The National Register.
London, England, 1821-03-12 00:00:00

No. 1,309.—V0L. XIV.]

ELECTION OF N 11) ERMAN
FOR BRIDGE WARD.

A wardinote was held nit Thursday in Pisloom) gem
Hall, it) consequence of the resigitatum of Sir M.
Bloxam, the late alderman of Bridge Ward, for the
porpose of electing a successor to the gown. lie Lord
It favor presided, accomoaired by the principal city
officers. Mr Holland, Mr.Casberd, and other council
were in array to protect the interest of the candidates.
The Lord las or opene I the business of the clay by a
prefatory exhortation to the comendiog parties to rest Pam
themselves as much as possible within the bounds of
.-noderation. His lordship expressed his sincere fi lend-
snip for both candidates, and hoped. that if in the
course of the contest any difficulties should arise, he
should lie able to decide with the impartiality ilia' be-
came the situation he then had the honour of holding.
Mr. TILL came forward to propose Mr. Garrat as a
candidate for the vacant gown, and in doing so, he apo-
logiz-d for the non-atteinlavce of \I r. Davison, the
oldest inhabitant of the ward, who had intended, if he
hail not heels prevented by indisposition, to have come
forward and put Mr. John G trrat, than whom he knew
no man more distinguished both fur his public and pri-
vate virtues, in nommation.
Mr. BERTRAM Said, it war with the greatest pleasure
that he seconded the nomination. He declared that it
was not with any party views that :Mr. Garrat came for-
ward, and he was ante that when a man of such emi-
nent private virtue was pot forward, the good sense of
the ward %%stolid not lose the opportunity of availing
themselves of toe offer of his services for their welfare,
its preference to those of a stranger to the ward.
Mr. I:LYING-Tex came forward to propose Mr. Sheriff
Williams as a candidate in fill the vacancy. lie knew
no man that was more fit than the worthy Sheriff was
to fill the situation of a magistrate, front his great know-
ledge of the cliuunul code, his acquaintance with the
state of our prisons, and his general knowledge of every
thing that was curinected with the welfare and good
order of the citizens and city at large.
Mr. PEWTERIS said, tl.at if a i..,00d private character
were the only qualification required to till the otlice of
an alcletitiall, or if the only interests to be protected by
their wpresentative were tnerely the local interests of the
wand, num might be some difficulty in deciding upon
the merits of the two candidates; but the influence of
the piddle character of an alderman not only extended
over the whole of the city, but over the whole of the
kingdom; it was therefore of vast importance that their
representative should be equally distinguished fur public
ability as inr private virtue. Mr. Garrat was not known
to them a, a public character, and indeed he had always
hitherto chosen rather to retire into his domestic circle
when called upon to till any public office, that) to step
forward into those stations which melt of affluence atm
leisure were expected to till for the benefit to those iv ho
had not such advantages. With respect to Mr. Sheriff
Williams, he had performed every office that he had
been requested to till, with zeal and ability, and had
given more than ordinary marks of his possessing a su-
perior 'Mod. His conduct had been such as to give
sensible men confidence that their hopes would not be
deceived :is tune to conie—(cries of Heir, hear)—.and
he had every qualification that age and experience could
give him, and they had a guarantee from iris pint con-
dile' that his future attendance to the ditties of the
if they should this k proper to elect hint to it, would be
such as lu insure the utmost measure of their approba-
tion. The speaker concholed by seconding the nomina-
tion of James Williams, Esq.
GARItAr then said, that in coming forward as a
candid:tie torsheir suffrages, to be a represAttative oldie
Ward in the Court of Aldtrittets, he should be careiul 01
snaking any ptootises, as lie had observed t those wilt)
tttt ised largely always performed the least. He offered
himself at the solicitaiums of a number of die most res-
retipeetalde iiihabnatus u: the Ward, He did riot put
himself forward. for lie Was iso lover of such situations,
out rather preferred
.domestie retaremeut ; but whets lie
found the Ward placed in the situation it had beets, he
he thought it a disgrace for them to goloa stranger to he
their representative, and did lon hesitate in coming for-
ward,—(Cries on hear l)--.With respect to the charge of
his not being a tried public min, lie would, say, that
a good private character, was an earliest of a good puiilic
our. For himself, lie really thought, that in toe elee. •
ul All Alderman his polities were a minor consideration.
But if he were elected to the office he should think it
his duty, 113 a niagistrate, to borrow the 101 g, and to
Support the laws. He was no polsticiati—he hatod the
name of politics—Lon he would say, that if lie were
chosen, he would supliort it, the Commou Council
retinal in Parliament. In COOCIOSiOII he said, he stood
up fur their privileges and independence, and that if he
were returned, lie would du his duty aithfully to his
constituents. If, on the contrary, which he would not
contemplate for a moment, their choice should tall o.p
his opponent, he would retire to the bosom of Ma family,
and nu event in his life after should ever induce him to
come forward to stand either for this Ward ur any other.
Toe speaker sat down amidst loud and coutitiord cheers.
Mr. Siterili 1$: tt. t. isms apologized ;o the W animate
that he cuutd nut adult:lslam ati lolly as he wished, on

MONDAY, MARCH le, 1821.

accouA of a severe indisposition under which he was
• then labouring. It was highly gratifying to hint even
to he thought worthy of being presented to the notice of
a Ward so respectable as that, as a candidate for so high
and serious an office. It wasgratifying also to hint that
no spirit of party rancour had as yet been displayed in
this contest, a spirit so odious to him, that however
he might be visited with it, he should never be prosoked
to return it. Whatever might he the result of thus con-
test, notlving should induce him to act otherwise than
as a fair, open, and liberal Englishman, as a gentleman
would do.—Hear, hear.—lf he hod any talents, they
were at their hest service, and lie ollifred himself on the
principles of liberality, of freedom, and the principles of
the. British constittitiou. The great charge against him
was his being what they chose to call an allen in the
Ward. But in Fatrinedon Ward they found no
intrtu-
venieuce from their Alderman, Sir C. Piice, living in
Bedford-square; but if a residence among them was tin-
' portant, he would put it to them whether a gentleman
who resided It) miles out of town was much worse oft
• than one who slept five miles out of town, and was in
town during the whole of the day, at no greater distance
front one extremity of the ward to another. Ile was
born in the very street lie was th-ii speaking in, and he
plenged himself as a ratan of 110:100 r, that if he were
elected, he would either become a resident amongl, huts
constimems, or resign his gown, which he would never
retain but with the goodwill of tote majority of the in-
‘ii.ibitants lbr he despised the man who would retain a
place tinder other circumstances. lie had been brought
up in the love of freedom, which would never diminish
with him ; but it tiid not follow on that occonnt that he
should not respect the existing authorities. It would be
Ins greatest boast hereafter, if he pitied the office, that
he bail more hearts with I hen, than he had when
he sva: chosen, .

I lie LOKI) MAYOR then put the candidates in 'mini-
uatioll, when nie choice of the Wald wt•a.s declared to
have fallen on Mr. Siterill \Villion's by a considerable
majority. A poll was demanded for both parties which
went on but slowly, as nearly the whole of die alternoun
was taken tap by long arguments between the counsel
the admissibility of vides. At four o'clock the poll
closed, and the numbers were declared as follows:
For AI r. Shea afi lVtlliatus 23—For Mr. Gorrat io—
4
At the close of the second day's poll the numbers
were—For Mr. Sheriff Williems 56—Mr. Garrat 48—
Majority 8
At the close of ihe poll on Slitirday the numbers were,
for Mr Garratt 87—Mr. Sherift Williams NI--
Majority 6.

FLOATING HOSPITAL FOR SICK st DISABLED
SEAMEN.

On Thursday a General Meeting vi(,)s held at the City
of London Tavern, Bishopsgale-street, for the purpose
of establishing a Permanent Floating Hospital on the
River Thames, for the reception of sick and diseased
seamen, (coutortriable to the recommendation of the
who were appoitated in the year 1818, for
the relief of Distressed Seamen.)
His Royal Highness Prince Leopold was to have
taken the Chair, but in coostiptenec of tile recent
affliction of their Royal Hightulses the I)uke and
Duchess of Clarence, on account or the demise of their
infant, Princess Elizabeth, was prevented attending.
In the atkeitce of his Royal Highiwss, the Lord Bishop
of Chester took the Chair, in the presence of as nu-
merous, and as respeceable an assemblage of persons as
we have witnessed for a length of tone. A great tiumber
of elegant females formed part of the conaratiy.
The Itsitop of Chester opened the proceedings in an
able an 11 . initatoons speech, iu which he regret:en the ale
since of his Royal Highness the Prince Leopold, under
the peculiar circumstances which detained him from
the Meeting. He caplaincil the object which the So-
ciety had in view.
S. Cocks, t. q. the Secretary to the I.l'li:wino, then
read the Report! Iron) whin i it appeared mai m die
year 1819, the Committee ot the Society our the relief
of distressed Seattavia, in consequence of the exhausted
state of their funds, determined upon re-modelling their
Society, and thought proper to iliscontiour the admis-
sion of seamen on board the recen tog ship, in order to
uring the establishment to a closv. Tue total amount
of the funds, at that period, was 10,1161. 9s. 6(1. of
which there remains in the nand: of the Tleasuer
(k 3s. Id. Tue whole number of seamen who have
been objects of the Charity, is 39 929, the greater part
whom have been provided with conlies and Sent to their
own country and homes, of which 1934 were sick,
wounded, &c. In the years 18. 19, and 20. 198.5
were admitted into the hospi al, 1081 were cured, 140
incurable or hot other reasons, 72 were sent to hospitals
or dispensaries, and 9:e died. Tile original object of the
institution was the -chef taithose houseless and distressed
seamen. who, in the winter of 17 and tB, were in great
ben its and about tile metropolis. This purpose
havtng heel, accomplished, and the extrusion of the
trade with the Nunh American Colonies having since
treat such as to aliord lull ensployineitt for able-hodied
seamen, the Sudety hatc, dlagini, OW last eighteen

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