The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-10 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen will hold a Trivy Council at half-past two'
o'clock this afternoon at Windsor Castle.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge arrived
in town yesterday from his residence at Kew, and paid a
visit to the Duchess of GlouCester at Gloucester House.
His Royal Highness. attended by Col. Jones, returned
to Kew in the evening.
A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afternoon at
the Foreign Office. The following Ministers were pre-
sent :—Sir Robert Peel, the Lord Chancellor, Lord
Wharnclitre, the Earl of Aberdeen, Sir James Graham,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Earl of Ripon;
Lord Fitzgerald, Sir Henry Hardinge, Sir Edward
Knatchbull, and the Earl of Haddington.
The Ministers assembled soon after four o'clock, and
broke up shortly before six o'clock.
M. Dedel. the Netherlands Minister ; Baron de.Mon-
coll.°, the Portuguese Minister ; and Baron Gensdorff,
the Saxon Minister, transacted business yesterday at the
Foreign-office.

Mr. Hawes, M.P., with Mr. Apsley Pellattomd Mr.
Christy, and a deputation of Glass Manufactureft, had
an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yes-
terday, at his official residence in Downing street.
Sir Robert Peel arrived in town yesterday from his
residence, Drayton Manor, Staffordshire.
The Earl of AheMeen had a dinner party last evening
at his reiidenc6 in Argyll-strcset.
The Earl of Delawarr Arriv-ed in town yesterday from
his residence, BuekhUrat ,Park, Sussex.

POST. OFFlClti''t;')
MONTHLY STATENIENT'CiP'LETTI IRYAvritED IN
THE UNl+EfrielliGno :
Week ending Nov. 10841
Week ending Nov. '220810 3,456'115
Week ending Nov. 24, 1839 ' . ''. 1,58073
Increase since 1840, on the week's
letters . . . . . . 390,007
Increase since 1839, on the week's
letters

. 2,260,149

---
LEEDS CLOTH MARKETS.—The limited de-
mand for manufactured goods, which we noticed last
week, still continues, and no improvement is now antici-
pated until after the turn of the year. Heavy goods,
v.hich were in most request, are now scarcely inquired
after, and it may bu,presumed that for the finer descrip-
tions there will.no“or some time be Any urgent demaud.
--York Courant,
• ,

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
Yesterday a Court was held for the despatch of business.

GREAT CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
Mr. R. L. JONES (the Chairman of the London-
bridge Committee), brought up the Report on the sub-
ject of a plan, by Mr. Galloway, for the construction of
'a viaduct for avoiding the steep declivities of Holborn-
hill and Skinner-street, and for raising by subscription, or
by a Joint Stock Company, the means of carrying it into
effect. The Report stated that the Committee had ex-
amined witnesses, but as they were of opinion that a
Joint Stock Company was objectionable in principle
they had not examined the plan. They, however, so
fully concurred in the Report of a Committee of the
House of Commons, in 1828,as to the paramount im-
portance of improving the access between Holborn and
.Istewgate-street, that they were of opinion that autho-
rity should be given to them to open a communica-
tion with the Members of her Majesty's Government, as
to the best means of giving effect to the recommenda-
tion of that Committee in respect of this and other pub-
lic improvements detailed in their Report.
Mr. JONES said it would be idle in the Committee to
encourage the accumulation of plans, however ingenious,
without being in possession of the certainty that Govern-
ment would sanction the improvements for which the
public looked with so much anxiety.—(Hear, hear.) He
begged to state that he entirely concurred in the opinion
expressed by a Committee of the House of Commons in
1806, that the most eligible mode of throwing open the
bridges was by means of an additional tax of sixpence
per ton on coals. If that additional tax were adopted
the great improvements, that of widening Queen-street,
and of the neighbourhood of the Post-office, of which
Sir Robert Smirke had already given in plans, could be
effectually accomplished.—(Hear, hear.) At the Post-
office there was particularly urgent occasion for the con-
templated improvement, in consequence of the enormous
increase of business in that establishment. The Commit-
tee, after long consideration, thought it would be ad-
visable to suggest to the Court the propriety of apply-
ing to the Government for a scheme of improvementtb,
of an extensive nature.—(Cheers.) • He was aware that
many of the Members of the , Legislature were
most desirous of the adoption of some compre-
hensive plan, and the Committee could ascertain upon
their interview, whether it was, or Was not the intention
of the Government to aid the Corporation in these ob-
jects.—(Hear,. hear.) He then moved that the Court
agree with the Report.
Mr. NORRIS concurred in the, opinion so generally ex-
pressed, that Holborn-bill was a disgrace, to the City of
London. He, however, thought that an additional duty
of sixpence per ton upon an article already heavily taxed,
would fall grieviously upon the poor, and he suggested
half that amount as being adequate to raise a fund for
the payment of the expense of the improvement alluded
to
_by Mr. Jones.

HUNTER said that there was a loud demand for
an improvement at the western end of Cheapside.
Mr. ASHURST said that the Corporation simply asked
for leave to confer with the Government upon a general
scheme of improvement. If leave were granted, and the
conference was attended with beneficial results, the de-
tails would be fully, discussed.
Mr. WELLS said he was scholar enough to know that
the time of the greatest prosperity of Rome was nut
when her buildings were most grand and imposing; and
he did not see 'why the analogy should not hold with re-
gard to London. For his part, he should rather see the
coal-tax taken off entirely, than see a new street make
its appearance amidst the distresses of the population.
The Report was then agreed to.
THE CITY FUNDS.
Mr. ANDERTON rose to propose an important motion
as regarded the Court of Aldermen. -. That Court had,
he said, gone on from time to time in the work of ap-
propriating the funds of the Corporation, until at last that
appropriation reached the enormous amount of nearly
3,0001. a-year. Be did not deny the power of that body
to vote away the money of their fellow-citizens, for it
was evident, from the voluminous documents laid before
the Corporation, that they had the right they exercised ;
but, he must say, that it was a power requiring to be
checked.—(Hear, hear.) He disapproved of the distri-
bution of this large sum of money, which the Aldermen
voted away. A great deal of it went to the widows,
daughters, and other relations of the Aldermen who had
fallen into distress, and some of it even went to ex-Al-
dermen themselves. After some further remarks, he
moved the following resolution :—" That the Court can-
not avoid expressing its regret at the greatly increased
and increasing annual payments made to decayed mem-
bers of the Court of Aldermen, and their wives, widows,
and families ; as well as other payments beyond those
specified in the resolution of this Court on the 29th
March, 1838, viz., the administration of justice, police,
gaols, and the usual expenses of the Conservancy of the
Thames ; and, therefore, that it be referred back to the
Committee, in relation to the City and Bridge-house
accounts, to consider and report what steps may be ne-
cessary in order to put an end to a practice so injurious
to the funds and character of this great Corporation."
Mr. WELLS seconded the resolution.

The motion was carried by a large majority.
After some other business of no public interest, the
Court adjourned.

LONDON MECHANICS'INSTITUTE
A Special General Meeting of the Members of this
Institution was held last evening, in the theatre, to Con-
sult as to the best means of showing their respect to the
memory of their late lamented President, Dr. Birkbeck,
at his funeral on Monday next. Mr. Spickett in
the Chair.

The CHAIRMAN briefly stated the object of the meet-
ing, and -said that it was the duty of the London Me-
chania Institution to show every mark' of respect to
the memory of their late President ; and concluded by
stating, that those members who chose to go in Coaches
could, and those who wished to go on foot should join
the procession at the Plough, in the Harrow-read.
Mr. READY made a few remark, commenting on the
necessity for showing respect to`" the memory' of Dr.
Birkbeck, and moved that " The Comniittee should go
in a body, as the representative of 'the Institution, and
that the funds of the Institution should be appropriated
for the payment of the expenses of the Committee."
Mr. SMITH seconded the resolution, and, after rather a
lengthy discussion,
Mr. READY withdrew his motion.

It was then moved and seconded that—" The atten-
tion of the Members of the Institution having been called
to the circumstance that the funeral of their late lamented
President, Dr. Birkbeck, is to take place on Monday,
December the 13th, it is hereby resolved that it is the
duty of every Member of this Institution, in order to
show his profound respect and gratitude to the memory
of Dr. Birkbeck, to attend his funeralif he possibly can."
This resolution was carried.

Mr. Woon, in a few words, deprecated a long discus-
sion upon such an occasion. He moved a resolution to
the following effect:—" That a meeting► of the Members-
of this Institution, and those who have formerly been
Members, do take place in the Theatre on Monday next,
at nine o'clock. to accompany in procession the funeral
of their lamented President, Dr. Birkbeck."
The second resolution was also carried, and the meet-
ing almost immediately afterwards broke up.