The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-07 00:00:00

_.-/

CO,TeTRT OF ALDERMEN.
Yesterday a Court was held for the dispatch of business.
Alderman WILSON said the Court would recollect that
on the Ist of May, in consequence of a communication
made by the Governor and Chaplain of Newgate, to the
efftct that Shaw, a Chartist prisoner, had abused the
privilege allowed him upon the suggestion of Baron Platt,
4.hey made an order that in future the laws and regula-
;ions established for the government of the gaol be
strictly put in force. As Visiting Justice. it was his
duty to communicate the order to Shaw. Shaw hoped
that he would be allowed to petition the Queen and the
House of Commons, to write to Baron Platt, and to be
removed from the custody of the city magistrates to the
Queen's Prison. The petition to the Queen was sent to
the Home-office, and the petitioner wound up his list of
complaints by petitioning the Court of Aldermen, in a
memorial in which he accused the Governor of cruelty
and tyranny, and of having disregarded Baron Platt's
order to allow him to see his wife and family, and to
write to them. Now, an investigation had been the re-
sult of these complaints, and it was quite evident that
there did not exist the slightest ground fur the charge of
oppression or ill treatment. He had been permitted to
receive two or three letters a day, to write two or three
times a week, and to see his friends three days in the
week; and no check had been given to this indulgence
until it was discovered that he had been writing to and
receiving letters from Chartists, and visited by a woman
who pretended to be his sister, but who was proncunced
by:his wife to be an impostor.
Here Alderman 'WILSON read several extracts from
the intercepted letters. In one of the letters, written by
the petitioner to a brother Chartist, was the following
paragraph, which might be considered as a specimen of
the mere family nature of the transmitted communica-
tions. After having spoken of the excellent state of his
health, although his petition to the Court of Aldermen
described him as suffering from many serious maladies,
he proceeded:—"'Tis true I am subject to much un-
necessary tyranny, provocation, and annoyance, but I
am a Chartist, and do not expect a relaxation of the moat
rigorous rules for my comfort or accommodation, nor did
I ever. I know my men, and I doubt not the restrictions
I am placed under are in accordance with instructions.
Yet as to these petty inconveniences I can afford to
laugh at them even under present circumstances, but I
can assure you, notwithstanding the utter contempt I
feel for such inflictions, a prison is not a bed of roses;
however, I am determined not to suffer unmerited seve-
rity very silently. You know I always had a fancy for
taking my own part, and, should I find the people out-
side will not fight my battles, I will wait patiently until
I can take the field myself, and, by the powers, I have
a long score to rub off with my foes. I know not what
is published in the newspapers, either local or metropo-
litan, for we are (unlike the Lancashire seditionists)
not allowed to see one under any conditions." To
allow this person to persevere in the course be had
thought necessary to adopt would be both absurd and
dangerous.—(Hear, hear.) The Alderman concluded by
moving that the petition should lie on the table.
Alderman FINNts, as one of the sheriffs, well knew
that the complaints of the petitioner were wholly desti-
tute of foundation.

Alderman SIDNEY considered that the allegations in
the petition ought to be inquired into.
The LORD MAYOR—Why, Alderman Wilson, as
visiting magistrate, has inquired into them.
Aid( rman SIDNEY said that, although he did not be-
lieve the statements made by the petitioners against the
Governor, still he should vote upon principle for an in-
quiry. The Judge in recommending a mild exercise of
discipline meant, certainly, that the letters the peti-
tioner should write and receive, and the visitors who
should be admitted to him, should be proper letters and
proper visitors; and, in order to ascertain that they were
so, it was most desirable to submit the whole subject to
the Gaol Committee, to which he accordingly moved, as
an amendment, that the matter should be referred.
Alderman SALomorts seconded the amendment.

Aldermen THOMPSON said it appeared to him that by
adopting the amendment the Court would be pursuing a
course the best of all calculated to give encouragement
to dissatisfied and discontented prisoners to complain of
the treatment they received, by leading them to suppose
that in order to be considered as martyrs it was cnly
necessary that they should accuse and vilify those
to whose safekeeping they were intrusted. The
visiting magistrate had adopted the recommendation
of the judge to an extent of indulgence towards the pe-.
titioner altogether unparalleled, by allowing him to see
his friends three times a week, and to communicate by
letter with them daily. What was the consequence ?
Abuse of both privileges.—(Hear, hear.) Could any
man who heard the extracts read by Alderman Wilson
doubt that the indulgence had been most grossly vio-
lated? Under all the circumstances he called upon the
Court not to stultify itself by receiving such a petition,
and ho suggested the propriety of adding a few words to
Alderman Wilson's motion, to the effect that " the Court,
having considered the petition, and heard Alderman
Wilson upon the subject, determines that it should lie on
the table."—(Hear, hear.)
Sir P. LAURIE approved highly of the suggestion of
Alderman Thompson, and said it was quite impossible
that the Court should give encouragement to complaints
of this kind.

Alderman Girths said, if the Governor had not acted
as he had acted when the petitioner was discovered
violating the prison regulations, he would have been
guilty of, and must have been held responsible for, a
very serious infringement of the orders of the Court.
The question was then put, and two hands were held
up for Alderman Sidney's amendment, while all the
other members of the Court voted for the original ques-
tion as altered upon the proposition of Alderman
Thomp.-on.
We were given to understand that a discussion took
place while the doors of the Court were closed upon the
subject of receiving a petition from Bezor, another Char-
tist imprisoned in Newgate, and that that petition met
with the fate of the former.
ALLEGED FALSE SERVITUDE-MR. INNES'S PETITION.
This subject has excited much interest amongst the
various companies, it being known that it was usual to
admit into several companies upon the ground of servi-
tude persons who never had served, nor even seen the
masters to whom they were bound. In the Vintners'
Company, however, the mischief of this practice has been
considered to be serious, for many of the infamous houses
at the west end of the town have been conducted upon
the authority of Free Vintners, purchased by the owners
for a sum of money.

A gentleman &elm the Board of Excise attended to
watch the case for the Government, and he considered
it necessary to observe in the course of the proceedings
that upon all occasions on which the Excise authorities
thought it expedient to interfere, the Vintners' Company
gave them the readiest assistance to put a stop to a
practice by which the Queen was deprived of certain
duties, and the licensed victualler was injured by unfair
com petition.

After several observations from Learned Counsel it
was shown that IL M. Pimm had never made applica-
tion to the Vintners' Company for hi• freedom, and it
was stated that if he should make such application, and
the non-servitude were proved, the company would ex-
ercise its power impartially. Under these circumstances
the petition of Air. Innes was dismissed.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.—Her Majesty's box was
occupied, on Tuesday evening, by the Earl of Cawdor,
the Countess of Desert, the Countess of Shannon, Vis-
count and Viscountess Brackley, Mr. and Lady Caroline
Duncombe. Among the visitors were, his Excellency
the Sardinian Minister, his Excellency the Greek Con-
sul-General. and Madame Ralli, his Grace the Duke of
Devonshire, the Marquis of Douro, the Marquis and
Marchioness of Douglas, the Princess Mary of Baden,
the Marquis of Winchester, the Countess of Kinnoull,
Viscount Dupplin and Lady Francis Hay, the Countess
of Egremont, the Countess of Ashburnham, the Countess
of Jersey and Lady Clementine Villiers, Lady Howard
de Walden and the Honourable Miss Ellis, the Countess
of Malmesbury, the Earl of Bectire, the Earl of Belfast,
the Earl of Durham, the Countess of Glengall, Lady
Margaret Butler and Captain Macdonald, the Countess
de Flahault and Mdlle. de Flahault, the Earl of Munster,
the Countess (Dowager) of Essex and Miss Johnstone,
Mr. H. Vincent and Miss Vincent, the Countess of Shel-
burne, the Countess
.Poulett, the Earl of Cardigan, the
Countess Brownlow, Viscount Alford and Lady Mar-
garet Compton, Viscount Exmouth, Viscount Malden.
Viscountess Duncan, Viscount Sidney, the Baroness do
Clifford, the lion. Misses Catharine and Mary Russell,
Viscount Templetown, the Earl and Countess Grey,
Lord Ward, Lady liuntingfield, Lord Churchill, Lord
and Lady Ashburton, Lady Brougham, Lord and Lady
Poltimore, Lord Bateman, lion. Frederick and Lady
Elizabeth Villiers, Lord and Lady Keane, Lord Robert
Taylour, Baron Knesebeck, Lady and Miss Beauclerk,
the Baroness Rothschild, Lady Eddisbury, Lady Char-
lotte Copley and Miss Copley, Sir Thomas Hare, Bert.,
Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Sir Henry Webb, Sir Isaac
Lionel, Lady and the Misses Goldsmid, Sir Andrew
Barnard, Sir Henry Mildmay, Sir Philip Grey and Lady
Egerton, Sir Henry Seale, Sir George Armytage, Sir
John and Lady Harrington,
andring toniaiss Sir John
Sir and Lady
n
Molesworth, Sir John
Walsh, Sir George and Lady Shee, Sir John, Lady, and
the Misses Jervis, Hon. John Fortescue, M.P., Hon. C.
Hope, Hon. C. E. W. Pepys, lion. Edward Upton, Hon.
Dudley Fortescue, Hon. Henry Coke, Hon. A. Neville,
le Chevalier and Madame de Horta, Mr. H. T. Hope,
M.P., Mr. Baring Wall, M.P., Mrs. Mountjoy Martyn,
Mr. Fitzwilliam Hume, Mr. H. Greville, Colonel Wing-
field, Colonel Blanc, Major and Mrs. Simpson, Captain
Bligh, Captain Egerton, Captain Gordon, Captain Dal-
rymple, Mr. and Mrs. Arabia, Mrs. Standish Standish,
Mr. W. Northage, Mr. H. Villebois, Mr. W. Jameson,
Major, Mr., and the Misses Pugh, Miss Richards, &c.
THE INCOME-TAX.—A return moved for by Mr.
Moffatt, M.P., gives some particulars relative to the
income and property-tax. It appears, that in the year
ending the sth of April, 1848, the number of persons of
all classes assessed to the income-tax under schedule
D amounted to 147,659, of whom 34,270 had incomes
under 150/. a year; 38,825 under 200/.; 29 909 under
300/ ; 15,043 under 4001.; 7,324 under 500/.; 5,532 under
6001.; 3,043 under 7004; 2,124 under 800/.; 1,713 under
9001.• 875 under 1,000/.; 5,234 under 2,0001.; 1,483 under
3,0001.• 703 under 4,000/.; 400 under 5,0001.; 788 under
10,0001.; 371 under 50,000/.; and 22 persons with in-
comes of 50,000/. and upwards. The number of persona
charged under schedule E in the year 1847-48, amounted
to 49,707, of whom 21,960 had incomes under 1501;
8.645 under 200/ ; 8,702 under 300/.; 4,049 tinder 400/4
2,244 under 500/ ; 1,040 ndder 6001.; 694 under 7004;
522 under 8001.; 276 under 9001.; 188 under 1,0001.;
838 under 1,5001.; 244 under 2,0001.; 166 under 3,000/.;
55 under 4,000/.; 23 under 5 ,000/. ; and 61 with incomes
of 5,0001. and upwards. The net total amount of the
income-tax received for the year ending the sth of
April, 1848, was 5,638,702/.; viz., 2,557,7931. under
schedule A ; 309.890/. under schedule B ; 744,273/.
under schedule C; 1,685,977/. under schedule D ; and
340.769/. under schedule E.
We are requested to state that Colonel Sibthorp
has been prevented from attending his Parliamentary
duties since the recess by indisposition,though not of
serious oluiractor.