9th.—South Sea Dissentients Bill passed.—Transportation
Bill committed.—Metropolitan Sewers Bill committed.—
Hackney Carriage Duties Bill passed.

10th.—Customs Bill passed.—Recovery of Personal Liberty,
order for adjourned debate discharged.—Smoke Nuisance
Bill passed.—Betting Houses Bill passed.

11th.—Metropolitan Sewers Bill passed.—Lunatics Bill
passed.

12th.—Transportation Bill passed.—Corrupt Practices at
Elections Bill read a second time.—Vaccination Extension
Bill committed.

13th.—Consolidated Fund Appropriation Bill passed.—
Vaccination Extension Bill passed.—Passengers Act Amendment
Bill committed.

15th.—New Writs for Dungarvon and Stamford.—India
Bills, Lords Amendments agreed to.—Passengers Act Amendment
Bill passed.—New Writ for Clitheroe.

16th.—Russia and Turkey, Lord J. Russell's Statement.—
Charitable Trusts Bill, Lords Amendment agreed to.—Courts
of Common Law Bills, Lords Amendments agreed to.

19th.—Turnpike Acts Continuance Bill, Lords Amendments
agreed to.

20th.—Prorogation.

The Convocation of the Clergy was prorogued from
February last to the 18th instant. On that day,
accordingly, nineteen members of the lower house met
in the Jerusalem Chamber, between ten and eleven
o'clock, the customary time of commencing sittings.
But the archbishop did not appear, neither did Dr.
Peacock, the prolocutor. The Reverend Canon
Wordsworth entered the chamber and made an unofficial
explanation. Dr. Peacock was staying at his house; he
could not attend the meeting because the archbishop
was not there to constitute a House of Convocation.
Dr. Peacock had on the 17th sent a request to Mr. Dyke,
the registrar, that he would name the hour of meeting.
A verbal message stated that Mr. Dyke was not in town;
but, from a private letter addressed by Mr. Dyke to
the abbey porter, they learned that the archbishop
would not be there until three o'clock. Considering
this a want of courtesy, the reverend gentlemen went in
a body, on the invitation of Dr. Wordsworth, to call on
the prolocutor. At three o'clock these gentlemen again
met in the Jerusalem Chamber; and soon after, the
Archbishop of Canterbury appeared with his functionaries.
Dr. Peacock, in the name of the members of the
Lower House there assembled, respectfully represented
to his grace, that no intimation had been given to him,
as prolocutor, nor to the members of convocation
generally, that the proceedings would not commence at the
usual hour; and he prayed that such orders might be
given as may prevent a similar occurrence in future.
The archbishop said, he thought that at the time of the
last adjournment, it was so fully understood the present
meeting would be only for the purpose of prorogation,
that there could not possibly have been any misunderstanding
on the subject. He was not aware that there
had been any expectation that business would be transacted;
and he thought that was sufficiently evidenced
by the fact that no members of the Upper House were
now present. He must, however, express his regret that
any misunderstanding had occurred, which might have
subjected some of the clergy present to inconvenience.
The usual writ was read, and Convocation stood prorogued
until the 10th November. No hour was mentioned.

The Commissioners appointed to inquire into the
Corrupt Practices at Elections for the Borough of
Canterbury have issued a detailed report. They find, that
direct money bribery was practised at the election in
1847; that it was practised with the consent of Mr.
George Henry Smythe, but that there is no evidence to
show that the same was done with the consent or
knowledge of Lord Albert Conyngham, the other burgess
elected, or of Mr. Vance and Lord Pelham Clinton,
the unsuccessful candidates; that in 1850,
Alderman Brent gave a sum of  Â£37. 10s. to Charles
Goodwin for his vote in behalf of Colonel Romilly,
without the consent or knowledge of Colonel Romilly;
that direct money bribery procured the return of Mr.
Gipps and Mr. Butler Johnstone in 1852, with the
consent of Mr. Gipps, but without the knowledge or consent
of Mr. Johnstone. Finally, they "find that corrupt
practices have extensively prevailed in the city of
Canterbury at the last election of members, to serve in
parliament for the said city and at previous elections."

The new act on the future Government of India has
been printed. It is to take effect on the 30th of April
next year, when the act now in force will terminate.
By this new statute, until parliament shall otherwise
provide, the British territories in India, are to be
continued under the government of the East India
Company, subject to the conditions now imposed. After the
second Wednesday in April the authority of the present
directors is to cease, and there are to be eighteen
directors of the company. Her Majesty is to appoint
three of the first directors for two, four, and six years,
and they must have served three years in India. The
ordinary term of office of a director is to be six years,
and directors are to be eligible for re-election. The
qualification for a director is to be the holder of £1000
East India Stock. The directors appointed by her Majesty
may sit in parliament. Legislative councillors are to be
added to the council of India for making laws and
regulations. All appointments of members of the council
are to be subject to the approbation of her Majesty. The
other provisions have reference to the India Board, the
salaries to be paid, and to other matters connected with
the future government of India.

NARRATIVE OF LAW AND CRIME.

A most appalling Suicide occurred on Sunday
morning, the 31st ult., at the house of Mrs. Burnes,
fruiterer, London-street, Greenwich. The unfortunate
deceased, Lavinia Mary Cuthbert, was a married
woman, who, with her husband, for some time past, had
been in the employ of Mr. Shove, corn-dealer, but had
been lately discharged. It appears that she went to her
bedroom, and, after a short time was discovered to have
ripped open her stomach with her husband's razor, and
before medical assistance could be brought to her aid,
she had expired. An inquest was held next day, when
the jury returned a verdict of "Temporary derangement."

In the Rolls Court, on the 1st inst., judgment was
given in the case of the Hospital of St. Cross, which
has been for some time before the court, on an information
to obtain a decree for the regulation and future
management of two charities, the one the Hospital of
St. Cross, at Winchester, and the other the Almshouses
of Noble Poverty at Winchester practically united in
the same charity. Sir John Romilly took a review of
its history. The Hospital was founded in the twelfth
century, by Henry de Blois; the Almshouse in 1446, by
Cardinal Beaufort; and they were intended for the
support of thirteen poor men, and the giving of a dinner
every day to one hundred poor men, with other benefits
for the indigent. Three several times the Master of the
Hospital had attempted to obtain the revenues for his
own use: once in the fourteenth century, when William
of Wykeham successfully resisted the attempt; again in
the reign of Elizabeth, when an act of Parliament was
passed to confirm the original trust; and yet again in
1696. In this year the brethren and two chaplains
agreed to a document called a "consuetudinarium," or
settlement of the custom of administering the funds of
the hospital, making over the revenues to the master.
This the Bishop of Winchester, the visitor, sanctioned.
A more barefaced document than this (said the judge)
could not be imagined, nor a more manifest and wilful
breach of trust. Nevertheless it had subsisted for
upwards of one hundred and fifty years, though not
without warnings. The present master is the Reverend
the Earl of Guildford, and the estates are very valuable.
Sir John Romilly decreed, that there must be an
injunction to restrain future grants by lease, and a
reference to inquire if the leases now in existence were
granted by fine. With respect to the Earl of Guildford,
he must account for monies received from the date of the
information, and be held answerable to keep the
buildings in a state of repair.

An important Railway Case was tried at the Croydon
Assizes on the 1st inst. The Honourable Francis Scott,
chairman of the South Western Railway Company, and
Mr. Joseph Beattie, superintendent of the locomotive
department, surrendered to take their trial for the