The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-30 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL

Yesterday a Court was held for the despatch of busi-
ness, a great variety of which was transacted.

TREATMENT OF CATTLE IN SMITHFIELD MARKET.

Mr. TEGG said that he had noticed a report in the
newspapers, in which serious complaint was made of the
ill-treatment of cattle, as regarded the small allowance
of water to them in Smithfield Market.—(Hear, hear.)
He hoped that the Lord Mayor would cause such notice
to be taken of the matter as would lead to the correction
of so great an evil, if it really existed, or to the correc-
tion of the report, if there existed no foundation for it.
The LORD MAYOR said he felt convinced that the
Corporation would most willingly afford every requisite
accommodation for the cattle which were brought to
Smithfield, and whose distressed condition had been
represented to him in the communication al-
luded to, as calling aloud for some compassionate inter-
ference.—(Hear, hear.) It was not for him to point out
the means of remedying an evil of the kind ; but the
Chairman of the Market Committee, whose intelligence
and humanity he relied upon, was in Court, and would,
no doubt, give a satisfactory public explanation, and
suggest an efficacious plan.
Mr. HkEs (the Chairman of the Markets Committee)
said that the subject was by no means a new one. It
had been frequently mentioned to him, and he had been
waited upon by several of the members of the So-
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, all
of whom he satisfied by his answer with the
exception of one. The complaint was, he assured the
Court, without foundation. It was a common feeling
with the public when they saw oxen with their tongues
out and evidently suffering from excessive heat, that
thirst was the cause. The facts were these. The ani-
mals were driven to market from distances round Lon-
don varying from 60 to 140 miles ; upon their arrival
on Saturday at some distance from London they were
placed before tanks of water and an abundant supply of
hay, and on Sunday they had the same sort of refresh-
ment without the least stint. It was true that upon
being placed in the market for sale no water was given
to them, but it was erroneous to assert that they re-
mained for 13 or 14 hours in a deplorable state in Smith-
field. Great numbers of cattle arrived between three
and four on Monday morning, and by twelve or one in
the day were all cleared away. Now, his opinion, de-
rived from a long experience, was, that to give cattle
water in Smithfield during the hours of business would
be extremely injurious to them. He knew that he was
stating what would probably make an unfavourable im-
pression on the public mind ; but he considered it to be
his duty, and should not hesitate to maintain the result
of his experience and judgment.—(Hear, hear.)
While the animals were in a hurly burly condition,
baited by dogs, and shoved about by drovers under a
hot sun, to fill them with cold water would be productive
of the most serious mischief ; and if they were
slaughtered with their bellies in such a state a great
portion of the meat would become almost immediately
putrid.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Mellish, when he supplied
the navy, never allowed the cattle to have water for
twenty-four hours before they were killed, for he knew
that if they drank the salt would lose its efficacy upon
the carcases.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Hicks) repro-
bated in common with every other man of humanity the
cruel treatment of the brute creation • but here was, in
reality, not the slightest ground for the imputation. He
would show to any persons who might be appointed a
Committee to inquire into the merits, of the question,
that the very thing complained of was a proof of the hu-
manity of the Smithfield system. Something, it would
be admitted, was due to the owners of the cattle as well
as to the public, who were deeply interested in the
wholesomeness of the meat, and to the cattle themselves,
and the alteration of the existing practice would soon
show itself to be prejudicial to man and beast.—(Hear.)
Mr. ANDERTON said that he had every reason to place
confidence in all that Mr. Hicks had stated. He did not
know whether any of his brethren of the Corporation
kept pigs.—(Laughter.) He was the owner of pigs
some time ago, and he sent them to a butcher to be
killed after they were fed. " No," said the butcher, "if
you don't let them be without eating and drinking for a
time, they won't be worth killing.' So that he was
obliged to starve his pigs to save his bacon.—(Laughter.)
Mr. LAWRENCE said it appeared from what had been
just said that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals was in the wrong in their conjectures about
what was really cruel and what was humane. At all
events the question seemed to be, which was to be preferred
—humanity and putrid meat, or denial of food and drink
to the cattle, and unexceptionable food.—(Hear.) What-
ever the Court said,, or the public might think upon the
subject, the complaint proved in the strongest manner that
the heart of the city of London was not the place for
:laughter-houses.—(Hear.) If the beasts were slaugh-
tered in Northampton, they would not be over driven in
London, and there would have been no occasion for the
present discussion ; but while the present corrupt sys-
tem prevailed, the abuse could never be expected to be
removed or diminished.—(Hear, and cries of " Oh.")
Mr. Hicxs said that if the beasts were killed at
Northampton, or at any other place, they must be fasted
one day before they were killed to be worth any thing.—
(Hear, hear.)
THE ROYAL EXeHANGE AND GRESHAIII TRUSTS.

Mr.LAWRENCE, in the absence of Mr. L. Jones, brought
up the following Report :
To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen,

and Commoners, &c. &c.

We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, your Com-
mittee, in relation to the Royal Exchange and Gresham
Trusts, do certify, that since our detailed Report, pre-
sented to this Honourable Court on the 22d day of
October last, of the several proceedings of the Joint
Committee on Gresham affairs, from the 14th of May to
the 16th of October last, we have had laid before us the
further proceedings of the Joint Gresham Committee,
connected with the re-building of the Royal Exchange,
' and the arrangements for letting portions of the struc-
ture to some of the former tenants of the late Exchange,
and other public Companies; and William Tite, Esq.;the
architect of the new building, having made arrangements
for appropriating part thereof for the Gresham Lctures,
an intimation had been made to the Joint Committee
that a public body was desirous of treatirr, for that por-
tion upon terms highly advantageous to the trust ; and,
under these circumstances, they deemed it most advisable
to find some other suitable accommodation for the Gres-
ham Lectures ; and having conferred with the Lecturers
upon the subject, the Joint Committee entered into a
treaty with the London Bridge Approach Committee to
take a plot of ground at the corner of Cateaton-street
and Basinghall-street for the purpose of erecting a hall
for the Gresham Lectures, and ultimately agreed to take
the same at a rental of 1801. per annum, and to purchase
the fee-simple thereof at thirty-two years' purchase, sub-
ject, nevertheless, to the approbation of this Honourable
Court, and of the Mercers' Company, the joint trustees
under the will of the late Sir Thomas Gresham, and also to
expend a sum not exceeding 6,0001., in equal moieties, in
the erection of such College, subject to the like sanction
and approbation.
That we, your Committee, having taken the said pro-
ceedings into consideration, agree therewith, and recom-
mend this Honourable Court to give their sanction ac-
cordingly, the. Company of Mercers having already been
pleased to agree to a similar recommendation from their
Committee.

And we have caused extracts from the proceedings of
the Joint Committee on Gresham affairs, so far as the
same are connected with the re-building of the Royal
Exchange, to be made, and to be hereunto annexed, for
the further consideration of this Honourable Court, and
in continuance of our before-mentioned Report of the 22d
day of October last.
. R. L. JONES. W. STEVENS. •
JOHN JOHNSON. W. CROUCHER.
JOHN EVANS. JACOB G. COPE.
E. EYTON. L. REDHEAD. •
JOHN LOCKE. THOS. CORNAY.
WILLIAM C. PRIOR. JOHN KNILL.
HENRY J. ELITES.

Mr. R. TAYLOR moved the following amendment,
seconded by Mr. W. Joss,—" That in order fully to
enable the Court to form a correct judgment as to the
most advantageous provision to, be made for the separate
establishment for Gresham College, there be laid before
the Court, and printed for the consideration of the mem-
bers, a statement of the cost and of the extent of ac-
commodation to be afforded by the proposed building in
Basinghall-street, and likewise, together with such state-
ment, a copy of the Report made to the Joint Grand
Gresham Committee on the 10th of October, 1839, by
the Sub-Committee appointed on the 4th of January in
the same year, to confer
.with S. J. Capper, Esq., and
Miss Hackett, relative to Crosby-hall being taken for
the purposes of Gresham College, and to which Sub-
Committee was also referred a memorial of the Profes-
sors for the re-establishment of the College, the said
Sub-Committee having, after full inquiry and considera-
tion, and in furtherance of the business entrusted to
them, resolved, That Crosby-hall is a suitable situa-
tion for the College,' and therefore directed a communi-
cation to be made to Miss Hackett that the Sub-Com-
mittee would recommend the purchase of her lease of
ninety-six years for 2,5001., which terms were acceded
to by her ; when the negotiation was suspended and
postponed from time to time, in consequence of the
urgent business which engrossed the attention of the
Committee connected with the building of the Royal Ex-
change. Also, that the Royal Exchange Committee be
directed to lay before this Court, along with copies of
the said Reports, a statement of the accommodation to
be afforded by each of the two sites, and an estimate of
the cost of each •, and that the further consideration of
the Report be deferred until the said statements have
been laid before the Court."
After considerable discussion the amendment was
negatived by a majority of 2, the numbers being, for the
amendment, 20 ; against it, 22.
The Report was then agreed to.
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
Reports were brought up, on petitions from merchants
and others, for a new street from the Mansion-house to
Southwark-bridge, and on considering the practicability
of forming an avenue from Great Eastcheap to St. Mi-
rhael's Church. They represented that at present the
state a the funds would not admit of carrying into
effect improvements so desirable ; that the extensive im-
provements in progress from Lad-lane to the Post-office
occasioned an expenditure so considerable, as to prevent
any of the City cash being made available for these pro-
jects ; but that it was hoped the former would soon be
undertaken, and that other great improvements would
follow as speedily as possible.
After some observations from Mr. Wire, Mr. Ander-
ten, and Mr. King,
Mr. R. L. JONES said that the Southwark Bridge Im-
provement was an object of great consideration and in-
terest in the Parliamentary Committee, before whom it
would be revived early in the Session. There would,
however, be no use in throwing open that bridge without
having proper avenues to it.—(Hear, hear.) In the
Committee it was ascertained that the improvements at
the we end of Cheapside and at Southwark Bridge
could be aceomplit:l4 for the sum of 20,0001., and that
sum was not considered any serious bar. He regretted
that the Corporation- had not larger funds at command to
go on with more extensive improvements, in preportio