The Sun.
London, England, 1828-03-17 00:00:00

FASHIONABLE AND MISCELLANEOUS. THE EX-SELECT VESTRY OF ST. PAUL
COVENT-GARDEN.
•

A Cabinet Council was summoned to meet at
the Foreign-office, Downing-street, at three o'clock. The
Ministers met about that time, and had a very long sitting,
not breaking up till half past six o'clock. The Ministers
present were the Duke of WELLINGTON, Earls BATHURST,
DUDLEY, and ABERDEEN, Viscounts MELVILLE and PAL-
MERSTON,' Lord ELLENBOROUGH, Mr. Secretary PEEL,
Mr. Secretary Husiussorr, Mr. CHARLES GRANT, the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, and Mr. HERRIES.
After the breaking up of the Cabinet Council
on Saturday, summonses were issued from the Foreign-
office, for holding another Council at four o'clock yesterday
afternoon. The Ministers accordingly met at the Foreign-
office about that time ; thOse present were—the LORD
CHANCELLOR, the Duke of WELLINGTON, Earls BA-
THURST, DUDLEY, and ABERDEEN, Viscounts MELVILLE,
and PALMERSTON, Lord ELLENBOROUGH, Mr. Secretary
PEEL, Mr. secretary HusiassoN, the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER, and Mr. CHARLES GRANT. The Ministers
sat in deliberation till about six o'clock.

The Duke of GORDON and Mr. KErrii
DOUGLAS had interviews with the Duke of WELLINGTON
on Saturday at the Treasury.
The LORD CHAMBERLAIN transacted busi-
ness on Saturday at the Treasury.

I(From the News.)
One of the consequences of the routing of this body from
their strong holds has been the appointment of competent
I auditors, fairly chosen from the body of the parishioners to
examine and report on the parish expenditure. Thee
auditors entered upon their duties on Wednesday last, and
one of the first items which attracted their attention was
the following :-
1826—August ht.—Paid chaise hire, turn-
pikes, refreshments, and other expences, on
visiting the children at nurse £34 12 6
Now the auditors, not being sufficiently select to compre-
hend how such a sum could be necessary for visiting a few
pauper children at Norwood, called upon the Vestry Clerk
for an explanation thereof, and he forthwith furnished
them with a voucher, of which the following is a true
copy
Dinner and dessert for eighteen gentlemen ......£9 9 0
Lemon
0 1 0
Ten bottles of Bucellas 3 0 0
Two ditto of Sherry 0 12 0
Punch
gJ 2 a
Four bottles of Champagne
Soda
Rose Water
Ice for wine 0 2 0
Twelve bottles of Port 3 12 0
Five bottles of Sauterne 2 0 0
Noyeau
0 18 0
Glass
0 5 6
Tea and Coffee
Three servants' dinners
Waiters
0 9 0

1 0
Suppose) for coach hire and turnpikeg 26
8 11 6

Grand total £34 12 6
After reading the above, our readers can no longer
wonder at the pertinacity exhibited by these ex-Select gen-
try, in retaining their usurped situations. Such outings
as the one here desoribed, fall not often to the lot of those
in the middle class of life, and the seldomer, as regards
their health, the better. In what a beastly condition these
worthies must have returned from Norwood, after drinking
two bottles of wine each man, besides twelve shillings
worth of Punch, eighteen shillings worth of Noyeau, and
sixteen shillings worth of soda water ! The latter, we
suppose, was to cool their worships. A horse pond in
our opinion, would have been far more efficacious.—
No wonder that, in their merriment, they broke the
wine glasses. We suppose this was done in drinking con-
fusion to those who were silly enough to object to have
the rates burthened with the expences of these jolli-
fications. We most, however, before we conclude, notice
one item in the bill, though it only cost a couple of shil-
lings—rose water, for their honours' fingers after dinner !
Common water would not suffice after such luxuries—.
rose water must, therefore, be had. Sand and yellow
soap, would, we think, have been far more appropriate,
as approaching the nearest to what these fine gentlemen
had been accustomed to at home. To be serious, how-
ever, for after all it is no joke for an industrious strug-
gling man to have his parochial rates augmented by such
conduct, the above is a practical illustration of the evils of
an irresponsible Select Vestry. These eighteen men would
not have dared to have expended upwards of thirty guineas
of other people's money on one day's excursion of only five
miles, had they not been aware that they audited their own
accounts, and were answerable to no one. If no other
reason therefore than this existed, Select Vestries should
every where be abolished. The principle of our constitu-
tion is that representation should accompany taxation ;
and surely if the Government of the country concedes this
point, it might he yielded by a few fellow parishioners who
possess no more claim on the public consideration than
their neighbours. .