The Press.
London, England, 1856-04-05 00:00:00

REFORM OF THE CORPORATION OF LONDON.

Sir G. GREY, on Tuesday, moved for leave 'to in-
troduce a bill for the reform of the City Corporation.
The measure was based upon the report of the com
missioners of 1853, and was intended, as the hon.
secretary declared, not to retrench the authority or
the dignity of the corporation, but to render it prac-
tically more fit to exercise the functions which it was
designed to fulfil. For this purpose it was proposed
to remodel the constitution of the civic assembly of
the metropolis, so as to render it conformable to the
general system created by the Municipal Corporations
Act, retaining at the same time many of the distinc-
tive features which it at present possessed. Sir
George Grey then entered into a lengthened detail
of the scheme, the main provisions of which were to
leave the boundaries of the City and the mode of ad-
mission unchanged, and to abolish certain customs
(including all privileges of trade in the City reserved
to freemen, as well as rights of metage and street
tolls). With respect to the coal duties, the bill would
not correspond with the recommendation of the com-
missioners, who had proposed that these duties
should be transferred to the bands of a metropolitan
board of works ; but the Government had come to
the conclusion that the eightpenny and penny duties
should be allows d to expire, and that the fourpenny
duty should be kept alive only until the charges upon
it had been paid off. The conservancy of the Thames
it was proposed to place unde: a Government board,
the City police it was intended to leave as it now
stood, while the magisterial functions of the alder-
men and Lord Mayor were to be considerably modi-
fied, by taking from the aldermen the right of nomi-
nating the candidates for the mayoralty from their
own body, and by creating new police courts, pre-
sided over by stipendi try magistrates. In conclusion,
Sir George Grey expressed a hope that the result of
this measure would be to give greater efficiency to
the corporation of the city of London, that it would
realise the expectations of the commissioners, and
that these changes in its constitution would augment
its means of public usefulness.
After some observations by Sir J. Duke, Mr. W.
Williams, and Mr. Masterman, leave was given to
introduce the bill.

CRIMINAL

MON OF TRUST PROPERTY.

The ATTORNEY GENERAL wooed, on Thursday, for
leave to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to the
criminal appropriation of u•ust property held by persons
as trustees and bailees. Trustees who administered
property assigned for specific purposes were at pre-
sent only civilly responsible, however grossly they
might misappropriate the fund ; and it was designed
by the present measure to render such offenders
liable also to criminal penalties.
After a few words from Mr. WALPOLE, who called
his learned friend's attention to the necessity of
taking care that the criminal responsibil►ty imposed
by the bill should not remove the civil liability to
replace funds which had been misappropriated where
it now existed. Leave was given.

VACCINATION BILL.
Mr. COWPER, on Monday, in moving the second
reading of this bill, explained the provisions of the
existing law, and stated that that law having been
found defective, and further provisions being required
in order to make its machinery work properly, this
bill repealed the existing acts and consolidated their
enactments with the new provisions, under which the
system of vaccination in this country would be more
complete and satisfactory. He specified the causes
to which he ascribed the imperfect action of the ex-
isting law and the mode in which it was proposed to
remedy it, justifying the qualified compulsion under
that law, with the principle of which the bill did not
interfere.
Mr. HENLEY thought some of the details of the
bill, especially the introduction of two conflicting.
authorities—the Poor Law Board and the Board 01
Health—extremely objectionable.
Dr. MICHELL spoke at much length against the
bill,. contending that, while vaccination was no pro-
tection against the smallpox, it imported hereditary
and other diseases into pure blood.
After a few words from Mr. Brady, Mr. Barrow,
and Mr. Miall, the bill was read a second time.

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