The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-04 00:00:00

Vie Court.

WINDSOR, Nov. 3.
The dinner party yesterday included the King of
the Belgians, the Duchess of Brabant, the Duchess of Kent,
the Duke of Brabant, the Count of Flanders, the Duke of
Newcastle, the Belgian Minister and Madame Van de
Weyer, the Prussian Minister and Madame Bunsen Vis-
count Palmenton, the Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of
Brabant, the Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Kent,
lA4 Frances Bruce, the Baroness de Speth, Major-Oeneral
the Hon Sir Edward Cast, Count Gustave de Lannoy,
Colonel de Moerkerke, Baton Prism, Monsieur Ricken,
and Mr. Gibbs.

The Band of the let Life Guards attended In the Cut],
during dinner, and played the following pieces:
Mardi
Overture,"
1 Olee, "ne Red Crom Knight* ... Wyatt.
Walser, "Lille"
Potpourri, " La Favorite" Donizettl.
Ana from the opera "Martha" Flown.
Her Majesty's Private Band afterwards attended in the
evening, and performed the following selection :
Overture, "Les Cha Manes" Mater.
&Immo "aids " RFullr•
Adagio and Allegro
Divertimento:it,Prophete
ssiger
The Queen and Prince walked in the HotneMsPatk and
•
Slopes this morning.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and younger
members of the Royal Family took their accustomed exer-
cise.

The Duchess and Princess Mary of Cambridge visited
her Majesty to-day.
The Duke and Duchess of Brabant, the Count de Flandres,
and the Princess Charlotte of Belgium returned from Lon-
don at five minutes before seven last eveniug.
Messrs. H. aad G. Nicoll, of London, had the honour of
submitting their newly invented sewing machine to the
inspection of the Duke of Brabant and the Count of
Flanders.

A deputation from St. Paul's, Covent-garden, had an
interview with Sir William Molesworth yesterday at the
Office of Public Works and Buildings, in Whitehall-place.
The deputation consisted of Meters. W. H. Walker, Thomas
Dicks, Robert Watts, Robert H. Carroll, John Tapeter,
and D. Paine (architect).
The French Ambassador visited the Earl of Clarendon
yesterday at the Foreign-office.
Despatches were received at the Colonial-office yesterday
from the Governors of Ceylon, Hong Kong, Gibraltar,
Malts, and the Lord High Commissioner of the lonian
Islasds.

Despatches were sent yesterday to the Governon of New
South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

ROYAL FAMILY BIRTII-DAYS IN NOVEMBER.-
Yesterday the 3rd of November was the birth-day of her
Royal Highness Princess Sophia. On the 9th (Lord
Mor's Day) will be the birth-day of the Prince of
ales, 1811, and that of tie Princess Royal on the 21st,
1.

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

KIDDERMINSTER.

There have been contests in both wards, but the
tones have only succeeded in returning (and that by a
majority of a single Tote) one member out of the six. The
liberals halm gained two more seats in the council.

BATH.

There have been severe contests in two of the ward., in
one of which the liberals were victorious, the success in the
other being divided. Last year the council consisted of 29
liberals, 26 consavativse, aad one neutral; there are now
31 liberals and 24 conservatives ; and as 4 of the 6 retiring

aldermen are else conservative, the liberal party will have
an opportunity of still further increasing their strength.

HULL.

Two wards In this town hare been contested. The
Edgard Counties Herald states that the question was not a
political one, the belligerent parties being the "muck
interest" and the "sanitary interest." The sanitary men
carried the day.

TEWKESBURY.
The three liberals who retired were re-elected.

Ngw Cntracu IN Leers.—About two years since
a elerrymaa in the midland counties, who does not wish to
have his name made public, placed at the disposal of Dr.
Hook, the vicar of Leeds, • sum of 2,0001.. to be applied
towards the building of two new churches in some of the
densely-populated districts in that important parish. In
September of last year the foundation stone of • new
church, to be dedicated to St. Jude, was laid in the district
of Pottery-fields, and in little more than twelve months
the building was ready for consecration. The bishop ap-
pointed Wednesday last for the consecration of the building.
In the morning of that day a great number of the clergy in
Leeds, and from the neighbourhood, met together and
waisted in the ceremony.

, -
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—At a monthly
general meeting, held yesterday, at the society's house, in
Hanover-square; Mr. Broderip, vice-president, in the chair;
Messrs. W. Cory, E. Lechertier Barbe, W. Cory, jun., It.
ITress, and J. Shirley Lcskey, were elected Fellows of the
society; and Earl Granville, Earl Bruce, Rev. William
Fallofield, Mrs. Moseley, aad Messrs. J. Massey Stanley,
T. Jackson, C. H. Latouche, and J. S. Wilier, were pro-
posed as candidates for the Fellowship. The report from
the council contained a long list of additions which hal
been acquired for the menagerie since the last meeting, and
stated that the total number of visitors to the gardens during
the current year had amounted to 385,43.51., making an in-
crease of 80,232 over eke whole twelvemonths of 1852 ;
while the number of Fellows proposed and elected since the
lit of January last pretests an increase of 68 over the ave-
rage of the last 13 year..

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

ROYAL COMMISSION.-CORPORATION INQUIRY.

Yesterday the court was most numerously attended
long before the appointed hour of meeting (12 o'clock), it
being expected that some notice would be taken of the
evidence adduced before the royal commivioners during the
last two days.
As soon as the minutes of the last meeting bad been read
and passed,
Mr. Under-Sheriff ANDEaTON rose and said—My Lord
Mayor, I wish to put what I think a very important ques-
tion to the chairman of the Consolidated Committee. I
know myself that it refers to one of a great many gross
falsehoods which have been uttered before the Corporation
Commissioners of Inquiry. (Hear, hear.)
Alderman Wins —My Lord Mayor, I movo that strangers
do withdraw.

Mr. ANDIRTOX—There is no occasion for stranger* to
withdraw. (near, hear.)
Alderman WIKE-1 persist in my motion, that strangers
withdraw.

Mr. ANDIRTON was proceeding to say that the evidence
to which he had alluded had already appeared in the public
journals, when the court wee cleared of strangers, who
were re-admitted in the course of a quarter of an hour.
Mr. Anderton, who was still on his 1. gs, then proceeded as
follow:—My Lord Mayor, I am not going to make any
speech, nor am I going to answer all the calumnies which
have been uttered before the Royal Commisaionrrs, but
there is one calumny and one gross falsehood which I
think it right this court should lose no time in repelling.
It is this—Mr. Ackland, in his evidence, states "that in
1849 the consolidated committee reported to the Court of
Common Council that, in consequence of the newspapers
at that period having said a great deal against the corpora-
lion, •n.l from the peculiar p)sition of the corporation with
her Majesty's government, it was desirable that a sum of
money should be voted for the purpose of putting them-
selves right with the press. The court received the report,
and voted the sum of 1,0001. per annum for this purpose to
the consolidated committee. 4,0001. has thus been spent in
ordering hundred. of newspapers in cases where these
newspapers have reported, as the committee thought, satis-
factorily. Of this money the Times never received •
single farthing. The object of this expenditure
was to induce the papers to give as favourable
a report as possible to the corporation's proceedings
No detailed account of money so expended has ever been
published." Why, no, because it never has been expended.
" The Chairman—Who decides what piper shall he taken ?
Mr. Ackland—The committee have confidence in some of
the officers, either high or low; they take the orders and
execute them for the committee. There arc fourteen alder-
men, exclusive of the Lord Mayor, on the consolidated com-
mittee." Now, my lord, as a member of that committee,
if there were a single word of truth in this statt ment, I
should consider that I myself stood in a most degraded
position, not only with respect to my constituents, but with
respect to the public at large. (Hear, hear.) If there is
any truth in the statement lam en entire stranger to it. I
declare that Ido not know it. I have examined the ac-
counts of the corporation for the past year, and if any such
I payments have been made, they have been smuggled in
some way or other, for they do not appear. I think that I
myself, and the other members of the court, ought to be
degraded in the eyes of our respective censtituents and the
public if we allowed this foul calumny to remain far one mo-
ment uncontradicted. I now ask the chairman of the consoli-
dated committee if there is any foundation for the state-
ments of Mr. Ackland ?

Mr. J. Wooll—l have asked the clerk, Mr. Woodthorpe,
to get me some documents, to which I should have very
much preferred having reference before answering the
question, of which I have only just had notice. I always
prefer to speak from documents themselves, and since Idle.
Auderton rose, I asked Mr. Woodthorpe to find the report,
and the order of the Court consequent upon it ; and then
the Court will be in possession of the circumstances of the
case from the documents themselves. It would certainly
puzzle me very much—as much as it would my friend Mr.
Anderton, to find that a thousand pounds a year or anr
thing like this sum had been expended fur the purpose in
question. (Hear, hear.) At the proper time this
court will have the fullest opportunity of stating
their own case, and of rehiring to documentary'
evidence in existence. Meanwhi,e I wait with per-
fect contentment the course of conduct that the com-
missioners may deem it right to pursue ; and I am sure
that our fellow-citisens will be patinnt and will know and
feel that we are—l will not say upon our trial—but waiting
our own time, and that hereafter we shall hate an oppor-
tunity afforded us of answering any statements that may
have been made with rehrence to the conduct of this cor-
poration. (Cheers.)
Mr. WOODTHORPZ then read a report of the consolidated
committee, dated Bth March, 1849, to whom the court had
referred the subject of making urrangiments to insure
reports of its proceedings. The upon recommended that a
considerable number of copies should be taken of any daily
journal giving at the greatest length an account of the pro-
ceediugs, after such sittirg of the court. [A$ great im-
portant* was attached to the contents of this document,
our reporter requested the Town Clerk to furnish him with
a copy of it, for the purpose of publication, when that
learned gentleman, in a very courteous manner, replied that
he felt it his duty to decline complying with the request,
considering that the inquiry before the commissioners was
still pending.]
Mr. ANDERTON said be was very glad that the report had
been read, and hoped it would be communicated to the
public, who would, he was confident, suspend their judg-
ment for the present.
In the course of a further discussion on the subject, Mr.
WOOD stated that the hall keeper was to select the newspaper
which contained the longest account of the proceedings of
the previous day. That course has been pursued up to the
present time. The result of the order of the committee to
the hall-keeper has been thought by members of advantage
to the corporation in this way—it has brought to their no-
ties that the proceedings have been fully and fairly re-
ported in many instances. The hall-keeper has, by direc-
tion of the committee, ordered 800 copies of the paper con-
taining the longest report of the proceedings of the court.
Of this number about 250 are circulated amongst the
members of the court, the other 50 being sent to the town
clerks of the various boroughs throughout the kingdom,
in order that the country corporations may know what is
going on here. The cost of this amounts to 51. or 61. each
time the papers are purchased, and does not exceed 160/. a
I year. (To the hail-k-,eper.) Have you ever purchased the
Tina I

Hall Keeper—l could ascertain.
Mr. Woon:-Then do ascertain..

Mr. H. L. TAYLOR-1 can say that the Times has been
purchased. If I bad been in court at the commencement

or the proceedings, u I ought to have been, I should have
suggested to Mr. Anderton to put a simple question.
Mr. ANDERTON—I did.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR—I should have suggested—ls there
any statement of 1,04J1. a year being spent in the manner
described by Mr. Ackland. I then should have suggested
to my friend, Mr. Wood, to report that there was no
truth in the statement of Mr. Ackland. (Hear, hear.) I am
quite sure that very many of the statements made by Mr.
Ackland might be explained as this has been. But while
you may complain .of that gentleman on account of the
course which he has taken, you might else, if you choose,
complain of the next witness, namely—
Mr. BLARE—I. rise to order. I feel deep regret that
pending an inquiry of this kind, this subject should be fur-
ther discussed. I hold it to be the height of indecency that
this matter should any longer occupy the time of the court,
and move that we proceed to the business of the day. (Cries
of " Ob, oh," and " Hear, hear.")
Mr. 11. L. T►Yr-ott—While so much time has been al-
lowed to be consumed with reference to Mr. Ackland's
statements, I say we should not he doing our duty if we did
net also pat in the strongest disclaimer upon the observa-
tions and evidence of Mr. Travers. (Hear, hear.)
Deputy BOWER appealed to the Lard Mayor as to
whether Mr. Taylor was in order, there being no motion
before the court, when _ .

The LOUD MAYOIL said he considered that be was.

Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said he would not further occupy the
attention of the court.

The subject then dropped.
PROJECTED NEW BRIDGE.

Deputy Dm-moot moved, " That it be an instruction to
the Improvement Committee to retain possession of such
ground on the western side of Old Chance, and on the
south side of Watling-street, a. is likely to be affected by
the projected new bridge and the approaches thereto, until
this court shall have decided upon the report of the Bridge-
house Estate, Committee, delivered in on the 14th day of
April."
At the suggestion of Mr. T. 11. chairman, who un-
dertook that the land in question should not be let for three
months, Mr. Bennoch consented to withdraw the motion.