The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-01 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a meeting of the Common Council was
held at Guildhall, Alderman Copeland, M.P., pre-
siding. On taking the chair he said he had the plea-
sure to receive a communication from the Lady
Mayoress, stating that the health of the Lord Mayor
had very much improved. The meeting was for
some time engaged in considering certain proposals
for repairing, altering, and improving the Guildhall
and the adjacent law courts on an extensive scale and
at an estimated cost of upwards of £27,000 in the
whole. It had been referred to the City lands com-
mittee to consider the propriety of removing the pre-
sent roof from the Guildhall, and replacing it by an
open roof, in accordance with the architecture of
the building, and yesterday Mr. Kelday, the chair-
man of the committee, presented a report from them
upon the subject. They stated that Mr. Bunning,
the City architect, had given it as his opinion that
it would be desirable to remove the present roof
and ceiling in Guildhall, which would necessarily in-
volve the substitution of Gothic windows in lieu of
the 16 Roman windows on the north and south
sides of the hall ; and he estimated the cost of
the new roof, with the 16 windows, in Portland
stone, at about £lB,OOO. He also recommended the
repairing of the hall and porch, together with the
cleansing and repairing the eastern and western
windows of the Gothic tracery throughout, the cost
of which he estimated at the sum of £2,500_ The
stone front of the hall, being in a defective and
crippled state, would require a considerable sum to
repair it; but not being in character with the hall
itself he had prepared a design for rebuilding the
front, using the old stone as far as practicable, at a
cost of about 11,500. The expense of adapting cer-
tain parts of the rooms connected with the hall, for
the purpose of the library, and which he conceived
to be necessary, would be about £2,3000 ; while the
cleansing, repairing, and painting the various law
courts, offices, and other parts of the building would
cost £2,400.

The subject gave rise to a short discussion, which
resulted in the court, on the motion of Mr. KELDAY,
sanctioning the various works suggested by the
architect, with the exception of the proposal for
paving the hall and porch, which was referred back
to the committee for further consideration; and it
was left to the coal, corn, and finance committee to
provide the funds for defraying the proposed ex-
penditure.

A report of the police committee was brought up
by Deputy Lott, their chairman, on the reference to
them to consider the propriety of making applica-
tion to Parliament to confer additional powers on
the magistrates for regulating the traffic within the
city of London. The matter led to a brief discussion,
and was then adjourned for further consideration.
On the motion of Mr. LAWLEY, in the absence
from indisposition of Mr. John Young, who had
given notice of it, the court, desiring to express its
deep sympathy with the distress in the cotton
manufacturing districts, unanimously voted a sum
of £l,OOO towards its relief.

Mr. N. R. Phillips and Mr. Richardson spoke in
favour of the motion.

Mr. DE JERSEY suggested that it be paid in in-
stalments of £2OO a month, but the court preferred
to leave the disposal of the money to the unfettered
discretion of the Lord Mayor's committee, in whom
they had complete confidence.
Mr. ALDERMAN HALE presented a petition from
the East London Weavers' Aid Association for
assisting Emigration to the Colonies for a grant of
money. It was referred for consideration to the
coal, corn, and finance committee.

After transacting other business of little public
nterest the court adjourned.

Great alarm was occasioned the day before yes-
terday at Antwerp from the whole of the soldiers occupying
the guard-house in tha Marche-aux-Grains, including the
sergeant, who commanded them, being in a state of drunk-
enness, and acting in a most outrageous manner towards
40Passers-by. The sentinel was forced by the sergeant,
pasßin as fiourishing his sword, to prevent the pubic from
' sad when the excitement caused had collected an
assemblege pi
Several of the
geant ranged some hundreds before the place, the
Irt even it is said ordered them to load.
ser-
their bayonet:: a men in a line, and caused them to level
confined in the glB ?dere were seized by :he soldiers and
aZiactise. At length, after these ex-
cesses had lasted
moved, and quiet restoLtirs, the whole guard was re-
The steam despatehAtt quarter.
Marseilles suddenly a few day. tt Brandon, which left
of Civita-Vecchia, has returned tit:l,'tto cruise in t
rings he waters
°lllO7l. She bro
news of interest.