The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 29, 1868.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

A Court of Common Council was held yesterday
at Guildhall, at which the Lord Mayor (Alderman
Allen) presided.

THE CORPORATION AND THE PROPOSED FOREIGN

CATTLE MARKET.

Mr. J. F. BONTEMS inquired of the chairman of
the Markets Committee whether a statement made
in a morning newspaper to the effect that the Cor-
poration had declined to be parties to, or to inter-
fere in any manner with, a bill before Parliament
for establishing a new market for the sale of foreign
cattle was correct ?

Mr. ItUDKLN, the chairman of the committee re-
ferred to, said that the statement was substantially
correct. The Corporation had retained counsel on
their behalf to watch the proceedings before the
committee, and the Government had consented in
the first instance to introduce certain clauses which
the Corporation considered necessary for their in-
terests. The Government had, however, entirely
broken faith with the Corporation in reference to
these clauses, and had actually oppose] them ; and
this being the case, the counsel for the Corpora-
tion had been instructed to withdraw from the
matter.

In answer to a question put by Mr. DE JERSEY,
Mr. RUDKIN stated that the Corporation had not
yet formed a decision as to what course they should
take in the event of the bill becoming law. By a
great deal of exertion they had succeeded in pre-
venting the Metropolitan Board of Works from
being constituted the " local authority" for carry-
ing out the measure, and that privilege was vested
in the Corporation of London. If that body did
not choose to undertake the duty, there would be
five commissioners appointed for the purpose. Mr.
Rudkin added that he believed, from information
that had come to his knowledge—and he might add
that he was very glad of it—that the bill was not
likely to be passed in the present session.

the resignation of Mr. J. Temple, who has held the
appointment for a great many years. The report
recommended that the salary should in future be
£3OO per annum, with a residence in Guildhall,
coals, gas, &c., and that the holder of the office
should, be permitted to receive the fees and per-
quisites that were enjoyed by his predecessor, but
with the understanding that these additional
sources of income were not to be taken into consi-
deration when an application was made for a retir-
ing pension.

This report gave rise to a very warm and some-
what personal discussion, which occupied a consi-
derable time. It appeared that the nominal income
paid to the holder of the office of hall-keeper was
nearly doubled by other allowances, and that a con-
siderable sum was received in the shape of interest
for money belonging to the Corporation which was
placed in the h inds of the hall-keeper for certain
purposes. Another rather curious fact elicited in
the course of the inquiry was that according to an
ancient custom the Corporation were in the habit
of presenting annually to the Lord Chancellor, the
Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench,
the Chief Justice of the Coinnion Pleas, the Master
of the Rolls, the Lord Chief Baron, the Lord Cham-
berlain of the Household, the Vice-Chamberlain,
the Treasurer, the Comptroller, Lord High Steward,
the Home Secretary, the Minister for Foreign
Affairs, the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-Gene-
ral, the Recorder, and the Common Sergeant " four
yards and a half of fine black cloth." It was the
duty of the hall-keeper to convey this cloth to the
high functionaries entitled to it, and it appeared
that from each he received a small fee, the total
amount being about £l4.
Deputy DE JERSEY spoke in very strong terms
against the expediency of continuing such a paltry
system ; and he complained of the committee hav-
ing by their report lent their sanction to it. He
argued that it was a monstrous thing for one of
their officers, who was paid a large salary for the
performance of his duties, to be allowed to make a
large profit off money which belonged to the Cor-
poration, in the shape of interest, and said the fact
of a fee bring taken for carrying a gift of cloth to
the high personages referred to was degrading to
the dignity of the Corporation.
An amendment was subsequently moved that the
report should be referred back to the committee for
further consideration, which was agreed to upon a
division by a majority of seven, the numbers being
—For the amendment, 49 ; against it, 42.
Mc. DE JERSEY then proposed that certain in-
structions should be given to the committee when
they came to reconsider the matter, and this led to
a further warm discussion.

At length, upon the motion of Deputy Burnell,
the debate upon this subject was adjourned.

THE IMPROVEMENTS IN GUILDHALL.

Mr. KELDAY, the chairman of the Guildhall Im-
provements Committee, mentioned that the window
in the Guildhall to be presented by the Lancashire
Committee would be completed by the 13th June,
and that arrangements had been made with the
Earl of Derby to come and present the window in
a formal way to the Corporation. His lordship
had expressed his willingness to attend, and there
would be with him Colonel Wilson-Patten, Chan-
cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ; Lord Egerton
of Tatton ; Lord Edward Howard, the Deputy
Lieutenant of Lancashire ; and other gentlemen.
A discussion then took place with closed doors as
to the arrangements which should be made for the
occasion, and the Court thereafter adjourned.

MEETING OF MIDDLESEX MAGISYRAYES.

A meeting of the magistrates of the county of
Middlesex was held yesterday at the Sessions-house,
Clerkenwell-green, for the transaction of the usual
county business. Mr. H. Pownall presided, and
there was a full attendance of magistrates.
THE LATE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY, LORD LIEU-
TENANT OF THE COUNTY.

The an eloquent and feeling speech,
drew the attention of the Court to the great loss
which the county had sustained by the demise of
the Marquis of Salisbury, the late Lord-Lieutenant
of the county ; and moved the adoption of the fol-
lowing testimony to the memory of the deceased
nobleman :

" The magistrates of this county in quarter ses-
sions assembled, desire to record their sense of the
great benefits which the long-continued services of
their late Lord-Lieutenant the Marquis of
Salis-
bury conferred both upon them and the county of
Middlesex. For nearly thirty years his lordship
presided over the lieutenancy and magistrates of the
county, during the whole of which period he took a
warm and constant interest in all the important
operations relating to the concerns of the county,
whether affecting the lunatic asylums, the prisons,
or the industrial and reformatory schools ; his lord-
ship was at all times accessible and gave the most
courteous and ready attention to every subject ap-
pertaining to magisterial duties, with all of which
he was intimately acquainted.
" The remembrance of his. lordship's valuable
services, his ever courteous and kind attention to
the bench, his ready, able, an,' valuable advice, will
long be cherished by them.
" That this resolution be conveyed to the Dowager
Marchioness of Salisbury and the Marquis of Salis-
bury, with the expression of the deep sympathy of
the magistrates in the affliction which this melan-
choly event has occasioned."
Mr. KEMSHEAD seconded the motion, and deposed
to the blameless life of the late marquis.
Lord Ent Y supported the resolution, and spoke
of the regret with which he had heard of the death
of the late nobleman.

The CHAIRMAN put the motion, which was agreed
to unanimously.

THE LATE EXPLOSUI AT THE HOUSE OF DETENTION.
A special report/tom the visiting Justices of the
House of Detention was brought up, recommending
the payment of 50 guineas to Mr. Pownall, the
surveyor, for services rendered in consequence of
the late explosion in Clerkenwell.
Mr. H. WHITE, in moving the adoption of the
report, asked the justices to suspend the standing
order which required a notice of motion for the pay-
ment of the money.

The Court refused to suspend the standing order.

Mr. H. WHITE said, there was a further recom-
mendation of the camittee, that in consequence of
the extraordinary exertions made by the governor
of the House of Detention (Captain Coddj at the
time of the explosion, he be awarded the sum of
50 guineas. In moving the adoption of the recom-
mendation, he said he was at the prison during the
whole of the late trying and most disastrous time ;
and he had therefore the opportunity of observing
with what zeal and energy the governor exerted
himself, and he hoped the Court would be as unani-
mous in their adoption of this recommendation as
the committee were. _ _

Mr. KEMSHEAD saw no particular foresight on
the part of the governor, and thought they ought
not to pay a man for simply doing his duty.
Major LYON thought the Court was proceeding
in an irregular manner. What was there special in
this case which called for a departure from the
usage laid down in the standing orders of the
Court? Let there be notice of motion for reward-
ing the governor of the House of Detention, just as
it was required that notice should be given for the
expenditure of money for any purpose whatever.
The CHAIRMAN said that as he understood the
hon. magistrate, he meant that the report should be
printed and taken into consideration at the next
meeting of the Court. _ . _

Mr. WHITE said he was not aware of the inten-
tion of Major Lyon, but as he was entitled to call
upon the Court to consider the propriety of expend-
ing any sum not exceeding £lOO without a notice
of motion, be should ask the Court to grant the
gratuity proposed to Captain Codd, believing as he
did that the majority of the Court would be in fa-
vour of the motion. He would at any rate run the
risk then.

Mr. WYATT said he was sorry to see such a mo-
tion made. It was unjust and improper to pay a
man for doing his duty, and for the sake of Cap-
tain Codd he hoped the motion would be with-
drawn.

The CHAIRMAN—I feel that it is now my duty to
say a few words in reference to this matter. I went
to the House of Detention on the Thursday, the
day prior to the explosion, and having received cer-
tain information I thought it was necessary that
there should be some additional power in the

building. I therefore arranged with the gover-
nor of the House of Correction, in Coldbath-fields,
to have six warders, properly armed, sent down
to the House of Detention, and so far from
there having been any special arrangements
made on the Thursday evening, 1 found that many
of the warders had gone home, and that really no-
thing at all was being done in order to meet an
emergency I had already foreshadowed. Captain
Codd, when I told him that I had arranged for six
men to come from the House of Correction, in-
formed me that he did not require such aid, and
that if the men came he should send them back.
The six armed men did come from the House of
Correction, and Captain Codd, in accordance with
his word, sent them back five minutes after I left.
That was on the Thursday. I felt it to be a duty
to myself to make these remarks, since 1 have been
complimented in high quarters for the steps that I
took on that occasion. I may say that bad it not
been for the arrangement which I, as chairman of
the court, caused to be made, the prisoners would
have been exercised in the area behind the wall
which was blown down on the Friday, and the loss
of life would hare been frightful. I. directed the
governor to change the hour and place for exercis-
ing the prisoners, and that being done, not only
was the escape of the political offenders who were
confined prevented, but a terrible loss of life was
also prevented. Therefore it is that I cannot per-
mit the words of the report of the visiting commit-
tee to stand as though they were strictly true, and
as though the governor of the House of Detention
had exerted himself in such a manner as called for
some special recognition.
Mr. WHITE, in deference to a generally expressed
feeling of the Court, withdrew his motion, and
that part of the report having reference to the re-
warding of Captain Codd was expunged.