The Press. — London, England, 1856-04-12 00:00:00

APRIL 12, 1856. wart anb Sutton. Her Majesty held her first drawing room for the season on Thursday. Her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, accompanied by her Royal High. ness the Princess Royal, arrived from Buckingham Palace At two o'clock, escorted by a detachment of the Royal Horse Guards, and were received by the Great Officers of State. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, and his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, attended the drawing room. Before the drawing-room, her Majesty, according to annual custom, received a deputation from Christ's Hospital, in the Throne room. After the reception of the deputation, her Majesty and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Princess Royal and the Duke of Cambridge, received the di plomatic corps, when the presentations took place. The general circle w as fully attended. Her Majesty has visited the Princess's and Adelphi theatres during the week. His Excellency the Prussian Minister and the Countess Bernstorff have left the residence of the Prussian Legation on Carlton-house terrace for Torquay, where they purpose staying a fortnight. The Earl and Countess of Ellesmere arrived in town a few days since from their seat in Lancashire. Word and Lady Ashburton have arrived at Bath house, from the Grange. F His Excellency George W. Dallas, the United States Minister, and family, have removed to No. 24, Portland-place. The Marquis Cusani has arrived at the Clarendon, from Paris. The Earl and Countess of Bradford, and family, are expected to arrive in Belgrave-square on the 10th inst , from Torquay. The marriage of the Lady Lavinia Bingham, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Lucan, with the Hon. Charles Hardinge, eldest son of Viscount Hardinge, took place on Thursday, at St. George's Church, Hanover-square. Early in the afternoon the happy couple left town for south-park, near Penshurst. Lady Overstone threw open her salons for the first time this season to a distinguished circle on Thursday evening. , be louse from Paris. The Earl and Countess of Bradford, and family, are expected to arrive in Belgrave-square on the 10th inst , from Torquay. The marriage of the Lady Lavinia Bingham, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Lucan, with the Hon. Charles Hardinge, eldest son of Viscount Hardinge, took place on Thursday, at St. George's Church, Hanover-square. Early in the afternoon the happy couple left town for South-park, near Penshurst. Lady Overstone threw open her salons for the first time this season to a distinguished circle on Thursday evening. A GREAT EDUCATIONAL MEETING MSS held at Halifax on Wednesday evening. The meeting was convened by the mayor, on a requisition signed by upwards of 200 inhabitants, to "petition Parliament in favour of a general measure of national educa- tion, which shall be subject to local management, and supported by local taxation, and which, at the same time, shall not impede voluntary efforts in the right direction." Mr. Edward Akroyd, in a vigorous and earnest speech, moved the adoption of the peti- tion, and was supported by Mr. Abbott and Mr. J. Stores Smith. The Rev. W. Walters moved an amendment, deprecating all governmental inter- ference, which was supported by Alderman Crossley, Sc. The amendment, on a division, was lost by a small majority, and the petition was then adopted amid loud cheers. THE CORPORATION REFORM BILL was considered on Thursday, at a meeting of the masters and war- dens of the livery companies of the city of London, held at the Mansion-house, Sir Peter Laurie pre- siding, when resolutions in opposition to the bill were unanimously agreed to. It was further resolved that the livery compani , .s should use their influence with members of Parliament to induce them to oppose the second reading of the bill. The Court of Ader- men, also, on Tuesday agreed to a resolution con- demning the injurious provisions of Sir George Grey's new bill. A DEPUTATION FROM THE METROPOLITAN PARI3HES had an interview with Sir Benjamin Hall on Tues- day, relative to the Attorney-General's bill now be- fore Parliament, for the amendment of the Metro- Polls Management Act. Sir B. Hall warm;y defended the bill, denied that it abridged the liberties of the people, and declared that it was founded on the most iberal principles, which perfectly recognised the right of the people to local self-government. Vrobtnrial. A JUVENILE REFORMATORY FOR STAFFORD, upon the pr o p osa l of C. B. Adderley, Esq., is about to be founded at Haughton, near Stafford. A farmhouse with eleven acres of land is to be taken, and the bo s taught husbandry and trades. ' Sou LADIES, in connection with Miss Sellon, have taken the Priory, at Bradford, Wilts, for a similar establishment for Sisto's of Mercy as Miss Sell o w s al pl yrollth, - - _ _ THE PRESS. A MAIN LAW MEETING was held at Oxford, on Tuesday evening, in the Town hall, when Dr. Lees attended as the representative of the " United Kingdom Alliance," and was proceeding to explain their objects and principles, when the uproar became so great—fireworks being thrown in rapid succession on the platform—that the advocates of the " Alliance," seeing the hopelessness of continuing the warfare, closed the proceedings. A SHIPWRIGHT AT NORTH SHIELDS recently took a rope's-end and thrashed his wife. The next day the wife took a pie to the docks for her husband's dinner, but, on removing the lid, instead of finding a beefsteak or mutton chop, ho found a portion of the rope with which he had ill-used her, and, on re monstrating with his wi'e for such conduct, she coolly replied that if the rope's end was good for her it could not be bad for him. MR. RIDLER, Manager of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Bank, died suddenly last week, and the bank is now completely dissolved. The bank was founded by the Liberal party in 1836, but from continued losses was forced to close a short time since, after honourably paying all claims. THE boiler of a railway engine, when between Carlisle and Glasgow, burst last week, threw the train off the rails, killed the driver and stoker, and severely injured several passengers. A GREAT exhibition of art treasures is about to be proposed to take place in Manchester this year. nlttrogolit an. THE LORD MAYOR GAVE A GRAND BANQUET OR Monday to upwards of 200 guests. After the usual toasts had been drunk, his lordship, in a brief speech, proposed the health of the American Consul at Liverpool. Mr. Hawthorne, in returning thanks, alluded to the relative position of the two coun tries : I will only say that it is some time since I have been in my native land. but the people of America must be greatly changed indeed if they are not ready to respond by as kind a word and as kind a deed to every friendly demon stration on the part of England. Providence has connected the two countries by the most indissoluble ties. Even this rich old soil of England. on which my forefathers were born, may be said to impart an interest to us—an interest which tends to the advantage of both countries ; while, in our own expanding territory, if the miracle of Midas be again realised, the very gold we gain comes by shiploads to your shores. If I can put any faith in what I have heard passing among Englishmen and Americans, and being an American myself, I would ask who would dare to say that Englishmen do not dare to say what they feel —then, my lord, and then, gentlemen, I feel that the friendly relations at present existing bet'xeen the two nations can never be broken. The health of the Lord Mayor having been proposed by Mr. Adderley, M.P., and drunk amid much en thusiasm, his lordship, in reply, alluded to the trust reposed in him by his fellow-citizens, the privileges of which he hoped to transmit unimpaired to his suc• censor, and referred immediately to Sir G. Grey's present Corporation Reform Bill : Without venturing to introduce on that occasion any controversial subject, he might be permitted to say that a bill for the reform of the corporation was now lying on the table of the House of Commons which, while it changed everything. in his opinion improved nothing. He trusted those members who felt an interest in the subject would, at least, take care to change something, in which case they could scarcely fail to make an improvement. A MEETING OF " SWELL•MOBSMEN," under the auspices of Mr. Mayhew, took place on Monday evening at the White Lion Tavern in Spitalflelds. The object of the meeting was similar to that held by ticket-of-leave men a short time since at the National hall—viz., to obtain a public expression of opinion with respect to founding an institution to assist all those who may really desire to lead an honest life. The meeting was attended by upwards of one hun dred well-dressed, well-fed " tnobsmen," "cracks men " (house-breakers), and "fences " (receivers of stolen goods). Mr. Mayhew addressed the meeting at great length, pointing out the object and advan tages of the proposed society, and appealing to the men present for a fair expression of opinion upon the question. Several speakers, and among them some returned convicts, spoke in succession, expressing their desire to lead an honest life, but referring to the tyrannical interference of the police as the great cause of their being compelled to take again to their old courses. On the whole, the meeting was very orderly, and the expression of feeling was decidedly in favour of the foundation of such an institution as proposed. THE CAMBRIDGE ASYLUM FOR SOLDIERS' WIDOWS SOCIETY held their first triennial festival in aid of the funds on Wednesday evening, at the London Tavern. His Grace the Duke of Wellington occu pied the chair, while tho company included his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, and upwards of one hundred military officers and gentlemen who have identified themselves with the itibtitution. the Duke of Cambridge, in returning thanks for the health of the Royal Family, called attention to the present period as one in which the resources of the asylum would be heavily taxed in relieving the distress and sorrow caused by the war, and appealed to the highmindedness and nobility of feeling of the military profession to prevent the institution from languishing for want of support. The Duke cf Wellington, in making a brief statement of the pre sent financial condition of the asylum, stated that twentytwo,soldiers' widows were now receiving the benefits of the institution, tbat ° eight more were shortly to be received into the asylum, and that it was proposed to add twenty additional rooms to the asylum, the endowment of which would cost 3.300/. General Thorn, of the Buffs, had offered to build at d endow eight rooms in addition. A list of subscrip tions was then read amounting to nearly 1,4001., in cluding 501. from the chairman. THE CLERXENWELL CHARITIES, founded in 1577 were subjected to an inquiry by the official inspector' on Monday. Tbe inquiry it is expected will last several weeks. A COLLECTION OF NINEVEH MARBLES, the ITIOEt important fruits of the excavations conducted by dr. Rassam and others, under Sir Henry Rawlinson's directions, has just reached this country, and will to shortly deposited in the British Museum. THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION held their annual meeting on Thursday. Darin g the past year the Society has expended 3,7261., whi e its whole income did not exceed 2,0351. To meet so large an expenditure on lifeboats and their appur tenances, the Institution bad incurred large liabili ties, which with a former balance had amounted to 3,0001. SEVERAL SERIOUS FIRES have happened in different parts of the City this week. The number of fires in London during the last. month has been remarkable, and is stated to be considerably above the average. No lives were lost in the fires this week, and the firemen on each occasion succeeied in getting the flames under before the buildings were wholly destroyed. THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONDON will be compelled to give up Chiswick grounds, unless they can raise 5,0001. by subscription t, pay off liabilities. The loss of these fine grounds will, we hope, not be permitted by the public. A subscription has already commenced, beaded by 1001. from the Duke of Devonshire. THE JERIDICIAL SOCIETY held a meeting on Mon day, when Mr. A. Best read an able paper on the codification of the laws of England. Sat anb Volta. CELEsnwz SOWNER, chargf d with the murder of her illegitimate child on the 16,h of Feb. last, by cutting her throat in the coalhole of a house in Fenton street, Islington, was triei on Thursday before Mr. Justice Cresswell and Mr. Justice Crampton, at tl rr Central Criminal Court. The facts of the case ate so fresh in the memory of all, that we need only observe the servant girl, Caroline Fisher, repeats d her evidence given first before the coroner without any variation, and with remarkable clearness de tailed all that she heard of the horrible act, the cries of the child, the imprecations of the mother, and the final death-throes of the poor girl. The finding of the body in the cellar was proved by the police con. stables; and though Mr. Ballantine made an eloquent attempt to obtain a verdict in favour of insanity, Mr. Justice Crampton summed up, and the jury after ten minutes' deliberation returned a verdict of Guilty. Sentence of death was then passed. The prisoner heard the sentence without much emotion. ELIZABETH Maim, charged with the murder of her two children at Uxbridge, was tried before tl e same judges on Wednesday, found guilty and sei tenced to death. Upon the delivery of the verdic', and during the passing of sentence, the prisone', who had an infant at the breast, betrayed terrib emotion, and continued praying for mercy and shrieking out that she was innocent, until borne away by the turnkeys. ANOTHER SUSPECTED CASE OF, WIFE POISONING IS at present under investigation at Lichfield, in Star; furdshire. It appears that a Mr. Ashmale,possessing a farm near Ediale, lost his wife very suidenly abort a twelvemonth since. Mrs. Ashmale's health had been delicate for some time, but her death was sud den. No suspicion, however, was excited at the time, but the late marriage of Mr. Ashmale with h'e servant, and the fact that no medical certificate had been produced stating the cause of death becoming known, the Staffordshire people, at this moment peculiarly alive to anything like a suspicious case of death, communicated with the chief constable, who laid the matter before the Home Secretary. An order for the exhumation of the body and a mortem examination was given by Sir George The body was exhumed last week, and the into subjected to an analysis, and there the at present. eorge urey. e intestines natter rcsts A