The Express.
London, England, 1857-04-14 00:00:00

THE HAMLET OF RATCLIFF.

Yesterday morning, at 10 o'clock, a meeting of
the liateliff vestry, appointed under Sir Benjamin Hall's
act, was held in the Green-court School-room, White Horse-
street, Commercial-road Best. The proceedings were con-
vened by the elected vestry officials electing two church-
wardens and twelve trance under the old set of 1810. Mr.
Churchwarden ASMIRIDOE occupied the chair.
Mr. BLTTON and Mr. WALTON, members of the vestry,
protested againat Mr. Bathurst taking his seat as vestry
clerk, there being no such office under the board.
Mr. MATHIAS Objeard to the sitting of the hoard ; and
was supportod by Mr. Davis end Mr. Hood, who contended
that their proceedings were entirely illegal, for three rea-
sons f—Fist, that no information of the meeting had been
given to the inhabitants; secondly, that the overseen had
not been appointed by a niegistnte ; and thirdly, because the
board had been elected under Sir Benjamin Hall's act, and
they had no power to choose trustees, who ought to be ap-
pointed under the Rateliff Local Act of 1810.
The ratepayers present Penned to concur in these views.
Mr. WALTON proposed that another meeting should be
called on Monday morning next, the 20th instant, and that
the whole of the inhabitants be invited by public notice to
attend.
The vadrynten seemed to treat the views of the ratepayers
with contempt; and the CHAIRMAN requested the vestry to
proceed to the nomination of overseers for the ensuing twelve
months.
Mr. BOLT then proposed Messrs. Longataff and Derby ;
and Mr. MATHIAS lIIIFINMIed that the ratepayer* nomi-
nate Mean. Warren and Denovan.
The latter proposal was not acceded to by the vestry.
' The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution in reference to
Monday neat, which was tarried by only four dissentients,
the whole of the ratepayers assembled maintaining their
privilege to voting.
Mr. HOLT attempted to put to the vote tbo names of
Messrs. Derby and Longstaff to serve as overseers for the
ensuing year, when a rush was made to the table., which
were removed, and the balloting box was broken open, after
which the parochial officers and the ratepayers proceeded to
the Thames Polioe-court.

ME WEST OP SCOTLAND FISITERTVA. The
neglect of our west coast fWieries is a reproach to the
nation. From their vicinity to markets, whereby the poorest
fisherman was enabled at once to realise a fair price for his
commodity, the east coast fisheries might, with some show
of reason, have been left to private enterprise, but not so
these of the west coast, where a poor man toilet either cure
the fish himself, and remain out of his money for months, or
sell them at so low a price as to render fishing of all employ-
ments the least profitable. This fact has been strikingly
illustrated in Oben the other day, where a eptendid
turbot,
weighing 901 lbs, was cold for a few shillinge—we believe
Bs. or 10e. What are the West of Scotland Viahery Associ-
ation, from which so mush wen expected, about f— Glasgow
Dagy Mail.
HURRICANES Re THE INDIAN OCZAN.—A
, letter from Post Louis, dated February 28th, contains
some information respecting the state of the Indian
VICR in February, bearing upon the probable fortunes of the
delayed steamer, °wide. Our correspondent writes : " The
British barque Amy, from Shanghai to Liverpool, experienced
a hurricane which looted ten hours, about 300 milts to the
aouthwarth The ship sprang a leak, broke her rudder, lost
spars, sails, ite., end put in for repairs on the let. Nearly the
whole of the cargo wee landed, the ship hos been coppered,
sad is now taking in again. The barque Washington, from
Para to Bordeaux, experienced • hurricane which
Pod
30
hours. The ship cleat*. leak, lost sails, Bm., and put in
on the 11th of February.
TIIE "
BLACKCAP.—It is a fact admitted by all
careful observers, that the Blackcap, like the Nigh
y revisits,year after year, the scenes of his thillhg:l
regularly
was born, there lies his heart. This cannot ba •
matter for wonder or surprise: indeed, appreciating their
instinct as we do, it would be strange were it otherwise.
This very year we recognised most readily, by the peculiarity
of his voice and richness of his notes, one of our Leonetti'
that left us last autumn. There is so much difference in the
quality of their song, and also in the arrangement of their
notes, that you might really " swear" to a particular bird.
We speak of this identical bird, bemuse of his rare excel-
lence. Deabiless many others, of second-rate powers, ac-
-001441311654 him to their old quarters. Nature is always tree
to henelf.—ridea Treatise en the Blackcap.