The National Register.
London, England, 1821-07-08 00:00:00

COMMON HALL.

Ott Wednesday last a Common Hall was held for the
purpose of receiving the return of she numbers polled,
front the Sheriffs, and the return of the Court ut Alder-
Men,

The Common Serjeant, after havin3 read the Sheriff's
statement of the numbers polled, which was the same as
that already before the public, retired with the Surat 's
and reported the proceedings to the Court of Aldermen.
On his return he declated Alderman Garratt and Air.
Venahles to be duly elected Sheriffs for the ensuing year.
Alderman Garratt and Mr. Venal)les returned thanks
to the livery for the honour they had done them.
.\lr. OLDHAM came forward, and said he had the ho-
nour to propose the thanks of the Hall to the present
Sheriffs, Mr the strict tin partiality and gentlemanly man-
ner which they had evinced during the election.
The motion was put and carried unanimously, and it
was moved that the resolution should be inserted in the
usual morning and evening papers.
Sheriff %\ A ITIIMA N said it was most grateful to him to
:nett with the approval of his fellow citizens, and espe-
cially when he felt convinced, front conscientious feelings,
that such approbation was not undeserved. But although
the exertions required of the Sheriffs, in this contest, had
been so littlt—easy and passive as hail been their duties
—although he had kept the promise made to his consti-
tuents on taking up the office, to abstailt fiotu interfering
in its office, with party politics, or leaning to either the
one side or the other—although he had been utterly in
the dark, from the commencement of the election, as
to the line of conduct that would be adopted; yet, day
alter day, he had been a‘saillted in one of the public
newspapers, and charged with being the promoter of the
contest. For the twenty-five years that he had been in
public life, he abstained front noticing the attacks that
had been made upon him from that quarter. It was

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

not sufficient, on this occasion, that measures were
charged as being his, but they had revived forgotten
attacks, which had been made on him, in the shape of
election squibs; but this was not sufficient, for they had
revived atrocious calumnies on his private life and trans-
actions. A paper of that morning had revived a calumny
against him, respecting some transactions in the insol-
vent debtors' court, iu which he had been engaged some
time since. Now, he would say to the livery, that if
he did no other service while he was in the House of
Commons, he had succeeded in exposing that Court.—
lie had shewn that out of twenty millions of the money
of the citizens, which went through it, not one penny
came out of it in the shape of dividend. He had himself
succeeded in convincing the committee of the House of
Commons of this, anu procured a report (or a vote, we
do not know which), condemning the court, and had
occasioned the dismissal of the commissioner.—Under

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these circumstances it was no great wonder that the
calumny found its way into the world, and it was no
great wonder that it found its way from those individuals
through the paper alluded to. If it would gratify his
calumniators to know that they hail done him an essen-
tial injury they might have that satisfaction, for no man
who had been attacked as he had been could escape
private injury. The worthy Alderman animadverted
on the conduct and character of J. IL Sharp. the hotio•
rary secretary of the Constitutional Association, whom
he charged with being one of his greatest calumniators
Yet this was the man who was chosen as one of the
guardians of the public morals. Perhaps it was on the
principle of the old adage, that" an old smuggler makes
the best exciseman." In conclusion the worthy Alder.

man dared any one to examine into his character as a
tradesman in their own Ward ul Cheap, where he had
dealt to the amount of millions, and compare it with
that of the sterefg the association; ur even with that
of the treasurer. is speech excited great feeling in
the Hall.)
Sheriff WILLIAMS shortly returned dunks.
After some further proceedings the Hall separated.
The Lord Mayor, who for the first time presided, we
are sorry to say, appeared to have suffered greatly from
his recent indisposition.