The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-30 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

Yesterday a court was held, after the election of
Lord Mayor, for the transaction of public business. There
was a full attendance of aldermen.
Mr. Alderman WILSON proposed a vote of thanks to
Dr. Vivien, the Lord Mayor's chaplain, for the very able
sermon preached by him it the church of St. Lawrence
Jewry, on that day.
The motion having been seconded by Mr. Alderman
HUNTER (the Lori' Mayor elect), was unanimously
'greed to.
THE VISIT OP TDB LORD MAYOR AND ALDERMEN TO

PARIS.
Mr. Alderman WILSON—As this is the first occasion of
the meeting of the court since the recess, and as I, together
with many of my brethren now present, have had the
pleasure of attending the festivities of the City of Paris,
I am quite sure that I am only speaking the
sentiments of the whole court, when I move that
we enter upon our minutes a record conveying
our sense of the hospitality displayed by the French
authorities in the (keg of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, nth, and Pith
August to the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs of this
city—(cheers)—my lord the President of the Republic, the
Prefect of the Seine, the ministers in office:and out of office,
the English Minister, public and private individuals, the
principal inhabitants of Paris generally—all sending invi-
tations, and vying with each other, to see in what way they
could show to the citizens of London their hospitality. We
had fetes of all sorts, soirees, conversaziones of a most in-
tellectual kind, houses open morning, noon, and night,
almost for the reception and entertainment of those who
had the honour of an invitation. To have accepted all
invitations would have required a prolongation of our visit
to the present time. (Hear.) My lord, the difficulty I feel
is how, in a suitable way, we can convey to the
authorities in Paris our grateful thanks for the honour
done to us, and thus conferred upon the City at large ;
although certain evil-disposed and evil-minded persons
have endeavoured to bring us into contempt, and to show
to the President, to the Prefect of the Seine, and to the
!node I...stie. is having
given us the invitation. (Hear, t(';i'ii.ar, hear.) I say, let them
show to the President or Prefet, or any other parties, if
they can, that the character which they give to us is a just
and correct one. Fortunately, I did not experience any of
the vicissitudes, and disappointments, and little disquie-
tudes of the journey ; but I do not feel the less for et:ose
who were so unfortunately situated, and I am sure they
will not join the less heartily in sending thanks to those to
whom thanks are so eminently due. (Cheers.) I assure
the court that we came away very grateful indeed
for the attention paid to us by every person whom we met
with in Paris. We required no passport of any kind, and
every place was open to us. All the crowded exhibitions,
all the galLries, all the places of amusement, go wherever
you might, were thrown open to us. (Hear, hear.) Suds
an event never took place, and in all probability never will
occur again ' • and, therefore, I am the more anxious that'
there should be made in the journals of this court a minute
of the whole proceeding.. Ido not feel competent in a
tingle vote to do that justice to the subject which such an
interesting event in the annals of the Court of Aldermen
deserves. Alderman Wilson concluded by moving, "That
the cordial and hearty thanks of this court be presented to
the Prefect and Municipality of Paris, for the splendid hos-
pitality and kind attention shown to the Lord Mayor, the
Aldermen, and Sheriffs' who attended at the fStes on the
2nd, 3rd, 4th, sth, and 6;li of August last; and that it be
referred to the committee of privileges to propose such vote,
onsitler the best occasion on which it should I
seated, and report the same to the next court." ';sear,
hear.)
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY said he considered it a great
privilege and a high honour to be permitted to second the
motion, and that he quite concurred with his friend Mr.
Alderman Wilson in thinking that the subject should be
referred to a committee who would draw up an address
worthy of the ancient character of the court, returning
thanks to the distinguished men in France who had re-
ceived the members of the Court of Aldermen with the
Lord Mayor at their head, with welcome, and treated them
with unbounded hospitality and liberality. (Rear, hear.)
The Minister of the Interior had most kindly and urbanely
expressed to many of the aldermen in Paris the great plea-
sure he experienced in witnessing such a gatherirg of the
English nation. Every one whose privilege it had been to
witness the (Ste' must have returned to this country re-
joiced at the splendour and the true hospitality displayed
by the French nation to their English visitors. (Hear,
hear.) And he certainly anticipated nothing but a con-
tinuance of friendliness and good understanding be-
tween the two countries from the reciprocal feel-
ing and sentiments which had been interchanged.
(Hear, hear.) Ito was extremely sorry to find
that the press of this country had taken the opportunity of
the late visit to Paris to attempt to bring the office of
alderman into contempt, being invited to that city as the
aldermen were by an ancient foe. This certainly was not
the time for such an attack by the principal press of Europe
—(hear, hear)—and he lamented the course which bad been
pursued. (Hear, hear.) Ile did not stand there to state
any cause which the Times newspaper may have had for so
sudden a change of their opinions of the Court of Alder-
men ; he was at a total loss to account for the line which
they had recently adopted, and he greatly deplored it if
there could be discovered any just cause fur so powerful art
engine being brought to lend its weight and influence
against the corporation of London. (Cheers.)

Mr. alderman FAREBROTHER thought his friend Mr.
Alderman Sidney had belocted a wrong opportunity to talk
about the Times.

Mr. Alderman LAWRENCE—I think so too.
Mr. Alderman WIltE submitted that the question before
the court was whether a vote of thanks should be passed to
the French ministry and others who had so kindly and
hospitably entertained the Court of Aldermen on • late
occasion. What had the Times to do with this ? (Rear,
hear.)

Mr. Alderman SIDNEY—We have every thing to do
with what the Times has said about us.
Mr. Alderman FAREBROTHEIt called upon the Lord
Mayor to decide whether Mr. Alderman Sidney Was in
order or not.

Sir P. LAURIE said he should support Mr. Alderman
Farebrother. The court had nothing to do with the Times.
(Hear, hear.)—
Let the galled jade wince,
Our wither arc =wrung.
Who cared for the Times/ (Loud laughter.) He was
sorry that his friend (Mr. Alderman Sidney) should be so
sensitive upon all matters (collected with the press, and
supposed he would attack P toads next. (Laughter.) No
newspapers ought to bo attacked in any way whatever.
(Hear, hear)
The LORD MAYOR—I think it would be better to keep
the motion before the Court quite independent of the Tines
Inewepeper. (Hear, hear,)
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY said he was sorry that his friend
Mr. Alderman Farebrother should be so sensitive when the
Inman was mentioned. He would pay every deference to
the decision of the Lord Mayor, but must ho permitted to
remark that, connected with the visit of the aldermen to
Paris, there bad been certain most unjust and improper
animadversions made upon their public character by the
press. (Hear, hear.) They had rot only been ridiculed u
the representatives of the corporation and of the metropolis,
but they bad also been charged with corruption. (Hear,
bear.) He would now read them the opinion that the late
Sir Robert Peel entertained and expressed of the corpora.
tion in November, 1843, in the mayoralty of Mr. Alderman
Humphery—" In this happy country in which our lot has
been cast, there have grown up, coeval with the monarchy,
various institutions which have served, when occasion re-
quired it, as checks upon the abuses of power—
s. defences of civil liberty—and which now consti-
tute powerful and efficient instruments of good and
peaceable government. Of all these institutions, there are
none more remarkable for its venerable antiquity, for its
local position, for its high character, for the influence it has
exercised on the history of this country, than the City of
London in its corporate capacity." (Hear, hear.) This was
the very flattering manner in which Sir R. Peel had spokes
of the corporation of London. Then what did the Marquis
of Lansdowne say in November, 1848, when Mr. Aldeemsa
Hooper was elected Lord Mayor ? After apologising Ise
the absence of Lord John Itufsell, the noble marquis pre-
ceeded :—" There never was a moment when all peruse,
either invested with authority or without it, must be more
proud to pay their respects to the City of London and Its
chief magistrate than at the close of this eventful year—
a year which I must say has placed the City of
London in an advantageous point of view, as compared
with any city in the world, because, after the
events of this year, whatever sympathy we may feel
or whatever satisfaction we may derive from the triumphs of
the sword, when the sword has been drawn for the cause of
order and for the defence of society, it must nevertlfkleas be
matter of great satisfaction which we to our dying day shall
enjoy that in this eventful year, in this great city. the peace
of the city required nothing to maintain it, no other victory
than the victory of civil power. This is a reflection which

give time for formal arrangement, was unanimously
and the court adjourned.

ENLAEOEMENT Or THE ELECTIVE FRANCHISE.
Upon the motion of Mr. Alderman Witenos, seconded
by Mr. Alderman WIRE, the following resolution was
agreed to:—" That it be referred to the committee of
privileges to consider the best mode of enlarging the elec-
tire franchise of the corporation of London, and to report
what beneficial changes had been made during the last
twenty-five years in the economical and Efficient adminis-
tration of the corporate affairs under the charge of the
Court of Aldermen; and likewise to report what further
changes are desirable, distinguishing such as may be ac-
complished by the powers of tho Court of Alderman, from
such as render the aid of parliament necessary to effect
them."
The court then adjourned.