The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-10-04 00:00:00

2LECTION OF LORD MAYOR.

T.Jonclay being Michaelmas Day the liverymen of
the City of London, in accordance with annual custom,
aisembled in the Guildhall for the purpose of electing
the Lord Mayor for the civic year, commencing on
the 9th of November next. The ceremony was con-
ducted with the usual state observances, though the
opeL air portion of it was much marred by the rain.
The Lord Mayor, attended by his chaplain, the sword
and mace bearers, and the City Marshal, and accom-
panied by Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Whitehead, the
under sheriffs, and the sheriffs' chaplains, went in
state from the Mansion House to the Guildhall to be
present during the proceedings. Mr. Sheriff Phillips,
who is a Jew, was unable to attend, this being the
solemn fast day of that community. On their arrival
at the great ball the civic dignities first went to the
alderman's chamber and then walked in procession to
the adjoining church of St. Lawrence, Jewry, where
Divine service was held and an appropriate sermon
preached by the Lord Mayor's chaplain, the Rev. Pre-
bendary Whittington, of St. Peter's, Cornhill. At the
conclusion of the service the civic authorities returned
to Guildhall and passed at once to the dais. Mean-
while the hall was filled with the livery.
The Recorder (Sir T. Chambers) said he had the
honour to inform the livery that they had assembled
to discharge a very ancient custom, and one which
he might congratulate them on being enabled once
again to exercise, that of choosing the chief magis-
trate of the City of London for the year ensuing. In
order that their choice might be free and unfettered
the Lord Mayor and aldermen would retire while
they discussed the matter.
Mr. Saywell, a liveryman, asked that the aldermen
below the chair should remain in the hall to answer
such questions as the electors might put to them.
The Lord Mayor, who was enthusiastically cheered,
assented to the demand, and the junior aldermen
remained in the hall.
The Common Serjeant (Sir W. T. Charley) in-
formed the livery that the aldermen eligible for elec-
tion were Messrs. Nottage, Staples, Sir R. Hanson,
De Keyser, Waterlow, and Savory. It was their
duty to elect two of these aldermen for presentation
to the Court of Aldermen, who would select one of
them as Lord Mayor for the year ensuing.
Mr. Saywell put three questions to the aldermen
eligible—whether they would support the rights and
privileges of the livery, whether they were favourable
to the extension of technical education, and whether
they approved of civil servants trading with the
public. _

- Mr. Alderman Nottage, who was loudly cheered,
said he considered the livery companies were az much
entitled to their rights and privileges, and to their
property, which had come to them in a legal and
legitimate manner, as any individual in that hall to
whom private property belonged, and that being his
feeling he should support the companies to the fullest
extent. He also spoke in favour of the advance of
technical education, but as to co-operative stores,
while they infringed on the dealings of many trades-
men to a serious extent, he could hardly see how they
were to be stopped while the civil servants discharged
their official duties without fault.

Mr. Alderman Staples answered these same ques-
tions in a similar strain. _ _

The choice of the livery fell upon Mr. Alderman
George Swan Nottage, citizen and carpenter, and Mr.
Alderman John Staples, citizen and leatherseller.
The Court of Aldermen unanimously selected Mr.
Alderman Nottage as the Lord Mayor for the
year ensuing, who, amid loud cheers, returned
thanks.

The proceedings ended with votes of thanks to the
Lord Mayor and the retiring sheriffs.

The Lord Mayor-Elect was, says the Czty Press,
returned for alderman by the Ward of Cordwainer in
1875; served the office of sheriff, with Mr. Alderman
Staples, in 1877-78; and has always shown himself
to be a staunch supporter of the Corporation of
London. The Lord Mayor-Elect is descended from
the family of the Nottages, of Nottage, in Glamorgan-
shire, who afterwards settled in Essex, in which
county he spent his early youth. He is 61 years of
age, and was married in 1851 to Christiana, daughter
of Mr. James Warner, and descended on her
maternal side from the old Cheshire family of the
Leftwiches. The Lord Mayor-Elect resides at Ken-
sington. His family consists of a son and daughter.
The former, Mr. Charles G. Nottage, graduated at
Cambridge in honours, and was afterwards called to
the Bar at the Inner Temple. His daughter is married
to Mr. Samuel Ernest Palmer, a partner in the
well-known Reading firm. The Lord Mayor-Elect
was for many years engaged in the large iron busi-
ness of his uncle, Mr. R. W. Kennard, the late
member for Newport. He is also a nephew of the
late Mr. Alderman Challis, who for many years re-
presented the borough of Finsbury in Parliament;
and, strange to say, both the uncles of the Lord
Mayor-Elect served the office of sheriff of London
and Middlesex in the same year. He is the founder
of th. London Stereoscopic and Photographic Com-
pany, which, with its agencies in various parts of the
world, has developed itself into the largest concern of
its kind. At Brighton the Lord Mayor-Elect is well
known and deservedly popular for the great improve-
ments he has made in the King's-road by the erection
of numerous handsome buildings, one of which—the
Orleans Club—is familiar to all visitors. The Lord
Mayor-Elect is a member of the Spectaclemakers' and
Loriners' Companies, and is at the present time the
master of the Carpenters' Company. For many
years he has held the position of chairman of the
visiting justices of her Majesty's gaol at Holloway.
As a magistrate his decisions have always been
characterised by good judgment and sound common
sense, and to many his published letters on the grand
jury system must be familiar.

THE ENGLISH ARTILLERY VOLUN-
TEERS IN CANADA.
The detachment of English Artillery Volunteers
which has been competing with Canadian artillery
corps, at the meeting of the Canadian Artillery Asso-
ciation, and which returned to Liverpool on board
the Allan steamer Sarmatian, comprises 22 men,
under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ray. The
detachment was very sugcessful, having won the
Queen's Prize, Grand Challenge Cup, and 10 prizes of
minor importance. The men dined together at the
London and North-Western Hotel, and then dis-
persed. Captain Allen and a detachment of the 4th
West York (Sheffield) Artillery Volunteers were
awaited by and received an enthusiastic welcome
from an immense crowd at Sheffield Victoria Station
on Monday night on their return from Canada with
the Queen's and Montreal Merchants' Prizes which
they had won.