The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-12 00:00:00

BROXERq.

Several gentlemen havit g baen called to the bar of the
Court to be sworn in as brokers, and asked the usual
questions, whether they had ever been unfortunate in
business, to IN hick they replied in the negative,
Alderman COPELAND rose and said, there was another
question which ought to be put to applicants to be
sworn in as brokers. Each of them ought to be naked
whe•her ha ha•l ever practised as a broker? Ile sug-
gested . snch question in consequence of observing
amongst the applicants several who were known to have
viola; d the rule, and thus subjc cted themselves to penal-
ties.—(Hear, hear.)
A member thought it would be unfair to call upon the
applicants to criminate themselves.
The applicants were sworn in without being subjected
any farther examination, althostah Alderman Cope•
land and other n embers of the Court have frequently
brought forward instances of gross frauds which spring
from the laxity observed towards those who have acted
in the capacity of brokers.

RE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SOUTHWARK 'JUSTICE ROOM

The Court proceeded to the consideration of a
petition of the inhabitants of the Borough of Sou ll-
wark, for the re-establishment of the Justice-room
at the Town hall, Southwark, by the Court of
Aldermen. Mr. Cowen appeared for the pe7itionerr, and
represented upon their part that the great increase of
the population of the Borough, and the removal of the
police magistrates' office from Union-hall to a place less
convenient, on account of its distance to the districts
in which the Aldermen used to exercise their jurisdiction,
rendered the re-establishment of the Town-hall indis-
pensably necessary. The revival of the magisterial
business at the Town-hall was, he urged, also necessary
as a preservation of the privileges granted by a great
variety of charters to the City of London, and which
were endangered by the abando meat of the jurisdiction
exercised for so long a period by the civic magistrates.
Alderman H. HUGHES observed upon the importance
of the question considered as a matter of privilege to the
City, as well as a matter of convenience to the
inha-
bitants. Formerly there existed a distinct clashirg be-
tween Union-hall and the Borough office. but the re-
moval of the metropolitan police establishment to
Stone's-end seemed to countenance the necessity of re-
verting to the old plan. He considered, at all events,
that the qu(stion ought to go to a committee, before
which it could, with ell its details, be most properly ex
amined.—(fear, hear,)
Alderman WILSON said he should be happy to second
the reference of this question to a comrnittie; but he
apprehended serious difficulties in the way of the re-
newal of the magisterial practice in the Borough, without
application to the Government. Ho hoped, if the re-
establishment of the Town-hall should take place,
the Aldermen below the chair would participate with
their seniors in the performance of the duties.—(Hear.)
Sir PETER LAURIE did not feel the least objection to
investigation into the subject by a committee. The
merits of the question would be there made apparent.
and it would be shown that a more untenable proposition
than the re-establishment of the Town-hall could not
be made. The organisation of the Metropolitan police
had completely swamped the duties of the Aldermen
at the Guildhall. Toe fines levied in the Borough
were, by the Metropolitan Police Act, set apart for the
support of the police fund, and the officers of that police
made a point never to bring a case to the Town-hall. In
fact, if au Alderman attempted to send a fine to the
Chamberlain (the come e pursued before the passing of
the Metropolitan Police Act), he would be subject to a
penalty of loot, Was it probable that an interposition
to the prejudice of that establishment would be per-
mitted ?—(hear, hear.) What was the state of the
Town-hall after the Metropolitan police appeared ?
Why, the Alderman who sat there was like the man set
up in a potato-field.—(A laugh.) Nothing, be was de-
termined, should induce him to permit himself to be set
Up as asearecrow. He would go no more upon a fool's
errand to the Town-hall.—(Laughter.) The Court of
Aldermen might as well think of joining Marylebone and
Finsbury to the City, on matters of justice, as of draw-
ing the Borough again into their jurisdiction. Why the
Metropolitan police laughed at the Town-hall magis-
tracy. They owed it no obedience, and as a matter of
course the assumption of jurisdiction was a mere matter
of ridicule.—(Laughter.) _ _

Alderman COPELAND said, that when in 1836 it was
his duty to go to the Town hall to officiate, he found that
there was no occasion for his services, and he heard from
the Metropolitan Police officers that they had orders
never to bring any cases before the Aldermen there.
The performance of his duties at that office was then
limited to the reading of a newspaper over the fire for
an hour and a half.—(A laugh.) If the Court should
consider the recommendation of the re-establishment
of the Town-hall, he should take particular care to
oppose any proposition to the Effect that the duties
should be vrformed by a salaried officer.—(Hear, hear,
earl murmurs.) He could not shut his ears against the
reports, but the object was to till the bench at the Town
hall with a person who was to be r:munerated He
always said so, end he was determined to oppcse any
proj ct of tie kind.
Alderman FA aEnoTITER suggested the reference of the
petition, and the various documents connected with the
question, to the Town Clerk. the City Solicitor, and the
City Retnerubrancer, with instructiolis to draw up a case
for the opinion of counsel.

Alderman COPELAND approved of the rArence com-
prehending the opinions of c.,unsel giv.n, when the sub-
ject was on former occasions moovd.

Alderman IIU3IPLIREY said there would have been
abund tnt cases at the Town-hall if Sir Peter Laurie
had not intimated that he would not sit there except
the fines to which the metropolitan police fund was
entitled were paid to the City Chamberlain. To such a
course the Police Commissioners objected, and cases
were therefore likely to be decided in such places in
which the claim of the fund was recognised. The Cum
missioners of Police, as well as the. Magistrates of the
Borough, were desirous that the Aldermen should sit at
the Town-hall.

Sir PETER LAURIE said nothing could be more erro-
neous than the opinion that any man could: exact a fine
in the Bor.aigh except a justice appointed to perform the
police duties.

After some further discussion the petition and dceu-
tn-nts were refein-d.

THE CITY COMMI STONER.

The report of the Committee appointed to take into
consideration the letter cf the Commissioner of the City
Police on the subject of an increase of salary, was
brought. up. It recomnteti.ied that the salary of that
officer should be met eased, and was signed by twelve
aldermen.

Alderman 11. HuortEs was decidedly of opinion that
the pay of the City Cotnrnissioner should be made equal
to that of each of the commissioners of metropolitan
police. If the city were to have a Commissioner of police
at all, they ought to pay him properly fur the perform.
ance of his dutie3. If such an office %ere not necessary,
they ought to get rid of him at once.
Alderman SIDNEY strongly advocated the claims of
the Commissioner of the City Police, who performed all
the duti,s of his office with distinguished ability, and
certainly merited a larger amount of remuneration for
his service F.

Sir PETER LAURIE declared it to be his opinion that
the Commissioner was amply pail for his exertions as
head of the city police, and 11 as fnibled to devote
part of that time which ought to be given up altogether
to the police service to railroad speculation.—(Mur-
murs.) It could not be denied that thA Commissioner
was deputy-chairman in a railroad affair. .o that the
citizens had only part of his services, and the fact was
that he was better paid than either Co'oaill Rowan cr
Mr. Mayne. Sir Peter Laurie expressed some surprise
at the very positive manner in which Alderman Sidney.
who had had but very few opportunities of juiging of
the efficiency of the police, described the talents and zeal
of the C,mtniisioner, and said the Court could n• t
interfere with the salary of officers appointed by tie
other Court.

Alderman WILSON said that Alderman Sidney had
already proved him-elf to be a most able, indefatigable,
and maims magistrate, and was incapable of giving an
opinion upon such a matter without sufficient ground,
and without being master of the subject. As for rail-
ways, the Commissioner had nothi g to do with them.
as a director or provisien.d-committeeman. Perhaps he
had some connexion with one ; but why had he not a
right to give his surplus titoe to form one railroad com •
pany, when so many gentlemen at that moment in the
Court were connected with half a derm.—(Laughter
and murmurs.) He hoped the Court would not with-
hold an increase of scary from an officer who so well
deserved it.
Alderman COPELAND said the lecture just given by
Alderman Wil,on was certainly Tt ry much out of place.
lle had yet to learn why the Aldermen, performing their
various duties as they did without remuneration, and
paying heavily in the course of the performance
of these onerous duties, should not be permitted to do as
they pleased with the time at their command. He was
yet to learn why any control should be exercised over
them.—(hear, hear.) It happened that the Commis
sioner of the City Police was in a very different predi-
cament. Mr. Harvey was the paid servant of the City,
and wto, as the paid servant, under an obligation to
devote the whole of his time to the service of the City
in that capacity.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Harvey had no
surplus time, and was well Fa for all he did as an officer
of the Corporation. Many of the members of that Court
were connected with railroads.
Alderman WiLsos--Indet d

Alderman COPELAND—Yes, inCeed ; and many of the
members of this Court have been most shamefully tra-
duced by the press. I understand the sinister insinua-
tion of Alderman Wilsc n ; and, I repeat, that many of
us have been most scandalously calumniated. I admit
that I have been connected with half•a-dozen railway
companies, and more, for my own personal aggrandise-
ment, ai well as for, I trust, the good of the country
(Hear, hear.) I am far from saying that I entered into
speculations, or that I would enter into such speculations
without the expectation of putting money in my oen
oocket. I never entertained a thought ot the kind.—
(Hear, hear.) With respect to the noti.:e of a motion ot
mine on the paper on the incompatibility of the duties cf
the office of Commissioner of City Police with an en
gag,tnent in any other sort of business, I shall reserve
that fur the other Court, which alone can deal with it.
Alderman llllmpnEay said that Mr. Harvey certainly
only belonged to one railway company ; but how far he
[night have speculated in railways, nobody had a right
to inquire. —(Hear, hear.) There was one thing neces-
sary to be impressed upon the Court. Although bfr.
Hervey had been so long as seven years at the head of
the City police, he was still upon the minimum salary,

after haying madc himself well acquainted with the duties
of the and performed them in the most efficient
manner.

The i•eport was ultimately agreed to.
opEs VOTING FOR THE MAYORALTY.

Alderman COPELAND rose to move, " That on all
future elections for Lord Mayor of this city, when the
return is mada by the Livery to the Court of Alder-
man, the election be open voting." lie was induced to
submit a motion to that effect in consyquence of the
statements made in the newspapers as to the number of
Aldermen who had voted upon certain occasions, a hen the
Livery returned two members of that Court as fit and
.proper persons to serve the office of Mayor.—(Hear,
hear.) He had given offence, as he understood, to some
of the legal officers of the Corporation, in consequence
of haring intimated his belief that such information
could rot have been obtained without the knowledge of
one of the officers wh officiated when what was called
'the " scratching took place. He did not see why the
Court should be liable to the misrepresentations which
v-ere set afloat in mattets of this sort ; and he did not
know of any course Calculated so effectually to get rid
of the existing anomaly as open voting.—(Hear.)
The RECORDER suggested the propriety of making
inquiry whether " scratching " fur Lord Mayor had not
originated in some standing rule or order, which it
might be *necessary to remove before the open voting
was substituted.
Sir P. LAURIE said that no one ever doubted how he
voted, and of course no one ever asked him the ques •
tion. His vote was always so open that it was impos-
sible to mistake it. He certainly knew of no instance
in which a member professed to vote for one member
and certainly voted for another.
Alderman WATSON said upon one of the occasions al-
luded to by Alderman Copland, he went round to the
Aldermen, and asked each of them how he voted, and
all answered him except one. He said to that one that
as 'the refusal to answer implied that the voter meant to
vote for the candidate who had the smallest chance of
success, the name should be taken down accordingly,
and the numbers upon that calculation were taken.
Ile could not see how any man should be ashamed of
voting as his conscience directed.
Alderman HUMPHREYS wish€d, if the Court objected
to open voting. that a regular ballot should take place.
Sir WILLIAM MAGNA'S!' said, the object sought for
could he obtained it' the Lord Mayor would publicly
state the numbers upon both sides.—(Hear, hear.)
The REcortuEn said, it appeared to him to be rash to
inliko any ulteratien without inquiry. The power of
"scratching" was, he believed, of very long duration.
Alder,nstn IluatruttEY said, the R. eorder's predecessor
lest his si tuition by " scratching," but it was a sort of
cc. atching" of a different kind from teat to which the
Cotirt alluded, inasmuch as the one only caus,-d the less
of a mayoralty, but the other was very near causing the
I iss of a life. There were two men in Newgate, Limier
ser.t•mee of death, and one of them was ordered for
xecution. The la.e Recorder, however, "scratched"
the name of the wrong man, and if that " scratching"
hid not been detected, anil Lord Denman been referred
to, the a r..ng man would have been hanged as sure as
he was " z,cratched." The " scratch," or the " tuck,"
:es he believe-1 it was called in the case of hanging, in-
stead of sending a fellow creature oat of the world
whose life it was intended to spare, served the very use-
ful purpose of making room for the present Recorder,
whose. place it would be so difficult to supply.—(Hear.)

ASYLUMS FOR THE POOR.

Alderman FAREBROTHER called the attention of the
court to a subject which he be.ieved to be of the highest
inportance, considered relatively to humanity and
morals The Court would give him credit for what he
said when he stated his object to be " that a committee
of the while Court of Aldermen should be appointed
•o take into- ceniideratien the proper mans to be
,depteL whether by appication to Parliament or other-
wiee, to compel the Guardians of the City of London
Unions to provide sufficient asylums within the juris-
liet'on of the Magistrates of the City of London." His
Attention was drawn to the subject by the melancholy
exhibition of unfortunate destitute creatures, who, upon
application at the City of London Unions, instead of
eeing received into some place at once in which there
might ba some little relief or abatement of their wretch-
edn .ss, were doomed to trudge off hungry and almost
!naked in the midst of inclement weather to Peckham,
were stood the only refuge for them, and that a refuge
in which the City Magistrates had no sort of control.—
(Hear, hear.) What followed ? Next day saw the
object return to London, harassed and wretched by the
t'etigue and pr'vations to which they were exposed, and
breaking windows and lamps for the purpose of being
sent to a preferable abode of a prison for criminals.
What was to be inferred from the deplorable preference
of the prison ? That the guardians argued that it was
better to have the gaol supplied with the poor than
afford to their unhappy fellow creatures the attention of
a workhouse, with the ordinary comforts n. ver refused
to abandenod criminals.—( Hear, hear.) He was happy
to find that the notice of his inten'ion to bring forward
the subject of the want of asylums in the public papers
had already accomplished some good, for the following
paper had' been lately put into his hands:—