The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-22 00:00:00

ELECTION OF THE OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION.

Upwards of an hour was occupied in re-electing the va-
rious officers of the corporation.

MUNICIPAL REFORM IN THE CITY.

Mr. PRITCHARD rose to propose a motion to the effect,
that it be referred to the Committee of the whole Court
appointed in March, 1834, to consider the report of the
Municipal Commissioners as soon as a copy should be
obtained ; and further, to confer with the Commissioners
and with his Majesty's Government upon the amend-
ments of the Municipal Corporation of the City of Lon-
don. He stated that as the report was all but ready,
and as a measure based .upon it would be introduced
into Parliament it became necessary to appoint per-
sons to negotiate with the Government upon a question
of such vital importance. The necessity appeared to
be greater after what , had occurred in the Court
of Aldermen on TueSday last. Charges of delay had
been made against the Committee of the whole Court
Of the most unfair kind, for it was well known that their
labours had lasted for several weeks, from nine in the morn-
ing till nine at night ; that they had prepared several most
important reports, which had passed the Court, and were
proceeding to prepare the rest when they met with such
decided obstructions from a member of the. Court of Al-
dermen then in the Chair.—(Hear, hear.) Those who
had thus interrupted the proceedings ought to bear die
blame. (Mr. Pritchard then described what had passed in
the Court of Aldermen, as reported in Wednesday's papers,
and reproached that body with having, after first intimating
their wish to join with the Court of Common Council in the
endeavour to obtain an eligible reform, repudiated all idea of
union.) He considered, too, that the Aldermen had stultified
their own objections to the acts of the Committee of the
whole Court by appointing a whole Court of their own, and
taking under their patronage the municipal institutions of the
City.—(A laugh.) He rejoiced to see so large and respect-
able an attendance of strangers below the bar on such an
occasion. As to the form of the Committee, he thought that
the Committee of the whole Court had decidedly the advan-
tage over every other. The Court might appoint the same
Committee to which he referred in his motion to the per-
formance of the duties he mentioned, or another Commit-.
tee, and the rest of the reports made by the former might
then undergo discussion. An immediate attention to the.
subject was more necessary, as it would be much easier to
induce the Government not to adopt a system injurious to
the interests of the citizens of London than to abandon a
measure once introduced under their sanction. In a Com-
mittee of the whole Court there would be great advantage,
for every member of the Court would have the opportunity
of doing his duty, and the Constituency would have the
opportunity of witnessing it.—(Hear, hear.) As to , the
prejudice which was said to exist against a Committed so
formed, that was felt by none except those who were dis-
inclined to do what was required of them by the electori, or
those who were adverse to any plan of improvement. A Ward
Committee, he submitted, would be objectionable, because,
amongst other reasons, of the inequality of the Constituencies,
and of the absolute necessity at such a period of carrying on
the proceedings before the eye of the public.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. Pritchard then put his motion.
Deputy WESTON seconded the motion. It was, he said,
indispensably necessary that the city of London shouldNpar-
tieipate in the general law passed by the Government last
Session, and he trusted that all prejudice would, in the en-
deavour to obtain a favourable measure, be laid aside. The
Committee of the whole Court, whether it was legal or
illegal, had done its duty well. It was to be regretted that
the whole business of it had not been concluded before,
but the public ought to know, and, indeed, did know, that
the impediment lay in the late 'Chief Magistrate. Ile re-

gretted the unconeiliatory spirit exhibited by the Court o
Aldermen, who certainly ought to pull with the Court of
Common Council, and who would find that they would
have to undergo a great change.—(A laugh and cries of
" Hear, hear.") . 0 ,
Alderman WINCIIESTER begged leave to warn the-Court
as to the course they were about to pursue. It was curious
and new in the history of Corporations that, at a time when
his Majesty had been pleased to appoint a COmmission to
inquire into the principal institutions of the country, the
Corporation of London should think fit to proceed with
matters which they called their own Reform, before they
knew any thing of the report upon which the approaching
measure was founded. 'he report.s of the Committee of
the whole Court were highly objectionable, and had been
concocted by a set of gentlemen who were notoriously hostile
to the branch of the Corporation to .which he had the
honour to belong, and were. meant to 'destroy totally the
Mayoralti and Magistracy of the city of. London ; and if
the. Court of Alderinen'Coneurred in their views; i its whole
authority would be annibilated.Hear, hear, hear.) • .As
to the attacks whielf.had been Made upon his charaeter, he
would answer 'them .by a reference to the kind and good
advice which he had upon all, occasions gi\'en to. the Court
' of Common Council.—(Great laughter.) It was well for
them that they. sometimes had p. Chief Magistrate who
could put them right when they Were decidedly and to all
intents and purposes doing wrong.'—(Renewed langhter.)
He, would now shoW them he was as sincere as ever, and
beg of:them to" wait until they should see the substanceof
the Corinissioners' report. ' It would becomplimentaryin
them to do so; instead of being guilty of the presumption
of interfering with the Government under the existing cir-
cumstances. Would it not be. better and more dignified to
wait for the report than t 0,36 running up perpetually to the
Minister, saying, !! We want this and we don't want that
If. he were a Minister of the 'Crown, be shOUld .clespiSe and
reject such treatment. If any Persons came to him pend-
ing'a great measure "to make this or that -proposition, he
would 16Ok at them with an eye of suspicion, and. answer
thein by saying,, "Be so good •.as to wait till you are sent
for."—(Laughter.) lie once more railed upon the. Court
to be cautious. of .what they were: about, and he strongly
deprecated any idea of precipitancy.
. , .
Deputy CORNEY did not
_,.see how, the Court could en-
tertain the question, or how the Lord Mayor 'could put it,
as the law officer's had" long decided that the'COminitteeof
the whole Court was not a legal:Ciimmittee.- - ' -
It was here asserted'by several Members that the Court
itself' were perfectly satisfied of the .existence.of the Com-
mittee, as well as of its legality, ab initio.
Deputy CORNEY requested that the Lord Mayor would
state whether the question proposed by Mr. Pritchard could
be put by his Lordship's authority.
The LORD MAYOR having consulted with the Recorder,
said that the question was one of great nicety. He had
had been advised by his law officer, and he concurred in the
advice, that the Committee of the whole Court appointed
in March, 1834, was not now in existence. He begged to
state that he considered the best way in which the Court
could proceed was, to appoint a Committee of the whole
Court again, and to make the reference to that Court.—
- .. ___

(Hear, hear.) The immediate adoption of this plan would
obviate the necessity of discussing the question of the le-
gality of the former Court.
Mr. PRITCHARD said that he was ready to prove the le-
gality of the Committee of the whole Couit, but he would
not refuse to modify his proposition so as to meet the sug-
gestions of the Lord Mayor, but not in such a manner as
to recognise the imputation of the illegality of the Commit-
tee. He the❑ moved for a new Committee of the whole
Court, for the purposes aforesaid.

.
Mr. FLETCIIER seconded the proposition, principally on
the ground that the equalizatiln of the wards would, no
doubt, form one of the chief objects of the Bill, and the
Court was bound to show its conviction of the necessity
of such a change by preferring a Committee of the whole
Court to any other.

Mr. WILLIAMS (of Cordwainers' Ward) admitted that
there was a necessity for reform, taking the whole city of
London in all its parts into consideration ; but he thought
that a Committee of the whole Court was not at all quali-
fied to decide upon the most advisable system. Ile begged
that the Court would first look at the manner in which the
old whole Committee worked. Although composed of 266
members, ;t was often a great difficulty to get together a
quorum.—(" Hear, hear," and " No, no.") He had been
asked to help to make one, and he refused because the
Law Officers declared the Committee to be illegal. He
then detailed the lists of those. present during the sittings
of the Committee, and concluded by moving as an amend-
ment, that a Committee consisting of three members from
each ward should be elected for the purposes mentioned by
Mr. Pritchard.
Mr. E. GODSON seconded the amendment. He had been
applied to, while engaged in another Committee, to help to
make a quorum of the Committee of the whole Court, and
was therefore convinced that Mr. Williams's proposition
ought to be supported. He wondered why Mr. Pritchard
had not discovCred that a Ward Committee could act well
after all his experience.
Mr. STEVENS said that Mr. Williams's argument was the
most powerful that could be for the reform of that Court.
When first the Committee met, there was no occasion to
look for members. The attendance was uniformly nume-
rous, but the moment the late Lord Mayor threw. in his
obstructions, those who wished to slink from their duty were
glad to get hold of the excuse, and absented themselves.—
( Hear, bear.) But the right way of getting together large
numbers was not adopted. If a 500/. entertainment in the
navigation barge had been likely to result, there would have
been go small muster.—(A laugh.) But they were now
arrived at a very important crisis. It was, in fact, life or
death with the Corporation.
Sir PETER LAURIE said that he would vote for the
amendment, and entertained no doubt that a better attend-
ance would be given than was to be found in a Committee
of the whole Court. He was somewhat surprised at the
admission of Mr. Stevens, that a fund to the amount of
500/. would accomplish what the sense of duty' could not
by any means induce the patriotic members of the Court
of Common Council to do. What, the Members of that
Court refuse to act without pay ! The Court might de-
pend upon it, that notwithstanding the boasted value in
which the Government held their services, a Municipal
Bill would be brought forward, cut and dry, and without
any consideration of those services.
Mr. CHARLES PEatisoN advocated the original motion.
He described the statements of Mr. Williams as mere fal-
lacies, and said that those who worked in the Committee of
the whole Court were as effective and hardworking a body
of men as could be found, and that the majority of the
Members who absented themselves had done so from a
perfect confidence in the integrity and exertions of the con-
stant frequenters of the ommittee. Mr. Pearson re-
minded Sir Peter Laurie of a recent job which had taken
place in the Court of Aldermen, as a set-off against the
reported disinclination in the Members of the Court of
Common Council to attend'to their duties without remu-
neration. He then ably defended himself against a charge
of inconsistency made against him in a Morning Paper.
The LORD MAYOR said that if the Lord Mayor, Alder-
men, and Commons pulled together, he had no doubt that
Government would give them a most satisfactory Bill.
Mr. HALL implored the young members, if they ex-
mp eocttieodn. to belong to the Committee, to vote for tlic original
Mr. R. TAvi.on. said that the Ward Committees always
acted badly, and that upon important occasions their reports
were negatived by the Court.—( Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Mr. Galloway, Alderman White,
and Mr. Pritchard, the Court divided, when the original
motion was carried by a majority of 13 ; the numbers being,
for the amendment, 63 ; against it, 76. Majority against
the amendment, 13.—Adjourned.

A requisition is now in progress of signature by
several M. P.'s, bankers, merchants, and others, to solicit
the Lord Mayor to convene a public meeting for the pur-
pose of expressing their deep sympathy for the loss, by
conflagration, at New York ; and also to express their
warm remembrance of the generosity of America upon
the occasion of the awful fires at Nova Scotia, &c.

Last week a woman in Methvenf Scotland, gave
birth to a child which.was literally covered with the small
pox. Both the mother and all the family were free from
the disease.

SINGULAR AND SHOCKING DEATII.—For some
time past, the house,- No. 23, Hertford-street, Somers-
town, has been the abode of a most singular character,
named Henry Kirkman. . This eccentric man Was about 34
years of age, and the son of Mr. Kirkman, the well-known
pianoforte-maker. lie was extremely frugal in his diet, and.
led, in every respect, the life of an anchorite, never suffer-
bveanttiuon until
t
ing either male or female to enter his retreat, which, as
may be well imagined, was not kept in the most clean and
comfortable order. Such an aversion had he to meet the
eye of any one that he
past,ncr
driven to it from necessity, and then always went out and
returned un:Yor the cloak of night. 'Not having been seen
Or heard for some daysthgeuintteeidghib'iosu iriaiit red to
knock at his dOor, but reeeivitnimgen:i\ainrs.wlenrsp.theeyt caEmveatnos,th:ef
conclusion that Something, of a serious nature must have
transpired, and gave information at the station-house in
nt(itiethaecrecumulate
Phmnix-streot. In a short
forcing open the door, they proceeded wditllsi somemen - and
caution the S division, attended. with a part of his men, or
ettldietyfiie•s"t'ifleogort,oafilth, into a wick
the corpse c ,f the
wretched man lying in bed undressed.beheldHe had Fe: ,dently
been dead some considerable
l''onodmdoi difficulty,
`period, and on exam's ling the
body, the nose and hands
by the rats, with which the
were found to have gna.w ed away
place appears to be: overrun.
The body was removed i
'n a shell to St. Pancras tr, orkbouse
to await
found in his pockets.