The Express.
London, England, 1847-11-04 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

SANITARY IiEGULATIONB.—Deputy Peacock roeeto
lay before the court the representations of the Commissioner'
of Sewer, of the City of London relative to sanitary matters.
It was, he said, necessary that the commissioners should hare
more power than they at present possessed before they could
carry out the great object they had in view, for although
they had made the most extensive sewers all through the
City, they could not prevail upon the landlords or the tenants
to make drains from their houses into the sewer. Under the
act upon which they had been engaged in effecting the im-
provement, they had caused to be cleansed within the last
year 500 dwellings of the most miserable description. It
gave him much pleasure to state that the New River Com-
pany had, upon their application, given a most liberal supply
of water, and offered as much as would be adequate to the
wants of the poor. There was an evil, however, which it
was extremely difficult to surmount. The landlords were in
many instances solely intent upon handling their rents, and
supplied their poor tenants neither with cisterns nor water-
butts, so that pure water was still in a great measure denied
by the absence of anything capable of containing it.
The clerk of the court then read a representation to the
above effect, stating that Mr. Remembrancer had been
directed to prepare a notice of an application to parliament
in the next session for an act to repeal the acts now in force,
and to consolidate all their present powers with others which
are deemed desirable, and for thus effecting the purposes
aforesaid ; and they recommend that they should be em-
powered to prosecute the came, and to endeavour to obtain
an act of parliament accordingly.—Deputy Peacock having
moved that the representation be agreed to, Mr. Anderton
said he was rejoiced to find that the commissioners of sewers
had been brought to their senses. They had been a long
time at fault ; but it was better late than never. Twenty
years ago what they now advocated ought to ban been
done. He trusted that they would henceforward exercise
the full power of distributing the advantages of sanitary im-
provement; and be mast tell them that unless they con.
trived to abolish the abomination of smoke, along with the
other great causes of bad health and diminished com.
forts, they could not congratulate themselves as having
accomplished any serious public benefit.—Mr. Blake
cautioned the court against being led to extreme mea-
sures in their anxiety to get rid of an evil which might
be counterbalanced by the effect of their exertions.
They ought to consider what might be the consequence of
pouring the vast excrementitious mass of London into the
river, the tide being calculated to move it either way but a
few miles. They ought to reflect whether such au accumu-
lation would not engender pestilence, and whether it would
not be more prudent to be influenced by the approaching
decision of the scientific men who were employed in the
' experiment of converting the filth of the metropolis into a
great productive power over the face of the country.
—The report was then agreed to.
MEMBER or PARLIAMENT PRIVILEGED PROM ARREST.—
The following motion was carried unanimously without dis-
cussion, upon the motion of Mr. Anderton, seconded by Mr.
Wire : " That the court do petition the House of Conn:lnes
that the members of that house shall not, by virtue of their
being so, be privileged from arrest upon writs of execution
issued against them by their creditors for enforcing the pay-
ment of their judgment debts."
SHAloil'EAßE'a HOUSE.—Mr. Lott moved that the sum of
50 guineas be paid by the court to the committee for the
purchase of Shakspeare's house at Stratford-upon-Avon,
towards the payment of the sum of 3,0001., at which the
house has been purchased by them." The discussion was
interrupted by the cry of " No court," and, such being the
case, the Lord Mayor rose and addressed the members in
the following words: As this is the last time I shall occupy
this chair, I take the opportunity of saying a few words be-
fore I leave it. When I entered upon the important duties
of the mayoralty, I fully resolved, to the utmost of my
power, to maintain all the rights and privileges of this great
city, to support its various charities, to maintain the
accustomed hospitalities at the Mansioa-house, and to
carry out my other most responsible duties as the
chief magistrate impartially and humanely. How far
I have succeeded in these respects I must leave
you to decide. (Cheers.) But I cannot do other
wise than allude to tho differences which have unhap-
pily arisen relative to what was called the Qualification
Bill, at the third reading of which I declined to put the
question, which bill had been declined by the City alder-
men, and in which they were sustained by the opinion of,
their legal adviser, to be contrary to the laws, customs, and
charters of London. Feeling conscious that I was trustee
not only for the corporation but for my fellow-citizens at
large, I persevered in that determination, and the more so
inasmuch as the bill had been repeatedly discs/seed upon its I
merits, and declared to be illegal by "the responsible law
officers of the corpora'ion ; for so doing I am aware I have
given offence to several members of this court ,• hut I felt I
could not adopt any other line of conduct, and I have this
satisfaction, that ao one can accuse me of say interested mo-
tires. It has been to me a matter of regret that with a body
of gentlemen, for whom individually and collectively I feel
a street respect, any difference sheuld have arisen to disturb
that harmony and cordiality which it is desirable should
exist between the Lord Mayor and the corporation over
which he has the honour to preside. Irrespective of this, I
can only, in taking leave, offer you my best thanks for the
support you have given me in carrying out all the other
measures which have arisen during ray )ear of office.—The
court soon alter broke up.