The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-15 00:00:00

THE CITY GAOLS.

The Sheriffs presented their report upon the con-
dition of the City prisons, by which it appeared
that there are at present confined in Nc wgate,

112; in Whitecross-street, 99; and at Holloway,
372 prisoners.
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY said it had;been rumoured
that Whitecross-street prison was not in a satis-
factory condition, and that the sheriffs had experi-
enced some difficulty with regard to the appoint-
ment of a chief officer, and he should be glad if
these gentlemen would afford him and the Court
some information upon the subject.
The LORD MAYOR said that the same subject had
been brought to his notice, and he considered that
it was of so much importanea that he intended to
have proposed that it should be referred to the Gaol
Committee, and that they should consult the law
officers of the corporation as to the course that it
was desirable to adopt under existing circumstances
with reference to this prison.
Alderman WILSON observed that the fact was,
that there was at present no governor of Whitecross-
street prison.

Alderman COPELAND said he could not allow the
statement that had just been made to go forth to
act of Parlia-
e appointed,
the public uncontradicted. All the
men t required was that a keeper should b
required
setqruaitreesdofo
ft htehceimty of London had done
making
such an
appointment, and all they had done had been sanc-
tioned by the Secretary of State. (fear.)
The matter was eventually referred to the Gaol
Committee, for them to examine and report.
CITY BROKERS.

The following gentlemen were sworn to the
office cf a broker for the city of Loudon :—_Mr,
Charles Morgan Dutton, Mr. John Henry Moses,
and Mr. Edward Tiernan. Mr. Joseph Tucker
was discharged from the office of a broker, upon his
own application.
LORD MAYOR'S DAY.
The next business before the Court was to make
an order for the issuing of the usual precepts to the
ward beadles and ethers for Lord Mayor's Day.
theirprnt preceptsform ;
Aldermen WILSON said he should not oppose the
issuing
present of these
theyhnt itw appearedwere
rog
n o tb n to him
thatbut

nonsense, and quite unsuited to the present en-
lightened times, and that the terms of them should
be altered. The attention of the Court was then
called to the form of the precept sent to the ward
beadles, which was read, and caused a good deal of
amusement. It recited that by the provisions of au
act of Parliament passed in the reign of William
111., they were upon Lord Mayor's Day to go dili-
gently from house to house in their several wards,
and take care that no squibs, or serpents, or
crackers, or other fireworks were made, and that
they should not permit any such to be discharged
in the streets. They were also enjoined to request
the inhabitants to decorate their houses and bal-
conies with flags and banners, and likewise to take
care that the scavengers kept the streets through
which the procession passed clean and in good
order. He said that at the present day all these
things were perfectly unnecessary, and in fact the
precepts were neither more nor less than nonsense,
calculated only to produce laughter and ridicule.
He should, therefore, move that before the pre-
cepts were issued they should be referred to a com-
mittee to alter the form in which they were
worded, and render them more in accordance
with the feelings of the present times.
The motion was agreed to.
STORING OF PETROLEUM.

The General Purposes Committee brought up a
report in reference to an application that had been
made by Mr. George Hawkins for a licence for
stL ring benzole, the product of petroleum.

The report stated that the committee had con-
ferred with the law officers of the Corporation upon
the subject, and they had resolved upon granting a
licence for six months only.
Some private business was subsequently discussed
with closed doors, and the Court then adjourned.