The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-14 00:00:00

tamed in 1807, on an allegation by the corporation that they
had been received from time immemorial. They have been
leased to the company of merchant venturers for a nominal
rent of 101., the merchants undertaking the repair of the
wharfs. The amount of the tolls is very considerable, but
cannot be stated, as the merchant venturers refuse all ac-
count of them, and of the manner in which they have been
expended. At Beverley, dues are levied on vessels enter-
ing a creek, for certain purposes specified in a local Act of
Parliament, which expressly directs that they shall be 1I
plied to those purposes only. A portion of these dues is
now applied to the general purposes of the Corporation.
At Scarborough, dues are levied for the support of the pier,
and are exclusively appropriated to that object by an ancient
order in council. , No separate account is kept of these
dues, which are merged in the general funds of the Corpo-
ration. At Boston, a fund appropriated to the maintenance
of the harbour is under the control of the council. A
member of the council was appointed the banker of this
fund, and the security usually required was dispensed With
in his favour. He became a bankrupt, with a considerable
balance in his hands, and the fund sustained a correspond'
ing loss.
120. Other specific trusts are connected with charitable
institutions and the administration of charity funds, which
are under the control of the corporate authorities. Here.
again we find mismanagement and misappropriation to a
considerable extent.
- The corporation of Exeter is indebted to various cbari-
ties a sum exceeding 17,006/. At Truro, the charitY Pr°:
perty has been let for a fine and nominal rent. This nowt-
nal rent has been applied to the charity, and the fine has
been appropriated to the purposes of the corporation. At
Cambridge no accounts have been kept ; but the misaVr°-
priation of these funds is not denied by the corporation'
At Ipswich, malversations have long been matters of corn;
plaint. In 1811 a petition upon this subject was presented
to the Lord Chancellor by a member of the council. It
was sent back for the insertion of certain entries from the
corporation books ; but these books were in the possession
of a member of the self-elected assembly,- and were not
forthcoming. Other members of the council were dissatis-
fied with this interference of their colleague, and the town"
clerk remonstrated with him, urging that, if he persevered,
the funds would be taken but of the hands of the corpora
tion. The petition was consequently abandoned ; and fro"
that time to the present, the same waste of the property
has been going on.
At Winchester, the management has been actually taken
from the corporation in consequence of notorious waiver'
sation.
121. The patronage connected with these trusts has in
numerous instances been exercised by the corporate autho:
rities, to gain or reward votes both at the Municipal On
Parliamentary elections.
At Norwich, the patronage of the hospitals, which is
vested in the aldermen, has been avowedly exercised in
favour of their own party. Promises have been given t,°
freemen, to place them on the foundation, in return for thel
votes at elections, and weekly pensions have been eller°
till these promises could be fulfilled.
At Leicester, Coventry, and Northampton, the corpora:
tions have exercised similar patronage for the same corroPt
purposes. At Boston, party distinctions in the
distribu
ton of a charity fund were avowed and justified by one °i
the magistrates. At Ipswich, it is notorious that pensionels
upon the foundations which are under the control of tear
corporation are selected with the same view; and that their
participation in the charity is the price of their votes a.s
municipal elections. Some of the funds entrusted to thl
corporation have disappeared altogether.
These instances are sufficient to illustrate the characted
of the abuses which are connected with specific trusts the
patronage. They not only prove that the object of the
trust has been lost sight of, but that a provision for
poorer classes of the community, in the hands of the core
rate authorities, has become a source of corrupt influence:a,
122. In some boroughs, as at Derby, East Red"' f
Launceston, &c., the corporation nominates the masters °
the schools, many of which are endowed. At Tewkesbl
where the , master's conduct was complained of, it was °lf
that no redress could be obtained, because he was one "ci
the borough justices, by whom the master is appointed r
visited. From various causes, sometimes from the inwr°l9lce,
selection of the master, as at Derby, sometimes from n't,„
ing the education exclusively classical, the schools bave
come, in a great measure, useless to the inhabitants, a.vt,
much valuable property given for the purposes of educ;tl°,4
is thus wasted. At Derby, the school was once fullc.o„-
scholars ; recently it contained only one pupil. At 1,„ ;
ventry, the funds of the school amount to 900/. per anntlin,id
the two masters divide about 7001. between them, but
only one pupil in 1833, and for one or two years previoash,,..
A great desire was expressed in many places by the
-.
bitants for the revival of the schools, and that they sh°
afford the elements of an useful English education.
We have now laid before your Majesty, as concise]," a 0
possible, an enumeration of the principal defects which I`,
have found in the constitution and management of the nUjc
nicipal corporations in England and Wales. We bur°,
certify to your Majesty that the statements contained in
this report are amply confirmed in detail by the result,sich
the inquiries instituted in the several corporations, "Io
results are embodies in the separate reports to which ist
have already referred. Even where these institutions ei•
in their least imperfect form, and are most rightfully ad Petit
nistered, they are inadequate to the wants of the rest,
state of society. In their actual condition, where not Pof
ductive of positive evil, they exist, in the grert niajoritYer,
nstances, for not purpose of general utility. The Pervca,
sion of municipal institutions to political ends has °cos
sioned thc sacrifice of local interests to party PurPotiae
which have been frequently pursued through the corraP
and demoralziation of the electoral bodies.
In conclusion, we report to your Majesty that there Pl.!:
veils amongt the inhabitants of a great majority of thed'iDe
corporated towns a general, and, in our opinion, a Inst,. of
satifaction with their municipal institutions ; a distros'oir.
the self-elected municipal councils, whose powers are ,5.1.5
ject to no popular control, and whose acts and proceonbl'ijo
being _secret, are unchecked by the influence of Iltiog
opinion ; distrust of the municipal magistracy, Tort
with suspicion the local administration of justice, an", the
accompanied with contempt of the persons by whom of
law is administered ; a discontent under the borde°a for
local taxation, while revenues that ought to be anPlie.wate
the public advantage, are diverted from their legitl oft
use, and are sometimes wastefully bestowed for the beings
of iilividuals, sometimes squandered for purposes ioJnfore
to the character and morals of the people. We tbeq the
feel it to be our duty to represent to your Majesty, th;raleS
existing municipal corporations of England and f your
neither possess nor deserve the confidence or respect st be
Majesty's subjects, and that a thorough reform Int:twit
effected, before they can become, what we humblY s
ot
to your Majesty they ought to be, useful and efficie
struments of local government.
141 I'dr
We humbly submit this our report to your ..-4
royal consideration.
JOHN' BLACKBURNE.
GEORGE LONG. ,
FORTUNATUS DWARRIS.
SAMPSON AUGUSTUS RUMBA LL"
GEORGE HUTTON WILKINSON.
PEREGRINE BINGHAM.
DAVID JARDINE.
JOHN ELLIOT DRINKWATER.
THOMAS FLOWER ELLIS.
JAMES BOOTH.
HENRY ROSCOE.
CHARLES AUSTIN.
• EWARD RUSHTON. TAN'
ALEXANDER EDWARD COCIO3- ,
JOHN BUCKLE.
DANIEL MAUDE.

WAIST
WILSON THE PAINTER AND HIS WAI.- ,joug
—This eminent painter was sadly unprovided with the pr—to
metals while a student in Rome. There is an odd sterYbatts
of his doffing his coat one day for a game of tennis in the„
of Caracalla, when, lot on his back, by way of lining.."s-ible;
waistcoat, a splendid waterfall, with grotto, &c. became lodoe'
a contrivance no doubt of his laundress, to turn his
tions to some profitable purpose.