The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-16 00:00:00

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COURT OF ALDERMEN.
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7 1 .
tice Yesterday a Court was held for the dispatch of
A7e:A) ' e- business.
4
The SHERIFFS reported to the Court that the City
l
e ,45. r
+ prisons were in a healthy state.
In the representation of the state or the debtors'
prison, in Whitecross-street, by Mr. Burdon, the
governor, were the following paragraphs :—The
pfnaaurr mbet
dh eep
witha cf
past
personsuhaertcorresponding
r csohmo wmsit
at committed
n
theq urt debtors'quarter
105f151 as
st
yc oprisonmear:
This in part may be accounted for by the increase of
' business in the various Counts, Courts, commitments
frommweardeha le
tteh, e
wd
iterlic tan
not
ifl W
thehi teccohnanpet
yl
ableidingthenol;
camp
and intow which
operationcb
commitmentsh a d n parrieson
byto
commitCout Act
to,
the Small Debts Amendment Act,made to
the debtors' prison. The prison is healthy,
clean, and in good order. During the year 74
prisoners have availed ithemselvesi of the privilege
of working in the prison work-room, and receiving
all their earnings : and 247 have been assisted from
various charitable funds, either in arranging with
their creditors, or by taking them through the In-
solvent Debtors' Court. Many future inmates of the
debtors' prison will experience a severe loss in the
lamented death of her late M jesty Queen Adelaide.
e I am unable (says Mr. Burdon) to state theavien-
rage annual number of those who were the recipients
of her bounty, her works of charity being done
secret ; and it was only in those cases which required
information I had the honour of being applied to."
ALLEGED DIBQUALIFICATION UNDER THE RRW COX.
PORATION ACT.
The Court proceeded to take into consideration the
following petition against the return of two gentle-
men who were elected on St. Thomas's day, to serve
as Common Councilmen for the ward of Aldersgate.
" Tbe humble petition Of _Robert Begley, an inhabitant
householder of the ward of Alderegate.
" That an Act was passed in the last session of the
Imperial Parliament, 12 and 13 Vic., entitled ' The
London Corporation Act,' by which the Legislature dc.
fined the qualification required for members of the Court
of Common Council of the city of London.
" That in the 3d clause provision is made for the pre.
paring a list of inhabitant householders, who shall be
entitled to vote for aldermen, or common-eouncilmen,
or ward officers.
" That by alb sth clause, under the head of qualifies.
tion for common-councilmen, it is enacted that a come
mon-councilman must be a freeman of the city of Lou-
den, an occupier of premises of the annual value of 101.,
and who shall be registered in the register of the voters
for the city of London, now in use, in respect of premises
of the annual value above-mentioned.
" That at the last election of common-councilmen for
the ward of Aldersgate,- two gentlemen (Mr. John
Lorkin and Mr. George Stacey) were returned by the
alderman presiding as duly elected to fill the office of
common-councilman, neither of whom were at the time
of the election registered in the register of voters for the
city of London in use at elections for members to serve
in Parliament, and then in force in respect of premises of
the annual value of 101. That a written protest against
the return of these gentlemen was duly handed to the
presiding alderman before the return was made, and
objections taken previously to the election.
"Your petitioner, therefore, humbly prays your Wor-
shipful Court to declare this election, as far as these
two gentlemen are concerned, t ) be null and void, and
that the Lefore-namel Mr. John Lorkin and Mr. George
Stacey be declared by this Act of the' Imperial Parlia-
ment disqualified to sit us members of the Court of Com-
mon Council, and that your Worshipful Court will fur-
ther cause a precept to Le issued f the election of two
qualified persons, instead of the before-named Mr. John
Lorkin and Mr. George Stacey, and your letitioner will
over pray, (Signed) " ROBERT BESLEY,
Fann-street,Aldersgate- street.
" Londor, Jar. 7, 1850."
The petitioner, who was, upon the suggestion of the
Recorder, allowed to correct an error in the drawing
up of the petition, which error, however, did not at
all interfere with the general meaning of the docu-
ment, proceeded to argue that Mr. Lorkin and Mr.
Stacey were to all intents and purposes disqualified by
the new Act. He had uniformly supported the elec-
tion of the two gentlemen against whom he petitioned,
and he had had no occasion to withdraw that support
except fur the purpose of testing the efficacy of the
New Corporation Bill, which he contended dimi-
nished instead of increased the franchise.
Mr. STACEY, in addressing the Court, said he was
perfectly aware of the excellent intentions of the pe-
titioner, but he believed the clause objected to as a
disfranchising clause would soon have an opposite
effect, and operate in considerably increasing the
franchise.
Alderman THOMPSON looked upon the New Cor-
poration Act as an extension, and not a contraction
of the qualification, and moved that the petition be
dismissed.
Alderman FAREDROTHER seconded the motion,
which was unanimously agreed to.
Mr. Lorkin and Mr. Stacey therefore remain mem-
bers of the Court of Common Council.
THE NON-FREEMEN OF THE CITY OF LONDON.
Mr. B. TAYLOR, the foreman of the inquest of the
ward of Farringdon Without, appeared for the pur-
pose of supporting the presentment handed into the
Court of Wardmote on Plough Monday, from the
district of Sr. Andrew's relative to the non-
freemen. He had found that many other present-
ments to the same effect had been made; and he re-
gretted that, for the twenty-five years during which,
to his knowledge, the grievance had been annually
complained of, no attempt had been made by either
department of the corporation to apply a r.mely. In
fact, the return of non-freemea hal become such a
farce, that some of the wards considered it to be ab -
surd to make any presentment at all upon the sub-
ject. How long, he wished to know, were 200 or
300 gentlemen to be compelled to give up their time
to the performance of such a farce? There were
several serving with him on the inquest who were not
freemen, and they were obliged to serve in that office
although excluded from every other civic right. How
long was that system of annoyance to last? Mr. Taylor
proceeded to contend against the unjust practice of
compelling some retail dealers to take up their freedom
and excusing others from taking any trouble in the
matter—giving, in effect, a license to all whole-
sale dealers to do just as they pleased. The object of
the inquest was, he said, not by any means to use
compulsion in any case, but to extend the franchise
to all paying scot, and who should be returned in the
presentment by the wards ; and they trusted that, in-
stead of being, as they appeared to he now, divided
into hostile parties, the citizens of London should
enjoy the privileges which constituted the great- fea-
ture of their original institutions.
After a discussion, in which the arguments sc
frequently u-ed in both courts on the question of the
freedom were repeated, the presentment was received,
and the inquest withdrew.
A memorial from the Court of Assistants of the
Hon. Artillery Company, and a communication from
Mejor Barnard, with resolutions passed at a meeting
of members of the company, were, we understand,
discussed with closed doors, and referred to the com-
mittee of privileges.
Adjourned.

[PRICE SD.

FARNHAM, JAN. 14.—The following mysterious
discovery has produced no small amount of excitement
in this neighbourhood, the facts of which are not much
much unlike those connected with the recent child-
murder case at the Old Bailey, at least as far as regards
the disposal of the body. An inquiry was instituted by
the county coroner, from which we gather the sub-
joined. In the course cf last Tuesday, a carrier named
Stewart was (leaked by Mr. and Mrs. Smith, of the
Unicorn Inn, to call at the Reading Station of the Great
western Railway, and inquire if there was a parcel for
a lady staying at their house. He called at the station
on the following day, and Dixon, one cf the railway
porters, stated there was a parcel direoted " Mrs.
Smith, to be lift at the Reading Station till called
for, carriage paid. Paddington.' It was a round
shaped package, covered with canvas, and sewn round
the address. It was given to the carrier, who took it to
the Unicorn, but it not being the parcel expected by the
landlord or lady they decline I to receive it. Stewart
then conveyed it to sac tier Mr. Smith, who lives in
East-street, who opened it in the presence of himself
and two other persons. On the canvass being removed
a light chip box covered with paper eas found. The
box was forced open, and in it was discovered theb body_
of a female child wrapped up in a coarse ele
crirt,
Newell, the constable, was called to take charge
beend on Mr. Knowles, a surgeon, attending,wl3bornrant. A
pro-
nounced it to be
ethat-it had been born
fichif°±-waveidolence on the face and
mtionrldemfrom
head he had a strong
paloisvie,
suspicion that it had met its death
Therailway porter stated that the
by unfair means. thetile examinationb
traces G d
parcel reached the the 4t
Reading station on 2 h
of De-
cember, by the seven o clock train from Paddington. It
•
remained in his custody till f etthed by Step art. He
noticed that It had an offensive smell, but he thought it
o )1, t ailed dead game. In order that the police might
have every opportunity of solving the mystery con-
nected with the fite of the deceased child, h
te tuquiry
was adjourned IT a fortnight.
RELIEF OF METROPOLITAN DFSTITUTION•—Yes-
tcrday the City Kitchen was opence for a e relief of the
distre•sed poor, t ) %shorn breaii, coal, and potati- es wire
pie ief,lly distri'mAA. At tie Leicester-iquate Soup
Kitehtr, llam-yarn, Great Windmill st:e-, 1,500 poor
fstiiihhing ercuture, v. e e relievt.d. At two bloat] Soup
Kitchen, Bath-itre t, Ne7.-rood, upwards (f Soo were
relieved. At the Westmiurter Soup livelier), Lan isham-
strett, Broad Sam t Lary, upwards of 900 were fur-
ni,hed with a plentiful meal. Tte Marylebone, Fins-
bury, and Sisitalfi. Ids Benevolent Associations em-
u e ,cud dislribut;og bread, Inca!, and coals to the poor.
At th,i Ittfuge, fir the ilouseless, n Marke,street,
Rd ware-road, and PlayhouAe-yarif, Whitecross-street,
400 persons received a shelter from iiielemez.cy of
the weathar and a aubstantial meal. A bcc ey of bene-
volent individuals are abriut to fit up several cf the
arches of the South-Western Railway in LamLeth, as
a shelter for ;he homeless duriug the present inclement
season.

THE ARMY.-It is stated that the reduction is to
ba 3,400 men—viz.. that the 17 regiments, having now
fiat and merve battalions, are to be consolidated and
reduced to 1,000 Lima each; the officers to remain en
semis.