The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-10 00:00:00

COUNCIL.
the dispatch o

INQUESTS IN CASES 0
The LORD MAYOR laid before
lowing communication from the
don :--
" My Lord and Gentlemen,—Al,s I shall not have
occasion to render any further accdunta to the Corpo-
ration on the subject of inquests in cases of house
burning, I beg respectfully to ask, what course this
Honourable Court proposes to adopt respecting the
two years' expenses, already laid, before it in accord-
ance with the sanction of the corporation in former
years, and of which the Finance Committee have re-
commended the payment.
" I also request permission to mention that the in-
quiry into the cause of the late extensive fire in South-
wark (the expenses of which are to be paid by Messrs.
Wigan, whose property is destroyed) was productive
cf this good result, that the Secretary of State, on be-
ing made acquainted with the verdict of the coroner's
jury, immediately acted upon it, and communicated
to me his intention of offering as reward for the dis-
covery of the guilty party, with a promise of her Ma-
jesty's pardon to any party concerned who would aid
such discovery, except the peeson who actually set fire
to the premises.
" I have the honour to be, my Lord and ,
" Gentlemen, your faithful servant,
" WILLIAM PA,TNE, Coroner.
" Inner Temple, Sept. 25." l'''"
Mr. ANDERTON said the subject of the lettekewas
of such a nature as ought not to %e slightly Passed
over. It involved a matter of considerable impore
tance, particularly in such a place as the city of
London, and he should therefore move that it be re-
ferred to the Coal, Corn, and Finance Committee.
Mr. DAKIN seconded the motion, in the belief that
the inquiries alluded to in the letter were deeply in-
teresting to the citizens of London.--(Hear, hear.)
The only opposition which existed to the holding of
such inquests arose from the apprehension of unlimi-
ted expense.
Mr. WHITE said he had been chairman of the com-
mittee, to which the subject had been previously
referred, and he could vouch for the fact that the
principle was agreed to; but there arose a question
whether the inquests were strictly legal.
Several members, in announcing their dissent, said
that the question had already been disposed of, and
ought therefore to be dropped for ever.
Mr. HENRY BLAKE said that the letter ought to be
referred to the committee, in justice to the writer, as
well as to the public.
Mr. T. H. HALL said the Recorder had declared
that courts held upon the occasion referred to were
decidedly illega ' and the Court had been almost
unanimous in the pinion that the question should not
be entertained.— Hear.)
The letter was then by a large majority referred
1,7,
to the committee.
The first notice upon the paper of business was
Mr. Deputy Harrison's to consider the remaining
propositions in the report, " For an amendment of
the Election Act Amendment Act," and it was ex-
pected that most of the day would be occupied in dis-
cussion on that question.
Mr. DARIN (the chairman of the Royal Entertain-
ment and Exhibition Committee), however, obtained
permission of the Court to introduce the report upon
her Majesty's late most gracious visit to the City.
Ho said—" Seeing the important matters for the con-
sideration of the Court which are upon the paper of
business before the report which I have the honour to
bring up, and which was ready for publication imme-
diately after the recess, may I ask the indulgence of
the Court in taking it now, which, though rather out
of the order of business, may, perhaps, be justified, as
it will enable the public to judge of the facts con-
nected with the royal entertainment, concerning which
so much has been unfairly and untruly stated. It is
my intention to move that the report be printed, and
a copy be sent to every member of the Court, with all
the items of expenditure, and the names of all the
guests not connected with the Corporation, to the
number of 1,452, printed at length. The Court
will perceive that the committee has confined its
expenditure within the estimate, a circumstance which
will no doubt be gratifying to my friend Mr. Taylor,
and to all those who ventured to prophesy that
10,0001. or 15,0001. would be expended upon the oc-
casion. The. Court voted 5,2501., and _ have of
that sum returned 1291. ss. ad. to the we
City exchequer.
—(Cheers.) When it is considered that we had
merely bare walls to deal with, that our ball-room
had to be formed and decorated in a manner worthy
of so great an occasion, and of the noble and illus-
trious persons who honoured the City with their pre-
sence, that all the arrangements were upon the most
complete and liberal scale, I think the committee
may take praise for a judicious economy in the out-
lay of their funds, and I wish to express my admira-
tion of the taste and resources shown by our accom-
plished architect, Mr. Bunning, and the untiring
energy and exertion manifested by him upon this
occasion.—(Hear, hear.) It has been most gratify-
ing to your committee to receive on all hands, from
the Sovereign as well as the mass of our fellow-citi-
zens, the assurance that the arrangements we were
enabled to make on so novel and interesting an occa-
sion were most efficient for their purpose ; and I
will venture to say, that :never has a public enter-
tainment been given, in which so
much enjoyment
was conferred upon so great a number at so small a
cost.—(Cheers.)
Mr. WOODTHORPE then read the report.
Mr. DAKIN—The report just read will convey to
the Court the numbers and
names of the invited
guests not connected with the corporation, as in the
nature of things it was impossible to invite all whom
our duty.
we desired to be our guests. The selection was a most
difficult and delicate portion of We had
an intimation from the highest numberquarter that it would
be gratifying to see the largest n
subjects that could be accommodated, and we pro-
ceeded, at a considerable expenditure of time, 2111 d
with all the information we could command, to select,
on the principle of representation, a certain number of
names offltihfe.—ose
(wchhoeesrts.)
stood fTo rheeniar in the report, which will be printed and available to
public inspection, and the number of tickets issued
may be thus classified : o s tnianmtehseai their respective
al l
given
Royal and distinguished persona, including mem-
bers of tho Legislature ... . .. 474
Public companies, bankers, merclaanis, and traders ;1113S
All the literary and scientific societies of tho metro-
Coproolmisi;oners.,..exect;tYve, and jurors
of all Nations •••
Members of the press...
- ---
As nearly as possible corresponding to the estimate
of numbers given when I had the honour of submit-
ting the proposal to the Court.—(Cheers.) of Ex-hibiti.o.n. 106
I think
the Court may congratulate itself on having in a
becoming manner identified itself with an event which
has been a source of great delight
to the whole
country, and which bears lasting marls in the history of
our country, and of the whole world; and I cannot but
regret
that such an occasion should be chosen by a
portion of the press of this country to attack, in the
most unjust and ungracious manner, this corporation.
—(Loud cries of " hear, hear.") I will take this
opportunity, which I think fairly belongs to me,
alter the imputations which writers in the Times
have thrown out, to show, when brought to the
test of fact, how uncalled for they are. I did ven-
to which I belong tare, when the body _
ing was stigma-
tised as " jobbers," and accused of ' shameless
y, to deny, for myself ex-
penditure of trust money, and for
the
you, the charge, and to challengefr proof; but when
names
anonymous writers call and numbers, and
o talented, affect to believe that twenty-five
included
learned, and
distinguished individuals were not included' in one list,
too
and then, as if that werefdifficult,
call for 12, I
did not feel called upon to depart
isrom the usual course
report which now before you,
showing producing the
showing not 12 or 25, but 1,452, as admitted on that
nd regret to say that the
whole
occasion—(Cheers)—a
by d •
line of remark was dictated a desire, first to de-
fame, and then to destroy, an ancient and important
institution.— (Cheers.) T
...n their inconsistency, the
writers I allude to one day blame us for reckless ex-
penditure,it suits their purpose they and when
the accusation into a charge of .;meanness and parsi-
mony.—(Hear,Surely this ;s not the
hear.) . . mode
in which a principal journal, which
affects to lead the
should deal with an important
opinion of the people, ,
constitutional question. If it has a quarrel with our
institutions, or the mode of administering them, let it
raise the question fairly, not make assertions which
are loot borne out by facts, or propound crude theories
which will never be carried out in practice. It seems
to point at the assimilation of the municipality of
London to that of Paris—that the Lord Mayor
should be appointed by the crown—that the 36
councillors should be appointed by one-sixth of
their fellow-citizens, made up of a large amount
of pensioners and placemen in fact, a body
springing from "the Government, and depending on
the Government, and dealing with som four millions
of revenue derived from taxation on the necessaries of
life entering into their city. If that is to be the
model institution to us, let those writers fairly state
it, and we will put against it what we have done,
what we are doing, and what we are to do.—(Loud
cheers.) If they adopt another course, and say as
they have said, that the whole of this, metropolis be

FIRE.

;he Court the fol
Coroner of Lon.

... 525

Mr. L. TAYLOR seconded the motion.
Mr. ANDERTON trusted the motion would not be
agreed to. It would be very dangerous to elect
magistrates periodically. It had been considered one
of the brightest gems in the crown of George 111.
that the judges were made independent of the Sove-
reign.—(Hear.) So ought the magistrates to be in-
dependent of the peooe.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Alderman COPELAND said he should like to see
the broad principle introduced, that every man rated
for the maintenance of the poor, and residing in the
City and carrying on trade, should possess the elective
franchise—(Hear, hear)—but with the number of un-
fortunate cab-drivers and persons who had been
brought before him for using false weights and mea-
sures, he should like to know what chance he should
have of being re-elected alderman.—(Hear, hear.)

Mr. BARKLEY considered that, if the Corporation
remained as at present constituted, a publican on
being convicted by an alderman might combine with
others in preventing his re-election; but when it was
borne in mind that the number of electors was pro-
posed to be increased from 5,000 to 25,000, he was
sure the publicans and drivers would have no influ-
gthe before
influ-
ence in the election. He was sure the aldermen would
eastoienreaflrlyai,n to
orom see gwohine
r they h
be invariably returned by their constituencies when
they performed their duty properly.
Mr. HALL could not imagine that the city magis-
tratestheaird
done their duty.
constituencies o
wouldwish c

Mr. ELLIOTT supported Mr. Bennoch's motion.
After several other speakers for and against both
motions and amendment, the latter was carried amid
general cheering by a larga majority.
LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION.
A petition was read from the City of London Liter-
ary and Scientific Institution in Aldersgate-street for
pecuniary aid.
Mr. DARIN warmly advocated the claims of the in-
stitution upon the City funds, and moved that the
petition be referred to the corn, coal, and finance
committee, to report.
Al