The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-04-23 00:00:00

WARD OF CHEAP.

ELECTION OF A COMMON COUNCILMAN.

0 n Wednesday a Wardmote of the inhabitants of the Ward of
Cheap was held, for the purpose of choosing a fit person as rms.
sanative in the Common Council, in the room of Mr. Jerrain,
doomed.

Mr. 01,TIIWAIT proposed Mr. T. Smith, whom he represented
to be highly oualified, from his property, respectability. sod take,
to succeed their late representative in his office. Tt,e political prin.
ciples of 111 r. Smith were rour.d, constitutional, and loyal. and were
perfectly in accordance with the majority in that ward. It so
highly desirable that gentlemen of property and commercial roper.
tabi!ity should he chosen for such offices.
No other candidate appeared, and Mr. Smith wart unanimously
elected.
S aft T tt, in returning thanks for the honour conferred opoa
him, said, that lie considered the (ace of Common Counrilataa
as ministerkl, and not as a political office. Ile expretured his ota.
eurrtmce with the general political feelings of the ward, which were
in favour of the principles that had
.brought the country to its
_pre,.
sent state of prosperity— the principles of the great
The speech was much applauded.
Alderman TT; ostreow highly approved of the choice that lat
been made, and said it would confer honour on the electors.
Thanks were voted to the Alderman; and, after some further
proceedings, the Meeting, which was numerous and retpectahk.
separated.

ST. MARY, NEWINGTON, SURREY.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

On Tuesday evening lavt the Parishiones- the above piiiit)
met in public vestry, for the purpose of electing parochial odfice,
for the ensuing year, pursuant to the directions of the Aet of Par-
liament.
The Chair was taken at half-past five o'clock by the Rieter, who
named Mr. John Fair, of Blackman-vtreet, his warden.

Mr. MAITLAND then addresses' the meeting. He thanked the
vestry for the kind reception he had esperieneed from them whin.
ever he had appeared before them, And @elicited the same MAIL
gence upon the present occasion. lie was aware how gristly he had
been 'misrepresented by some individuals in the penal, whose jejs.
rious schemes he had felt it his duty to hold up to the repeeseni,a
his fellow-parishioners. His sole motive for taking a peoniatm
part in parochial concerns was, he could assure them,* desire ta.
promote the peace and prosperity of a parish in which !;.e had re..
sided for so Many years, and where his most endeared frinvlalikit,
had been formed. lie could not accomplish these desirable ihnsig
more effectually than by exposing the practices of those individada
who, bent upon enriching themselves, cared not by what ream
that object was sccomplianed. While he congratulated the pr.
rishioners that they again assembled in public vestry, to nouns
land enjoy those privileges for which they had so recently and is
successfully struggled,—privileges which they were all anxlees is
maintain,—he begged to rentir.d them of the necessity of maintain.
ing the high ground they now occupied. It was an undoubted fact
that since their last meeting to elect parochial officers, the Amt
unworthy attempts had been made to undermine the fair and
comely fabric of parochial administration they had so =Amity
reared, and these attempt. were made too by the very persons 44
; on being compelled, in 1821, to abandon their project of introdadag
1 a Select Vestry Bill. engaged, on condition of receiving MIL to..
wards the expenses incurred by them in prosecuting that measure,
to promote a general reconciliation, and to bury in Wiriest all put
differences. Hut how did the conduct of these persons caromed
with their profession ? Why, in June and November 1813, they
presented to the Lord Chancellor a petition and an affidavit, mis-
fire, as they said, to an improper appropriation of the Elephant
and Castle charity funds, but which contained In fact the most so.
just and malignant libel upon Samuel Palmer, Esq. the push
warden, and his 'omelette in office—a pmduotion which, Mr. Mit.
land oserved, would, if made public through the parish, ruin
universal indignation and disgust. To prove how fairly and Judi.
cloudy the affairs of the parish had been conducted since Mr. ?al-
mer had held office, and how little he merited the imputsikes
which had been thrown out against him, Mr. Maitland referred is
the extensive reforms that were effected under Mr. Palmer's advice
in the management of the poor in 1814, by which, in one yew,
a sating was elicited to the parish of upwards of 3,0001.; at the
same time that cleanliness, order, and industry, succeeded to us.
cleanliness, disorder, and idleness. Mr. Maitland then instituteda
comparison between the years 1812 and DM, the result of which was,
that although in the latter year there war an increase of poslation,
and that principally among the poor, of upwards of kW, TOO
a diminution of expenditure m the atioun. of more theta, . pee
annum. fur. Palmer having thus placed the affairs .1 the parish u
so prosperous a condition, and having already filled the arduous
and responsible office of parish warden three successive years, it had
been his (Mr. Maitland's) earnest wish that he might be allayed to
retire from so laborious a station, anti find in the bosom of hit
family, and in the friendship and esteem of hie numerous circle,
all the satisfaction and happiness to which his eminently useful
services so richly entitled hint. Unfortunately, howeverikattg thin
way at this moment important proc:edings in p
the interests of the parish, which rendered Mr. Palmer'sri osasims
ante in office foe another year most desirale. The penalises
addressed to him a requisition to that cage : with a pith& spirit
not often to be met with, and a devotedness truly patriotic, dm
honoured Individual had yielded to the genesl desire; and nailer
these circumstances he (m.. mstamid) begged leave to propose is
the vestry, that Samuel Palmer, Esq. should be their parish war.
den for the year ensuing. (Loud and continued cheering follows&
thir_eanouncecueot.)
Mr. PENT RES' ll member of the COMMON Council) seconded
the isomination, and bore his humble testimony in farmer of the
admirable system under which the parochial affairs of Newingtoe
were conducted. He could not too strongly, censure the conduct of
those individuals, who, to save themselves, had resorted to so row
unjustifiable acts, with a view of depriving the parishioners of the
blessing of an open vestry. He then drew an animated sketch d
the important services 31r. Palmer had already rendered to du
parish—of the extraordinary talent, integrity, and industry be had
manifested on so many occasions, and concluded by most warmly
seconding the motion.
The CIIAIIIAIAN then put the motion, which was carried =Ms
moody and with acclamation.
Mr. PALINED expressed his obligations to the vestry for the
flattering manner in which they had pleural m mention him:
and in accepting for the fourth time the diet 0 chair perish var.
den, be begged to say, that he did so not to patify Ms tows wishes
but theirs. If he could be of further service to the pariltheera
be was at their command. Never had he pot mss firtMllk trat el
the potash money into his pocket, and norm would he when sop
body to do so, if he bed the power to prevent it. He Mole
lamented that the barometer of the parish had so long sued sec
Sternly, and still more so that he saw little prospect of the quick-
silver approaching to Fair. However, he was resolved to do hi
duty—to protect to the utmost of his ability the interests el the
parishioners. (Loud appkuse.)
The overseers, governors, and guardians of the poor, end other
officers for the ensuing year, having been unanimassly siectedi
Mr. WOOD proposed the appointment of their gentlem4e4:
auditors of the accounts of the trustees for building hew
He remarked upon the decided disadvantages of an open may.
and observed, that hearty could only be desired fee ungorthy pur-
poses. The specimens which had already beta prods* of the
conduct of the trustees, rendered it necessary that their •
should be closely watched, and with this view he
I
icat
auditors three gentlemen of acknowledged ability an 'ty.
Mr. Wood adverted in energetic terms to the affidavit had
been alluded to by Mr. Maitland, and said a more . sai
outrageous document never bad bees produced. If published sad
circulated through the parish, it would excite sensations of as
sod disgust, and yet such a paper hid bran get up by
the very persons who engaged to promote a gown! reconciliation
In the parish.
llefore the question as
en
ert from the Chair,
Mr. MAITLAND ID ter his proem egaimit gee gam
of' 4511. to Mr. John Clutton, utton, clerk to the tem row, fig , l2hilgt,
soviets, and the allowance of ifilll.'B)..yrai Ia ;tub milli ,
which in fact wan equal to about 31. for every meetly St 110.
tees. There were many respectable and coinpesent pereee. la MI
parish, who would gladly take the office at a less salary irbas he
(Mr. Maiil int!) was fully aware of the extraordinary parffidef di
the trustees towards Mr. Clutton, notwithstanding she fedi wiiii
they took to do everything impartially,faititl4y, &c., foe dig
had pissed atd paid the extraordinary bill given in by est plasm
foe procuring an Act of Parliament for building new deaden.
amounting to 1,3711.; they had also given up to Mr. Chutes Dee
fifth part of certain ground (one acre and three emartemedisim
hold land), which they had purchased of him foe the moilintes dm
of 2,1971 ; and, besides all this, they hail Oven him MIL feria
services as clerk, and a salary of 13M. a.year for the MUM. lt
was a cations circumstance also, and demeresi peace, thlialibilil.
there was a clause in the Act of Palimpsest for haildlng abtrimP
churches, which rendered it lawful forany individual to metWiMis
towarde their erection, not one fatthitiltdd been given by iloy d
the churchmen in thiaisarish, who to be so annieue ti
have them, elthough its the neigh ring parish of Camberwell
a handsome sum hid been collected by the members of the Chord
of
Ibigbind, towards the erection of a church in OW pariah.
Mr. SCOTT thew proposed, and Mr. lltretCOltle llCCeNded, a
resolution of thanks to Mr. Palmer, for his past services (fin whicb
see Advertisement).
After which thanks were voted to the Rector for his Imponfol
conduct in the Chair, and the meeting, which was nitmeroos, n -
spettebie, and orderly, septrated ; affording an undeniable pea
of the advantages connected with en open vestry, where every pa-
rishioner is at liberty to offer his remarks upon parochial adminis-
tration, arid •to suggest any niodifications and inipmeemeits of
which he may consider the system susceptible.

MECHANIC'S INSTITUTION.—A numerous meeting of
the members of the Society met on It'ednesday night, to
hear the *rat of a course of Lectures on Chemistry, 4e-
livered by Mr. It. Phillips. The audience were extremely
attentive ; end the numerous experiments, which were well
performed, while they elucidated the principles of the
science. materially contributed to the pleasure of those
as-
sembled.

The late Lieut. Hume Johnston, whose melancholy fate
we noticed yesterday, was the son of Gen. Johnston, c
Upton Hall, North Britain. At the time he committed
suicide he was on board the Weymouth receiving-shiP,
which is appropriated for time reception of the offteers anti
men until their respective ships arc completed far the rLY"
age to the North Pole. Previous to committing the rash
act Lieut. Johnston had written letters to several of his re-
lations and intimate friends, which he had sealed with
black wax ; thereby intimating the fatal resolution 1'144
he had adopted.