The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-16 00:00:00

THE. SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 16, 1866.

also a motion that it should be written ornamentally and
emblazoned, and signed by the town clerk, and presented
to Alderman Phillips ; and another, that it should be ad-
vertised in the usual newspapers.
Upon the motion of Deputy OBBERD, the usual gratuity
of 50 guineas was ordered to be given to the Rev. Michael
Gibbs, the chaplain of tho late Lord Mayor.
THE FIRE IN QUEBEC.

Mr. J. E. SAUNDERS then moved that this court, desir-
ing to express its sincere sympathy with the sufferers by
the lamentable and extensive conflagration in Quebec, do
contribute the sum of £5OO towards the fund now being
raised for their relief. He observed that a most terrible
calamity had taken place ; and although, in the result,
as in the case of their own beloved City of London,
it might possibly lead to good by the erection of
better buildings, still in the meantime it caused the most
extensive misery and distress to those unhappy persons
who were burnt out of their houses. He was sure, there-
fore, that every one present would agree with him that it
was the duty of the corporation to lend a helping hand to
these sufferers, and to show that the city of London sym-
pathised with their fellow-countrymen across the Atlantic,
and were ready to lend a helping hand to them in their
hour of distress. (Hear, hear.)
Alderman COTTON, who was received with loud cheers;
said this was the first time he had had the honour of ad-
dressing the court, and it gave him great pleasure in doing
so, in the cause of humanity, by seconding the resolution
that had just been proposed. (Cheers.) Charity in order to
be efflacious should be swift, and he therefore trusted that
the court would at once agree with the resolution. (Hear.)
Alderman Cotton concluded by expressing a hope that dur-
ing the period he occupied his present position he should
always continue to be upon kind and friendly terms with
every member of the court. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. G. S. RICHARDS, in supporting the resolution, said
that he only wished that the proposed amount had been
doubled.
The resolution was then agreed to unanimously.
THE GAS QUESTION.

The TOWN CLERK read a communication that had been
received from Mr. Buzzard, the vestry clerk of St. James's,
Westminster, enclosing a resolution that had been come to
by the vestry to invite all the other parishes in the metro-
polis to co-operate with them in procuring an amendment
of the Metropolis Gas Act, 180, and inviting the corpora-
tion to join in the endeavour to effect that object.
Mr. J. F. BONTEMS said he had great pleasure in inform-
ing the court that the Special Gas Committee had been in
communication with the Home Secretary and the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade, and they had received an inti-
mation from those gentlemen that it was the intention of
the Government to introduce a bill next session of Parlia-
ment with a view to carry out the suggestions of the
committee of the House of Commons in reference to the
supply of gas to the metropolis. (Hear, hear.)
The communication from Mr. Buzzard was then referred
to the Special Gas Committee for them to take what steps
they considered necessary in the matter.
TEE REFORM OF THE CORPORATION.

Deputy FARRER said that in reference to the proceed-
ings that had taken place at the last Court, relating to a
proposed alteration in the municipal franchise of the City,
he should be glad if the chairman of the Local Government
and Taxation Committee would inform him whether it was
intended by the proposed bill to make any alteration in the
qualifications of the candidates as well as those of the elec-
tors ? (Hear, hear.)
Mr. LAWLEY, the chairman of the committee in ques-
tion, said it was not intended to make any alteration in the
qualification of candidates.
THE SMITHFIELD DEAD MEAT MARKET.

Mr. H. L. TAYLOR, the chairman of the Markets Im-
provement Committee, laid before the court a report from
Mr. Horace Jones, the City architect, relative to the
works of the market in Smithfield, by which it a ppeared
that the excavations at the eastern end of the market were
expected to be completed in about three weeks, and that
all the iron columns to support the building would very
shortly be ready. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Taylor said he was
very glad to be able to supplement the report of the archi-
tect by informing the court that he thought at the present
time they could see their way to a commencement of the
market. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) The present report
was one of the most satisfactory kind tbat he had hitherto
been able to present to the court, and he might add that
the contract for the erection of the market was taken at a
very satisfactory price, and by a very respectable con-
tractor, and he hoped there would be no more complaints
of any unnecessary delay in the completion of the work.
(Hear, hear.)
Alderman COPELAND inquired if the sureties for the per-
formance of the work were satisfactory.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said he hoped they were.
Alderman COPELAND asked when the market was likely
to be completed.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said that the contractor had under-
taken that the work should be completed in 18 months from
the signing of the contract. (Hear, hear.) This would be
done immediately; the committee had made a report upon
the sufficiency of the sureties. (Hear, hear.)
THE LATE BANQUET AT GUILDHALL.

Mr. HEATH gave notice that at the next court he should
move that the arrangements for the banquet at Guildhall,
on the 9th of November should in future be placed under
the superintendence of a committee specially appointed for
the purpose. He said that he was induced to take this step
in consequence of certain proceedings that Were represented
to have taken place upon the occasion of the last banquet.
(Hear, hear.)
DWELLINGS OF THE POOR IN THE CITY OF LONDON.

The adjourneddebate upon the motion of Mr. BEDFORD— -
" That it be referred to the City Lands Committee to ascer-
tain whether, by the expenditure of a part of the corpora-
tion funds in the purchase of some of the worst portions of
the property in the City, inhabited by the poorest classes
of the community, some relief cannot be afforded, without
loss to the corporation, a state of things that is described
beyond description' "—was re-
s
d
bd
uyi theig uesdisgusting leadinga nd journal
horrifying

Dr. SAUNDERS spoke at some length in support of the
motion, and he said that the court ought, in his opinion,
to endeavour to ascertain whether the Commissioners of
Sewers,. upon whom the duty devolved, under different
Acts of Parliament affecting the City of London, of pre-
venting this disgraceful condition of affairs from existing
had performed that duty in a proper manner. He believed
from what he knew upon the subject that they had not
done so, and that a great deal of blame was attributable to
that body for their neglect of duty. (Cries of " Question.")
This was the question, and he said he should be able to
O ,o h," and
show that the Commissioners of Sewers were responsible
for that were so
justlyfcomplained
"Question.")
The LORD MAYOR interposed, and expressed his opinion
rthe existence o
of :he e disgusting,
that the hon. member, was not justified in referring in the
manner he had done to the Commissioners of Sewers, and
that he was not keeping to the question before the court.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. DE JERSEY, the chairman cf the Commissioners of
Sewers, said he was quite ready, upon a proper occasion,
to meet any charge that might be made against the com-
missioners of neglect of duty. This was not the proper
occasion, and the hon. member was acting, in his opinion,
very unfairly in the oourse he had adopted. (Hear, hear.)
Dr. SAUNDERS said he was not surprised that he should
be interrupted by the Commissioners of Sewers who were
members of the court. (Cries of "Oh, oh.") At the last
court when the subject was brought forward, out of 150
members who were present there were 60 Commissioners
of Sewers. (Interruption.) He considered it was an in-
famous thing that gentlem,en should be allowed to sit in
judgment upon themselves. (Cries of " Order.")
The LORD MAYOR interposed, and said he should put it
to the hon. member whether he was acting properly in
making use of such language. He thought he was not ;
and, in his opinion, the Commissioners of Sewers had no-
thing to do with the question now before the court. (Hear,
hear.)

Dr: SAUNDERS said he thought he had been treated very
unfairly, and that his right to speak had been most impro-
perly limited.
Here there was a great deal of confusion, and there were
loud calls for Dr. Saunders to withdraw the expression that
he had made use of.

Dr. SAUNDERS at length said that, if he had put any-
thing before the court in an offensive manner, he withdrew
it. (Cries of " Oh, oh.")
Mr. DE JERSEY expressed his opinion that neither a fair,
honourable, nor gentlemanly retractation had been made
by Dr. Saunders, andlhe called on him to distinctly retract
the expression he had used, that he had been treated un-

fairly. (Hear, hear.)
Deputy FRY said he did not object to the motion, but it
appeared to him that this court had nothing to do with the
opinions of a " leading journal," and that they were quite
competent to judge for themselves what was right. He
suggested, therefore, that the last part of the motion should
be altered by adding the words, after the word corporation,
"and with a view to remedy the increasing evil of over-
crowding in dwelling-houses in the City."
Mr. BEDFORD said ho had no objection to the alteration
suggested by the hon. deputy.
Deputy ELLIOTT doubted the propriety of tho motion
and said that the great evil arose from the existence of old
and wretched dwellings inhabited by the most dissolute
and filthy class of the community, and this was rapidly
being remedied by railways and other causesat the present
time. lie Elan by a report of Dr. Letheby's that no less
than 1,200 such buildings had been pulled down within the
last 10 years. (Hear, hear.) It should also be borne in
mind that it was an undoubted fact that, whatever powers
they might take to remedy the evils of filth and neglect
that now existed, there was a certain class of persons who,
if their dwellings ware cleaned and made decent to-day,
would by their own neglect bo in the same condition of
filth and misery a month hence ; and he believed that in a

greit many cases the poor themselves were alone to blame
for the miserable condition in which they found them-

solves. (Mar, hear.)
Mr. LAWLEY supported the motion upon the ground sim-
ply, as he stated, that although a good deal had, no doubt,
been done by the establishment of model lodging-houses

and other means to better the condition of the poorer
classes, it was the duty of the corporation to see whether
more could not still be done to effect this object. (Hoar.)