The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-22 00:00:00

MARY I;.EBONE VESTRY.
• ••
Satqrday a naoss: important meeting of the Mary-
tebbne,Vestrytob ll ce at the Court House, Mr. George
natiell„ churchwar4an, in the chair. The meeting was
Web, ;rind,d besides the borough Members,
Sit,f#:..ll._and Si Charles Napier, there were present
.7-Sir John M‘Taggart, M.P., Lord
Montfort, SFr—James Hamilton, Bart., Martin Thacke-
ray, Esq., &c., &c.
Mr. Hoon, the vestry clerk, brought up a communi-
cation from the Board of Management of the North
Western Metropolitan District Asylum, demanding the
sum of 1731. 7s. 11d., as the contribution of the parish
of St. Marylebone towards the expenses already incurred
with respect to such proposed asylum. Mr. Hood also
hid a communication before the vestry from the parish
of St. James, Westminster, to the guardians of which
parish a similar demand was made, and refused on the
ground that it was illegal.
Mr. JOHN WiLuasts said he would move, in reference
to the application in question, " That, in the opinion of
the vestry, the constitution of the Board of Management
of the North Western Metropolitan District Asylum is
illegal, and that their demand should be resisted."
The motion having been seconded,
Mr. FLOOD announced that he had just received a
communication from the Home-office, addressed to Mr.
flume, M.P., and, as it was probably upon the subject
then under diseussion, perhaps it would be better that it
should be at once opened and read. Mr. Flood then
proceeded to read the following communication from
Sir James Graham:—

•° Whitehall, Dec. 18, 1845.

Sir,--Although my position at the present moment in
this once is peculiar, yet I am unwilling to leave your letter
without an answer, especially as you and the vestry of St.
Marylebone express a wish to be informed of the result of my
r•ommunication with the Poor-law Commissioners beforel
yesign the seals of this department.
4Hy the 7th and Bth of Victoria, c. 101, s. 41-45, the
poor-law Commissioners were empowered to form districts o
4Larishes in the metropolis, for the purpose of providing and
maintaining asylums for the temporary relief in destitute house
less peer. The provisions of the Act were fully debated in
Parliament, and the power of forming the districts was given
to the Poor-law Commi- sionera without hesitation or appeal.
"The Commissioners, after a careful deliberation, adopted
a plan for the division of the entire metropolis and its
suburbs into six districts, each consisting of several unions
and parishes, represented by a single Board of Management.
The orders forming these districts, and prescribing the mode
of election, and the duties of the Board of Management, and
of their officers, have been issued by the Commissioners in
the course of the present year.
" All the parishes comprised in these orders have acquiesced
in the arrangement, and have elected managers, except Mary-
labone, St. Luke, Chelsea, and Camberwell.
"The Secretary of State has no official power of interfe-
rence with the arrangement adopted by the commissioners ;
nor is be rendered by the Act of Parliament responsible for
their decision with reference to this subject.
" The responsibility rests with the Poor-law Commissioners
alone. They have acted deliberately, and on a general view
oc tile arrangement best suited to the entire metropolis.
" If the parish of Marylebone have any objections of detail
which they wish further to urge against particular provisions
of either of the orders of the Commissioners, I have ascer-
tained that the Commissioners are ready to receive them, and
to bestow on them the most attentive consideration.
" If the objection be to the entire arrangement, as well in
orinciple as in detail, the whole subject might be referred to
'she investigation of a Parliamentary Committee at the com-
inenestuent of the session; and the Commissioners inform me
that they are prepared to justify their plan. The case of
Marylebone must be taken in conjunction with the general
scheme, and cannot, in justice, be considered separately.
" I have gone thus at length into the matter, which does
not fall immediately within the control of the Secretary of
State, even in present circumstances, because I was unwill-
ing to appear wanting in the respect due to the Marylebone
vestry, or negligent in my endeavour to remove a misunder-
standing which I regret.—l bare the honour to be, Sir, your
faithful servant,

"J. G. GRAHAM.

(Signed)
" Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P."
This letter was ordered to be entered on the minutes,
and to be considered on Saturday
.next.
Mr. WILLIAMS, M.P., rose to give his cordial support
to the resolution of resistance which bad been proposed.
The reason he advised this course was that the Poor-law
Commissioners were doing everything they could to
bring Marylebone and other independent parishes
throughout the country under their fangs. The reason
the Poor-law Commissioners were so desirous to get
independent parishes under their control was, that there
should not be a comparison between the diet given to
the poor of those parishes and poor-law unions.—(Hear.)
Mr. H. C. WILSON cordially concurred in all that had
fallen from the Hon. Member for Coventry ; but in con-
nexion with this subject he wished to say a few words
on the conduct of the Hon. Members fur the borough of
Marylebone, who, for the first time for many months
past, ire now saw present.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr.
Wilson) was one of those who would not say that be-
hied the back of the Hon. Members that he was not
prepared to say to their faces.—(Hear, hear.) He would
say, then, that he believed, if the Members for the
borough had done their duty to their constituents, the
parish of St. Marylebone would not have been placed in
its present position with the Poor-law Commissioners.
—(Loud cries of " Hear.") He (Mr. Wilson) spoke more
particularly with respect to the Hon. Baronet behind
him (Sir B. Hall).—(Hear.) He was free to admit that
they had an right to expect so much from the Hon. and
Gallant Commodore, Sir C. Napier, when they con-
sidered Lis general habits, and his imperfect knowledge
of all their local affairs, and therefore to some extent the
Hon. and Gallant Commodore was exonerated. There
was a probability, from the present state of political
affsirs, of a great change, and he (Mr. Wilson) thought
that those gentlemen who aspired to be the representa-
tives of the largest and most influential borough in the
kingdom ought to devote a greater degree of attention
the:, had been devoted by its representatives recently.—
(Loud cries of " Hear. hear ") He again repeated it,
and he felt that he had the general support of his
brother electors in making the assertion, that on whom-
soever the representation of Marylebone in future de-
volved, there was a greater degree of attention to Parlia-
mentary duties necessary.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir B. HALL rose, amidst some slight confusion, to
address the vestry. The Honourable Baronet said,
after the remarks which had fallen from Mr. Wil-
son, he hoped he might be permitted to say a few
words in self-defence.—(Hear, hear.) It was at all
times painful to advert to a serious personal and domes-
tic calamity, but, in doing so, he begged to say that he
did not wish to conceal from himself the fact, that his
recent inattention to Parliamentary duties had been
most unsatisfactory, and he begged to assure them that
it had been equtilly unsatisfactory to himself as to his
constituents.—(Hear, hear.) He begged to state, how-
ever. that his apparent inattention did not result from
his own neglect, but from calamities over which he had
no eontrol, and which human foresight could not have
p-evented. Gentlemen were aware of the course he
(Sir Benjamin Hall) had pursued when he first became
elected for that borough, and after his second election also,
and he thought it must be palpable to them, when they,
viewed his previous conduct, that ho had not willingly
and wilfully neglected their interests. He begged to
remind them that there were times and circumstances
which would prevent any man from performing great
public duties.—(Hear.) Last year a domestic affliction,
and at the commencement of the last session a serious
personal accident, caused him (the Hon. Baronet) to be
placed in that unfortunate position.—(Hear.) With
reference to the probable Political change which had
h--on alluded to by Mr. Wilson, he (Sir Benjamin
I lull) begged to say, be that change, whatever it
nigh', he should not deviate from the straight-
14)rward course he f-it he had hitherto pursued. With
respect to a political change, he (Sir B. Hall) was of opi-
nien that no material chanee would take place, and that
it wo-ild be left for those who had produced the present
crisis in the affairs of this country to quench the fire
which their own bad conduct had created.—(Hear, hear.)
Ile believed that Lord John Russell would not take
oaks with the inevitable prospect of being turned out
immediately, but that he would leave it to those who
ha l created the evil. With reference to the question
before them, ho cordially agreed with the Hon. Member
fir Coventry that they should offer a most determined
res:stan,?e, and as soon as tie next session of Parliament
opened, he would not fail to use his best endeavours to
support their local Acts and privileges unimpaired.
Sir CHARLES NAPIER next rose. lie did not thisk
that he was deserving of the censure which had been
thrown upon him by the vestry. He would venture to
assert that no Member of the House of Commons had
been more attentive to his Parliamentary duties than he
had been since he had represented Marylebone.--(llear,
hear.) If the gentleman who had addressed them and
called him negligent meant that- he was so because he
hail not come 400 miles to attend a vestry meeting on the
corn-laws, then he pleaded guilty, for he had previously
promised to attend a great meeting held on that very
(ley at Edinburgh on the same subject.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Wilson had said. if the Members for the borough
had lone their duty, this amended Poor-law Bill would
not have passed. Now he (Sir C. Napier) begged
to say that he did attend to his duty, and opposed that Bill
throughout. t He also did so with respect to the Lunacy
Bill and when he divided the House upon that measure
-3 Idid not even get a seeonder.—(flear, hear.) It was
true he was not so well acquainted with their local
matters as his Hon. Colleague, Sir B. Hall, but he begged to
say that he had a head, and he never objected to their
beating their. local knowledge into it.—(Laughter.)
He was always ready. to receive a deputation of his
constitutents, but if the meant that to do his duty,
after working hard for five days and nights every week
in the session, it was necessary for him to attend there
every Saturday, and also sacrifice his Sunday, he begged
to say that he was ready to resign their ..representation
altogether. With respect to the .questien of the corn-
laws his opinions were known, and he thought no time
ought to- be lost in calling a meeting of that borough,
containing as it did a
population of 300,000' and up-
wards. He would say further, he thought all the metro-
pelt :an boroughs should have a meeting, and, in order
to make the demonstration more complete, that they
should meet in one day.—(Hear, hear.)
Mcs,rs. Joseph Gomm, Kirby, Michie, and other
gentkmen haiing spoken to the resolution, determining
to re-Ist the demand for supporting the District Poor-
law Asylum, it e as carried unanimously.
The meeting then separated.

TUE FARMERS AND THE REPEAL OF THE CoEN.*
T.Aw,4.—We have heard from several quarters where informa-
tion of the kind was most attainable, that the farmers who
usually visit Canierbury market did not on Saturday
ast express any other feeling on the Ministerial changes
in progress than a wish that some permanent deci-
"ion should he immediately arrrived at, and seeing that
repeal of the corn-laws must sooner or later take place, they
would Prefer the accomplishment of such a measure at once
to a state of continual uncertainty and alarm. The farmer is
wise in this—there can be no ease
,:or security or indepen-
dence for bun until this takes place. The sooner that total
repeal of this landlord's law occurs, the better unquestion-
blv for every cultivator of the soil.—Kent Herald.
'BRISTOL SUGAR-MARKET, DEC. 19.—There is
scarelv any business doing in our raw sugar-market, and,
indeed, produce of all descriptions are difficult of sale, with a
downward tendency in prices.—Bristol Mercury.