The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-03 00:00:00

CORPORATION REFORM.

Yesterday, a very numerous meeting of the leading
members of the corporation assembled in committee of the
whole court, for the purpose of adopting resolutions, to
reform in an essential manner the corporation of London.—
Before the committee proceeded to business, Mr. R. L. Josue
asked whether the Lord Mayor had any communication to
make to the court —The Lord Mayor replied in the negative.
—Mr. Ashurst, chairman of the sub-committee, brought up
the report containing sundry recommendations.
Alderman Witsox objected to the reading of the report,
which, be contended, was quite at variance with the reference
to the committee.
. .

Upoon this subject a very angry discussion took place. At 11
length
Mr. Mill:MT proposed! the ant resolution, of which
he had given notice, and which formed one essential portion
of the report. It was a recommendation that the Court of 11
Common Council request the Lord Mayor to restore the
Qualification Bill to tae paper of business to be brought on '
at the nett court. It was very properly observed by Ald.
Wilson that the Court of Aldermen had become the laughing
WA of the public. The conduct of that body upon the late
enormous of the Common Council to effect a salutary re-
form, wee a strong illustration of the truth of that observa-
tion. Seeing, however, that the Common Council was re-
solved to adopt a system of reform, that court had deter-
mined to apply to Parliament for beneficial changes in its
constitution. Nothing. he .contended, could be more mon-
strous than the idea that the Lord Mayor had the power to
remove from the paper of business any motion of which •
member of the court had given notice. After several re-
marks upon the assumption of such a power, Mr. Ashtust
moved the resolution. _

Sir PETRY Lau me felt great pleasure in seconding the
motion.
A'derman SIDNEY wished to see unanimity existing be-
tween the courts. He believed there wee scarcely an
Englishman to be found who wished ill to the aldermen of
London. (A laugh.) A little might be laid in Puma
derogatory to them, out they had no hostile feeling directed
against them, (Cries of " ! If the court did any-
thing calculated to destroy so ancient and venerable a cor-
poration, upon their heads would fall the blame of frittering
away the privileges which they had sworn to defend. The
Lord Mayor bad acted upon the advice of the Recorder, the
Common Serjesnt. and two eminent counsel.
Mr. R. TAYLOR: Who are the eminent counsel?
Alderman StDNEY could not at that moment say. To
put the question which the Lord Mayor bad refused to put
might be erroneous in law, and would not the court be de-
serving of blame if they asserted a privilege without know-
ing whether they had it or not He thought there wee a
way of getting out of the dilemma with honour, end he should
propose that way as an amendment. He then moved that
the opinions of the Attorney and Solicitor Generals, together
with the opinions of the Recorder and Common Serjeant, be
taken whether the Lord Mayor had a right to put the
question.
Alderman WlltiON seconded the amendment became he
thought it the only mode of carrying out the reform of the
Court of Common Council. No one could read the whole
of the resolutions on the paper without feeling that so far
from healing the differences which existed, they mum tend
to widen them. and lead to the great detriment of the in-
tenets, rights, and privileges of the corporation. The court
assumed to itself more extensive powers than belonged to
the House of Commons, and he was unlined to think that
go far as the city of London was concerned they had those
extraordioare powers when acting as a vested body of Lord
Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council; but in paining
bills fur levying taxes on their fellow-citizens, extending the
elective franchise, and altering the qiudifications of the
members of the court itself, surely it became them to carry
such romenres in a manner worthy of a deliberative assembly
claiming and exercising such extensive powers as those now
contended for, Of what value would a bill be if not passed
legally according to the customs and charters of the city. How
could they expect that the Court of Aldermen, as a judicial
body, would or could take noticeof bills or laws passed in the
way proposed ? Did they suppose that if the Lord Mayor de-
dined to comply with their request, and they attempted to
place the town clerk above his lordship, the latter would
remain in the court ; and if the Lord Mayor left the court
what would any act passed in his absence be worth ? He
implored them to take the advice of counsel upon a matter
involving the great privileges of their fellow-citizens. He
concluded by informing the court that the counsel upon
whose opinion' the Lord Mayor had acted were Mr. Peacock
and Mr. Wilde, as well as the Recorder and Common-Ser-
jeant.
Mr. W. JoNes said the speeches of the mover and seconder
of the amendment wen conclusive in favour el the original
motion. He thought it was only necessary to give the alder-
men opposed to the Common Council rope enough, and they
would certainly bang themselves. It was easy to put a case
in such a manner as to insure the delivery of an opinion
favourable to the views of the party interested- He consi-
dered it would be the extreme of impoLicy to adopt the
amendment.
After a few words from Alderman Challis and Mr. Lowe,
The LORD Mayor', having been called upon by several
members of the committee, said he always wished to see um
nimity established between*, twocoiuts, and a kindly feeling
perpetuated. He had been advised that he could n-t legally I
pat the question, and be had acted upon that advice, for he '
was not so presumptuous se to hazard an opinion upon such
• subject, when men of high legal education and experience
suggested the course kw him to pursue. He lamented the ,
t which existed as much as any one, and he
liwacialdeZtegiest a motion to the extent to which he could con-
scientiously go. It was that the lord mayor be requested to
insert the bill to declare the qualification of freemen of Lon-
don to be elected members of the Court of Common Connell
in the paper of business for the next Court of Common Conn-
ell, in order that the said bill should be recommitted, and its
provisions reconsidered in committeeof the Court of Common
Council. (Marks of disapprobation.)
Mr. R. TAYLOR said he rose to address the Lord Mayor
personally. His lordship's ear had been abused. He was
led by a small clique of the Court of Aldermen and two or
three °Seem That was a degradation to the mayoralty,
and it was the duty of his dahip to retrace his steps, and
put the bill upon the paper of bonne's to undergo the ne-
cessary discussion.
Mr. R. L. lours and other members also implored the
Lord Mayor to act independently of the clique by whom it
was evident he was influenced in oppanng the wishes of the
great majority of the members of the corporation.—The
question was then put, and there were a few bands held up
for Alderman Sidney's amendment, which was negatived
amidst acclamation by an immense majority- Automat
those who voted for the original question were Aldermen Sir
P. Laurie, Humphrey, Wood, Sir I. Duke, and Challis.—
There were four aldermen in the minority.
fhe following resolutions were afterwards earned by great
majorities
.

That in the event al the qoaliflostket tsll not being plated an the
paper, this cam item be zettesneonsd to snort sod mane to their
r!,eht ttoe
ie the
eed Willah e be diseerlorttoitleto hove the qiitztioa,K..
paembranter be tegmood to lay Won the mod easandttot a copy
of aoy tin iot ed to be peoreattel to the Bowe at Commas to re.
peal or alter the act at the 1111 Geary L, m wow No it don be pre.
pared
" "

Alderman lirnewurr mid, if the court agreed to go to
parliament to alter the art alluded to, he should eo arrange
the support of the hell that there would he so interference
whatever with the privileges of the COMM= connalmen.
Sir P. Lamle quoted the opinion of Sir Francis Pals-
grave against going to parliament
Mr. ft. Tenon said Sir F. Pawnee had not only given
the opinion knit quoted. but an °vial= diametrically op-
peed to it. Mr. Ashurst's lac resolution which was carried
unanimously was, that a report, founded upon these resolu-
tions. be prepared, signed, and presented at the next Court
of Common Council, end that the UMW should have preced-
ence of all other buskins.
. _

Mr. issue-sr then gave notate of several motions, sseart-
ing the rights and privileges of the Common Council, wear-
Log the periodical election of aldermen, diminishing the
number, and equalising the wards, and comprehending a
great varier of other essential ehanm in the corporation.
The committee broke up at a late hoar.

r.—A " Saxon Friend to Ire-

land.- points oat to es the following extract from the Times,
of Jane, 1831
" Ht:srs con A Srascitirrtosr.—Among the mode by
which considerable and easy additions might be mule for
the relief of the starring poor of Ireland, it u recommended
that teere Irish bishsp should be called upon, each indieidu-
ally, and Wpsrately. and formally, by the emelt:Mee for
some distinct contshation. Is it true that the Bishop of
-- the • of 2.5/. ? about 3- for • ho deed

Derry gave nun . every
pounds of Lis income ! 2. That the sum rubecrilect for a
pies.• of plate to poor Queen Caroline—after the termination
of tLe Pr'reedings Winn* her--and about which nothing hos
since been heard. shouli. now be appropriated to this other

canoe, not lean interesting to British humanity. 3. It has
been warmly recommended, that the fund which was raised
by subeeription, after the passing of the C tholic Bill, and
called a fund for completing ' the Wellington testimonial,
near Dublin,' about which no more has unee been heard
(although, we be.iece, it atuounted to 2,0001. or 3,0M1.),
than of the Queen Caroline fund, should now be demanded
by the subscribrre, and applied to the sacred purpose of
feeding the hungry poor. If there be any good seas or
usefulness in any of the shore suggestions, there is not a
seceseat to be ioa."

PUNISHMENT or PAUPERS.—Yesterday, at the
meeting of the directory of the poor of St. Pancras (Mr.
Wright in the chair), Mr. Douglas called the attention of
the board to a circumstance which he considered was most
improper in connexion with the discipline of that homer It
was the fact that the surgeon (Mr. Cooper) had taken upon
himself the responsibility of placing an inmate of the infir-
mary upon low diet as a punishment. Mr. Cooper, the
surgeon, and Mr. Lee, the master, we-e called before the
board, and the former admitted that he bad acted as de-
scribed to • person named James. This man had thrown
down some boards from the windows of the infirmary which
looked into the boys' and women's yards, and on kis threat-
ening to repeat the offence, he (Mr. Cooper) ordered his
meat to be stopped for two or three days, and half a pound
of bread to be supplied in its stead. Mr. Douglas denied the
right of the surgeon to interfere in the diet of any inmate
excepting medically, and moved a resolution to the effect :
" That the board were surprised that the surgeon should
have ordered a reduced diet to any of the inmates of the in-
firmary by way of punishment, and that for the future no
such order be obeyed without the consent of the directors."
The motion having been seconded was carried unanimously,
and the board separated.
EDUCATION OF NATIVE NOUN YOUTH IN LON-
DON.—It is contemplated by the admirers of the late
Dwarkanauth Tagore to establish a fund towards the
education of Indians in the several branches of science,
and to prepare them for the different profeerions in their own
country.
INQUEST, YESTERDAT.—REMOTAL OP THE POOR.
—By adjournment, before Mr. Baker, at the Queen's
Head, Poplar, concerning the death of an infant
named Louisa Banner, aged eighteen months, who
died on board • Gravesend steam-boat, on her way to Black-
wall. The evidence with regard to the repeated removals of
the mother of the deceased from one parish to another has
been already given. The jury considered the blame rested
on the medical officer of the union, who had given a certi-
ficate that the child could be removed without injury, when
the contrary was the fact. They also made some observa-
tions on the operat on of the new law for the removal of the
poor, and said it was very extraordinary the woman should
have been removed between Chatham and St. Martin's
four times. It was highly disgraceful to send the child to
London while labouring under a contagious disease and
inflammation of the lungs. The Coroner said the mother
was compelled to proceed to London, in pursuance of the
subpcena, and no doubt did not like to le►ve the child behind.
He did not see that blame could be fairly attributable to any
one. Verdict—" That Louisa Banner died from natural
causes."

IRELAND.
DUBLIN, FEB. 1.
The statement of Lord J. Russell that the expendi-
ture of the Board of Works for the month of January
would reach 700,000/. or 800,000/., being an excess
over the outlay for December of about 150,0001.,
created considerable surprise. The amount appeared
enormous; but Lord John might have gone further;
and why he did not I am ignorant, unless it be that
the returns supplied to his lordship from the office
limited the estimate. I can state, on something like
authority., that the real expenditure for January will
approach to, if it at all fall short of, 1,000,000 sterling.
The Freeman of this morning contains the " bill for
the temporary relief of the destitute poor in Ireland."
It is universally regarded as a grand and comprehen-
sive scheme; and if the best adapted machinery, and
on the most gigantic scale, with the most abundant
funds at command, can accomplish the desired end,
the ministerial scheme is calculated to produce that
result Whatever was misty, or perhaps intentionally
obscure, in Lord John Russell's statement, has been
cleared away in this excellent bill, and we now dis-
tinctly see the system revealed in all its proportions.
The landlords had better look to it

At the Repeal Association to-day, Mr. William T.
Kelly again referred to the extermination menaced in
Mayo. He confirmed his original declaration, and
stated that he would petition the legislature to order
the production of the county books by the clerk of
the peace, a copy of which he had been refused. He
also stated that the number of civil bill decrees
obtained at the last sessions for the county amounted
to nearly nine thousands.
With the exception of the reward offered on the
death of Lord Norbary, the at= offered in the case of
' Mr. Longworth is the largest that has appeared in
our times, the amount reaching 1,430/.
The Wexford Independent states !that the ship
Niobe, of New York, laden with Indian corn and meal
for Cork, struck on a reef during the gale of the 26th
ult. The crew was saved, bat the vessel will become a
wreck. All the accounts from the country to-day
confirm the depression in the markets. Prices are
not retrograding much, but the tendency is down-
wards.

We are to-day without any accounts from the par-
ticularly destitute districts of Cork and Mayo. In the
absence of these lam happy to say that the whole
accounts which reached Dublin today, and they in-
' elude every other district in Ireland save the 'above-
named two, are of a cheering character. The whole
country seems easier, and even the publication of
those generalised accounts of distress with which the
journals have been filled heretofore, no longer crowd
the columns of the provincial press.

SILT! or linuty.—Mr. Richard Orpen, an eminent
solicitor and a man of landed property in Kerry, gives the
following extract of a letter received from a friend, near
Kenmore, describing the condition of the population :
fo lsognotte an fin yon an adequate idea of the state of the
people. The ern thing, I aware you, I Weed in the moraine, and the
last at night, ,ome the p. una of the aged, and the crying ofchildren,
famishing ice want. Ton would suppose that when Right aimed, the
homes of the day were over, but =too ; the cravings of hunger dare
them wretched being. out at as home as long as they think any
e up. The men worlds, on Me mods are perfect spectres.
= are
in not more than sulliciant Am two or three at man, and
when divided between fine or ail it is not half infilrivra, and the con-
sequence in that in trying to work without widlionsit food, they are
run down in the mart frightful way; and I am satisfied that it food be
not sent here speedily, and mid at a reduced prioe, hall the popola.
Me of the country will cerise to aria before two months.