The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-21 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

Yesterday a Court was held for the dispatch of bus)
nest).

CITY PRISON'S CONTRACT.
Sir CHAPMAN MARSHALL presented a petition from
the baker who is now serving the contract to supply the
City prisons with bread. It stated " that in consequence
of the failure of the potato crop, which caused so un-
looked for an advance in the price of flour (nearly
11. per sack, and a further advance expected), the price
to the petitioner now having amounted to little more
than half the price now charged for bread at many
baker's shops in London, in consequence of which he
daily lost to a considerable amount, and he prayed that
the Court would take the matter into consideration, and
allow him an advanced price, so that he might be able
to supply bread of the quality he would wish to keep up,
and at the same time to lessen the great loss he was
sustaining." He thought the application was a very rea-
sonable one, under the well-known existing circum-
stances of the high price of the commodity, and the
fact that the petitioner, as well as his father, had per-
formed every contract they had taken perfectly to the
satisfaction of the City authorities.
Alderman FAREBItOTHER said he was anxious to do
all in his power to remove the impression which had
been very generally made, that a failure to a very fear-
ful extent had taken place in the potato crop and in the
corn crop. He knew from the best authority that the
grossest exaggerations had been made in the condition
of these two articles of food, by, no doubt, parties in-
terested in raising the prices for the purpose of deriving
an unreasonable profit from the public, which the ap-
prehension of famine could alone excite.—(Hear, hear.)
It was cruel to excite alarm of the kind. The corn would
prove to be, according to information procured from
those well qualified to judge, an undoubted average
crop, and the growth of potatoes, which was spoken of
with such despair, would turn out to be very different
from th 4 public expectation. The fact was that immense
quantities of potatoes were kept back from the market
last year until they were completely spoiled, in conse-
quence of the calculations of the monopolists. His ob-
ject in rising to speak was not to diminish any claim
which the petitioner might have upon the consideration
of the Court, but to prevent it from going forth to the
world that scarcity was expected, without accompanying
the statement with his denial.—(Hear, hear.) He felt
s,,afident that Providence would continue those favours
which had been so graciously dispensed to this nation
on all occasions.
Alderman Lucas said he thought it was reasonable
in people, when they found the price of grain and other
necessaries of life had risen all over Europe, to feel
some alarm for themselves.—(Hear, hear.) For his
part, he hoped there would be enough for all, but cer-
tainly his opinion was that the cultivation of the soil
did not bear a fair proportion to the increase of the po-
pulation.—(Hear, hear.) He believed that the price of
grain was as high in Paris or Dantzie as it was in this
country. He hoped there would be sufficient to carry
all countries through, but he could not help expressing
his fears, and be could nut blame others for entertaining
apprehensions, although they were called upon to wait
patiently, and they might calculate upon the result. It
was rather hard to expect people to wait until they
should have nothing to eat.—(A laugh, and " Hear.")
Sir P. LAURIE said, that Alderman Farebrother and
he had been lately visiting the Corporation estates in
Yorkshire, and they had ascertained that one farm had
not one bad potato upon it.—(gear, hear.) The crops
were very large. It would be found, upon the authority
of the Edinburgh Review, that double the ordinary
quantity of corn had resulted from the agricultural cub
tivation.
Alderman CHALLIS said, it appeared to him that the
present question was not famine to the community, but
famine to the contractor and his family.—(A laugh.)
Sir CHAPMAN MARSHALL said he did not apprehend
a famine, but he thought that the unexpected dearness

'ed gave a claim to the petitioner.—(Bear, hear.'

The petition was then referred to the Gaol Committee.
THE EXPENSES OF THE SURVEY OF THE WESTERN
DISTRICT OF THE THANES.
When the Court were passing the several accounts,
Alderman MUSGROVE said he observed that one of
those accounts was the 'Water Baliff's, and one of the
items was 690/. for the expenses of the survey, by the
Lord Mayor, of the Western District of the Thames.
fie expressed a wish to be informed by whom that item
had been paid.

The WATER-BAILIFF—I paid it.
Alderman MusGuovE—Upon whose authority ?
The WATER-BAILIFF—By order of the Lord Mayor

The Court was then cleared for the consideration of
the communicaton from the Special Committee of the

City Common Council, in relation to the erection of a
new City Gaol.

FOREIGN POTAtOES.—A vessel, arrived from Lima
(South America), has brought, in addition to 1,412
p-ackagos of copper ore, and other productions, 23 bar-
rds of potatoes, the produce of that distant quarter of
the globe. This esteemed description of article has
before been imported from the Bermudas and other of
the West Indian Islands, but we are not aware of a
similar importation having taken place from the conti-
nent of South America, and therefore the one under
r.otice is remarkable, and requires particular mention.
S une other arrivals of potatoes have taken place during
the past week from the continental parts of Europe, and
as there were none for a considerable period, and this
article is at present the subject of universal comment,
the mention of them will be of interest. The James
Watt steamer, from Havre, brought' lOO sacks, the pro-
duction of France • the Giraffe seven baskets, the Bata-
vier 20 baskets, and the Ocean three baskets, that Rot-
terdam, the produce of Holland.