The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-16 00:00:00

MUNICIPAL REFORM I
N THE CITY OF
LONDON.

Last night an adjourned public meeting of the mem-
bers of the City of London Municipal Reform Associa-
tion was held at Farringdon-hall, ; Mr.
Frederick Weightman in the chair. Mr. James Acland
read the minutes of the original meeting, at which the
career of the association was initiated for the purposes of
attaining civil equality and the enjoyment of the full ad-
vantages of local self-government, by a modification of
the existing corporate system and the extension of cor-
porats rights and privileges to all rated for municipal
purposes, of representing and advocating the opinions
and wishes of the members before the royal commission
about to sit on the present state of the corporation, of
collecting and arranging evidence in proof of the alleged
unjust and onerous effects of the existing system, and of
vigorously defending those who may be prosecuted by
the municipal authorities for not taking up their freedom.
The minutes having been confirmed, Mr. Acland in-
formed the meeting that in the interval which had
elapsed since the last meeting, 265 occupiers had en-
rolled themselves as members, making an aggregate
of 1,029 members. The present small body of mem-
bers was in part, he thought, owing to the season,
as it was impossible to keep the more important
merchants in town to attend evening meetings. Con-
sidering, then, the number of electors not freemen,
and the number of freemen anxious for reform,
and contrasting with them the paucity of the numbers
of the association, he felt that they were not at present
in a position to appoint a governing body. Under such
circumstances he would suggest the propriety of their
beating up for members by holding ward meetings and
by electing ward committees—seed plots for the members
of the general committee. In accordance with this sug-
gestion, it was moved, seconded, and agreed to, that it
appearing from the report of the secretary that 265 oc-
cupiers had been enrolled as members since the preced-
ing meeting, making an aggregate of 1,029, and that a
considerable increase to that number may reasonably be
anticipated from the holding of ward meetings of occu-
p;ers, such course be recommended, with instructions
for the election of local committees by the members of
the respective wards, in order to an effective local or-
ganisation, and the consequent extension of members
and the influence of the association ; and that, as it
would be unjust to proceed to the election of the central
committee and officers of the association pending such
proceeding, the definitive arrangements for the appoint-
ment of the governing body bs further postponed to the
adjourned general meeting to be held on the 29th inst.
Several gentlemen then addressed the meeting, caution-
ing them against the formation of a metropolitan corpo-
ration in which the City would be merged, and giving
details of the harsh treatment of the municipal autho-
rities in their own cases and the cases of their neigh-
bours. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated
the proceedings.

TROOPS FOR INDlA.—Yesterday the directors of the
East India Company gave notice at Lloyd's that the
vessels taken up for the conveyance of the depot troops
and companies of the 12th Lancers and 43d and 74th
Regiments of Foot to Madras would be required to em-
bark the same at Gravesend between the Ist and 10th
of September, and that those fir Bombay would embark
between the 15th and 30th of September.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.—yesterday a Par-
liamentary paper, contained an extract from the criminal
code of „Malta, of the punishment of offences against
religion. For offences against the worship of the Roman
Catholic Church a person can bo imprisoned for two
years, and for stealing from a church, from four to six
years imprisonment, with solitary confinement, for not
exceeding six terms.
THE EFFECTS OF A STRESE.—On Saturday Mr.
Baker held an inquest at the London H ospital , on view
of the body of Thomls Aersem, aged 49 years, a dock
labourer, who committed suicide through the recent
strike. Ann Deacon said the deceased lodged at No.
35, Tarling-street, St. George's-in-the-East, and had
been thirty years in the London pocks, as a labourer
on the east quay. On Monday week, the Ist instant,
the deceased came home, and said he had left his work
in consequence of the strike in the London Docks. De-
ceased did not join in any processidn, and seemed to be
very dejected. Since the strike deceased had been in
distressed circumstances, and the lodgers had given him
food. On Wednesday last deceased came home quite
exhausted, and told witness that he had applied to the
dock officers for work, and they refused to take him on,
as he had been connected with the men who struck for
an increase of wages. Mary Ann Blakeway, a lodger,
stated, that she saw the deceased on the Wednesday
night, as he came in, and in answer to a question he ex-
claimed, " 0 my heart is broken, for I never shall get
work again in the dock." He retired to his room, and
on the following morning she took up a cup of tea and
some bread and butter for the deceased, but could not
open the door. Witness listened outside, and heard a
loud gurgling noise, as if a person was choking. Wit-
ness became alarmed, and ran into the street and called
a neighbour, who came in and forced the door open,
when the deceased was discovered lying on the bed with
his throat cut from ear to ear. The clothes were much
saturated with blood, which had flowed from the wound
a considerable time, and by the deceased's side were
found a table knife and a long piece of stone, on which
the deceased had evidently sharpened the weapon before
he inflicted the injuries. The jury returned a verdict of

insanity.
SUDDEN DEATH ON THE. STAGE.—M. Jessiome, a
singer belonging to the Brest theatre, where he played
parts suited to a bass voice, has just expired in the per-
formance of his duty. He had been for some time
suffering from an affection of the heart, but his conscien-
tious anxiety to be always at his post caused him to pay
less attention to his state of health than he ought to
have done. He had just finished singing on Monday
evening his first song in the "Chalet," when the audience
saw him all at once sink on the stage. MM. Vade and
Philippe, two other actors who were standing near,
heard him say, " Quick, some water ;" and when they
raised him up he was insensible. Medical aid was
brought, but without effect, as he expired in a few hours
after.—Galignani.
DINNER TO THE EARL OF ZETLAND. —On Friday
evening the Right Hon. the Earl of Zetland was enter:
tained at dinner in the New Hall, Grangemouth, by a
large number of his tenantry, feuars, and others, who,
taking advantage of his lordship's annual visit to his es-
tates in that quarter, determined to follow the example
which was so well set them a few weeks ago by the
noble earl's tenantry in Orkney. Thep rosi
potion, in
this case originating with the tenants and. feuars, was
eagerly joined in by all classes in the neighbourhood
and, accordingly, no fewer than 200 persons assembled
in the New Hall to give expression to their feelings of
respect and esteem for the noble lord. 'Mr. Forbes, of
Callender, occupied the chair, supported on the right by
cthiteorE.Garelnoefraf estlhaenridff, guest of the evening, the Soli-
tißeobertson, the Rev. Mr. Begg,
left by Sir Alexander Maitland, Mr. Baird, M.P.
Falkirk, Mr. Coubrough, and Mr. Mackay ; and on the
for the Falkirk burghs, the Rev. Mr. Cochrane, Mr. H.
G. Dideson, and Mr. B!own, of Newburgh.. Colonel
of carron-hall, discharged the duties of croupier,
Dundas,
supported by Colonel Forbes and Provost Adam.