The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-01 00:00:00

CITY OF LONDON COMMISSION.

The Royal Commissioners re-assembled yesterday, in the
offices of the Treasury, Downing-street, and resumed their
investigation into the state of the City corporation, Com-
missioners present : Right Hon. Mr. Labouchere (the chair-
man) and Mr. Cornewall Lewis.
The first witness called at this sitting was—
Captain F. Bullock, R.N., who stated that he had been
employed by the Board of Admiralty to survey the rivers
Thames and Medway, and held that appointment from the
year 1830 to 1853. I re-surveyed the Medway on account
of certain representations which had been made to the Ad-
miralty by Mr. Gooden.
The Chairman—What is your opinion of the condition
of the Thames ?

Captain Bullock—l have no data by which to compare
what its state is with what it was.

The Chairman—Have you any means of knowing whether
the duties of conservancy have or have not been efficiently
discharged ?
Captain Bullock—l do not know what are the duties of
the corporation, and therefore cannot give an opinion.
Mr. C. Lewis—Can you describe the actual state, of the
river with respect to the navigation ?
Captain Bullock—There are many shoals in the river
which have not been removed, and which cause an obstruc-
tion to the navigation, if that is the object of yip= ques-
tion. Having been called before a previous committee, I
understood that the City had no power to remove the
shoals ; and I must say that more has been done for the
river by the City in this generation than has been done
before, because I was certainly employed under the direc-
tion of the solicitor of the corporation to report on the best
means of improving the River Thames. I accordi ugly ex-
amined the river in 1842 with Mr. Walker, and. I now
hand in a copy of my report.
The Chairman—Do yon know if the recommendetions of
of your report were carried out?
Captain Bullock—They were not, and for this reason. A
bill was introduced into Parliament in 1845-6 for the pur-
pose of carrying out my recommendations, but the ?measure
was opposed and thrown out. .
The Chairman—Could norn of theirecolimendations be
carried out without an act of Parliament?

Captain Bullock—l believe the City had not the power,
nor would the Trinity Board have allowed the shoals to be
removed, because they claim the material of which they
are composed for ballast. The Admiralty alone have
power to remove the shoals, and I do not know but that
it would have opposed the work.
The Chairman—Do you mean that it is a matter .0f dis.
pute with whom the duty lies of removing the she near
the port of London ?
Captain Bullock—Certainly. There is no comparison
between the state of the river Thames and the tiedway.
The Thames has been embanked throughout its comae from
time immemorial, and protected by acts of Parliament ;
but the Medway, on the contrary, runs between marshes,
and the land on these marshes is gradually being towered
more and more every year.
Mr. C. Lewis—Are there no traces of there ever having
been an embankment of the Medway ?
Captain Bullock—Yes ; but now it is all broken down,
and the cost of repairing it would be enormous.
The Chairman—ls the navigation of the Medway gra-
dually becoming worse ?
Captain Bullock—Oh, no ; the navigation is perfect.
We have found no fault with it for some years; 'but it is
on the banks and the unprotected marsh lands that the
injury has been done. These marsh lands are private
property. I have no particular knowledge on the sub-
ject of the signal lights which the Admiralty and the cor-
poration of London require steam-vessels to display on the
river Thames.

The witness then withdrew.
Mr. Frederick Whistler, wine importer, Size-lane, Buck-
lersbnry, said that he had carried on business in that
neighbourhood for forty-six years, and was a freeman and
liveryman of the Merchant Tailors' Company. He had
often been requested to become a Common Councilman,
and an alderman's gown had been offered to him, but
he had never been able to spare time to undertake the
office.

The Chairman—Are there any points connected with
your trade on which you wish to speak of the conduct of
the corporation ?
Whistler—l hardly think there are. There are cer-
tainly what are called the orphans' dues, amounting to
2s. 4d. on every pipe of wine, levied by the corporation,
and to which I make no objection, but it is one of the
sources of the City revenue as well as the metage which
has been so often referred to. This metage on a small
package sometimes amounts to 2d., and when I once ap-
plied to the City Solicitor to know if there was any tariff
for the guidance of the meters, I was referred by him to
the meter. The meter told me that there was only an old
Act of James 11., and said that, as the coasting trade had
to pay 2d. for every sack of potatoes, ho did not think the
importers of foreign goods had any right to complain of
the metage levied from them. I come here with a desire
that the City Corporation may have justice done to it,
differing with many witnesses who have preceded me, but
who I have no doubt stated their own sincere convictions.
I think it would be a great injustice to sweep away the
rights and in_inunities of the City. Great reform is, no
doubt, wanted. Improvement in the City goes on at a
very slow pace. Another bridge is particularly necessary
at present, and if the corporation does not come to a de-
cision on that point soon the traffic—which has for a long
time been over-crowded—will be brought to a total stand-
still. I wish to bear testimony to the excellent arrange-
ments of the present City police force. Under the system
of the old watchmen I used to pay 10/. per annum, but
under the present night and day police—which is a most
effective force—the cost is reduced to 51. There are no
shoals in the river Thames which ought to be particularly
complained of. There is one at Limenouse Reach, where
the bank runs far into the river; but the City, a few
years ago, instead of allowing a fleet of colliers to remain
close together, had them distributed into twos and threes,
and there is a very free navigation now. With r
itsegard to
the General Steam Navigation Company, it runs large
ships sometimes even at low water ; but it ought not to
expect to be able to bring up its heavy ships when the
tide is so low. I think the regulation of the City requir-
ing ships to have a light at the bowsprit beads is very com-
mendable, as the Admiralty only orders lights to be placed
on the paddle-wheels and at the mast-head. Therefore I
only regret that the City has not prosecuted, in order to
enforce its regulation.
The Chairman—You are not a ship owner yourself, are
you ?
Mr. Whistler—No, but I have a good deal to do with
shipping. Complaints have been made that there are not
sufficient lightermen or enough small craft in the river for
unloading, but the fact is that there are upwards of 6,000
licensed and qualified men who have served their time on
the water, and they are able to steer the craft. It is ne-
cessary that these men should know the currents and
shoals, and the general course of the river, and I believe it
is understood at Lloyd's that if loss arises through their
ignorance, the underwriters are not liable for it. With
respect to the City magistracy, I have never heard of a
complaint against the manner in which the aldermen exer-
cise their judicial functions during the whole 46 years I
have lived in the City. Their fitness as magistrates has
been eulogised by the highest judges of the land. With
all respect to the country justices, they could not be com-
pared with aldermen who had resided for years in London.
At the same time, aldermen being elected for life, if their
private affairs fell into a dilapidated condition, they re-
mained magistrates, dispensing justice to their fellow men
when they might themselves be under the lash of the
law. Great complaints are made that there is not a higher
class of persons in the Common Council, and it is to be la-
mented that the fact is so. At the same time, there are
many tradesmen there who, although not so wealthy as
some of the great merchants, yet are equally respectable ;
and the freedom of the City being obtainable at a mere
nominal expense, it is surprising that the great merchants
have not paid so small a sum, and rendered themselves
eligible for the Common Council. However, they do not
take that course, and as it is desirable that the corporation
should contain an admixture of members from different
positions in life, there is hardly any other mode of attain-
ing that end than by abolishing the system of taking up the
freedom, and assimilating the municipal franchise to the
parliamentary. Then, if those gentlemen who now com-
plain of the Lord -Mayor's show happened to be elected,