The Express.
London, England, 1862-03-04 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

The Court of Common Council held a special
meeting yesterday at Guildhall, for the purpose of receiving
• report from the Bridge-house Fatates Committee in refer-
ence to certain proceedings proposed to be adopted by the
London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company in relation
to the property of the corporation on the south side of
Blackfriars-bridge. The Lord Mayor presided. It will be
recollected that at the last meeting of the court a report
was made by the Bridge-house Fetates Committee, detail-
ing the steps that were proposed to bet &ken by the London,
Chatham, end Dover Railwa , to deal with the public stairs
on the south side of the ewagsynail other property beloog-
ing to the corporation on the same spot ; and the court wee
asked to empower the committee to confer with the railway
company with a view, if pawl*, to come to some amicable
arrangemont, and if not, to empower them to oppose the
bill in parliaments it beisg Tro d that no dope shoed
be taken without sanctionreceivin of tb• court.
The report was read, ft appeared -from it
that thie committee had bens le somalaWsehios with
the solicitor, guesser, and semeaary of that company
with respect to the said bill, sad particularly with respect
to the read sad footway In frost of Allem-pleas, cm time
solth side of Blaeldrien-bridge, intended to be taken for
the purpose of a railway station for the company, which it
was proposed by the committee shoubl be left, so as to
preserve it for the use of the public, but the company
would not accede to that proposal. The committee,
therefore, feeling that the road and footway in front
of Albion-pleas should be preserved as as ornament to the
south side of the bridge, and as • proper means of locus
to tho stairs of the present, as well as of the proposed new
bridge, recommended that they should be empowered to
prosecute the petition agreed to by the court against that
On the motion of Mr. VALIANCE, seconded by Mr.
Bums, the report was agreed to, after a brief discussion.

LAW ANIS:UDDER/VP SoarrY.—The eighth general
meeting of this society was held bat evening, at the
rooms of the society in Waterloo-place, Pall-mall ; Mr.
Daniell, Q.C., in the chair. Mr. Ellward Webster read a
paper On the Bills to facilitate the Transfer of Land,"
now before the HMSO of Lords, in which, Alta having
noticed the provisions of the various measures, he ex-
pressed his opinion that the Lord Chancellor's bill would
be the most acceptable to the lepl profession, but that
Lord Chelmsford bill would beet serve the interest of the
public. Mr. Webster concluded by sketching out a plati
which be thought would simplify the question, and by'
extending the principle of registration render the pur-
chaser secure in his title, and the transfer of land as
simple as that of stooks or railway shares. Mr. Napier
Higgins then reed a paper " On the Bills now before Par-
Bement on Real Badates," which must be considered sup-
plementary to that read by Mr. Webster. Mr. Higgins
=h
ie preference to the bill of Lord Cranwoeth. A
"on followed, in which the Chairmen, Mr. Webstreri
aid others, took part, after which the papers were ordered
to be printed.
Poew. Rasmus& —The postal committee of the
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce have brought up a moans
laudation to the council of that body in favour of a half-
penny instead of • peony rate upon local letters. They also
recommend • reduction in thereto' for samples sent through
the post, an usimilation of the charges for samples be-
tween England and France, and an extension of the piller-
post rutem.
The Livzitrooi. Cluing= OF Cosassacz AND
TSB Corrose.—The council of the Liverpool Chamber of
Commerce hays agreed to memorialise Lord Palmerston as
to the appoielunest of • geetleman of mercantile experience
on the Board of Custom ; and also to petition the House
of Commons and memorialui the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer in favour of the remeval of the import, export, and
bonding charges.
TH. LIVERPOOL CRAMMER OF COMMERCE AND
THE BELLIGKEENT RIGHTS QCFATION.—The commercial
law committee of the Chamber of Commerce tat a meeting
of the council yesterday) brought up a recommendation re-
affirming its previous opinion as to belligerent rights, but
stating that at present the council did not consider it de-
sirable to rain) the question of blockades. A memorandum
from the chamber on this subject is to be transmitted to
Mr. lionfall, M.P., in anticipation of Mr. Cobden's motion.
THE LONDON FREIGHT MARKET. —The position of
the freight market is more favourable to the shipping inte-
rest than at any period since the close of the Russian war.
Throughout the lone trades freights ar remunerative,
and although fluctuations may be expected at the eastern
ports, oar shipowners entertain great midi, in a continuanee
of prosperity. The improvement arises in some measure
from the decrease in the competition of American shipping,
but more especially from the reaction which naturally suc-
ceeds • long period of depression. During the last few
weeks the demand for shipping property has become unit-
sully active, and in addition to the purchase of • large
number of cood.hand ships, our ship-building firms have
received numerous orders, especially for iron ships. The
increased value of shipping property affords the best evi-
dence el the belief that the present improvement in freights
is likely to prove permanent But, in considentg the posi-
tion of the freight market, it is as well, perbapt, not to be
over songuine. The advance in freights at Hominy may
not cootinue after the pressure to export cotton before the
close of the season is over. At Calcutta the freight market
has been influenced by the anticipated rupture between this
country and America, and that market may also suffer from
the altered aspect of affairs ; again, it must be borne in
mind that the timber trade promises but little encourage-
ment fur our shipping during the coming seem, the stocks
of timber being excessive, and the demand for fresh impor-
tetions languid in the extreme. The American cotton trade
is a dead letter, and from present appearances there will be
no employment fur the large amount of toosage usually
engaged in the service. We may accordingly look for a
large accession of shipping In the long trades as the spring
advances, and hence the neesuity. for caution in speculating
upon the maintenance
of high freight..—(From the Circular
of Seymour, Peacock, and Co., March 1.)
RAILWAY AND PtIIBLIC COstrAwits IN PARLlA-
arrr.—The following _edditioold committees are appointed
to termite into and deride upon the merits of the proposed
new railways for the Lancashire and Yorkshire distncte :
A committee, consisting of Mr. Mowbray (chairman), Mr.
Alderman &lemons, Mr. Henuessy, Mr. W. Wood, and Sir
P. Burrell, on the Gorgon and Liverpool, Oldham and
Ashtoo, Reighley sad Worth Valley, Bradford and Lerida,
Lancashire and Yorkshire, Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax,
North Eastern bills, Hull and Homes, and Bradford sad
' Leeds. A committee, counting of Mr. Puller (chairman),
Mr. Langton, Mr. Hunt, Mr. 0. Gore, and Mr. Warner, on
the Barnsley Coal Extension, Lancashire and Yorkshire
((Doncaster,
Goole, and Hull lines), North Eastern (Hull and
ter), South Yorkshire extensions, West Riding, Hull
' sad Grimsby, and Hull sad West Riding junction.
EMIORLTION FROM LIVERPOOL. —The tide of
emigration from Liverpool continues to flow with dimi-
nished force when compared with former 3.eara, as the re-
turns of the government emigration agent in Liverpool for
the present month show. The number of emigrants mailing
" under the act" was:—To United States, 3 ships, 1,078
Passengers; Victoria, 2 ships, GOi passengers • total, 1,682.
Those not under the act were :—To United Sti.tos, 13 ships,
596 passengers; New South Wales. 1 ship, 16 passenger.;
Victoria, 1 ship. 52 passenger ; South America, 1 ship,
19 managers—in all, 683. Adding those under and not
under the act, the aggregate for the past month is
2.30, being • decrease of 1,223 as compared with the ca
-
responding month of 1861.
DEATH BY DROWNING AT OXFoRD.—We regret
to annour.ee the melancholy death, by drowning, of Mr.
George Rankine Luke, M.A., student and tutor of Christ
Church, who met with a watery grave yesterday afternoon
on the Isis. It appears that a watern,an named Hunt was
steering a boat down the river in the afternoon, end when
in Kennington Reach, be discovered an outrigger dingy
turned upside down. Fearing that an accident bad occurred,
the occupiers of Hunt's boat raised an alarm, and the dens
wets without loss of time procured, sod the lifeless body
of Mr. Luke was discovered. He was taken to the Isis
Tavern, there to await the coroner's inquisition. Mr. Luke
MO distinguished se a man of great ability in the uni-
versity, having in 1858 gained the Gsisford 'arise is 1857
the lreland scholarship, and subsequently been elected
from Balliol to a studentship at Christ Church. The
melancholy occurrence hes cut a gloom throughout the
university, where deceased was generally reepected.
MURDER IN TER ISLII or WIGHT.—On Saturday
evening, • man named John White, a farm labourer, was
walking at Lake, near Sandown, in the Isle of Wight, with
a young woman, who for some time put has been house-
keeper to a pen
Wooden named Joseph Wooden, when
Wooden waylaid them, and deliberately stabbed White,
his death being instantaneous. Jealousy u supped to be
the cause of the murder. Wooden has been appeshended.