The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-02 00:00:00

THE CORPORATION COMMISSION.

Mr. J. WOOD, chairman of the Consolidated Com-
mittee, brought up the following report, which was read
by Mr. Woodthorpe :
"To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen,
and Commons of the City of London, in Common Coun-
cil assembled—

" We, whose names are herein subscribed of your Con-
solidated Committee, to whom, on the 30th of Juue last,
it was referred to assist the inquiry before the Royal Com-
missioners, on behalf of the corporation of London, and
afford the fullest information on every subject connected
therewith, do certify that we have duly proceeded therein,
and that on Saturday last the Town-clerk laid before us a
letter addressed to him by the secretary to the commission
in terms as follows :

" Downing-street, Jan. 27, 1854.
Sir—l am directed by the commissioners for inquir-
ing into the state of the corporation of the city of London
to state to you that as the examination of the officers of
the corporation is now drawing to a close, it will be pro-
per for the commissioners to consider any further observa-
tions for the improvement of the corporation which may
be brought before them.
" It has been intimated to the commissioners that the
corporation themselves might be prepared to agree upon
some suggestions tending to the amendment of the consti-
tution of their affairs. If, therefore, the corporation should
favour the commissioners with any such suggestions, the
commissioners -*ill have much satisfaction in giving them
an attentive and respectful consideration before they pro-
ceed to deliberate their report.
" ' The commissioners trust that any communication of
this kind by the corporation will be made with as little de-
lay as the circumstances may permit.—l am, sir, your obe
dient servant, " J. D. COLERIDGE.
" The Town Clerk.'

" Your committee, feeling the urgent importance of tho
above communication, take the earliest opportunity of
submitting the same for the consideration of this honour-
able court, that they may take such proceedings therein as
they may deem advisable.
(Signed)

" JOHN WOOD,
" and twenty-six others."
Considerable cheering followed the reading of ,the re-
port.
Mr. WOOD said it would be seen that the committee
could not have asked his lordship to convene a court at
an earlier period. Whatever opinions they might enter-
tain upon the subject of offering suggestions to the
commissioners they must feel that those gentlemen had
taken a course both considerate and respectful towards
the corporation, and trusted they would have that to
which he was sure they were entitled, namely, full credit
for honesty of purpose and for integrity of intention in
making such a communication to the court. (Hear,
hear.) He now begged to move, "That, in accord-
ance with a communication received from the Royal
Commission, it is desirable that this court should pre-
pare for the eonsideration of the commissioners sugges-
tions for the amendment of the constitution of the cor-
poration."
Deputy DAKIN said he had very great pleasure in
seconding the motion. He thought it self-obvious
that the proper course to be taken by the court, in
a crisis so important to itself, was to approach the
commission with the opinions of the court as to the
proper steps to be taken to bring that ancient insti-
tution into harmony with the wants of the age.
(Hear, hear.), He (Deputy Dakin) believed it was
admitted on all hands, that, as far as the answer to the
charges which had been made against the corporation
had gone, it had been complete, and he also believed it
was admitted that the court would have made changes
in virtue of their own powers, if those powers had
not been cramped and crippled by a parliamentary
enactment. (Cheers.)
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said he was anxious that the
whole responsibility of the inquiry should rest with
the royal commissioners. He moved an amendment to
that effect.
Mr. BARKLY seconded the amendment.

After a short conversation the amendment was with-
drawn. The general motion was then put and carried
almost unanimously, amidst loud cheering.
On the motion of Mr. J. WOOD, seconded by Mr.
Deputy HARRISON, it was referred to a committee of
the whole court to take the necessary steps for carrying
into effect the foregoing resolution,.
The Lord Mayor adjourned-the court at 12 o'clock,
and the committee immediately met and continued sit-
ting throughout the day.

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT PIMLICO.—On Tues
day, Mr. Bedford, the coroner for Westminster, held an
inquest at the Artillery Arms, Rochester-row, Vauxhall-
bridge-road, touching the death of Thomas Connor,
aged 28, a mason's labourer, in the employment of Mr.
John Kelk, the extensive builder, who was killed on
Thursday last, by the accidental breaking of the scaffold-
ing of a traveller, whilst engaged in unloading a stone
barge at the works, Grosvenor-basin, Gillingham-street,
Pimlico. The leading facts of the case have already
appeared, and are now, therefore, merely recapitulated.
When the witnesses had all been examined, the coroner
recommended the jury to view the scene of the accident
itself. They did so ; and upon their return some further
explanations and adverse statements were given, but
after consulting together for some little time, the jury
returned a verdict of "Accidental Death," affixing as an
addendum that in their opinion sufficient caution had not
been used in examining the foundation before the tra-
veller was erected. The proceedings then terminated.
VAT.HE OF A WIFE IN AFFGHANISTAN.--TheAffgbans
generally think nothing of the death of a wife. When
my husband was in Affghanist*, he was several times
asked, " Are you married? " No ;my wife is dead."
" We hear you are very sorry when your wives die ; did
you weep?" "Yes." Whereupon they were struck dumb
with astonishment that any one could feel a wife's death Fo
strongly. " Why should we grieve ?" say they, "there
are plenty of others" and yet these are men of warm
feelings, capable of strong attachments and sympthy ;
but this only makes the fact more evident, that any
violation of the law written in the hearts of all, or of
the arrangements of the Creator, to say nothing of His
revealed laws, brings with it its own punishment. Poly-
gamy has destroyed everything like domestic and family
ties. Sometimes nature reasserts her right, and produces
strong attachment between husband and wife, brother
and brother ; but this is the exception ; and that this
state of things is produced by polygamy, acid not merely
by ignorance of true religion, is proved by the example
of the ancient Romans during the period when divorce
was unknown, and when the wife, being the sole and
life-long partner of her husband, gave him not only a
help-meet but a home and a domestic hearth, ideas un-
known to Mohammedans. There must be a mater fami-
lias before true family ties can exist.—Life in the Mis-
sion, the ()amp, and the Zenand.
FLOODING OF THE RIVER CLYDE.—Okving to the
melted snow and heavy falls of rain, the Clyde has been
roaring in mighty state from bank to brae, and over-
flowing the adjoining meadows, in spite of strong and
skilfully constructed embankments. Yesterday, at
Bothwell-bridge, the Clyde looked like a sea, the parks
at Bothwell-haugh and the low palace parks being
flooded over many hundred acres ; and the curious
spectacle of green island knolls and trees growing out of
a new lake was visible from Hamilton-bridge on the
Low Motherwaroad, at the confluence of the Avon and
the Clyde.—Aorth. British Daily Mail.