The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-18 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday a meeting of the Common Council was
held at Guildhall for the despatch of business, the
Lord Mayor occupying the chair.
Mr. JOHN SYMONDS, referring to a recent discus-
sion in the Court of Aldermen, give a notice of
motion to the effect that, inasmuch as it was con-
trary to the principle of self-government that any
tax should be imposed upon the rate-payers, other-
wise than by their periodically elected and respons-
ible representatives, the Court of Common Coun-
cil would oppose to the utmost of its power any at-
tempt to levy a county rate in the city of London
by any body of men not subject to periodical elec-
tion.

Deputy ELLIorr asked if it was true that an en-
tertaining robe, embroidered with gold, for the Lord
Mayor, and of the value of 130 guineas, had been
ordered by the Court of Aldermen, the same ex-
pense and for the same purpose having been in-
curred six years ago?
The LORD MAYOR replied that the Court of
Aldermen had passed a resolution, authorising a
new entertaining robe to be provided for the Lord
Mayor ; but, instead of the same expense having
been incurred six years ago, as had been stated by
Deputy Elliott, the Court of Aldermen six years
ago, in an economical mood, provided a robe at the
cost of 80 guineas, and it was now in such a state
that it was not fit to be worn.
On the motion of Mr. JOHN SYMONDS, a copy of
the report of the General Purposes Committee of
the Court of Aldermen recommending the expendi-
ture of a sum not exceeding £BB3 odd in the repair
of the plate and jewels at the Mansion-home, and a
copy of the resolution of that Court thereupon, were
requested to be laid before the Common Council.
In reply to Mr. M'GEORGE, as to what arrange-
ments were made by the Commission of Sewers for
the removal of the snow from the streets during the
last great fall,
The CHAIRMAN of the COMMISSION (Mr. De
Jersey) [,stated that the arrangements were em-
bodied in a report by Mr. Haywood, the engineeer,
which was being printed for circulation among the
members of the Common Council. He repeated
the statement as to those arrangements which he had
made on Tuesdey last at the meeting of the Com-
missioners of Sewers, and which was reported in
The Sun of the following evening.
THE NEW MEAT AND POULTRY MARKETS.

The City Architect (Mr. Horace Jones) presented
a report, stating that since the last meeting of the
Court on Dec. 20 the works of the new meat and
poultry markets had been delayed for 11 days by
the Christmas holidays and by stress of weather.
There had been the average number of 140 workmen
and 45 two-horse carts a day engaged upon the
works in that interval and 3,320 cubic yards of
earthwork removed. The delivery of the iron work
had continued since their last meeting almost daily,
there were about 50 workmen engaged in fixing the
same, and up to yesterday four of the main girders
with their columns were fixed in their places.
THE IMPROVEMENTS AT GUILDIIALL.
On the motion for continuing the Guildhall Im-
provement Committee, a strong opinion was expressed
by Mr. Webber, Mr. Fricker, and Mr. Blake that the
purpose for which it was appointed had been attained
and whatever remained to be done by it might well
be done by the standing committee for the manage-
ment of the city lands. Mr. Fricker also took occa-
sion to complain of the great and unnecessary ex-
pense to the corporafion occasioned by the work of
the Common Council being intrusted to so many
committees.
Mr. KELDAY, the chairman of the special com-
mittee, and Mr. Deputy LOTT dwelt upon the in-
convenience which would result from the interrup-
tion of the improvements in progress or in contem-
plation at Guildhall, and especially of pending ne-
gotiations for the purchase of property.
Mr. BEDFORD urged that the committee had so far
done the work well' and that it would be ungracious
to discharge it before it had completed that work.
Mr. J. E. SAUNDERS defended its continuance on
the ground that it had a grand scheme in contem-
plation for reconstructing in a raluner worthy o f
the corporation of London the whole of the corpo-
ration offices adjacent to the Guildhall, and for
erecting a sort of Hotel de Ville in that locality.
Mr. Sheriff WATERLOW said the cost of carrying
out such a scheme might be from £lOO,OOO to
£150,000. If they had that money to spare let them
expend it on public improvements rather than on
works tending to their own aggrandisement and
convenience as a corporation ; but if they were pre-
pared to entertain the grand scheme to which refe-
rence had been made he thought they should re-ap-
point the committee.
Mr. ROWE said he never remembered powers so
extensive as those which had been conferred on the
committee in question. They had expended £40,000
on the Guildhall, and were now about to ask for a
grant of £25,000 for the erecticn of a new library
and museum.

Deputy EL Lion observed that the work of re-
storing the Guildhall had been well done, but he
trembled to think of gigantic works being carried
on in a patchwork way, and said what they wanted
in carrying such undertakings was one mastermind,
combining the attributesof the builder, the architect,
and the poet. _ .

The discussion, in which Mr. Ridley, Deputy
Bower, Mr. Lawley, Mr. .'George, Deputy Fry,
Mr. Rudkin, and other members took part, was con-
tinued, and in the result the committee was re-ap-
pointed.
TIIE FREEMEN'S ORPHAN SCHOOL.

The Rev. Marcus T. Cormack, M.A., was elected
Head Master of the City of London Freemen's Or-
phan School.
Deputy ELLIOTT, previous to the election of a
Master, desired to put a question. The Court, he
said, had received full evidence of the intellectual
fitness of the candidates, but evidence was still want-
ing as to their moral fitness touching the best inte-
rests of the orphans under their care, and on a sub-
ject on which people might conscientiously differ.
Some thought the searching secret teaching and ques-
tioning of some clergymen did tend to purify moral
conduct ; others, including himself, and he would
fain hope the majority of those present, believed as
firmly that such teaching tended to great depravity
of mind and manners. Therefore he desired, before
giving his vote, that the candidates should declare
if they approved or disapproved the ritualistic
opinions and practices of certain Church of England
clergymen.

The general effect of the replies of the candidates,
of whom there were three, was that they did not
approve such opinions and practices. The election
then proceeded with the result stated above.
BUNITILL-FIELDS BURIALGROUND.

The Court then, at the instance of Deputy Chas.
Reed, chairman of the special committee in relation
to Bunhill-fields burialground, proceeded to consider
a report of that body of proceedings under a refer-
ence to them by the Common Council of the 7th of
December, 1865, upon the letter of the Ecclesiasti-
cal Commissioners on the subject of the burial-
ground, and upon the petition of Mr. John Reming-
ton Mills, M.P., and others, to preserve it from de-
secration. The commissioners appear to have pro-
posed to accept, as the consideration for leaving the
burialground undisturbed, five-sixths of the pur-
chase moneys paid for the sales of vaults, &c., in
perpetuity to the corporation during the period of
the current lease of 97 years. The total net pro-
ceeds of the burialground during the current lease
amounted to £:11,000, including the capital sums
paid for vaults and interments, being an average for
the 97 years of .£247 odd a year. One-half of that
sun had been applied in connexion with the prebend
of Finsbury, and the other had been received by
the corporation. The Corporation Committee and
tlla Commissioners have not been able to agree
upon the question of the consideration money, and
the negotiations have, therefore, been suspended
for the present. The latest proposal was that of the
commissioners, which was to refer the whole matter
to arbitration, but, that the committee declined,
alleging that there existed no ground whatever for
any legal claim upon the corporation on the part of
the commission, the latter having, in fact, advanced
nothing beyond a vague intimation of a possible claim.
The report, after setting out the correspondence at
great length, stated in conclusion that it appeared