions to make up the deficiency. It appears from the report that the number of applicants for casual relief, during the last year, was about three hundred monthly; and that upon those applicants, together with one hundred and thirty aged pensioners, and those who had been pro- vided with passages to Scotland, a sum of 2,761E had been expended.

The Association for Relieving the Poor in the City of London, or sub- scribers to the " City Kitchen," held their annual meeting on Thursday, at the London Coffeehouse, to hear the report. The City Kitchen was

opened for the season, last year, on the 5th of January, and remained open for twelve weeks; during which time they distributed 25,640 hundred- weight of coals. The committee had discontinued the practice of giving potatoes, and had increased the quantity of coals for every ticket ftom 89 pounds to 112 pounds. The receipts for the year amounted to 1,9241, and the expenditure to 1,9171. Officers were appointed, and operations arranged for the ensuing season.

The Society for Promoting the Amendment of the Law held a general monthly meeting on Wednesday. Lord Brougham presided; and there was a numerous attendance of members and visitors. Lord Brougham mentionedeome important suggestions that had been made to the Council,— a map of England, showing the boundaries of all estates; and a reference to the Society's Colonial and Navigation-law Committee on the appointment and tenure of Colonial Judgeships, removeable at pleasure. Mr. Stewart presented a report sketching the idea of a plan for insuring titles to real property. On the motion that it be received, there was a sharp debate. Mr. Cheers moved as an amendment, that the report be referred back.to the Committee for further. and more mature consideration: but the amendment was finally withdrawn, and the report was received, upon the understand- ing that the Society was not to be thereby pledged to any of its suggestions, the pants being all left open to discussion. Mr. Stewart also begged far- ther to explain, that the report formed only a small portion of a very ex- tensive subject. The meeting adjourned to that day fortnight; then to assemble sy for the purpose of taking into consideration a motion by Mr. M. D. upon the subject of juvenile offenders. .A public meeting was held on Wednesday, at the London Tavern,— Alderman Sidney in the chair,—to promote the total abolition of capital punishment. Mr. Gilpin, Mr. Vincent, and several other speakers, de- nounced the punishment of death as a remnant of barbarism, equally opposed to Divine legislation, the law of nature, and the civilization of the present century. A petition to Parliament against its continuance was adopted.

On Thursday, a very splendid service of plate was presented to Ex- Sheriff Laurie, in testimony of his exertions during his period of office. The presentation was made at the residence of Mr. D. W. Wire, at Lewis- ham, in the presence of the Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress, Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, Sir Felix Booth, and a numerous party of subscribers and friends. There was a grand entertainment on the occasion, concluding with a ball in the evening.

Application is intended to be made to Parliament next session for leave to construct a bridge from the church at Lambeth to the opposite shore at Westminster. There is a dense population in the vicinity of both ends of the proposed bridge. The scheme has been mooted for many years.

A new Roman Catholic church, on a scale of great magnificence, is to be erected at Croom's Hill, Greenwich; the present church having been found too small. The Lords of the Admiralty have granted the sum of 2001. towards the building-fund, in consideration of the number of Roman Catholics who are inmates of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich.

The 29th of November being the anniversary of the Polish Revolution of 1830, the Polish refugees resident in London attended divine service on Sunday, at the Belgian Chapel in the London Road; and afterwards held a meeting at Sussex Chambers, in Duke Street, St. James's. Captain Jablonski was unanimously called to the chair, and harangued his country- men at considerable length; expatiating on the wretched condition to whieh their once free and glorious country had been reduced by " the three per- fidious neighbours." The last act of tyranny was the incorporation of Cra- cow with Austria— This event created a strange surprise in every country, and especially in Eng- land and France: but the Poles were not astonished at it They knew the policy of the three aggressors too well; and they should not be astonished at seeing soon fur- ther encroachments, the accomplishment of which had been bequeathed to their successors by Peter, called the Great, and Catherine the Second. Whether Eng- land and France, the two powerful nations standing at the head of civilization and liberty of the world, would check and chastise the absolute and criminal conduct of the three despotic rulers, time would show: the Poles, however, should only rely on their own resources. The power of a nation of twenty millions, when once united for action, was irresistible. They should not be disheartened by past disasters; they should persevere in their patriotic endeavours, and, trusting to Divine Providence and the justice of their cause, hope for the restoration of their fatherland.

Resolutions were adopted, thanking the British nation for the protection afforded to the unfortunate exiles; and particularly mentioning the Lite- rary Association of the friends of Poland, Lord Dudley Stuart, and the Corporation of London, for their exertions and sympathy. The editors of the journals were also thanked. The first and second resolutions were more germane to recent events, and ran as follows-

" That the assembled Poles, having found an hospitable refuge in England, and enjoying the blessings of freedom in that country, where they can publicly ex- press their own feelings and those of their oppressed brethren, do not cease to protest most solemnly against the partition of their fatherland by the three despots of Russia, Austria, and Prussia; considering it, as well as every act connected with it down to the incorporation of Cracow with Austria, which is the last deed of their long and ignominious conspiracy, as a flagrant and atrocious robbery. They denounce it as injurious to humanity and to the safety of the liberal insti- tutions of Europe; and they warn and entreat, in the name of civilization and liberty, all concerned in the preservation of them, to vindicate their sacred rights, thus outraged by the execrable policy of the spoliators of Poland. Faithful to this cense, for which they took up arms on the 29th of November 1830, the Poles are ever ready to sacrifice their hves for it; thereby to avert the imminent danger with which Europe is at this moment threatened; in the confident hope that the interest of the enlightened countries of Western Europe, and the interest of other Sdavonic nations, will induce them to cooperate for the reestablishment of Poland among the free nations, in order that she may again become a bulwark against the incursions of Asiatic barbarism.

" That the Poles express their feelings of contempt and indignation towards the Austrian Government for its iniquitous and treacherous conduct in Gallicia and Cracow. That perfidious Government having organized and paid bands of assassins, and incited the ignorant peasantry to murder the nobility and clergy in Gallicia, threw afterwards the guilt of that crime upon the citizens of Gallicia and Cracow, imprisoned the patriots who escaped the knives of the murderers, proclaimed thanks to the perpetrators of those atrocities for their fidelity to the Throne, and finally annihilated the republic of Cracow, and incorporated it with the Austrian dominions."

Much attention has been drawn to another " death by starvation," as it has been called. The case does not merit that epithet ; but it disclosed some serious defects in the administration of the Poor-law in St. Pancras.

The death was that of Joseph Woodward, an infant, aged twenty-three months. An inquest began on Friday; was adjourned in order to a post mortem examina- tion; and dosed on Monday. The child's parents lived at No. 90, Albany Street: they were very respectable in aspect and behaviour, but very poor. John Wood- ward, the father, had been a servant, and now worked as an occasional porter, earning from 4s. to 10s. a week. In October last, he was seized in execution for debt; leaving his wife and four children at home without food, money, or any means of living. The wife applied to the parish authorities of St. Pancras for relief, and obtained at different times eight loaves during six weeks. Money relief was refused to her; but she was told that if she was not satisfied she might come into "the house." When she first applied, after waiting from nine to between four and five o'clock, she got two loaves; on the second, sixteen days afterwards, after waiting from half-past eleven till two, she received three loaves; and on the third, she was detained three or four hours, and got one loaf. Besides this relief; the children sometimes got a piece of bread from the landlady; and the mother con- trived to earn a shilling or two in the week by working for the neighbours. Joseph, the child, was always sickly and ailing. It was seen by no medical practitioner, though some medicine was obtained for it from an apothecary in the neighbour- hood. It died on Sunday sennight. The father returned home from prison about three hours after the death of the child; and, with part of is. 6d given him by the Governor of the gaol, some firing was obtained, as it appeared, for the first time during the six weeks the family had been left to themselves. Mr. Lamberd, a surgeon, who had examined the body, deposed to extensive disease in the chest. There was no food in the stomach. The cause of death was inflammation of the chest, and the effusion consequent thereon, which had been produced by natural causes. The child was small of its age, deformed, and emaciated. It was natu-

rally weakly and delicate, and, in his opinion, could under no circumstances have lived for many years. Mr. Coulthard, one of the Overseers, (who watched the pro- ceedings for the authorities,) volunteered to examine Mrs. Woodward, with a view to show that she had not been inhumanely treated. His examination resulted in its being elicited from himself that he was not aware of Mrs. Woodward's distress, because she suffered an interval of sixteen days to elapse between her first and second application; and "be was almost afraid that he had given her too mach, from that she went off so contentedly." The Jury unanimously returned the fol- lowing verdict-

" That Joseph Woodward died from inflammation within the cavity of his chest, produced by natural causes. And in returning this verdict, the Jury express their unanimous opinion, founded on evidence given at this inquest, that certain of the Fte- neving-officers of the parish of St. Pancras have been grossly apathetic and negligent respecting the family of which the deceased child was a member, when the direful wants of that family were made known to them, on two or more occasions, by the mother. The Jury further say, that they have reason for believing that proper attempts are not made by the said officers to distinguish between the necessities of the truly de- serving poor In St. Pancras and those of persons who are nano deeply in needof food, firing, and clothing, as was Mrs. Woodward and her family, living at home during the last seven weeks. They fear that a meek and orderly manner of application disarms the said officers of all apprehension that distress Is real and emergent ; they condemn most strongly the wanton and cruel custom of keeping large numbers of persons waiting for relief, when early and prompt attention might, by other arrangements, be given to their statements ; and they consider that in the winter season the practice is especially wicked and injurious. Finally, the Jury hope that immediate steps will be taken in the parish to correct the errors which have become manifest at this inquest in the sys- tem of relieving the poor, in order both to render that system more humane, and pre- vent the necessity, In the approaching winter, of often summoning them or their brother inhabitants to Inquire into cases of death produced by want of the common necessaries of life."

Before separating, the Jury made a collection among themselves for the family.

The recent inquests have made a commotion in the Vestries of St. M letione and 'St. Pancras. At the Pancras meeting, s letter written by Mr. Mills, the Deputy Coroner, to the Times, reporting Woodward's case, with comments, was severely censured; and various modes of resenting it were hinted—such as memorializing Lord Denman to dismiss Mr. Mills; but eventually a resolution was adopted, appointing a committee to arrange relief of the poor in more rapid rotation. At the Marylebone meeting, a motion was made to dismiss Mr. Messer, the Assistant Overseer, and other Workhouse officers, for their conduct in Mordaunt's case: but ultimately they were let off with a reprimand. At this meeting, a letter was read from the Reverend Mr. Penfold, the Curate, stating some facts bearing on the case-

" Louisa Mordaunt gradually sunk under long illness. The family had tea shillings of me last Christmas, or during the year. I relieved them this year as late as August; strongly recommending the house, finding they became more and more distressed. In August, however, I told her she must get on as she could during the summer, if determined not to go into the house, and that I would help her during the winter. I have been for months wondering that I have never seen her. After all the kindness I have shown the family I think her most ungrateful in keeping her distress a secret from me, and wicked in suffering her sister to die without telling her minister, that I might have administered to her the con- solations of our religion and the sustenance she required. The officer seems to have been of my opinion, that their case only grew worse and worse, and that the comfort and nourishment they needed were only to be found within the house. Au extract from my book, 1845, Oct. 29—' Called on Mrs. Mordaunt; found them is great distress, and gave her 2s. more.'"

The Court of Common Pleas, on Tuesday, tried an action to recover damages for false imprisonment, brought by Thomas Wareham, a plumber and glazier, against Mr. Prance, a solicitor, Mr. Collard, the Superintendent of Police at the Great Western Railway, and a lawyer's clerk named Nash. The plaintiff's case was this. Some time ago, a number of robberies were committed on the Great Western Railway; and in 1845, Maynard, a house-agent, was convicted of parti- cipation in them. The plaintiff knew Maynard, and, believing him to be innocent, went to see him in the Compter while in custody on the charge. He there learnt that the really guilty party was a man named Garrett; and this information he communicated to the authorities at the Great Western Railway. A few days afterwards, when Mrs. Wareham, the wife of the plaintiff, was sitting alone in her room in a public-house where she had been obliged to seek shelter, the three defend- ants entered the room, which they searched; and, the plaintiff coming in, both lie and his wife were put into a cab and driven to Mr. Collard's room at the Great Wes- tern Railway, where they were detained all night. In the morning they were not taken to the Police-office, but to Old Jewry; where the defendants told them they might go about their business. This constituted the false imprisonment. The defendants alleged several pleas, which, in substance, went tojustify the act of arrest, on the ground that there was good reason to suspect the plaintiff of having been concerned in the depredations committed on the Great Western Railway in the year 1845. A great many witnesses were examined, and much eloquence was brought to bear by Mr. Sergeant Wilkins in support of Warchiun'e complaint. The Jury found /4 verdict for the defendant Prance, and for the plaintiff against Collard and Nash—damages one farthing: and Sir Thomas Wilde refused to certify.

In the same Court, on Thursday, Mr. Justice Cresswell gave judgment in the case of Lee versus Nicholson. The action was brought by a surveyor against a member of a provisional committee, to recover remuneration for services rendered to a company in making a survey of a proposed line of railway. The only evi- dence against the defendant was his written consent to act on the committee, his signature to a certain paper required to be filed in the registrar's office, wherein he described himself as a promoter of the scheme, and his application for shame, followed by an allotment of them. On the other hand, it appeared that the plaintiff- received his orders from certain persons styling themselves "the committee of management," before the defendant joined the concern, although the work was not, in fact, executed until afterwards. These were all the material facts. The de- fendant's counsel contended that there was no evidence whatever to go to the Jury against his client, for that the only proof of liability was the simple fact of hie being a provisional committeeman, and this the Court of Exchequer had decided, in Wyld versus Hopkins, to be insufficient. The Judge ruled in accordance with the foregoing argument, and directed the Jury to find for the defendant. A hill of exceptions was handed in, and it was understood that the case would be carried before a Court of Error.

The Court of Exchequer was occupied on Wednesday and Thursday with an action by Mrs. Crockford, widow of the well-known clubhouse-keeper, against Viscount Maidstone, for 211. on account of entrance-fee and one year's subscrip- tion, and 751- on account of various dinners and other refreshments, supplied partly to Lord Maidstone, and partly, by his order, to a female who lodged in the neighbourhood. The defence was, that Crockford's was " a common gaming- house, in which the said William Crockford did procure divers idle and evil-dis- posed persons to congregate and come together, and play at divers unlawful games of chance"; and that there was an understanding between Mr. Crockford and the subscribers, that gentlemen who played should not be called upon to pay such expenses as those for which the claim was advanced; the subscription and other charges of an ordinary club being, in fact, merely colourable devices to conceal the real nature of the place. However, the sum of 381 was paid into court,i pro- bably on account of the refreshments furnished to Lord Maidstone's prot The plaintiff's counsel made jocose use of the phrase " divers idle and evil.

posed persons "; • that it included the Duke of Wellington, the Duke of

Argyll, Cleveland Butt , or Richmond, and Prince Lieven; all of whom had frequented the house. No proof of the alleged "understanding" was adduced. The Jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff; the sum to be agreed upon between counsel, as several smaller items in the bills were not proved.

At the Central Criminal Court, on Saturday, Mr. Richard Martin, an Irish barrister, engaged upon the Sun newspaper, was indicted for feloniously cutting and wounding .Augustin Dolly. The prosecutor is a process-server; he had a writ to serve on Mr. Martin, and went to the office of the Sun for that purpose. By a trick, he got the defendant to come down stairs to see him; before he showed his warrant, Mr. Martin turned round to retreat; Dolly caught hold of his coat and tore it; incensed by this, Mr. Martin, a tall powerful man, struck the officer a tremendous blow over the head with a thick stick which he had in his hand. Several gentlemen gave the accused a high character for the general mildness and humanity of his disposition. The Jury found him guilty of a vio- lent assault, but acquitted him of the felony. Mr. Baron Parke, after remarking

that the fact of Mr. Martin's being in a lawyer aggravated the attack upon an officer of the law sentenced him to be confined

addressed for a year. The de- fendant addres;z1 the Court after sentence had been pronounced, and said, with

considerable emotion, that his term of imprisonment would not give him half so much suffering as he had already endured at the thought of having inflicted injury upon a fellow creature. It was his misfortune to have committed this injury, but he sincerely trusted that such a misfortune would never again befall /um.

Esther Elizabeth White was tried for the robbery of Mr. Jones's house at Ealing. The particulars of this extraordinary crime were recently detailed. The Tury. found her guilty of larceny: and she was state cea to twelve months imprisonment, with hard labour.

Young, a Post-office letter carrier, convicted at the last sessions of stealing a letter containing a sovereign, was brought up for judgment. Mr. Ballantine, the prisoner's counsel, had contended that his crime was only simple larceny, because the letter had been put into the poet for the purpose of detecting the man—it was not strictly a post-letter. Mr. Baron Parke passed sentence. There had been formerly some doubts on the point raised in the prisoner's favour, but the Judges had now unanimously ruled that such a letter was really a post-letter; and so the conviction was good. Young was sentenced to transportation for fourteen years.

During the day, the Grand Jury returned a true bill for a misdemeanour against John Charretie, James Hallett, Ann Stewart, and Sir William Young, Bart., a Director of the East India Company. The three first are indicted asprinciTals, and the latter as aiding and assisting in the sale of a cadetship in the East India Company's service, contrary to the provisions of the 49th George III. cap. 126. Mr. Rallett's name figured about a year ago on the Marlborough Street Police re- ports, in connexion with a charge of trafficking in similar appointments. It is said that the case on which the tree bill has been found in the present instance is by•no means a solitary one; several similar charges have been undergoing inves- tigation by a Secret Committee of Directors at the East India House, which has been sitting during several weeks past.

A fatal fire occurred in Calcraft Terrace, Lambeth New Cat, about midnight on Tuesday, in a house occupied by an exhibitor of wax-work, live animals, and a female dwarf. When the flames were discovered, they had already seized firm bold of the exhibition-room; and the wax figures and fittings fed the fire, causing the destruction to be very rapid. Most of the people of the house were in the kabobs'', and they escaped; but the dwarf, Mary Ann Robertson, a girl in her eighteenth year, was sleeping in an upper room, and there were no means of res- cuing her: she perished. Some mostkies and snakes were burnt to death.