The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-23 00:00:00

F

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
A Court was held on Thursday for the dispatch of public
business. It sat till a late hour.
THE STATE OF THE CITY PRISONS.
Mr. WIRE gave the following notices of motions :
"That it be referred to a Special Committee, to be appointed
by this Court, to view and examine the prisons belonging to this
city, and to report their opinion as to the accommodation af-
forded to the prisoners, the opportunities for classification and
separate confinement, and whether there exists any necessity for
. building a new prison, or enlarging or altering the existing
prisons, with a view to carrying into effect the improvements
an prison discipline which modern experience has suggested on
the sulict.
• " That such Committee do also inquire whether any and
what alterations are necessary to be made for. the accommoda-
tion of judges, juries, barristers, witnesses, and the public at
the Sessions House in the Old Bailey, with a view to expedite
and facilitate the administration of justice, and to save both
time and expense to the public.
" That Mr. John Clark, the Clerk of the Peace for this
• City, be requested to make a return to the Court of the number
of criminals tried at the Central Criminal Court during the
years 1843, 1844, and 1845, the Ist September in the last
year, and distinguishing the number in each year, and before
whom tried, the number of dam and hours the Court sat each
session, how many Courts sat, the number of days and hours
during which the Judges appointed by this city sat, distin-
guishing each Judge by and the hours occupied by each."
THE RAILWAY BUSINESS OF THE CITY.
Mr. HARTLEY, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Com-
mittee, brought up the report on the North Kent Railway
(City Extension) Bill, proposing to make a terminus
in the City of London. The report stated that the
railway was proposed to be laid down to a point between Union-
street and Peter-street in the Borough, and from that spot over
Southwark-bridge to a point at or near Thames-street; that
" it was the intention to form a large depot in Southwark,
at the end of the bridge, for goods and merchandise, that
passengers and
passengers only were to be carried on the bridge. fhe opinion
of the Committee was, that the proposed plan was not objec-
tionable, provided the plan and elevation should be
.approved
of by the Court, the existing thoroughfares be. not impeded,
a sufficient road for carriages a
mend passengers over Southwark-
britlger be preserved and maintained, and the present acclivi-
ties' be not made more steep, and that properecl'auses be in.
seried in this Bill to secure all these objects.
Mr. LoTr"said he regretted to be obliged to differ with the
committee; which he was a member ; but Mr. Tite, the
architect, who attended the committee on behalf of the Com-
pany,libt: having produced any plan of the mode in which it
was proposed to cross the river, it was suggested that the
intention was to erect a viaduct over the present foot and
carriage-way of the bridge. Now the citizens of London pos-
sessed a noble river, which was one of the great sources of wealth
as well as a facility of commerce.. He could not con-
ceive a more hideous deformity, or greater obstruction,
to light and air, than a parcel of railway buildings erected upon
the top of the Southwark-bridge—a superstruction, for instance,
very similar to thaVwhich presented such an eyesore in the
Minories. In vain might architects design noble structures to
show the magnificent river, if they were to fall beneath the
blow of that ruthless destroyer and universal leveller, the rail-
way mania. --( Hear, hear, and murmurs. )
Sir P. LAURIE said he had uniformly objected to the intro-
duction bf railroads into the City. He had made aresolute op-
, position to the Blackwell Railway, and his experience had not
induced him to alter the opinion he had from the first formed.
He understood that the two railways, whose termini were pro-.
posed to be made in Farringdon-street, had been abandoned.
What vies the cause of that abandonment he did not know, but
it looked something like evidence of returning reason. He had
made many inquiries upon the subject of the City of London ter-
mini, and he gashered from these inquiries, that of the 500
acres of which the City consisted, 200 would actually be occu-
pied by railway companies.—(Laughter and cries of" Hear.")
The City, with its dense population and its enormous com-
merce and traffic, was not the place for railways, and he re-
joiced to find that the erojectsof the Regent's Canal Railroad,
which was to have had it terminus in Aldersgate-street, as
well as the projects of the Ferringdon-street plan, had been
given up. He did not care to what committee the report
should be referred for examination as to its merits he only
hoped, and he had confidence in that hope, that the City of
London would not be torn in pieces in order to effect what
was called improvements.— (Hear and murmurs. )
Mr. T. H. HALL said he had seen no cause to alter his
opinion, that it was unadvisable to introduce railroads into
the City. On the contrary, he was more confirmed in the
opinion which, crude as it wa', he had originally expressed.
The City of London was well occupied commercially. There
might be here and there lanes and confined places which re-
quired alteration, and were differently occupied, but the
City could not be said to be other than in every respect en-
gaged in commercial occupations, and a mere complete
impediment to its traffic could not be proposed than that which
project's like the present was calculated to produce. The
proposed plan was represented in the report as unubjectionable.
He was O. opinion that it was in every respect objectionable,.
and that the adoption of it would place the whole of that pro-
perty at the disposal of the Company without conferring any
advantages upon the public.
Mr. PEWTRESS said the more wise course in which to pro-.
teed in the present matter was not to goneralise on determining
upon its merits, but to consider it upon its simple and particular
recommendations. They ought not to be frightened by every
railroad movement with the idea that the City of London was
about to be cut up, and appropriated as one vast terminus. The
terminus projected in this particular case before the Court
would he productive of no inconvenience whatever. It would
have quite a different effect. The •commerce, which it was
complaned would be injured, would undergo a great increase
froth the numerous facilities afforded by a railroad at the very
doors of the citizen.—( Hear, hear.) Thp improvements in
- the City would be accelerated by it. What a vast accommoda-
tion to traffic was the erection of London-bridge and the im-
provements in its approaches. The new street had greatly
added to the commercial advantages of London, especially since
the establishment of railway termini near London-bridge, thus
exhibitinc, evidence of mutual benefits. if the railroad over
Southwark-bridge was established, the commerce would be still
more important, and there could arise no disadvantage which
would not be far counterbalanced by the good derivable fromits
vicinity to the place of active business.--( Hear, hear.)
Mr. Asnuese said the City was destined to be a city of
warehous2s, and there could be no prevention to that doom.
The Court could not help it. They must recollect that the
qusstion now before them must go before Parliament, whether
they consented to entertain it or not. They saw the tendency
of the ace, and they could not arrest the progress of improve-
ment. Their policy was, inasmuch as they could not determine
whether the terminus of the North Kent Railway should or
should not .comeinto the City, to present no obstacle to pro-
jects supposed to be likely to cause extraordinary commercial
facilities—to offer no opposition calculated to interfere with the
advantages to the Corporation, in the event of the success of
the plan.—( Hear, hear.) They had a fund of 20,000/. a year,
to lay out in improvements, and they were to consider that
London was the centre of commerce. They must promptly at-
tend to all applications to accomplish rapid communication with
that centre of commerce ; and if they hesitated their privileges
would be subject to attack;and annihilation. They would, in feet,
be pronounced to be obstruotives to improvement ; and, like
the Tories, completely swept away. —(Laughter, and cries of
" Hear, hear," and " No, no.")
Mr. R. TAYLOR said the present opposition to the railway
improvement proposed reminded him of what had taken place
when the proposal was made to build the docks. At that
period a pasty in the Court, unfortunately a small one, endea-
voured to prevail upon the Court to aid the petitioners in their
nnalication to Parliament, and if the .assistance required had
been rendered, the Corporation of London would now be the
proprietors of all the docks. The Court, however, refused,
and what was the consequence? The merchants and traders
went to Parliament, and represented the strong necessity which
existed, in consequence of the crowded state of the Thames.
Deputy PEACOCK presented a memorial from the president
, and governors of the Corporation School for the grant of
ground in Liverpool-street for the purposes of a school-house.
Mr. JOHN DIxoN opposed the petition. He stated that Sir
Aaron Rowe, who had been Lord Mayor of London, made a
present of the ground as a burial place for certain of the citi-
zens, and so delighted was Lady Rowe with the bequest that
she directed that her body should be deposited there. It
_ would, then, he considered, be a sort of desecration of the
ground to turn it aside from the purposes for whiCh it was in-
. tended, and disturb the bones of Lady Rowe, by whose hus-
band' it had been left In, trust to the Corporation.—( Hear.)
The petition`viii.iejected.... . . .
UNION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE CITY OF LONDON AND
THE BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK..
The LORD MAYOR presented a petition from the inha-
bitants of the Borough of Southwark, with the view of
accomplishing a very important object. The petition,
which. "was of considerable length, and recited the
various charters under which several kings granted the
town of Southwark to the citizens of London, concluded in
the following manner :—" Your petitioners, therefore, pray
' that your Honomiable Court will fake such prompt measures as
shall seem most advisable for effectually uniting the Borough
▪ of Southwark with the City of London, according to the in-
tentions of the charters hereinbefore referred to, and in
giving to the inhabitants of the Borough an adequate repre-
sentation in the councils of the City ; and that all the inha-
• bitants of the Borough may have and enjoy such and the same
rights in the laws, franchises, and privileges as belong to the
citizens, resident within the City ; and that the inhabitants
exempted from all burdens,- personal and pecuniary, inconsis-
_ tent with those righti and privileges as citizens of London;
and that your petitioners may be at liberty to attend any Com-
mittee of your Court, to,whom the matter of the petition may
he referred, with such further statements and proposals, and
documentary and other evidence, as they may be advised."
Sir PETER LAUME had no objection to send the petition to
a committee, but he knew the fate,it merited would await it
wherever its merits Underwent examination. After having
°PPesedor the principle of re-establishing the Civic magisterial
toity in the Borough, on the grounds stated by him at a
e Court of Aldermen, Sir Peter - Laurie read the unani-
rnithiieesorsepers.t made, and agreed to, during the able Town.clerk-
posPitioloTtLeewoodthorpe; who advised the rejection of the pro-
Cc:operation ornopanied' with such:reasoning as convinced the
condemned tine aereVthe imprecticability.of the scheme. He
the pauper pAelfga4,:tet:onifeilhkeeeping.the Town-hall as a.refuge for
City, and described the condition
of the City
pose of dispensing i nsti4who visited the Borough for the per-
argued, too, that if the as ridiculous in the extreme. He
granted, it siould be
dermen. nepereasymerie °to(' age petitioners were to be
d to the number of Ale
of London could
Mr. A. TAYLOR said th©
easily spare some of their Aldermen
arid: that r
(-Laughter.)
that
t Sir
ro
ptehtee
Mr. Wiree.was rejoiced to find
again classel hireself. with the Liberals
.oppuse the Cc-
ishebd it to be
feefings;of his youth were reviving the generous
_ was glad that Sir Peter was so liberal as iLlt:naturC age- lie
Borough.
Laurie vhe_ar
had
ferenee of the petition. The petitioners, he to
understood; represented not the Parliamentlyr
but theancient boreugh,,which consisted of fiveypar?srciari"'
' • a population not exceeding 75,000 souls. -The retiti%nit'eev,i7jeth
that the borough people desired to be incorporated with the
'Ciff, and stated that many of them were freemen of the City,
and anxious to partake orifsprivileges as well as bear its bur-
dens. As for the legal difficulties.otated by a former able
tnwe-clerk to stand in the way of amalgamation, and the
, edeption of that opinion by a former committee, ne might use
tishionabld language, and say that was no reason why another
committee, or indeed the eime.c.ornmittees should not come to
, diffen4nt,e6nelos:On. (La ugh it•r. ) He might say, as a
great statesman lately said, that he' would not steer,in 1846
by observations made in. 1843. He might say that since the
former censiderathen of the subject much new information had
hien atitain'ed•as dell freun'the Corporation records as from
other sources. They hast"also a new town-cleric, whose anti-
' -quarilit ad legal knewlefige, and whose known attachment to
. aneittait 4'0)6, wdultl• Materially. assist them in ascertaining
whether the pefitiOtie abject could be attained.'
He. say, Oat ,When Southwark was annexed
to the City itself, it stood, surrounded by good stone
atolls and outward detentes"; but' since that Period. four other
each larger thahabe:Otigioal one, had siit±ting UP around
—its population.iiltoba4 diicir'etts
to seek e.. was .wiseie Oerefore,
to strengthen. th
borough of son-tlgms.elvee shy; adding to the City the
Southwark and ;
terest in defending gor3,de parties a common it:-
self-government, L all' thaewis precious and valuable' in' ocal
trarj power.—( and in the encroachments of arbi-
of the object sought, If it ware necessary to discuss the lega-
lityright of the City, confirrnetl t7yWe'lLkYrto do it. The ancient
over and in the borough of Sont-li arter, and sanctioned by lint
over
had been affected but in _ arts, had not been destroyed.
lug the Metropolitan slightadegrea by the Act establish-
,. t want-tut the
. true secret rby