The National Register.
London, England, 1818-02-16 00:00:00

CITY FINANCES.

A long debate' took place relative to a notice of a
motion given by Mr. liolme Sumner in the House of
Commons, for the production of the Accounts of the
Corporation.
The notice had been signified by the Remembrancer
to the Committee of General Purposes; and Mr. Davis
broaght up the Report of that Committee, which gave
this very unexpected intelligence to the Court.
Alderman Curtis, in delivering his sentiments, which
were decidedly against admitting the House of Com-
mons to interfere in so serious a manner with the pri-
vileges of the City, stated, that by some means or other
lofimmation was given to some Members of Parliament,
ti:at made them intimately acquainted with the state
of the City finances.
It was stated, that the probable object of this appli-
cation was to ascertain to what extent the City was
qualified to bear the expences of the New Prison in
Viuitecross-street, previously to the grant ef a sum of
money from Parliament towards defraying those ez-
pen ces.
Mr. Waithman expressed his surprise that the City
I:epresentatives had let the subject pass without com-
ment. The insinuation made by the Hon. Baronet,
respecting the communicaticn of such important intel-
ligence to certain Members of the House of Commons,
sac: his declaration that imp •open imputations were cast
upon the Corporation, involved not only the Court, but
the House of Commons.—He condemned in strong
terms the waste which had been made of the money of
the Corporation, and lamented the insignificance of the
City Members when westward of Temple Bar.
Alderman Wood thought it would be better to make
any sacrifice than comply with such an inquisition.
Alderman Atkins agreed in the propriety of refusing
the accounts. _ _ _

After soine observations from Alderntun Goodbehere,
Mr. Pavel!, Mr. Pearson, Red others, the subject was
referred back to the Cormoitte for General Purposes.

Nrw COMET.--The French papers say a new comet
was discovered at Marseilles on the 26th of January
last, in the constellation Cygnus. The astronomers of
Paris received notice of it on the 21st of January, but
they have not been able to see it. The presence of
the moon in the horrizon, doeds, and rainy weather,
have rendered their attempts fruitless. The weather is
rather more favourable at Marseilles. M. Blanpain has
addressed to the Bureau of Longitude an account of
several observationr of this comet, which he made be-
tween the 4th and 18th of January inclusive. The
observations of M. Blanpain embrace only a very small
arc of its course. In the mean time, he has deduced from
it a.parabolie orbit, which is only a first and very
perfect approximation, but which may serve to find the
position of the comet, for some time, to within a few
minutes. The result of his calculations is, that it will
pass its point of nearest approach to the sun on the 3d
of March, at 1 I hours 15 minutes mean time, compu-
ted from' midnight, at the observatory of Paris. This
comet presents nothing interesting. in its physical Om-
nomena. On the tir..t days of Janucry it resemblcl a
little nebulous speck, without any determinate tiirm
and emittinir a very fixble light. On the 18th it ap-
peared sensibly to augment in apparent size and brilli-
ancy, showing the commence:mut of a gaily, but
without any trace of a tail. •

ISSUE OF GOLD AND SILVER COIN.—The amount
of Sovereigns issued last year was 5,!.'24.,0251.; 1.41 f
Sovereigns 1,03;,2951. 4,i6i.:;201 Silver
I lan' Crow us, 1,125,6.A1. ; Shillin;ts 2,5 LS „V;(:! ; :311,;-
penees 657,199.1. Total to:n1 oC
Cold and Silver 2,502,6; Si.