The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-05 00:00:00

EVENING.,

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
THE SMITHFIELD-MARKET REMOVAL BILL.
Yesterday a special Court was held for the put pose of
petitioning the House of Lords to be heard by cs.uasel
against the Smithfield-market Removal Bill.
The members assembled in the Egyptian-hall of the
Tlansiou-house, in consequence of the preparations which
are being made in the Guildhall for the reception of her
Majesty ou the 9th inst, and the Lord Mayor took the
chair at twelve o'clock.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR, the chairman of the Markets Ime
provement Committee, said he felt pleasure in stating to
the Court that some further step had been taken with
respect to the Government Bill since they had last as-
sembled. The Court would perceive that the Standing .
Orders'.Committee of the House of Lords had presented
a report, stating their opinion that the Bill ought not to
be proceeded with, inasmuch as certain notices which
ought to have been given had not been given, and thus
the standing orders had not been complied with. That
decision of the House of Lords' Committee was, he con-
sidered, extremely important to the Corporation, for
the members of it appeared to him to be conscientious
men.—(Hear, hear.) He most sincerely hoped that
the result of their opinion would b. to render the
present meeting of the Corporation unnecessary; but
it was necessary to be armed at all points to meet
the attacks of an enemy who, upon their part, were
ready and determined to take every advantage which
might present itself.—(Hear, hear.) He trusted that
th e petition to the House of Lords would not be re-
quired. It was with feelings of great pleasure and re-
spect he had read in the Tines the sentiments of Lord
Hedesdale—a nobleman who very justly carried great
weight in the House of Peers, cud whose authority in
matters connected with Parliamentary usage gave him
an unquestionable station. The Noble Lord was chair-
man of the Standing Orders' Committee, and in the Times
report appeared the following words were attributed to
bite:—" The standing orders had been passed for the
protection of private rights and private property, on both
of which this Bill made a direct attack. A great princi-
ple was involved in their Lordships' decision that even-
ing. If their decision was against complying with the
standing orders, a door to injustice might be opened
which they might never bo able to close. The evidence
laid before the Standing Orders' Committee was such
that they could not resist the force of it." It was with
much gratification he had read that report of the obser-
vations of a nobleman who had been selected as the or-
gan of is committee whose duties were of so important a
nature, and ho placed great reliance upon the decision
to which their Lordships would come that evening upon
the authority of that opiuion.—(Hear.) If the Lords
should decide against the recommendation of the Com-
mittee, it would then be necessary to be heard by coun-
sel, as the promoters of the Bill have determined to thrust
it forward as a public measure, and the exertions of their
Lordships would be necessary for the protection of the
important rights and interests at stake.—(Hear.)
Here the petition to be heard by counsel against the
Bill was briefly read. It ended with the words, "and
that the said Bill do not pass into a law."
The RECORDER having put the question, that the pe-
tition be adopted.
Mr. BENNOCH rose to say a few words. He was, he
said, one of those who considered that the corporation
were damaging themselves and their fellow-citizens by
pursuing the present course instead of at once accepting
the proposition which would give to them the total ma-
nagement of that which was intended as a substitute for
the nuisance still existing in the heart of the city of
London. He considered it to be injudicious to continue
the agitation upon the question, but he could not allow
Mr. U. L. Taylor to compliment some of the Members
of the House of Lords upon the possession of con-
sciences without reminding him that in that praise he
accused others of them of having no con-
sciences at all.—(A laugh, and cries of " Hear,
hear.") He did not think it fair to impute to those
Peers who thought Smithfield-market a nuisance which
ought to be abated a want of honesty as a motive to
their opposition, nor did he think it necessary
that their Lordships should not have the power, if they
encountered a standing order calculated to interfere with
the ends of justice, to dispense with its obligation.
Standing orders were made to prevent the smuggling of
Bills through the House.—(Laughter, and cries of
" Hear, hear.") Hcwever strong might have been the
argument for retaining Smithfield-market when it was
surrounded with walls, modern improvement required
that it should no longer be allowed to exist. lie be-
lieved that the universal voice of societywas against it.
—(" No, no.") Ho believed that the welfare of the
trade most interested in the question of its removal was
against it.—(Loud disapprobation.) And he believed
that the best course the Court could adopt would be
magnanimously to undertake the management of the
great Government project, which was still open to their
acceptance.—(Loud disapprobation, mixed with cries of
" Hear, hear.") (In consequence of the great confusion
in the hall Mr. Bennoch was not very welt heard.)
Mr. R. L. JONES said the real question before the House
of Lords was, whether the Bill was a public or a private
Bill. Tho Standing Orders' Committee of the House
of Lords said it was a private Bill, and Lord Redesdale
was, no doubt, perfectly right in tho manner in which
his Lordship had represented it to their Lordships, and
in his suggestion as to the result of the non-compliance
with the necessary regulations. The House of Com-
mons' Comnaitteo had decided in the same manner, and
the consequence was that the proceedings upon the Bill
had been necessarily postponed for two months in order
to supply the defect.—(Hear, hear.) Lord Redesdale
had pointed out the fact that the Bill was a private Bill,
and that the standing orders with regard to private Bills
had not been complied with. If the House of Lords
should be satisfied with that decision there would be an
end to the Government Bill, and ho trusted that the mat-
ter would terminate in that way.—(Hear.)
Mr. T. H. HALL said he thought it was necessary to
say a few words lest Ur. Bennoch's observations going
out to the world might induce people to imagine that
there was something like an equal division of sentiment
on the subject of the removal of Smithfield-market in
the Court, although there were actually no more than
seven or eight individuals opposed to the great mass of
the representatives of the citizens of London on that
most important question.—(Bear.) Now, the greatest
number of supporters the Government measure could
muster in the Court amounted to tho seven or eight
steady resolute advocates who had taken care to speak
so much and so vehemently that if it were not for the
divisions, which showed their miserable numerical con-
dition, it would be really supposed that they formed one-
half of the whole body.—(Laughter, and hear.) In the
matter of Smithfield the fact was that they had been for
year after year endeavouring to improve it, but they had
always been prevented from doing so.—(Hear.) We
have always desired to make it the most perfect market
in the world upon all occasions, bat wo have been op-
posed in our attempts to do so,—(Hear.) And who, he
would ask, could tell where the market was to be re-
moved to, and at what hours it was to bo held? Had
the Government informed them of these facts? The Bill
did not state where the new market was to be, nor could
they gain any other important information respecting it.
Who could tell what was to be the style of management?
Experience had shown them that the central part of a
town or a city for such a purpose was far better than the
outside. They did not oppose the removal of the market
on any pecuniary grounds; but they thought that the ci-
tizens of London would bo benefited by its retention.—
(Cheers.) The Corporation would not receive any ad-
ditional amount of cash if it was retained; but this they
felt, that though they might not receive any extra
amount of income, they should still defend the rights of
their fellow-citizens by doing all they could to preserve
the market.—(Cheers.) Why did not the Government
come forward in a fair stand-up fight between them, as
they, on the part of the Corporation, were ready to
do?—(Cheers.) The Corporation might give up the mar-
, ket so far as their reception of its income was beneficial
to them, the amount they received annually being ex-
tremely small, but still their object in doing all they
could to retain it was to preserve the rights and immuni-
ties of their fellow-citizens.—(Cheers.) If the Govern-
ment attempted to try the establishment of a new mar-
ket, they might depend upon it that the result would
prove to be a signal failure, and at the same time a great
injury to thsecity of London.—(Hear.)
Mr. ANDERTON said that it was not necessary for him
to state his opinions with regard to Smithfield-market.
They were well known. Ho was glad, however, to say,
that in his idea the House of Lords was a court of justice
as well as a court of appeal.—(Hear, hear.) In all
cases, the House of Lords was the last resort for the
public.to apply to. In this case the charters of the City
were at stake, but the Government proposed to abrogate
these charters, and to take away the rights and immu-
nities of the citizens.—(Hear, hear.) This was a ques-
tion affecting the vital interests of Englishmen, as well
as those of all parties who wero connected with their co-
lonial dependencies.—(Hear, hear.) He thought it
right, therefore, that the members of that Coart should
petition, because he believed that if they did so, they
would receive justice at the hands of that branch of the
Legislature of the country.
Alderman WILSON remarked that no doubt the oppo- '
sition on the part of the Corporation to the Government
measure then before the Court had been well worked
out.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Hall appeared to be afraid
that Mr. Bennoch's speech would have an unfavourable
effect out of doors, and that it might be supposed there
was an exact division of opinion in the Court of Common
Council upon the subject. Now, there was no ground
for such an apprehension, for although Mr. Beunoch
was right, and had the argument all upon his side, it
was very well known that he was in a diminutive mi-
nority. It was known, too, that with the exception of
the Court of Common Council, the great majority of the
traders of the city of London were against the retention
of Smithfield-market.—(Loud cries of " No, no.") Ho
repeated that all engaged in trade, with that exception,
were so. It was, in fact, an intolerable nuisance to all
but the butchers and the publicans, and the Smithfield
backers themselves.—(No, no, and laughter.) Mr. Hall
seemed to believe that more cattle would be driven
through the City after the removal of the market than
had ever appeared there before. Such would not be the
case. In all probability four markets would be substi-
tuted for that in which all the cattle were at present con-
gregated, and the cattle would then receive no injury in
being unnecessarily driven from place to place.—(Dis-
approbation, and cries of " No, no.") Ho rose, there-
fore,appr , 9
under these impressions to support Mr. Bennoch's
view of the subject.—(Cheers.)
Mr. 11. L. TAYLOR, in reply, said that he thought
Mr. Bennoch had not upon that occasion acted under
the control of his leader, Mr. Norris, who, it was rather
surprising, was absent, but who had said that he did not
' intend to pursue any further active opposition. Alder-
man Wilson had said that the opposition to the Govern-
' ment measure had been " well worked." That was quite
true—(Hear, hear)—and ho (Mr. Taylor) hoped that it
would still bo worked to a successful issue, for—
.
" Thrice was he armed who had his quarrel just "
Tho debate then closed, and upon a division being
called for, the numbers proved to be—for the motion 78,
against it eight, namely, Alderman Wilson, and Messrs.