11th.—Limited Liability Bill; Lords' amendments agreed
to. Union of Contiguous Benefices Bill; Commons'
amendments not insisted on. Burials Bill; Lords' amendments
agreed to.
14th.—Conduct of the War; Speeches of Sir De Lacy Evans
and Lord Palmerston.

A public meeting in favour of the Restoration of
Poland  was held at St. Martin's Hall on the 8th inst.
It was to have taken place on the 1st, but was postponed
in consequence of the indisposition of Sir De Lacy Evans,
who was to have presided. The Earl of Harrington
now occupied the chair, and there was a large assemblage,
among whom were Sir Robert Peel, Lord Ebrington,
and other persons of distinction. Lord Ebrington
moved, and Sir R. Peel seconded, a resolution to the
effect that the restoration of Poland would afford the
best security for the preservation of the balance of
power. They advocated the formation of a Polish
legion, and the vigorous prosecution of the war. But
there was a hostile party present, who contrived to
defeat the object of the meeting. Towards its close,
Mr. Collett moved an amendment, which was seconded,
asserting that "so long as Lord Palmerston was minister
no proposition for the restoration of Poland can be
anything but a delusion and a snare." The chairman
suggested that the original resolution should be first put,
as it only formed part of a series; Mr. Collett objected;
hence great disturbance; during which the Earl of
Harrington left the chair. The meeting having been
much thinned, Mr. George Thompson appeared, and
putting the amendment, declared it carried—with only
"six" dissentients.

The Administrative Reform Association held a meeting
at the London Tavern on the 8th inst.,—Mr. Morley
in the chair,—for the purpose of receiving a report from
the committee. This was a long document describing
the proceedings of the committee, and containing a
proposal for the reform of the Civil Service. It is
proposed that itinerant courts of examiners should hold
periodic sittings, where any British subject may present
himself for examination, and if passed, may then go
before a central department, composed of three persons
nominated by the Crown. The examination to be open
and competitive; and the appointments, as they fall
vacant, to be given to the candidates "with the highest
number of marks." The report also approved of the
appointment of Mr. Willes to a Judgeship, and Sir
William Molesworth to the Colonial Office; and urged
the appointment of Mr. Rowland Hill as Postmaster-
General. The chairman moved, and Mr. Tite
seconded, the adoption of the report, which was
adopted accordingly.

NARRATIVE OF LAW AND CRIME

THERE have been trials at the Warwick Assizes, arising
out of the case of Cruelty in the Birmingham Gaol
in 1853. Lieutenant Austin, late governor of the gaol
in succession to Captain Maconochie, was first indicted
alone for illegally assaulting Andrews, a prisoner. This
charge was fully made out. Andrews was a lad. He
was said to have been guilty of irregular conduct, and
given to making a great noise; and as a punishment
Lieutenant Austin ordered him to be placed in the
"jacket," a very rigorous strait-waistcoat, and strapped
to the wall; he was also ordered to perform 10,000
revolutions of the crank daily, and deprived of any food
except bread and water if he did not complete the task.
Sometimes water was thrown over prisoners when in
the jacket, and it was supposed they were "shamming
fainting or something of that sort." Andrews came in
for his share of the water. Competent witnesses, as
Mr. Sherwin, the gaol chaplain, deposed that he was of
a mild disposition; always pained and anxious; and
that he complained of being too weakly for the heavy
crank labour, and "appeared so too." One morning
he was found hanging in his cell. The judge said that
the use of the strait-waistcoat, the collar, and water,
were clearly illegal punishments. The jury found
Lieutenant Austin guilty. Austin and Blount, the surgeon,
were then indicted for assaulting one Hunt, a person
considered insane. The assault consisted of putting on
the jacket, and thrusting salt into the prisoner's mouth
when he furiously yelled, strove to bite, and kicked at
everybody. In this case the jury acquitted the accused
of unnecessary violence. In two other cases both Austin
and Blount were found guilty of omitting to make certain
entries in the prison books. The parties convicted
have not been brought up for judgment.

An uncommon trial took place at the Bristol Assizes
—an action brought by an officer in the Militia against
a lady for Breach of Promise of Marriage. Mr. John
Holder, Captain in the Fifth Lancashire Militia, now at
Aldershott, brought his action to recover damages from
Miss Josling, a young lady of considerable fortune. It
appears that Captain Holder offered Miss Josling his
hand at a time when she had just lost her parents, and
was nearly friendless. She accepted the offer, out of a
feeling of gratitude, as she alleged. The wedding-day
was fixed, and the bridesmaids appointed. Meanwhile,
Mr. Josling, an elder brother of the bride, returned
home; questioned his sister; found she had no affection
for the gallant Captain, and advised her frankly to state
as much. She did so; and thereupon, in the words of
his counsel, Captain Holder "was so much agonised
that he felt it necessary for his own honour to bring
this action." The plaintiff's attorney demanded as
much money—£400—as would pay for the presents
made to Miss Josling, the "travelling expenses" of her
lover, and the lawyer's bill. Mr. Justice Williams
administered a severe rebuke to the men of obtuse feelings
who would not hesitate to bring any kind of action for
money, although they made themselves the scorn of
every manly heart: whether the plaintiff was such a
man he would leave the jury to say. Damages for the
plaintiff—£300.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Conduct of the
Police concluded their examination of witnesses on the
2nd instant. At the close of the proceedings, the
President stated, that in consequence of the volume of the
evidence, and the duties he and his colleagues had to
discharge, some time must elapse before they could
make a report.

At the Carlisle Assizes, on the 6th inst., Edward
Wilson was tried on the charge of Forging and Uttering
a Cheque for £539 12s. 8d. on the Cumberland and
Carlisle Bank. The prisoner was formerly clerk to Mr.
Mounsey, a solicitor at Carlisle, and had thus an
opportunity of becoming acquainted with the signature of
Messrs. Hodgson, another law firm. These gentlemen
have an account at the bank. On Saturday the 3rd
February, the bank received a letter from the "Rev.
Thomas Sanderson, Langford Vicarage, near Lancaster,"
enclosing another purporting to be written by Messrs.
Hodgson to the clergyman, containing an account of the
sale of some property, and an order on the bank in Mr.
Sanderson's favour for £539 12s. 8d. The clergyman
wrote to the bank that he had applied too late at the
office on Friday afternoon; he was obliged to leave for
his parish; would the bank forward him a cheque for
the money? The bank was deceived, and sent a cheque
on Hankey's, in London. Wilson had written to the
postmaster at Langford, requesting that a letter missent
there for the Rev. Mr. Sanderson might be forwarded
to Carlisle. By this means he got the cheque. He
then hastened to Langford, and posted a letter to the
bank in acknowledgment of the cheque, thus preventing
suspicion. He next went to London, and obtained cash
for the cheque. He received a bank-note for £500, and
four five-pound notes. The £500 note was changed for
sovereigns at the Bank of England, no doubt by Wilson.
So far the rogue was safe. But with the five pound
notes he took some watches and chains out of pledge at
Luxmoore's, in St. Martin's-lane; the shopman indorsed
the notes "Wilson," and he knew the prisoner. It
happened that some considerable time elapsed before
Messrs. Hodgson discovered that a cheque for £539 had
been paid on their account. In the meanwhile, Wilson
had taken his plunder to the Isle of Man, bought a
house there, and was living in it with his mother. The
police were set to work; the five-pound notes had not
been returned to the Bank of England; they were
"stopped." When presented they were traced to
Luxmoore's; thence to Wilson; and step by step the whole