The Express.
London, England, 1847-05-11 00:00:00

THE RIVER THAMES.

Yesterday a Court of Aldermen having been sum-
moned to ensemble at the Old Bailey, on the subject of the
bill in parliament for the conservation of the River Thames,
and for the regul►tion, management. and improvement
thereof, several aldermen assembled soon after 11 o'clock,

3

r and the Lord Mayor took the their. Mr. Four (of the
Town Clerk's *this) having read the report on the subject
by the committee of pri•ilegee, wit e having considered the
alterations suggested ea tie bill, could not advise the Court
of Common Council to agree to them,
Alderman COPELAND moved that the report ho agreed to,
and the motion having been seconded,
Sir P. L►Anna said he hoped they would not rooted to
stultify themselves by petitioning parliament against a bill
abounding with the greatest advantages to the City of Lon-
don, and to the conunondy, and to which the consent of the
Lord Mayor, Aldermen and commons had already been most
completely given. The measure would confer a nee power
upon the corporation, instead of removing any of the old, and
nothing could be more preposterous than to object to such •
boon.

Alderman JONSSON stated that he had reason know
that Lords Auckland and blorpeth wished that as much of
the business of the conservancy as parable should he com-
mitted to the corporation--(hear, hear)—and be was con-
vinoed that if these noblemen were waited upon and in-
formed of the exact nature of the matter in dispute such an
arrangement would follow the explanation es mist preys
satisfactory. (Hear, bear.) He should, indeed, fsel great
regret if a bill which was calculated to do to meth good
were allowed to drop in the present erasion, for it seould be,
in his opinion, very difficult to obtain one of such a :haracttr
from a new p-rtisnieut. The Lord Mayor ought certainly to
be appointed one of the superior commissioners under the
hill, as his lordship wee, (tom the nature of hit oilier, at the
head of the numerous great COVIIIIINIONS connected with the
City of London. To that, as well as to other necessary
aberatione, the rovernment would no doubt not present the
slightest impediment.
Aldermau WILSON raid nothing could be more objection-
able than the manner in which the businees which had given
rise to the present conversation had been peers,' mad. It
was absurd to say that he or his brethren had beard and
to a bill, clause by clause, which gave to the Court of
VCorslnVion Council the power to aproint and reject mem-
' ben of the Court of Aldermen in members of the cocser-
Taney. The common councilmen were, of all persons in
the world, the most unfit to carry out the rverrisions
of such a bill; and ]et one of the clauses not only
gave the veto to that body in the choice of members
of the Court of Aldermen, but sat thirteen com-
mon councilmen against five aldermen. (Hi or, bear.)
Rather than submit to such an indieuity, he would
throw up the whole authority, and commit it to the hands of
commercial men wholly unconnected with the corporation
There would be nothing to be seen but constant successions
of jobs if the bill should pan in its present form ; and is
order to get rid of the portions of it which were certainly cal-
culated to degrade the Court of Aldermen, anil to efeet
great public injury, immediate application houi Ibe made
to parliament.
The City Remembrancer was here called in at the request
of Alderman Copeland, and questioned es to the cause or his
having declined to attend the sheriffs in pr, sentii.o the peti-
tion against the clauses of the bill to the House ol Commons ;
and also as to the manner in which the cor.solir. ition com-
mittee of the Court of Comm.. Council had become ac-
quainted with the contents of that petition. The remem-
brancer replied tkat be had, from a sense of duty, informed
the consolidated committee of the nature and ol pet of the
petition, and he had, in consequence of the directions of the
committee, respectfully declined to attend the sheriffs in
presenting it.
Some conversation took place upon this allesed unjusti-
fiable interference upon the part of the consolidated com-
mittee with the privileges of the Court of Aldermen, and
upon the part of the rememhrancer, with the ri.;ht of peti-
tion; but in the end the officer was wholly exonerated,
although, at the angry commencement of the inquiry into
his conduct upon the occasion, there were some ineinuations
AS to his eager disposition to obey the party of the greater
numerical strength.
The RECORDER said the bill appeared to be intended to
be one of very curious efficacy, as it actually went to sub-
divide the Lord Mayor into nineteen different persons.
Nothing could be more completely frittered away than the
authority of the chartered conservator of the Thames would
be by the unrestricted operation of such a measure. It was
for his lordship to say whether be considered it to be his
duty to protest against such a division of his factions and
authority. (Hear, hear.) It wee important that agitation
should be avoided as much sspoesible upon any matterupon
which the two courts entertained a difference of opinion, for
it was the opinion of some lawyers that a close ',instigation
into matters connectei with the very subject which occupied
the attention of the committee might lead to disagrsements
of amore dangerous character, with much more disagreeable
parties. (Hear, hear )
The REMENBRA NOIR was then asked whether be was pre-
parid to attend the sheriffs with the petition to parliament?
and that gentleman firmly, but moat respectfully, declined to
act upon the occasion.
Aldermen CHALLIS: There is no blame to be r.ttaelled to
the Remembranoer, whom we all know as a gentleman of
the highest honour ,ad respectability. If there be disho•
nour anywhere as to this matter it rests with the coaeuli-
dated committee, who think it necessary to threaten with
the worst consequences the officers who hater, to be in
their power if these officers refuse implicit obedience to
their orders. •
Alderman WILSON then moved

That the Remembrancer having respectfully deermall to obey the
order of the Court of Aldermen to attend the shefill, London, r
oording to anent culatom, in preventing a petition of the said Co .rt
of Aldermen to the Howe of Commoog Irma wt the b.ll to provide for
the conservation of the neer Thames, and for V..e errata' on, man-age-
meat, and improvement thereof, that the Right lion. the lord Mayor,
accoutpanied by Lbeniirriffs, be requested to are theepcoher, communi-
cate the circumstance to him, and make en appointment for the tow.
wantation of the petition.—That the Lord Mayor, Alderman Copeland,
Alderman !auron, the Recorder, Fir James Lake, and the Sheriff\
be remiested forthwith to wait upon Lord Machined, Lord Morpeth,
and Mr. Ward, to state the oblectioao to the fill, and t „oh them to
commie the tome, or to postpone the 131:1 for a week.
These resolutions were unanimously agreed to, and the
committee adjourned. The Recorder was en3pbaticaliy
directed by the Lord Mayor to form one of the deputation.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN SCHOOL SOLI
42nd general meeting of this society was held yesterday, at
Exeter. hall. Samuel Gurney, Bal., treasurer, took the
chair; and, in exelnaing that he did so in the absence of
their president, Lord John Russell, said ke believed that the
meeting would consider it fortunate that no member of that
noble house to which their president belonged e as present.
With reference to the government scheme of t,!acation, he
read an advertisf merit calling • meeting together fur the
express purpose of considering the bearing of that scheme
on the principles and operations of the society ; and such a
meeting being about to take place, he hoped that the sub-
ject might not he brought up on that °Passion. He could
not but deplore the short period whirls the pupils remained
at the schools of the society, they being thus excluded from
all hope of attaining& high degree of education.—Mr. Henry
Dunn, the secretary, then read the report. After alluding
to the s.rious obstacle offered to the Pant. as of the society's
efforts by the shortness of the time which pupils remained,
he proceeded to state that, in the boys' normal school, there
were then in training 233, of whom 44 were it training
when the last report was prepared ; 189 have been received
since that date ; 147 have been appointed to 10100111
from various causes, have withdrawn ; and 63 were still on
the books. In the girls' school, during the past year, 152
have been under instruction, 32 of whom were under train-
ing last April ; 98 have been appointed to schools, at
home and abroad ; 17 have withdrawn ; 33 were in the in-
stitution on the let of April, 1847. One hundred
and forty-six new schools have been established during
the past year in different localities. The foreign schools
were stated to be in a prosperous condition : in Van Diemen's
Land 1,413 children were being educated. The receipts of
the jeer were 14,7421. lls. 10d. and the expenditure
14,4631. 19e., leaving a balance of 2781- 12e. 10.1. The Rev.
George Clayton moved the adoption of the report. Amidst
all the vicissitudes to which the society had beet subject for
the last forty years, he was glad to be enabled to say that it
had always held fast to the first principles for which it was
established—the principles of catholicity. Tho Hon. Vernon
Smith, 1.1 P., in seconding the reoolution, expressed his
regret at the absence of thew president, Lard John Russell.
(The hon. gentleman was here interrupted by loud and pro-
tracted cries of dinipprobation). BLit it should be remembered
that since the last meetirig the noble lord had been appointed
prime minister, and could not be 'erected to devote any of
his time to them. He was glad to hear that that platform
was not to become the arena of gladiatorial display ; which
might certainly be more amusing to the meeting, but which
in their heart of hearts he was sure they would not desire,
but he hoped that if subsequent speakers should fire upon
them, they would be permitted to reply. Votes of thanks to
the Queen, Prince Albert, the Duke of Bedford, and to the
chairman, were then adopted; and Mr. Gurney was i.bout to
close the meeting, when there arose loud erica for Mr. Bur-
nett, who was on the platform, as were /defer*. Bineey and
Ainslie, with other of the opponent* to government aid, who
seemed to expect that • discussion would take place
as to the course which had been adopted by the
British and Foreign School Society.—Mr. Burnett oh-
',reed that if he had intended to fire upon any one, as
hinted at by an honourable gentleman, that gentleman was
perfectly SUP, for he was gone ; but he was certain that what-
ever difference of opinion might exist, they were not so far
gone in the spirit of agitation as to fire on their friends. If
they were to have arms, let that society he their 11/11111, but to
be so, it must, like the arms of a good soldier, be kept bright
and pure and in working trim ; and if • cloud should gather
round it, sod the dampness should make a deposition of rust,
they must not turn away, but, on the contrary, still like a
good soldier, they should set to work and polish it again.
lie would recommend to them forbearance. but a forbear-
ance with limits, for to forbear without limitation were a
mutual licentiousness, and such a forbearance he would by
no means recommend. Let the society be preserved intact,
and let it make its rays extend to the (Artie at corner of the
globe without doing homage to any Isower. After a few
more observations, Mr. Burnett eat down, and the meeting
separated.
DINNER TO MR. CHARLES CoCHRANG—A public
dinner was given last evening at the Freemasons' 'tavern,
Great Queen-street, to ?dr. Charles Cochrane, as a testimo-
nial of his services, both pecuniary anti otherwise, in the
cause of sanitary improvement. Abut 203 gentlemen eat
down to dinner, Mr. B. B. Cabbell presiding. After the
usual routine toasts the chairman proposed that of the
evening—" the health of their guest on the prex rat occasion,
Mr. Charles Cochrane," observing that he consider d it
strange that with all the wealth and splendour of the me-
tropolis it should be reserved for one individual to turn
his attention to its cleanlicese He went on to speak
of the services of Mr. Cochrane towards the improvement
of the sanitary condition of the metropolis, which had net
only been a means of elf. ctieg great good to its ishabitants,
but had aiso had the effect of calling the attention of the
legislature to the subject, a malt which he he lieved had en-
tailed upon Mr. Cochrane an expense of 4,0001. Mr. Cabbell
concluded by expressing his wish to impress upon the minds
of the conKiany assembled that the present was not in the
slightest degree a political meeting, or one with any such
tendency, but a tribute solely to Mr. Coeltrane's inde-