Zbe _Metropolis.

Sir Peter Laurie is announced as a candidate at the next election of Members of Parliament for the city of London.

On Saturday, a Court of the Masters and Elders of the Trinity House was held, the Dake of Wellington presiding as Grand Master, for the purpose of electing Prince Albert an Elder Brother, in the place of the late Marquis of Camden. The Prince arrived at the Trinity House at half-past six o'clock, and after the ceremony was concluded he dined with the brethren. Lord Melbourne, the Earl of Minto, Viscount Pal- merston, and others of the Ministers, the Marquis of Douro, Sir Robert Peel, Sir James Graham, the 0-governor of the Bank of England, the 'Chairman of the East India Company, Sir George Seymour, Sir Thomas Tooke, Sir William Jye, Dr. Lushington, Sir Hussey Vivian, Sir Henry Wheatley, Sir C. Adam, and several other noblemen and gentlemen, were invited to meet the illustrious visiter.

The annual meeting of the Metropolitan Central and District Anti- Corn-law Association was held on Tuesday, at the Crown and Anchor Tavern. Mr. Warburton was in the chair ; supported by Mr. Vil- liers, Dr. Bowring, Mr. Roebuck, &c. The Chartists assembled in great force to frustrate the object of the meeting, by proposing an .amendment. On the motion for printing the report, one of the Chart- ists, named Wall, moved an amendment, to the effect that it was vain to expect a repeal of the Corn-laws until the people were properly represented ; and that a great national petition be presented to the Queen and to Parliament, praying that the Charter may become the law of the land. Mr. Roebuck vainly attempted to obtain a hearing ; and gave place to Mr. Villiers, who was listened to more patiently. Dr. Bowring got in a few sentences about Russia, but he was shortly .cried down. After a great deal of noise and confusion, the Chairman put the question, and declared the amendment to be carried by a large majority. Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, three groans given for the Whigs, and three cheers for the Charter; after which the meeting separated peaceably.

At a meeting of the Society of Master Builders and Carpenters, held on Wednesday at the Freemason's Tavern, a- petition to Parliament against the Marquis of Normanby's Drainage Bill was agreed to, pray- ing that such modifications may be made in the measure as will carry it into effect with the least possible inconvenience ; and also that the petitioners may be heard by counsel at the bar of the House.

The annual meeting of the proprietors of the Thames Tunnel Com- pany was held on Tuesday. It appears from the report, that the tun- nelling part of the work is nearly completed, as it has been brought -within twelve yards of Wapping High Street. It is expected that the descent to the tunnel will be completed by the middle of July, and that it will be opened for passengers before the end of the year. The length of the tunnel now completed is 1,140 feet The total cost of the under- taking to the present time, including the Government grant, is stated to have been about 400,000/. ; and that it is likely to be finished, and in working condition, for less than half a millioa.

In the Arches Court, on Saturday, one of those affrays took place between counsel and the Court which not unfrequently disgrace the administration of justice in the courts of law. Dr. Addams, who was counsel in the cause of Burder against Spear, accused Dr. Nicholl, the opposing advocate, of putting a " malignant interpretation" on some words used by his client. Dr. Nicholl appealed to the Court for pro- tection against such language. Sir H. Jenner said, be had heard Dr. Addams make use of several unjustifiable expressions, and called on him to withdraw the expression " malignant." This he refused to do ; and Sir H. Jenner then adjourned the Court, as he would not proceed further under such circumstances. When the cause was again argued, on Thursday, the counsel conducted the case in a less acrimonious spirit. As to the cause itself, which involves charges against a clergyman for habitual drunkenness and misconduct, Sir Herbert Jenner postponed his judgment till next term.

In the Consistory Court, on Wednesday, a divorce was granted in the case of Captain Heaviside against his wife, who has eloped with Dr. Lardner.

In the New Court of the Old Bailey, on Wednesday, Michael Shaw Stewart Wallace and Patrick Maxwell Stewart Wallace were placed at the bar, to take their trial for the destruction of the ship Dryad, for

the purpose of defrauding the insurance-brokers. The Attorney- General conducted the prosecution. The indictment contained twenty- six counts, in which the offence and the owners of the property were , variously stated. The prisoners were charged with having incited Edmund Loose, the Captain of the Dryad, to cast away and destroy that vessel. Mr. Jervis, who was retained for the defence, contended that the prisoners could not be tried under that indictment in the ab- sence of the principal felon. Lord Chief Justice Tindal overruled the objection, but said if there was any thing in the point, it might be subsequently argued. Mr. Jervis then said, that as the prisoners had been indicted separately, they claimed to have separate trials. This was agreed to; and the Attorney-General having selected to proceed first with the trial of Patrick Wallace, the other prisoner was re- moved. The evidence against the prisoner was to the same effect as that stated when the case was before the Police Magistrates. The witnesses proved that there were no goods on board the Dryad excepting some shipped by Messrs. Zulueta and Co., which were insured to the amount of 3,000/. The Wallaces were three-fourths owners of the Dryad; which was stated by the other owner to have been worth 2,0001. at the time of her last voyage. The insurances effected by the Wallaces on goods purporting to be onboard the Dryad exceeded. 4,0001., besides the insurances on the vessel. The principal witnesses to prove the wilful destruction of the Dryad, were the mate and carpen- ter. They proved that on several occasions Captain Loose had tried purposely to run the ship on the rocks, notwithstanding the cautions given him. The Dryad left Cape Haytien on the 5th November, and on the 10th struck on the reef at Cape Cruz, where she was wrecked. The ship's carpenter, Benjamin Schultz, who was on board at the time, stated the following circumstances-

" We saw the reef all the day before; but the ship's course was not altered to avoid it. The Captain was on deck all the night before the ship struck ; and I never knew him do so on any previous occasion. The crew came on deck

and spoke to the Captain. I sounded one of the pumps, but the ship had made no water. No order was given to get the ship off the reefs : it could.

easily have been done if the Captain thought proper. The sails were all kept set. If an anchor had been put &lin and the sails taken in, the ship could. easily have been got off. A canoe with some Spaniards in it came to us ; and

the Captain asked them if there was a town near ? They told him there was one about thirty miles off, and that an English Consul resided there. The ship was quite tight up to the time of her going upon the rocks. The water was very clear upon the rocks ; and I saw a cigar-box with a bolt attached to it at the bottom. I pulled it up, and on opening the box found it to contain several letters and the leaves of a log-book: the box was lying just under the Captain's cabin-window. Captain Loose had then gone on shore, and on his return the next day had some conversation with me and the crew. He then took the long-boat, and we went to Falmouth, Jamaica ; where the protest was noted. We kept the letters we found in the cigar-box ; and some time afterwards, when Simpson showed them to the Captain, he snapped them out of his hand, and gave him four pound-notes to get them. That was at Falmouth. Before we went to Falmouth, I found a hole cut through near her stern, large enough for me to..et my shoulders through.

No rock could have made such a hole. I cannot say. how it was made. About twelve o'clock, the Captain asked me if 1 had sounded her ? I said yes, and that she was tight. The next evening I saw the hole. The weather was very calm at the time. When 1 found the hole, I sounded, and found that she had five feet of water in the hold. After I found the hole, the ship could not have got off. We left for Falmouth the day after I found the hole. I first saw the hole from the inner part of the vessel. The state-room was locked. It was near that room."

The trial lasted two days : the summing up of the Judge was not concluded till near seven o'clock on Thursday evening. The Jury deliberated for an hour and a half, and returned a verdict of " Guilty." The prisoner was then removed from the bar. Yesterday, the trial of Michael Shaw Stewart Wallace commenced. The witnesses were the same as on the preceding trial, and it was not concluded at the time the Court adjourned.

At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, Captain Douglas, the second of Lord Cardigan in the duel with Captain Harvey Tuckett, was put on his trial. The whole proceedings were of the same kind as in the mock trial in the House of Lords. There was no counsel for the prosecution ; Mr. Justice Williams, the presiding Judge, was obliged to examine the witnesses ; whilst for the defence there were retained, Mr. Thesiger, Mr. Sergeant Wrangham, Mr. Adolphus, and Mr. Bodkin. Captain Douglas was permitted to sit down in the dock, accompanied by two friends, who were allowed to be with him. Tne indictment charged him with having, on the 12th September, fired a pistol loaded with powder and ball at Captain Garnett Phipps Tuckett, with intent to kill and murder him. There were three counts in the indictment, in which the intention of the prisoner in " firing " was variously stated. Captain Douglas pleaded Not Guilty." The 'first witnesses examined. were Dann the miller, his wife, and son. Their evidence was to the same effect as before given. They described the circumstances of the duel, but they could not identify the prisoner as one of the party. The miller's wife pointed him out as the gentleman who was shot. Sir James Anderson was next called. He was not cautioned by the Judge, but he refused to answer any questions, as he said he feared he might be implicated in the transaction. The only person who identified the prisoner was the Inspector of Police at the Wandsworth station ; but he had not seen any part of the transaction, and only recognized him as having been brought to the Station-house with Lord Cardigan. Mr. Justice Williams then told the Jury that he thought there was not sufficient evidence to send the case for their consideration— He was ignorant of the cause why no learned gentleman had appeared to conduct the prosecution. He had felt anxious that the prosecution should not fail through the want of any exertion on his part ; and he had accordingly ex- amined every witness whose deposition had been returned to him, or whose names were on the back of the indictment ; and he had endeavoured, to the best of his ability, to extract every circumstance that could possibly throw any light on the transaction. Every thing had been done to make out the case; but he felt bound to state, although no one could shut his eyes to the fact that a duel had been fought on the 12th September, that no case was made out against the prisoner at the bar. The indictment stated that the prisoner had. fired a pistol at Harvey Garnett Phipps Tuckett, with intent to murder him ; but there was not one tittle of evidence to show that such was the fact. In- deed, no one had sworn to the presence of Captain Douglas on the ground at all : the witnesses could not identify him. It had been shown that be had been at a station-house two miles from Wimbledon Common an hour after the duel.; but that was not sufficient to make out the case against him ; sad Mrs. Dann, so far from identifying him, had actually said she believed he was the wounded man. Under all the circumstances, he thought the prisoner was entitled to an acquittal.

The Jury accordingly returned a verdict of " Not Guilty." Captain Douglas bowed to the Judge and Jury, and left the dock with his friends.

Sir William Boyd, who has been confined in the Fleet Prison for debt since November last, has made two attempts to escape. The first was on Friday ; when, having dressed himself in female attire, with bonnet, veil, curls, &c., he managed to pass through the outer gate. The turnkey, however, suspecting something wrong, followed him as far as Charing Cross, where he raised his veil : the turnkey stepped forward, and at once recognized his truant prisoner, whom he in- stantly handed into a cab and reconveyed to his old quarters. On Sunday night he again made a futile attempt to escape, in the garb of a Jew, with false large black whiskers, a long beard and wig, and his face stained. Here again, however, he was foiled. The turnkeys in- stantly recognized him : he was quickly stripped of his ornaments, and conveyed to the strong room.

Mr. Picard, of Friday Street, linendraper, is charged with having fraudulently obtained 6,2501. from the Bank of England by means of a forged power of attorney for the sale of stock. The forgery was committed some months ago, but it was not discovered till this week. Picard has absconded.

The inhabitants of Fleet Street were alarmed on Saturday night by the fall of two houses, at about half-past ten o'clock. The reporter of a daily paper thus describes the accident-

" A few weeks since, a fire took place at the house of Mr. Bandy, trunk- maker, Fleet Street, two doors from the office of the Weekly Dispatch news- wer ; and the ruins were left, as was imagined, in a state of perfect security. This, however, by the melancholy event which has occurred, appears to have been an error. The premises were undergoing repair, and some complaints existed that the house was not properly secured while these operations were going forward. The house adjoining belonged to a bookseller named Dodson ; who, with his wife and several children, fortunately had timely notice of the impending danger. Police Constable Dalton, was on duty during .the evening; and he was alarmed by the sound of a loud cracking, which, upon closer investigation, he found proceeded from the walls of Mr. Dodson's house giving way. The officer immediately proceeded to the nearest station-house, in Black Horse Court, and apprized Inspector Foresby of the circumstance ; Every precaution was taken to arouse the inmates of the adjoining house to the perilous situation in which they were placed; and Mrs. Dodson, with four or lye children were placed in a vehicle and driven to the residence of a friend. At this time the cracking of the tottering walls became more loud and fearful; and the police observing the upper part a the houses bending forward, raised a shout of It is coming? The constables took to their heels, and a cab which bad just set down its fare was peremptorily ordered off."

Mr. Bandy's house then fell, bringing with it part of the adjoining building. A tailor named Wagson remained in Dodson's house until some time after ; and was rescued from his dangerous position by means of ladders, brought to the spot by Mr. Braidwood, the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade. The most remarkable circumstance is, that such an accident should have occurred in the great thoroughfare of Fleet Street, at such a time on Saturday night, without any fatal result.

A gravedigger named Henry Thompson, who was digging a deep grave in St. Bride's churchyard, Fleet Street, on Thursday, was sud- denly buried beneath a mass of earth and coffins, which fell in upon him. The depth of the grave was seventeen feet, and it was six hours -before his body could be dug out. His thigh was fractured, and his chest very much compressed with the weight of coffins which rested on it. He had been dead some time.

An inquest was held on Thursday, in the Back Road, St. George's East, on the body of a man named Franks, aged sixty-three, who had been employed to watch the corpse of an old lady who lived alone. He was found in a dying state in the room with the body, on Tuesday morning. The Jury returned a verdict, "Died by the visitation of God"