The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-17 00:00:00

COURT OF A L aERMEN.

Yesterday the City magistrates held a meeting at
Guildhall, the Lord Mayor presiding. Some rou-
tine business having been transacted, ➢lr. Alderman
Wilson called attention to the fact that on Satur-
day last Mr. Baron Pigott and a jury sitting at the
Central Criminal Court were kept waiting forty
minutes for want of an alderman to constitute a
quorum. lie reminded the Court that they had a
standing order to the effect that whenever the busi-
ness of the Central Criminal Court should be sus-

pended or delayed through the absence of an Alder-
man the Sheriffs for the time being should report
the fact in writing to the Court of Aldermen, and
state the name of the Alderman whose absence hal

occasioned the suspension or delay. The circum-
stance of the delay in this case, he said, had been
reported in the newspapers, and he asked why the
Sheriffs had not complied with the bylaw of the
Court. Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Stone explained
in effect that there had been a prevailing impression
that the Central Criminal Court last week would
not sit longer than the Friday, and that two others
of the courts had concluded their business on that
day ; that Sir James Duke and Sir Francis Moon,
who were the senior Aldermen on the rota, did not
attend on Saturday, it being the custom is such a
state of things for the junior Alderman to be pre-
sent to constitute a court, who happened in this
case to be Mr. Alderman Gibbons, who, believing
the business would conclude on the Friday, at-
tended a funeral on the Saturday, omitting, he be.
lieved, to ask a brother alderman to take his place
at the Central Criminal Court in the event of the
sessions being continued into Saturday ; that in the
emergency Mr. Alderman Causton having presented
himself, the business proceeded, and that Mr. Baron
Pigott afterwards said h 3 was perfectly satisfied
with the explanation. Mr. Sheriff Store added that
it was a highly important occasion, foi without the
attendance of an alderman the judge 1.11 no power
to adjourn the Court, and the jury might have been
discharged, in which event the case would havelial
to be tried over again. The Lord Mayor, as the

he:►d o! the Commission, said he was not satisfied
that the business should have been delayed for 40
minutes for want of an alderman, and that if the
Under-Sheriff had taken due precautions in warn-
ing the aldermen on the rota such a circumstance
would not have occurred. Mr. Alderman Gibbons
said the Under-Sheriff was not at all to blame in
the matter, for he had apprised him (Mr. Alderman
Gibbons) by letter, that he would be wanted on
Saturday, but, unfortunately, that letter did not
reach him. until Monday, he (Mr. Alderman Gib-
bons) iu the meantime having been called out of
town to attend a funeral, and having been under

the impression that the business of the sessions
would finish on the Friday evening. The delay was
altogether accidental so far as he was concerned,
and he was extremely sorry that it should hive
occurred. Mr. Alderman Wilson said the Under-
Sheriff ought to have apprised all the rest of the
aldermen on the rota that they might be wanted on
the Saturday. Sir James Duke said when one court
only was sitting it was never expected that the se-
nior alderman on the rota should attend. He should
go from there to the Home Secretary and ask him
to introduce a clause into some bill rendering it un-
necessary that an alderman should be present to
constitute a court. Sir William 11)33 hoped that
would be the expression of an individual opinion on
the subject, since the circumstance had been purely
exceptional, and there were paid commissioners of
the Central Criminal C.nirt who were as much under
an obligation to be present to form a court as any
of the aldermen. That very day the Court of Al-
dermen had waited 25 minutes for the Lord Mayor.
He did not say there had been any inconvenience
in that, but it would be absurd for any one to as-
sign it as a reason for doing away with the Court
of Aldermen. After a few words from Mr. Alder-
man Salomons, M.P., the subject was allowed to
drop. On the motion of Mr. Alderman Lawrence,
M.P., a vote of thanks to Colonel Fraser, the City
Commissioner of Police, was passel for the highly
efficient manner in which the City police, under

his direction, had performed the special duty of
protecting the gaol of Ncwgate and the Sessions-
house in the Old Bailey during the confinement
and trial of the prisoners charged with being con-
cerned in the Clerkenwell outrage: Mr. Sheriff

Stone bore emphatic testimony, from his own per-
sonal knowledge, to the unwearied devotion of the
police on the occasion, lasting over many months,
to the effective arrangements made by the
Commissioner (Colonel Fraser) for preserv-
ing the public peace .on the execution of
the convict Barrett, at which there was not a
single accident, and to the admirable efficiency of
the whole city police at this time. Sir William
Rose said no one knew, except those connected
with the city police, what they had gone through
during the alarca caused by the Fenian organisa-
tion, seeing that there was scarcely a public estab-
lishment or a great warehouse in the city to which
threatening letters had not been addressed, or
which had not been menaced with Greek fire. A
letter was read from the home Secretary calling
the attention of the Court to the fact that the
new statute providing for the execution within
prison walls of convicts for capital offences had re-
ceived the Royal ass .nt, and asking for any sug-
gestion the Court might, have to offer for carrying
out the act, especially with reference to the seventh
clause. On the motion of Mr. Alderman and
Siteriff Stone the letter was reforred to the Gaol
Committee, an 1 the Court adjourned.