The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-20 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
Yesterday a Court was held at Guildhall for the
dispatch of unportant public business.
LORD MAYOR'S DAY.
Mr. SNELLING>, the chairman of the City Lands'
Committee, brought up a report on the reference
respecting accommodation in the Guildhall, on Lord
Mayor's Day.
The report recommended that in future the prac-
tice of holding a public breakfast on the morning of
Lord Mayor's Day, in the Council Chamber of the
Guildhall, be dispensed with, as seriously interfering
with the necessary arrangement for the banquet.
The report, after some discussion, was then agreed
to, and referred back to the committee to be carried
into execution.

IMPROVEMENTS ON THE RIVER THAMES, HEALTH OF
TOWNS BILL, &C.
Mr. JOHN WOOD called the particular attention of
the Court to what he considered to be a most im-
portant report from the consolidated committee, and
declared that he was ready to answer any question
upon the subject. .
The report stated that the committee had pre-
pared a Bill for the regulation and improvement of
the River Thames for the last session of Parlia-
ment, together with the necessary petition for
leave to bring it in. A copy of the Bill was also
transmitted to Lord Morpeth, who was requested
to confer with a deputation respecting it; and
a reply having been received the Bill was ordered
to be deposited, pursuant to the standing orders
of the House of Commons. Certain clauses in
the Bill were likewise transmitted to the Board of
Admiralty, and the deputation were directed to
prosecute the measure in Parliament, and watch its
progress. The Board of Admiralty being willing to
favour any measure fbr the improvement of the
River Thames, and increasing the facilities of its
commerce, the deputation were from time to time en-
gaged in communications with that board, and also
with the Commissioners of Woods and Forests,• with
the view of obtaining their concurrence in this mea-
sure 'so essential to the public interests. These com-
munications, as well as others with the heads of the
Government, were frequent, and necessarily occupied
a considerable portion of time—so far impeding the
progress of the Bill that an application to the House
of Commons for the purpose of delaying it beyond
the time allowed by the standing orders of the House
became necessary; and such application was made
accordingly, an intimation being given, at the same
time, to Lord Morpeth, pressing for an early inter-
view upon the subject of the Bill. A conference was
accordingly appointed with his Lordship, at which
he stated that he was advised that he would not
be justified in giving at that time his consent to the
Bill, and that the suit between the Crown and the
City must proceed.
The committee, still deeply convinced of the neces-
sity of some general measure for the regulation of the
River Thames—for the extensive improvement of the
City, with the view of providing for the increase of
its trade and commerce—for the removal of all diffi-
culties with respect to the river—for the security of
the proprietors of the valuable properties acquired
and improved on the banks of the Thames, and
general arrangement of all matters connected with.
the City, financial and commercial, ands hearing in.
mind the efforts which for the last 16- years had been
continuously made by the corporation to promote
extensive improvements in the river on a general sys-
tem—prepared themselves, with the assistance of the
officers of the corporation, to enter upon a compre-
hensive view of the whole subject, to be submitted to
the consideration of the Court, if a reasonable ex-
pectation had been held out of the concurrence of
the Government, and of the several boards to
which reference must necessarily be made. The
committee regretted to say that as yet such ex-
pectation of concurrence had not been so far
realised as to justify the entering upon the detail of the
general arrangements they had contemplated, but as
the objects which they had fn concurrence with the
sentiments of the Court always kept in view, the pro-
moting the public good, the general improvement of
the metrcpolis, and the extension of trade and com-
merce, without any selfish regard to the particular in-
terests of the corporation, they firmly relied upon
those objects working their own way, and that they
would speedily prevail. Finding, therefore, that the
greatest advantages for the promotion of those objects
had been derived from the consolidated union of the
chairmen of the several committees to whose care the
respective concerns of the corporation had been in-
trusted, and who bad all contributed their share of
suggestions and information, particularly the coal,
corn, and finance committee, to whose functions many
of these matters particularly belonged, the committee
with full assurance of the importance of these objects,
and the necessity of their progress, applied to the
Court for a continuance of itseconfidence in them, and
of the authority to confer with the Government and
the necessary boards for their concurrence in a gene-
ral measure of regulation and arrangement, and for
the renewal of the application to Parliament for a Bill
for the regulation and improvement of the River
Thames, and to give the proper notices accordingly.
The report concluded with certifying that a Bill
for the further regulation of steam-vessels, which
had been brought into Parliament by the Govern-
ment, contained a clause to protect the rights of the
corporation, and passed into a law.
To the report were appended the signature of 26
chairmen of committees.
The report was likewise, after some discussion, in
which Mr. L. Jones, Mr. John Wood, ',Mr. Hall, and
Mr. R. Taylor took part, agreed to, and referred
back. to the committee to be carried into execution.
THE NEW PRISON AT HOLLOWAY.
Mr. LOTT (chairman of the coal, corn, and finance
committee) brought up the report of the commit-
tee, recommending the mode of raising the sum of
80,000/. for the building of the new prison at Hol-
loway.
Agreed to, and referred back to the committee to
be carried into effect.
REGULATION OF CITY ELECTIONS.
Mr. PRIOR (chairman of the freedom committee)
called the attention of the Court to the consideration
of a subject about which they had been fighting for
the last twenty years, and which he trusted would be
quite set at rest by the report and Bill introduced by
the committee.
The report stated—" That the committee had duly
considered the subject referred to them, and had
agreed to several resolutions thereon, viz.
" That the constituency of this city, for the elec-
tion of aldermen, common councilmen, and ward
officers, should consist of freemen, being occupiers of
premises within the city, being rated to the police
rate.
"That a suitable declaration for freemen be in-
serted in the draft of the Bill, instead of the present
oath.
"That with respect to the times for holding elec•
tions for aldermen, common councilmen, and ward
officers, there shall be one day for nomination and
election ; but, in the event of a poll being demanded,
the poll should be taken and concluded on the day
following the day of nomination.
" That any alderman or common councilman should
be removed on bankruptcy, insolvency, by deed of
composition, by applying for or taking the benefit of
any insolvent Act, conviction of fraud, or who shall
absent himself from his duty for six months without
reasonable cause.
"And the committee directed the Remembrancer
to prepare a Bill founded upon the foregoing resolue
tions, and the Remembrancer had accordingly laid
before them the draft of a Bill whereby it would
appear that it was proposed to repeal so much of the
Act of the 2d George I. as regulated the right of
voting, and the time of polling at elections of alder-
men and common councilmen, and to substitute a
new qualification, and a more ample proof of such
qualification, and to restrict the polling to one day;
and it was also proposed to substitute declarations
for the oaths required to be taken at ward elections
and on admission to the freedom of the City, and to
disqualify aldermen and common councilmen in cer-
tain cases. That the committee having taken the
said draft Bill into consideration, and being of opinion
that the several changes thereby intended to be effected
in the qualification of the electors, the duration of
the poll, the substitution of declarations for oaths,
and the disqualification, in certain cases, of aldermen
and common councilmen, would be of great advan-
tage to the citizens and inhabitants of this City, they
had approved thereof and submitted the same to the
Court, and recommended that they should be em-
powered to give the requisite notices of an application
to Parliament, in the next session, for leave to intro-
duce the said Bill."—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. ANDERTON said that a Bill of the kind, re-
commended by the committee, was the general pre-
cursor to St. Thomas's-day, so that if there were two
St. Thomas's-days in the year he had no doubt there
would be two Bills for enlarging the constituency
brought in—(A laugh)—that as sure as his name
was James Anderton the Bill before them would no
more be heard of after St. Thomas's-day.—(A laugh,
and cries of dissent.) He believed, as he had often
stated, that reform of the corporation must proceed
from some other authority than itself; but still he did
not consider the case hopeless. He hoped that the
measure would meet with the approbation of Parlia-
ment.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. BARCLAY considered that giving the privilege
to persons who were rated to the police-rate was but
a miserable boon to the citizens of London. If the
Court meant to act upon a liberal principle they would
assimilate the system to that which was adopted in
Parliamentary elections. There was no inducement
to the general body of the citizens of London: to take
up their freedom.--(Cries of " Oh, oh.") What
benefit had he derived from his freedom
Several Members—You are in this Court, and you
may be a sheriff or an alderman, which you could not
be if you were not free. :
Mr. 13.mtmar protested that he could not see how