The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-11 00:00:00

ELECTION OF ALDERMAN FOR
THE TOWER WARD.
A public wardmote of the inhabitants of the Tower
Ward was yesterday held at the Bakers' Hall, Harp-
lane for the purpose of electing an alderman in the
ri,oin' of Matthias Prime Lucas, Esq , deceased.
he chair was taken by the Right Hon. the Lord
Igayor, at three o'clock.
The court having been opened with the usual for-
ma.lities, and the precept having been read,
Mr. SIMPSON, in rising to propose Mr. T. Q. Finnis,
as a fit and proper candidate, congratulated the meet-
ing that they were then presided over by a gentleman
who had, by his constant application to his duties, and
his general urbanity, won for himself the good
opinion of all his fellow-citizens during the short
period which he had filled the 'office of Lord Mayor.
He (Mr. Simpson) was, he believed, the oldest in-
habitant in the ward. For 43 years he had been re-
sident in the ward, and had during that time not been
absent from his place of residence for a longer period
than a month at a time.—(Hear, hear.) He deeply
regretted the occasion of their meeting together
So-day, inasmuch as the occasion of their assembling
was the death of their late lamented Alderman,.
towards whom he entertained the highest feelings of
respect.—(Hear, hear.) He would go no further
back than the year 1793, to prove that the late
Alderman was entitled to the respect of every
inhabitant of the ward.—(Hear, hear.) In
that year this country was placed in a
most difficult position by the conduct of that great
scourge of humanity who carried war and devas-
tation over the whole of the continent, and threatened
an invasion of this country. It was under these cir-
cumstances that the protection of the Thames was
placed in the hands of the late Alderman, who was
appointed Commodore of the F encibles, for the pur-
pose of defending this great City from invasion. In
the discharge of those duties he was most indefatiga-
ble.—(Hear, hear.) He followed with assiduity the
trade of his father and amassed considerable
-wealth, which he had employed since
his elevation to the office of Alderman for good
and charitable purposes. He thought that it was their
duty now to select from among themselves one who
was in every way worthy of the honour, and able to
discharge with efficiency the duties of Alderman of the
ward.—(Hear, hear.) He had been for thirty-four
years a resident in the ward, and his conduct was
well known to all the inhabitants. He had therefore
great pleasure in proposing Thomas Quested Fin-
nis, Esq., as a fit and proper person to discharge the
duties of Alderman of the Ward of Tower.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Ctiaa rose with great satisfaction to second
the nomination of T. Q. Finnis, Esq. That
gentleman served his apprenticeship with so much
credit to himself, that six months before its expira-
tion his employer assigned the whole of his business
over to him, and he then became a man of business
before he was twenty-one years of age.—(Hear,
hear.) In the year 1833,-he was elected a member
of the Court of Common Council ; and he was shortly
attar appointed to the office of Deputy by the late
Alderman. The superintendence of the ward had,
in consequence of the great age of the
late Alderman, devolved for the last few
years upon the Deputy. How these duties
had been discharged the inhabitants of the
Tower Ward could testify. The family of Mr.
Finnis was an ancient and highly respectable one.
it was quite true that the connexions of that gentle-
man formed no ground for his election, but it was
something to know that by electing that gentleman
on account of his acknowledged abilities, they would
also elect a gentleman whose connexions were of the
most respectable character.—(Hear, hear.) He had,
therefore, the greatest pleasure in seconding the no-
mination of T. Q. Fiords, Esq., as Alderman for the
Wqrd of Tower.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. BARCLAY wished before the question was put
to say a few words with respect to the late Alder-
man. Ile did not think that the promises made by
that gentleman upon his election had been carried
out. The speaker then proceeded to call attention to
the manner in which the presentation to Christ's
Church School had been annually disposed of by Al-
derman Lucas.
The LORD MAYOR rose to call the Hon. Gentleman
to order. They were met for the purpose of electing
another gentleman in the room of Alderman Lucas,
and he trusted that the remarks of the speakers would
be confined as much as possible to the subject before
the meeting.
Mr. BARCLAY said that they were about to elect an
alderman for life, and he thought it quite right that
the meeting should be in possession of the opinions of
that gentleman before he was elected. He wished to
know from Mr. Finnis whether he would sup-
port any measure for determining the duration
of the election of Aldermen to a period of three
or five years instead of for life as at present ; and
v.lether he would confine the presentation to Christ's
Church School to the inhabitants of this ward; and
hether, in the event of pecuniary difficulties, or ex-
treme old age, he would consent to resign his alder-
manic gown ?
Mr. FINNIS declined to give any pledges, but
bogged to assure the meeting that the interests of the
I )wer Ward would ever be uppermost in his mind.
The LORD MAYOR inquired whether there were
other candidates to be proposed ?
No other candidate appearing,
His LORDSHIP proceded to put the resolution,
which was carried unanimously.
The LORD MAYOR than stated that he had the
gratification of declaring that Thomas guested Finnis,
Esq., was duly elected an Alderman of the Ward of
Tower.
Alderman FINNIS returned thanks for the honour
conferred upon him, and stated that he would endea-
vour to do all in his power to promote the best in-
terests of the ward. His conduct was already well
known to the ward, and he trusted that his past con-
duct would be the best pledge for the future. There
was but one duty which he had now to perform, and
that was to appoint his deputy. Having looked round
among his frier.ds, he had come to the conclusion that
I.lr. Selson was a gentleman who would most ably
perform his duties. He had therefore great pleasure
in proposing Mr. Selson as a Deputy fur the Ward of
Tower.
Mr. SELSON returned thanks for the distinction
conferred upon him, and stated that he should
endeavour to discharge his duties faithfully.
Mr: CLARK proposed and Mr. Simesox seconded a
resolution, expressive of sympathy with the sur-
v:ving relatives of the late Alderman, and regret at
his decease, which was unanimously agreed to.
The thanks of the meeting were then, on the mo-
tion of alderin rn FINN'S, seconded by Mr. HOWELL
(of Mark-lane), voted to the Lord Mayor, for the
courteous and independent manner in which he had
presided over the Court.
His LORDSHIP returned thanks in a brief speech,
g;,d the Court broke up.

A WHOLES tLE HORSE-STEALER.
Thomas Osborn, well known as a traveller with
t. camp of gipsies through the eastern counties, was
1. rought up at the Essex Quarter Sessions on Friday,
eti a number of charges of horse-stealing, committed
in Essex and Suffolk; and John Fuller, a dealer in
the latter county, was indicted with him for having
received the animals in a rumber of cases. The
prisoner Osborn had been in the habit of selling
horses,Li.i
system being
.it appears they were generally stolen ;
m being to take them in one county and
car ry them off rapidly to another and p dis ose of them.
Fanners and others have suffered severely from his
depredations, an4tthhere were now seven indictments
u
in conexion the charges against him. The
first was for stealinga mare, value 181., from Mr.
Great Jay, a farmer, at Bromley. In this case the
mare was taken from a field in the day time, and the
prisoner was met riding one exactly like it towards
Suffolk ; he took it t.,l",'f'r ainham, and sold it to Fuller
for 4/. Fuller then had it
clipped,i and resold it to Mr.
F,ouse, a publican, fur 71.
tsti, It was traced to Mr.
Souse by the police, and
having
to Ipswich, where
by
certain
been clipped, it was
and notwithstanding its
rotfaM peculiar marks.
enabled to be sworn to
The jury found Osborn guilty
.er stealing the mare,
After but acquitted Fuller of receiving.
.ti
against
it,, this verdict
several other indictments Unborn Was l ler, as the
abandoned.
rc(Tiver, werethento
indicted
O
for stealth.. a horse from Mr. Clarke, at Halstead.
tile case the horse was also carried off into
land sold to Fuller. At the time the robberle,swoeraer,
traced to the prisoner, his gipsy camp was ii
y g Suffolk
n
Colchester, and when the officers were seen approach-
ing it, the prisoner, guessing their errand, slipped
out
and dashed across the field to a wood, leading a
rfgular steeple-chase across the country, and it was
not till a gentleman on horseback joined in it that he
was taken. He was found guilty on this charge, and
also on another of the same nature, and it being
thought unnecessary to proceed with the other indict.
ment, he was sentenced to transportation for fifteen
years. Great expense had been incurred to bring the
prisoner to justice, as his depredations had spread
property through the
great alarm for the
country.safetyof this description of

RUSSIAN STATISTICS.—.According to the almanac
fur 1848 published by the Academy of St. Petenburgh,
Russia in Europe contains a surface of 90,117 square
miles, with a population of 54,092,000 individuals ; the
kingdom of Poland, an extent of 2,320 square miles,
v ith 4,850,000 inhabitants, and the Grand Duchy of
I..nland, 6,844 square miles, with 1,547.702 inhabitants.
he population of St. Pet ersburgh, amounts to 443,000
habitants. In 1846 tho mine, of the empire produced
i .077 pouds of gold, 1 poud of, platina, and 1,190 of
silver, The public debt is estimated at 345,084,200 silver
oubles, divid,d as follors:—Foreiun debt determinste,
fj6 830 000 florins of ; ditto, indeterininat,,
124 489,900 fi Tins of Jjlil nd; home debt, 52,497,760
slyer roubles MIS ptl4),,_ t were in circulation for st,
tom, *
of 226 167,5.8941 K bles, and the assignatsol the
empire for 117,4W57.

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