The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-15 00:00:00

CO VOION COUNCIL.

Yesterday a Court of Common Council was held
at Guildhall, the Lord Mayor presiding, to receive
a second communication from her Majesty's Com-
missioners for the International Exhibition, touch-
ing the attendance of the corporation at the opening
ceremonial on the Ist of May. In the first invita-
tion addressed by the Commissioners a few days ago
to the corporation, through the Lord Mayor, they
were described as the " Aldermen, officers, and
common councilmen." By a narrow majority of the
Court, on a division after a discussion on Friday
last, this was held to be disrespectful to the coun-
cilmen, in that the officers of the corporation were
placed before them in the category of invited citizens,
and it was contended by Mr. H. L. Taylor that no
invitation to the corporation to take part in the
pageant would be acceptable which was not addressed
to the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Coun-
cil, that being their corporate style and title. In
that state of feeling the Court broke up on Friday,
and the difficulty was afterwards brought privately
under the notice of the Royal Commissioners, the
result being that they sent a second letter to the
Lord Mayor, which was read at the meeting yester-
day. It was to the effect that, should it be the inten-
tion of his lordship, the aldermen, the recorder, and
the members of the Common Council, or any of
them, to be present at the opening ceremony, her
Majesty's Commissioners would have great pleasure
in reserving seats for such of them as (being holders
of season-tickets) should notify their intention to
attend before the 17th, and that a seat would be
reserved for one lady, being also a season-ticket
holder, to accompany each gentleman who signified
his intention to be present. Upon this Mr. H. L.
Taylor moved that the letter of the Commissioners
be acknowledged by the Town-clerk, entered on the
journals, printed in the minutes of proceedings, and
sent to each member of the Court. He contrasted
the tone and terms of the Commissioners' first invi-
tation, which a majority of the Court had refused,
with the courteous communication which Earl
Granville and the rest of Commissioners for the
Exhibition of 1851 addressed to the corporation on
that occasion. The motion, after being seconded
by Mr. Snelling, was put and carried, Mr. De
Jersey objecting to it in point of form. Then, at the
instance of Mr. H. L. Taylor, the Court unani-
mously resolved to accept the Commissioners' invi-
tation, and a committee, consisting of Alderman
Wilson and Challis and five of the councilmen, was
appointed to make the necessary arrangements for
the attendance of the corporation at the ceremonial.
The Commissioners had in the first instance cour-
teously included 12 of the officers of the corporation
in their invitation, but it will have been perceived
that the second invitation, consequent upon the
objection taken to the former one on a point of form,
does not extend to them, and the effect will be to
exclude from the pageant, so far as the corporation
will take part in it, gentlemen like the Common
Sergeant, the Chamberlain, the Town-clerk, the
Remembrancer, the Controller, and the City solici-
tor, all of whom on public occasions wear a civic
costume, the robe of the Chamberlain being remark-
ably handsome, and most, if not all of whom, join
in the municipal ceremonies and processions.