The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-23 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

On Saturday a special meeting of the aldermen
o►f the city of London was held at Guildhall, the
Lord Mayor presiding, for the public reception and
investiture of a new member of their order, elected'
in the place of the late Sir Peter Laurie, who had
been a member of the Court for the long period of
35 years. The ceremony had considerable interest,
attended as it was by much that was picturesque,
and exhibiting in a strong light the pride with
which municipal privileges are cherished by the
popular mind in a city where they have been
exercised on the largest scale time out of
mind. It took place in the fine chamber of the
Court, and the aldermen, who mustered in a goodly
number, wore their scarlet robes on the occasion.
The sheriffs of London and Middlesex, wearing each
his crimson robe and golden badge of office, were
also in attendance, as were likewise Mr. Russell
Gurney, the Recorder ; Mr. Tier, the Judge of the
Sheriff's Court ; Mr. Pearson, the City Solicitor,
and the rest of the ministerial officers of the cor-
poration. The part of the chamber assigned to the
use of the public was crowed to excess.

THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT.
111 r. Alderman COPELAND, M.P., addressing the
Court, said, speaking with visible emotion, the duty
devolved upon him, as their senior member, on that
their first meeting after an event deplored by the
whole country, to move a resolution of sympathy
and condolence with the Queen upon the great loss
which her Alajesty, in common with the nation, had.
sustained. (Hear.) He knew in doing so he was
but interpreting the feeling pervading all classes of
the community, from the highest to the humblest,•
towards a Prince who was universally beloved, who
exerted himself to the utmost to promote the best
interests of the people, and who was equally re-
markable for his devotion to the Queen and for the
care and attention he bestowed on the education of the
children with whom it had pleased Providence to
bless them. (Hear.) Ho ventured to propose a
resolution which had been drawn up by the learnedi
Recorder, their principal legal officer, and which he
trusted would embody the feeling of his brethren :
" That the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen,
of the city of London desire to convey to her Most
Gracious Majesty the expression of their constant
loyalty and heartfelt sympathy. The mournful
event by which her,Most Gracious Majesty has lost
the devoted and loyal support of the Prince Consort
has at the same time deprived her Majesty's subjects
of a Prince who has for the last 20 years been fore-
most in the support of every measure which had
for its object the advancement of the interests, the
refinement of the tastes, or the improvement of the
moral and social condition of the people of his
adopted country. That Almighty God may grant
to Her Most Gracious Majesty resignation under
this heavy affliction, and that Her Majesty may be
enabled to derive comfort from the recollection of
the virtues of the late Prince, and from the sym-
pathy of her whole people, is the earnest prayer of
this Court." (Hear, hear.)
Sir J. MusGßovE, as the alderman next in
seniority seconded the resolution, remarking of his
:late Royal Highness, as was said of another illus
trious man, that nature made him great, Providence
made him useful, and religion made him good.
gHear, hear.)
The resolution was then put and adopted by the
, whole Court, with every mark of devoted loyalty
4 ' It was afterwards entered upon their records as a
perpetual memorial of the occasion, and a copy sent
Ito Sir George Grey, the Secretary for the HUM
4Department.

PRESENTATION OF TIIE NEW ALDERMAN.
Mr. ORTON, an officer of the Lord Major's Court,
appeared at the bar and reported that the election'
of an alderman for the ward of Aldersgate had,
fallen on Mr. Robert Besley, citizen and loriner.
On the motion of Colonel Wilson, the newly
chosen alderman was called in. He was accompanied
by many of the influential citizens resident in the
ward.

STATE OF NAPLES.

Mr. NORRIS, M.P. for Abingdon, and a mem
ber of the Common Council, said, addressing the
Lord Mayor,—l appear at the bar of this court : A letter from Naples, dated December 17, says ;
for the purpose of introducing to your lordship . l'he priests have been, and are still, active in try
and the members of this distinguished body a ing to get up an opposition to the levy; in the con-
fessional they work on the fears of timid women
g•entleman who a few day s ago was elected b 3
the unanimous voice of the freemen of the ward •tind, like the pestilence that moveth in darkness,
-: they lose not a single opportunity of poisoning the
of Aldersgate to be their representative in
this the Upper Chamber of the Corporation of minds of those who are under their influence. Still
the levy goes on well ; that is to say, the balloting
London. I come thus formally to introduce him,
not because he is so entirely a stranger, but in : is conducted with great order, and, in many cases,
obedience to a good old custom usually and for-;:;the conscripts present themselves.
Perhaps more inquietude had been felt for the
orally adopted under similar circumstances, and r
results of the levy in Terra di Lavoro, as a great .
most honoured when most closely followed and ob- •
majority of the population there are Bourbonists ;
served. Forty years ago Mr. Robert Besley com- I
;.f. yet tranquillity has been maintained. In Salerno
menced the battle of life in the ward of Aldersgate.
,•,-, all those drawn have presented themselves, and so
Endowed with rare qualities—industry, perseve
rance, honour, and integrity—at the end of a long :. in the other provinces the operation goes on mer
career he finds himself in the possession of a hand- -•''l'• rely. Saturday and Sunday last were devoted here.
some competence, and exempted from the toils of i in Naples, to the levy. Disturbances had been
business and the anxieties of commercial life. • •hreatened on the Sunday, but the National Guar&
Blessed with health and with a peculiar aptitude t appeared in strong force, and public tranquillit3
for public business, he has offered himself to the{was maintained, in spite of the priest. I visited
ward of Aldersgate ,to serve them as an alderman i several of the "quarters," and remarked that the
and a magistrate of this great city. They ,havel whole thing was conducted with the utmost fair-
accepted his proffered services, and they call on me i'ness and publicity. There was a large barrel,.
to bring him here to ask your lordship and thist into which a small boy plunged his hand, drew the..
Court to receive him as a member of your bodyli name, and handed it over to one of the secretaries,
We believe that the personal character of Mr. Bes-e who shouted it out. The halls were crowded with
ley will be acceptable to your lordship and yours persons of the lowest classes, principally women,
brethren. (Hear, hear.) Following the examplet:who took a most anxious interest in the proceeding
set by the members of this Court, we believe and -?' Some who were present were drawn, and took their
hope that he will support the majesty of the law :, billets kindly. After all it is only political oppo-
_and the dignity of the bench of magistrates. We .iisition which has given importance to the levy, for
believe and trust that in the adminstration of the Ilit is small, only six to a thousand ; whereas in 1854
law he will mingle in due moderation a regard for 1
`,the frailties of human nature, and tincture justice there were three levies of nine to the thousand, and
thoughl substitutes were paid for, they were never
'emulate the virtues exhibited in your lordship'sr
~4with mercy. (Hesr, hear.) We hope, too, he will --',provided, the proceeds having been sacked by the
career, and which have
distinction of b • Government. There can be little doubt, I think,
earned for you the rare u - -
being twice elected Lord Mayor oflhi
London. My lord, we•
votion the municipal institutions
1
of our commoo,lamong
cherish with the fondest de-'and
b t that the military career will shortly become)
highly popular, so liberally treated are the troops,)
'and so different is the bearing of those we have,
igiven to those institutions by our Anglo-SaxorP:
%country, believing, as we do, that in the •
impulse:
0 • us from that of those who have acted as
Aicensed butchers for so many years under the
Bourbons. 1:
.given
the seeds of popular liberty were ini-l' During the last 14 days we have enjoyed a degree:
eradicated. g
planted in the popular mind, never to be eradic of tranquillity which we have not known for a lon ';