The Sun.
London, England, 1835-02-04 00:00:00

SUSPENSION OF THE DINNERS AT THE OLD BAILEY.

Alderman FAREBROTHER rose and said that he had read
with great pain a paragraph which appeared in one of the
morning papers, stating that the custom which had existed
from an immemorial period of entertaining the judges at the
Sessions-house whenever they sat to perform the duties of
their station there, had been abandoned by the,Lord Mayor
and Sheriffs. He hoped that the paragraph had no foun-
dation, and that such an explanation would be made as
would prove that such was the case. He could\iot conceive
that any thing more derogatory to the character of the
magistracy of the City of London could take place than the
abolition of that hospitable custom, and if its discontinuance
was contemplated, he should certainly feel it to be his duty
to move that the Court should take into consideration what
course it might be necessary to pursue for the preservation
of the character of its members.
The LORD MAYOR said, that a difference existed between
him and the Sheriffs as to the number of sessional dinners
which he was to give, and the number which those -„,ificers
were to contribute at the Old Bailey. Their great object
in adhering to the opinions they severall:; entertained was
to prevent their successors from ~.7.:gitering from a wrong
precedent. It was heretofore the custom for the Lord
Mayor to give the dinner of the first and last of the eight
sessions, but in ce:.seottence of the new Central Criminal
Court Bill., -)..ne sessions were increakd to 12 in the year.
He (.12.1 not, however, see why the Lord Mayor's expenses
should be increased, according to the proposition of the
Sheriffl, which he had rejected, and he (the Lord Mayor)
submitted to the Court the letter of those gentlemen, and
would willingly abide by the recommendation of its mem-
bers, declaring at the same time that he was not at all in-
fluenced by the idea of an increased sum.

-" -TO THE RIGHT. HON. THE LORD MAYOR.

" Sir,—As Sheriffs of' London, we are most anxious to dis-
charge the duties and maintain the dignity of our office in a
manner equal to that in which any of our predecessors have
filled that high station; we are likewise determined SQ
support its,rights and privileges that it may be transmitted to
oar successors unimpaired while in our keeping. Upon 'en-
tering office we found that it had been the practice of the
Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs to divide amongst themselves
the privilege and the charges of entertaining t:ne Lords, the
Judges, the Aldermen, and other official persons attending
the Old Bailey, the Sheriffs defraying the expense of three
sessions each, and as the number of the year's sessions (eight)
was not capable of being divided by three, the Sheriffs paid
for three sessions each and the Lord Mayor for the remaining
two, of which two the September session was one, that being
equal in duration and expense to any two of the others, in
consequence of the greater number of prisoners which ac-
cumulated during the long recess intervening between it
and the previous session. The Central Criminal Court
Act had increased the number of sessions to twelve in each
year, and as they are equally spread over the whole year,
the duration of each session will be equalized, and the
September session will not be longer than the others. The
Sheriffs of London will cheerfully take upon themselves the
extra expence whic'i their proportion of the extra sessions will
cast upon them. It is, heiwovio, absolutely necessary that
some understanding should take place between them and your
Lec(4l4, as to the best mode of equalizing the increased bur
den and adapting it to the convenience of all partied. With
this view we requested our under-sheriffs tq p,ropose to your
Lordship (as the number of sessicuis annually would in future
be twelve instead of giglA, 4,11 cl all of- equal expense and dura-
tion), that the e,ntVatiotaantta. should be given alternately at
Oti. 'your Lordship and the Sheriffs respectively ;
f your Lordship was unwilling to adopt that proposal, we
won a cheerfully leave it to either or all of the three principal
officers of the Corporation—the Recorder, the Chamberlain,
and the' Town Clerk—to apply the principle of tinx ancient
usage td the existing state of eiromktnneea; and to determine
between tts the -celiatk‘e, prp,p.oi7t;ons in which the expenses
-,.u01.11 to ho:l4ne. •We were led to propose this mode of
settling the 9. nestion ~ partly because we do not think it fair
finally to deterrnino ourselves in a case in which we may be
supposed interested, but principally because, as public officers,
we do not deem it proper to compromise the rights and itpyests,
of our successors, by making any concession which. row:Lit be
considered as a precedent binding upon future Sll'OEll3.- Fitt

understand your Lordship has declined our proposal to take
upon yourself the charges of one-third of the sessions, and will
notcansent to leave the adjustment of the question to either or
all of the respectable officers of the corporation, with Whose
decision we should be satisfied. Your Lordship having takett
the last November sessions, Mr. Sheriff Raphael the Decem-
ber, and Mr. Sheriff Illidge the January sessions, the ap-
proaching February sessions will 'in rotation devolve upon your
Lordship. We think it right again to offer to your Lordship
to leave the affair to the decision of either of the three gentle-
men named, and should this proposition be again rejected, we
feel ourselves called upon, in justice to ourselves and the office
we hold, to declare to you our determination not to make any
provision until it shall come to our turn to entertain the Court
in the March. and April sessions respectively.
" We have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's
most obedient servants,

" Guildhall, Jan. 28."

"ALEXANDER RAPHAEL.
"JOHN ILLIDGE.

Alderman BROWN felt convinced that the Lord Mayor
and the Sheriffs had no idea of making the question one of
pounds, shillings, and pence, but differed merely for the
sake of those who were to come after them. He was con-
vinced that any remarks proceeding from him would hot be,
considered as partial on such a subject. Having passed.
both, he well knew, as others who had done so knew, that
the two sessions taken by the Lord Mayor in former times
were fully equal to one-third of the eight sessions in the
year. It would, he thought, be not at all acl.:isable to refer
the matter to the officers of the Corpordion, and, he be-
lieved that, upon consultation, no objection would be started
to the adoption of the plan of dividing the sessions equally
between the three.

Sir P. LAURIE said, that he had accounts of the ex-
penses of his shrievalty and mayoralty in his pocket, and it
was his opinion, that the Lord Mayor paid on the Occasions
alluded to considerably more than a third, although he
thought the principal expenses ought to be etefrayed by the
Sheriffs. The expenses of the dinners at the Old Bailey,
in his shrievalty, cost him and MS toadjutor no less a suns
than 8601., exclusive of wine.
Alderman CQRVLA ND
the nwoWty, he that being next in rotation to
7:lse upon his own part, and upon the part
Nf those of brethren below the chair, to state that he and
they were perfectly disposed to abide by the suggestion of
the Sheriffs.

Alderman WILSON stated, that when he was a Sheriff,
a brother Alderman acted as if he thought that the She-
riffs ought to pay the largest amount of expenses, for upon
one occasion the worthy member took some friends to dine
at the Old Bailey upon a day of his (Alderman Wilson's)
shrievalty, when it happened, that the sentences havinc,
been all passed at an early hour, no dinner was prepared.°
'rhe worthy Alderman, however, went with his party to the
London Coffeehouse, and stuck up a dinner and a good
deal of wine to the Sheriffs, which, however, as. they would
by no means pay for, he was obliged to disgorge, in the
shape of cash, into the hands of Mr. Lovegrove.—(Great.
laughter.)
Sir PETER LAURIE said it was evident that the shrie-
valty in which that event occurred abounded in little dis-
appointments of the kind. Although the invitations were
not very numerous, the welcomes, he apprehended, were
still more circumscribed. (Laughter.) He remembered
the pleasant little transaction alluded to, and he believed he
was of the party, for he did not think it possible that such
a thing could have occurred in any other year of what was
called civic hospitality.—(Laughter.)
Alderman WILSON said that Sir Peter -Laurie was quite
right in saying that he was of the
PP
Peter must have considered that ite :ety. Indeed, Sir
had very good reason
in the result of the experimea
memory. .for not letting it slip his

The Lord Mikyoit
to act Lon tb, expressed himself perfectly satisfied
which suggestion of the Court, an intimation
.ery warmly received.