The Express.
London, England, 1850-06-20 00:00:00

COURT OF

A court was held for the despatch of business.
MILAN OP soma's IN THN CIHTBAL CRIMINAL COURT.
Alderman FAREBROTHER silted whether the sheriffs
had Say npreeentatime to make to the court of the awe of
the dismissal of the jars on Saturday from the Central
Criminal Court, and the direction to them to attend on'
Monday.
Mr. Alderman and Sheriff LAWRENCE said the Re-
corder could not attend at the Central Criminal Court on
Setarday, on amount of his engagement In the Lord Mayor's
Conn, ea a ease of compensation, on that day. It was, be-
side., need for one of her Majesty'. judges to attend on that
day; sad no judge having appeared to proceed in the busi-
ness of the court, an adjournment necessarily took place.
Alderman FARE BROTHER was maidens to prevent the
reearrenee of as maddest by whittle great Inooavenience and
heavy expense were ocisarionag. (Rear, hear.) Before he
made the inquiry he had *Wailed himself that the learned
judge Baron Rolfe who was to have presided in the court,
would, although :engaged I. Guildhall, have taken core,
if informed of the emergency, to have provided a sub
albite in the Central Criminal Court ; but the fact was the
Clerk of the court had Informed the learned judge that there
was no cue to be tried in which his pretence would be
nee, 'Gary. (Hear, hear.) The learned Recorder was not to
be blamed upon the occasion but some arrangement ought
to be made to insure his mikes daring the sittings of the
Central Criminal Court, and as the learned gentleman had
declared liaised he but the Lord Mayor and Aldermen were
the judge of the Mayor's Court, it would be competent for
them to prevent the duties of the one court from interfering
with the duties of those of the other. Under these oir-
cunutanom he should move that it be referred to the com-
mittee of privileges to consider and report upon the subject.
The motion was agreed to.
DICLAZATION AGAINST THANSONSTANTIATION.

The following report of the Town Clerk upon the sub-
ject of the declaration against transubstantiation, was read :
" In obedient* to an Order of /our honourable court of
the idth day of April last, that I should repAt whether
the law requirinzthe declaration stalest transabstantiation
is still In tame t i beg leave to oer:lty d.'"t" ?" I
Geo. IV., imp. 7, provides that from the commencement of
that act the statutes requiring amongst other things that the
declaration against transubstantiation should be subscribed
as • quslifleation for the titfeillt or enjoyment of any office
(except as therein exempted), be repealed. The exceptions
to that act do not appear to me to apply to any of the
municipal officers in the City of London, and therfore I con-
sider, as to all other officers of the corporation of L:o ion,
that the declaration is net now required to be subscribed.
Undsrst ending that immediately alter the pasting of the
10111 Geo. IV., some inquiry had been mods in my office a.
to the necessity of making that declaration, and finding that
after that time the form had been retainede in the book kept
for that purpose, and' had been invt risbly signed, I did not
feel myself Justified in directing, without any authority fer
the purpose, that it should be withdrawn. But since the
above reference tome I have made inquiries in the house of
Lords and ileum of Commons, and ulso, in the courts of
law at Westminster, and at the Central Criminal Court and
session., and find that it is not signed before any of those
tribunals. I have, therefore' no hesitation in recommending
that for the future it should be discontinued in the City of
London." _ _

Alderman LAWRENCE said he understood, that not-
withstanding the repeal of the obnoxious and absurd law,
the declaration was subscribed as • qualification in some of
the wards of the city. It was evident that in the case of a
sheriff or alderman there was no occasion for any inch
form, end therefore the administration of it on any elec-
tion, se It was no longer legal, moat be merely the effect of
caprice. (Rear, hear.) Twelve or fourteen years ago when
he became a member of the Court of Common Council, he
had declined to subscribe such • declaration, because he
looked upon it as absurd in the extreme at such • time of
day. Why the Court of Aldermen should retain so ridieu-
lout • form up to the present time, he could not conceive,
and Le should therefore, for the sake of the character of the
court, move that the report of the town cleric be received,
adopted, aed entered upon the minutes of the court.
The majority of the court seemed to be of opinion, that
although there was no longer ocearisn for the administration
of the declaration, the suggested mode of disposing of it was
not sufficiently formal and ceremoniour, and that it would
be necessary to discuss the quesion in the presence of Alder-
man Salmons, who was the mover of the reference.