The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-05-25 00:00:00

: 4 • .
COURT OF COMMON couNer Lb
WRIMIRIMIAT, NAY RS.
"""••••••wams....--_
'MN HOLDRII pet 1114i0R of his intevitiau to
bierts.hotose Use Goat :the sublets of the *Woo of
right eredestry the Civend Jury to visit /he priesoof
.1 Maga.. ' He wee ewer* that the emitter being at
• prlaret "before the jodges, it would be indecorous
...tesiVec PP" a y reereilieK them; bet he thought
it right to give Notice of his inteetisavin water that
...m* astute atiorbt boodepteds sheuld the opi.
• -also if the teemed Judges prove unfavourable to
• the claim of right ; fee he thought it too important
Sto rest upon courtesy only. In what lie.had raid.
he dischomed the ides of casting any reflection on
thg Keeper of Neergete.
' After s few words from Mr. N. WILLIAMS sod
soother Member, the conv.eriation dropped.
On the motion of Alderemiu WAITKM AN, a Corn.
.mittee was appointed to inquire alto the state of
the Londou
ORPRAiir FUND.
The LORD MAYOR having informed the Court
that he had received from Sir W. Curtis a 11.rport
of the Court of Aldermen, respecting this Fund,
Which be wished to hare conansunicsted to the
Court, a long discussion arose es to the pmprtety
of receiving it, and it was ultimately agreed the
reeding mould be deferred till after Alder...
Weighingn had proposed his motion.
Aldermen WAITIIMAN then rose. and regretted
tbeabeenee of the worthy Baronet. He dischumed all
motives of • personal mature, and thought this was
the best mode of ensweriog those frequent reflec-
tions which bad been coot on the Corporation of
London, in the House of Commons end other
places, ns to the management of their affairs. The
worthy Alderman here entered upon a recispituli-
tioa of the history of the Orphans' Fond, from its
first commencement under the guardianship of the

Court of Aldermen, who acted as a court of record
for the care of the funds of orphan's, down to the
period when it had so far deviated (rein its original
purpose. that great sums for public improvements,
such as the builo.ing of Blackfriars-bridge, were
• trade chargeable on that fund. He observed, that
although a Committee of the House of Commons,
charged with inquiring into this subject, had re-
ported their entire satisfaction with the manner in
which the money so raised bad been expended. as
well as with the occurate mode in which the ac-
counts were kept. yet there was not in that Report
one word which related to the receivership, and
therefore their approbation could not be supposed
to preclude the present inquiry. The only ground
on which he could anticipate any objection to the
motion of which he had given notion was this, they
hod, in fact, nothing to do with it : that it was a
illation entirely resting with the Coate of Alder-
men, end that objection would be valid if the Court
of Aldermen had still continued to act as a court of
record. and as the guardiaas of the Orphan's Fund ;
brit when they were seen applying to Parliament
from time to time for 100,0001. or 150,0001.

for-b•ilding • bridge or • prison, he wooed
•ctt utend that these were corporate acts, and they
• ought to have • voice in the control •ud manage-
.. meat of that Fund on which such sums were

charged. The worthy Alderman now entered on a
review of the triode in which the collection of the

awl duties had been carried on, from the year
177 e, when an Alderman was first appointed to be
the collector, when the balances in band appeared
to be about 4,000!. down to the present time, when
those balances were increased to nearly 13,0001.
• The simple question, in his opinion, was, whether
it was right and proper there should be a receiver
of those duties, with a nominal salary of 1501.
a bra,, but retaining in his hands a balance of
11.700/. or whether some better and more mono.
to-col mode could not be devised fur carrying on
the business. He thought that such a mode could
he discovered ; the Court of Aldermen, on the
crotrery, tf ght the business was as well con.
allic,rd as it could hr, and here they were at issue.
lie knew that it would be said there was a petit
deal of t hie in the duties of the office of re.
(-river, but to this he had one short and simple
untarr, which woe, that the whole of this mighty
'footsie was uridertalteu and performed by a deputy
for 1001. I,er minim.
Tar Loco MAYOR suggested that there was
sod ,reiteity to he gives,.
Alderman WAITILMAN thanked his Lordship
for reminding him of the ri.k, which was 111 the
cuts usug i.tiotif., she amour,' one week's collet.-
inun, truin the office to the banking-house of the re.
cover ; but ,fit was sittfrerd to accumulate there to
the othi.oist of I 1 or lil,ooo/. they certainly must and
cbaght to give security for it, but it was nonsense
to talk of the risk. There was also the wine duty,
of %hutch another worthy Alderman was the collector :
he dill not nlettli to cast Oily reflection, but he could
not ere any grind erasion why this should not be open
to other Members of the Corporation. Mr. Waith.
mart concluded by saying that he could anticipate
so objectiou to his motion, except the want of jo.
nsdictiou; but even were that made out, the in-
quiry he coiled fur, as it could produce no harm,
ought to be granted. He therefore moved—
" That it be referred to the Committee el General Par.
poser fur them to impair* late the satire sad duties of the
/Ace of Collector amid Itecriver of the Orphan Does, sad
bletsie Duties sei Coals, with the stiewatme foe the collet-
:mu of the saw?, witli an accusal of all halation which
have brew retained in bin beads, mid the moaner is which
the said dues have bees paid iota the Chamber; and to eoa.
eider whether say better or more himefieial mode of collect-
. -tag the said den may be adopted, sad to report to this
Court."
" That kJ,' refereed to the said Committee to stoke the
like inquiry, mid to report nopeetiag the Orphaa Duty ea
Wise
Mr. SiNtist. Doxots wished to know from the
worthy Alderman. whether all these great improve.
moos of which lie had spoken -were not esoctioutd
by l'srhantrrit

Alderman ly..itTemax agreed that they had.
WlLMmea, of Smithfield, wooded the

motion.
Mr. S. Dixon mid, that from the speech of the
lion. Moser it appeared they were to inquire fee
st damper mode of periwining these detisr. but he
frmi to obeeme the cheapest was net *brays
the wisest coarse. It could net be inegieed that.
the Crum of Aldermen woetd be iallaileed by soy
' deeratia of that Court. and bad net only no ohjee-
~~jttenr but was armies* that the besieges eleesjil be
y toquired int, iu a Coeusities. I. 1111
•—blu.tisirentos sepsverted ibe
Ar. ;eine *wen it veingis.4•l
404

14 S le) U. r;

~~~

• `.
•