The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-26 00:00:00

LONDON INSTITUTION.

The annual geneeal meeting of proprietors was
held yesterday in the theatre of the institution ; Mr.
THOB. BARING. M.P., the president, occupying the chair.
The report stated that the club accommodations content--
plated by the managers' or suggested by the proprietors,
had been carried out at considerable expense. Them
arrangements were necessarily expreirseataL The sub.
scmption for the library of circulation had been increased,
by which the number of volumes had been augmented to
750 • which additional number had been fully required.
Various additions bad been made to the newspapers
and
periodical works. The lectures of the present seism
had principally conaisted of abort illustrative couress, refer-
ring especially to the recent advance of several depart-
recite of knowie lg.. The managers had received an ap-
plash= from the Hunter's& Medical Society, of which
Mr. Alfred Smee,oue of their own number, was the president,
in consequence of the intended removal of the premises
which that society at present partly occupies, requesting
• • nto transfer its valuable medical library of above
000 yob/roes, and also its meetings, to the Loadon Institu-
tion. The proprietors would have received a letter from one
of their number with certain susgestroes for an amalgamation
of the corporation of the London Institution with the pro-
, polled new corporation of the Middle-class Schools. The
managers considered this "cheme to be of so much impor-

tanoe —rs— to ;all for their careful mid uniew-
judioed consideration, and this they had resolved to
give to it forthwith, so as to be enabled to issue to
the proprietors a report thereon without delay. Is the
uteantinri the nialtegas subedited "etUrri=
ferthelr sormiderstieis- tbit scheme lie pr
board. These terms, which were appended to the report,
provided that dissentient proprietors should be'entitled to
receive 251. for every share they held. The entire pro-
perty of the London Institution was to be transferred to
the School Corporation, with full power to adopt some of
the present and erect other buildings for the purpose of a
day school, as contemplated by the School Corporation,
such school to be denominated, The London Institution
Middle-class School."

After a debate extending over nearly two hours and a
half, the usual motion was carried for the adoption of the
report and statement of accounts.
A vote of thanks to the President closed the proceedings.

WORXMEN'S CLUBS AND INSTITUTE UNION,.

The second social meeting held under the aus-
pices of this society took place last night in the lower room
of Exeter Hall, Lord Lverwros presiding. The emo-
tion for the evening was the reduction of the hon-
chime, and in opening the discussion his lordship
l
adverted to the government measure, but be de-
clinedh) say whether he should support it or not, supposing
it should ever reach the House of lords. He could only
repeat what occurred in one of Mr. Buckstone's comedies.
" Thom will show." Mr. Cyrus Symons, a working
man, delivered an address, contending that a large
extension of the franchise would promote the well-
being of all Glasses of the community. He ap-
proved of fixing the limit at 71., and said one
good effect he anticipated from giving working men a
chance of getting into parliament would be the example of
brevity they would set in their speeches. These
had already been too much talk on this question, and
the debates generally required shortening. In the dis-
cussion which ensued the government bill was generally
accepted, and it was urged that the only remedy for cor-
ruption was the ballot. Mr. George Brook, of the Reform
League, one of the speakers, assured Lord Elder, who sat
in the body of the meeting, that his explanation at
St. Martin's Hall had given much satisfaction
to the working classes. Another speaker hoped
the end of the week would see Mr. Gladstone's
measure passed with a " crashing " majority, and
that the House of Lords would follow suit. The noble
chairman, in reply to this remark, said he thought If
the bill came up with a " crashing " majority their
lordships would think twice before they threw it out
but if it did not, it would be another matter. Lord
Echo, responding to en appeal made to him, said
he was a subscriber to the institution, believing that it
would be the means of doing a great deal ofood g ; and he
bad attended in (the hope of learning the views of the
working class upon this question, which, it was said, were
not understood in the House of Commons. He had
listened with the utmost attention to what had been
said, and with the exception of the argument that the
franchise was to be an educational instrument, he had
heard nothing to support the propos'flop which bad bees
advanced. It had been argued that by lowering the
franchise the man was to be raised, but his view of the
matter was that it was most desirable the man should
be induced to work himself up to the franchise. The
debate terminated with a vote of thanks to the noble
chairman, who was accompanied by his relative, the Earl
of Lichfield. A vote of thanks to the chairman was also
proposed by the Earl of Lichfield, seconded by Mr. Belly,
and carried unanimously.

CONVICTION TOR MURDER IN SCOTLAND.—The
trial of Joseph Bell, charged with the murder of Alexander
M'ltwan, carter, on the road near Blairingone Farm, in the
parish of Fossoway, on the 18th of December last, wax
begun on Tuesday, before the Circuit Court at Perth, and
terminated yesterday in a verdict of Guilty, the prisoner
being sentenced to be executed on the 22nd proximo.
THE MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE AT READING.—
Yesterday, Mr. W. Weedon, deputy coroner for the 'Upper
Division of Berke, held an inquiry at a cottage near
Reading into the circumstances connected with the death
of Mr. William Hobbs, formerly a solicitor of large practice
in that town, whose body was four in a stream near Mr.
Champion's flour mills, Fohneymeadoets, on the e
xamined,
and afternoon. Several witnesses were examined,
and their depositions proved that on Thursday, the sth
instant, Mr. Hobbs left his residence, the Priory, Bath-
road, and walked towards the town, this being at about
9 o'clock in the morning, and there was no reliable evi-
dence of his being seen alive after that hour. On Tues.
day afternoon a man named Fry, in the employ of the
Rennet and Avon Canal Company, saw something dud
against the branches of a willow in a stream leading
from the canal, and on procuring assistance, found that it was
the body of a man ; and Superintendent Purchase beingsent
for, arrived at the spot, and the body was taken out, and
identified as that of Mr. Hobbs. His gold watch in his
waistcoat pocket showed that it stopped at a quarter to 2
o'clock. Mr. Cooper said that when e left home, the de-
ceased informed Mrs. Hobbs that he should return to
lunch at 2 o'clock. Mr. Cooper also stated that at the re-
quest of the deceased's relatives he had examined all his
papers, securities, &c., and he could find nothing in them
that would lead to the conclusion that pecuniary embar-
rassment had caused Mr. Hobbs to commit suicide. Mr.
Hobbs' accounts were made up to the 3rd April, two days
before be was missed. The coroner read a letter from
G. May, senior, surgeon of Reading, stating that he was un-
able to attend, but that he had known Mr. Hobbs for 30
I years, and noticed his mental condition, and he beli
for aeved
him to be of unsound mind. The jury deliberated
short time, and returned a verdict of " Found drowned,
an d that there were no marks of violence on the body, and
no evidence to show how deceased came in the water." The
deceased was 50 years of age.
DISTRY.SBING SUICIDE.—AN UNFORTUNATE IN-
VESTOR.—Averypainful feeling of excitement was produced
in this town on Sunday morning by the announcement
of the fact that Mr. George Pashler, baker, of Whiting-
street, had terminated his existence by hanging himself
in a loft over the oven on his own premises. The
deceased was a very respectable tratlesinan, doing •
prosperous business ; he was also a singularly vivacious
and high-spirited man until within the last few weeks,
during which time he has exhibited signs of great mental
depression, owing to an unfortunate financial speculation.
By great industry and perseverance during the 18 or 20
years he bad been in business be had succeeded in getting
together a not inconsiderable sum of money, and a short
time back he was unhappily induced to invest about
0001. in the Joint Stock Discount Company, which it is
well known has recently been in difficulties, and the
loss of that money, together with the further liabilities
involved, amounting to no less than 7501. more, should
it be mammy to call up all the capital, produced such
an effect upon the deceased that he appeared to be com-
pletely crushed by the blow that had fallen upon him.
We understand there is little probability of all the
capital being called up, and several of his friends endes-
voured to persuade him that he took too gloomy a view
of the matter, and that though he might be a loser to a
certain extent, there was no doubt he would be able to
meet all his liabilities ; but he seemed quite broken-
spirited, and nobody could remove flow him the impres-
dis-
sion that Ile was a rained man. His mind was so
turbed that he was unable to sleep at night, and this state
of things, so painful to his family and trends, continued
until put an end to by the shocking occurrence of Sunday
morning. The coroner's jury returned a verdict " That
deceased hung himself, being at the time of unsound
mind." The deceased, who was 48 years of age, has left •
widow (to whom he had been married only a few months),
sad seven children by his former wife.—Bury and Nor-
wich Post.
Tux Dfassousinta.—The trial trip of the Vice-
roy of Hopt's new steam yacht the Mahrousese, designed
by Mr. 0. W. Lang, built by Mr. Samuda, and fitted with
machinery by Mews. John Penn and Son, took place yes-
terday, when the vessel attained a mean rate of speed over
the Admiralty mellowed mile course in Stoke's Bay of
knota, which places her ahead of all seagoing steamships
in the world in point of speed, the mail steamships run-
ning between Holyhead and Dublin now holding second
Maplaos. and her Joey's peddle-yacht Victoria and Albert
the third.