The Sun.
London, England, 1835-11-30 00:00:00

CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION

REFORM.

Last evening, a dinner was given at the London Tavern
to Wm. Pritchard, Esq., by his friends in the Corporation,
to testify their approbation of his exertions as Chairman of
the Committee of the whole Court, appointed for the pur-
pose of instituting an inquiry with a view to a reform in the
Corporation of the City of London. The company was
very numerous, and the entertainment was in all respects
of an excellent description. No less than sixty-five mem-
bers of the Corporation attended, in addition to whom there
were many visitors. Amongst the latter were Mr. Grote,
M. P., Mr. Crawford, M. P., and Mr. Pattison, M. P.
Mr. Taylor was in the Chair.

The cloth having been removed, the first toast given was,
" The King, the chief magistrate of a free country."
Drunk with three times three and cheers.
The next toast was " The Queen," with three times
three.

The " Princess Victoria."—(Great cheering.) Drunk
with three times three.

The CHAIRMAN would propose the health of another
member of the Royal Family, who had always been the
stanch friend of civil and religious liberty—he meant the
" Duke of Sussex."—.Three times three.
The CHAIRMAN would now proceed from the King and
his family to the King's Ministers.—(Cheers.) Had he
given them that toast that day twelvemonth, he suspected
it. would not have met with quite so flatterinc, a recep-
tion as it did now.—(Laughter.) Lord Melbourne and
his colleagues had then been dismissed on pretences which
turned out to be unfounded. For that event, however,
untoward as it was considered at the period of its occur-
rence, he now thought they had reason to be thankful.—
(Hear, hear.) It had greatly increased the strength of
the Reform party ; it had taught them by union they
could accomplish their objects, and that it was upon union
alone that they must rely. Lord Melbourne's Govern-
ment carried, in the course of the last Session, only two
or three measures, but one of them was that important
Bill for the Reform of Municipal Corporations.l---(Hear.)
He thought the Government did more wisely in exerting
its whole energies to insure the success of a limited num-
ber of useful measures than it would have done had they
attempted more and risked the failure of all.--(Hear.)
He gave " Lord Melbourne, and the rest of his Majesty's
Ministers." Three times three, and great cheering.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the next toast, said it was
a mistake to suppose that because they were anxious to
preserve the existence of the Corporation, it was the wish
of the citizens to enjoy advantages from which others were
to be excluded.—(Hear, hear.) He disclaimed entertain-
ing any such narrow views. Corporations to be useful,
must stand on the principle of popular representation—
they must be entirely in the hands of the people.--(Loud
cheers.) In conclusion, he gave—" The City of London
--may its commerce prosper, and its institutions be re-
formed."--(Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The health of the Lord
Mayor—(Much cheering)—and declared that he had com-
menced his career in a manner most deserving of their
approbation.

Mr. Deputy WILSON returned thanks. He said the
name of the Lord Mayor would have been received very
different a few months ago. The change had brought
about a happy deliverance.—(A laugh and applause.)
The CHAIRMAN said, as they had now a Lord Mayor
who_ would not prohibit them from forming a corporate
opinion, he thought they ought to appoint some accredited
members to confer with the members of the Legislature and
his Majesty's Ministers ; there should be a committee to
give its undivided attention to the subject. The committee
of which he had before spoken was of the whole Court,
that none, of whatever party, might be excluded. Every
one of the resalutions of the committee had been approved
and adopted by the Court ; and he might add, that the
principles of almost all of them were to be found in the
Municipal Corporations' Bill which was passed last Session.
They had recommended a limitation to the period of Alder-
men's service to seven or five years, but the great measure
went farther—(Cheers) ; they proposed, that if a Lord
Mayor were prejudiced or insane enough to' refuse to call
a Court, forty members might do so ; but the Government
measure gave the power to five members.—(Cheers.) He
proposed " The health of William Pritchard, Esq., the
firm and consistent advocate of Corporation Reform."—
Mr. PRITCHARD returned thanks in an eloquent speech,
which we regret we cannot find room for.—Shortly the Re-
port of the Commissioners would be presented to Parlia-
ment ; upon that Report Ministers would be called on for a
measure to reform the corporate institutions of the City.
To that event he looked with great anxiety. He urged
them to form a Committee, that it might assist its Ma-
jesty's Ministers in the good work. The Committee
found, in the course of their investigation, that for the
objects they had in view it was necessary only to recur
to the ancient foundation of their institutions—that it
was necessary only to restore them to render them ca-
pable of the highest degree of usefulness. The Mayor
and Aldermen were formerly nothing more than the exe-
cutive officers of the city, returned periodically ; but in
time they usurped powers which it was never intended they
should possess, and assumed the attributes of a separate
body. Up to that period, they had been part of the
Council, and had no controlling power.—(Hear, hear.)
The great principle to establish, was that of periodical
returns to the constituency. They required the leading
features of the Municipal Reform Act, but they could dis-
pense with the principle of registration ; the simple prin-
ciple of household suffrage would be sufficient for them, and
would work most advantageously.--(Cheering.)