The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-15 00:00:00

" MUNICIPAL COMMISSION-LONDON.

" 1. All by-laws, or acts of Common Council, now
considered as in force, and regulating or concerning the
election, appointment, duties, or functions of the corporate
Magistrates, members of the Coinii.on C aincil, or officers,
or otherwise, to the government of the city.
" 2. Resolutions or orders of the Court of Aldermen, or
Common Council, appointing the different Standing Com-
mittees.

"3. Reports upon the duties or functions of corporate
officer,.

"4, 01ths taken by the Magistrates, members of the
Common Council, or officers.
"5. A table of all customs and dues to which the
Corporation are entitled upon the importation of goods,
wares, or merchandise.

"6. A similar table of all street or gate tolls.
"7. A similar table of all fair and market tolls and dues.
" 8. Farms of precepts issued for the summoning of
Courts or election of corporate officers.
" 9. Forms of process in the Mayor's Court, Court of
Hustings, Sheriff's Court, and the Borough Court of
Southwark, and all other Courts belonging or incident to
the Corporation.
" 10. An accurate statement, as well as a map or maps
of the wards, with the returns of the number of freemen
resident in each ward, and the number of dwelling.houses.
" 11. A similar statement, as well as a map of the
boundaries of the City, distinguishing London within the
walls from London without the walls.

" 12. A specification of such districts Iseally included
within the City boundaries, but exempt, or chiming to be
exempt, from the City's jurisdiction.
" 13 The present duties of the judicial and ministerial
officers of the Corporation."
. .

The report stated that, upon receiving this com-
munication the Committee referred it to a Select
Committee to prepare the answers and returns, and
that Committee had given instructions accordingly.
It further stated that directions having some time
ago been given to make extensive extracts from the
city records, charters, and other documents, with
translations of them, they were now nearly com-
plete, and a collection of highly valuable and useful
evidence had been obtained, and that as expenses
had consequently arisen, and must naturally arise,
from the investigation, the Committee should draw
upon the Chamber for a sum of money amounting
to .500/.

Mr. WILLIAMS objected that the communications
ought to have been through the medium of the
Town Clerk, who was a responsible officer. The
Committee were not answerable to any authority ;
besides, the public looked upon the majority of that
body as hostile to all principles of reforpri.—(Mur-
rnurs and laughter.) He considered that before the
Court could be justified in voting 5001., it should
be made manifest that the translating of the ancient
records were complete and accurate.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. CHARLES PEARSON thought that. the Com-
mittee were over stepping that which had been set
down for them, and that the information they were
possessed of would, he supposed, like Coriolanus's
scars, be the people's in private.—(Laughter.) He
had before argued in favour of an open answer !o
the propositions of the Commissioners by that
Court, but his proposition had been over-ruled to
his regret. He thought it nec,.sary to state that
he had had an interview with Mr. Blackburn, the
Chairman of the Committee, anti M. Pukes, on
the subject of the wishes of the Government, and
he found that those gentlemen bad altogether set
their faces against expense; that they disclaimed
being Fr p trty to any uneconomical priceedings in
(he Coormi•sion; that they declared that the maps
of the ward• procured at -he rime when the cholera
was prevalent were quite accurate, and specific
enough to answer thi-ir piirpo-e-, and t .at they
did trot care a straw whether or not one ward hap-
pened to thrust its nose into aeot her ward.—
(Laughter.) lie had no object'on, of course, to
.tie expense of a use'ul and enlightened inves-
tigation, but he could by no means relish the
idea of making his Majesty's Commission a cloak
for the infliction of an expenditure to which
it was by no means a par• y.—(Loud cheers.)
rite most absolute economy was observed by the
Commissioners, as was evident from an illustration
riven by Mr. Pukes, who declared to him that the
•um of 61. was all that had been allowed for tratisla-
-ions all over the kingdom.—(L oid cheers.) The
object was not to indulge in the amusing but
antiquarian research, but to ascertain what was ob-
noxious in the existing corporate institutions of the
City. He objected to the idea of the authentica-
tion of the Charters by Sir Francis Palsgrave, and
declared, if their validityitdtnhtohte‘hvawatGiat
bisiorelevdfoxoei
risrtsrepritamteirrnt:esec;eatit%nivotoselnutresgelyol
a;tsegulttlitoodtauibitl:ryoeel
be authenticated legally.—(Cheers.)
bad.f
nb eai‘Admlierra..dt
DIXON
e leAxxLmocLeosOptlitt:hAet
011 GALLOWAY
loogss;e:
ascertained.

Mr. PRIOR defended the Committee, which had
in this instance acted with great energy.
Mr. PRITCHARD also justified the Committee.
They had, he said, found the records in the greatest
imaginable confusion; and they proceeded to arrange
and methodize them in such a manner, as would,
vlieti exhibited, remove all unfavourable and uncan-
did impressions.—(Cheers.) They had had 40 dif-
ferent sittings, and their labours had nothing for
their reward but tt,e gratification of contributing to
the benefit of their fellow citizens.—(Cheers.)
Mr. R. TAYLOR objected to the report, that it
treated de omnibus refzis et quibusdam ahis,(Gene-

ral laughter.) He wished to see it proved that the
labours of the Committee were productive of an
ad vantage corresponding with the size of the expense.
Mr. STEVENS said the object of the Government
was to ascertain whether the Corporation required
any reform, and he thought that required very little
translation of language.—(Laughter.)
Mr. Deputy WOOD (the Chairman of the Com-
mittee) very ably refuted the objections to the Com-
mittee. lie declared that they were as willing to
give every information to the Court as they were to
give it to the Commissioners. lie assured the
Court that the Charters and ancient documents
were in such confusion, and so badly translated,
that it was actually a disgrace to the City of London
to exhibit them. The exertions of the Committee
would altogether remedy the evils so palpably ex-
isting, and the whole was conducted upon the most
economical plan.
Mr. WOOD sat down amidst cheers, and his mo-
tion for agreeing with the Committee was unani-
mousiy adopted.

GAS.-COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS,
CITY OF LONDON.

On Friday evening a deputation from the Char-
tered Gas Company attended the court, to meet a
deputation from the numerous petitioners on the
subject of a reduction in the price of gas. Mr.
Livesay, the Deputy Governor of the Company,
expressed his regret that they had not earlier an
opportunity of communicating to the consumers of
gas in the City of London the intention of the
company to meet their wi•hes. He stated that their
board had agreed to reduce the price of gas burnt
by meter 10s. 6d. per 1,000 cubic feet, and to those
who did not burn by meter they would charge the
No. 6 burner 3/. Bs. instead of 3/. 12s. per year,
and that in this reduction it would be perceived
there t‘as a mere shadow of a shade of tbff,rence
between their charges arid those of the Dorset-
street company.

Mr. Deputy DAW, the chairman of the commis-
sion, observed, that this reduction did not met-t the
prayer of the petitioners, and that there was con-
siderably more than a shade of dleience. The
Dorset-street company only charged 10s. per 1,000
cubic feet to those burning by meter, 3L 4s. for the
No. 6 burner, and 10s. per cent. reduction on all
other private lights.
The petitioners prayed to be served as cheap as
their neighbours, or that the commi-sioners would
allow some other company to enter the city, who
would supply them at a fair and reasonable rate.
To this the commissioners generally assented.

Mr. BATEMAN, a director of the company, strongly
urged that they had a larger capital than their c,)m-
pctitor,—.that while the Dorse•-•treet Company
were paying a dividend of from 9 to 10 per cent.,
the Chartered Gimpany were only paying 6 per
cent,—that the former had their customers in a very
populotH district, wfile the Chartered Company, in
addition to the populous part of the city in which
the petitioners resided, carried their pipes a great
distance through courts and streets out of the city,
where the number of private lights did not pay their
expenses; and, further, that in many parts competi-
tion compelled them to charge below cost price. He
therefore hoped the commissioners would feel they
ought not to be governed in their charges by the
other company.
_ _

Mr. STEVENS, of Bishopsgate, one of the peti-
tioners who has several times been before the com-
missioners on the subject, begged to say that the
reasoning of the worthy director was altogether fal-
lacious. The petitioners considered the commis-
sioners as their protectors, and they called upon
them in the first instance to use, their best endea-
vours to obtain a pledge from the Chartered Com-
pany that no higher price should be charged for
their gas than was charged by the Dorset-street
Company, from whom their neighbours were sup-
plied. This reasonable request was met by the di-
rectors of the company by art evasive reply. It was
well known to those gentlemen that the great ma-
jority of the petitioners used the No. 4 burner, on
which they made no reduction, and very few burned
by meter, on which they made a partial reduction.
The petitioners therefore fell back on the other part
of their petition—" That you withdraw your exclu-
sive protection from this company, and allow 'ano-
ther line of mains to be laid along the line of the
Chartered Company," in the same manner as had
been allowed the Dorset-street Company, who, by
permission of the commissioners, had laid a second
line of mains through their district. They can-
didly stated that at this moment they had no
other company in view, but the petitioners, rather
than submit to such imposition, would immediately
set about forming a company; ay, further, they had
the matter seriously in contemplation, and only
awaited the sanction of this commission, in the
event of those gentlemen not supplying them on the
same terms as their neighbours. They knew the
commission would protect their fellow citizens, and
they relied on the prayer of their petition being
granted.
Mr. HALL, one of the petitioners, stated the in-
convenience of burning by meter, as a greater pres-
sure was required at the gas works.
The commissioners showed a strong feeling in
favour of the prayer of the petition, and urged the
directors to come to the point at once and meet the
wishes of the petitioners.
The directors had no power without the consent
rßiic,aatted,inanwdrirtielq,guetshteeidr twhieshcehs,airamndaninwaofuelldv
of
fmthmeiur
days a dr finite answer should be returned.
Titus the matter stands at ptesent.

LOSS OF TUE CI CY OF WATERFORD

STEAM-VESSEL.

A private letter, dated Lisbon, Oct. 5, contains
the following account of the loss of the CTity of Wa-
terford steam-packet, otf Peniche:—
" On Sunday morning, the 221 ult., about half-
past eight o'clock, while in the midst of a thick fog,
I heard the cly rd a-port,' when in an instant
we were fast on a steep sandy shore, with a tremen-
dous swell, which at each s roke shook the vessel
in a frightful manlier, that few could even k•ep on
Their feet. In about half a minute the great funnel
fell overboard, tile water began to come in at the
ports into the cabin among the ladies, setting every-
thing afloat, and throtsrng all the inmates into the
greatest alarm. On deck everything was it, confu-
sion, for the cap'ain was much agitated. We then
lowered the ladies and passengers as well as we
could, got them through the surf, and landed them
safe on shore before the waves broke over th,
decks. We succeeded in saving some considerable
property; but the main stock, in value about 30,000/.,
re
we could not move, as the vessel began ro break up
fast, arid we were surrounded by a vile thieving
neighbouringbpeutl.,a)rteimillaftrkomwethseueeeededin
Ve w
abut six or eight miles horn Sin Martinho. Just
getting
trom that place for the ladies; and af,er a ride of
three or four hours over rugged hills and woods, we
got there, a wretched pour village, where we had
the greatest difficulty to procure the commonest ne-
cessaries of life, as the Miguelites had only left it
three or four days previously, and had taken every
thing with them: they wt-re only two leagues off,
so we spent an uneasy night. Next morning (Mon-
day), before day-light, I t•ent a messenger to the
Governor of Peniche, with an account of our situa-
tion, and requested succour either by lard or water.
My messenger and letter, as it appeared afterwards,
were taken by the Mtguelites, and in the evening,
just as night was setting in, we saw a body of troops
and guerillas (about GO, horse and foot) coming on
the town, They advanced in order, hemming us all
in, and the officer, advancing, told us lie knew all
about us, and we and our chattels must go to Obidos,
six miles off. This I positively refused to comply
with, on the ground of my being an Englishman,
and that all of us were wrecked under the British
flag. They threatened, and thrice presented their
pieces to fire on us ; but knowing their bravado, 1
stuck fast to my text, on the score that I had
a lady with me, and as she could not go, I

would not leave her. At last they consented
of
let me stay; but they took our Captain, most d
the crew, and the two young Englishmen, a"
marched off. In a very short time two boats cam
from Peniche, and to avoid further attacks we enli
barked in them, and lay all night in the middle i°
the bay, which is a narrow entrance of the sea. Lrir
the morning 300 men from Peniche came to succ°:(
us, anti all was joy. To go by land was impo96l"ie
for the ladies ; and for three days afterwards t'le
weather continued too boisterous to go in the Mt":
so for that time we were huddled, eight or ter:, 1,
dies and gentlemen, all in one room, where we '.(1,-nt
ate and slept on the floor—such a scene you ea°o7,o
conceive. On Friday, to our great joy, the 0°)
and Salamander, with JBO men, Admiral Napieraat
Baron de Str, Governor of Peniche, came to take::
away, as they feared we might have all been c 7,
aired. On Saturday we all arrived safe in LiSb°,;/;
Two days after our arrival in the capital, our Cara.,
and crew were sent in here by Don Miguel'' 6111e1
ral, after being very well used. After their arr'(3o
at Obidos, the Governor there sent off 100 alerl,jf,
bring away the Portuguese gentlemen and 111Y6,-0
I suppose I must consider that I had a nar,;,6
escape, for although the troops would probably
spared me, the guerillas might not."