The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-27 00:00:00

DUTIES OF TEE COMMON SERJEANT.

Unlike the office of Recorder, which is in the appoint-
ment of the Court of Aldermen, that of Common Serjeant
is vested in the majority of the Common Council, who
" in Common Council assembled" decide the matter in
the event of a contest. The salary is 1,500/. per annum,
with.eame additional fees for extra busicess. The office
is always held -by a barrister, and the main duties are
as fallow :

The Common Serjeant has to attend at the sessions
of the Central Criminal Court, where he sits as one of
the City judges. Tae practice is for the Recorder to
sit in one court and the Cowman Serjeant in another,
the judge of the Sheriffs' Court sitting (as a commis-
sioner) in the early part of the day to try any short cases
there may be before the judges come, and to prepare
the court for them. The Common Serjeant has to sit
usually about four or five days in each session, and
his ordinary duties are those of, a judge in a Crown
Court. It is his duty, if any difficulty arises in any
case, to consult the other judges when they are there, or
if the judges are not there, to consult with the Recorder,
or with the commissioner. Besides these duties he has,
in case his opinion is required, to attend the Court of
Aldermen, the Court of Common Council, and the Com-
missioners of Sewers, to which body he ex-efficio belongs.
He also has the duty of acting as assessor to the Sheriffs
at Common Hall, on the day of the election of the City
officers, proclaiming the names and advising the Sheriffs
as to any points which may arise at the time. The Com-
mon Serjeant is the officer of the Sheriffs, and he pro-
, claims the names of those who are to be nominated as
candidates. His duty as Common Serjeant practically
precludes him from practising at Westminster Hall, al-
though this originally was customary. The reason of
this is, not that he is officially prohibited from doing so,
but because the number of sessions at the Central Cri-
minal Court has so increased that he cannot do so, the
number of such sessions formerly being eight, while
now there are twelve during the year. The terms of bis
appointment do not debar him, in fact, from attending
any court, except inferior courts of criminal jurisdiction.
The pre.ent Common Sergeant has not been more than
12 months appointed, he having obtained the situation
upon the retirement of Edward Bullock, Esq., who held
the appointment between five and six years. —Morning
Advertiser.

Her Majesty will hold a Privy Council to-morrow at
Windsor Castle.
Viscount Palmerston gave a dinner to the Cabinet
Ministers last evening at his residence in Piccadilly.
Vice-Admiral the Right Hon. Sir M. Fitzbardinge
Berkeley has resumed his duties as Senior Naval Lord

at the Admiralty.
The marriage of Colonel l'aget with Miss Maria
Grenfell, daughter of Mr. C. W. Grenfell, M.P., for
Windsor, took place yesterday morning at St. Peter's

Church, Pimlico.
Mr. Pressly had an interview with the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, yesterday, at his official residence in
Downing street,
Mr. Jowl Francis had an interview with the Chan-

cellor of the Exchequer to submit a proposal for stamp•
ing the covers of newspaper agents with an impre.,sed
die for postal purposes in lien of the attached label now

n use.

Lord and Lady Byron have left Eaton.place for their
son's residence in Oxfjrdshire. His lordship has
nearly recovered from the severe injuries he received on

the occasion of the recent collision near the King's
Langley station of the London and North-Western
Railway.
LADY BYRON.—By the death of Lard Scarsdale, on
the 12th inst., the abeyance of the Barony of Wentworth
(cr. 1529) is terminated in favour of Lady Noel Byron,
widow of the celebrated poet, who becomes in her own

right Bamnest; Wentworth.
Free emigration to Australia is again resumed, and a
large number of single girls are wanted for the colonies.
The bar silver brought by the last West India
steamer hai been sold at 62td., being an advance cof
,d. on tho price realised for th-t by the preceding
packet.

THE OFFICE Ok' RECORDER.—A Special Court of
Aldermen will be held on Saturday, at Guildhall, for the
purpose of formally receiving the resignation of the
Right Hon. J. A. S. Wortley, M.P., the recorder of the
City of London, and for taking the necessary steps for
the election of his successor.

Mr. Herries is made deputy ohairroan of the Board of
Inland Revenue, and Mr. Spencer Ponsonby, who ac-
companied Lord Clarendon in the capacity of private
secretary to the Conferences of Paris, is appointed to
the vacancy created at the B,ard by the promotion of
Mr. Herries. Mr. Spencer Ponsonby was previously
private secretary to Lpri Palmerston during the time he
held the seals of the Foreign•ofEce.
A dinner, in commemoration of which a piece of
plate presented to the station-master of Windsor, took
place yesterday at Slough. The piece of plate consists
of a handsome silver vase, engraved with the following
inscription :—" Presented to John Madigan, of the
South. Western Railway-station, Windsor, by the season.
ticket holders and other passenger!, as a trifling acknow-
ledgment of his unremitting attention to his duties, and
the pramotio of their comf,rt as passengers."
It is stated that 315,0001. out of the 350,0001.

quired as the capital of the At'antic Telegraph Corn
pany, by whom it is hoped to establish electric comma
nication between England and America in the early part
of next summer, has already been subscribed. 100,0001.
has been taken in the United States, 104,0001. in Lon-
don, 71,0001. in Liverpool, 25,0001. in Manchester,
14,000/. in Glasgow, and 1,0001. in Leamington. On
Friday next the shares are to be allotted.
The report of the Trust and Loan Company of Upper
Csnada, issued preparatory to their meeting on the 2d
of December. stases the profits fer the half-year ending
the 30th of September at 9,934/. A dividend at the rate
of 7i per cent, per annum (less income tax) is recom-
mal,;le,l, 1_,8R7/. is to he carried to the reserve fund,
which will then amount to 11,3351 ; 250/. is to be
wii'oten off preliminary expenses, and a balance of
is to be carried to the credit of next half-year.
DEATH OF MR. ARTHUR DILLON THE ACTOR.—Mr.
Arthur Dillon, the father of Mr. Charles Dillon, the
talented lessee of the Lyceum, died on Tuesday evening,
after a long illness, at his lodgings, Broad-court, Bow-
street. Mr. Charles Dillon was on the stage in the last
act of "Fabian," when the melancholy intelligence
reached the theatre, but it was not communicated to
him until the performances had come to a conclu,ion.
Mr. ANGUS B. REACH.—This gentleman, whose lite-
rary exertions were prematurely terminated about two
years since by paralytic affection, expired at his reel-
derce at Denmark-hill on Tuesday last. He had not
quite completed his 35th year. Mr. Anita Reaoh's
amiable qualities, no legs than his intellect, had endeared
him to a large circle of friends, and we had occasion to
record that the most succea=Jul of amateur theatrical per-
formances was given for his benefit. Later her Majesty
was pleased to confer upon him the gift of 1001. He
leaves a widow, but was childless, and Ms remains will
be deposited in the cemetery at Norwood.
METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.—RESIGNATION OF
and who has been, since its forma
MR. itiORRIE.—Mr. Carrie, the police magistrate of
Cierkenwell Court,
tion, representative for the parish of St. Pancras in the
Metropolitan Board of Works, has resigned his seat at
that board. Inability to
give up sufficient time to the
important duties of a member of the metropolitan board,
coupled with those pertaining to his magisterial capacity,
is assigned as the cause of such resignation.
COLLISION ON THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday morning, at ten minutes past 8
o'clock, an alarming collision took place on the London
and North-Western Railway, at Leighton Buzzard.
Happily it was unattended with loss of life. One second
class passenger carriage was almost smashed to atoms,
and the break van of the Dunstable train Ras likewise
crushed. The monster springs and axletrees lying about
bent and twisted in all directions, show how violent was
the encounter. Had it happened two minutes earlier
the result would have been dreadful to contemplate, five
passengers having just got out of the very carriage that
was so completely smashed.
TRIBUTE OF ResrEcr.—On Monday evening last,
c ,mplimentary dinner was given at the Mitre Tow-
nected with the Weekly Dispatc,74
Fleet-street, by upwards of thirty of the gee'. ern,
hemen con-
Richard Wood, the highly estecrue/
the evening ; the edit,
journal, Publisher of that
and manager of the e,,` •
r'ewspaper, to Mr.
. e !Sir
was filled by the sub-edit,
members of the I. the juisPuicite and the other
;,,r of
,r*the i,''aper) the guest of
.verary. Staff being on his right and
hpeetarnetedprtz,bieenparrestehnet,geasnetrhttel free,s,ctliirgl
(it'll; department was also fell? represented,
there be•
left. The prir
v.,
mahni ge
slit uPte
rosnoen
sabiszuttelefi
eo,tai otohcea Bpi oinsp,
aatnchd
were
the
thieea.rel ofh aNdl r
h.eviniter.ltpainceadde'wlittho
respect to Mr. Wood by all who came within the sphere
an
of hie operations. The chairman, in proposing the
eld hiWood,
s referredardueue t oa
utdh the fact
responsiblet hat that
positionen-
for nearly thirty-four years, and he added, that during
that time Mr. Wood had conducted the duties of his
office in such a manner as to obtain for himself esteem
and regard, and to secure for his proprietors the greatest
possible advantage. The editor bore his testimony to
the sterling, worth of Mr. Wcod, and the company
drank the toast with the utmost cordiality. Mr. Wood
returned thanks for the flattering compliment that had
been paid to
him, in terms which showed how deeply he
appreciatedhtn the honour that had been conferred upon
Peen
of
have ien highly
- tThe evening was spent in a manner that must
gratifying to the promoters of the
"tribute
respect," as it undoubtedly was to the re-
cipient of it.