The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-05 00:00:00

EVEN IN G ED ETION.

DIN.NER TO MR. HUMPHERY.

OS Titstraday the friends of Alderman Humphery, MP.,
resident in the ward of Aldgate, of which he is Magis-
trate, gave hint a very splendid entertainment at the
Albion Tavern, in Aldersgate-street, in commemoration
of the decision of the Judges on the contest for the
gown of Aldgate Ward.
Deputy GREEN in the Chair. •
The customary loyal toasts having been drunk,
The CHAIRMAN rose to propose the health of the
Alderman. It was not, he said, his intention to ad-
dress to those around him a lengthened and laudatory
speech upon the merits of their excellent friend.- He
rose to congratulate them upon the final settlement of
• a question which had been so long litigated, and the
uncertainty of which had occasioned considerable em-
barrassment and confusion in the Ward, and to call
their attention to the conduct of a gentleman who mani-
fested a strong disposition to forward the best interests
of the Ward, but whose exertions had hitherto been in
a great measure paralysed by the precarious tenure by
which he held the office.—(Cheers.) They were aware
that strife and *cord had been produced by the con-
test ; but he hoped and believed that if any little anger
or jealousy bad been kindled by the struggle for the
privilege of representing the Ward, it was all extin-
guished, and that the Alderman would receive the sup-
port from all the inhabitants which it was so necessary
be should possess to enable him to perform his
duties effectively, and with advantage to his fellow-
citizens and himself. It was his (the Chairman's) wish
that it should not be supposed they assembled in that
;own to celebrate a triumph.—( Cheers.) They met to
welcome the mate whom they supported is an honour-
able contest, who, they were convinced, was desirous of
perpetuating the good feelineaand kindness which hap-
pily prevailed in the Ward, and they were influenced by
Ithe most generous motives towards the antagonist party.
—s(Cheers.) The best way in which the Alderman
could show his sense of the efforts of his friends, in re-
spect of his claims, would be by carrying out the pro-
mises he had made oil the day of his election. He had
then pledged himself to receive his constituents with
courtesy upon all occasions, and to discharge the duties
of the office with fidelity. Hitherto the Alderman had
been most true to his pledge, and if he continued to
act as he had begun, no one would hesitate to guarantee
to him as large an amount of affection and popularity
as ever 'was enjoyed by any of his predecessors.—
(Cheers.) The company were aware that the Alderman
had promised to put into the hands of the Ward the
privileges to which, by virtue of his election, be was
entitled. The consequence was, that they now had four
boys in the noble fo4undation of Christ's Hospital,
through the liberal concession of their honourable and
excellent friend.—(Great cheering.)
The toast was drunk with three times three.
Alderman Husaramor rose, amidst loud acclama-
tions. He was sure they would believe him, when lie
said that he deeply felt their kindness. How could he
but deeply feel the marked respect and confidence with
which they had treated him.—(Cheers.) It was true,
as their Chairman had stated, that he has! been engaged
in a long contest. Nearly four years had elapsed since
he had been involved in that contest, and he believed
that he had cuntrived to act in such a manner in main-
taining his own privileges and the rights of the constitu-
ency, as excited no disrespect, as occasioned no offence
to any of his opponents.—(Cheers.) It was true that
, when he was called upon to offer himself as a eandi-
-1 date for the vacant chair of Aldgate, by a large number
t of the respectable inhabitants of the Ward, he believed
his success was certain, and he had no doubt that he
Iwould have been right in his conjecures if a respected
friend of his (Mr. Jones), had not stepped In at the
ninth hour, and diminished the numbers which would
have placed him high above Mr. Saioccions on the poll.
—(Cheers.) For that gentleman, he entertained the
highe,t respect, and he satisfactorily proved that fact
soon after the election with which Mr. Jones's unex-
pected appearance as a candidate interfered. The
company ail knew that the election terminated in
Mr. Salomon's &veer. When the hour arrived at
which he was to be sworn, and to undergo certain
forms before the Court of which he was chosen mem-
ber, he declined a compriance with the general practice.
It was not for him (Alclerman Humphery) to interfere.
Tie stated at once that he would not oppose Mr. Salo-
mons on religious grounds. He acted up to that decla-
ration, but the Court of Aldermen pronounced the elec-
tion void, and issued a fresii precept to the ward, who
thereupon sigued a requisition to him, and, upon his
1 consenting to become a candidate for their suffrages,
returned him as their Alderman. He was opposed by
Mr. Salomons, upon the principle that that gentleman
had been previously elected, and he had to defend his
seat, to which he had been unanimously chosen, from
his awn resources. The• moment he was sworn in, he
retained the Attorney-Gar:era), and his friend Sir Wil-
liam Follett, the two ablest lawyers at the.bar, to defend
the privileges of the Court of Aldermen.—(Cheers.)
He, however, was not lawyer enough to meet the inge-
nuity of the opposing solicitors,, for he had sent only the
retaining fee of one guinwa to Sir William Follett, and
they immediately afterwards assailed the Learned Coun-
sel with a special retainer of ten.—(Laughter.) The
cOnsequekee was, that he was deprived of the inestima-
ble serf ices of that gentleman. He took an opportunity
to expostulate upon the subject with Sir William Fol-
lett, who proposed that they should abide by the opi-
nion of Sergeant Wilda. He however knew perfectly
well that one lawyer would never advise another to re-
turn a fee under any circumstance—(Laughter)—and
be was obliged to put up with the loss. He had had
other difficulties to contend with. He applied to the
City Aldermen, and represented the circumstances nu-
; der which he was elected, for he thought it hard that
he should defray the expanse of supporting a great prin-
ciple which vitally concerned that body. They, how-
ever, refused to take any trouble about the matter. He
then proceeded unassisted. The Judges decided against
him in the Queen's Bench, Lord Denman asserting
that he had no right to the gown, and that the
Court ought to have sworn in Mr. Salomons. He
felt as the father of a family the responsibi-
lity of expending arse sum of money without the
certainty of ultimate success, and he proposed to one of
the legal advisers of Mr. Salomons, that each of the
conflicting parties should pay his own expenses. That
proposal, however, led to nothing but the exer-
cise of professional ingenuity, by , which he was
nearly beguiled by the time of moving for a writ
of error. The attempt however failed, and when
those who expected that all was right for them made
the next step—they found all was wrong,—(Laughter
and cheers.) Eleven Judges without, as was acknow-
ledged to him, ever having consulted with each other,
came down to the Exchequer and delivered opinions,
which they had written in their chambers, to the effect
that the decision of the Chief Justice of the King's
Bench was all in 'the wrong—that the writ of error was
right—thut the judgment of the Court of Aldermen was
right—and that the election to which he owed the
gown was right.—(Cheers.) The company were aware
that Mr. Salomons had written to the Lord Mayor,
stating that it was not his intention, to carry the con-
test further. They also knew that that gentleman had
written a letter to him, giving him very different sort
of information. Mr. Salomons had, however, since
written to him, stating that it was not his intention to
appeal to the House of Lords, and that the question
was therefore terminated.—(Cheers.) He entertained a
high respect for Mr. Salomons, he had vigorously con-
tended for a great principle—he, too, had contended
for an important principle, for he had been unani-

mously elected by the Ward, and he was de-

termined to assert that right for their sake and for the

sake of the corporate body, which he held in such high
veneration.—(Cheers.) He stated those facts to show
how dangerous it was for a great public body to leave
to an individual the defence of a valuable pjivilege,
which might have been prejudiced or lost by their dis-
inclination to resist invasion.—(Loud cheers.) The
principle had been now established, and would be re-
corded in the archives of the City of London. He
had been unanimously chosen by the Ward and by the
Judges of the land, and the case would stand as an
authority of great weight in other times. Alderman
Humphery then made more particular allusion to the
Ward. He felt, he said, the greatest pride in being
amongst the inhaioitants. He told them when he first
appeared amongst them that all the patronage of the
situation he had the honour to fill should be their own.
He knew that it ought to be theirs. Through them he
' had received the patronage he
possessed,' and as lone as
he continued to be their Alderman they should have
the disposal of all his presentations.—(Cheers.) The
Alderman concluded
interrupted by acelaraaathiios ns, by
speech which was frequently
again and again inform-
ing the company
of devoted attachment to the
and
Corporation in general, to the constituency of the
Ward in particular.
Here Mr. Hudson, the celebrated comic song writer
and singer, sung " We're allgardeners in country and
in town," which kept the tablepional troai,r.
Alderman HUMPHREY pro
se e health of the
Chairman, his Deputy. A Deputy
Was,
said, the
proper person to represent the Aldermeni in his
Ward,
his con-
vivial as well es in his official capacitylit.
and he was convinced' that the present cin he
able and inclined to carry out all their genlerZauns
and
convivial intentions, which the very name of Alderman
seemed to imply.—(A laugh.) He felt positively grate-
ful to the Chairman, who was one of the first who wished
him to stand for the situation.—(Cheers.)

The CHAIRMAN in returning thanks said, he really
thought that the official duties were quite enough fur
the Deputy to perform, and that the Aldermen ought
to take upon themselves the onerous duties of the con-
vivial board, which it was well known they were so
much better able to perform, than any person they could
depute to act for them in that capacity.—( A laugh.)
Amongst the other toasts which were given were
", Mr. Watkins and the Common Councilmen of the
Ward ; the Ward School and Mr. Geor:ire Brown, the
treasurer, and the other g, ntiemen atter.deti to the
education of the children."
Mr. SIMPiON, the deputy chairman to Alderman
HuillPhery, then after a warm panegyric upon Mr.
Salom,"'ns, his opponent in the contest ter the gown,
the health of that
proposeu gentleman, whom he was in