The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-21 00:00:00

CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
On Thursday, immediately after the termination of
the proceedings in the Court of Common Council, seve-
ral of the more influential of the members of the corpo-
ration assembled at the Mansion-house fur the purpose
of presenting to Mr. Richard Lambert Jones a testimo-
nial of their esteem for the exertions made by him is in-
troducing. into the city of London a variety of improve-
ments, by which the city has been improved, art encou-
raged, and health and commerce promoted.
The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor presided.
His
LORDSHIP, in taking the chair, 'remarked that he
did so with no small degree of pleasure. He well re-
membered the origin of the proposition for the presenta-
tion of some testimonial to Mr. Jones—a proposition
which was made some years ago; and now he (the
Lord Mayor) was glad to find that the proposal had
been so well carried out and so satisfactorily consum-
mated. A public meeting was convened at the Mansion-
house on the 9th day of June, 1846, to consider the pub-
lic services of Mr. Richard Lambert Jones, especially
connected with the improvement of the metropolis, when
it was unanimously resolved* that the eminent public
services rendered by that gentleman as a member of
the Court of Common Council, as chairman of the com-
mittee for rebuilding London-bridge and making suitable
approaches thereto; as chairman of the committee for
rebuilding the Royal Exchange; and as chairman of the
committee for effecting public improvements in the city,
deserve a suitable testimonial to record and perpetuate
the grateful sense entertained by the public and his
fellow-citizens of his disinterested and and laborious de-
votion in the discharge of such duties, whereby the in-
creasing commerce of this great city has been accommo-
dated, the merchants thereof provided with a splendid
edifice, and the comfort of the inhabitants and the salu-
brity of the city greatly improved. A su'oscription was
at once entered into, and a committee appointed to
carry out the objects of the meeting, which com-
mittee presented a report to a further general meet-
ing of the subscribers, held at the Mansion-house
on the 13th day of August, 1846, in which they re-
commended the three following propositions, as com-
bining the most ;likely and certain method of carry-
ing into effect the object of the subscribers :—First,
the erection of a marble bust of Mr. Jones; secondly,
the providing of a gold medal with a suitable inscription;
and, thirdly, the foundation of a fellowship in connexion
with one of the schools of the City, to be called " The
Jones Scholarship," leaving to Mr. Jones the nomina-
tion of the school. The foregoing propositions were
unanimously adopted, and the committee and trustees
authorised to take the proper steps for carrying the
same into effect, communicating the same to Mr. Jones.
Since then Mr. Jones had requested that the surplus of
the subscription might be invested and appropriated for
a " Lambert Jones Scholarship" in the City of London
School, and the sum of 7(101. had been cons& quently in-
vested in the Three per Cent. Consuls, in the name of
trustees for that purpose. It was his delightful duty to
present to Richard Lambert Jones, Esq., the gold medal
which he held in his hand, for his services in the pro-
motion of the improvement of the City. He trusted his
worthy friend would long live to enjoy the confidence of
all who thus had so generously acknowledged his ser-
vices, and that his conduct might induce many others to
imitate so noble an example.—(Cheers.)
Mr. JONES, in receiving the testimonial, said—My
Lord Mayor and gentlemen—No ono can more sincerely
and gratefully acknowledge than I wish to do, this great
mark of kindness to me on the part of my fellow citizens
who have thought me worthy of such a distinguished
honour, so feelingly conveyed to me by your Lordship.
This is a memorial, my Lord, of which any man might
feel proud.—(Hear, hear.) None, however, can feel
more so than I do at this moment, humble though I am.
—(Althdugh my labours as chairman of the city im-
provements have extended over a period of more than a
quarter of a century, and the superintendence over and
expenditure of nearly two millions of money, I will
challenge all the world to say truly that any act of mine
was for my own self-interest; and I must also state that
I consider the basis upon which all our improvements
take their rise is from the removal of Old London-bridge
and the construction of the new one in the place of it.
For that removal I can assure you I take no small degree
of credit. The fact is that at that time I consider
the corporation was not sincere until the Parliament in-
terposed.—(Hear. hear.) About this, however, I say
no more; but, my Lord, I hope I may be permitted to
state, with regard to the long period since the sub-
scription in this case was commenced, that it is not right
to suppose, as many may have done, that the delay has
been caused through the amounts not having been forth-
coming, as it is due to the sucscribers, and also to my-
self, that I should state that such was the spontaneous
feeling of my fellow citizens that the subscription was
completed within a few months of its commencement.
[Alderman Wire—A few weeks.—(Hear.)] In con-
clusion, I beg to state that as the corporation of London
have thought it right to establish a school for the edu-
cation of the children of the citizens of London, I con-
sidered that I could not do better than to appropriate
the remainder of the subscription for a perpetual scholar-
ship to that school in my name as a stimulus to those
scholars who are to be educated there.—(Cheers.) My
Lord and Gentlemen,—l beg to return you my sincere
thanks for the distinguished honour you have this day
conferred upon me.—(Loud cheers.)
Dr. MORTIMER, head master of the City of London
School, then said that he was desirous, with the per-
mission of his Lordship, the Lord Mayor, of returning
his sincere thanks to the worthy gentleman, Mr. Jones,
for his kindness in having furnished means for an ad-
ditional scholarship in the City of London School. He
could speak from experience as to the value of such
stimulants to exertion.—(Hear.) It was but a short
time since that a most distinguished man said in the
Merchants' Taylors' Hall that, for the position he then
held in society he was indebted to the assistance he
had received from that company.—(Hear, and cheers.)
In the case of the gift of Mr. Lambert Jones they would
have not merely the memorial of the name of so emi-
nent a man, but also the means of assisting youth of a
deserving character.—(Hear.) During the last twelve
years, through the liberality of the citizens of London
and other gentlemen, the City of London School had
become possessed of four scholarships for the University
of Cambridge, and five for Oxford and other places.
These had been filled up, and it was most grati-
fying for him to state that the yonug men who
had obtained them had since rapidly risen at
the University. The young man who had gained the
Times scholarship (the foundation of which was so noble
on the part of the proprietors of that journal, it having
arisen from the appropriation of subscriptions made to
them, as were the present sums towards furnishing a
memorial to the honour of Mr. Jones)—he who had
gained that scholarship was speedily elevated to the po-
sition of fifth wrangler, since then he had been made a
fellow and a tutor, and now he was taking the conduct
of one of the most distinguished proctorships in the col-
lege.—(Cheers.) The youth also who had gained the
first Salomans scholarship was now the head master of
large school at Burton-upon-Trent, with 4501. a year sa-
lary; and the " Beaufoy boys " were rapidly rising.—
(Cheers.) He (Dr. Mortimer) hoped that the Jones
scholarship would be equally successful and useful to the
rising generation.—(Hear.)
Mr. RICHARD LAMBERT JONES then proposed a vote
of thanks to the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor for his
kindness in presiding over the meeting.
This proposition having been seconded by Alderman
WIRE, was carried unanimously.

HIS 'LORDSHIP shortly returned thanks, and the pro
ceeciings terminated.