The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-14 00:00:00

ELECTION OF ALDERMAN.

Yesterday, at 2 o'clock, the Lord Mayor presided
at a Wardmote in Aldersgate, convened in Shaftes-
bury-hall, for the election of an alderman in the
place of Sir Peter Laurie, deceased. There was a
very large muster of the inhabitants on the occa-
sion, to whom the ceremony had considerable
novelty, seeing that a quarter of a century had
elapsed since they were last invited to take part in
a similar proceeding, The chief magistrate wore
the scarlet robe of an alderman, and was attended
by his sword and mace bearers, and by Mr. Orton,
an administrative officer of the corporation.
The LORD MAYOR said a melancholy event ha d
called them together, and he could not enter on the
business in hand without a brief allusion to the
memory of a gentleman whom he had known for
several years, and whose friendship he had the pri-
vilege to enjoy. Sir Peter Laurie filled a distin-
guished place, and his name would be long held in
remembrance in this great city. (Hear.) A more
enlightened and mere conscientious magistrate
perhaps never administered justice. (Hear.) He
had been so long identified with the ward of Alders-
gate that it would be almost impertinent, certainly
superfluous, to say more in the presence of men to
whom he was so well known ; but as a brother
magistrate, and having known him so long, he (the
Lord:Mayor) had thought he might be permitted to
make that passing allusion to the loss they had sus-
tained. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. NORRIS, M.P., one of the representatives of
the ward in the Court of Common Council, said, in
the very handsome and well-merited tribute which
the Lord Mayor had been pleased to pay to the
name and character and virtues of their late alder-
man, he believed the entire body of the inhabitants
of the ward and the Court of Common Council cor-
dially concurred, as he himself did. After thirty
years of consistent and honourable labour in the
service of the ward as its alderman, and where he
made many lasting friendships, the good old man
had passed from among them ; and it was now
their duty to select some fit and proper person
to succeed him in the discharge of duties he per-
formed so efficiently. He (Mr. Norris) might be per-
mitted to express some degree of gratitude and
obligation to many men of influence and station in
the ward who had thought him worthy to succeed
Sir Peter Laurie as their alderman. (Hear.) He
had received that flattering mark of their goodwill
with the utmost satisfaction ; but, having taken
upon himself the discharge of Parliamentary duties,
and having regard to the responsibility with which
they were associated, and to the wear and tear of
Parliamentary life, he felt he could not also under-
take the onerous functions devolving upon a junior
alderman of the city of London, in the hope of satis-
factorily performing both, and he elected to stand
by his constituents in the country. (Hear.) If his
friends in the ward did not altogether approve the
preference he had shown, he trusted they would
appreciate and excuse the motives which prompted
it. (Hear.) He was helped to the conclusion by
knowing that there was no difficulty in finding in
the ward a gentleman on whom, with great pro-
priety, the mantle of an alderman might fall. They
all knew that the trading and bustling community
of London was recruited year after year by young
men from the country, full of energy, hope, and
enterprise, joining the ranks of citizenship. Forty
years ago Devonshire supplied one of that class in
the person of a gentleman whom he should propose
as their future alderman. (Cheers.) During those
40 years Mr. Robert Besley had been known either
in the ward of Aldersgate or its immediate vicinity.
In the last 20 of them he had been actively engaged
in business pursuits in the ward, and during the
latter part of that period he had been before the
public, performing various important duties in their
interest, and especially as an indefatigable member
of the Court of Common Council. With regard to
the duties of an alderman, so far as he had to act
as a magistrate, it was important that he should
have a competent knowledge of law ; but while
acting in that capacity he was always well and dis-
creetly advised. Besides that, however, it was im-
portant that a man who had to serve the office of ma-
gistrate in a city like London should know something
of the temper, the springs of action, and the impulses
of the human heart, under the influence of which
crimes of various degrees and systems of fraud and
swindling every now and then developed themselves
in a great commercial community like this. Their
late alderman was eminently qualified for probing
the motives and devices of the human head; and he
believed the gentleman whom he proposed to suc-
ceed him had all the characteristics for such an
office. Quick to discern and prompt to act, he had
no doubt the experience of a long life would teach
him to be humane, gentle, and considerate, while
firm and vigilant as a magistrate. (Hear, hear.)
An alderman had other duties to perform of a muni-
cipal character, and for the discharge of those they
had already proofs of Mr. Besley's aptitude. He
(Mr. Norris) believed he comprehended the truth
that a corporation like that of London had its life
and substance, not in the persons of those who gene-
rally and publicly administered its affairs, but in
being based entirely on a republic of citizenship
designated to promote the common weal. (Cheers.)
He believed his friend was competent to discharge
all the duties devolving upon a member of the
Court of Aldermen. He knew he had by industry
and perseverance acquired for himself a competence
which would enable him in the luxury of an idle
life to devote an active mind to the service of the
public in that capacity. That he would do so dili-
gently and faithfully was his (Mr. Norris's) firm
conviction, and he confidently recommended the
inhabitants of the ward to elect him as their alder-
man. (Cheers.)
The nomination was seconded by Mr. W. C.
FOWLER, a leading inhabitant of the ward.
No other candidite having been nominated,
The LORD MAYOR called for a show of hands,
and then declared the election to have fallen unani-
mously on Mr. Robert Besley, a citizen and a
loriner.

The announcement waa received with acclama-

tion .

The LORD MAYOR congratulated the inhabitants
of the ward on the choice they had made. He
claimed, he said, to be somewhat of a judge of Mr.
Besley's fitness for the office, having for several
years been in a position in the Corporation of Len.
don which enabled him to form an accur ate estimate
of that gentleman's capacity.
Alderman BESLEY, who was greeted with cheers,
said he had not sought in a light spirit the office
to which he had just been elected. He had looked
carefully at the duties and obligations incident to
it, wad he believed them—rightly discharged—to
be all-important to the welfare of the citizens of
London. lie adverted briefly to the privilege im-
memorially enjoyed by the citizens of London of
electing their own magistrates, and to the natural
jealousy with which they guarded that privilege,
lest the conduct of any
l oneintrusted with majeste-
rial functions should itd for a moment in dis-
repute or jeopardy,e h
never undertaken any
important public duty without ho first counting the
cost and without a conscientiousdesire to discharge
it to the best of his ability
• With respectettmoanMtro.
Norris, he felt that the claim of that le
consideration, as having represented gentleman
ward in
the Court of Common Council for upwards of 20
years, was so strong on this occasion that if he had
chosen to come forward he should have voted for
him. (Hear.) He (Mr. Besley) might say he
opened the first leaf in the ledger of his life in 1820,
and worked on with unflagging industry until he
made himself a commercial position. Longing then
for some other employment by which his mind might
be occasionally taken out of the rut of continual
business, and an opportunity having offered itself,
he entered some few years ago the Court of Common
Council, and there his guiding motive had been to
promote the public good. The appointment which
had just been conferred upon him was in no respect
a political one, but at this moment, in face of a
crisis, every Englishman felt the taint of politics.
(A laugh.) Sharing in the popular feeling, he de
sired to say that England would bear and forbear
a great deal, but she would never endure her flag
being insulted or her protectorate disputed.
(Cheers.)

On the motion of Deputy LORK IN, seconded by
Deputy GODSON, it was then unanimously resolved;—
" lhat the inhabitants of this ward desire to re-

cord their deep regret at the loss of their late Alder-
man, Sir Peter Laurie, who for 35 years filled that
honourable position to the credit of himself and the
benefit of his fellow-citizens. He was an upright,
conscientious, and fearless magistrate, and xhibited
throughout his public life a consistency f conduct
which made his name familiar, not only in the me-
tropolis, but throughout the British empire."
Mr. SIBLEY bore testimony to the courage and
sagacity of Sir Peter Laurie as a magistrate, and
which, he said, were especially exhibited in inves-
tigating the frauds of the notorious Richard Coster
in 1833.

At the instance of Mr. BESLEY, seconded by Mr.
DE JERSEY, a vote of thanks was tendered with
acclamation to the Lord Mayor, who, in acknow-
ledging the compliment, took occasion to say of Mr.
Norris, speaking from long personal knowledge of
him, that, while representing a provincial constitu-
ency in the House of Commons, he was also at the
same time one of the most earnest and most useful
representatives with respect to matters relating to
the Corporation of London. (Cheers.)
With that the ceremony terminated, and Mr.
Besley, the newly elected Alderman, received the
congratulations of his friends and neighbours.

AN AIIERICAN AT 7UN STALL :

7RAORDINAI?I' SCENE.

Mr. G. F. Train, the contractor for street-tram-
ways, whose offensive letter to the New pork
Herald was quoted in our impression of Saturday,
delivered a lecture in the Town Hall, Tunstall, on
Tuesday evening, in aid of the funds of the Tunstall
Athenaeum. The Chief Bailiff presided. An ex-
traordinary scene, which is thus described by the
Birmingham Daily Post, took place on the occa-
sion :—" Mr. Train was interrupted by a person in
the Hall expressing a hope that Mr. Train would,
speak the truth.—The Chairman immediately rose
to order ; but the person who had previously spoken
asked if Mr. Train would endorse the statement
respecting his recent letter to the New York Herald?
—The Chairman said he must have silence, or he
would leave the chair.—Nothing daunted by this
threat, the person continued: Mr. Train had called
the volunteers a set of fools, and, as a volunteer, he
would not submit to that.—The Chairman insisted
on order, and, after some confusion, order was re-
stored.—Mr. Train said, as the volunteers had been
mentioned, he would reply to the observation by
reciting a poem on the subject written by
Eliza Cook.—[The Voice : " Perhaps you don't
believe it, when you say it."—Applause and
cries of " Shame."]—The Chairman called upon
the meeting to signify by show of hands whe-
ther the lecture should be proceeded with as
announced, and nearly every person in the
Hall responded in the affirmative.—Mr. Train
said he had written a letter, tut it contained
nothing hostile to England. If America had done
wrong, she would apologise for it; if she had done
anything contrary to international laws, she would
be the first to say so. Why did the English people
settle the question before hearing the other side ?
Why did they not wait until they had heard from
the other side of the water ? North America was
the friend of England, had always been, and always
desired to be. Mr. Train proceeded to demonstrate
this amid frequent interruptions, during which the
Chairman threatened to call in the police and have
the disturbers ejected. The threatened war between
England and America, Mr. Train continued, must
not take place. If America had done wrong in the
Trent affair, she would apologise ; but if she had
not, neither England nor any other nation could
make her apologise. (Question, and confusion.)
They talked about international laws, bnt did in-
ternational laws apply solely to England ? Were
not other countries to participate in them as well ?
Could not the present dispute bereferred to arbitra-
tion ? He said that Mason was the author of the
fugitive slave law, and that Slidell had, for a quar-
ter of a century, been making hostile speeches
against England. Captain Wilkes had only done
what English officers had repeatedly done before;
and if his act was illegal, so was that of the com-
mander:of the Trent in taking the Commissioners
on board his ship. He did not say that America
would give up the prisoners. He would tell them
what he would have done with them. He would
have tried them in a prize court in New York—
(hisses)—he would have convicted them of high
treason ; he would have hanged them—(hisses)—
and then sent them to England, if England in-
sisted on their being given up. (Confusion.) He
repeated, England and America must not go to war.
If they sent out a courteous despatch to Secretary
Seward they would be as courteously replied to ;
but if they put a revolver to his head and demanded
of him to give up those men, they would rouse up
in America some of the spirit he had seen now and
then rising to the surface in that meeting. (A
Voice—" We don't want our mails stopped.")
Quite right. They (the Americans) did not stop
their mails or their females. (Laughter.) Mr.
Train proceeded to speak on several other subjects,
amid continual interruptions whenever he said, as
he often did, anything touching directly on the
popular English view of the American question.
At length, wrought up to a pitch of intense anger,
he exclaimed he was their guest that night, and he
would not be insulted. He was not paid to come
there; but if they did not want to hear him, he
would go.—The Chairman again sternly inter-
posed, and order was presently restored. Mr. Train
went on to speak of the mutual interest of the two
countries to be at peace with each other. He re-
ferred to the American navy, which, although
small compared:with the English navy, was capable
of doing some work. He said a war with America
would not be found so easy as it might be supposed,
for the American coast was well prepared to resist
invasion. They would find a Cronstadt at New
York, and a Sebastopol at Washington. They
would not find it so very easy a thing to beat the
Americans after all.

A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Train, and
the Chairman urged the meeting not to prematurely
judge the merits of the American question.

AN A3IE.RICAN SHIP ON FIRE ON THE

WESTERN COAST.

Great excitement was caused among the inhabi-
tants of Brixham on Tuesday last by an American
ship putting into their harbour for the purpose of
extinguishing a fire which was raging on board.
The ship is a flue merchant vessel, 1,000 tons
burden, and was bound in ballast from Antwerp or
Akyab, having left the former port about six or
seven weeks since, touching at Flushing. On Mon-
day night, about half-past 7 o'clock, while about
25 miles W.N.W. of Start Point, with a southerly
wind, accompanied by rain, the captain's daughter,
who was playing on deck, observed smoke to be issu-
ing from the main hatch. She gave an alarm, and on
the tarpaulin and grating being removed the smoke
broke forth in dense volumes. Every opening
was at once closed up, and holes cut in the deck
and water poured in. At first all was confusion on
board. The boats were lowered and the things re-
moved from the cabin, in doing which the men
came upon some spirits and wine, and, with the
recklessness characteristic of their order, at once
commenced a carouse, which was followed by the
inebriation of seven or eight of them, who imme-
diately began to fight. At length comparative
order having been restored, every exertion was used
to extinguish the fire. The fire bell was rung and
the " flare-up" ignited, to catch the eye of a pilot,
and soon the fishing smacks Charles and Sophia,
both of Brixham, came up and rendered every assist-
ance that lay in their power. The vessel then ran
into Elhury Cove, the intention being to scuttle her
if the fire could not be got under. While there
the Coastguardsman, under Lieutenant Milton,
repaired to the spot, and after some time the
vessel sailed into Brixham Harbour, and the
fire-engine, under the direction of Mr. Wil-
liam Brown, the town engineer, was placed
on board the Harbour Commissioners' barge, the
Lamprey, and was soon playing on the fire. The
holes in the deck were enlarged, and the engines
kept playing till about three o'clock in the after-
noon, when the fire was at length extinguished.
The ship's name is the Eliphat Greely, built at
Bath, and of Portland, Maine, but, owing to a fear
of privateers, consequent on the recent troubles in
America, carries the name of " the Sloman, Ham-
burg," on her stern. She is a comparatively new
vessel, having been built only six years next Feb-
rec uruae
trwt ye, r.
as The hae
hiswhvcaptain,oi
f wife
an seemsd w hose name is Mr. J. A.
to be echgielnderreanlloynlitkoeadrdb.y tThehe
crew, consisting of 15 men before the mast, two
mates, one cook, steward, and captain, are all Eng-
lish, with the exception the captain and one of
his seamen, who are o!
Americans,and the two mates,
who are Dutch. The darnagetol,tohoeo ship is very
.enTthe cabin,
ree r
serious, hardly falling short of x
which was beautifully fitted up, is
de-
stroyed, as is also the cabin deck, together
ihly
th
the knees and beams. The fire was confined to the
after part of the ship, in which the stores lay, the
whole of which are spoilt, the greater part by the
fire, and the remainder by the water. An entire
neW set of sails, with a mizenmast, was destroyed,
a great deal of it being thrown overboard while in
a state of conflagrrtahtriocen,
raennidaoiunt
ionfta3c. Theotcoi vessellsofnew
rope only two or
now ljes afloat in the harbour, abreast the break-
water, drawing' 13 feet of
of hof water, there being 18 feet
at low
tide. T
not
tt
hken effectown
rumours ahre e
e afloat,rigl especially.t efire
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to
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