The Press.
London, England, 1856-05-24 00:00:00

flittropolitan.

THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY was presented to
Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, G.C.8., on Monday, at a
special court cf Common Council. The court was
fully attended, and presented a remarkably brilliant
and gay appearance from the number of ladies
present. After some preliminary business had been
disposed of, Sir Edmund Lyons was introduced by
Mr. Deputy Dakin and Mr. Sheriff Kennedy, the
mover and seconder of the resolution. Sir John Key,
the chairman, then addressed Sir Edmund Lyons in
a complimentary speech upon the numerous gallant
services of his life, from the brilliant capture of the
fortress of ?Barrack in 1811 to the attack on Fort
Constantine in 1854. Neither were the eallant
admiral's diplomatic services overlooked. The selec-
tion by the Government for the command of the fleet
of a man whose long political residence at Stockholm
and Athens gave him profound knowledge of the
peculiar political circumstances of the war, was
characterised by Sir John Key as a most wise and
discriminating choice. Sir John then presented
to Sir Edmund Lyons the box containing the free-
dom of that city" within whose walls constitutional
liberty has ever been cherished in the worst times
under the most adverse circumstances."

SIR EDMUND LYONS, who was received with much en-
thusiasm by the audience, expressed his thanks for the
honour conferred upon him " by the most enlightened
and important commercial body that ever existed,"
briefly alluded to the complimentary terms in which
the Chamberlain had spoken of his public life, and
paid a handsome compliment to those who had
served under him :

In zeal for the good of the public service I yield to no
man, and during the two and forty years I have served
abroad in diplomacy and in the navy I certainly have con-
scientiously performed my duty to the best of my humble
abilities, and I must say that on all occasions I have been
so ably supported by those serving under me as to render
my task comparatively easy, and particularly during the
last three winters, in the Black Sea, and on no occasion
more than when the Agamemnon—as alluded to by the
Chamberlain—seconded by the Sanspariel and London,

attacked Fort Constantine. And here I must observe that
in every general action, both by ses and land, though all
are animated by the same ardent desire to be foremost in
the fight, some ships and some regiments have the good
fortune to be in a more prominent position than others.
On this occasion every ship in the fleet took up her ap-
pointed station with the greatest precision, and performed
her part nobly whoa in it. (Cheers.)
The whole court rose and cheered the gallant
admiral at the close of his address. When order was
restored the Lord Mayor intimated that the proceed-
ings were at an end, atiul invited tho whole company
to lunch with him at the Mansion house.

r-THE SUNDAY BAND QUESTION has given rise to
different meetings during the week. On Monday a
public meeting (If the inhabitants of St. Pancras was
addressed by Sir Benjamin Hall, who defended the
right of the people to have bands performing in the
parks on Sundays, and declared that an offer of
compromise had been made :
What would they say when he informed them that a
compromise had been offered—t Hear, hear)—that he might
be permitted to keep the music in Kensington gardens, if
be would not extend it to the Regent's or Victoria Park?

SATURDAY,

go forth. That night, in
(Groans.) He wished this to
the lobby of the house, he had been told that if he had
confined the band to liensingtomgardens he would have
been left quiet, but that his aggressive policy would not
be submitted to. (Shame ) What would they have aaid
to him (Sir B. Hall) if he had adopted this hypocritical
course, and fallen into dm snare? (Hear, bear.) If
the band was good for the West-end, it was equally good
for the East. (Hear, hear.) Where, then, was the
sanctity of their opponents? (Applause.)
The right hon. baronet concluded by declaring that
he had always been, and always would be, the friend
of the people. Previous to Sir Benjamin Hall's ad-
dress, a letter from Mr. Charles Dickens was read.
Mr. Dickens declined to attend the meeting, but
offered to subscribe 101. to a fund for the payment of
expenses that might be incurred in arranging with
other metropolitan parishes a combined representa-
tion to the Government of the "harmless nature of
the recreation they have taken away." Resolutions
for an open-air demonstration were adopted, and a
central committee appointed.—On Tuesday another
meeting was held at the Great Hall, Broadway, West-
minster, when Sir John Shelley, M.P., addressed
the meeting, and recommended an orderly and or-
ganised resistance to the influence of the Archbishop
of Canterbury.—A meeting was also held on Wed-
nesday evening in Hall's Riding-school, Marylebone,
at which Lord Raynham and Sir Benjamin' Hall
were present and addressed the persons assembled,
and insisted upon the harmlessness of the recreation,
and the folly of the extreme puritanical views of the
religious party. Resolutions, expressing regret at
the discontinuance of the hands, appointing a depu-
tation to wait upon Lord Palmerston with the view of
urging him to revoke his late suppressive order, and
a memorial to the Queen, were unanimously agreed
upon.
THE REGISTRAR GENERAL'S RETURNS show 1,094
deaths and 1,654 births as being registered for Lon-
don during the past week.
THE HALF-HOLIDAY MOVEMENT for the labouring
classes is assuming a definite shape. On Tuesday
an influential deputation from the Early-Closing
Association, headed by the Earl of Shaftesbury,
waited on Sir George Grey at the Home-office, to
ask, not for legislative action, but for the influence of
the Government by an introduction of the half-
holiday into the Government offices. Sir George
Grey replied that be agreed with Lord Shaftesbury
that legislation on this point was out of the question,
but with respect to the public offices he thought it
would not be practicable, especially during the sit-
ting of Parliament, to close such offices at two
o'clock on Saturday. He felt that the clerks em-
ployed in the offices under his immediate control
were not much in need of a weekly half-holiday;
and with regard to the other establishments con-
nected with the State, such as the dockyards, it
frequently happened that it was unavoidable that the
men therein employed had to work at all hours. In
the course of the conversation that ensued it appeared
that the society were also desirous to obtain the
performance of the bands in the parks on Saturday
afternoons.

THE CORPORATION OF THE SONS OF THE CLERGY
held their 202nd festival on Wednesday. The after-
noon service in St. Paul's Cathedral was attended in
due state by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cam-
bridge, the Archbishop of Canterbury and several
other prelates, the Lord Mayor, and the civic digni-
taries. In the evening the usual dinner at Merchant
Tailors'-hall was attended by a numerous company ;
the Lord Mayor presiding. The Archbishop of
Canterbury, the Bishop of Winchester, the Bishop of
Lincoln, the Bishop of St. David's, the Bishop of St.
Asaph, the Bishop of Chichester, the Bishop of
Bangor, and the Bishop of Ripon were also at the
table ; Vice Chancellor Sir John Stuart, Lord Berner%
the Dean of Windsor, the Dean of Connor, Arch
deacon Hale, with other distinguished clergy and
gentlemen, were present. From the report it appeared
that a total amount of 10,1751. had been received
by the corporation during the year from different
sources.

MAY 24, 1856.

a report of the steps taken
i since the first prelimi-
nary meeting, from which t appeared that 82,000/.
are already guaranteed by subscription, that her
Majesty and Prince Albert have promised their pa-
vonage to the scheme, and that, from various esti-
ra ices of contractors, a permanent building, capable
of holding 20,000 persons, could be erected in six
walls under a total expenditure of 40,0001. Re-
solutions, approving the report and determining upon
ar exhibition in Manchester next year of art trea-
sures, were proposed and unanimously adopted, and
an executive committee at once appointed.
THE INHABITANTS OF GRAVESEND and its neigh
b mrhood, on Wednesday, presented to W. F. Dobson,
Esq., who has filled the office of mayor of that
b wough for the last two years, a magnificent silver
o ndelabrum, and to MIS. Dobson a portrait of her
husband, painted by Brigstock. The presentation
t)ok place at a dinner of the subscribers at Wate's
Hotel, the Right Hon. the Earl of Darnley in
the chair, supported by W. Masters Smith, Esq.,
N.P. for the county, the clergy of the town, the
mayor, and about liio of the leading gentlemen of
tie town and neighbourhood.

pitu nnb Volta.

_ -
THE RUGELEY POISONINGS.-TRIAL

OF W. PALMER.
CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.-SATUEDAY.

THE trial was resumed on the above day, when the
first witness examined, George Bates, deposed to
having been employed generally by Palmer in his
stables. The valuable brood mares in the paddock
were often hunted by dogs, and much distressed.
On the Bth of December, during the inquest on Cook,
he delivered a letter and addressed a basket of game
to Mr. Ward, the coroner.

Mr. Carling, surgeon to the London Hospital, de
scribed the symptoms of tetanus. There were two
kinds of true tetanus, —"idiopathic," or self generated,
arising from exposure to cold or damp, and "trau-
matic," arising from wound or sores. He had only
seen traumatic tetanus. Death from that cause
varied from eight or ten to twenty-four hours to four
days, or longer. Paroxysms occur, during which the
muscles of the hack aru extensively affected, suffoca-
tion may ensue, and lockjaw is an early symptom.
He knew of no instance of tetanus arising from a
syphilitic sore. He did not think that symptoms of
either idiopathic or traumatic tetanus were present
in Cook's case. Epileptic spasms were not tetanic,
and between convulsions and tetanus there was
always this easy distinction, that in the first there
was an entire loss of consciousness, while in tetanus
the consciousness was never affected.

Dr. Todd coincided with Mr. Curling's distinction
between idiopathic and traumatic tetanus. In his
opinion, Cook's death could not be referred to either
apoplexy or epilepsy.
Sir Benjamin Brodie bad, in the course of his
practice, treated many cases of tetanus. He never
knew tetanus result from any syphilitic disease,
and did not believe that the death of Mr. Cook arose
from either idiopathic or traumatic tetanus. Neither
were Cook's symptoms the result of either apoplexy
or epilepsy. "I had better say at once," continued
the worthy baronet, "that T. never saw a case in
which the symptoms I have heard described here
arose from any disease."
Dr. Daniels, Mr. Samuel Solly, and Mr. Lee, sur-
geon to the Lock Hospital, quite agreed with the
opinions expressed by Sir Benjamin Brodie.
Dr. Corbett detailed the case of Agnes French,
who died in the Glasgow Infirmary, September 27,
1845, from taking two strychnine pills a quarter of a
grain each prepared for a paralytic patient. The
symptoms were these :

There was a strong retraction of the mouth; the face
was much suffused and red ; the pupils of the eye were
dilated ; the head was bent hack; the spine was curved;
and the muscles were rigid and hard like a board; the
arms were stretched out; the hands were clenched ; and
there were very severe paroxysms recurring every few
seconds. She died in sbuut an hour and a quarter after
taking the pills.

Dr. Watson and Mary Kelly, a patient at that time
in the Glasgow Infirmary, corroborated Dr. Corbett's
evidence.

Caroline Hickson, lady's-maid to Mrs. Sargeantson
Smith, detailed the circumstances connected with
that lady's death at Romsey, in October, 1848, from
taking a powerful dose of strychnine accidentally
administered to her through the inadvertence of the
local chemist in making up the medicine. Shortly
after taking the draught witness was rung up to Mrs.
Smith's room :
She was lying on the floor. She screamed loudly, and
her teeth were clenched. She asked to have her arms and
legs held straight. I took hold of her arms and legs,
which were very much drawn up. She still screamed, and
,SV ea II great agony. She requested that water should
throir# over her, ;tad J threw some. ITer feet were,

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