The Sun.
London, England, 1833-12-16 00:00:00

CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION

INQUIRY.

Pursuant to notice previously given to the Corporation
of the City of London, the Commissioners appointed
under the Great Seal opened their Court of Inquiry in
Guildhall this morning.
A hustings was erected at the upper end of the Hall,
and the following Commissioners took their seats
shortly after 11 o'clock :—John Blackburne, Esq., K.C. ;
Sir Francis Palgrave, Knt. ; John Elliot Drinkwater,
Esq., and Thomas Flower Ellis, Esq. The Secretary to
the Commissioners, Joseph Parkes, Esq., was also in
attendance. Mr. Vernon Smith, M.P., one of the Lords
of the Treasury, was present watching the proceedings.
A large body of the Common Council were also on the
hustings.
Mr. BLACKBURNE, the Senior Commissioner, opened
the business of the day by stating that they were
assembled together under a Commission under the
Great Seal, issued by his Majesty, pursuant to
an address, presented to him in that behalf by the Com-
mons' House of Parliament, to inquire :into the existing
state of Municipal Corporations in England and Wales—
the inquiry immediately to be speeded was into the ex-
isting state of the corporation of the city of London,
and was for the purpose of ascertaining whether
there was any wrong to correct, and it was there-
fore essentially necessary that the commissioners should
have the fullest information afforded them by the
corporation, the Livery Companies, and their officers.
He entertained no doubt that the City of London would
see that it was a great matter of duty to afford the most
complete and the fullest information—( Hear, hear,
bear, from several Members of the Common Council)—
for from what he had seen of the officers of the city of
London, he had no reason to suppose that the reverse
would be the case. His Learned Friend Sir F. Palgrave,
during his preparatory sittings, had received every facility
from the corporate body, and he trusted the same
facility would now be continued. The object of
the Commissioners would be, not to give the Cor-
poration any unnecessary trouble, for no man should
be uselessly called on for examination. He understood that
some difficulty had arisen from the clause in the commis-
sion empowering the Commissioners to administer an oath,
and that it would be objected by some necessary witnesses
to be sworn. The Commissioners had not the slightest
wish to administer an oath, for he was quite sure
❑o man would come forward to state anything which was
not founded in truth, and therefore the Commissioners
would not put any party to his oath.
Sir F. PALGRAVE then read his Majesty's Commis-
sion, after which,
Mr. C. PEARSON inquired what course the Commis-
sioners meant to pursue, as the Committee of the Common
Council would be desirous to conform to any arrangement.
Mr. BLACKBURNE said the first inquiry would be
directed to the boundaries of the City, and of the different
Wards it contained.
Mr. Deputy WOOD was the first witness examined, but
from the continued noise from persons passing through the
Hall, it was impossible tohear a sentence.
Mr. C. PEARSON suggested that the Court of Exche-
quer up stairs would be a more convenient place for
speeding the inquiry.
The COMMISSIONERS acquiesced, and a consequent
adjournment took place to the Court of Exchequer.
Mr. Deputy Woon then proceeded with his evidence.
He produced a map of the City of London, and of the
Borough of Southwark, which had been prepared under
the direction of the Committee appointed try the Common
Council. The map described the boundaries of each
ward, which the witness enumerated.
The witness was under examination when our reporter
,eft.