Nov. 23,] 



THE NEWSPAPER. 







Seizure of Messrs. Smith's Distillery by the Ed e. 

 — Some astonishment has been excited by the seizure of 

 the distillery and rectifying house of Messrs. Smith, 

 Thomas-street, Whitechapel. The stoppage of the busi- 

 ness has existed about a fortnight, and as it will continue 

 until the revenue and excise causes are tried in the Court 

 of Exchequer, which will take place immediately after 

 the end of the present term, nearly the whole of the men 

 employed in the two departments have been discharged. 

 Upon what grounds the seizure has been made is un- 

 known. Although some of the accounts state that the firm 

 had been in the habit of retailing spirits at a superior 

 strength and lower price than other distillers, it is well 

 known to the trade that the quality sent out commanded 

 the highest prices in the market, and the house was never 

 considered to come under the denomination of cheap 

 sellers. As in all other establishments of the same kind, 

 an excise officer was constantly on the premises, and 

 during the whole period, until the commissioners stopped 

 the trade, he was in the constant habit of seeing what 

 was going on. At present no correct information can be 

 obtained as to the exact amount for which the commis- 

 sioners have made a seizure ; whether they amount to 

 10(P/. or 100,000/. is unknown. 



The Polish Ball — On Tuesday night the dress and 

 fancy ball in aid of the funds for the relief of the Polish 

 refugees took place at Guildhall. The company began to 

 arrive soon after 8 o'clock, and at £ past 9 dancing com- 

 menced, and everything went on harmoniously, until 

 10 o'clock, when the Lord Mayor, accompanied by the 

 Lady Mayoress, entered the hall. He was greeted "with 

 mingled cheers and hisses, but very few of the company 

 took part in this discordant contest. The great majority 

 allowed the Lord Mayor to pass by unnoticed, and con- 

 sidering the number of ladies present, and the occasion 

 which had caused them to assemble together, this cer- 

 tainly was not an injudicious proceeding. The amuse- 

 ments of the evening did not entirely consist of dancing, 

 but were varied by the introduction of a vocal concert, 

 which pleasantly diversified the enjoyments of the even- 

 ing. Dancing was then resumed, and kept up with great 

 spirit to an early hour of the morning. Guildhall was 

 quite full of company, and the funds for the relief of the 

 refugees will derive no inconsiderable benefit from this 

 ball. Among the company present were the Earl and 

 Countess of Errol, the Earl of Munster, Lady Adelaide 

 Fitzclarence, Countesses of Tankerville and Glengall, 

 Lady M. Fox, Lord Dudley Stuart, Colonel Fox, M.P., 

 Colonel L. Stanhope, Mr. Villiers, M.P., Sir W. Mag- 

 , nay, Mr. H. Baring, M.P., &c. Though the ball was 

 announced as a fancy ball as well as a dress one, there 

 were very few persons present in fancy dresses. 



The Tottenham Churches. — The parish of Tottenham 

 has been, for some time, in considerable agitation, 

 caused by a dispute between the seatholders and at- 

 tendants of the churches, and the clergyman of the 

 parish, respecting the introduction of certain practices 

 in the services of the church, which the parishioners con- 

 sider as Tractarian novelties. The changes were first in- 

 troduced at the parish church, and then at a church 

 recently erected by subscription at Wood Green, and 

 they were threatened, also, at the chapel on Tottenham 

 Green called Trinity Chapel ; but the proceedings of the 

 subscribers to the Wood Green church has prevented 

 their introduction at Trinity Chapel for the present. As 

 soon as the innovations were adopted by the clergy at 

 Wood Green, the subscribers remonstrated, and after 

 an ineffectual correspondence, a meeting was called, at 

 which there was so strong an expression of public opi- 

 nion, that the clergy consented to refer the matter to the 

 ■bishop of London. A deputation accordingly waited 

 upon the bishop, who strongly urged the parishioners to 

 accede to the changes, which were, he said, in strict 

 conformity to the Rubric. He declared that he would 

 sanction no change that was not authorised by the Rubric, 

 and expressed his determination to resist the intro- 

 duction of Puseyite or Tractarian doctrines. After a 

 long conference, in which it was evident that neither 

 party would give way, the bishop agreed to give orders 

 Wat the new forms should be suspended for 12 months, 

 •i his was accepted by the deputation, who reported the 

 result to a general meeting of the subscribers, when 

 another angry contest took place between the clergy and 

 ? e Parishioners. Notice, however, was posted at the 



oth d °° rS ° n Sundav last ' Bi 8 ned b y the vicar and 

 a |?® r £y men » announcing that the changes were sus- 

 pended for a year. The innovations objected to are the 

 omission of the anthem at the commencement of the 



ervice, the giving out of the psalms by the clergyman 



jnstead of the clerk, and the offertory, with a collection 



pew to pew on the occasion of charity sermons, 



queen's letters, &c. What will be the result of these 



Proceedings cannot be foreseen, but it is said that two of 



oe parishioners have offered to build new churches at 



obr r T n ex P ense ' if the attendants at the old ones are 

 °nged to leave through the continuance of the changes. 

 Consecration of Camberwell Church.— On Thursday 



Ch K g tUe Bisho P of Winchester consecrated the New 

 urch at Camberwell, built on the site of the one de- 

 er* I a 7 fire iB 1842 - The church, which has been 

 De« * aC0St of 14 » 000/ m will accommodate 15,000 



tho A 8 u The design is in the st y le of the Iatter half of 



41 F, i r. Century ' be '"S the transition between the 

 plan "J Engl i sh " and the " Decorated Style." The 



Th 



[1844, 



The Fog. — On Thursday morning the metropolis was 

 enveloped in a thick fog, which was particularly dense in 

 the northern portions. It somewhat cleared off towards 

 noon, but about 4 o'clock it again came on, and as the 

 evening advanced became of such intense density as to 

 equal the fogs of 1814. All the craft in the river were 

 compelled to remain stationary throughout the afternoon ; 

 and the steamers discontinued running. A? o'clock it 

 was impossible that any omnibus, cab, or other vehicle, 

 could more faster than at a walking pace, although most 

 of them were preceded by links and carried lamps. Most 

 of the drivers of cabs and carriages were compelled lo 

 lead their horses. It was dangerous also to p;. orer 

 any of the metropolitan bridges. Foot-passengcis found 

 the greatest difficulty in proceeding through the streets, 

 and persons were continually losing their way, while 

 innumerable link-boys were offering their lertic 

 Shortly before 9 the fog had somewhat aba'.ed, but II 

 continued very thick. At llampstead, Highgate, I liug- 

 ton, &c. the weather was clear through the greater part 

 of the day ; but into Surrey the fog exte jd to a con- 

 siderable distance. 



Inquests. — At the inquest on the body of Mr. Samuda 

 and his workmen, who were killed by the explosion oi 

 board the steamboat at Blackwall, noticed by us last 

 week, the jury appended to their verdict a declaration 



that " death was caused by the false and improper con- 

 struction of the joint of the main steam-pipe, and on its 

 not being sufficiently secured ; stating that they exj 

 this opinion in order that due caution may be used to 

 prevent similar accidents, which it appeared to them may 

 be effected by a collar or ring to prevent the sev of 



the pipes in future." — An inquest has been held on the 

 body of Mr. Sergeant Andrews, whose suicide was 

 also noticed i:i our last. After two adjournments in 

 order to have a post mortem examination, it was proved 

 by the medical witnesses that the wound in the throat 

 was healing, and that there was nothing in it that could 

 have caused death. Disease had been going on for some 

 time in the lungs, and there was no doubt that death 

 was produced by effusion of blood from some vessels of 

 the left lung during a violent fit of coughing, and not from 

 the wound. After a long inquiry the jury returned a 

 verdict — " That the death of deceased was caused by 

 haemorrhage from natural causes, which produced a flow 

 of blood into the lungs." 



Mortality of the Metropolis.— The following is the 

 number of deaths registered in the week ending Nov. 1G ; 

 West Districts, 147 ; Northern, 191 ; Central, 18.". ; 

 Eastern, 218; Southern, 333; Total, 1072. Weekly 

 average for the last five years, 946. 



dressed the meeting ; and at the close the Mayor an 

 nounced that the subscriptions already amounted to 

 about 2700/. 



BriJport — At a dinner given bj his constituents last 

 week, to Mr. 3*illie Cochrane, M.P., for this borough, 

 that g -i addressed the meeting in a speech of 



- length, which has attracted general attention. 

 After stating his views on the present state of the 

 country, and expressing his determination to uphold 

 agricultural ton, Mr. Cochrane adver to the 



subject of Education. " Education" he said, " is neces- 

 sary, but it is not the education of literary institutions 

 and sink -classes ; it is worse than irony to propose 

 giving nil works to read when they scarce 



time to read the Bible. Charity is neeessarr, but 

 it is not the charity w mts roses round the porch 



and leaves the si eredroof; which provides men with 

 public baths when they cannot ob'ain water to drink, for 

 such is really the case in 6ome parts of the metr lis ; 

 >, all this kind of y is pretty and graceful; but you 



cannot make a pi 'ng of poverty, or cast veils of 

 romance r sufi ;ig. Let us I m plate for one 

 Sat \ t red suffering is; turn from the crowded 

 thoroughfares of the great city, and but a few yards dis- 

 tant ill be. f)und narrow lanes, * io at ventilation, and 

 teeming with noxious vapours ; and then k into one 



Birmingham. — The inhabitants of this town have fol- 

 lowed the example of the inhabitantsof Manchester and the 

 Metropolis, by establishing public baths and walks for the 

 poor. For some weeks pasta committee has been making 

 preliminary arrangements, and on Tuesday a public meet- 

 ing, convened by a requisition signed by gentlemen of all 

 parties, was held in the Town-hall, with a view of car- 

 rying the measures into effect. The Mayor presided, and 

 was supported by Lord Lyttelton, Lord Calthorp, Mr. 

 Adderley, M.P. ; Mr. Spooner, M.P. ; Mr. Newdigate, 

 M.P. ;Mr. Muntz.M.P.; theHon. and Rev. G.York; Mr. 

 Joseph Sturge; Mr. Hill, Q.C., Recorder of the borough ; 

 the Rev. J. Garbett, Rural Dean ; most of the municipal 

 officers, and indeed the leading men of all parties, 

 Tories, Whigs, Complete Suffrageites, and Chartists. 

 Such a complete amalgamation and unanimity of parties 

 was never before witnessed in Birmingham, and the 

 meeting was extremely well attended by the working 

 classes. The Mayor opened the proceedings by reading 

 letters from Mr. C. Ingleby, Sir T. Gooch, the Bishop 

 of Worcester, Mr. Dugdale, M.P. ; Dr. Wiseman, of 



of those sordid, squalid, broken-down miserable hovels 

 without fire-places, for why should fire-places exist where 

 there is not a penny to purchase firing with? the wind 

 whistling through t patched doors and windows ; from 

 thi damp '.lars issued forth creatures of low and fear- 

 ful aspect — the man and the woman, the infant, and the 

 decrepit snd t r» d, all alike in rags and tatters. Oh, 

 it is horrible in very truth — it is fearful wretchedness; 

 and, alas ! a fearful wretchedness which Induces fearful 

 vice ; for in too many insta s degrading passions are 

 so stamped uj i the features that it is hard to believe 

 that this U man in whose own image the Creator created 

 him. Is this an overdrawn picture ? I do not think so. 

 It is attested by men of all parties and shades of opinion. 

 Mr. C. Buller has told us that in Lend n alone there 

 were 15,000. milliners killing themsel by work in 

 close rooms ; hut if all this is true, is it a time to lay 

 such a stress upon mere education ? Must not the efforts 

 to improve the social commence with efforts to amelio- 

 rate the physical condition of the people ? " He then 

 dwelt on the distresses of the labouring classes, and their 

 remedy, expressing his belief that free trade, the allot- 

 ment system, the recurrence to the small farm system, 

 rational education, and the abolition of the new Poor- 

 Law would not effect much until some check is put upon 

 machinery. In conclusion, he said, " We are moving 

 rapidly forward, and whither? No man will venture to 

 say what ten years shall bring forth. Shall our com- 

 merce still sweep from the Indies to the poles, or shall 

 the spots that knew us once know us not again ? Mine 

 no prophet's voice to declare the future, but of this 

 I am convinced, that the surest pledge of the stability of 

 our c immerce — of our greatness — is to protect the poor 

 man, who is the humble instrument of that greatness, 

 and in the days of our prosperity to remember that there 

 are moments of adversity, when dullness falls upon 

 nations as upon individuals, and wh^n the many who are 

 now the lowly and weak may become the powerful and 

 the strong." 



Brighton. — A meeting of the inhabitants of this town 

 was held on Monday, for the purpose of receiving the 

 report of the committee appointed at the public meeting 

 held on the 21st ult., to consider whether it will be bene- 

 ficial to the inhabitants that the borough should be in- 

 corporated, and the propriety of petitioning Her 

 Majesty in Council for a charter of incorporation under 

 the provisions of the Muni 1 Corporations Acts. The 

 report recommended the petition for a charter, but an 

 amen ' ent was moved that it be brought up again that 

 day three months. After some discussion it was resolved 



St. Mary's College, O ft cott,&c. ; all concurring in the t( / t the meetin for a month> in orde r to give 



object of the meeting Lord L,t elton then moved, and tf r ^ inhabitants t ° consi ,. cr the report. 



ls ? cru ciform, having a central tower and spire. 



tannJ ? - Te ' lch " i:iy be 8een from a considerable dis- 

 bishn m i CV - ery direction > >» ' 2 07 feet in height. The 

 nrearh i Vlng §one trough the prescribed forms, 

 lars* 1 \! ermon appropriate to the occasion, and a 

 5 couection was made at the close of the service. 



Mr. J. Taylor, of Moseley Hall, seconded, the first 

 resolution — "That this meeting, considering the great 

 extent, the dense and increasing population, ot the 

 borough of Birmingham, and the growing difficulties of 

 obtaining for a large portion of its inhabitants ready access 

 to places for ablution, fresh air, and healthy recreation, 

 declares its opinion tint the formation of public baths and 

 public walks, or other open spaces for exercise and active 

 sports, in the vicinity of the borough, would contribute 

 greatly to the health, rational enjoy ment,kindly intercourse, 

 and good morals of all classes of our population. ' ' A Char- 

 tist, named Mason, also spoke in favour of the resolution, 

 expressing his conviction that this movement iu favour 

 of the labouring classes was the beginning of anew era in 

 British society. Lord Calthorp then moved, and the 

 Rev. J. Garbett seconded, the next resolution — " That 

 it is the opinion of this meeting that public baths be the 

 first object carried out, and that the committee, about to 

 be proposed, be requested in the first instance to take 

 measures for the erection of four sets of public baths in 

 the most convenient parts of the borough." The Hon. 

 and Rev. G. York moved, and Mr. Spooner, M.i \. 

 seconded, a resolution in favour of a subscription to carry 

 out the two previous resolutions; and Mr. Harlow 

 moved, that all other lodges and benefit societies should 

 be called upon to follow the example of lodges 1 and 2 

 of the United Brothers, and send in tbscrip ns to the 

 proposed fund. Mr. Newdigate, M.P., moved, and Mr. 

 T. E. Lee seconded, a motion for the appointment of a 

 committee. All these resolutions having been adopted 

 unanimously, Mr. Hill the Recorder, Rev. Mr. Dawson, 



pporfl 



Durham A forgery of 5/. notes of the Durham and 



Stock tot County Bank was discovered on the 30th ult., 

 by one of them being taken to the Stockton Post-office 

 for change, and a vigilant search in consequence was 

 made for the parties suspected of the forgery. Since 

 then the whole of them have been apprehended and com- 

 mitted for tria!. There are four individuals implicated 

 in the affair, all hitherto accounted respectable parties, 

 and from their being well known in the places where they 

 resided, their apprehension has excited considerable sen- 

 sation. The principal forger is a person named Henry 

 Russell, formerly of Stockton, but for a few weeks past 

 master of the National School at Barnard Castle. Accom- 

 plices with him are a person called Buglass, a spirit- 

 dealer in Sunderland, pnd M hew and James Watson, 

 father and son, who have resided for some time at Dog- 

 II, about half-a-v lie from Stockton, and lately carried 

 on the brewing and corn facting business. On the last 

 y of the examination Ru !1 made a full confession, 

 id give a statement of their operations. He said they 

 co iced forging in May, he being the sole originator 



of 'he proceedings. The two Watsons assisted him, and 

 the plate from which t notes were printed was engraved 

 by the electro-magnetic process, with the exception of 

 the managin irector's name, the name of the persons 

 entering the dates and the numbers, which were after- 

 wards supplied by the pen. They were printed at Wat- 

 son's house, on "paper which he had purchased for the 

 purpose, by a small press like a linen press — 10 had been 

 in ted, but they had only succeeded in issuing 20. 

 Buglass was in company with the Watsons when one of 



Mr. Sturge, Mr. Muntz, M.P., and other gentlemen ad- | the noteg WM paased / nly eight of the notes have yet 



