The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-09 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a Court was held for the despatch of business.
EXPENSE OF THE OLD BAILEY IMPROVEMENTS.
Mr. HALE, the Chairman of the City Lands Committee,
brought up the report of the Committee upon the subject
of the remodelling of the Old Court of the Old Bailey.
It stated that a sum exceeding 3,0001. had been already
expended in improving the Court, and the Chairman moved
that the Court should concur in the report, and order the
Chamberlain forthwith to pay the amount.
The question, as it regarded the unauthorized expendi-
ture of the city money, and also as it involved the viola-
tion of one of the most important standing orders of the
Court, gave rise to a long and interesting discussion.
Mr. WIRE requested to be informed by the Chairman
how much of the 3,0001. and odd had been expended un-
necessarily ?—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. HALE said, that on a cool and dispassionate exami-
nation of what had been done for the general accommoda-
tion, it would be admitted that there had been no waste of
money. The Judges and the Court of Aldermen had
agreed to the project, and he therefore thought it strange
that one of the former dignitaries departed from that ex-
pressed approbation by stating that he could not see the
counsel.—(A laugh.)
Mr. WIRE said, that the hon. chairman had not answered
his question, which was a very short one—how much of the
city's money had been unnecessarily expended in this job ?
Mr. HALE said, if it was meant what the expense would
be resulting from the alteration suggested since the last
session (as our reporter understood him), he considered
that it would not amount to 501.
Mr. WILLIAMS (of Watling-street) requested to know
who the party was to whom, if the committee had not ex-
pended the money, the Court might have been indebted for
alterations which would have taxed the citizens in a similar
manner, who could spend the money without the control of
the Court ?
The LORD MAYOR.—I dare say Mr. Hale means the
Court of Aldermen, who certainly have that power.
Mr. DIXON declared that the Improvements in the Court
deserved any other name. It was rather important that
the Judges should hear what was said by the witnesses, and
it was proper also that the jury should also catch a part of
the evidence.—(Laughter.) Now the new Court seemed
to be governed by artificial impediments of the most inge-
nious kind, in order to keep both Judge and Jury in the
dark.—(Laughter.) Mr. Justice Williams was obliged to
repeat-nine times out of ten his questions to a witness.
Mr. TICKNER rose to propose an amendment to the
proposition of the chairman. It would appear from what
had been stated by the chairman, that the Committee of
City Lands had been in this matter made a cat's paw of by
the Court of Aldermen.—(Laughter.) Mr. Tickner con-
cluded by moving an amendment, that the committee having
expended a sum of money exceeding 3,0001. in effecting al-
terations in the court-house of the Old Bailey without con-
suiting the Court, had exceeded the powers delegated to
them, and thereby set an example which it was hoped would
never be followed. and which merited the unqualified disap-
probation of the Court.—( Hear, hear.)
--The-Loun MAYOR said it appeared to him that the me-
tion, if it were extended to the non-payment of the money,
would have the effect of producing great confusion and em-
barrassment, as the session would commence on Thursday
next at the Old Bailey, and it was absolutely necessary that
the alterations should be complete by that time.—(Hear.)
Mr. WILLIAMS (of Watling-street) said there was a
regular run now between the Committee of City Lands and
Court of Aldermen as to the expenditure of the unfortunate
city cash.
Alderman VENABLES indignantly repelled the idea that
the Court of Aldermen had any thing at all to do with
the matter.
Mr. HALE—The plan was the plan of the Judges and
the Court of Aldermen, at least they approved of it, and
if we had not adopted it, the Court of Aldermen no doubt
would.
Mr. PEWTRESS said that there might, notwithstanding
all that had been said, be occasions in which there would be
no impropriety in suspending the standing orders of the
Cou/t, and if all the circumstances of the case were taken
into consideration, it would be found to be an exception to
the general rule.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. STEVENS said that the case had a very odd ap-
pearance.
After a few words from Sir C. Marshall, the Lord Mayor,
Mr. R.. Taylor. and Mr. Bleaden, the question was put,
and the report negatived by a very large majority.
Upon the question that the amendment should be adopted
as the original motion, an amendment was moved to omit
the words "unqualified disapprobation of the Court."
Mr. WIRE declared that the standing orders ought not
to be subject to violation. They had been made to prevent
jobbing, and to prevent the lavish expenditure of the city's
cash.
Mr. FILBY said, with great energy of manner, that the
Court ought to reject with disdain a motion which was
pregnant with such acidity against the person of such a
Chairman as was at the head of the Committee. (Great
laughter.)
After a considerable discussion, a division took place,
when an odd incident occurred. The members of the City
Lands Committee went to the bottom of the court, in order
not to vote on a question of censure i,ipon themselves.
The Lord Mayor, however, said that it was competent to
any other member of the Court to call them within the bar
to vote. They were accordingly called in, but instead of
going to the side where those who defended them assembled,
they went to that which advocated the censure, and thus
increased the majority against themselves. If they had
voted in favour of themselves, they would have had a con-
siderable majority, but several members perceiving that
they fancied censure joined them, and thus the division be-
came for retaining the words " unqualified disapprobation of
the Court," 81—for rejecting them, 40.
It was afterwards, upon the motion of Mr. DAVISON,
agreed that the money should be paid, and that the Com-
mittee should complete the improvements.
THE OFFICE OF CITY SOLICITOR.
The report of the committee appointed to inquire into
the nature of the duties, &c.) of the City Stilieitoti Was
brought up. This is the situation for which so indefatiga-
ble a canvass is now making in the city by Mr. Thomas
Wood, the Deputy, Mr. Finch Newman, the Controller
of the Bridgehouee Estates, and Mr. Payne, the Coroner
of the City of London.
The report pointed out certain parts of the duty of the
City Solicitor as more proper to be performed by the Con-
troller. It stated that the mode of remunerating the City
Solicitor was by bills ; that the annual profits, after deduc-
tion of the expenses of clerks, &c., amounted to about
3,000/. ; that it was the opinion of the Court that a salary
of 2,0001. a-year, with an allwance for the actual disburse-
ments, should be allowed, and that the City Solicitor
should attend to no professional business except that of the
city of London.
The report was ordered to be printed ; and after the
transaction of strjie less
adjourned important business the Court

JeATAL ACCIDENT.—A fatal accident occurred
yesterday in the yard of Messrs. Menzies and Son, shipbuild-
ers, Leith. A genteel-looking man, about forty years of age,
fell from the gangway of the steam-ship now building, and
was killed on the bpot. His body was not claimed last 'light.
He was a short and stout bodied man, having on a blue sur-
tout coat, a fancy waistcoat, white trowsers, and Wellington
boots, with a gold watch and seals, a steel guard chain, and
having with him an umbrella in a case. Altogether he has the
appearance of a genteel seafaring man.—Edinburgh Courant.

APPEARANCE of IRELAND and the IRISH.

It was impossible to travel even one day through
the interior of Ireland without being forcibly reminded
that I was in a perfectly different country, and among
a totally dissimilar people from those on the Saxon
side of the Channel. The general aspect of the coun-
try through which I this day passed, as, indeed, of
the greater part of Ireland, has an unusually bare look
in the eyes of an Englishman, and reminds him more
of the interior of France than of the smiling fields of
England. This naked appearance arises, in a great
measure, from the absence of hedges and hedge-row
timber. The usual fence in Ireland is a mound of
earth, or, in some counties, stone walls. These
earthen or stone walls are very often without any gate-
way even into the road. When the proprietor wishes
to enter into the inclosure, he breaks down as much
of the fence as will admit his little cart, and often
blocks up the gap with the same car turned up with
its shafts in the air. Then the cabins of the peasan-
try appear to the newly arrived Englishman very small,
and, alas ! very dirty and comfortless. There is no
attempt at ornament in the architecture, nor any symp-
toms of a wish to keep neat what never could have
been handsome. The walls and roof are too often
going to decay, and blackened with the smoke that
eddies out of the ever open door. There are no roses
clustering round the porch, no jasmine climbing up
_ the windows, nor gay borders of flowers, such as fre-
quently give so cheerful and pleasing an appearance
to our rural cottages. In front of the Irish cabin is
universally the manure heap ; and as universally, in-
side, may be seen or heard sundry pigs, who are now
and then violently ejected by the scolding mother or
by the laughing child ; both of them guiltless of either
wearing shoe or stocking, and the latter very frequently
as unencumbered with any other article of clothing.
Yet out of these small, low-roofed cots you will not
unseldom see four or five fine tall fellows issue, bend-
ing almost double in order to escape under the puny
doorway. It is difficult to imagine how they exist in
such disproportioned dwellings.—Angler in Ireland.