The Sun.
London, England, 1839-12-21 00:00:00

PRICE sd.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a Court was held for the purpose of clear-
ing the paper of business preparatory to the elections
on St. Thomas's day. Two notices stood for discussion
—a vote of tbanks*to Sir Thomas Phillips, late Mayor
cf Newport, and a vote of thanks, with the freedom of
the city in a' gold box, value 100 guineas, to Lord
Seaton, in consideration of his services in Canada.
The last, it will be seen, did not come on, and the other
was postponed.
IMPROVEMENT OF HOLBORN HILL.
Mr. LOTT strongly called the attention of the Court
to the necessity of improving the narrow and crowded
vicinity of Watling-street.

The Report of the Committee appointed to carry
into execution the Act of Parliament, for making a new
street from Holborn-bridge towards Clerkenwell-green,
to whom it was referred to consider the respective plans
of Messrs. Turner and Moon, Mr. Richard Tucker,
Mr. Francis Whishaw; Mr. W. F. Pocock, and Messrs.
Barnard and Geary, for effecting various improvements
in the vicinity of Holborn-bridge, was brought up.
The following arc the heads of the Report, which, as
it refers to an improvement of great magnitude, is of
considerable importance :
The Committee proceeded to take the plans into
consideration, and were attended by several of the par-
ties, who produced their respective plans and -models.
The plan of Messrs. Turner and Moon contemplated
the formation of tt road upon niches on the west side of
Holborn-hill, comnieiC,Tng at Sea Coal-lane, and termi-
nating 20 yards beyond Thavin' Inn, the footpath to
be 8 and the carriage way,,26 feet wide, to be 35 feet
wide, and to have two flights of steps leading there-
from into Farringdon-street. the expense of which road
they estimated at 167,0001., subject to a reduction of
52,0004 on a calculated annual rental of 3,4601., making
the net estimated cost of the improvement 115,0001.
Mr. Tucker, by his plan, proposed the erection of a
bridge 20 feet high from Holborn-hill to Snow-hill, and
the removal of the existing shop fronts to the elevation
of the first floors of the houses at the lower end of
Skinner-street, and sonic of those that will not be taken
down in Holborn-hill, whereby the descent from Fetter-
lane to the centre of the bridge would be reduced from
nearly 38 to 17 feet.

The first plan, as proposed by. Mr. Whishaw, was by
the formation of a viaduct, or street upon arches, ex-
tending from Holborn-bill to the Old Bailey ; but he
represented that he had since considered the subject
more fully, and had proposed a preferable line by the
formation of a viadict in a straight line from the north-
east corner of the Old Bailey to the north-east corner
of Fetter-lane. That the expense of the first plan, in-
cluding 18,233/. for the requisite alterations in Far-
ringdoa-market, was estimated at 141;138/., and the
expense of the latter at about 1,800/. less.

• That the plan of Mr. Pocock proposed to take down
the housos at the bottom part of Holborn-bill, and to
rebuild and set them back to such a diStance as to allow
of a double' carriage way between thetn. The 'one On
the north side to be 45 feet wide,':and to keep up
the present inclination of the ground, the other on the
south side to be 50 feet wide, and to be carried level
from opposite Ely-place to the middle of Skinner-street,
with an opening or archway 18 feet 'in' height for.pas-
sengers underneath, between Farringdon,street and the
new-street, or to Holborn•hill or SnOw-hill, the level
way to be supported by granite pillars over the end of
Farringdon-street, and on either side by arches forming
warehouses or shops: That the expense at Holborn-
bridge was estimated ut 9,648/. ; the requisite raising of
Skinner-itreet, 4,7861. ; and Holborn-bill 5,226/., being
all exclusive of compensations.
By the plan •of Messrs.. Barnard and Geary it was
proposed to, form a level road extending from Hatton-
garden to Snowhill, without interfering with the present
line of road, beyond groatly improving by widening it.
They bad originally intended to apply to Parliament for
powers to effect this measureibut they were not yet in
a situation to go on with their application, as it was
proposed to be done by a Company, and the expense
was estimated at 220,0001.

In addition to the foregoing, Mr. John Ross sub-
mitted a plan of a new street. from Bartlett's-buildings
to the Old Bailey, opposite Nevvgate-street, the expense
of which was estimated at 300,0001.
Mr. Richard Taylor, one, of the members of the
Committee, submitted a .sketch for the formation of a
viaduct to the northward of Holborn-hill, extending
from Sainner-street to Hattonlarden.
The Committee of-opinion, without reporting..
specially upon the relative merits of the plans, that it
was highly desirable that an improvement should be ef-
fected, for the purpose of avoiding the acclivities of
Holborn-bill and Snow-hill, which they were of opinion
could be best done by the means of a viaduct in the
present line of those streets ; at the same time they did
not feel themselves justified in recommending- the Court
to make any application to Parliament at least for the
present._

The Report was ordered to be printed.
Mr. HARTLEY had a notice of motion on the paper
as follows :—" That the freedom of this City be pre-
sented to Sir Thomas Phillips, Knight, late Mayor of
Newport, as a testimony of the high sense this Court
entertains of the firmness, discretion, and deliberation
displayed by him on the late occasion of the attack made
by a rebellious mob on the town of Newport, by which
the town and neighbourhood were rescued from destruc-
tion, and the inhabitants from bloodshed." He said it had
been suggested to him that, because a Special Commission
was now sitting for the trial of persons whose case would
be involved in his motion, that was not a proper time for
its consideration. He had not intended to touch upon
the case of those individuals. He would now, however,
withdraw or postpone it as the Court pleased.
Sir M. WOOD said it was a bad compliment to Sir
Thomas Phillips to have the notice upon the paper for
two or three days, and now again postpone it without
any good reason.

LAWRANCE asked whether it would he fair to
the parties who were to be put on trial for life, that that
Court should express an opinion upon the conduct of
the Mayor, which must necessarily involve the case of
all connected with the transactions.

Sir W. HEYGATE had intended to second the motion.
—(Uproar.)
_ -

the Loap MAYOR said the mover had withdrawn
the motion, consequently there was no motion before the
chair.
Amidst considerable confusion Mr. WHEELER moved
that Mr. Hartley have leave to withdraw the motion.
Sir W. HEYGATE said he was now quite in order,
and it was a pity that the time of the Court had been
so taken up with confusion, which might all have been
avoided had they heard one sentence from him. He
was to have seconded the motion, which he would have
done with pleasure, not only from his personal know-
ledge of Sir T. Phillips, but also from his conviction
that his conduct deserved the thanks of the Court,
and because the question was not in any way political.
He did not think it would at all affect the trials of any
one of the parties, but he had no objection to the
postponement of the motion so long as the true motive
was understood—that the public knew it was from no
disrespect to Sir Thomas Phillips, but from a feeling of
delicacy towards the persons under trial.
The motion was then withdrawn.

Mr PEWTRESS then rose to mov2, " That it be re-
ferred to a Committee to consider the present mode of
appointing Members upon the Standing and other Com-
mittees of this Court, and to report their opinion
whether any and what alteration it may be expedient to
make therein, so as to equalize the labours of the seve-
ral Members of this Court in the said Committees."
He said out of the 240 Members constituting the Court,
from the present manner in which Committees were
coastituted, one part of the Members were overwhelmed
with business, while the others were almost unacquainted
with the practical working of Committees. There were
12 wards in the City, returning 72 members to the
Conrt, while 13 wards returned no less than 163—the
members representing the former wards were on almost
every Standing Committee of the Court, while the lat-
ter, in many cases, were never on one of them. There
were two wards returning four members each, who
were on every Committee ; and it would be found that
many of them never attended some of the Com-
mittees upon,which they were named ; in fact it was
out of their power to attend, to the duties of eighteen
Committees.

Mr. LOTT seconded the motion, which was supported
by Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Jupp, and carried.
Mr. WIRE was then called upon. He said it was his
wish to postpone his motion till another day.—(Cries of
No, 'no ; go on.") If it was the wish of the Court,
be would proceed.—( Hear, hear.) • His motion was,
" That, after the year 1840, the practice of printing
sermons preached before the Lord Mayor and
the Corporation, at the expense of this City, be
discontinued';" and in offering it to the Court, he would
occupy their time as shortly as possible. The practice
originated in times when the Church was truly wedded
with the State, when the Church included all classes
of persons ; in fact, when there was but one class
of religionists in the country, when there was not
that difference of opinion which bad led to those
unpleasant discussions which had been witnessed
in that Court of late years. The repeal of
the Test and Corporation Acts which had allowed him
and other Dissenters to join the Corporation, set all
upon.a level, and showed the intentions of the Legisla-
ture to be that no one was to be excluded from any
corporate privileges by reason of their dissent. There
were in that Court many gentlemen who differed from
the Established Church, some in doctrine, seine in
discipline, and others in both ; and looking at that he
thought it was not fair that the practice should be con-
tinued. Suppose a gentleman was appointed by the