The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-08 00:00:00

ILFORI) PETTY SESSIONS,

Before W. Cotton, Esq., Chairman, Major Ander-
son, and W. Pearce, Esq.
LtattrATioN OF FAIRLOP FAlR.—This being the
sitting appointed for trying the question as to the lega-
lity of holding Fairlop Fair, considerable interest was
created. It will be remembered that summonses were
issued at the instance of the Commissioners of Police,
against the Hon. Mr. Wellesley, and other parties, call-
ing upon them to show, by what right or title the fair
was held upon Hainault Fr:rest.
Mr. Richards, the agent to the Hon. Mr. Wellesley,
attended to answer the summonses.

Before the case ;;;;;;;;IntO, the Chairman said
he thought it would be better, publicly, to contradict a
statement that had been made to the public, to tiv. effect
that it was the wish and the object of the Magistrates
to do away with the Fairlop fair altogether. This was
not the case ; the gentry and clergy residing in the
neighbourhood who had sent the memorial to the Com-
missioners of Police had no desire to interfere, unduly,
with the amusements of the people, but they merely
wished to keep them within the proper bounds, and to
prevent the disgraceful and outrageous proceedings that
had taken place on the Slbbath. So far as the Friday's
amusements were concerned, the Magistrates had no
desire whatever to interfere, and they might be conti-
nued, but the Magistrates were determined to put a
stop to the fair being continued to the Sunday.
Tile information and summonses were then read.

Mr. Richards upon this addressed the Magistrates,
and said that, upon a consultation with Mr. Wellesley,
it had been resolved that he should avail himself of the
provisions of the 40th clause of the New Police Act, by
which he was enabled to enter into a recognizance in
the sum of 2001., to try the question in the Court of
Queen's Bench, and which proceeding would remote
the matter altogether from the jurisdiction of the Ma-
gistrates, and place it in the hands of the Judges, who
would have to decide on the legality of the fair. He
added that he was now prepared to enter into the re-
quired recognizances, and the Magistrates would, there-
fore, not have the trouble to go into any evidence.
The Magistrates said they regretted that such a step
should be taken, because, although it might prevent
any interference in the present year's fair, yet they
were convinced that the ultimate result would be, when
the matter c ►me to be argued before the Court of
Queen's Bench, that the fair would be declared illegal,
and would be done away with altogether. They coo-
-1 sidered it would be much better that some arrangement
should be come to, whereby the question as to the le-
gality of the fair on the Friday should not be touched,
but that the holding it on the other days should be
alone declared unlawful.

Mr. RICHARDS said that so far as Mr. Long
Wellesley was concerned, he had no desire that
the fair should be continued after the first day,
and in point of fact the ground was only let for one
day, lie did not, therefore, anticipate that Mr. Wel-
lesley would offer any objection to the fair being de-
clared illegal on the Saturday and Sunday. He doubted,
however, whether the Magistrates could adopt that pro-
ceeding under the present summons.
The Bench expressed an opinion that they were com-
petent to do so, and said that if Mr. Richards did not
offer any opposition to the proceeding they would pro-
ceed to hear evidence t.s to the fact of the fair having
been held on the Saturdays and Sundays, and they
would then declare that the holding it on those days in
future would be unlawful.

Mr. Richards said that although he did not anticipate
that any objection would be offered to such a course,
yet he did not like to pledge Mr. Wellesley to a parti-
cular course of proceeding without consulting him upon
the subject.

After some further observations it was eventually
arranged that fresh summonses should be issued for
hearing on Monday the 15th inst, with the under-
standing that if no one should appear on that day to
oppose the proceeding, the Bench would at once
declare the fair illegal on the Saturday and Sunday,
and take the necessary steps to prevent it from being
holden in future on those days.
Mr. Richards told the Bench he had no doubt that
Mr. Wellesley would not offer any opposition to this
proceeding, so that the matter may be considered as
finally arranged in the way above stated.