The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-15 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday the first court since the holidays was held
`or the despatch of public business.

STEAM-BOAT ACCOMMODATION AT THE SOUTH-EASTERN
SIDE OF LONDON-BRIDGE.
Mr. DB JERSEY said he had to complain of two
breaches of privilege committed by the Lord Mayor ;
and when he bad made a short statement of facts, he
had no doubt that his lordship would be enabled to
offer such an explanation of his conduct as would be
satisfactory not only to him (Mr. De Jersey), but also
to the public at large. His attention was called a
short time ago to a report in the newspapers, from
which it appeared that a very large and influential body
of gentlemen, consisting of chairmen and directors of
steam-boat and railway and other companies, had waited
upon his lordship, at the Mansion-house, and repre-
sented the extreme necessity of his granting permission
for the erection of a temporary pier at the south-
eastern end of London-bridge. This was on the 3d
August, three days after the vacation had commenced.
The deputation assigned as a reason for the urgency of
their request the immense amount of traffic in the shape
of passengers who were expected to be disembarked
at the floating pier, on their road to the Crystal Palace,
although during the months of June and July double
the rinieber of persons had visited that building as coin,
pared with those proceeding there in August. The
deputation knew that it was the vacation of the court,
and that the law officers of the corporation were out of
town, and they, therefore, sought that opportunity of
making their application to his lordship. He (Mr. De
Jersey) bad no hesitation in saying that these gentlemen
made out a very strong case before his lordship, who
referred them to the navigation committee, who like-
' wise listened to their statements. But not succeeding
in this quarter, they again repaired to the Mansion-
house, and the Lord Mayor, after expressing his great
regret that the Court of Common Council, by reason of
its being holiday time, was not sitting, gave the steam-
boat company permission to erect a temporary platform
at the south-eastern end of the bridge, considering addi-
tional accommodation for passengers there landing a
matter of immediate necessity. An investigation had
taken place at the Southwark Police-court with refer-
ence to , the right to obstruct the river opposite the
stairs, in the course of which Mr. Haslewood, the chair-
man of one of the steam-boat companies, a very active
and influential gentleman, had stated that he had ob-
tained the sanction of the Lord Mayor to place the float-
ing-pier at the spot in question; and that he intended to
cause it to be put there. Now, a report had been made
by the law officers of the corporation, on the 13th of
July; by reference to which it would have been seen
that this was a measure which could not be recom-
mended, for reasons therein stated.
Mr. Cox—l rise to order. In a matter of this sort,
upon a question of privilege, I submit that it is the
bounden duty of the gentleman to state clearly and ex-
plicitly, in the first place, what the breach of privilege
of which he complains is. Having obtained your lord-
ship's ruling, or by the permission of the Court, the
right to treat the question as a breach of privilege, he
will then be entitled to go into the facts of the case. I
therefore ask your lordship to rule that it is necessary
that the Court should know at once what the specific
charge of breach of privilege is.
Mr. DE JERSEY said that the first breach of privilege
of which he complained was, that the Lord Mayor, in
the step which he had taken, had violated one of the rules
of the Court, which stated that no pier or landing place
could be erected within the jurisdiction of the corpora-
tin, as conservators of the river, without the permis-
sion of the navigation committee, and that it was to
be backed by the Lord Mayor before it could be acted
upon. On the 9th of March last the Court, after much
discussion and deliberation, had referred the matter in
dispute between Messrs. Fenning and the steam-boat
companies to the navigation and Bridge-house commit-
tees, to consider and report upon. The Lord Mayor
was a member of those committees, and yet, pending an
investigation to consider what steps should be taken, his
lordship had given permission for the erection of a pier,
a mere verbal authority, the rule of the corporation
being that leave granted for the placing a landing pier
on the river, within the limits of the jurisdiction of the
Court, should be expressed in writing. He (Mr. De
Jersey) should therefore move that the Lord Mayor had
committed two breaches of privilege.
The LORD MAYOR—Really I am at a great loss to
know the nature of the charge that has been brought
against me, and which I have been asked by Mr. De
Jersey to explain. (Hear.) The report to which he
has alluded explains all that I have done, and pretty
nearly all that I said to the deputation. On the day to
which he has alluded (August 3), I said to them, that,
as far as I legally could, I gave my individual sanction,
as Lord Mayor, for abating of a great public inconve-
nience, threatening the loss of life, as life already had
been lost in the instance of the brother of the late sheriff,
Mr. Pilcher. Besides this, I have been an observer not
only of the crowded state of London-bridge, but of the
frightful danger of crossing a thoroughfare so densely
thronged by foot passengers during the day. (Hear.) I
apprehend that when a deputation comes to any gentle-
man, whether the Lord Mayor or a member of this court,
or a Minister of State, that the least that can be done
is to treat them with courtesy, and make them such a
reply as candour and_ duty would- dictate. I told the
deputation I would approve of the step they were about
to take as tar as I could legally. (Bear.) If Mr. De
Jersey intends to deny this individual right to any
person, that he will approve of a step as far as he can
legally, he would deny the Lord May or of London that
which he, together with all his fellow-subjects, would
claim for themselves; (Hear.) All that I have done is
to join my opinion with that of the gentlemen who waited
on me, that there was an evil which required remedy-
ing, and I believe that I only assented to a course
agreed upon by this court, namely, that a temporary
platform should be erected under the bridge, in order to
make both sides of the bridge and the public stairs avail-
able for the landing of passengers. Within the last few
days 1 have paid a visit to London-bridge, and found
that the silt and mud remaining on the steps leading to
the water render it impossible to land passengers without
danger to life, and I am satisfied, from the slippery state
of the steps, that unless there is something like a good
temporary landing-place erected there, accidents must
inevitably happen. (Hear, hear.) Again, I say, I
know of no privilege whatever that I have intringed, and
if Mr. De Jersey has any real notion that I have done
so, and will embody his opinions in the shape of a mo-
tion, I will afford him the fullest opportunity of having
the subject discussed. (Hear.)
The matter then dropped.
Several reports were i eceived and ordered to be printed,
and the Court adjourned.