The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-19 00:00:00

TO TON EDITOR OF TOE EXPRESS.

Sts,—having observed an article in your journal
of last Saturday, lamenting what is there anticipated
may be the result of the information filed by the
Attorney-General against Lord Guilford, under the
supposition that he was the master de jure, and as
such he would escape from refunding the enormous
sums of money he has appropriated, or rather mis-
appropriated, under the plea of " custom," I beg to as-
sure you that from having in my possession an opinion
from a most eminent lawyer that the mastership of
St. Croix is an ecclesiastical benefice cum cure, and
as such can only be legally held by institution and in-
duction, and that as Lord Guilford confessedly, has not
been either, the said mastership has been void since
the last vacancy iu 1807 ; consequently his lordship,
as far as his lay trust is concerned, must refund the
whole of the fines received by him (as an intruder)
from the tithes of the lay appropriations, over which
the Court of Chancery can exercise control. As a
proof of the mastership being an ecclesiastical bene-
fice ruin cure, from the fact of having no heir endowed,
I will simply mention that it has been taken as an
option by the archbishop, presented by the crown on
the vacancy of the see, and on the master being made
a bishop, and on a lapse, and Lord Guilford himself
recovered 3,7931. for dilapidations as an ecclesiastical
benefice in the Ecclesiastical Court from the late
master's executor, and it is in the " Liber Nlagis"
as such ; and lastly, Lord Guilford has in his answer
shown that it is such.—l am, &c.,
CLERICUS.

HEALTH OF LONDON DCRINO THE WEEK.—The
eilleal report says: The effect of increased cold in the
weather is now perceptible in the weekly returns of mor-
tality. In October the number of deaths registered in
London did not in any week exceed 981, and in the fourth
it fell to $01; while the weekly mean temperature during
the greater part of the month was more than .52 deg. In
the week ending November Bth the mean temperature was
only 49 deg. ; last week it was 40.2 deg. ; and contempo-
raneously with this fall the deaths rose in the former week
to 989, and in the last to 1,022. In corresponding weeks
, of the ten years (1841-50) the average number of deaths was
992, which with a correction for increase of population be-
comes 1,091. The 1,022 deaths registered in the week
coding last Saturday show a decrease of 69 on the estimated
aweast. Last week the number of deaths ascribed to
dimerse of the symotic or epidemic class was 236, showing
▪ Important differ. net from the usual amount at this season.
Nightera young persons and five adults of 15 years and up-
wards were carried off by small-pox. In four of the 23
mom it is stated that the patients had received vaccination.
Oa tie 14th of November, at 6, George-street, Grosvenor-
Orme, the daughter of n stableman. aged 3 years, died of
▪ variola contluens (6 weeks), ulcers in various parts, irritr.
tive fever, asthenia." On the medical certificate it is stated
that the deceased had not been vaccinated, and assistance
mai not sought till the pustules had desquamated univer-
sally." Mr. Jay, the registrar, adds that "this is an in-
stance of the prejudice against vaccination, which prevails
in too many instances, among the poorer classes." Amongst
other causes of death, 123 persons, of whom 105 were in
middle lite, died of plithieis or consumption, 66 of bron-
chitis, 68 of pneumonia, 18 of asthma, 4 of pleurisy, 3 of
laryngitis. Two lives were destroyed by intemperance; a
child died in 7 hours of " irritation of the air passages
caused by swallowing a p ece of walnut." Last week the
births of 814 boys and 712 girls, in all 1,526 children, were
registered. The average number in six corresponding
weeks of 184 I-50 was 1,333. At the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich, the mean drily reading of the barometer was
above 30 in. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The
mean of the week was 29.069 in. The mean temperature
was below the average of corresponding days in ten years
on every day of the week. The mean temperature of the
week was 40.2 deg., which is 3'4 deg. below the average.
The daily mean fell from about 40 deg. on Thursday and
Friday to 31.3 deg. on Saturday. The wind blew generally
from the north.

TUE MAYORALTY OF BIRMINGRAM.—Mr. Alder-
man Smith, the newly-elected Mayor of Birmingham, has
intimated to the town clerk that he has under consideration
the resignation of his office. Tois announcement, which
was rumoured yesterday, gave rise to much surprise; the
mayor had been sumin •ned as wont to attend committee
meetings of the council. and as an apology for his non-
attenannee. a communication to the effect above stated was
received by the town clerk. The cause is said to arise out
of the fact of the council harMir, at a meeting last Fri-lay,
rescinded certain resolutions passed prior to Mr. Smith's
election to the mayoralty, and which he had promoted.
His worship appears to entertain th- opinion that this lath-
, cated a want of confidence in him.

Ttte We.truea.—Duriag the past three days the
weather has been intensely cold. The ornamental waters ;
in the royal parks have heroine covered with a surface of
ice. Ou Monday afternoon the thermometer stood at 30
degrees whilst the sun we; shining brightly, but daring the
night the mercury was as low as 21 degrees in confined
situations, and t 2 degrees in the open thoroughfares, being
several degrees below freezing point. In Suffolk, the /in-
irielt Express of yesterday, says, that a gale of wind
has been blowing teem the northwest for many hours' and
the fails of snow have been so heavy that tile earth has
been covered with it to th, de?th of from four to six inches.
A large number of +Awls have sought shelter in llarwich
harbour, anviagst which are many colliers that ate unable
to make their pa-sage to the north. la Scotland rains and
Scotch mists, which were very prevalent, have given way to
• biting black frost.