The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-07 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

On Saturday a special Court was held for the purpose
of swearing in Mr. Prendergast, Q C., who was elected
judge of the Sheriffs' Court, by the Court of Common
Council, on Thursday last. As soon as the minutes of
the la.t court had been read and confirmed,
Alderman SIDNEY rose and said—My Lord Mayor,
seing thzt we are summoned for the purpose of swearing
in the nowly-elected judge of the Sheriffs' Court, and I.r
no other business, I wish to ask your lordship whether
the court is not master of its own proceedings ? This is
the first court that has been called since a bid has been
introduced into Parliament by the Secretary for the
Home Department for the reform of the Corporation of

London.
The LORD MAYOR (interrupting Alderman Sidney)—
No doubt the court are masters of their own proceed-
ings, and they can act upon their own rules. If they
determine to proceed to other buiness of course I cannot
help it ; but at the same time, in sending out a very
short notice, as it was imperatively necessary that the
judge of the Sheriffs' Court f hould be sworn in to-day, I
thought it convenient to suggest that no other business
than that should be taken. I therefore suggested that
some member should move that no other business be

taken.
Alderman SIDNEY—I trust your lordship, in common
courte y and kindness to me, will allow we t propose a
motion tbat a certain bill should be referred to a corn-

mittce.
The LORD MAYOR —Mr. Prendergast will be at once
sworn.
Immediately on the cmnpletion of this ceremony all
the members rose for the purpose of breaking up th©
Court, and the Lord Mayor was about to vacate the

chair, when
Alderman SIDNEY said—l perceive an intimation tha
your lordship is requested to leave the chair, and I,
therefore, wish to ask whether your lordship will set the
example, which is quite foreign to your usual liberality
of character, whether you will deny a member of the
Court the privilege accorded to him by his position ? I
wish to make a motion. I wish it to be distinctly un-
derstood that Ido nut ask any favour whatever. I de•
mand a right. (Hear.)
The Loan MAYOR (with some warmth)--I am on my
legs now. When lamon my legs upon a point of order,
and a gentleman will not sit down, then I think I ought
to leave the chair. I called this Court for a special
purpose.
Alderman SIDNEY--Then I hope it will go forth to
the world that we are a divided Court.
The LORD MAYOR—I called this Court in consequence
of its being necessary that the Judge of the Sheriffs'
Court should be sworn in to-day. I called this Court
at a late hour yesterday afternoon for that, and for no
other purpose. Is it the opinion of the Court that any
other business should be proceeded with ! (Cries of
"No.")
Alderman SIDNEY—If that is the way in which the
business of this Court is to be conducted, the sooner it
is done away with the better.
The Court then broke up.
A summons has been issued to th• members of the
Common Council for a meeting of a committee of the
whole Court, which includes the aldermen, for to-day,
and it is understood that a vigorous effort will be made
to exclude the public from all knowledge of their pro-
ceedings while measures are concerted for the purpose of
opposing the bill introduced into PArliament for the
reform of the Corporation.

PALM—RuDgeuireirylgirEom allast.r week
a vast number parts
of the country to inspect the house of William Palmer.
We are informed on credible authority that the late re-
sidence of Palmer is about to be opened as an inn, with
tiz
visitedr. r .
SUICIDES IN PARlS.—Several suicides (says Galignani)
pler
have taken place within the last two
vast
s UouS
of A
persons on Rs
G
One was that of a young man of twenty-two, a clerk in
tcluierys-ign of the "Strychnine Arms."—Birmingh,ant Mu-
a shop in the Palais Royal, who, having become some-
what dissipated of late in his habits, received notice on
Monday from his employer to seek another situation.
Yesterday morning he was found dead in his room, hay-
ing terminated his existence with the fumes of lighted
charcoal. Another case of suicide, by weans of char-
coal, was that of a hirer-out of carriages, residing in the
Rue Bayard, who, after making great sacrifices for his
son, an ill-conducted young man, and finding that an
additional sum of money was required from him to pay
fresh debts of his, paid the amount, and then committed
suicide. An etitrly woman, afflicted with an incurable
disease, threw herself, on Monday morning, from the
cindow of her room on the third floor in the Rue des
St. Peres, and was killed on the spot. She left behind
her a paper containing these words :—" I a enture to
hope that God will pardon me, for I have suffered so
greatly and prayed so fervently." Lastly, two cases
occurred of suicide by hanging on Monday, one being
that of a mason named Gondin, of Auteuil, aged 32,
whose mind family annoyances had affected ; *nd the
other, of a marchand de yin of La Villette, named Sou-
ler, who terminated his existence because a young wo-
man, to whom he was paying his addresses, had con-
' seated to marry another.