The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-14 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL

Yesterday a Court of the Common Council of the
City of London, was specially held, in the Council Cham-
ber, at the Guildhall, in consequence of a requisition to con-
sider a motion, by Mr. Thomas Dakin:—"lhat this court
should petition the House of Commons, praying the house
to pass a bill to incorporate the Great Central Gas Con-
sumers' Company, so as to insure to the citizens of London
a permanent supply of cheap and pure gas."
The !tight lion. thy Lunn MAYvit took the chair at one
o'clock precisely, at which period a large number of mem-
bers were present. Throughout the whole of the proceed-
ings, which lasted upwards of three hours, the strangers'
gallery was crowded, the most intense interest appearing to
prevail during the entire sitting.
Mr. DAKIN, after a very long speech, in which he de-
tailed the history of the Gas Consumers Company, moved
that the court should petition the House ut cummuns in
favour of the bill.

Mr. ItICHA RD TAYLOR seconded the motion.
Mr. ANDERTON moved the previous question, and a
long discussion ensued, in which Messrs. H. L. Taylor,
Lou, Harrison, Alderman Lawrence, and Sir Chapman
Marshall took part. On a division there appeared—
For the motion
For the previous question
Majority
A petition in accordance with the terms or the motion was
then read and agreed to after some little opposition.
The ltemembrancer hay - received instructions to make

tying
the necessary arty, .ents for the presentational the assia.
the court was adjourned shortly after four o'closk.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

THIS DAT.

OLD COURT.
Basnaa Ma. Etaaaa ALDMON.
MANSLAIR/lITELL IN A LUNATIC ASYLUM.
Samuel llall was placed at the bar to receive the judg-
ment of the court.

It will be remembered that the prisoner, who was one of
the keepers in a lunatic asylum, was convicted at a recent
session of causing the death of one of the p►tients by vio-
lence.

Baron Alderson said, in passing sentence, that the pri-
soner had been convicted of the manslaughter of one of the
patients in a lunatic asylum, one of the principal witnesses
against him being an unfortunate inmate of the establish-
ment, and a point of law had been reserved for the consi-
deration of the Court of Appeal, whether a person is such
a situation was a competent witness. That point had re-
ceived full consideration, and the judges were clearly
of opinion that this person had been properly ex-
amined as a witness, and that the only question
was whether the statement made by the witness was of such
• character as would justify the jury in coming to the con-
clusion that ho was giving a correct account of the transac-
tion, and in the present instance the jury had come to that
conclusion, and he believed that the learned judge who
tried the ease entirely concurred with them in that
opinion. lie was now, therefore, to receive the judgment
of the court for a very serious offence—that of
having, while engaged as a keeper anal having the charge
of lunatics, caused the death of one of them by improper
and unnecessary violence. Instead of resorting to violence
he ought to have been restrained by a consideration of the
melancholy position of these unhappy persons from adopting
any such proceedings, and although it was possible he
might have received some provocation from the
wretched man who had met his death at his hands,
it was not any excuse for his conduct, and
instead of being angry at what he did, he
ought to have recollected his unhappy state, and that he
was not aware what he was doing, and therefore his pro-
ceeding ought not to have occasioned any more resentment
in the breast of a christian and humane man than if it had
been the act of a child.

The learned judge then sentenced the prisoner to be kept
to hard labour for twelve months from the date of his con-
viction.

THE GREAT EXHIBITION.—Tho amount taken at
the doors of the Exhibition building yesterday was 2,2001.,
the largest snm that has yet been received in one day. •
The sale of season tickets also rose so high that the funds
of the commission had during the day an accession alto-
gether of at least 3,0001.
TEMPERANCE DamoNsTaAnote.—The sixth of s
series of temperance demonstrations was held on Monday
night in Exeter Hall. There were upwards of two thou-
sand persons present. On the platform were the Hon. H.
Greeley, member of the United States Congret.s; Roy. H.
H. Garnett (a clt rgyman of colour), Geneva, state of New
York, and many well-known advocates of temperance.
Mr. John Cassell occupied the chair. During the course of
the evening the meeting was addressed alternately by
Europeans and Americans.

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