The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-09 00:00:00

;vow**.

!Gift Qroun.

The Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied by the
prime et Wale*, Prina Alfred, the Princess Royal, the
pria,, Alice, and the Prince us Helena, and also by the
Duke Gild Duchess Sane-Coburn, at.d by Count Arthur
Yrnsdorff, left Windsor Castle yesterday afternoen for toe.n.
The piny occupied six carriages and four, and was escorted
by a detachment of the Horse Guards from the Castle to the
Slough station of the Great Western Railway, and left by •
special train for the Paddington terminus.
The Queen will held a wiry council on Friday
diereeou, at three o'clock, at Buckingham Palace.

A deputation from the committee and owners of
homes in the parish of Islington, for opposing the erection of
the fever hospital in. the Liverpool-road ie. that parish, had
a interview with Yesconet Murpeth yesterday, at the office
of the Woods and Forests in Whi tehsll-place.
Colonel W. L Freestun had an interview with Sir
O. Grey yoteraey, at the Hume-office.
A deputation from the landowners, clergy, gentry,
sisaatseturers, yeomen, and others, resident in the eountiee
of Dorset, Wilts, and Somerset, on and near the line of the
raposed South Western extensions from Salisbury to Yeo-
vil, had an interview with the Commissioners of R*ilways
yesterday, at the office of the Board of Trade, to present a
memorial unanimously agreed t at a public meeting held
se Shaftesbury, on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
A deputation, consisting of Mr. W. J. Hale (chair-
men), Mr. T. Brushtield (treasurer of the parish of Christ
Church, Spitalfieleb.), Mr. Waldron, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr.
Siihes, had Woods and
with the Conimisioners of her
Majesty's Woods and Forests yesterday.

COMMERCIAL BANK OF LONDON.—A special gene-
ral meeting was held yesterday at the bank, in Lothbury,
for the purpose of filling up three vacancies in the direc-
tion, occasioned by the resignation of Mr. J. Skewell, Mt.
Henry
_Caulfield, and Mr. George Ramie. Mr. C. D. Archi-
bald, Mr. Wm. Cooper, and Mr. J. A. Chowne were elected
in their stead.—The Chairman ',Mr. John Taylor) then said
he felt great pleasure in stating that the progress of the hank
bad been meet satisfactory since the annual meeting in July
last. They had existed through times moat difficult and por-
tentous; indeed, he supposed that at no period had there
been such remarkable changes in the value of public secu-
rities, stock, and all descriptions of property, as during the
past year. They had had Consols at 94 and at 79 ; they
had had Exchequer Bills at 15 and 20 premium, and
they had had them at 37 discount. All great
articles of commerce, such as cotton, sugar, indigo, &c., had
declined in value from 25 to 40 per cent. Under these cir-
cumstances the management of the bank had required pecu-
liar caution, and he was harpy to say that at no period, not
even in October or November, hod there been a diminution
in their balance above 10 per cent. below the highest amount
of last year. He had great pleasure in stating that for the
last hali.year the gross profits were as large as in the cor-
responding period of 1846 : for although their balance had
been les!, the higher interest bad made up for the deficiency.
It could not have been expected that they could have
been free from any losses during such times as
they had gone through; but those losses had been
of no importance, and the bad debts bad been
much less than might have been expected considering
the state of the market, and the anoint of husins now
done by the bank. In that respect they had been fortu-
nate. Foreseeing in some measure the coming pressure, the
directors had, in the early part of September, sold a con-
siderable amount of Exchequer Bills and stock, in order to
be enabled to meet the demands 'mon the bank, and give
accommodation and assistance to their friends. They had
since replaced the whole of that stock at a price considerably
less than they had sold it for; and hail by the means been
enabled to add something to the profit and loss account of
the concern. Since the beginning of the present year their
progress bad continued to be equally satisfactory, and they
had during the month oealanuary alone opened fifty new
accounts. The statement was received with considerable
applause, and was acknowledged by a vote of thanks to the
chairman and directors. The meeting then adjourned.
METROPOLITAN DEBTIVITION.—YesterdI a public
meeting was held at Willis's Rooms, King-street, t James's
(granted gratuitous by the proprietors), under the auspices
of the Poor Man's Guardian Society and the National Phi-
lanthropic Association, to support the soup kitchen and re-
fuge in Leicester-square, and for the employment of the poor.
Toe meeting, the larger portion of which consisted of ladies,
was but thinly attended. Shortly before two o'clock Mr.
Charles Cochrane was called to the chair, and, on opening
the proceeding+ of the day, expressed his regret that that
duty had devolved upon him instead of Lord Ashley, who
was prevented by a priorand important engagetisent fnim being
present. The noble lord, however, had authorised him to state
that he cordially es mpathised with the objects aimed at. The
societies by which this meeting had been convened afforded
every day good, wholesome, and nutritious soup and bread
to 900 poor persons, and the meeting would therefore feel
that the societies stood: in need of a tolerably goad exchequer.
In this respect they had, as yet, had no reason to
complain during the winter of the want of supplies fur-
l:1101,d by the public. Those supplies had vaned from 5
guineas! to 15 guineas per day, and though the supplies bad
talien off, mill the societies would not be disheartened from
pursuing their present career. The amount of destitution
which at present prevailed in the metropolis was truly ap-
palling. The workhouses and unions were in an over-
crowded state, and the casual poor were driven to lie all
night on the pavement in front of the workhouses, to which
they could not get admission. The evils of this distress and
destitution were increased by the harshness and cruel severity
with which the authorite s carried into effect the provisions
of the new poor-law. Until that law was modified, it was
necessary to appeal to the public to support the institutions
establi+heil in Leicester-square and in other parts of the
metropolie.—The Chairman stated that Prince Albert had
contributed 201., and yesterday the Bishop of Oxford had
intimated that a donation of 51. would be paid ou applies-
nee at the It lel Alruunry, Whitehall. The chairman
concluded by making an eloquent appeal fir the support
sad sympathies of the public on behalf of the humane objects
ninth were contemplated by the societies already alluded to.
lk Charles Aldis moved, and the Rev. Dr. Sprenger se-
waded, a resolution to the effect, " That the amount of po-
wily and destitution now existing in the metropolis has
attained a height, and assumed an aggravated form of the
mast alarming kind ; that the overcrowded state of the nu-
' serous workhouses, coupled with the many instances of
the maladministration of the poor law, has led to the mise-
ries and sufferings of the poor being greatly multiplied, and
that mendicity, crime, mortality, and disease, have increased
to a fearful extent, evils which can only be permanently re-
medied by a humane and comprehensive system of legisls-
lion, and temporarily palliated through the inetrumentality
of Christian mediation and spontaneous benevolence."—The
resolution was passed unanimously, as also did another, pro-
posed by the Rev. Herbert Smith, chaplain of the New
Forest union workhouse, Hants, and seconded by Mr. Roper,
',the Distressed Needlewomen's Society, to the following
elect: " That the mop kitchen and refuge, established in
laieester-square, united with the department fur procuring
employment for able-bodied poor, have proved of emi-
nent service in relieving the unemployed and destitute
psor during the winter season, and that in consequence
of the heavy expenses eutailed on the governing bodies of
these societies by the daily distribetion of relief to 900 poor
parsons, this meeting pledges Reelf to support the kitchen
and refuge by every available means, and at the same time
earnestly recommended it to the protecion and support of a
generous British public."—A third resolution was also
agreed to for the presentation by Lord Ashley to the legisla-
ture of a petition praying the abolition of a practice sanc-
tioned by the euar,lisns of many unions, of permitting the
sale roar to sleep naked together in the casual wards —a
practice no oppo-ed to all the rules of decency and propriety ;
std thanks having beet voted to the chairman, the meeting
Depilated.
ABOLITION OF TUE Wisnow TAX.—A meeting of
ratepayers of the parish of St. James Westminster, was
held last evening at the Crown-tavern, Broad-street, Golden-
square, fur the purpose of taking measures to procure the
total repeal a the windoo -tax. Mr. Geeein, churchwarden,
presided, and said that • petition to parliament had been
adopted by the vestry and preeentol to Sr De Lacy Evans
and Mr. Lushington for introduction into the House of Com-
mons. The present meeting was called fur 'he purpose of
having the petition adopted and signed by the parishioners
gem rally. Delegates had been appointed to act in concert
with the parish of Marylebooe to communicate with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject; and he
hoped to hear the opinion of Sir Charles Wood on
Thursday (to-morrow), when the deputation would wait
upon him.—Mr. Niven proposed the first resolu
Lion, which was to the effect that a petition be
presented to parliament for a total repeal of the window tax,
without which no sanitary measure was complete. He pro-
ceeded to give a general review- of the gradual growth of that
tax, from its origin in the house tax of the reign of William
the Third, to its estahlishmeat in its present form, and
l gradual increase by William Pitt, to which minister, how-
, ever, it was a popular delusion to ascribe the whole of the
odium attached to its introduction. A great portion of the
deficiency which it would cause in the revenue would be
covered bythe extra amount of ahem, wood, lead, and paint.
—lll articles paying duty—which would be consumed in
consequence—in addition to which, the extra employment
which would be given to a large number of persons
was a material point. Some years ago, Lord Althorp
had promised that the tax should be repealed, and,
in consequence, a large number of windows in the
parish, which had previously been shut up, were opened.
Bone time after this a new survey was made, and every
window so opened was charged with the duty. lie did not ,
1 I blame Lord Althorp or any other person for this occurrence, .
which could only be cuasidered as the result of accident. lie I
was a commiseioner of taxes, and the case had come under
his especial notice. He considered that the advocates of the
proposed measure were under deep obligations to the newe-
-1 Eeper press for their support ; he particularly instanced the
Deily Aeles, in which journal an article appeared a few
lays ago—he believed on Fnday last—which he had no
Ilesitatlon in saying was the best article that had been
mitten on the subject ; ald he thought they were peculiarly
tdebted to that paper for its advocacy of the cause._
ztAustin seconded the resolution. He was surprised
in the report of the sanitary commission there
bad been no allusion to the window tax, which he con-
sidered to be a material point of the subject. Those (rem-
liming:a had repeated the authorities of St. James,

Westminster, to make an examination into the state of the
poorer habitations in that parish. The returns made showed
that there were 1,150 habitations on the ground, which
were unfit for human abode. He considered that that
fact ought to have given the commissioners an idea as to the
evils of the tax. Out of 3400,000 houses in Great Britain
not more than 500,000 were chargeable with the winds a tax.
There was no doubt that many gentlemen's houses escaped,
because they were classed as warehouses, or were in the ea
cupation of gentlemen Carmen, or were exempt from other
causes—so that a very small part of the sum paid was eon.
tributed to by the rich, the great burden falling upon the
lower claws. The resolution was carried unanimously,
and a large number of signatures affixed to the petition, se-
veral gentlemen also pre,- - their influence m•

_..0 promising t_._-- pro:Airing
its further support by the parishioners. The petitson was as
follows :
- --

That the tax ups wholesim esWed, but is reality a tax upon
light and air, the BM ad mess awed of Heaven's bounteous guts,
Is is it. ant tnjui toasted* lives, mord,
and "na
umieel=tialliSr= et the commit, who es but
dant le be digebled elluslurs ea which tele Meld et MOM
se mile Aqui um the ammo. of the house le emeretly en.
redeem the Ml, lbel Owe eve In Greet Retain UNA* home,
not tree Sim Medd et dab ebergeoble Neith era Ude um
theft poem pegerlkm et Ile IMMe Wog the abodes dame who
haft Rodin of rawareffEr rieSeelyg magi helms la did lacantim,
trem Yin deildell vow Id es dem war
odreedve Meru burs meet uffrjeml add while
the aims of the nobility ad {misty, sod the warebeina of the
wimekseha, me, u retard. thecae, by the modem style ef archltes.
tun (daybed It sway fairly he gromaned„ la eerie m to weeps
this tat), et es mopeds the dm, *en the mmereueeteset
Interferers, dear very stiedy died* sr ebony imempird have
its operation lb* the podium me of minion that as merry
meseures sea be eerie ,dri sr elliedel which do est esibrem the
abolition dale tee. They Mtwara Mealy pray you bermalle
honer that the window tea may be forthwith totally treed&
THE NUMBER OF DEATHS IN LONDON during the
week ending Feb. 5 was 1,478, the weekly average being
1,107. The excessive mortality is shown in the return of
the registrarl.weral to have arisen from diseases of the
lungs, influenza, scarlatina, typhus, and small pox. The
number of births during the week wa. 1,367.
THE GREAT PROCESSION OP SAILORS. The
sailors' demonstration on the Thames this day will be one of
the meet novel and imposing th. tprobabh ever was witnessed
on the river. According to the arrangements made up yes.
to rdsy afternoon by the committee of delegates, three power.
ful steam-boats will be employed in arranging and conducting
the ceremony u far u relates to the marine portion of the
proceedings. At an early hour the steamers will be employed
in collecting the crews from the numerous vessels moored
between Blackwell and Gravesend, and towing them in their
boat. to the starting point opposite the Shadwill 'Urdu d
the London Docks. By this period all the boats fres the
vsaelo in the docks and in the pool will have assembled
there, and at 12 o'clock they will be formed in three lines,
each headed by a steamer, and in that manner proceed up
the river, each boat bearing its ship's colours, and the band
on board the delegates' steamer playing the usual popular
national airs. The men will he dressed it; " blue, and
rowed their caps will wear a blue ribbon, bearing " The
Navigation Laws." On the boats reaching Waterloo-bridge
the crews will proceed to disembark, and resemble in Trafal-
ger-square, and at two o'clock tho men will ('em in proces-
sion three abreast, and move on to the Hoinnoffice, when
the delegates will be granted an audience by Sir George
Grey, the Secretary of State, to whom will he entrusted the
petition for presentation to the Queen, praying her Majesty
not to sanction any alteration in the navigation laws of this
country. The seamen will then return to their respective
boats, and in the same order as they arrived proceed down
the river to their several vessels. All the shipping in the
docks and the pool will he decked out with their flags, in
order to evince the feeling of the owners on the subject.
THE CONVICT ESTABLISHMENT AT WOOLWICH.—
ALL POE LOVE!—A day or two since a convict belonging to'
the Justitia convict bulk at Woolwich, named Warren, who
had been removed from Millbank Penitentiary about a fort-
night since, attempted to perform a feat which bears some
analogy to that of Leander, of classic memory, on the
Hellespont. A number of female co,.victs had been brought
down from Millbank prison, for removal en board the Eliza
and Ilenry, a hired transport-ship, lying off the Royal
Arsenal, and amongst them was a female with whom War-
ren had formerly cohabited. The prospect of thirteen thou-
sand miles between him and has " Hero " was too much for
the poor fellow, and after one or two lingering longing looks
at the vessel, he sprang from the deck of the Junkie, a
height of between 30 and 40 feet, and plunged into the
stream. From his powers as a swimmer, there is no doubt
he would have reached the Elk& and Henry, lot a
boat rowed by another convict, named Fletcher,
pursued him, and he was brought hack to the hulk, to
endure a separation which must last either ten or seven years,
the period for which his ladye love and himself are respec-
tively sentenced.—On Monday morning a savage attack was
wade on a guard of the Justitia named Daniel Frazer, by a
half-witted convict named Joseph Craig. The cause of the
outrage has not transpired, but the guard was struck and
knocked down by the prisoner, who afterwards kicked and
jumped upon him; and had it not been for the assistance of
some prisoners standing by the consequences might have
been SkTIOUS.—A convict named William Wrenshaw, who
was placed in solitary confinement for an assault on Quarter.
master Knowles, attempted to commit suicide on Sunday by
strangulation. He had tied one end of his handkerchief to
his arm and the tither round his throat, and it was with some
difficulty that Mr. Blyth, the assistant-surgeon, succeeded in
restoring animation.
INQUEST, YESTERDAY. THE MYSTERIOUS
DEATHS OF AN AGED COUPLE IN RATELTPE —Before Mr.
Baker, adjourned inquiry, at the Queen Catherine public-
' house, Brook-street, Ratcliff, respecting the deaths of Mr.
Andrew Witham, and his wife Aun Witham. In noticing
the close of this extraordinary case it may be necessary to
mention the facts connected with the last moments of the
deceased. The male deceased died early on the morning of
Tuesday, the Vith ult., at his resident • in Carolina street; and
his wife on the Sunday previous. For several weeks prior
to their demise they were bedridden, and on the Wednes-
day preceeding his death Mr. Witham bequeathed the
whole of his property to on elderly woman named Elisa-
beth Taylor, who acted as their nurse, amounting to near a
1,0001. No medical man was called in to attend there, or
their relatives apprised of their state ; but it did appear that
Mr. Buchanan, a surgeon, who happened to EAU at the
house on the Saturday on other business, saw them and
prescribed medicine fir them. With the exception of Taylor
and another woman who assisted her, the neighbours, spoke
of his mind baing impaired. On the Turelay, Mrs. Taylor
called upon Mr. Donne, a solicitor, in Spiteltielde, and inti-
mated to him that Mr. Witham was desirous of leaving her
all his property. The next day Mr. Donne said, he called
and received instructions, and, on the following day, the
will was brought and read over to the deceased, a neigh-
bouring barber and a labouring man being called in at the
spur of the moment to act as witnesses. According to Mr.
Donne's statement, he was scarcely able to articulate, and he
(Mr. Donne) was only able to glean his information from
what the nurse suggested, and the poor man's brief replies
to questions put to him. The witnesses to the document
could not say if the &ceased understood the effect of the
will when it was read over to him. The contents of their
stomachs were handed to Dr. Letbeby for analysation, and
in the :stomach of the male deceased there was half an ounce
of a thick brownish green matter, the odour from which was
strictly identical with that from hemlock and its prepara-
tions. He entertained strong suspicion of the existence of
hemlock. The stomach of the female gave forth a similar
odour. On the investigation being re-opened, Mn. S. West-
more, of No. 1, Brook.street, Itateliff, was called. She said
she had known the deceased for several years past. On the
Tuesday previous to Mrs. Witham's death, she went into
their house, and noticed that Mrs. Witham was ill. She re-
marked to the nurse, " Mrs. Witham is very unwell ;" who
replied, " Yes, he will have to make another will" (mean.
ing the husband). She made her no reply. On the fol-
lowing morning .be again went to inquire about them,
when the nurse informed her that he had made a will in her
favour. (By the solicitor's testimony it appeared that the
will was not made till the following day.) She never taw
anything administered to them, even medicine. She saw
him on the Saturday before his death, and he seemed quite
imbecile—certainly not fit to make a will—The Coroner here
inquired of Mr. Superintendent Bilaon if the police had learnt
anything more about the matter?—Mr. Bilson said he had
causedinquiries to be made respecting the stater' nt which
had been given before the jury at the previous bitting in
reference to poison being all iced to be boiled at the barbers'
shop, and he found it to have been reported in the street...—
Mr. William Witham, a brother of the deceased, was
sworn : He first saw the deceased on Saturday
night, and then his brother did not appear likely to die.
His wife expired on Sunday, and on Monday he noticed lie
relative to be retching. He had occasion to go out about
seven o'clock, and on returning at nine he perceived that a
remarkable change had taken place in his state.—Coroner :
Why did you not call in a medical man ? —Witness: They
said he would soon be better, that he was only in a tit, and
that he would get over it. I said if it was a fit I thought he
would not get over it.—No other witneases appearing to be
examined, the Coroner proceeded to sum up, and a 6 er going
through the whole fact., recommended such a N erdict to be
returned as would enable the police to re-open the case,
should more conclusive evidence be brought to light —The
jury retired for half en hour, and then found " that the
deceased persons died on the days mentioned in evidence,
but that the precise cause of death did not appear ; that a
brownish green matter was found in their stomachs impreg-
nated with a certain narcotic mortal poison called hemlock,
but how the materiel impregnated with such slid smell was
taken, did not appear to the jurors."