The Sun.
London, England, 1835-08-04 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON;

' Bill of 1803?-..Yes, it. was to opal the c:ty of Coventry to the
Warwick*Magistrates.
Are you aware of the number of rate- payers in C:ventry ?—I
should think there are some thousands.
I wish a more explicit answer. By referring t 3 these documents,
cannot you so refresh your memory as to give us an idea of the
actual number of rate-payers ?—I should say upwards of 5,000.
Have you formed any judgment of the number of those who are
rated under 10/. ?—I should say four out of five. I might say five
out of six rated under that sum.
Suppose for any purpose the rated and the rateable were to
vote, do you mean to say that 4-sths or 5-6ths would be rated un-
der 10/.?---Yes, I think so.
Now 10/. is the only limit I have yet taken. Have you the'
means of forming an opinion of how many may be rated under Si.
—No. The artizans, especially since the introduction of the French
loom, require a great deal of room, and for the premises they have
usually to pay 81.- or 9/.
What is the reason of the rent being so high ?—lt has increased
in consequence of the great increase of the population, and their not
being able to extend the town.
Can you tell whether bribery is very prevalent ?.
considered that it, is not.
Can you speak upon your own experience also ?—I never knew
a bribe to be offered in my life, and I never offered one myself. It
is impossible for me to say that no such thing has taken place. The
people of Coventry are of a higher caste ; they are governed by
local as well as by general politics.
Were there men of different political opinions in the governing
body ?—Yes.
Is there a decided and marked preponderance of any one class
over the other ?—Lately one class has rather preponderated; a few
years ago the other preponderated : the preponderance now is in
favour of what is called the Tory or Conservative party.
When did the scale turn ?—About eight or ten years ago; but
the people of Coventry are more governed by local than by public
politics. The people of Coventry took both sides at the election
and this not only among the body Corporate but among the Alder.
men.

'—l certainly

The Aldermen being such as you have described, have they great
influence ?—No.
Are you acquainted with the Charters of the City? Yes, I have
read the Charter of James, which recites all the others.
What is the date of the earliest Charter ? There is one shortly
after the conquest—it is recited in the Charter of James, the go-
verning body of the City consider the Charter of James the First
the governing Charter.
Has there also been a subsequent Charter ? I am inclined to
think there was, but I never saw it—it was, I believe, a char-
ter of confirmation of the time of Charles the Second.
What Police Establishment is there at Coventry ? About 70 or
80 constables, but in consequence of very considerable excitement
at the election about three years ago, the Magistrates deemed it ex-
pedient to have a chief constable, and they requested Viscount Mel-
bourne, then Secretary of State, to do them the honour to recom-
mend some person to be appointed by them. I think the Noble
Lord referred the matter to some Board, the Municipal Board, and
a chief constable was then sent down.
Was he recommended by the then Government and by the Mu-
nicipal Board ?—He was.
Did the Corporation act upon that recommendation ?—Yes, they
appointed the person sent down to the office and gave him a com-
petent salary.
How much was that ?-1401. a year.
Is hestill in the office ?—Yes.
By. a NOBLE Loan—Then, in point of fact, the Government
appointed this officer ? The Corporation not knowing of themselves
a person thoroughly competent to discharge the duties of the office
applied to the Government and acted upon their recommendation.
Have you a copy of the letter or application sent to Government ?
Not with me.
When you said how the police was administered, did you mean
that it was administered efficiently and satisfactorily ?—Perfectly so.
When are the sittings held ?—The magistrates sit on every day
in the week, with the exception of Tuesdays and Sundays ; every
other day two sit in rotation.
What is the reason that they do not sit on Tuesdays? They
have to attend courts of common council, which are held on the
first and last Tuesday in the month, to receive the claims of the
freemen and to answer them. They have also to sit on the inter-
mediate Tuesday. [We did not hear for what.]
Are the aldermen men of property, such as enabl. s them to
withdraw so much time from their private concerns as is necessary
for the due discharge of their duties ?—Certainly.
Is Mr. Cope a fair sample of the magistracy in point of pro-
perty ?—No. Mr. Cope is a man of very considerable property.
Some of the magistrates have not quite so much.
Generally speaking, they are warm men ?—Yes.
Could a man, carrying on a small retail business, however other-
wise competent to do the duties—could he devote sufficient time,
under these circumstances, to perform these duties ?—I certainly
think he could not.
Are you aware of the extent of the property possessed by the
Corporation of Coventry ? I don't speak now of that devoted to
the enjoyment of the freemen, but that belonging to the Corpora-
tion as a matter of general right, nor do I allude to charity pro-
perty ?—I should think pretty nearly2,oool. per annum, perhaps not
quite so much, but I don't speak accurately.
It can't be expected that you should ; but I understand you to
describe that sum as general property, not devoted to any particular
purpose, but in the situation of ordinary property ?—The Corpora-
tion have not so much disposable property as I have mentioned,
because there are some existing debts, and therefore they have not
2,0001. a year to dispose of.
In what manner do they devote their surplus income, after pay-
ing the interest of the debt ?—By entertaining their friends, and
the people of the town generally. They are also occasionally in the
habit of attending charity sermons, and give 101. to each of them.
They contribute also to some of the schools, such as the Lancas-
terian and National, _occasionally ; and have subscribed a consider-
able sum to the building of the new church.
Independently of what they have expended in entertaining their
friends and the general body of the town, and for public purposes,
I understand you to say that they make payments in voluntary cha-
rities?—Very frequently, indeed; and there is also a portion of
that money applied to the payment of the salaries of their servants.
What salary do you receive ?—Twenty pounds a year, with cer-
tain fees and emoluments ; and by that decree to which I have ad-
verted, lam entitled to 1-70th part of the rents aris ng out of Sir
Thomas Whyte's charity.
Besides that 1-70th, you have other fees and emoluments ?—Yes.
What are your duties ?—I do all the business professionally re-
quired by the body corporate ; I draw out all the cases and deeds
that are necessary.
Have you ever consented to have your office valued by the
Lords of the Treasury ?—[ We understood the witness to answer,
No ; and several Noble Lords directed him to speak in a louder
tone. ]
Do you happen to know,the nature and sources (I do net ask
you as to the particulars of title) from whence the Corporation
have derived their general property of 2,0001. a year ?—Principally
by purchases made from time to time by the body corporate, as ap-
pears to me upon looking over their documents.
Have there been any grants from the Crown ?—I am not aware
of any.
The whole, then, of that general property has been made by
purchases—made by the body corporate from time to time?-1
believe so.
Does it at all appear, from documents to which you refer, from
what sources these sums were derived ; whether from private con-
tributions or subscriptions, or from public sources ? These books
are silent cn that subject ; there is no entry that I know of, show-
ing how this money has been acquired, but there are orders for the
purchase of property.
Do you know how any money for the purchase of property has
been obtained ?—ln some instances of making purchases they have
applied the charity money, and repay it afterwards ; but what the
sources were from whence the money was obtained, does not appear.
Do you happen to know of any individual subscriptions or con-
tributions towards general purposes ?—I do not. The Corporation
have purchased no estates since I became Town-Clerk.
Are there within the City of Coventry any general trusteeships ?
—Yes ; there are Commissioners for paving, lighting, and watching
the town.
Are they independent of the Corporation ?—.Yes, they are dis-
tinct from them.
Are there any others ?—Yes, there is a Board of Commissioners
appointed under an Act of Parliament passed in the year 1790,
under which they have a power of rating Is. 6d. in the pound for
the purpose of lighting and watching the town, and regulating the
wells, sewers, and pumps.
If there are any other public bodies have the goodne,s to state
them ?—There are guardians of the poor, incorporated by an Act
of Parliament
_passed about thirty years ago, and they appoint 18
persons called Directors of the Poor.
Can you form any opinion whether convenience or inconveni-
ence, advantage or disadvantage, would follow from incorporating
and merging these bodies in the Corporation ?—I should say that it
would be better to keep them distinct.
Then I understand you to say that the Corporation have enough
to do already ?—The magistrates certainly have enough.
Supposing these public bodies were required to surrender them-
selves to the Corporation, so as to become merged and absorbed in
it, would that be productive of advantage, or disadvantage ?—I
should think that it would be productive of great inconvenience.
Perhaps you are not able to state the extent and variety of the
powers and properties which these bodies possess ?—I should say I
know them pretty nearly.
Is there any qualification necessary in point of property ?—None
for the Paving Commissioners.
Is there any for the Guardians of the Poor ?—They must be
ratedat 201. per annum, or possess a certain freehold.
Who are generally appointed Street Commissioners ?—The prin-
cipal persons of the town.
Are you aware of the powers of rating possessed by the Corpora-
tion ?—They have no power of rating.
Would it be acceptable or not to the people of Coventry of sub-
stance and property, to vest in any body an unlimited power of rat-
ing and taxing the town for the purposes of improvement ?—I should
say, it would be an extremely dangerous power which I, as a per-
son of property and substance in the town, would object to.
Probably you would not object to a tax for building a theatre
I should.—( Laughter.)
Are you at all acquainted with the charity property under the
administration of the Corporation of Coventry ?—I know a good
deal about it ; but there is another gentlemen who knows greatly
mcrie than I do, because I did not keep those accounts, nor are they
kept in my office.
Perhaps you can inform us of the total amount of the property
devoted to charity. Can you venture to say that they amount to
several thousands a-year ?—Yes, most certainly.
These charities are regulated by the governing body ?—Yes.
Can you speak of the manner in which they have been generally
administered since 1828 ?—I should say moot impartially.
Can you add prudently and discreetly ?—Yes.
How have they been administered ?—The general rule has been
that the Aldermen of the district have associated themselves with
such of the Common Council-men as resided within their Wards,
and these latter produce lists on the day the charities are given
away, and they have directed me, as town clerk, to record the lists
as made out.

The record is kept ?—Yes.
Are you at all acquainted with the Report of the Charity Com-
missioners ?—I am somewhat acquainted with it ; I furnished them
with numerous documents, and permitted them to inspect the re-
cord books of the Corporation.
They had full liberty of inspection ?—Yes, they had.
Mr. Eld is Mayor of Coventry ?—Yes.
He is the person so highly complimented in the Report of the
Charity Commissioners ?—Yes.
. .

Is that Report correct?—No doubt it is very correct.
Who were the Commissioners ? There were two sets of Charity
Commissioners.

Do you recollect their names ?—Mr. Robert Grant, the barrister,
and Mr. Smith of the Chancery Bar were the latter, and Dr.
Marsham, of Oxford, and a barrister were the former.
Did you ever hear them express their opinion as to the mode in
which the Corporation had met their inquiry and views ?—I heard
them speak in the highest terms of it.
Did the Charity Commissioners conduct their inquiries in a ju-
dicial, impartial, and orderly manner ?.—Very much so, while I was
with them.
Did you also attend the Nuaiicipal Corporation Connuisliorters ?
—I did.