The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-19 00:00:00

THE EXHIBITION AND THE CITY OF
LONDON.

On Thursday a court of Common Council was held
for the despatch of business, when
Mr. BEN NOCH brought forward his motion—" That it
be referred to a con 111 l ittee, cousisting of the chairman and
six other members of cash committee, to ascertain whether
any and what better attangemynts can he made to promote
the comfort and enjoyment of persons visiting the City of
London, especially as records their admission to places of
public interest.' He tailed the attention of the court
to the fact that while easy access was :added in
the cities on the continent to all public place; in
which works of art were exhibited, the (*iv of London
formed an exception to the general rule of nations
in that respect. lie stated that in s-vcral of the ancient
halls in the city there were paintings which, although
unknown to the public even by name, won't' bear com-
parison with those in the highest estimation, and he in-
, bumph the 'pictures which decorated the walls of Painter-
Stainers' (lull, and of Barber-Surgeons' Hall, us a proof of
the remarkable but unknown ausgalkneo of the treasures
which Loudon abounded. llifader existing circum-
stomas he considered that an affort to rise out of our coin-
'unitive obscurity would be most commendable, and he
thought that an arrangement could be easily made through
the intervent• of a committee, and with the assistance of
the architect and the town clerk, by which MI the works of
art within the walls could be seen by the visitors to the me-
tropolis. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Deputy HOLT seconded the motion, in the belief
that the meessary arrangements would be better organised
iu a committee than by any other course.
Mr. ANDEUTON opposed the motion. lie was sur-
prised that amongst the admirable exhibition which the
foreign visitors were to 144-4., no mention was made of Smith-
field market, which, in his opinion, formed one of the
fittest sights in the world—(laughter)—but what a commit-
tee of the corporation could do to " promote the comfort and
enjoyment of visitors" he could nut imagine, except that
they were to be deputed to take the foreign ladies and geu-
&men round to the taverns and public houses, which
would be all open enough without any assistance of the
kiwi. (Laughter.) Ile supposed that Guildhall was one
of the shows to which it was intended to give introductions.
Why, the doors of that building were never closed.
The visitors could look at everything there and in
the contiguous apartments without being struck with
ustimislunent or meeting with the least impediment,
and a committee, with a chairman at its head,
could not excite in their mind, any peculiar emotion.
(laughter.) Indeed if the Chairman of the Navigation
Committee would give the visitors a treat up and down the
river in their barge to show them the shipping and the
amazing facilities of commerce in the possession of the
people of London, there would be something to talk of, but
it was monstrous to talk of a committee liar the purposes
stated by the mover. (Iloir, hear.)
Mr. EI.LIO f wished to see all the doors and gates of the
corporation thrown open without tolls of any kind. Ile,
however, thought that the corporation would act wisely
in saying as little as possible about their treasures of art.
It they had not misapplied in dinners their enormous funds
the noble hall in which they assembled would have been
long, ago decorated with the finest specimens of statuary
and painting instead of presenting blank vacuities.
Mr. T. IL HALL said it was quite evident from the
ceaseless opportunities which Mr. Elliot took of calumniat-
ing the corporation that he hail become a member fur the
purpose of misrepresenting their character and conduct
upon all occasions. (Cheers.) If' the corporation had
bestowed upon the fine arts the money which they had ex-
pended in improvements and in increasing the trade of
their fellow-citizeus, that gentleman would have accused
them of misappropriation for not having done everything
Mr the commercial advantage of those whom they repre-
sented. No matter what the ineuiliers of the corporation
did, they were sure to come under the calumnious vitupera-
tion of their unreasonable antagonist. Ile (Mr. Hall) had
been in the corporation 20 years, and the dinner expenses
of the present tine did not amount to one-half of the ex-
penditure of the former period; and the only recompemm
which gentlemen resaived fur a great part of their ,
most valuable time, spent in the closest attention to the
interests of their ("Mow-citizens, was the retwupense of
d' ' g together at the conclusion of their labours. (Hear.)
Ile would nut vote fur a committee fur the purpose stated
by the mover, as he believed there was more in the motion
than appeared upwriper.
. r. Deputy 1.0 'Cl' would not be prevented front sup-
porting a measure which he thought was likely to be leme.
ficial, because the mover spoke in a deprecating tone of the
body to which he belonged. Ile regretted that Mr. Anplerton
had spoken in a tune of ridicule of the subject ; but,
perhapP, it was the best way to adopt that tone
on a subject beyond his comprehension. (Laughter)
The ipanstion ought in his opinion to gu to a committee. At
the west end of the town ethirts were being made to give
facilities bearing some proportion to those rendered all over
the continent; and although Guildhall 44114 open to all, it was
possible to raise the character of the City of London higher
than it stood in the quality of a courteous accommodation.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Deputy STEVENS said the foreigners would come
into the metropolis nit to sec the statuary and pictures, but
to see die glass palace with its wonders, and the whipping
and the 'With:vs, UM' they would soon be satisfied that
London was the first commercial city in the world.
Mr. 'ILA K E supportisl tic 1111 l tion, against which he
thought a prejudice had been raised by an unlucky refer-
ence to a subject with which it had no connexion.
Mr. ILL. AVI.OIt said that in ad probability Mr.
Hemlock expected to he made chairman of the committee
which WA been 'imposed, hat there was just as much
climax• of such an event as there was that so absurd a pre-
position would be entertained.
Mr. Dinette and Mr. Putts:des also opposed the motion.

re
Mr. Deputy HARRISON said that he was at a 10...5 to
know what would be the advantage tit referring the matter
before thecourt to a committee. Every matter over which
they, us members of that eorporatiun, had control, they held
fur the hula:tit of their fellow eitixens, but the motion of the
hot. meniter, Mr. Bennis:lu was so ill defines', that it %v.
14111000ible !O gather what it 'design" them to do. (Hear.)
With other institutions they haul no power; and with re-
ganl to souse of thou the public now haul free access at
stipulated :suaiouls. (hear. hear.) Four days in the week,
he ludieved, the India Itous,, was era's to the public, and
that without tiny fee or reward. And vet it was with several
other plans where curiosities or works of art were privately
exhibited. With reLrence to any other change of the
cluiracter sugays-ed by the mover of the motion,
the details must be left with the parties who had
the mitred of such establishments. These parties,
in their arrangements her the public convenience, would
nut be influenced by the corporation of the City of London,
and he (Mr. Deputy Harrison) hoped that the members of
that court would not embark in that which would only
bring down upon them the ridicule of their fellow-citizens.
(Cheers.)
Mr. BENNOCII stated in reply, that if the committee
he had asked for was granted, lie was anxious to express
his desire that he should not be named as the chairman.
(Hear, hear.) His only wish in bringing forward the sub-
ject was to obtain a properly organised system, which
would result ia promoting the comfort and enjoyment of
persons visiting the City of London during the present
Exhibition. (Hear, hear.) His object was further to get
the magnificent crypt of Guildhall open to the foreigner,
who might visit the City. That splendid work was covered
with dust and dirt at the present moment. Ile (Mr. Ben-
ouch) had been informed by the City architect, Mr. Bun-
ning, that it was of the hrst style of architecture; the
workmanship bring canal, if not superior, to that
exhibited in any other European city. (Dear, hear.) It
had been mid that it wan not necessary to provide these
sights for the anticipated visitors, as they might show to
strangers their bridges and their ducks. Certainly their
bridges were magnificent structures, in-ins of them, but
their ducks belonged to parties whose private enterprise had
outstripped corporate action. (" Hear," and "No.") lle
would leave the matter in the hands of the court, being
sate-tied that if they rejectest his proposition, he had
done his duty in bringing the subject forward. (Cheers.)
t pots the motion being put, the proposition of Mr. Benumb
was iagatived by an uverWhelming majority.

THE SOCIELV OF ARTS AND THEIR ABANDONED
CoNTRACT Full TiiE !WEAL BUILDING.
On Thus ley, Mr. !When Steplierusm, M.P., tho sole ruin-
brain iu this ease, and the parties interested in it, held their
first nivenme iu the conunissioners' room. in the Item, of
Lords, to determine the amount of componoition to lit paid:
to the Messrs. Monday. The meeting was att,wiled by Mr.
W. Cubitt, one of the royal commissioners, Mr. E. 0. I3ow-
, ring, and Mr. bake: Mr. Tooke, the Ktlititut to the Sci-
' ety of Arts, Mr. Maule, of the Treasury. with Mr. Welsby,
as counsel; Mr. lhow, with Mr. Montague Smith, a. coun-
sel for Messra. Monday, and Mr. Merrick, as solicitor for
the arbitrator. In November, 18-10, Mews. Munday to-
tend into a contract with the Society of Arts for the erec-
tion of the Exhibition building, and undertook to proside
a large sum for prizes, &e., taking their chance of b. irtg
remunerated from a share of the receipts, and in pursuance
of this contract they' placed 20,1E10!. at the disposal of the
society. by whom it was retained for nearly 18 month!,
although the society had abandoned the contract, upon the
understanding that the compensation to be paid to Messrs.
Monday should be settled by arbitration. The matter has
been pending shier February, ItSi4.l, and is now referred to
Mr. Robert Stephenson as the sole arbitrator under a sub-
sequent agreement of reference, based upon the original
contract. The proceedings not being concluded yesterday,,
' were adiolunsa till Wednesday neat.