The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-12 00:00:00

ptttopatitan.

THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS met for the
despatch of busine-.s on Monday, at Burlington-
house. The secretary having read the report of the
chairman, detailing the steps he had taken to carry
out the resolutfOris adopted by the board at the last
meeting, recothmended that the officers of the
late Sewers Commissice; should be continued In their

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respective employments; that committees for finance,
for conference with district boards, f r appeals, for
the preparation of a code of by-laws, and for the
establishment of a committee under the Metropolitan
Bindings Act should be appointed, and that for the
effectual despatch of business the chairman should
have the power to take the necessary steps for dis-
posing of such matters, reporting the same to the
board at the next meeting. With the exception of
the appointment of the committees these recom-
meidations were at once adopted, and the reports of
the engineer in-chief and other officers were read.
Toe salary of the secretary was then fixed at 8001. a
year, an.i after a brief discussion upon the device for
the office seal, and the future temporary place of
meeting, the board adjourned till Monday next.

Taa bAGAL EXAMINATION of members of the Inns
of Court, desirous of studentships, or honours, or of
b fing called to the bar, commenced on Tuesday, at
the Benchers' Reading room, Lincoln's-inn. Con •
stitution law and legal history, with equity, formed
the first day's subject; common law and the law of
real property, the second; and jurisprudence and
civil law, the third. We have in a previous number
indicated the various authorities with which every
candidate will be expected to be acquainted. The
result of the examination cannot be known for
several days. At every call to the bar those students
who have passed a public examination, and either
obtained a studentsliip or certificate of honour, will
take rank in seniority over all other students who
are called on the same day ; and no student will be
eligible to be called to the bar who shall not have
attended, during one whole year, the lectures of two
or the readers, or have satisfactorily passed a public
examination.

THE COMMENCEMENT OF CHANCERY TERM occurred
on Tuesday, when a new order, compelling the date
and reference to the letter or number by which the
cause is distinguished to be written on the first
page of every decree used in court came into force.
T.ie clerks of records or writs are also, in entering
such decrees or document, to make note of the date
a td reference, and to add a further reference with
respect to the register's book, in which such decree
shall have been entered.

AT THE COURT OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF
SEWERS, on Tuesday, Dr. Letheby stated that City
churchyards, including that of St. Andrew's, Holborn,
were now definitively closed to be re-opened no more.
In the course of conversation the City engineer
stated, that the boarding around the Peel statue
would be cleared away and the work completed in
the course of three weeks.
A NEW STEAM HAMMER has been invented by Mr.
Naylor, the Superintendent of the Norwich Locomo-
tive Department of the Eastern Counties Railway.
The peculiarity of this invention is, that by a certain
regulation in the application of steam, the hammer,
at its greatest velocity of 200 blows a minute, can be
so managed as to strike alternate light and heavy
blows. Mr. Naylor has patented the principle of
this hammer, as applicable to a riveting machine for
boiler-making and iron shipbuilding, as well as for
iron making, smith's forging, stamping ore, and,
indeed, fur all purposes requiring the process of
hammering. It can be worked r.y elastic gas, corn
pressed air, steam, or vacuum.
THE REGISTRAR GENERAL'S QUARTERLY RETURN OF
DEATHS shows 13,480 as occurring in London. The
births for the week amount to 1,062, against 1,217
deaths, a number both above and below the average
of past years.
THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY held their annual
meeting on Wednesday, at their offices in Trafalgar-
sqoare, Out of 198 persons immersed within reach
of the officers of the society, 180 had been success
fully treated, although 25 were suicides.
THE CITY IMPROVEMENT COMMISSIONERS are now
actively progressing with the new street which is to
continue the line of Farringdon-street to Coppice-
row, and which will connect Clerkenwell and Isling-
ton in a direct line with the City. The Fleet sewer
is finished, and men are now employed in the con-
struction of cellars for the houses. There is no
doubt that in a very short time the thoroughfare will
be completed.
Dn. CUMMING delivered his first lecture of two on
the Concordat at Freemason's hall on Thursday
evening. The rev. doctor upon this occasion con-
fined himself to a definition of the provisions of the
Concordat, and an examination of the privileges it
restored to the Romish Church. In the second lec-
ture the rev. gentleman announced that he should
reply to the arguments of Cardinal Wiseman and Mc.
Bowyer.

THE EARL OF ELLESMERE at the late meeting, of
the Geographical Society spoke with marked feeling
of the services and fame of the gallant Sir John
Franklin. "So long," concluded the noble earl, "as
the name of Flanklin shall he bright in the annals of
British heroism, will the unweaned devotion and
energy of his wisdom be remembered and honoured."
THE ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMERS held a meeting
on Thursday at Southwark. Mr. Morley addressed
the meeting at some length, observing " that the day