The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-21 00:00:00

THE THANKS OF THE COURT TO THE LATE LORD MAYOR,

Mr. Alderman THOMPSON said he was quite sure
the observations which had been made by his Lord-
ship were heard and would be attended to by the
Court with the utmost gratification. It was his duty
to rise for the purpose of calling their attention to the
conduct of his Lordship's predecessor during the last
year. The records of the Court, which were extended
over so many centuries, supplied instances, to which
there were but few exceptions, of the acknowledg-
ments of their sense of the services •f the Chief
Magistrate upon his retirement from office ; and
he felt it to be his duty, as senior alderman, to
move a vote of thanks to Sir James Duke, in the
sincere belief that their thanks and gratitude were
justly due to that gentleman.— (Hear, hear.) These
who had passed the chair must be perfectly aware
that the duties of the office were of a laborious, anxi-
ous, and difficult character, and that the whole time
of the occupant must be devoted to them. The
thanks of the Court was but a feeble ',recompense for
the able and energetic performance of such duties,
and he had no doubt that the feeling of the Court, as
to the powerful claims of the late Lord Mayor, would
be unanimously expressed on the present occasion.
His Lordship had by the whole course of his conduct
entitled himself to the unqualified approbation of his
fellow-citizens, of which they gave no slight mani-
festation by eleting him unanimously, upon the de-
mise of Mr. Pattison, teejtheligli distinction of re-
presenting them in Parliament. In conferring upon
him that mark of honour, men of all political parties
concurred, although be, too, belonged to a party
which he politically supported.—(Hear, hear.) His
courtesy, his discretion, his firmness, the munificent
manner in which he answered all the calls of charity,
and the alacrity he evinced in co-operating with
the authorities of the Board of Health, in the at-
tempts to mitigate the effects of the dreadful cala-
mity with which London had been visited, all com-
bined to exalt the character of his title to the applause
of his fellow-citizens. In enumerating the claims of
the late Lord Mayor the splendour of his hospitality
was not to be forgotten—at his Lordship's table were
assembled the leading men of all political parties, and
his own political bias wholly disappeared from
amongst them. To the Mansion-house entertain-
ments no man eminent in art or science, or marked
by any distinction which was recognised by public
approbation, was a stranger. Looking, then, to the
ability and hospitality, dignity and charity, which
were so prominently exhibited in the late mayoralty,
it was but justice to Sir James Duke to say that he
well deserved the special thanks of this
Court. It must be a source of great satisfaction to
those who had passed the chair to find that his merits
were so conspicuous ; and to those who had not
passed it, that they would be enabled to emulate his
example. It had pleased her Majesty to crown the
Mot of the late mayoralty by conferring a mark of
the highest distinction upon Sir James Duko, on the
completion of the new Coal Exchange, an event of
great importance to a country which owed so much
of its prosperity to the produce of its coal mines.—
(Hear, hear.) Alderman Thompson concluded by
proposing a resolution of thanks to the late Lord
Mayor.
Sir. J. KEY had the greatest pleasure in seconding
the resoluton which had just been proposed by his
lion. Friend, in every word of whose. able speech he
most heartily agreed, feeling, as he did, that never was
there any man more fully entitled to have such a re-
solution recorded in his favour—never had any Lord
Mayor passed through that high office in a manner
more calculated to secure the good opinion of all
classes of his fellow citizens—never had the various
duties of that arduous and important station been per-
formed with greater tact, ability, humanity, and firm-
ness, than by Sir James Duke, who had indeed upheld
and maintained the respectability of the office, and
thus adopted the best course of securing and per-
petuating to his fellow-citizens the invaluable privi-
leges which from time immemorial they had enjoyed.
(Hear, hear.) In whatever point of view they
looked at the course pursued by the late Lord Mayor,
they saw equal cause for tendering him their sincere
congratulations for the manner in which his anxious
desire to afford satisfaction to all had been received by
every class of his fellow-citizens as well as by various
public bodies throughout the kingdom ; of which, if
any proof were required, it would be found in the fact
that the Lord Provost and Corporation of Edinburgh
had conferred on him the freedom of their ancient
city; in the warm reception given him by the im-
portant, commercial, and enlightened cities of Liver-
pool and Manchester; and in his unsolicited appoint-
ment to the office of deputy-lieutenant of the county
of Lincoln by the Lord Lieutenant of that county,
to whom he was opposed in politics, and not known,
except by character. If they turned to the various
charitable institutions, they saw his name, not only
standing forward es a supporter of every charity, but
most effectually promoting the interests of the un
fortunate claimants by his guardian care and
patronage. Nothing could exceed the zeal and energy
with which he had endeavoured to promote the
interests of his fellow-citizens by advocating the
establishment and observance of sanitary rules at
that trying period when it pleased Divine Providence
to visit this and other countries with the awful
scourge by which so many thousands were suddenly
hurried into eternity. If, turning their eyes from
the spectacle of the destructive epidemic, they
looked to the Mansion-house hospitality, they
found it both splendid and judicious, the place of
meeting and harmonious intercourse for the
most eminent of all political and religious parties.
The late Lord Mayor thus enjoyed the rare privilege,
on the one hand, of securing the respect and esteem
of those to whom he was politically opposed, and, on
the other, of cementing the bonds of friendship with
those to whom he had long been united by political
associations, whether the able leaders of the Conserva-
tive and Protectionist party, or that party which ac-
knowledged for its head the Right Hon. Baronet
whose name would stand pre-eminently forward in
the country's annals, or her Majesty's Ministers,
under the enlightened guidance of the Noble Lord
whose name had ever been associated with the liberties
of the people. Sir John then alluded, in a highly com-
plimentary manner to the dignity of the baronetcy
conferred by her Majesty upon Sir James Duke, and
the unanimous election of the Hon. Baronet to the
station of representative of the city of London. He
telt, he said, that he had trespassed too long upon
the time of the Court, but respecting as he respected
his old and. esteemed friend, and admiring as he ad-
mired, and all must admire, the upright and munifi-
cent manner in which the duties of the mayoralty
had been discharged, he could not deny himself the
pleasure of giving utterance to his feelings in second-
ing the resolution which had been proposed.
Mr. Aldermen COPELAND said he felt, when he
concurred in the majority of the sentiments expressed
by the mover and seconder, that it was his duty to
make a few observations upon a point on which he
differed in opinion from those who had preceded him.
In resolutions passed at the conclusion of a chief
magistrate's year of office it was usual, according
to the records of the court, to notice the courtesy
with which a Lord Mayor acted towards his brethren.
Now he had been given to understand, that while the
late Lord Mayor was sitting in the other court
before the day of the opening of the Coal Exchange,
his Lordship received communications from Windsor
—communications frOm the Crown and the Govern-
ment—upon the subject of that ceremony.—(Hear,
hear.) With those communications the late Lord
Mayor hid not made his brethren of the Court of Alder-
men acquainted. Under such circumstances, it was
impossible that great credit could be given to Sir
James Duke for the degree of courtesy extended to
his brother magistrates. It was unnecessary, how-
ever, to make further present allusion to a subject
which was, he believed, matter of investigation by a
committee. He should be content with giving a
silent vote, and he claimed to himself credit for thus
openly objecting to the course in that one particular
followed by Sir James Duke. In all other respects
he most heartily agreed in the warm terms of admi-
ration expressed by the mover and seconder.—(Hear.)
Alderman FAREDROTIIER objected to the use of an
unnecessory word in the resolution, which Alderman
Thompson at once consented to withdraw. He con-
sidered that the praise of the hospitality of the last
mayoralty was somewhat exaggerated, inasmuch as
several mayoralties, in each of which as much money
was expended and as many people were maintained,
were fresh in the recollection of all present.—(Hear.)
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Sir PETER LAURIE said he objected to the idea of
giving credit to the late Lord Mayor for the per-
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et
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dh et no
nce
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at the
a magisterial._
(A laugh.) He admitted that
the late Lord Mayor had sustained the hospitality
and high character of the office in other respects, but
in that to which he alluded, and which he considered
to be the most important of all, inasmuch as it essen-
tially regarded the interests of the public, there was a
palpable deficiency.
Alderman THOMPSON said he had nothing to regret
from the discussion, for not a single sentiment of
unkindness had been expressed towards the late
Lord Mayor.—(dear, hear.) As for the communi-
cations which were said to have been received by the
late Lord Mayor, he bad never heard a word about
them. However, if any such had been received, no
doubt Sir James Duke would be prepared to give
sufficient explanation upon the subject.
The resolution, which was as follows, atm having

undergone a few slight verbal alterations, was then
put, and declared to be carried unanimously :
" That this Court desire to record their warmest
acknowledgments to Sir James Duke, Knight and
Baronet, and Member of Parliament, the late Lord
Mayor, for the fidelity, zeal, and ability which he has
evinced in the discharge of the onerous duties of his
high office ; for his willing and generous support of
the charitable institutions of this City ; for his prompt
and assiduous co operation in devising effective means
of alleviation during the prevalence of the recent
grievous sickness and mortality ; for his judicious and
liberal hospitality displayed in the festivities of the
Mansion-house, embracing amongst his guests the
distinguished men of all parties in the state, as well as
his fellow-citizens and others eminent for their re-
search in the varied pursuits of art, literature, and
science, and in the deeper acquirements of the learned
professions. And while this Court regards with the
highest satisfaction the honours which have accrued
to Sir James Duke during his mayoralty, they desire
to bear testimony to his courtesy and urbanity, his
punctuality and firmness in presiding over the busi-
ness of this Court, and for his upholding the dignity
and influence of the high and important office of the
chief magistrate of the city of London."