The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-15 00:00:00

THE CITY PRIVILEGES.

The following letter from Mr. C. Pearson, the City So.
licitor, was read by the Clerk of the Court:—
" My Lord and Gentlemen,—l have the honour to
certify that I yesterday received a letter from Messrs.
Pemberton, Crawley, and Gardiner, the solicitors of her
Majesty's Woods, Forests, &c., of which a copy is-
hereto annexed, containing a subpcena from the Court of
Chancery to the Corporation of London, the Town Clerk,
and certain parties, relative to the City's right to the soil
and bed of the river Thames ; , calling upon them seve-
rally to appear in the said Court, to answer to a bill
filed for the purposes mentioned in Messrs. Pemberton,
Crawley, and Gardiner's letter. I have ordered an
appearance to be entered for the Corporation, and have
bespoke a copy of the bill.—l have the honour to be, my
Lord, and gentlemen, your most obedient servant,
" CHARLES PEARSON, City Solicitor.
" Guildhall, March 14, 1844."
(Copy.) " Whitehall-place, March 12, 1844.
"Sir,—The Commissioners of Woods, &c., have caused
an information to be filed in the Court of Chancery
against the Corporation of London, and sundry persons
to whom the Corporation have granted licenses to em-
bank, praying that the rights of her Majesty and of the
Corporation respectively in the strand or soil of the
River Thames, may be ascertained and declared under
the decree of the Court, and we herewith send you a
subpoena, and beg the favour of your undertaking to
appear for the Corporation of London and their Town-
clerk. " We are, Sir, yours, &c.
" C. Pearson, Esq., "PE MBERTON,
City Solicitor. CR A WLEY,
GARDINER."
Mr. RICHARD LAMBERT .TONES immediately rose
and said, that in his opinion the Recorder should be ap-
plied to for advice as to the steps which the Corporation
ought to take under the circumstances. It was important
that a conference should be held with her Majesty's Mi-
nisters on a subject of such moment. The intimation of
the proceeding came from an inferior branch of the
Administration, and it would be proper, as soon as pos-
sible, to ascertain from the best source whether it was
the intention of the Government to interfere with the

vested rights of the body.—(Hear, hear.)
The RECORDER admitted that the point to which the
communication referred was a very important one. The
course, he believed, which it would be advisable to
adopt was to refer the matter to a Select Committee,
and to enable that Committee, with the assistance of the
law officers of the Corporation, to hold a conference with
the Ministers of the Crown relative to it.—(Hear.)
It appeared to him that the object of the Commissioners
of the Woods and Forests was to. ascertain, before the
embankment was commenced, the nature of the rights
of the case, and of the rights of the Corporation, and
not to interfere with the chartered rights of the citizens
of Lendon.—(Hear.) The suggestion of the Chairman
of the London-bridge Approaches Committee was most
fit and wise.

Sir P. LAURIE said he agreed in every part of the
suggestion except that of applying to the Prime Mi-
nister on a matter which was undertaken by those in
another department of the Administration. Such a
course would look like slighting that department ; and
he did not see what good could possibly arise out of
the offence which would be thus unnecessarily in-
flicted.—(Hear, hear.) After all the City need not care
anything about the soil of the river.
Mr. ANDERTON would contend for the rights of
the City in every matter, however apparently trivial or
insignificant. He did not think a Select Committee so
eligible as the Navigation Committee to undertake the
task of inquiring into such a subject. In fact any of
the Committees already formed would be qualified to act
on it.

Mr. LAWRENCE was decidedly in favour of a Select
Committee. That Committee would probably seek a
conference with those who instigated the suit. They
would be directed in the course they should pursue by
the character of the answer they should receive. If in-
formation upon the subject were withheld, it might be
reasonably, concluded that mischief was intended. •
Mr. H. Pnimars observed that the question was very
properly called a most important one. It was well
known, he said, that a great many privileges had been
granied to individuals by the Corporation, on the banks
of the Thames, and the Corporation had, he believed a
right to the soil as well as to the river itself. The Court
however, could not exactly know what the object of the
Government was ; when they ascertained what it was
they could act accordingly.
Mr. R. TAYLOR said he was informed that Mr. Pem-
berton had been making similar claims all over the king-
dom, and trying to get hold of every thing, but without
the least success in many instances.
Mr. R. L. JONES declared it was immaterial to him to
what Committee the Court should refer the question,
but he was sure that the best mode of proceeding would
be by conference with her Majesty's Government.—
(Hear, hear.) He could not conceive why the Commis-
sioners of Woods and Forests should cause a bill to be
filed against the Corporation in the Court of Chancery,
and he adhered to the opinion he had expressed that the
Court should go to the principal Members of her Ma-
jesty's Government, to know whether they sanctioned
such a proceeding upon the part of the Commissioners.
He accordingly moved that a Select Committee be ap-
pointed to confer with the Ministers, &c.
Mr. KING said it would be advisable to send to the
Commissioners a few of the most intelligent men in the
Corporation.
Mr. ANDERTON moved- as an amendment that the sub-
ject be referred to the Navigation Committee.
Ultimately Mr. E. L. Jones's motion was adopted by
a large majority, and the following Select Committee
was appointed to confer with her Majesty's Ministers
or any other parties with full powers to act with respect
to the communication, and take such measures as they
should consider necessary, and report from time to time
to the Court :

The Lord Mayor, Sir Peter Laurie, Alderman John
Johnson, Mr. R. L. Jones, Mr. Deputy Peacock, Mr.
John Dixon, Mr. R. Taylor, Mr. W. Lawrence, Mr.
Burn, and Deputy Hicks.
A letter was presented from the Charity called the
City Kitchen, signed by Mr. T. Lott, thanking the
Court for the liberal donation of 200/, by which the
Committee were enabled to render considerable addi-
tional assistance to the poor.—Ordered to be inserted in
the Journals.

Sir PETER. LILIIRIE presented a petition from Captain
Strannock and William Birch, praying for some remu-
neration to Captain Mays and crew, of the Charlotte
smack, of Antwerp, as a testimonial for their exertions
to save the petitioners and seamen on board the Elber-
feldt steamer, when wrecked easward of the North Fore-
land, on her passage from Rotterdam, on 23d February
last, and for a grant towards the relief of the widows
and children of the men unfortunately lost.
The petition was, after some discussion, withdrawn,
the majority being of opinion that if the Corporation
gave rewards or remuneration upon every occasion in
which the lives of people saved, their pecuniary means
would be soon wholly exhausted.