The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDOIN, SATURDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 12, 1853.

CITY OP LONDON COMMISSION.

The Royal Commissioners met again at twelve o'clock,
yesterday, in the Privy Council Chamber, Downing-
street, and continued the prosecution of their inquiry
into the state of the city corporation. Commissioners
preserit :—Right Hon. Mr. Labouchere (who presides),
Sir John Patteson, and Mr. Cornewall Lewis. The
first witness examined at this sitting was
Mr. Alexander Pulling, barrister-at law, of the Inner
Temple, who stated that he was the author of a treatise
upon the laws and usages of the city of London.
The Chairman—We are anxious to have the benefit of
your evidence on the subject which has been referred to
us, because we are aware that you have paid special at-
tention to it.
Mr. Pulling—l am desirous of stating at the outset
that I have been reluctant to attend here to give evi-
dence, except upon the compulsory process of this Court,
for I felt that having been engaged in several City cases
there ought not to attach to me the imputation of dis-
losing matters known to me under professional con-
fidence.
The Chairman--The Commissioners are quite willing
to receive your evidence with the limitations and re-
strictions which you yourself place upon it. Have you
turned your attention to the state of the corporation of
the city of London, not merely as a lawyer, but more
generally in regard to any defects which may exist in
the present system, or to any remedies which it may be
desirable to apply for them ?
Mr. Pulling—My attention has been more particu-
larly directed to the law and constitution of the'city of
London, and to the existing rights and franchises of the
corporation, than to the moral or political bearings of
the question. I have certainly noticed defects in it in
the course of my professional engagements as a lawyer,
and these I will point out to the commission, but my
opinion as a reformer will be of very little value.
The Chairman—Can you inform us as to the relations
between the corporation of the City and the State ?
Mr. Pulling—No doubt, looking at the ancient char-
ters, the corporation, or rather the body politic, the
citizens of London, stood once in a very important posi-
tion as regards the State—a position which it would be
impossible that, at the present day, it could at all stand.
It has been a question whether in the time of the Anglo-
SaTons it was not in a degree independent of the Crown.
It had a palatinate power of a very extensive character.
The only remains of its ancient power and influence with
the State are the ceremonial observances with regard to
the office of Lord Mayor, the sitting of the members for
the City in Parliament, and in the presentation of peti-
tions. Formerly, the corporation exercised a powerful
influence in the choice of the Sovereign, and historians
have related that some kings have lost their crown by
opposing the city of London ; whilst others, again, have
gained the crown by the support of the citizens. In
the struggle between the rival houses of York and Lan-
caster we know, for instance, that great influence was
exercised by the City in the choice of the Sovereign. As
far back even as the reign of Athelstan there was a com-
pact made between the " reeves " or governors of the
City and the State. After the Norman conquest, Wil-
liam the Conqueror confirmed (but without specifying)
the whole of the franchises and peculiar rights of the
City then in existence, and which were handed down
from the remotest ages. Other charters followed, be-
tween the time of William the Conqueror and that of
Richard L, confirming all the ancient customs of the
City, which were also sanctioned by both houses of Par-
liament. Magna Charta, contained a memorable instance
of this confirmation. On each of these occasions the
City paid large sums of money to the Crown ; and, in
addition to that, it was in the habit of lending very large
sums to the Government for State purposes. This is
evident from the fact that even before the Conquest
11,0001. out of the sum of 83,0001. levied on the
whole kingdom was paid by the city of London.
These levies, I believe, were made from the whole
body of citizens ; but there could be no doubt that
the loans were made by the body politic, the folk-
mote of the City, or by whatever name the assembly
was called. I cannot attribute to the City any direct

political influence on the State later than the time of
Henry VII., although it had, no doubt, a moral influence;
at all events, if did not form part of the machinery
of the Government. We know, however, that it enjoyed
—at a period much later than the time of the civil wars
—great political influence ; and possibly, even at the
present day, it does enjoy some undue, or at least more
than ordinary, political influence ; but I do not find,
from the records of the corporation, that it has had any
snore direct influence on the movements of the State
than any other part of the country. In the centuries
to which I have alluded a very impartant trust was held
by the Lord Mayor, and is still held by him ; for the
Lord Mayor is a member of the Privy Council.
Mr. C. Lewis—ls the Lord Mayor a member of the
Privy Council on any other occasion but one, viz.,
when the Privy Council assemble on the demise of the
Crown ?

Mr. Pulling—lt has always been contended that h
is a member of the Privy Council.
Mr. C. Lewis—Are you aware of his ever having been
summoned on any other occasion than the one I have
mentioned ?

Mr. Pulling—ln ancient times I apprehend that he
was. At the coronation of the Sovereign the Lord
Mayor receives a golden tankard, and he also claims t•
act as chief butler at the coronation banquets, which in
ancient times was considered a great City privilege,
and used to be insisted upon as a right. This right is
still asserted, but I am not aware whether, practically,
the Lord Mayor took any part in the last coronation.
Sir J. Patteson—ls there any trace of the Lord Mayor
having been made a Privy Councillor ?
Mr. Pulling—l do not know.
Sir J. Patteson—ls he ever sworn in ?
Mr. Pulling--I believe not. It is said that he is the
only member of the Privy Council whose character as
such continues uninterrupted by the demise of the So-
vereign, and thus differ from all other members, who
require to be sworn in. There are other ceremonies at
which the Lord Mayor has asserted his rights. At the
proclamation of the Sovereign, for instance ; he re•
ceives the announcement of the new accession to the
throne at Temple-bar. It is still usual that on all great
State occasions, when the Sovereign is in ill health, or
when any member of the loyal Family is deceased, for
the Secretary of State to communicate with the Lord
Mayor ; but, except as a mere matter of ceremony, T be-
lieve the corporation of the City of London has now no
legal influence on the Government of the State beyond
any other corporation in the country.
The Chairman—Have you auy observations to address
to the Commission in regard to the relations of the cor-

poration to the trade of the metropolis ?
Mr. Pulling—l have. On that subject the earliest
charters belonging to the City show that the corporation
(which at that time was composed of all the citizens of
London) had the exclusive right to and control over the
entire trade of the City. There is a law of Ethelred 11.
with regard to the customs to be paid by foreign mer-
chants, together with a provision that they shall not
forestall the markets from the burghers of London. That
showed an entire control to have been enjoyed by the
corporation over the trade at that early period, and this
control was subsequently made the subject of charters.
Exclusive rights of trading were enjoyed by the citizens.
Every resident was compelled to be free, and the citi-
zens chiefly consisted of resident merchants. A custom
prevailed of seizing foreign bought and foreign sold
goods, which custom is said to date from time immemo-
rial. The contest in these times was not between differ-

ant classes of native inhabitants, but between citizens and
foreign or alien merchants. The corporation had the
right of exclusive trading, and no foreigner was allowed
to sell to any citizen, unless it was done in the public
r /
ats, or in what were called " markets ouvertes
of London was certainly less liberal to alien
efne
ty
merchants than other parts of the kingdom. In the reign
nry IV. the acts passed in favour of foreign mer-
chants expressly excepted the exclusive trading privileges
of the •
city of iLondon. At the present moment,
the only regimens
withb regard to exclusive trading
practically enforced the City are enforced against
brokers, publicans, and' retail dealers generally. They
are not enforced against
the wholesale dealers. The
legal right of seizing foreignl bought and foreign sold
goods in the City still exists,but now lies dormant. The
right to require all traders,whether wholesale or retail,
to take up their freedom before being allowed to trade,
also exists in law now, but it lies dormant as regards
wholesale dealers.
The Chairman—Do the exclusive trading privileges
ef as those
claimed by the City rest on the same grounds
Privileges which prevailed in other partsthe country
until they were repealed by the Municipal Reform
Act
Mr. Pulling—The exclusive privileges abolished by
the Municipal Reform Act in other boroughs rested upon
mmemorial custom, and those now belonging to the
City rest upon charters.
The Chairman—But the exclusive privileges of the
city of London may be dealt with at the discretion of
the Legislature, in the same manner that the same pri-
vileges were dealt with by the Municipal Reform Act.
Mr. Pulling—Precisely so ; and I must say, to the
honour of the city authorities, that in the bill which
they introduced into Parliament last session, they pro-
posed to abolish these privileges.
The Chairman--Go to the next point, if you please.
Mr. Pulling—The regulation and conservancy of the

river Thames is vested in the corporation. In the an
cient charters (such as that of Henry VI.), conferring
the powers of conservancy, those powers are chiefly con-
fined to the preservation of the fish in the river, and for
this purpose there was a water-bailiff appointed, whose
office still survives. The City also possessed the power
of removing weirs impeding the navigation of the river ;
but I am not aware of the corporation's ever dealing
with the great stream of the Thames below London-
bridge. There is a case now pending in the Court of
Chancery between the Crown and the Corporation of
London as to the right of the corporation to the conser-
vancy of the Thames, and that action involves the whole
question of the rights of the City on that subject. With
regard to the trade of London, the rights of the corpora-
tion extended to the exaction of tolls at a very early
period. The City, no doubt, expended moneys in the
erection of quays, wharves, and landing places for,the
port of London in ancient times, and it also obtained the
privilege of levying tolls on merchandise in consideration
of advances made to the Crown. These tolls extend to
corn, roots, and fruits of every kind. A charter of
James the First gives the City the power of levying tolls
and imposing metage on all the articles above stated
brought within the limits of the port of London. The
question now at issue in the Court of Chanceryis whether
these rights of the corporation apply to the limits of the
City proper or to what is called the port of London, in-
cluding both banks of the Thames between Yanleete
Creek and Staines. The metage of corn and coal is com-
pulsory, and the claims of the fellowship of City porters
to land such goods are co-extensive with the City's right
as to metage. The office of a City meter is very valuable.
The metage and porterage claims have been resisted
by the Messrs. Combe and Delafield. The charges of
the City porters and meters are much higher than they
would be if these exclusive privileges were done away
with. The exclusive privileges claimed by the City
engender a vast amount of litigation ; and when it is
remembered that there are 700 local acts in the metro-
polis, and 100 charters, and nearly as many customs
which can be woke up from their slumbers by any ad-
venturous lawyer at any moment, how injurious it is
to allow obsolete customs to exist, and conflicting laws
to remain unconsolidated, can easily be conceived. I
have certainly experienced very great difficulty in ob-
taining access professionally to the records of the City,
in order to authenticate any custom or charter, popular
copies of which are already before the public, and the
contents of which the legal profession suppose them-
selves to be familiar with. When any portion of the
public feels itself aggrieved with regard to the claims of
the City to metage and porterage, and desire to be
allowed to inspect the documents upon which the City
authorities ground their claims, they are denied per-
mission to examine them, and in fact the corporation
practically treats its charters authorising it to place
these imposts upon the trade of the port as if they were
title deeds of a private proprietor to his own estate.
The course which the City has pursued with regard to
the application of Messrs. Combe and Delafield to be
allowed to inspect the City document; is such as would
have ruined a small firm before the first bill of discovery
could be finally decided in the House of Lords.
The Chairman—Will you be good. enough to go to

the next point?
Mr. Pulling—A great many of the charters of 'the
livery companies extend over a distance of seven miles,
and in other cases twent-one miles from the City ; and,
indeed, in the case of the tobacco-pipe makers, they extend
all over England. In Edward the Third's reign the City
obtained a grant of the whole of Southwark ; and an
ordinance of the Court of Common Council subse-
quently constituted. Southwark into a ward, called
Bridge-ward Without. At that time there were houses
situated on London-bridge, and in the course of
time the application of the municipal system of the city
to Southwark fell into disuetude, and the ward of
Bridge-without was considered only to include the houses
at the bridge foot. The senior alderman came to be ap-
pointed an alderman for the ward of Bridge-without,
without being elected. Southwark was never thoroughly
assimilated to the City. The reason for that might be
that there was a legal difficulty as to how far the rights
of the City over Southwark extended. Perhaps, it
might have been thought that the City's jurisdiction over
it extended to certain purposes, but not to others. How-
ever, that legal difficulty might have been easily over-
come, because the City was constantly applying to Par-
liament for new acts, and an act could easily have been
obtained for this purpose also.
Mr. C. Lewis—Was not Southwark poorer in ancient
times than it is now, as compared with the City
Mr. Pulling—Yes.
' Mr. C. Lewis—Do you not think it is more probable
that the poverty of Southwark was the reason why the
City did not completely incorporate Southwark into its
municipal system, rather than any legal difficulty with
regard to the nature of its jurisdiction over Southwark ?
Mr. Pulling—l cannot say ;it might have been so,
and, as I have said, the legal difficulty could easily have
been set aside if the corporation had chosen to go to
Parliament for the purpose. The best course now to be
pursued, with regard not only to Southwark, but also
t• all the other parliamentary boroughs of the metropo-
lis, would, in my opinion, be to incorporate each of
them separately, and give them all distinct municipal
institutions.

The Chairman—Proceed to any observations you may
wish to make with regard to the constitution of the cor-

poration.

Mr. Pulling—The corporation of London is different
from any other corporation in the kingdom, because it
has no governing charter, and there is no act of Parlia-
ment which has really defined what its constitution is.
The ancient charters always speak of the mayor and com-
monalty as composing the corporation. The office of
mayor may be traced as far back as the reign of King John.
In pleading their privileges, the corporation now adopt
the style of " the mayor, commonalty, and citizens,"
and declare that they have been a corporation from time
immemorial,

Mr. C. Lewis—ls there no charter declaring that
there shall be a mayor, aldermen, and common council
of the City, having certain powers ?
Mr. Pulling—There is no charter or act which ex-
pressly says so, but there is a charter which confers cer-
tain powers on aldermen, and certain powers which can
only be exercised by the Common Council, and certain
powers al,o which can only be exercised by the Mayor,
Aldermen, and Common Council ; hut there is no
charter which constitutes or creates them a corporation.
It is in the reign of Edward 11. or Edward 111. that
the first mention is made of aldermen. The corporation
of London being the citizens of London assembled in
various courts and having various governors, there are
also certain laws which regulate the qualification of citi-
zens to preside at certain courts, and one law (which has
been certified in the Court of Westminster) is that before a
person can become a citizen of London he must be free
of
alwaysoneof the trading companies ; and therefore it has
appeared to me that these companies form in-
tegral parts of the corporation. The Court of Common
Council
is qualified to perform any act of legislation
or administration which is within the competence of
the corporation, with the exception of thq elections at
common-hallcou
Court
of Ad
earn the
md
ea claimfunctions
control o f
oavjudiciale lne
ca tt
iuorne
s.
bTyh
ae
certain custom. In the case of Mr. Scales, the Court of
Aldermen opposed him on the gr. ound that, like the
late Lord Mayor, he was a butcher. Mr. Scales was
three times returned by the ward, and three. times re-
jected by the Court of Aldermen, and then the alder-
men claimed the right of electing an alderman them-
selves ; and that act of the Court of Aldermen was
held to be justified by custom. That custom is very ob-
jectionable. The Lord Mayor must be an alderman,
and must also have been sheriff. I do not think any
great evil would arise from diminishing the dignity of the
office of alderman. Ido not believe the aldermen are very
popular in the city of London ; and I think that many
of their powers may be taken away, as not being essen-
tial to the good government of the City. They are elected
practically for life, and they are not subject to the con-
trol of the citizens ; and no question is ever brought
before the Court of Common Council without having
been first considered in the Court of Aldermen, which
generally meets the day before the Court of Common
Council. The Court of Aldermen claim the right to ex-
clude the public from their proceedings, and often exer-
cise it. They elect certain officers, and have a power of
voting away money from the City purse, such as in
granting pensions, and in ordering prosecutions. There
is a certain limit imposed by the Court of Common
Council on the right of the Court of Aldermen in voting
away the public funds. The common seal of the cor-
poration can only be affixed by the Court of Common
Council, and no expense can be incurred by the Court
of Aldermen in opposing bills in Parliament by petition.
The real abuse is in the power of the Court of Aldermen
to institute prosecutions. They discharge the functions
of a public prosecutor out of the City funds. They
select their cases, and sometimes they prosecute a man
for political reasons where a strong feeling has been
shown.

Mr. C. Lewis—Do you think the decision of the com-
mitting magistrate would weigh with his brother alder-
men in ordering prosecutions
Mr. Pulling—I do. The aldermen are thrown very
much together. I know that in many eases prosecutions
have been very properly instituted, and the aldermen
are considered as the guardians of public morals ; but I
decidedly object to the principle of allowing them to

institute prosecutions. The office of sheriff is almost
entirely ceremonial, and the under-sheriffs are generally
permanent officers. With regard to the Court of Com-
mon Council, that court is the great council of the City.
It possesses extensive legislative powers, and has the
entire control of the funds of the City, with the excep-
tion of the votes above named, which are made by the
aldermen. The Lord Mayor, on his locum tenens, and
two aldermen, are necessary to constitute a Court of
Common Council, and the court is adjourned by the
Lord Mayor taking up his mace and walking out. If
a Lord Mayor were to abuse his power of adjourning
the Court of Common Council, by preventing the
sittings of the court, I apprehend that a mandamus
from the Court of Queen's Bench would compel him
to enable the court to meet. With the exception of
this power of the Lord Mayor, and the regulation re-
quiring the presence of two aldermen, I think the Court
of Common Council is a very free body. I conceive
that the number of its members ought to be reduced,

The privilege of the aldermen to meet and consider ques-
tions intended to be subsequently brought before the
Court of Common Council in no way fetters or restricts
the right of any member of the latter court to introduce
any subject.

Mr. C. Lewis—Then the previous discussion of quest
tions by the Court of Aldermen has not the effect of a
veto as against the Court of Common Council ?
Mr. Pulling—No, it is merely deliberative.
The Chairman—Proceed now to the subject of the
common hall.

Mr. Pulling—The livery are the higher class of mem- I
bers of the guilds or companies ; and there are several
companies which exist without livery, such as the Water-
men's Company and others, which have never been ad-
mitted to the freedom of the City. The Court of Com-
mon Hall elects the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs, and the
Chamberlain. It is a very numerously attended court,
composed of persons who are members of the livery
companies, and many non-residents. A great crowding
and confusion arises at the meetings, and many persons
are introduced who are not liverymen, but they are ad-
mitted by the want of proper regulations, and they often
pass as liverymen, and create that uproar which is so
constantly witnessed at the City elections. The cor-
poration might easily have remedied these evils by a
proper system of registration.
The Chairman—Will you proceed next to the subject
of the paid officers of the corporation ?
Mr. Pulling--It appears to me that the paid officers
of the corporation are very numerous indeed. There
are certainly among them gentlemen of very great intel-
ligence and worth, but, looking at the limited size of the
City as compared with the rest of the metropolis, I think
the number of the officers has been multiplied unneces-
sarily. At the same time, I believe that many of the
officers are extremely efficient, and their services would
be very useful if extended over a much larger area.
Looking at the. great number of different boards for
paving, sewerage, &c., throughout the metropolis, I
regard the conflict of powers between the different offi-
cers as a very serious inconvenience. It is said that
there are up wards of 100 different boards in the metro-
polis.

Mr. C. Lewis—Surely there are a great many more
than 100 separate boards in all London ?
Mr. Pulling—l cannot be positive as to the exact
number ; but I know that it is very large. The corpora.
tion have four or five different classes of officers for al-
most every department of municipal government. In
the legal department there are the Recorder and the
Common Sergeant, the ancient duties of whose offices
have almost entirely fallen into disuetude. The Recorder
sits as a judge at the Old Bailey and other courts, but he
rarely acts in the ancient and distinctive capacity of his
office--viz., as a recorder of the custom of the City.
The Recorder only appears in Westminster-hall on such
rare occasions as when the Lord Mayor is sworn in, for
the purpose of certifying the customs of the City. His
judicial functions nearly absorb the whole of his time,
and the same also is the case with the Common Sergeant
who hears compensation cases in the Lord Mayor's
Court. Then there is the judge of the Sheriffs' Court,
which is a tribunal of the nature of a small debts court.
The City Solicitor is engaged with the prosecutions on
behealf of the corporation, and the City Remembrancer
is entrusted with the care of the Parliamentary business
of the corporation. The Comptroller is charged with
the conveyancing department, and then there is also the
Town Clerk, who is not a solicitor at present, although
that officer used to be a solictor also ; so that the cor-
poration has three, and formerly it had four, different
gentlemen, attorneys, and solicitors, acting as its legal
agents. The Town Clerk attends, all the corporate meet-
ings, has the custody of the records, and has to take care
of the whole routine business of the corporation and of
the various committees which are constantly sitting.
Mr. C. Lewis—Then the Town Clerk must be the
most active legal officer of the corporation ?
I. Pulling—l suppose he must be.
Arr. C. Lewis—Do you think it falls within the legal
powers of the corporation of any other place to apply a
portion of its funds in opposing bills in Parliament, such,
for instance, as a bill for constructing a railway ?
Mr. Pulling—l should think not.
The Chairman—Suppose the railway should affect the
property of the corporation ?
Mr. Pulling—Then I think it would not be illegal for
the corporation to defend its rights in that way.
Mr. C. Lewis—But I am supposing the introduction
of entirely new legislation, say to open a railway or a
canal at a distance of ten or twenty miles from a
borough, and that the property of the corporation of
that borough would not be affected by the project, or, at
all events, would only be indirectly affected—would it in
that case be a legitimate application of its funds to go
to expense to oppose such a measure in Parliament ?
Mr. Pulling—l suppose a corporation would have a
general right to protect its own interests, and the ques-
tion must always depend entirely upon whether the pro-
perty of the corporation is likely to be affected.
Mr. C. Lewis—You say that the number of the paid
officers of the corporation is too numerous—is it your
opinion that offices have been multiplied for the sake of
creating additional patronage, or that they have been
increased by the gradual complication of the affairs of
the co rporation necessitating a larger staff ?
Mr. Pulling—l believe that many of the evils which
exist have arisen from the want of system, and from not
legislating in accordance with altered circumstances, and
not from any corrupt or improper motive on the part of
the members of the corporation, or any desire to find
places for their favourites or friends.
The Chairman—Your objection is that the system has
been allowed to become too complicated ?
Mr. Pulling—l think it has.
At this stage of Mr. Pulling's examination the com-
missioners adjourned the inquiry till Tuesday next.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE PAST WEEK.

Miles
opeued, NAME OF RAILWAY.
1853.

BRITISH.

Aberdeen ........

Belfast and Ballymena •• •• •• •• • • ••
Belfast and County Down •• ••
Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire
Bolton, Blackburn, and West York • • • •
Bristol and Exeter • • ...• •• ..• • • • • • • •
Ca1ed0nian............. ..........

2634
85%
;9%
89M,
9,04
634
20

Edinburgh and Glasgow .• • • • • • • • • • S
Chester and Holyhead. • • .. .• • • • •
Cork, Blackrock, and Passage ••• • • •
Cork and Bandon .. • • ............
Dublin and Belfast Junction
Dublin and Drogheda.. • • .. .• • ...•
Dublin and Kingstown ..............
Dundee and Arbroath ....
_

... ..
Dundee, Perth, and Aberdeen Junction
Dundalk and Enniskillen • • .. • • • • • • • •
East Anglian.... • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .

81%
322

East Lancashire •.. • ......

Eastern Counties and Norfolk.. • • ....
Eastern Union • • • • • • • • • .

Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee—.
Exeter and Crediton.. •..... •• • • •• ••
Furness Railway •• •• •• •• •••• ••

171%
283
188
319%
25%
10

Glasgow, and South-Western•• •• • • • •
Great Northern and E. L. • • • • • • • • •
Great Southern and Western (Ireland)
Great Western •••••••• • • • • • • • .
Irish South Eastern • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • •

Lancaster and Carlisle • • ............
Lancashire and Yorkshire ........ • • • •
Leeds Northern .. • • • . ••• • ••• • ••• • • •

----- --- ---- - - - -
Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport....
London and North Western ..... • • • •
London and Blackwell • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

London, Brighton, and South Coast..
London and South Western. • • • • • • • •
Londonderry and Enniskillen • • • • • • • •
Manchester, Buxton, and Matlock, &c.
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire
Manchester and South Junction • • • •
Maryport and Carlisle • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• •••• •••,.
Midland Great Western (Irish) • • • • • •
Monklands • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Newcastle and Carlisle • • • • • •
North British .. ...• • . ..........
North Staffordshire •• • • •••• • • • •
North-Western ~..........
Scottish Central
Scottish Midland • .
Shrewsbury and Birr

7814
149
232

, ant _ irmingham
Shrewsbury and Chester
Shropshire Union ..... .........

28 4
131

South Devon '•
South Eastern—. • • • • • •
South Wales • • • • • •
South York., Doncaster, and licOfc, :
Taff Vale • • • • • • ....... .......

Waterford and Limerick ••••• ****
•••••
West Cornwall .• •• ...........
Whitehaven Junction .•• •• .....
York and Newcastle, and Berwick &
York and North Midland & Leeds

FOREIGN.
Dutch 'Rhenish • • • •
T.yons and Mediterranean •• •• •. ••
Montereau and Troyes ............
Namur and Liege .. • • .. ...• • • •• ••
Northern of France •• ............
Orleans and Ceiltral* .. • ••• •• •"•
Paris and Lyons .. ••• • •• •. •
Paris and Rosen. ................
Paris and Strasburgh ••.. • • ••• •• ••
itenen and Havre.......... • • •• •
Western of France ...... •• • • • • •• •'

574
183%

413 N
577
240

£1,617
689
216
1,734

4,500

13,229
3,180
157

987
1,227
831
489
677

744
4,606
15,605
2,302
2,319
103

484
4,084
15,020
4,920
17,396

214
4,710
17,072

361
47,311

947
11,573
9,666
413

7,212

567
656
23,704
2,540

833
2,698
3,700

1,009
2,515

25,135

1853.

1,294
742
217
1,974

5,181
14,648
4,095

182
1,037
1,398
1,190
414

806
4,790
18,870
2,553
2,385
99
540
4,658
18,366
4,754
20,832

223
5,694
18,008

353
49,167
1,182
13,793
12,032
493

7,883

933
7,213
1,047
1,116
26,326
22,221
15,734
7,275
16,898
3,035
4,615

820
24,860
2,566
1,003
2,7,8
4,546

1,165

2,198

28,232

93 5
7,815
1,155
1,635
32,191
33,695
17,875
9,022
20,934
4,129
4,856

The receipts include the traffic on the Orleans and Central, Or-
.eans and Bordeaux, and Tours and Nantes

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE of YESTERDAY.

THE COMMISSIONERS FOR BUILDING NEW
CHURCHES.
By an order in Council, dated October 24, 1853, her
Majesty has been pleased to approve of a representation of
the Commissioners for Building Churches for uniting cer-
tain contiguous parts of the parishes of Newchurch and.
Arreton in the Isle of Wight, sot forth in the said repre-
sentation, and forming them into one consolidated chapehy
for the church of St. Peter, Haven-street, in the said parish
of Newchurch.

RATE OF POSTAGE.
By a Treasury warrant, dated November the sth, 1853,
it is directed that any packet sent by post, under the pro-
visions of certain warrants set forth in the said warrant,
dated November the sth, 1853, from any department, &c.,
of the public service, in addition to the name and address
of the person to whom the same shall bo gent, shall
have printed or written thereon the words, "Ox; Her
Majesty's Service," and the name and department, or
public office, from which the same shall be forwarded,
and also the name of any public officer belonging to any
such department. By the said first-mentioned warrant
it is also directed that the term, "by the post," shall no
longer include the conveyance through Egypt. Packets,
yid Egypt, shall be charged with the full rates of postage.
A rate of ono halfpenny is made payable in lieu of any
rates of British postage now payable on newspapers, &c.,
transmitted by post between France and the East Indies,
or China or Australia, without passing through the United
Kingdom, provided they be forwarded in conformity with
the regulations of the 4th Victoria ; if not they are to be
charged the letter rates of postage. It isTurther directed,
that publications sent by post of any post-town in the
United Kingdom, addressed to any person within the
limits of the said post-town, may, at the option of the
sender, be prepaid by a postage-stamp. If posted at the
chief office in London before 5 o'clock p.m., the postage
may be prepaid by money or postage stamps. The postage
of any publication posted in the United Kingdom addressed
to a foreign country or any of her Majesty's colonies may
also be prepaid in money or postage itself. Publications
required to be prepaid, if not prepaid, to be sent to the
Dead Letter-office. This warrant, as far as respects
packets from Ceylon, the Mauritius, the East Indies, and
New South Wales, to the United Kingdom, shall come
into operation on the Ist of June, 1854, and in all other
respects on the day of the date thereof.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, Nov. 10.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. Robert
Stein, as Consul at Port Louis, Mauritius, for his Majesty
the King of Sweden and Norway.
WAR-OFFICE, Nov. 11.

2nd Regiment of Dragoons-Lieutenant John Arthur
Freeman, to be Captain, by purchase, vice Scobell, who
retires ; Cornet William Taylor Prentis, to be Lieutenant,
by purchase, vice Freeman, Nov. 11.
12th Regiment of Foot- -Ensign James Fielding Sweeny,
to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Wilkie, whose promo-
tion, by purchase, on 21st October, 1853, has been can-
celled, Oct. 21.
14th Foot—Captain Granville Levison Proby, from the
74th Foot, to be Captain, vice Macdonald, who exchanges,
Nov. 11.
15th Foot—Lieutenant Augustus Applethwaite, from
the 23d Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Tilghman, appointed
Paymaster, Nov. 11.
39th Foot—Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Cole, from half-

pay Unattached, to be Lieutenant=,Colonel, vice Brevet-
Colonel Wright, C. 8., who exchanges ; Major William
Munro to be Lieutenant- Colonel, by purchase, vice Cole,
who retires ; Captain William Clarges Wolfe to be Major,
by purchase, vice Munro ; Lieutenant W. Hucks Harding
Warner to be Captain, by purchase, vice Clarges Wolfe ;
Ensign Charles Milligan to be Lieutenant, by purchase,
vice Warner ; George Henry Young, Gent., to be Ensign,
by purchase, vice Milligan, Nov. 11.
41st Foot—Lieutenant George Skipwith to Captain, by
purchase, vice Wells: who retires ; Ensign William Allan
to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Skipwith; Armar
Graham Lowry, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase. vice
Allan, Nov. 11.
42d Foot—Lieuienant Henry Clarke Jervoiso, from the
23d Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Kennedy, who retires
upon half-pay, Nov. 11.
46th Foot— Richard Coote, Gent., to be Ensign, by pur-
-1 chase, vice Stretton, who retires, Nov. 11.
53d Foot—Lieutenant William Peel to be Paymaster,
vice Hall, who retires upon half-pay, Nov. 11.
57th Foot—Lord Ernest M`Donnell Vane to be Ensign,
by purchase, vice Lee, who retires, Nov. 11.
60th Foot—Second Lieutenant Henry Cockburn to be
First Lieutenant, without purchase, vice Da Cane, de-
ceased, June 23.
67th Foot—Brabazon Thomas Disney, Gent., to be En-
sign, by purchase, vice Basset, appointed to the 72d Foot,
Nov. 11.
60th Foot—Owen Roberts' Gent., to be Ensign, by
purchase, vice Leggett, promoted, Nov. 11.
72d Foot--Lieutenant Archibald Alison to be Captain,
by purchase, vice Evelyn, who retires ; Ensign Honour-
able Somerset Hamilton Ward to be Lieutenant, by pur-
chase, vice Alison ; Ensign Gustavus Lambert Basset, from
the 67th Foot, to be Ensign, vice Ward, Nov. 11.
74th Foot—Captain Robert Macdonald, from -the 14th
Foot, to be Captain, vice Proby, who exchanges, Nov. 11.
2nd West India Regiment—Ensign Edward Dampier
Cockell to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Leslie, who
retires ; Robert Bourne, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase,
vice Cockell ; John Harger, Gent., to be Ensign, without
purchase, vice Hill, deceased, Nov. 11.
HOSPITAL STAFF.—Thomas Ravenscroft Whitty, Gent

to be Assistant-Surgeon to the Forces, vice William Sin-
clair, appointed to the 93d Foot, Nov. 11.
MEMORANDUM.
2d West India Regiment—The commissions of the under-
mentioned Officers have been ante-dated to the 14th Feb. :
—Major Henry Wase Whitfeild. ; Captain William Elliot
Mockler ; Lieutenant Horatio James Wise.
COMMISSIONS SIGNED BY LORD-LIEUTENANTS.

Kent—William Brook Northey, Esq., to be Deputy-Lieu.
tenant, Nov. 9.
Northern Troop of Hertfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry
Liyte, \t.

Cornet George Vevins Wade to be Lieutenant, vice ,ur•
ling, resigned ; Quartermaster James Smyth to he Cornet.
vice Wade, promoted, Nov. 9.
Ist Regiment of the Duke of Lancaster's Own Militia-

William- Lindsey Patterson, Gent. to be Lieutenant,
Nov. 1.
4th Royal Lancashire Light Infantry Militia--Lieu-
tenant Henry Myers to be Captain, vice Robson, resigned;
Ensign Robert Mather to be Lieutenant, vice Myers, pro-
moted, Nov. 2.
4th or Royal South Middlesex Regiment of Militia.—

Augustus Henry Stephens Gent., to be Ensign, Nov. 4.
sth or Royal Elthorne Light Infantry Regiment of Mid-
dlesex Militia—James Peters, Gent., to be Lieutenant,
Nov. 4.
[The following Article is substitued for that which ap-
peared in the Gazette of the 25th October last.]
King's Own Light Infantry Regiment of Militia.—
Frederick Solly Gosling, Gent., to be Ensign.
[This Article is substituted for that which appeared in
the Gazette of the Ist Nov.]
Northumberland Regiment of-Militia—Lieutenant Wm.
Ker Gray, Gent., to be Captain, Oct. 27.

tors of steam threshing machines (so far as regards Thomas
Allcock)—John Hatton, sen., John Hatton, jun., and
Charles Hatton, of Hereford, tanners (so far as regards
John Hatton, sen.)—Henry Bartlett and John Carroll
Hale, of Teignmouth, Devonshire, shipowners—Richard
Wilson and Thomas Bostock, of Manchester, packers.
SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.
John Coull, of Buckie, Banffshire, merchant, Nov. 21,
at one, at Douglas Watson's Hotel, Cullen.
Andrew Nicol, of Ayr, grocer, Nov. 21, at twelve, at the
Ayr Arms Hotel, Ayr.
James M`Farlane (deceased), of Edinburgh, seedsman,
Nov. 21, at two, at Messrs. Dowell and Lyon's Rooms,
Edinburgh.

Willia-m Craig, of Glasgow, victualler, Nov. 18, at two,
at the Crow Hotel, Glasgow.

BANK OF
An Account pursuant to the Act
the Week ending on Saturday 1

ENGLAND.
7th and Bth Victoria, cap 32, for
the sth day of November, 1853.

ISSUE DEP .

Notes issued ........ 29,047,330

Government debt.... 11,015,100
Other securities .... .. 2,984,900
Gold coin and bullion 15,047,330
Silver bu1ii0n.......,

£29,047,330
M. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.
Dated the 10th day of Nov., 1853.

£29,047,330