The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-20 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
Yesterday a Court was held for the dispatch o;
public business.
TYR GIFT OF LIVERY CLOTH TO THE OFFICERS OF
STATE, &C.

Mr. ANDERTON rose to propose the consideration of
the report on the reference relative to the custom of
giving livery cloth to the Ministers of State, Judges,
and others. The report, he said, was a very extraordi-
eiary one, and although the sum expended on the pre-
sents to the officers of State and the Judges annually
was inconsiderable, he thought that economy as well as
good sense was involved in the motion to get rid of the
old practice altogether. He here read extracts from the
labrsurs of the City officers amongst the records, to show
that the Court of Aldermen had been in the regular
'habit, for upwards of a century, of appointing a com-
mittee annually to inspect and select the quality of cloth
sent to the Great Officers of State, Judges, and others,
and that the parties to whom the cloth was delivered
were the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, the
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, the Master of the
Rolls, the Chief Baron, the Chamberlain of the House-
hold, the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, the Trea-
surer of the Household, the Comptroller of the House-
hold, the Lord Steward of the Household, the Secretary
of State for the Home Department, the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-
General, the Recorder, the Common Sergeant. The
quantity of cloth delivered to each was, as appeared
from the report, four yards and a quarter. It appeared
also by the books that a number of city officers were iu
1725 granted livery cloth, and that subsequently the
presents of the city officers were greatly limited. The
report concluded by stating that the cost for providing
livery cloth amounted upon the average of the last seven
years to 1371. 14s. Id., and that the committee found ,by
the documentary evidence that the granting livery cloth
to the Ministers of State, and the great officers, and
others was a custom of long standing and antiquity,
had
been that the ordering and management of the same
been in the Court of Aldermen.
A MEMBER—Is it the fact that the great Ministers of
State put on the livery of the Corporation ?—(Laughter.)
Mr. ANDERTON said that no doubt the dignified
people of whom they were speaking handed over the
cloth to their butlers, so that the affair had lost all the
character of being complimentary. It was his intention
to move that the report be agreed to, and that it be re-
commended to the Court of Aldermen to discontinue
the practice.
The motion having been seconded,
The RECORDER suggested that it might be injurious
in the Court to interfere with a regulation which essen-
tially involved an interchange of civilities.—(Hear.)
If the Court abandoned the custom, it might be a ques-
tion to what extent the ancient customs of much greater
importance might be violated. He did not of course
look to the value of the perquisite. It was to the prin-
ciple he looked solely, and he thought it would not be
wise to cast it off.—(Hear.)
Mr. ANDERTON said that if her Majesty's Ministers
would not like to part with the four yards and a quarter
of cloth of the Corporation livery without compensation
he had ne doubt that the Court would willingly listen to
any application of the kind.
Mr. STEVENS said the officers of the Corporation
certainly ought never to have received such a perquisite,
but he thought the compliment from the Corporation to
the officers of State should be continued without check
or diminution. There was an interchange of civilities,
which had been very properly observed ; and if the City
presented the officers of State with four yards and a
half of cloth each, the Lord Mayor received at least the
value of the commodity in venison and other articles,
upon the merits of which the citizens were very capable
of deciding.—(A laugh, and cries of " Hear, hear.")
The observance of the custom was calculated to promote
a kindly feeling, without having the least resemblance to
a bribe ; and he hoped the Court would not hesitate to
show that they had a proper respect for a good hospit-
able old practice.
Mr. KING thought that the recommendation to con-
tinuing expense came very oddly from the lips of so
out-and-out a reformer and economist as Mr. Stevens.—
(A laugh.) He begged the Court to consider whether it
would not be advisable to send the subject at once to the
Court of Aldermen, who would know how to deal with
it, as they had the power, and to proceed to the long list
of business before the Court.
The motion was then agreed to.
PENSIONS TO THE WIDOWS AND FAMILIES OF ALDER-
MEN, &C.
Mr. ALDERTON next moved that the report on the
references relative to the Court of Aldermen drawing on
the Chamber for pensions and otherwise be taken into
consideration. The report recommended that an act of
Common Council should be passed to prevent the appro-
priation of the funds of the Corporation by the Court of
Aldermen to the benefit of the families of
deceased Aldermen, who had no well-grounded
claims upon their fellow.citizens. Ho instanced the
cases of several persons who had attained the station of
Aldermen, and had never rendered any service, or con-
tributed in the slightest degree to the honour of the
Corporation, but whose families, notwithstanding their
worthlessness, had enjoyed for many years the bounty
showered down with a liberal hand by the Court of Al-
dermen. He condemned the immeasurable expenditure
contemplated by the Court of Aldermen in the construc-
tion of a new prbion, and represented, that although he
laid Rot mean to interfere with the privileges of that
Court, he believed it to be absolutely necessary to op-
rose the strong disposition which existed to be extrava
gent in outlays which inflicted no tax upon the resources
of the members themselves.—(Hear, hear.)
The EI.:CORDER said it was quite evident that the Al
dertnen bad, by law, as megistrates, the power as to the
eenstruction of gaols within their jurisdiction.
After come discussion the report was agreed to ; and
it was referred to the Coal, Corn, and Finance Commit:ee
to -prepare a Bill accordingly.
A discussion took place uper. the recommendation of
the City os London Committee, that an oaken thor
should be for Guildhall of the value of 1,6141.,
but the report was neatived.
STATE OF THE CITY FINANCES.
PIIIOII (the Chairman of the Coal, Corn, and
Finance Committee) brought up the report of the state
of the finances at the close 4 f the 1 ist y4ar.
The following are the observations upon the points
deemed mere particularly deserving of notice. `• The
'income of the Corporation during the past, year exhibits
a considerable increase, which we tied principally under
the head of coal duty, upon which there is a large in-
crease upon the year as compared with preeedin,ee years.
This is to a great extent accounted for by the deficient
importation of the three years immediately preceding,
and more particularly the year 1844, which exhibited a
diminution ef 4,000/. We further notice the fact of duty
having in this last year been paid for the first time to
any extent upon coals brought by railway conveyance.
The arrangements respecting the collection and
payment of the various duties upon coals brought
by railway conveyance, have not at present
been settled to the satisfaction of your Committee.
Upon this subject a report will shortly be presented to
the Court. We merely beg, on the present occasion, to
express a hope that matters may speedily be placed upon
such a tooting as shall obviate the necessity of an appli-
cation to the Government, which we shall feel it other-
wise incumbent upon us to make, as the Government are
,now interested in a greater degree than the Corporation
in the produce of such duties. On the expenditure side
of the account fur the past year there appears likewise a
considerable increase, which it is necessary satisfactorily
to account for, and the Committee have pleasure in
stating that the whole of such additional expenditure has
been applied in furthering objects of great public utility.
There has been contributed by the Corporation, as usual,
towards the funds for effecting the improvements now
in 'progress in various parts of the metropolis, the sum of
11,500/. ; in addition to which there has been applied
out of the City coal duties, towards effecting improve.
meats projected, the sum of 15,250/. ; and to-
wares the Holborn-bridge New- street Improve-
ment, the amount of the street tolls, viz.:
4,846/. ss. 9d.; making altogether a sum of 31,5961. ss. 9d.
Under the head of magistracy expenses, we find an in-
crease of about 2,0001. upon the year, occasioned chiefly
by extensive alterations at the justice room, Guildhall,
and an increase of about 3001. in the expenses of removal
of Scotch and Irish paupers. The prison expenses exhibited
an increase of about 2,0001. expended in alterations at
Giltspur-street Compter, and House of Correction
Under the head of Conservancy of the Thames, there.
appeared an increased expenditure of no less a sum than
7,0001., which we find can be satisfactorily accounted for,
having been applied for the benefit of commerce, and
for the. public frequenting that river for pleasure or
otherwise ; the excess of expenditure being occasioned
by the raising, and clearing away of wrecks and vessels
obstructing the navigation of the river, the erection of
the pier for the landing and embarking of passengers by
steam-boats at Blackfriars-bridge, and in payment
made on account of the works now in progress for re-
moving the dangerous rock called the Whiting Shoal,
near Limehouse. In addition to the above items of
extra expenditure, there has been paid off in the course
of the year, 10,0004 the balance remaining of
the moneys borrowed for the purpose of removing
Fleet-market and the formation oufrFarringdonestreet,
There has also been applied in the
cb ase of the ground
and buildings of the late Fleet f.ruen, and in the re-
demption of land-tax thereon, the sum of 26 882/.
17. lid. This sum, however, unlike the amounts )aouvet
referred to, has not been paid out of the income, but
has been provided for as nearly as possible by the a
sale
of stock applicable to such a purpose, and by the dis-
posal of the building materials.
The report ends with congratulating the Court upon
the satisfactory condition of the Corporate revenues, and
upon the fact that increasing income had not induced
lavish or unnecessary increase of expenditure, and that
the surplus revenue had been, as the Committee trusted
it ever would be, applied for the benefit of the City and
the public at large.
Mr. PRIOR said it was unnecessary for him to at.
tempt to add anything to the statement of a report of so
highly satisfactory a nature. He should merely move
that it be adopted and printed in the minutes of the
Court.
The motion was unanimously agreed to.

MOUTH-EASTERN CONTINENTAL
STEAM PACKET COMPANY.

The seeond half-yearly meeting of this Company was
held yesterday afternoon, at the offices of the South-Eastern
Railway Company, London-bridge.
James 2.l‘Gregor, Esq., Chairman of the Company, took
the chair.

The report of the directors stated that the Company was
constituted in June, 1845. There were 565 shareholders,
bolding 11,081 shares. On these shares a deposit of 4L per
share had been paid, and a further call of 21. would be made,
payable on the 19th of July next. The Company at present
bad five splendid steam-ships, the cost of which was 63,5021.
The nett earnings for the last half-year had been 6,695/., out
of which the (Erectors had written off 3,3621. 13s. 6d. for
wear and tear, leaving a balance of 3,3331., out of which a
dividend of 4s. per share would be declared payable on the