The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-24 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a special court was held, for the purpose
of taking into consideration the reference of the Como&
dated Committee upon the report of the Royal Commission
of Inquiry into the State of the Corporation of London.
The court wu crowded from the commencement to the
termination of the proceedings with aldermen and com-
moners, and the discussion lasted upwards of six hours, al-
though the various matters touched upon had been over and
over again debated in both courts of the corporation and at
ward:notes during the lest twenty years.

_ . .
TUB PUBLIC RRALTR.
The Loan MAYOR, upon taking the chair, called upon
the Town Clerk to read the translation of a letter trans-
mitted to him by the Consol-General of France, and Gomm-
panied by certain books " presented to the London Sewers
Commission from the Prefet of the Elaine." It was u
follows :

" London, Jan. 3, 1864.
"My Lord,—Wishing to acknowledge the kindness with
which the authorities of the City of London have always
welcomed the functionaries of the French administration,
charged to study in England the questions of the public
health, M. the Prefet of the Seine has given to me me
agreeable commission to transmit to you from him the copy
of two records relating to the distribution of the waters of
Paris, and also the report of M. Moyle on the mode of cleans-
/Oft the towns of Great Britain.

I am happy that the head of the Paris department has
been willing to choose me u his medium of communication,
land has furnished ma with this opportunity of offering to
hou this as•urance of the high consideration with which I
ave the honour to be, my lord, your very humble and
obedient servant,
TRI CONSUL GINIILAL OF FRANCE IN ENGLAND.
"To the Bight Hen. the Lord Mayor of the
City of London."
_ CITY CORPORATION RIPON'S.

The Chairman of the Consolidated Committee, after
having stated that the committee had with the greatest
anxiety and ears considered the various recommendations
in the report of the Royal Commissioners, said he believed
the most prudent mune be could adopt was to propose the
consideration of the propositions in that reportseriatim.
The propositions in the report of the Royal Commissioners
are, it will be recollected, 32 in number, and they eons-
prebend all the matters of public objection which have
been so frequently dwelt upon at public meetings, and ani
madverted upon by the press. In the most important of
these propositions the consolidated committee signify their
eoneurrenee. Some of the propositions they suggest ought
to be modified, and a few fall under their unqualified dis-
approval. Amongst the first are propositions Ito 6 inclu-
sive, as follow :
I. Theta new charter be issued, containing all each pro-
visions in existing charters of the corporation of London,
and all such customs of the City, as it may be deemed ex-
pedient to preserve. 2. That the Lord Mayor be elected by
the Common Council from the common councillor., or
from persons qualified to be common councillors. 3. That
the aldermen he elected by the burgesses of the wards for
sir years, and be re-eligible ; that they be justices of the
pears during their term of °Mee. 4. That the powers of
the Municipal Corporations Act, with respect to the ap-
pointment of stie,ndiary magistrates, be extended to the
corporation of London. 6. That the Court of Aldermen he
abolished, and that its functions be transferred to the
Common Council." _ _

The CHAIRMAN of the Consolidated Committee for-
mally moved that the first of these propositions (that re-
lating to the charters) be agreed to; and upon that question
the whole subject was discussed.
Mr. T. H. Far proposed an amendment h• the effect that
the recommendations of the consolidated committee—
amounting to the surrender of the charters, the restriction
of the elective privileges of the citizens by reducing the
number of their representatives, the disturbance of the
well-known ancient boundaries of the wards, the with-
drawal of the power of the livery to elect their officers, and
the degradation of the magisterial office—wets propositions
subversive of the rights and privileges of the citizens, and
in opposition to the administration of justice sad to the
wishes of thee. who are most deeply interested.
Bir Pzrza Lausitz seconded the amendment, and several
members spoke at great length upon all the old points of
►itigation, especially that of the periodical election of the
aldermen.

A division at length took place, when there appeared for
the ameedmentof Mr. Fry, 69, of whom 16 were aldermen.
Against it, 40, all of whom were commoners. Majority for
the amendment, 19.
Mr. CAUSTON then moved the adjournment of the court,
• motion which was immediately carried. An oversight
was then found to have been committed in the neglect of
the advocates of the amendment to call for the disposal of
the original question, which thu remains as open as over
to discussion; so that the visitors to the court of Common
Conseil on public days, who may flatter themselves that
they have taken leave of the eternal bore of city municipal
reform, are doomed to be once .more disappointed. It is
understood that Mr. W. Jones will move a new amendment
at the next court.