The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-06 00:00:00

MARRIAGE BY BARNS.

Arohdeacou Sir G. rasvoer moved a merles of resolu-
tions generally accepting the report and recommendations
of the committee appointed at the sittings of February
last, to consider and report whether any, and if any what,
alterations might be advantageously made in the acts of
parliament, or in the canon relating to lawns of niarriage,
but after a very long and learned discussion it was mug.
gaited that the recommendations, acme of which were ob-
jec teded to, should be made each the subject of a separate
resolution, that it might be considered on its merits, and a
motion for adjourning the debate was proposed and carried
with that view.

The house then adjourned at a quarter put aix o'clock.

METROPOLITAN MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION.

The first annual meeting of this association,
established for promoting the better local government of
the metropolis, was held yesterday afternoon in the rooms
of the Social Science Association, No. 1, Adam-street,
Adelphi; Lord EBURT, the President, occupying the chair.
, Mr. J. BEAL, after sketching the contents of the first
annual report, proceeded to move its adoption, stating
that he had, within the last half bear, received a note
from the Chamberlain of the City of London, in which
that gentleman said, " Toe may say from me that there
has been great progress made of late in City circles to-
' wards the idea of municipal government for the uietropo-
' lie, and that very many of the leading and most influential
members of the corporation now only differ as to points of
detail." The association had expended 287/. in the prose-
. milieu of its labours, and 200/. more had been promised for
settling the second bill which will form the completion of
Mr. Mill's plan. The association had put forward
most of the witnesses examined before Mr. Ayrton's com-
mittee, and there was now a growing conviction both
in and out of parliament that the question must be
speedily settled. It would be agitated during the
autumn by the association, and if not taken up by
' the government in the meantime, it would be brought
forward again next session by Mr. J. S. Mill. He explaieed
that it was an entire misapprehension to 'appose that the
plan advocated by the association was based upon oen-
trelization ; it merely proposed to consolidate the existing
authority, and to clothe the various metropolitan boards
with the powers already enjoyed by the municipalities of
all our large provincial towns. (Hear, bear.)
Mr. Daman Roczas seconded the adoption of the
repiFt, which was unanimously agreed to.
Mr. J. W. PRORTN, in moving the first resolution
suggested that the metropolis should be divided into
two municipalities, one for the north, and the other for the
south of the Thames. A friend of his who resided at
Milan, where they were carrying out very extensive
structural improvements, bad recently applied to him for
information as to the municipal government of the metro-
polis, thinking that it would be a good pattern for Milan
to follow. The answer he made was this—" Our local
government is the wont in the world." (Laughter.) The
resolution he bad to move was, " That whilst the report
of the committee of the House of Commons suggests most
valuable improvements in the government of the metro.
polis, the bill introduced by Mr. Mill to establish muni-
cipal corporations conterminous with each parliamentary
borough, embodies, as to the form of government, more
fully the views of the association, and is 'imam to the
scheme proposed by the Royal Commissioners (Lord Taun-
ton, Sir G. C. Lewis, Mr. Justice Patteson) in 18.14 ; this
association determine., therefore. to support such bill."
Mr. F. EDWARDA seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously adopted.
Mr. DREAMER ROGERS proposed the next resolution,
vu.:—" That the co-operation of the City of London and
the vestries of the metropolis be invited, in rapport of the
proposal to enlarge the administrative areas in the metro-
polis, and to extend the powers of the Municipal Reform
Act, so as to make such districts municipalities ; and
that it is desirable that other bills should forthwith be
prepared, providing for the establishment of a central
municipal council' for purposes common to all London,
and generally so as to extend the municipal system of the
corporation of the City of London to the entire metro-
polis.' Ho remarked that the meeting, though not nu-
merous, Ins almost entirely composed of representative
H men. e agreed with the noble chairman in his admira-
tion of the improvements in Paris, but he should be sorry
to see the same system of carrying them out introduced into
our metropolis. His desire was to have the City form of
government extended to the other parts of London.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. C. FRSETH seconded the resolution.
Mr. J. SITART MILL, M.P., who had shortly before en-
tered the room, confessed that the merit of the scheme
which he had proposed to the House of Commons was due
rather to his constituents than to himself. He congratu-
lated the association upon the great progress they had
already made. There was now a general feeling in favour
of the proposed change that must ultimately induce the
government to take up the question, or permit its prin-
ciple to triumph in independent hands. (Hear, hear.)
At present, however, only part of their plan was before
the house, and the sooner the second bill was introduced
the better. The adhesion of the corporation of the City of
London to their principles was a sufficient guarantee that
they were proposing nothine that should terrify people; but
until they had the whole plan before the house it could
.not be properly discus.eil, and he therefore trusted no
unnecessary time would be spent in having the second bill
introduced. (Hear, hear.)
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously,
and the committee of management having been re.ap-
pointed, the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks
to the noble chairman.

The annual dinner in aid of the funds of this
institution was held last evening at Willisn-rooms ; Mr.
C. Diogatrs in the chair. There was a large attendance.
Mr D. GOOCH, M.P., chairman of the Great Western
Railway, responded to the toast of the House of
Commons.

The CHAIRMAN, in proposing "Prosperity to the funds of
the Railway Benevolent Institution," made a humorous
and characteristic speech. He said that although it was
not 50 years since one of the first literary authorities of
the country insisted that the speed of the fastest of the
railway trains that the legislature had disastrously sanc-
tioned should be limited by act of parliament to ten miles
an hour, yet it did somehow happen that every day there
were trams running pretty smoothly at the rate of 50
miles an hour. At one time vaccination was objected to
on the ground that it would have • tendency to impart
to the human child something of the nature
of the cow, whereas vaccinated children at the present
time were found to be as easily distinguished from calves
as ever they were, and certainly they bad no cheapening
influence upon the price of veal. (Laughter.) It was
objected also that chloroform was a contravention of the
will of Providence, and with no better reason it was pre.
dieted that the railway system, if anything so absurd could
be established, would infallibly throw half the nation out
et employment. The very came of this festival meeting,
apart from the tributary channels of occupation it had
opoood, oak. hod *ailed intomieleace and employed • pops-
' lotioii of upwarde of 200,000 persons. It was obvious that
these could not be rich, although their duties demanded great
can and ozaotooso, and although our lives were every day,
humanly speaking, in the hands of many of them. For
the most part these men occupied places that did not
require skilled workmen, and that would be
therefore always open to great competition. Wages
could not be high where competition was keen,
and railway directors, in the bargains they made
and ealariee they paid, had to deal with the money of
the sharehoklen, to whom they were accountable. It
thus happened that railway officers and servants were not
remunerated by any means splendidly, and could not hope
to do more than meet the ordinary wants and bawds of
life. By reason of the dangerous nature of their avoca-
tions the hazards were so exceptionally great that it was
stated, on the authority of a parliamentary paper, that
whereas one in 8,000,000 of passengers was killed, the
proportion in the case of railway servants was one in
2,000. Hence nine years ago the Railway Benevolent
Institution became established, and this was the
ninth occasion of publishing from the chair the
banns between the institution and the publis.• It
was nevertheless his duty to tell, as if for the fiat time,
what the institution was, before asking whether there was
any just cause or impediment why those two parties—the
institution end the public—should not be joined together
in 'holy charity. (Cheers.) The objects of the society
were to grant annuities out of the interest of invested
capital, and annual pensions, varying from 101. to 251., to
distressed railway officers and servants incapacitated by
age, sickness, or accident; to grant similar pensions t:.
distressed widows ; to educate and maintain orphans and
children ; to provide temporary relief to those requiring
it ; and to induce railway officers and servants to insure
their lives in some well-established office. This
was the society—simple, sympathetic, practical, easy,
se Bible, and unpretending. The number of its
members was largely on the increase, and had reached
12,100, and the amount of its invested capital was
nearly 15,0001. It had dons • world of good and •
world of works, and it was gratifying to know that the
annual oast of its management had never been 2501.
(Cheers.) It could not however do more good until it had
more money. The moans of the society were far too
limited to allow of their giving more to applicants, even
if they were helped to the utmost by the peat railway
companies ; and even if they were helped, as he hoped
they would be shortly by some of the great corporations
of the country which railways had done so much to
enrich, the means of the society would still be too limited.
In • word, these railway officers and servants on their
road to • very humble and modest superanuation, could
no more do without the help of the great public, than the
great public on their road from Torquay to Aberdeen
could do without them. (Cheers.) Therefore be desired to
ask the public whether the servants of the crest railways
were not in effect every day our ready, zealous,
faithful, hard.working servants, and whether they had not
established a, reasonable claim upon the public's liberal
remembrance! (Cheers.) The chairman having drawn •
vivid and highly amusing description of various railway
employes at their work, made • farther appeal for fonds,
suggesting that the Benevolent Institution gave us the
means, at • very small personal coat, of acknowledging,
without compromising their independence, and greatly to
their permanent advantage, the claims of those for *how
he pleaded. If we took a human interest in them they
would take a human interest in us, and we should not
merely be the 9.30 or 10.40 rushing by, but an instalment
of a considerate public who was ready to lend a helping
hand to a deem ving object. (Loud cheers.)
Various other toasts followed, and some handsome sub-
scriptions were announced.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION.—The Town Council
of Birmingham occupied itself on Tuesday in diocese.
ing a motion introduced by the Mayor—" That in the
opinion of this council it is of paramount importance
that corporate bodies should bri empowered to levy rates
for educational purposes." After nearly three hours' dis-
cussion an adjournment took place.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON.—At a session of
council, on the Ist inst., a list of subscriptions to a building
fund in progress of being raised towards the erection of the
south wing of the college was presented. The contributions
amounted to upwards of 3,0001., of which the principal
were by Mr. Sharpe, as announced last year, 1,0001. ; Mr.
J. P. Heywood, 1,0001. ; Mr. John Remington Mills, M.P.
50/.; Mr. T. W. Evans, M.P. '25/. By members of
Council—Lord Belper, 1001. ; Sir Francis Golilamid, 500/. ;
Mr. Grote, 501. ; Sir Edward Ryan, ; Mr. Booth, 2ril. ;
Mr. Busk, 25/. ; Mr. Charles, 5/. ; Mr. Enfield, .501. ; Mr.
Gibson, 501. ; Mr. Ferrer, 251. ; Mr. Field. 2W. ; Mr.
Matthews, ; Mr. Romilly, ; Mr. J. F. Wood,
251. The appeal, as printed, was ordered to be circulated
among members of the college, mid other known friends of
the institution.

METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL.—This institution
(which is situated in Devonshire-square, Bishopsgate-street)
was founded in the year 1636, for the gratuitous relief of
the sick poor of every nation and class, without the delay
of a letter of recommendation. It la under the patronage

of • large number of the nobility and many geritlemen of
influence in the City and members of the medical pro.
(mien, and the great claim it presents to the benevoli nee
of the public consists in the fact that it is entirely free.
The anniversary festival of the institution was celebrated
last evening at the London Tavern, ltishopagate-street,
under the presidency of Mr. Alderman William Lawrence,
M.P., who advocated the claims of the charity with
that earnestness of purpose for which he is pecu-
liarly distinguished. The progress and position of the
hospital were tally detailed in the published eta.
intim, and by the speech of the chairman
in proposing the toast of the evening. From these it ap-
peared the knowledge that the doors of the institu-
tion are open to all without any letter of reconousudation
occasions innumerable applications for relief from the
destitute sick, not of the metropulie alone but of the
suburbs also. The attendance of in-patients and out-door
patients during the past year has been decrease
upon the number treated in the precedingyear, occasioned
by a limitation to which the committee were compelled to
resort. The financial position of the hospital was mash more
satisfactory than it had been for some years past, and
this notwithstanding the terrible commercial crisis,
to which the country was subjected. The 1:012.1•
mittee had the pleasure to announce a still further increase
of receipts in the form of legacies, the amount actually
received during the year being 2,310 f. 3s. led. against
7671. 10s. in the preceding year. The demands upon the
resources of the hospital during the prevalence of cholera
were excessively heavy ; and it was urged as an additional
claim to public support that to the prompt aesiortanoe ren-
dered in upwards of 3.000 cases, might be attributed, in
great measure, the almost total absence of fatal cases
within and around its MAW. The committee had since
converted the three rooms, which were set apart for cholera
patients, into wards for the special treatment of sick
children; and it was hoped that this feet alone was suffi•
tient to secure a large amount of encouragement and help.
The Jewish wards had cootinued in active operation, and the
various other peculiar characteristics of the charity hod
been so well carriedout, that the committee were more than
ever anxious to raise during the present year such an
amount as should clear the charity of all liabilities, and
provide for its entire efficiency. The appeal of the chair-
man, fortified as it was by frequent reference to the above
facts, produced an evident impression upon the compel y,
and a list of subscriptions was read amounting to 2,51 W.
An endowed fellow ship of about 1601. a year,
tenable for five years, for the promotion of the study of
logic, metaphysics, and moral philosophy, has just been
founded in the University of Edinburgh, under the title
of the Shaw Philosophical Fellowship. The foundation
fund of this fellowship, amounting to 4,10fg., hoe just been
paid over to the Senates Academics, of the University of
Edinburgh (with whom the patronage is vestal) by Dr. John
Muir. This fellowship has been founded by subscriptions
from preemie desirous, by this memorial, to commemorate
the virtues of the late Sir J. Shaw, who was hornet MOOD-
head, in Ayrshire, in 17114, and who became, in 1787, a
partner in the eminent London house of which Mir W,
Douglas was the head. Sir James was made an alderman
of London in 1798 ; sheriff of London and Middlesex in
1803 ; and Lord Mayor of London in 1809 ; and in the fol-
lowing year M.P. for the City of London, of which, in
1831, be was chosen Chamberlain.