The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-22 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON
Yesterday a Court was bell fur the d spateh of a
great deal, of public business. It was nutuerou,,ly at•
tended.

FAREINGDON WITHOUT wAni).
Mr. EDKINS, one of the ' o,,,etierre n el,cted at the %earl-
mote, the return of which has been
ared eareat d uthe bar,ull and
void by the Court of Aldermen, appe
end desired to elect sworn ; and Mr. Richard Taylor, whu
lend also been d a Common Councilman for that
ward, made a similar application.
The LoRD ISIA.ToR said be could not permitthe gen-
tlemen to be sworn, as he return had beeormally
quashed by the Court of Aldermen.
Both applicant 3 appeared to be much displeased at his
Lordship'3 refu,al, and the latter !mid the Lord Mayor
lama conslder that he had rejected the demand upon his
peril.
Alderman H. Hrenes said they had no right to be
dissatisfied at the decision of the Court of Aldermen, as
the return had been quashed in mercy to the candidates,
-who would, if such had not been the case, be subject to
pains and penalties for acting under a false return.
c()ZiTIIsT BETWEEN TILE COURT OF ALDER EN
• AIN::: THE CoURT OF COM)ION consete.
When the clerk of the Court, in reading the minutes
cf the last Court, arrived at the passage in which it was
stated that the Lord Mayor had refused to put the ques-
tion as to the third reading of the Common Council Qua-
lifications Bill,
Mr. HALL, a much-respected member of the Court,
Tose, and said he begged to call their attention to the
subject of these minutes. It was the opinion of several
,-f the members that there was a mistake in the record.
and that it was nece,sary to correct that mistake, lest
they should forfeit what they considered to be their
right. lie was one of those who considered that there
did exist a mis-statement in the minutes of the last
Court ; and he should move that a committee of privi
leges be appointed to examine and report upon the '
subject as the best adopt form of proceeding to pre-
vent the interruption to the public business likely to
arise from the adoption of a different course, especially
as the matters about which the two courts had lately
disagreed might be reformed with advantage, and with
the probability of an ueanitneus concurrence to such
committee.—(Hear, hear.) It struck many of the
members thet a better opportunity could not occur for
6nbcnittin g the whole question to examination, with a
view to a perfect understanding between the Courts than
the formation of a committee of privileges, in which the
rights and privileges of the two bodies could be fully
discussed and presented. The committee should consist
of all the members of both Courts, and if it were con-
sidered advisable by them to appoint a sub-committee, as
better calculated to discuss the existing differences, they
could easily select from the two bodies persons in whose
judgment they might have perfect reliance.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Hall then proposed the following motion:—" Thst
a Committee of Privileges, consisting of the whole Court,
be now appointed, and that the alleged error in the
minutes of the last Court, as well as the differences
that have lately arisen between this Court and the Lord
Mayor, and between this Court and the Court of Al-
dermen, on the subject of the " Qualifications' Bill,"
be severally referred to the said Committee to consider
and report.
Deputy CORNET seconded the motion with the utmost
satisfaction. The object of it was to induce the una-
nimity so essential to the well being of the Corporation.
He hid on a previous occasion expressed a wish that
whatever cemmittee might be appointed should confer
with the Court of Aldermen, but that object was em-
braced in the more comprehensive motion just pro-

posed.
The motion was accordingly agreed to.
In a subsequent part of the day, Mr. Jost; WOOD,
who, it will be recollected, brought in the Qualifications'
Bill, rose, and said, that if the Court had not. agreed to
the proposition of Mr. Hall, he certainly should have at
once called for the third reading of the Bill, in his ca-
pacity of Chairman of the Committee, in which it had
been framed, in complianee with the order of the Court.
The measure adopted that day, however, had rendered
suck a step unnecessary, but he felt it to be his duty,
however, to present his protest against the exclusion
from the paper of business of the notice for the third
reading of the Qualifications Bill, and to insist upon his
right to have that notice duly entered upon that docu-
snent.—(Hear, hear.) He here handed a paper con-
taining his protest, and moved that it be entered on the
minutes of the Court.—(Cheers.)
Mr. WIRE seconded the motion. The Court, he said
bad at the same time that it had no desire to interfere
with the privileges of the Court of Aldermen, was de-
termined to protect its owe, and when a Lord Mayor
assumed the power to strike notices oft' the paper without
Dermission of the Court, it was high time to enquire
into the real extent of his authority. He had heard it
asserted by Aldermen, and by others, that it was the
desire of the Court of Common Council to over ride the
privileges of the Aldermen. Such was not the fact, for
the Court of Common Council was a jealous of the pri-
vileges of that body as of its own.
The LORD Mayon asked whether there was any pre-
cedent for the offer of a protest by an individual?
Mr. WOOD said he was not aware that there was any
nes:essity for a precedent. He had, by order of the
Court, brought in a Bill, which had been unanimously
agreed to upon the first and second readings, and if
there existed no precedent for protesting against the
unauthorised exclusion of that Lllll from the paper of
businese, it was time that a precedent should be made.
iHear, hear.)
Alderman H. III:ones said it augured unfavourably
foe the peaceful result of the Committee of Privileges:,
1w.0..,ich a protest was handed in, and he hoped the
Alderman H. aconEs—War is certainly far from my
heart, whatever my rrords may indicate.
The RECORDER said that in the House of Commons
such a power as that which the Lord Mayor questioned
did not exist. It was the privilege of the Lords alone to
protest individually, but the paper haided in might be
taken as part of Mr. Wood's spesL'eb, and entered upon
the minutes, if such were the pleasure (7! the Court. The
Lord Mayor would offer no opposition to a motio❑ to
that effect, acting upon the advice of one who wo-:!ltl be
very sorry to suggest anything likely to embarrass the
Court.
Sir PETER LAURIE said that if ever there was a
mee.sure calculated to conciliate the two Courts, that
measure had been adopted that day. The Common
Council had shown that they were determined to defend
the privileges of both bodies.
Alderman HUGHES HUGHES said he objected to the
proposition of Mr. Wood merely as a protest. He had
no objection to it as a moticu.
The question that the paper handed in by Mr. Wood
was entered in the minutes of the Court was then put,
and carried unanimously.
PERIODICAL ELECTION ALDERMEN.
Mr. ASUURST then gave in a notice of motion, which
caused a sensation in the Court. It was, " That the Re-
membrancer be directed to prepare a Bill to subject the
Aldermen to periodical election."
FINAL REPORT OF THE ROYAL EXCHANGE COMMITTEE.
Mr. R, L. JONES brought up the fuel report of the
Committee for Rebuilding the Royal Exchange. It con-
tained a most interesting detail of the whole of the pro-
ceedings of the Committee from the commencement to
the termination of their labours. Mr, Jones moved that

the report be printed, and that the governing powers of
the Committee be transferred to the Improvement Com-
mittee. lie expressed the warmest approbation of the
gentlemen of the Mercers' Company, who constituted
part of the Committee, and had been unremitting in their
.exertions to procure a building in every way deserving
of this great city, and he hoped that full credit would
be given by the community for what hal been accom-
plished.
Several members intimated that the printing and cir-
culation of the report should be followed by something
more than dry approbation.
The powers of the Committee were accordingly trans-
ferved, and the report was ordered to be printed.