The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-08 00:00:00

APRIL 8, 1854 THE DEATHS REGISTERED IN THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICTS were in number 1,489. This considerably exceeds the average, but the week being the thir teenth of the quarter contains a number of cases in which coroners' inquests had been held, and whose registration was consequently not completed at the time. The births numbered 1,048, being 400 beyond the average of nine years paSI. THE PRESTON STRIKE FUND last week amounted to nearly 2,2501. The open-air meetings of the un employed are now not so numerously attended, but are still characterised by their wonted enthusiasm. At a gathering held on Monday, at Fulwood, Mr. Cowell again recommended arbitration as the best expedient that could be resorted to for the amicable settlement of this dispute. It was desirable it should be settled, because so many were sufferers who had nothing whatever to do with the affair. Mr. Grim shaw suggested the possibility of building, by proper co-operation of the workmen, a new town containing as many mills as the old one, but managed on a ju.ter system, and to be called "New Regenerated Preston." Before separating, the assembly pledged themselves to continued firmness in the cause. AN ADDRESS TO THE CROWN ON THE WAR WEIS voted by the Court of Common Council on Thursday. In this loyal manifesto the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons, in Common Council assembled, " assure her Majesty of the cordial support of her faithful and loyal subjects the citizens of London in prose cuting the war declared by her Majesty against Rus sia, in the confident belief that it is a just and neces sary measure to preserve the balance of power in Europe, and in the earnest hope that it will lead to an early and lasting peace." RESPECTING the opening up of the River Murray, it is mentioned in the last advices from Australia that Captain Cadell had returned to Adelaide on the 29th of December from his second successful voyage, and had set out on a third trip, which would be to the junction of the Murray with the Darling. He also expected to make a fourth voyage, as far as the Wakool, before the close of the season, after which it was his intention to proceed vid Melbourne to Albury, Gundagai, and Seymour, for the purpose of exploring the tributaries of the Murray by small boats at the worst, or driest, period. THE TREASURY have intimated that copper, pig iron, bar iron, hemp, flax, pitch, tar, resin, turpen tine, and oakum may be exported without any bond being given, but their lordships reserve to them selves the discretion of requiring bond hereafter on the exportation of these articles, should they see cause to do so. MRS. CHISHOLM, whose unceasing exertions on behalf of emigrants to the shores of Australia are so well known, and whose care and vigilance have within a . few years been the means of producing a total change in the arrangements on board emigrant ships, took her public farewell on Monday on board the Ballarat, about to sail to Port Phillip, and in which she pro. ceeds to join her husband, who also has been labouring in the same good cause in the southern hemisphere. The last band of emigrants which will sail from Eng land under the charge of Mrs. Chisholm is on board the Ballarat, and will consequently have the great advantage of her care and supervision during the voyage. ASSOCIATION IN AM OF THE WIVES AND FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS ORDERED TO THE EAST.—At a meeting of the directors of the Conservative Land Society a resolution was unanimously passed by which the mansion and grounds of St. Margaret's were placed at the disposal of the committee in aid of the soldiers' wives and families, to be used in any public way they might think most advantageous to promote the in terest of the charity. A reply has been received from Lord Ingestre, chairman of the sub-committee of the association, thanking the society for their offer, with the intimation that the organisation of a public entertainment in St. Margaret's-park would be taken into consideration. Parser CHOLAM MARRED and his son, the son and grandson of the renowned Tippoo Saib, have ar rived in England by the Ripon. The prince has never before been out of Calcutta. He is come hither to endeavour to get his pension settled on his grandson. He speaks English fluently. His phy siognomy is very peculiar, almost Jewish in appear ance. When he landed at Southampton, Prince Cholam was dressed magnificently, his cloak being something like a cardinal's, with inwoven gold. His cap was also like that of a Catholic ecclesiastic high in rank : in front is a star of glittering diamonds. On one of his fingers was a ring with an immense emerald set in it. At Malta he attended a review of the British troops, and one of the first regiments he saw exercised was the 3 3 rd, which was a t the takin g of Seringapatam, and from which his father, the celebrated Tippoo, met his death. Immediately after arriving he addressed letters "To the Eldest Daughter of his Highness Prince Golam Mahomed, at his house at Russapuglat, Calcutta," and "To the Mosque of Dharumtalot, Calcutta." A Treasury order VMS sent to Southampton to pass the princes baggage through the Custom-house. THE PRESS. OXFORD UNIVIARITY Rayoux.—The Chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Derby, has communicated with the heads of Magdalen College, expressing his wish to make known to Government what measures of improvement were contemplated, or had already been carried into effect, by that college. In reply to this intention, the Vice-President of Magdalen, the Rev. H. Harris, laid before his lordship a lengthened report of five senior fellows, appointed especially for that purpose, which recommends a great many irn portant alterations and additions. The following is a summary of these recommendations 1. That non-fonndationers, beingfiliisobilium et valet', il4 in personorisn, be permitted to matriculate as gentlemen-com- moners under the same regulations. 2. To admit into the college as cot who may desire. 3. To provide for the reception of a class of commoners corresponding to the poor scholars, sixty in number. All their college expenses, including room rent, tuition, meals, and servants, not to exceed 001. per annum. For this purpose to build a separate quadrangle (with a dining-hall) capable of containing sixty such students, with a sitting-room each and a bed in a recess. To devote for exhibitions and scholarships for such stu dents 5001. per annum from the common revenue of the college, and 5001. from Dr. Sheppard's bequest—to found four bible clerkships of SOL a year each, eight scholarships of 501. a year each, and fourteen exhibitions of 20/. a year each. In 1012 there were seventy-six such scholars in re sidence, and in 1030 sixty-six. To put these students under the superintendence of a vicegerent and two tutors. 4. That the present system of nomination to demyships be discontinued, and the proficiency of candidates be tested by a stricter examination. 5. That the prrelectors of moral and natural philosophy receive each 501. a year, giving lectures twice aweek during college term. That the professor of theology have a stipend of 1001. a year, and lecture three times a week during college term, to all who have passed a final examination. The lectures to be open to all members of the university, in accordance with the bequest of the founder. 0. That one of the tutors should annually be elected to one of the three deanships, and that, subject to the presi dent, he should have the moral and spiritual superintendence of all the undergraduate member*, and the control of their kitchen and buttery expenses. 7. That the demies' and gentlemen-commoners' common rooms be closed within two years from the present time, as it is a temptation to expense and idleness. S. That at the terminal examinations undergraduates under thirteen terms' standing be examined in the books in which they have been lectured during the term. The undergraduates members of Magdalen College, inde pendently of those on the foundation, amount to two gentlemen-commoners and thirteen commoners. The foundation is said to bo the richest in Oxford. any fit person THE Gazette notice to remove from the Navy List the names of Sir J. Franklin and the officers con nected with the ships Erebus and Terror, on the missing Artic expedition, took effect on the 31st Ult. THE MORIBUND METROPOLITAN COMMISSION OF SEWERS met on Tuesday, when several of the mem hers expressed some impatience to know how soon they were to be finally relieved from their responsi bilities. The chairman (Mr. Jebb) said he had no communication to make further than that the Govern ment intended this session to bring in a bill for re constructing the commission and for making certain alterations in the law. He added that there was no wish to get rid of the commissioners, to protract un necessarily their services, or control them in the exer cise of those powers that the law gave them. For his own part he could not altogether acquiesce in the view taken by his colleagues in attributing any ex pression in the letter from the Home-office as a want of confidence in the commissioners. Xab3 aitb THx VALIDITY OF A WILL, signed by the late Duchess of Manchester, has been tried before Baron Parke and a special jury at the Kingston Assizes, upon an issue framed in compliance with an order from the Court of Chancery. The ultimate disposal of extensive estates in England and Ireland depended upon the verdict, and the trial lasted through four entire days, the decision not being given until Wed nesday afternoon. The will in question was executed in October, IM4$, a few days before the decease of the testatrix. It gave to the Duke of Manchester the absolute control and disposal of all the estates be longing to the duchess in her own right, and in which he already possessed a life interest, and annulled a former will by which the reversion of the property was secured to the children of the duke and his late duchess. His grace had since married again, and a bill in Chancery was filed, on behalf of the children of the first marriage, with the view of re-establishing the first testament. Many family matters were mixed up in the proceedings, but the chief question involved related to the state of mind in which the testatrix had been when signing the last will. Evidence of professional attendants and servants was given at great length on this point, and it was shown that the deceased had been suffering at the tune from severe illness affecting her brain, and that her reason failed at intervals. Counter-testimony was adduced to prove that the attacks were intermitting, especially that on the day and hour when the document was signed she was calm and rational. Ultimately, the jury found a verdict establishing the validity of the last will. A MErnsmic, named Arthur Thomas Powell, has been charged atLambeth Police Courtwith obtaining from a young woman, named Charlotte Augusta Go vier, 71., by falsely representing that he had caused the bans for their marriage to be published at Lam beth Church : The prisoner and proatieutrix had, it Seems, been acquainted for eight or nine years, and for the last eight or nine mouths the pri soner hadcourted the latter and promised her marriage. The com• plainant gave him lL to procure a marriage suit, and subsequently It. to get the suit out of pawn, anti on Monday week the prisoner took her out of her situation and declared he should marry her on the following morning At Lambeth Chun', where he had pub lished the bans. On the Tuesday morning he took her to the church in a cab, and, while passing through the churchyard, he asked her for some money to pay the church fee with. tilts gave him two sovereigns, and in a moment after she was seized by a female who lives with the prisoner, and the latter instantly ran away. Mr. Powell, the clerk at Lambeth Church, deposed that no bins had been published there ; and the beadle of the parish de posed to having followed the prisoner on his turning away from the churchyard, and saw him spring one steamboat then passing at the end of Llinlbeth-stairs. The prisoner was remanded. AN APRIL-DAY Hosx has been played off upon Mr. J. Smith, proprietor of a Mont Blanc panorama in Leicester-sq uare, which obtained publicity through the p roceedings at Marlborough street Police Court, to which it led. On Saturday last (April 1) Mr. Smith received a letter bearing the signature of Mr. Albert Smith, which induced the recipient to apply to Mr. Hardwick for a summons. The letter ran as follows : Sir,—l understand that you are in the habit of making imperti nent remarks about me in your lectures. If this is not dropped, I shall he under the necessity of giving you a sound thrashing the next time I see you ; so, if after this any more remarks are made about me, I shall take the law into my own howls, and teach you that in England a gentleman is not insulted with ha punity. I have always refrained from making the slightest allu sion to you in my addresses to the London gentry, and shall expect you to do the same in regard to myself. After this Lode* you win take the consequenceit—l am, yours, ke., ALBS'S Su ITV. The magistrate immediately granted the summons, which was given to an officer of the court to serve, but, luckily before anything was done with it., Mr. Albert Smith saw • report of the case in the news papers, and wrote at once to Mr. Hardwick, stating that he " had written no such letter, and was utterly at a loss to comprehend what it all meant." The summons was accordingly cancelled. _ AN birosTon of gentlemanly address obtained a watch and chain worth 61/. from the shop of Mr. Dent, chronometer-maker, in the Strand, on the false pretence of being the Earl of Dalkeith, eldest son of the Duke of Buceleuch. He ordered at th e same time the Buecleuch arms to be engraved, seals, diamond studs, and a considerable quantity of jewellery to be sorted out, for which he subsequently called again at the shop. Meantime, however, Mr. Dent had caused inquiries to be made which resulted in his detecting the fraud, and the customer was ultimately handed over to the police and kept in cus tody upon remand after examination at the Man sion-house. The police officer who apprehended the prisoner said he had reason to believe that there were several charges of a similar kind against the prisoner from tradesmen at the West-end, who had shown much credulity in their transactions with him. THP: TRIAL OF RICHARD HVOH SWITH, the plaintiff in the celebrated action of ejectment for the recovery of extensive estates in Somersetshire, commenced at Gloucester on Thursday. The prisoner is charged on two indictments for forgery and perjury ; the for gery being that of the alleged will produced in support of his claim, and the perjury committed in the evi dence he gave in his own behalf when that action was tried last summer. The proceedings occupied the whole day, and were unfinished when the court rose. Much interest was excited by the trial. gluihnts anb Dinars. THE DEATH OF COLONEL GORDON, which took place suddenly in a railway-carriage on the 15th ult., was considered so suspicious that, although the funeral had taken place, the body was afterwards disinterred, in order to the holding of an inquest to investigate the circumstances of his decease, which was held at Crewe. After being adjourned more than once, this inquiry closed on the evening of yesterday week. The facts of the case are few and simple. On the night of the 15th ult. Colonel Gordon left Euston square for Aberdeen by the mail-train, travelling in the third class. In one compartment of the carriage in which the colonel was travelling there wa.4 a drunken man, who appears to have been drunk at starting. On the journey this man provided himself with four bottles of beer; after which he became much more intoxicated, got very noisy, and used bad ~'r