The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-18 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL PLAYS.

The " Andtia" of Terence was repeated last night
before a great number of visitors, including amonirothers
the Marquis of Laesdowae, Lad de Roo, Viscount
eourtenay ; M. Van de Weyer. the Belgian Minister, and
his sou ; Mr. Baron Parke, Mr. Justiee Williams, Mr.
Justice Telfourd, Sir David Dundee, the Deen of St. Paul's,
General Fox, Mr. Macready, and Mr. Plowden, M.P. As
is usual on the s. cond night of representation, the
play was prefaced with • Latin prologue, which
was spoken by Mr. Blegdee,the captain of the school.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE PAST

WEEK.

The Official Arpmt, says: The mortality of Lon-
don, which in the last week of November declined to 861
deaths, and in the subsequent week rose to 1,004, now ex.
bibles a; further in of considerable amount. The
deaths regls'ered in the week ending last Saturday were
1,090, • number which is greater than that of any eons.
spo,ding week in the ten years 1840 9, with four exceptions
—namely, in 1844, when a week of unusually low tempera.
titre ('he mean not exceeding 28 degrees) was fatal to 1,201
persons; in 1846, when the deaths were 1,163, that week
being also marked by low temperature; in 1847, when the
deaths rum to 2,416, at that time influenza being epidemic;
and in 1848, when they were 1,139, fever then prevailing to
some extent, and cholera having appeared. Last week has
carried off an unusual number of aged persons (those of 60
years and upward.) ; and the increase over the previous
return is principally caused by bronchitis and pneumonia,
or inflammation of the lunge. In the lest three wet ks the
increase of brooeliitis appears from the Lumbers returned es
follows : 64,88, 114 ; that of pneumonia is chows by 67, 86,
113, whilst the mortality from ptithisis in the same periods
has been more uniform, namely, 96, 113, and 116 deaths.
The greater activity of sattil.pox, 1 slaty, has leen noticed;
la the present return it numbers 24 fatal cues (nearly the
same as in the preceding). •f which 4 oncarred vs persons
above 20 years of age. 'Aeon Grove, In Marylebone, is
still distiaguishal by its ravages; five additional CMS (all
except one being described u " variola, natural") were re-
gistered in the week. With reference to a case in St. Cle-
ment Danes, the registrar remarks, that " the father of the
demand objects to vaccination, but ean offer no reason for
I.is opinion ;" and reports from other districts prove that the
person hers referred to is not singul►r in his prejudice.
Other-important epidemics us measles, which numbers 20
eases, scarlatina 29, pooping-cough 42, croup 12, and typhus
37. From deirrecei there were only 10 death.; two,
caused by cholera, are recorded thus —ln Sr. Giles,
at 13, Clark's-buildings, on 6th December, the daughter of a
coatermonger, aged 3 years, died of "bilious cholera (24
hours), convulsions (2 hours)." In West London, at 16
Dean-street, St. Andrew's, en 9:h December, the daughter
of a lapidary, aged 16 years, died of " English cholera (50
hours)." As described by the reeirrar, " the street is
narrow and not very clean." In connexion with various
deaths from seerlatina and typhus, the registrars are careful
to mention nuisances to which the sufferers have been ex
posed ; in one instance • large cesspool oozing t►rough the
Boor, which the inmates of the house find it necessary to
cover with sawdust ; in another "an open sewer behind the
house;" in • third " offensive effluvia from cempools ;" and
in • fourth, a drain " offensive in the extreme," indeed, so
bed th►t the persons who live there cannot tuff ,Lr the door to
remain open, and frequently the head of the family is Weed
with vomiting before leaving for his work is the maniac
The mean daily reading of the barometer at the Royal
Observivory, Greenwich, was highest on Sunday, when it
was 30 232 in ; it was also above 30 in. on the two following
days; the mean of the week was 29.935 in. The tempera.
tore wee lowest on Ttpeday, when the daily mean was
32.8 deg., which Ic less by 6 deg. than the average of
the same day in 7 years. It rose on Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday, when the mean was about 46 deg.. orb deg. above
the ge. The mean of the whole week was 40.1 deg.
The wind was for the moist part in the south-east on
the first Lur days, aid in the south-west for the rest of
the week.

HISIZURZ OF OXFORD COLLEGE PLATE FOR POOR
Raras.—ln cotmeguenee of a distress warrant hating been
issii-d against the &y. Dr. Wellesley, principal of New
Inn Hall, Oxford. by the city yergietrates. for a poor rate for
the parish of St. Yeteulgilailey. amounting to 31 195., and
75. expenses, the inspector of the Orford police, on Saturday
last, carried the same ir:ct effect by seizing half a dozen
silver forks from the lodgings of the principal. The questioa
respecting the ibibility'of the different collages to contribute
towards the relief of the pre. of Os'ord has long been le
agitation. It will be remembered that some few years 1113
a e!milsr seizure of plate for poor rates wee made by th,
officers of S. Michael's pariah at Exeter College, which led
to a trial before lirti.act A-herley, when the parish officers,
who employed !Replant (now Mr. Juetic ) Talfourd, wen
beaten, owir.r to a technical point; the college, who had
for counsel, Mr. Erie (now Mr. Justice Erie), proving that
they were part and parcel of the parish of St. Mildred,
which parish, it appeared, had, for eeclesiutical purposes,
been merged into that of St. Michael's, and All Sainte, but
not for parochial matters. The principal of New Inn Hall
has redeemed the plate by paying the amount of the poor
rate and expenses. An 1C.1017 will, we undimmed, be
brought against the pariah oaken for an illegal seizure,
when the question as to the liability of the colleges and
halls to pay poor rates will be tried upon its merits.
Similar proceedings will shortly be tikes satinet Pembroke
College, for the payment of poor rates to the pariah of
St. Aldate.

v.
PRO7BCTRD HARBOUR AT BRIGHTON.—A litho-
graphed view of a projected harbour at Brighton, on the
recoil plan if Mr. W H. Bml'b, has been for carded to us
for inspoetion. We are also informed that a public meeting
lon the sutler is to be held at Brighton on the 19 h instant.
The data before us ere scarcely sufficient to warrant a de-
' tided expression of opinino on our part; but the subject is
One of the utm at importance, and we hail with pleuure say
practice' movement towerds its realisation. We are glad to
see the question taken up by our coat residenters, and feel
convinced that the discussion will do good, even though no
iroZediate acti,n should
POOL 110X.E9 AT COUNTY COURTS.—At the Mary-
Irb,ne County Court on Monday, Mr. Herring, ellieitor,
of Lissom-grove, at!flteceing the judge (Mr. A. Amos), saki
he had been deputed by a client, Sir Frederick Watson, to
hand into this ri tut 21 24. (which he would aecompany with
11. Is. from hinted°, towards yetabliabing a poor's box, to
relieve, sa his Honour might ti.qnk fit, than whose dis-
tresses were made known in the hearing' of cases wherein
they were (anointed. His Honour observed that he had
heard of a county court poor's bra, but he would
willingly secede to the prposittee, and suleserftwa Tri Si.
towards the same, as there were many instances id lbs
worse of investigations in those warts where persons of
good chareeter had, thmtigh unforeseen misfortunes, been
redwood from a respectable position in society to abject
p iverty, and to whom trifling pecuniary aid would be
a great boon. Thanks were due to Sir Frederick Watson
for his benevolent project, and be had no doubt that mitt
mutely the plan would be adopted at county courts of other
district&