The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-27 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

A court of Common Council was held yesterday
at Guildhall ; the litht Hon. the Lord Mayor pre-
sided.

THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.

Mr. H. L. TAYLOR, the chairman of the Markets
Improvement Committee, brought up a report which
recommended that the corporation should sign a
deed authorising the sale of certain land, a portion
of the surplus at the eastern approach to the pro-
posed new meat and poultry market in Smithfield,
to the Metropolitan Railway Company for the sum
of 170,000, the amount to be paid by debentures of
the company, to bear interest at the rate of 5 per
cent., and to be repayable in five years, or in cash.
Mr. Taylor, in moving the adoption of the report,
said it was not customary to bring up a report upon
such a subject, but the committee felt that the sub-
ject was of PO much importance that they thought
it better to do so, and he expressed his opinion that
the course suggested by the committee would be
found advantageous to both parties. (Hear, hear.)
Deputy FARRER wished to know at whose option
the £70,000 were to be paid in cash or debentures ?
(Hear.)

Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said at the option of the com-
pany. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) If the com-
pany, after the act was passed authorising the pro-
ceeding, were in a position to pay the amount in
cash, which he was afraid, however, they would not
be, the corporation would, of course, only be too
happy to receive it. (Hear, hear.)
Deputy FARRER said he should be glad to be in-
formed whether the corporation would retain any
claim upon the land until it was paid for ? (Hear.)
Mr. TAYLOR said they would not. The only
security would be the debentures.
Mr. C. YOUNG observed that the railway c)m-
pany would have their land, and the corporation
would have pieces of paper in exchange. (Hear,
hear, and a laugh.)

Mr. ROWE said that the corporation had already
incurred very heavy liability with reference to this
railway, and he really thought the court ought to
know its exact position in the matter. He sug-
gested, therefore, that the report should be printed
and taken into consideration on a future day.

Mr. LAWLEY hoped there would be no further
delay. The railway company had hitherto acted in
the most honourable manner as regarded the cor-
poration, and he did not see why they should nut
continue to place confidence in them.
Mr. TAYLOR, in his reply, reminded the court
that he had originally opposed the proposition that
the corporation should connect itself with this rail-
way, but the majority were of a different opinion,
and as the corporation was now committed to the
scheme, their only course was to endeavour to make
it successful. (Hear.) He was free to confess that
he looked upon the prospects of the railway with a
much more favourable eye than he did formerly,
and he believed that what was now proposed was a
most beneficial arrangement, and that in the result
the corporation would have a noble approach to the
new market, without at al.l trenching upon their
own funds. (Hear, hear.)

The motion was then put and agreed to
THE LATE EARL CANNING.

Mr. Alderman SALOMONS brought forward the
motion of which he had given notice, " That by the
lamented decease of the Right Hon. the Earl Can-
ning, the late Governor-General of India, this court
is prevented from carrying into effect its unanimous
resolution of presenting the freedom of this City to
that distinguished nobleman ; and therefore avails
itself of the earliest opportunity of recording its
deep sense of the loss which the country has sus-
tained by the premature death of that able states-
man, whose wise administration of the government
of India at a period of great peril, and subsequent
measures of just and enlightened policy, concen-
trated the affections and advanced the general in-
terests and prosperity of all classes of the popula-
tion of that vast and important possession of the
British crown."

Mr. ROWE had also given notice of the following
motion :—" That a bust of the late Right Hon. the
Earl Canning be executed at an expense not ex-
ceeding 200 guineas, and placed within the Guild-
hall."

Alderman SALOMONS, in proposing the motion,
said it WAS one that required no preface from him,
as it spoke for itself. (Hear.) The country had
sustained a severe loss by the premature death of
this 'lamented nobleman, and this court was pre-
vented from carrying out its intention of presenting
to him the freedom of the city upon that platform,
and of enrolling his name among those eminent
men upon whom in former times the same honour
had been conferred. (Hear, hear.) All that re-
mained for them to do was to express the regret that
was felt by all at this untimely event, and he should
propose that the resolution which he was sure would
be agreed to unanimously should be copied and
transmitted to Lady Clanricarde, the surviving sis-
ter of the kceased noble lord, who was in constant
attendance upon him during his last illness. He
was aware that his friend Mr. Rowe had a motion
upon the subject, but it appeared to him that this
motion might be very well added to his own, and
that the two might be carried together. (Hear.)

Mr. ROWE said be had no objection to the course
that was suggested by Mr. Alderman Solomons,and
he seconded the motion, and he at the same time
observed that he felt assured the corporation of the
City of London would readily consent to hand down
to posterity a lasting testimony of its appreciation.
of the able manner is which Earl Canning had ad-
ministered the affairs of our Indian empire. (Cheers.)
The motion was then put and agreed to.
Mr. EDMONDS thought the sum of 200 guineas
was a paltry sum to be applied to such a purpose.
He considered £l,OOO at least ought to be expended.
(Oh oh, and laughter.)
Mr, ANDERTON said he really believed that some
of the members of that court'were mad. (Laughter.)
All that was required was that the corporation ot
London should erect a testimonial expressive of
their appreciation of the worth of the noble earl,
and 200 guineas was quite sufficient to expend for
that purpose. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said there could not be two
opinions as to the eminent abilities of the deceased
statesman, but the question to be considered was

the best mode for the corporation to express its

opinion upon the subject. It had been agreed that
this should be done by the placing a bust of the de-
ceased in the Guildhall, and 200 guineas, or even
less, was quite a sufficient sum to obtain such a
bust, and £l,OOO or any such sum was not at all
required.
The matter was then referred to the General
Purposes Committee to be put in execution.
Alderman SALOMONS next moved that a copy of
to
eresolution of the court should be transcribed
and signed by the Town Clerk, and transmitted
Lady
Clanricarde, the surviving sister of the de-
ceased, cud
newspapers!hat it should be advertised in the usual

BLACRFRIARS BRIDGE,
Mr. H. W. V.&LLANCE, the chairman of th:,
Bridge House Estates Committee, brought '-up a re-
port from that committee in rekrence to the pro
d new bridge. The rer,6rt was not read, but
A
itrecommended the eree,ci
rche s and was accor- on of a bridge of five
vanied by five plans for a
bridge, of that derAr 4.-
iption. It appeared that 13
engineers si}funitted plans, but only five were
a