The Express.
London, England, 1858-03-31 00:00:00

corar 0! 4.r.0,

Yesterday a court was held for the despatch of
public bamboo.

TRU LAI% ALDERMAN 7AREPROTHER.
The Loan MAYOR-1 am very son", to say that since OUP
last meeting I have received information from the deputy of
the ward of Limootreet of the decease of Mr. Alderman
Farebrother. I have this day issued my precept for the
election of an alderman for the vacant ward to-morrow (this
day) week.
THE NEWLY-ELEOTED ALDERMAN FOIL THE WARD OP
CHEAP.
Mr. Sheriff Allen, who was lately elected alderman of
this ward, attended for the purpose of being sworn into
office.
Mr. WHIT; jun.. in introducing that gentleman, said—
My Lord Mayor, I beg to present to you Mr. Sheriff Allen,
who has been considered by the electors of the ward of Cheap
• fit and proper person to represent them in this court. Yon
have known Mr. Sheriff Allen much longer than I have.
As far as the ward is °concerned we believe that we have
selected a gentleman whom property, knowledge, want, and
gentlemanly bearing, qualify him efficiently to pee,e the
duties of the office to which he has been elected. (Cheers.)
Mr. Sheriff Allen then made the customary sleclarations,
and was sworn into office.

At the coadusion thin ceremony,
Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Allen, after receiving the ma-
=stions of the Lord Mayor and the other members of
ort, took hie scat.

VIZ TRIAL Or 81110 N BIIRNAILD.
g Tort Clock road the following

" Sir,—Th• Lord Chancellor is about to direct the teens of
• special commisoion of oyer and terminer for the trial of
Simon Bernard at the Central Criminal Court. In addition
to any of the judges the Lord Chancellor may appoint to try
the case, he thinks it right that the names of the Lord Mayor,
all the Aldtomen, the Rooorder, the Common Sarnia:it, and
the City nastier, should be inserted in this commission, as
well as the judges. Will you be so good as to send me a list of
the officials in their ordinary precedence for their insertion in
the oommission of oyer and terminer.—l have the honour to
be, Sir, your obedient servant, " N. J. SENIOR.
" H. A. Merewether, Beg."
The ripply of the Town Clerk, giving the list of officials as
request 4 was also read.
Alderman COPELAND—This is a very pleasing and a very
proper compliment to the authorities of this City. (Hear.)

WARD OF PORTBORIN.

The office of common councilman of this ward, as held by
Mr. 0. Vile, who had bear recently adjudged • bankrapt,
was formally declared to be vacant, and the Lord Mayor was
regarded to irae his precept for a new election forthwith.

TEE LATE ALDERMAN FAREBROTHER.
It was moved by Sir P. LAURIE; seconded by Alderman
WILSON; and carried unanimously
" That this court cannot allow the melancholy occasion of
the decease of their much respected brother, Charles Fere-
brother, late alderman of the ward of Lime•street., to pre
without placing upon record the expression of their feelings
of high estimation of his personal character and his conduct
as a magistrate and member of this court for the lengthened
period of 32 pers."

ALLEGED MISCONDUCT OF DRONERS.
The court was espied some time in the consideration of
the petition (presented on a former day by Alderman Rose)
of Mr. Alfred Laming, complaining of the conduct of Messrs.
Henry Clawthome Dale and'William Henry Morgan, brokers.
After bearing the parties in reference to a variety of com-
mercial transactions with each other, strangers were ordered
to withdraw. On the re-admission of the parties they were
informed by the Recorder that the further consideration of
the petition would be postponed till the first court in May.
Upon the motion of Alderman WIDE, the court then pro-
needed with the consideration of the petition of James John
Dale, complaining of the conduct of William T. Gooch, a
broker.

The following are extinct& from the petition
" That from the year 1827 the said William T. Gooch
continued to act as a stockbroker, and in the month of
August but I employed him to invest on my account a sum
of 4341. 7e. 9d. in Consols; and I received • letter from him,
bearing date the 20th day of the same month, in which be
informed me that his bankers were Messrs. Jones Loyd and
Co. and that I amid either remit the money through the
London and County Bank to them, or to him direct.
" That I accordingly remitted through the London end
County Bank to Messrs. Jones Loyd end Co., to his credit,
the sum of 4341.75. 9d. and on the 22nd day of August lut
I received from the said William T. Gooch a letter to the
effect following I am in receipt of your favour, and
your menittance of 4341. 711. 9d. boo ben dully received by say
bankers, Jonas Loyd and Co. I now beg to inclose your
Mock receipt.'
" That with the said letter was sent • stock receipt, pur-
porting to be signed by one George Porter, on the purchase
of 4751. 7s. 2d. Three Pounds per Cent. Consolidated
Annuities.

That in the month of January last I applied at theßenk
of England for payment of the dividends due upon such stock,
when I discovered that such reoaipt wee a forgery, and that
no such investment had been made.
_ _ _

have made inquiTieaend have ascertained that
the said William T. Gooch left his place of business in
December, and has not been there since, and I have made
every effort to discover him, but without success, and I
believe that he has absconded from the country."
The petition concludes by praying that the court would
canoe such proceedings to be instituted spinet one of the
sureties (the other being dead), as the law warranted, and
the public interest required.
In answer to the Court,
Mr. DALE, after substantiating the allegations of the peti-
tion, said the money with which the broker had absconded
belonged to three children, to whom be (Mr. Dale) was
trustee under a will. He bad known the broker many years,
and had entrusted him with large sums of money at different
times for a fortnight together. He bad sleeps had the
greatest confidence in the man.
The City Solicitor was directed to put the bond in suit.
The Court adjourned.

The roof, stage, and boxes for the new Covent
Garden Theatre are in course of construction by Messrs.
Lucas, of Lowestoft, whence they will be forwarded by water
to London.—ltury Post.
SUICIDE OF A SOLICITOR.....We regret to an-
nounce the death, under very painful circumstances, of Mr.
J. F. Pratt, solicitor, end clerk to the County Court of this
town. Mr. Pratt had been involved in pecunbiry ditficaltiey
and the importunities of his numerous creditors appear to
have brought about a gradual aberration of mind. On Thum-
dew morning, as he did not come down stairs, Mrs. Pratt
want up to ascertain the came, and was horrified to find her
husband on the floor in • state of insensibility, with a pistol
recently discharged lying near him. It appears that he had
effected his rash purpose by firing the pistol into his ear, the
bullet lodging in the brain. lie lingered till about a quarter
to one o'clock, when death ensued. Mr. Pratt was only
about thirty years of sp.—Berwick Warder.
EMBEZZLEMENT BY A BANKER'S CLERK.—The
London papaw gam an account last week of the absconding
of James Barber, late cashier of the bank of Mesas. Gurney
and Co., Great Yarmouth with defalcations alleged to
amount to nearly 1,0001. We have no further information to
add, as no public notification has been made on the subject,
except that Mr. Barber was honorary secretary and had
almost the entire management of the Young Man's Institute
and Commercial News Boom, which is found to be deficient
to the extent of 3001, but In what degree owing to misappro.
priation, or in what to fallacious appearances in the accounts,
we are unable to say. A meeting of the members was called
for Monday evening, to consider as to the necessity foe
winding up the concern, which for fifteen years has been the
means of imparting much benefit and recreatka to the towns-
, people. Barber had a handsome salary at the bank, as well
as income in right of hie wife, to whom he has been married
only nine months ; but is said to have involved himself by
speculations, especially in French railway shares.—Bury
Norma* .Post.
SLAVERY IN CALIFORNIA.—A letter from San
Francisco of the 20th ult. lays A slave case which cams
before the Supreme Court of this state the other day has
caused considerable excitement. A Southerner came to
California several months ago, Winging a slave-boy with him
as his servant. The slave refused to accompany his master
back to Missouri, and claimed his freedom in virtue of a
provision in the constitution of this state, which declares
that ' slavery shall not be tolerated.' The point tried was
the master's right of compulsion over the boy after • resi-
dence In this fres country. For the master it was alleged
that he was merely • sojourner here, on • trip for the
benefit of his health, without intending to acquire a
domicile, but it was admitted that his funds having
fallen low, he betook himself to business or trade, and set
his slave to work, and hired him out to replenish hie
finances. Several minor points were made for the master in
support of this seas, all of which, as well as the main point
first stated, the court ruled against him, yet with the most
glaring inconsistency, and in direct and flagrant contredio-
tion to these rulings, decided against the slave. The pro-
fessed grounds of this decision are as untenable as they are
childish, vier.:—' That this is the first Me that has oc-
caned ; that the master is a young man travelling
mainly for his health and that under than ex-
tenuating circumstances the lenient court is ' not
disposed to rigidly enforce the rule (of law) for the
first time a resolution which would have cans from
the supreme batch of a free seats with far better grace bad it
been in favour of the slave. The unfortunate boy was re-
modod to prima, then banded over to his martin, who, •
fr....lbis labor, carried him heavily ironed in a earl,
by policemen, from sacraments into the interior.
tre7re7l; knowledge of hi, treatment rests. This decision,
in violation of the constitution, make! California virtually a
slave state, for the master can hold this boy at work for him
es
effectually hers, until be earns the wherewithal to take
them both home, as he could in any one of the slave states. '•