The Press. — London, England, 1854-05-20 00:00:00

1 F~ 4.,/ ~-. 466 in this country, and a numerous circle of the ladies and gentlemen attending the Queen's Court—in all numbering about 1,700. nub (Mural. THE ANNUAL CITY BANQUET TO THE JUDGES was given by the Lord Mayor on Tuesday evening at the Mansion-house. The entertainment provided was, of course, magnificent, and the company included a large number of distinguished personages both from professional and political circles. The loving cup was sent round with the customary formality, and, after the loyal toasts had been disposed of, the Lord Mayor proposed " The Church," which was acknow ledged by the Archbishop of Canterbury. To " The health of the Judges " Lord Campbell responded in graceful terms, and, alluding to the recent report of the Royal Commissioners, eulogised the services which had at different periods in our history been rendered to the cause of constitutional liberty by the corporation of the city of London. England, he said, would not be England without the Lord Mayor. He loved the Lord Mayor's day and the Lord Mayor's show, and expressed a hope that, in discharging the duties of the bench, the judges might not, according to the recommendation of the commissioners, be dis severed from the chief magistrate and aldermen of the City. The Marquis of Camden responded to the toast of " The House of Lords," and Sir John Pakington to that of "The House of Com mons." Vice-Chancellor Sir John Stuart proposed "The English Bar," bearing high testimony to the talents, the worth, and the honour of its members. Sir F. Thesiger acknowledged the toast in animated terms. Several other toasts were given during the evening. The large number of guests who ap peared in official costume, and the many ladies present, imparted a very gay appearance to the ban quet, which passed off with unusual éclat. THE CHURCHWARDEN OF FAITH'S CHURCH, attached to St. Cross Hospital, prohibited the clergyman ap pointed by the Earl of Guilford from preaching in the church last Sunday, on account of the defective title of his lordship to the mastership of the Hospital of St. Cross. THE PRESTON STRIKE is at length finally closed. At a meeting of the operative spinners and self-actor minders, held on Sunday evening last, it was resolved not to protract the struggle longer. Accordingly the hands sought work on Monday morning at the es tablishments where they were engaged when the lock-out occurred. Many of them were, however, unable to procure employment, in consequence of their places being preoccupied. The aggregate ex penditure of all the operatives' committees during the thirty-seven weeks of the contest amounts to 100,0001., and the sacrifice of wages is probably three or four times that sum. In addition to this, there is the manufacturers' loss of profits—no inconsiderable item. THE VACANT SEAT ON THE SCOTCH BENCH has been conferred on Mr. Charles Neaves, who was Solicitor-General under the Derby Administration. THE GREAT GANGES CANAL, which has cost the East India Company more than a million and a half of money, is to be opened during the present month. MR. BRIGHT'S SPEECH in the House of Commons on the 31st of March has had the honour of a trans lation in extemo in recent numbers of the St. Peters burg journals and in certain Finnish ones under the immediate control of the Russian Government. THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA has, it is HOW said, done all in his power to make good the inconvenience which Sir H. Seymour may have suffered from his furniture and chattels having been refused exit by sea from Cronstadt. Sir Hamilton has been informed that all his effects would be conveyed with all pos. sible care to the frontier, at the expense of the Rus• sian Government. THE LEADING BREWERS have agreed that in con sequence of the increased malt duty the price of beer should be raised as follows :—Porter, from 325. to 365. per barrel ; brown stout, from 435. to 48s. ; double stout, from 535. to 60s. Ale, XX, from 30s to 405.; XXX, from 48s. to 545. ; XXXX, from 58s. to 655. ARRANGEMENTS for the formation of a local asso ciation, having as its object an improvement in the dwellings of the working classes, were commenced at a public meeting held in Liverpool last week. Up wards of 5,000/. worth of shares were subscribed for in the room. It was observed by one of the speakers that the twenty-two cottages lately completed in the town, on the plans exhibited by Prince Albert in Hyde-park, had yielded a clear profit of 5 per cent. per annum on an outlay of 4,200/. A COMMITTEE to organise the Indian department of the great French Exhibition for 1855 has been formed by Lord Dalhousie. It is presided over by the Chief Justice, Sir Laurence Peel. The object is to send to Paris specimens of Indian splendour, such as were transmitted in 1851 to the Crystal Palace in Hyde-park. The court of directors has sanctioned an outlay of 50,0001. for the purpose. THE PRESS. THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—The eigh• teenth public drawing to determine the rotation of choice on all the estates purchased for distribution amongst the members of the Conservative Land Society took place on the 13th inst. at the offices, 33, Norfolk-street, Strand. Fifty numbers were drawn. It was announced that no less than 9,641 shares had been taken up to that date, representing a subscribed capital of 482,0501., of which more than 100,0001. had been paid up. The nineteenth drawing is fixed for Wednesday, 28th of June, at the seventh quarterly meeting of the society, in Freemasons'-hall. The executive committee have elected the Right Hon. It. A. Chris topher, M.P. for North Lincolnshire, a trustee of the society, in room of Mr. Alderman Thompson, M.P., deceased. THE proposal for building in the square inner court of the British Museum is at length decided, and workmen are now busy digging out the ground for the necessary construction. THE FINE COLLECTION OF MR. MARTIN'S DRAWINGS, the works and charm of his latter years, are about to be sold. Among them are some twenty-five choice spe cimens, which will afford an excellent opportunity of appreciating his wonderful powers in that department of art in which his earliest efforts claimed admira tion. IT has been determined to call out 25,000 militia for permanent duty ; but as yet the particular regi ments have not been named. Probably an inspection will be held, and then a selection made. THE STEAM-SHIP Great Britain since her arrival in the Liverpool docks has undergone a survey by the underwriters' surveyors, and it appears to be their opinion that she came in contact with a sunken wreck. Mr. C. R. PRINSEP, the East India Company's Ad vocate-General at Calcutta, and the Hon. H. B. Devereux, of the Bengal Civil Service, have been ap pointed commissioners for inquiring how far the position which Sir J. Brooke holds in Sarawak is ad vantageous to the commercial interests of Great Britain. GEORGE MATFIIESON M'KAY has been fined 1,0001. and Walter Rutherford 2,0001., by the officiating ma • gistrates of Greenock, for using old certificates to cover a sale by auction of some spurious brandy. THE LAST PORTION OF THE NEW STREET opening up a direct communication between St. Paul's and London-bridge is now being paved. This important line of thoroughfare will be opened throughout on Monday neat. SIR ROBERT PEEL, BART., M.P., who was prevented from presiding at the anniversary dinner of the Prin- ters' Pension Society, in consequence of the recent melancholy disaster to the Ercolano steam-ship, has, since his return to London, contributed a donation of 301. to the funds of the institution. THE ROYAL LONDON YACHT CLUB will have their first match of the season this day (Saturday). The yachts will start from Erith, sail round a flag-boat moored off Coaihouse Point, and back, to a flag-buoy moored off Woolwich. The competing yachts are not to exceed thirteen tons burden, and must belong to members of the club. MR. G. Ptoorr, of the Oxford Circuit, is appointed counsel to the Inland Revenue, in the place of Mr. T. Phinn, M.P., who is appointed counsel to the Admiralty and advocate of the Fleet. THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY held their first show of the season at Chiswick on Saturday last. It has frequently been remarked that damp weather and cloudy skies ran parallel with the floral exhibitions at Chiswick. Saturday, however, was an exception in that respect, but there were other special causes which thinned the attendance of visitors and dimmed the usually brilliant display of flowers. These were,first, the more absorbing question of the day, namely, the launch of the Royal Albert at Woolwich ; and, secondly, the retirement of Mrs. Lawrence from the field of competition, whose collections were wont to excite such universal admiration amongst floricultural cognoscenti. The number of visitors at the gardens, therefore, was unusually small, and the array of fruits and flowers was not by any means equal to the average. There were, however, some very fine ape cimens of azaleas, rhododendrons, and roses. In the fruit collection there were specimens of British Queen strawberries, of tempting richness and monstrous size ; and also some good contributions of pines, green figs, and grapes. The grass was in good condition for walking, and the company enjoyed under the trees and along the parterres the splendid music of the bands of the Ist Life Guards, the Grenadiers, andthe Coldstreams, which were under the superintendence of Mr. Waddell, the bandmaster of the Ist Life Guards. AN arrangement by which the London joint-stock banks will be admitted to the clearing-house will come into operation in about six weeks. Meanwhile a considerable amount of bank-note circulation is economised, the daily balances due among the various private banks being now adjusted by cheques on the Bank of England instead of notes. SATURDAY, THE NOMINATION 01 CANDIDATES for the vacancy in the representation of Hertfordshire took place yesterday. The candidates are Mr. Abel Smith,jun., Conservative, and Mr. C. W. Pull er , Mi n i sterialist. The poll will come off on Monday next. A DEPUTATION on the subject of the drainage of the Thames marshes had an interview with Lord Palmerston on Wednesday. ON WEDNESDAY PROFESSOR EDWARD FORBES Was inducted into the chair of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh. He delivered hi s intro ductory lecture in the chemistry class-room on that day to a crowded attendance. THE Kreutz Zeitung says that the Count de Chem. bord proposes to visit England this summer, to meet the Duke of Nemours and the rest of the family. The Paris rapers contradict this statement. Sporting. NEWMARKET SECOND SPRING MEETING. TUESDAY. Ftyrx POUNDS, for three•year•olds. Mr. Mare's Fact (S. Rogers) w. o. SWEEPSTAKES of 10 SOPS each. Lord Clifden's Thessaly (J. Steggles) 1 Count Batthyany's Oxus 2 Furry POUNDS : the winner to be sold for 200 sovs. Mr. E. Batsou's Cock Pheasant (Sly) 1 Duke of Bedford's I►iomedia Betting : 6 to 4 against Diomedia, 0 to 1 against Cock Pheasant. The winner was claimed. WEDNESDAY. SWEEPSTAKES of 10 soya each. Lord Lonsdale's Freckle (J. Steggles) 1 Mr. Armstrong's Handsome Buck 2 HANDICAP SWEEPSTAKES Of H) soya each. Duke of Bedford's Dioinedia (S. Rogers) 1 Mr. Saxon's Kenn} side Hero The SUFFOI K STAKES of 15 sous each. Lord W. Powlett's Sharavogue (S. Rogers) 1 Mr. Barber's Domino Six ran. Betting : 2 to 1 against Domino, and 4 to 1 against any other. HANDICAP PLATE of 50 sovs. Mr. Armstrong's Sabra _ Lord Clifden's Anteverta 2 SWEEPSTAKES of 50 soya each, fur four-year-olds. Mr. Barber's Cobnut(Clement) 1 Duke of Bedford's Sittingbourne Lord Exeter's Filbert 3 Betting: 7t04 on Sittingbourne. Won by six lengths. The JOCK EY Cum PLATE of 50 sovs. Lord Clifden's Poodle (Flatman) 1 Captain Lowther's Rackapelt Mr. Batson's Khadidjah 3 Betting: 5 to 4 on Khadidjah and 3 to 1 against Poodle, who won very cleverly by a length. THURSDAY. SWEEPSTAKES of 10 SON'S each. Mr. W. Cookson's Pebble (Palmer) I Mr. Rogers's Chorus MATCH 20(11. Mr. J. M. Stanley's Orinoco (Charlton) I Duke of Bedford's Nathan Betting : 5 to 4 on Orinoco. SWEEPSTALES of 10 sovs each, with 30 added, for two-year olds. Duke of Bedford's Para (S. Rogers) 1 Mr. J. M. Stanley's Contention Betting : 7 to 4 and 2 to 1 on Para, who won by half a length. SWEEPSTAKES Of 10 SOTS each. Mr. Armstrong's Handsome Buck (Sly) 1 Mr. Rogers's Freckle HANDICAP PLATZ of 501. Mr. Tomlinson's fby Sesostris (J. Steggles) I Mr. Combe's Nervous Betting: 5 to 2 against Nervous, 3 to 1 against Sesostris filly. Won easily. Tx: Witte, at present held by Mr. Morris for his King ston, was challenged for by Lord Exeter, who named Stock well, 5 years. THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY BOAT-RACES ter minated on Saturday, the 13th, and the procession of the boats behind King's College took place on Monday. The Lady Margaret (St. John's) gained the " head of the river" on the first day, and main tained their position with the greatest ease. Trio following is the order of the first five boats :-1, St. John's; 2, Trinity ; 3, Trinity Hall; 4, Emmanuel; 5, Corpus. gate and pourt. Jolts TODD, after carrying on for many years an extensive business as distiller in Newcastle upon- Tyne, suddenly absconded in May last year, leaving behind him very considerable debts, and hardly any property. It was believed, from the return of his transactions just previous to his departure, that he had turned a quantity of goods into money, and thus carried off d. large sum with him. His two sons, who had acted as his clerks, also disappeared at the same time, and presently the whole family were traced to America. Their proceedings in that coun try, and the success with which the elder Todd baffled the attempts made to bring him back to 'l ll