The Sun.
London, England, 1836-09-24 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a Court was held for the despatch of business.
THE GREAT COAL-OWNERS.
Mr. C. PEARSON said that the great coal-owners were
calculating upon having thrown out the Durham Railway
Bills, and determined to raise the price of the commodity
two shillings a chaldron. He moved, for the purpose of
bringing forward a measure calculated to check them in the
attempt, that the Remembrancer should apply for a copy of
the report and evidence before the Parliamentary Corn-
mittee.—Agreed to.
Mr. PRIOR presented a petition from Elizabeth Ibbott, a
poor woman, whose son was drowned in a barge in the
Thames by coming in contact with a steam-vessel. The pe-
tition stated that a deodand of 1001. had been levied upon
the steam-vessel, and paid by the proprietors into the hands
of the Sheriffs,:and prayed that the corporation would inter-
fere to procure for her that penalty on account of her po-
verty, and the large family of six children whom she had to
support, and whom the assiduous exertions of her deceased
son had greatly contributed to maintain.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Prior thought that the Court would best dispose of the
petition by at once granting its prayer.
Mr. C. PEARSON apprehended that as the accident by
which the son of the petitioner lost his life occurred in the
county of Middlesex, the deodand must go to the King.
He suggested that, in order to avoid mistakes, it would be
advisable to submit the case to the City Solicitor.
Mr. Paton acceded to this proposition, expressing, at
the same time, his conviction that whether the King or the
Sheriffs had a claim to the money the petitioner would ex-
perience the full effect of the liberality of the claimant.
THE CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL.
Mr. HALE, the Chairman of the City of London School
Committee, brought up the report, which contained a detail
of the academical course, and of the regulations.
The report was then unanimously adopted.
GRESHAM LECTURES.
Mr. BAYLIS gave notice of motion that it be referred to
the Gresham and City of London School Committees to
consider the practicability and expediency of procuring the
removal of the lectures founded by Sir Thomas Gresham,
and now delivered in the Royal Exchange, to the Lectur-
ing Theatre of the City of London School ; and also to
consider whether any and what steps should be taken to
make them more available and useful to the public, both as
to 'the time and the language in which they are delivered ;
and that it be an instruction to the Committees to confer
with each other, with the Mercers' Company, and with the
Gresham Professors, on this subject, and jointly to report
their opinions thereon, with the result of such conferences,
to the Court forthwith.
IMPROVEMENTS AT ST. PAUL'S AND THE POST-OFFICE.
Deputy Gibbs, the Chairman of the City Lands Com-
mittee, brought up a report, recommending that the Coin-
rnittee should be authorized to proceed in letting the
grounds at the west end of Cheapside, for building, as ori-
ginally contemplated.
The LORD MAYOR stated that he had received a note
from Alderman Wood, who was unavoidably absent, ex-
pressing a hope that the Court would persevere in the
course adopted upon a former occasion and wait for the
Parliamentary Report on the subject of improvements, when
they would see what were the intentions of the House of
Commons on the subject.
Mr. R. L. JONES declared that nothing could be more
absurd than to agree to the report. It would, in fact, be
only building houses to pull them down again. Instead of
building at the end of Cheapside they ought to level, in
order to comply with the noble spirit of improvement
which is now daily increasing. Any one who would look at
the space between St. Paul's and the Post-office must see
that two more houses must be pulled doWn before that
passage to the Cathedral could be said to be properly
opened.—( Hear, hear.) Two thirds of the property in the
way of an improvement so important belonged to Govern-
ment, and there existed so strong a feeling of the necessity
of improvement, that it would be preposterous in the Cor-
poration to attempt to check it. On the contrary, it was
their duty to encourage and promote such a principle. Mr.
Jones concluded by moving an amendment to the effect of
counteracting the recommendation.
Deputy WESTWOOD would much rather see the city of
London prosperous than beautiful, and how its prosperity
could be heightened by taking away the houses of trade he
was at a loss to know. The project of widening the streets
at the crossings was full of danger also. That immediately
opposite to the Mansion-house, - which it was most hazar-
dous to pass, was an instance of the fact. He thought
that if people wanted to see St. Paul's, there were places
enough from which it might be viewed with advantage with-
out an interference with the trade of the city, or addition to
the already great dangers of life and limb.
Mr. PRIOR thought that the Court ought to wait until
the document alluded to by Alderman Wood should be laid
before the Court.
Mr. Jones's amendment was then carried by a large ma-
jority.
Upon the motion of Mr. -Wm it was .referred to the
City Lands Committee to examine and report as to the
utility of widening the narrow. part of Dowgate-bill, so as
to allow the passage of two carts.
-ef;il.s,ll -if,
DIVISIONS IN THE COURT.
Mr. BAYLIS moved that the proceedings of "the` Court
of the 14th of July, by which the resolutions of the 14th of
April, with regard to recording the names of Members on
divisions, was defeated, be expunged, from the minutes, as
involving a breach of the 20th Standing Order, and that the
Report of the General Purposes Committee, recommend-
ing a plan for taking down the names, be forthwith carried
into effect. Mr. Baylis contended that there had been a
palpable violation of the Standing Orders, which .provided
that no resolution or proceeding be rescinded except by
notice of motion, and that this regulation was so wholesome
and essential in a deliberative assembly, that if it could be
broken with impunity, all certainty and finality would be
taken away from the proceedings of the Court, and the
Members themselves would have hut little confidence in
them, and the public still less. It should be remembered,
too, that the Court, being a representative body, ought to
be made as responsible to public opinion as possible. It
was not a party question, and he hoped that mien of politi-
cal opinions, widely differing from his own, would be found
concurring in the justice and propriety of ascertaining and
recording the way is which Members exercised the trust
reposed in them.
The motion was carried by a large majority, after a dis-
cussion, in which Mr. Wire and Mr. Hill were for the
affirmative, and Mr. Anderson and Mr. Ticknor were for
the negative.—Adjourned.

Lord Minto visited Lord Palmerston yesterday, at
the Foreign Department.
We regret to learn that Mad. Malibran is still
confined to her bed, from which she has not been removed even
for a moment since she was conveyed to it. Signor de Beriot,
who has been in constant attendance upon her, became so
much alarmed during Friday, that he determined on sending
for her own physician, Dr. Bellomini, of the Quadrant, Re-
gent-street, who arrived on Sunday evening, and has since re-
mained with her. Tuesday morning, for the first time, Mad.
Malibran was placed in a chair for a few moments, till her bed
was made. She appeared much exhausted by the effort, and
during great part of the afternoon remained silent and mo-
tionless. On inquiry at eleven o'clock that night, we learned
that during the evening she was somewhat better ; that her
cough was not so bad; and that though there is still much
fever, yet it had partially abated. Under these circumstance!,
neither herself nor Signor de Beriot can possibly fulfil their
engagements at Norwich and Worcester ; and such is the
weak state of Madame Malibran, that, were she even conva-
lescent, it is most probable that her physician would interdict
her singing again so early as she. would do, if she attempted to
fulfil her engagement at the Liverpool festival the week after
next.—Manchester Guardian.