The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-23 00:00:00

FARRINGDON WITHOUT.

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2%
53/4

To-day a wardmote of the citizens of this ward was held at
eleven o'clock, in the New Court, Old Bailey, for the election
of 16 Common Councilmen, and other officers, for the ensuing
year. Alderman Sir James Duke presided on the occasion.
Considerable interest was excited from the fact of there
being the likelihood of a contest, Dr. Lynch having come
forward on the Liberal free-trade interests, and in conse-
quence the Court was completely crowded at an early hour.
Alderman Sir J. Dui opened the business, by stating
the object which had called them together, and said the
ward-clerk (Mr. Pontifex) would read the precinct returns
which had been made, after which he would be prepared to
hear what any of the gentlemen might have to say.
The following list was then read, being the names of the
gentlemen returned by their several precincts, as proper per-
sons to serve the office of Common Councilmen for the en-
suing year
ST. ANDREWS.—Mr. Richard Taylor, and Mr. John
Buckmaster.
ST. SEPULCHRE'S.— Joshua Thos. Bedford, Esq. Deputy,
Mr. James Michael Barnard, Mr. Henry Stokes, Dr. Jordan
Roche Lynch, Mr. Richard Williams, and Mr. Michael
Prendergast.
ST. MARTIN'S.—Mr. James Anderton, and Mr. Nicholas
Thos. Isherwood.
ST. BRIDE'S.—R. Obbard, Esq. Deputy, Mr. Henry Burn,
and Mr. Samuel S. Edkins.

ST. DUNSTAN'S.-Mr. Joseph Charles, Mr. Edmund Hodg.
son; and Mr. James Ramsbaw.

Mr. HOLMES then moved Mr. Harding as a fit and proper
person to represent the Ward in the Common Council. That
gentleman had had a seat for several years, during which
period he had done his best to serve the interests of the
citizens.
Mr. CLEMON seconded the nomination.

Dr. LYNCH then rose to address the wardmote. In coming
forward as a condidate, he said he had been actuated solely
by a desire to serve all classes of the citizens, but more
particularly the humbler classes. There were a great number
of abuses prevailing in the Corporation, and many improve-
ments required in the ward, to which he would devote his
best energies ; particularly was he desirous to he useful to
the poor. He would proceed to consider some of the evils
to which attention was most necessary to be directed. There
was one particularly that required primary consideration—
he meant the ventilation and draining of the district. Nearly
all the lanes and alleys at present were without sewers, the
houses were in the most defective state of ventilation, every sort
of filth was allowed to accumulate in cesspools, evolving
deleterious gases, and so poisoning the atmosphere as to lay
the foundation of typhus fever aad consumption. He had
examined into the state of these lanes and' alleys, and he
found hat hi nine courts there were crowded together 1,800
human bei.igs. lii Fetter-lane there were tell ty homes
which, judging from the inhabitants that had been ascer-
tained to live in one house, must contain nine
hundred persons. But what was the actual result?
According to the last census there were in the
houses referred to not less than 1,200. When they considered
the most defective state of drainage in such a crowded dis-
trict, they would at once be aware of the disease that must
arise from it, and the necessity that. existed for some one like
himself to be in the Common Council, so as to give promi-
nence to such a state of things, and to obtain redress. The
Learned Gentleman then v,elit at some length into statistical
evidence derived from the Health of Towns Commission Re-
port, to show the amount of disease and mortality in all the
great towns of the kingdom that arise from bad sewrage,crowded
dwellings, aad defective ventilation. His profession, he said,
strictly speaking, was to cure disease, but he wished to take
higher ground; he was anxious to do everything in his
power to prevent it.—(Cheers.) Measures had been tried in
other districts of the metropolis—draining had been
tried, and found successful, and he wished a similar
attempt to be made in the district he sought to repre-
sent. In another portion of the metropolis a sys-
tem of drainage bad been tried, which extended at
present to sixty miles, and bad been most efficient ir. carry-
ing away all the deleterious gases, and corrupt matters that
previously had been allowed to exist. The learned gentle-
man here referred to a model of the arrangements employed
in the districts referred to, (Holborn and Finsbury,) and in-
timated that should he be returned for the Farringdon With-
out district, he would do his best to bring a similar system
into operation.—(llear' hear.) The poor had no representa-
tives at present in the Common Council, and he was anxious
to be there to support their cause.—(Cheers.) He
would now say a few words on general poli-
tics. He was happy to observe that a great change
for the better had been taking place the last few years ;
party spirit had much abated; and Whig and Tory no longer
' excited that interest they had formerly done in party strug-
gles. Philanthropy was setting aside prejudice--
a feeling of justice was taking the place
of expediency—and those who formerly differed were now
found to agree on questions affecting the public welfare. In
a voice of thunder they had declared that the corn-laws were
doomed to have an end. Sir Robert Peel had shown a
disposition to kid to the people on this question ; the citizens
of London had declared that they wanted no protection, and
in a similar manner all the great towns of the kingdom
had pronounced their opinion. (Hear, hear, and
cheers.) Give them free-trade and the cloud of war that
appeared in the horizon would soon be found to give way.
There would be then no danger of a conflictisetween two great
nations, peopled by the same race, speaking the same lan-
guage, and actuated by the same love of liberty.—(Hear, hear.)
The speaker having dwelt at some further length on the
question of free trade, went into the abuses which he alleged
to exist in the Corporation, complaining that the
ancient constitution of the City bad been set aside
in the election of its officers. It was the right,
according to the original charter of the citizens, to elect
the Lord Mayor, but now he was elected by the Court
of Aldermen ; and the latter, again, instead of being
subject to annual appointment, or periodical election
of any kind, were appointed for life.—(Cries of " Hear.")
The Sheriffs were also appointed in a most objectionable
manner, being a job got up annually by the two
solicitors who expected to be Under-Sheriffs. and
to pocket all the emoluments of office; but the
citizens of London had nothing to do with
it, as the form of election took place before a mob of those
men, paid by the attorneys in question for attending. The
Learned Gentleman next addressed himself to several other
points connected with the management of civic affairs,
especially to the amount paid to public offices, and concluded
by saying he would do his best to work out a reformrtion.
Addresses were then delivered by Mr. Richard Taylor, Mr.
Anderton, and Mr. Prendergast, when
Alderman Sir JAMXS DUKE proceeded to take the vote of
the meeting. After taking's show of hands for each of the
candidates separately,he declared the election to be in favour
of the list of names we have already given, with the excep-
tion of Mr. James Ramshaw, who was the unsuccessful can-
didate.

A poll was then demanded, which was appointed to take
place this afternoon from four to fire o'clock, to-morrow
from twelve to two o'clock, and on Wednesday from eleven
to two o'clock, when it will finally close.
It was intimated during the course of the morning, that
the Queen had appointed to•morrow to receive the Sheriffs,
arid to name the day on which she would be pleived to re-
ceive the memorial of the Common Council again.t the corn-
laws.

CRIPPLEGATE WITHOUT.
A wardmote was held this morning in the hall of St.
Giles's Charity Schools, High-street, Cripplegate, for the
purpose of electing representatives to the Conrt of Common
Council, an inquest jury, and other ward officers.
Mr. Alderman Challis took the chair. The wardmote was
opened with the usual forms.
The worthy ALDERMAN briefly
opened the business of the
day, and on the motion of several of the parishioners, the
gentlemen who had been elected on the preceding year were
again re-elected. _

-One gentleman, a Mr. SPENCER-, proposed Mr. King, who
was, however, rejected.
The several members, Mr. Dickson, Deputy; Messrs. R.
Lambert Jones, Medway, Eldred, Johnson, Sadler, Gilbert,
And Raid then returned thanks.
Mr. Baker, ward-beadle, was then re-elected the consoli-
dated rate-collector for the ensuing year.
COSTS OF PROSECUTING HOUSES OF IMPROPER CHARACTER.
Mr. ll
On the
oDG
presentation
Esp
ro po
proposed
a
the
resolutionlnc u e Jurystto
theto effect that,
the m meeting,
the Court of Aldermen had on former occasions paid no at-
tention to the presentments of the Inquest Jury with re-
spect to improper houses, either the jury should not be at all
elected, or if elected not called on to exercise functions
which would be totally disregarded
Mr. Alderman CHALLIS trusted that the resolution would
not be pressed, for as certainly as they give up their local
rights they were injuring not only their own right but the
constitution of the country generally. Let them not do so, in a
moment of irritation, because a Lord Mayor should perhaps
should, therefore, do
offend them, or because a Court of Aldermen might be
rather hard-headed; and he would not affirm that aldermen
City
could oppose to the
were always the best judges of what was for the public in-
terest.—(llear, hear.) The Committee of the Court of
arlitunent of the
Aldermen had often considered the subject adverted to by
Mr. Hodges, and he (Mr. Challis), in the pursuance of his
duty, had told the Committee that the parish of Cripplegate
Without, for instance, had no funds to prosecute houses of an
opinions
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of
time of George the Second.
Mr. llonoEs subsequently withdrew his resolution.
THE TWOPENNY TOLL ON ENTERING THE crry.
Mr. BARTON said that the twopenny tolls on carts entering
the City should be at least done away with.
A PARISHIONER said that he was aware that one trades-
man in the West-end paid not less than 16s. per week in this
matter. -(Laughter.)
Mr. R. L. JONES informed the wardmote that the tolls had p
been expended an the improvements of
- arringdon-street.
The tolls realised some three or four thousand pounds, and he
•
a
ptherolumgplistbilieaatbwolhiseha
when this ids
they were not appropriated in some
other manner.
object was attained, the tolls would
Mr. KING thought that a rate might be put on gas and
water companies in Cripplegate, as in other wards.
Atr BARTON—And they would levy a larger rate upon you
and I.—(Laughter.)
The inquest jury was then proposed and elected.
After the passing of some other business of an unimportant
character, thanks were voted to the late mombers of the
Common Council, and to the Alderman fur the ward, which,
having. been respe.ded to by Mr. Deputy Dickson and
Chairman, the wardmete broke up.
CRIPPLEGA rE
A Wardmote was hel•i this day, till a late hour, at the
Soh:Ad-rooms, Philip-lane, for the purpuse of returnill
repres,. ntatives to the Court of Common CounciL
After the eight members who had filled the office
had been severally proposed,
r. 11 wrcittNsuN (the fathq• or tlf, wsrd) rose to pro-
pose M r. Benin eh, of ‘Voo‘i- st r. et. lie (M e. I.) had been
an inhabitant of that ward for fifty years, and he had great
1 pleasure in proposing his adopted son, Mr. Bennoch, for

Common Councilman. He would make up for any de-
fieienev under which he might labour in adefr3ssing the
wm-einote, and for h.," own part he was very su:t that
if returned by the electors he would be found a faithful
representative.
Mr. Licon' seconded the proposition, and in a few
but pithy expressions inculcated upon the ward the im-
portance of sending at the present juncture into the
Common Council only thorough-going free-traders, to
the exclusion of those who might be inclined to curry
favour with those in power, and at the same time feed
the poor orrnaangel wurzel and curry powder.
A show of hands was then taken, and one of the pre-
ceding Common Councillors (Mr. Barnard) was de-
clared by the chairman to be excluded.
Mr. BARNARD demanded a poll.
The gentlen Ma whose names had commanded the show
of hands then addressed the meeting seriatim. Mr.
Boole, Mr. Smith, Mr. Brown, Mr. Lart, Mr. Cash, and
Mr. Brass, were known to be Liberals, and spoke in fa-
vour of an immediate abolition of the corn-laws, and

other measures of concession. Mr. Lee Wilson's address
was of a Conservative character.
Mr, BENNOCH then came forward, and said that, not
having had the pleasure of representing them in the
Court of Common Council, and therefore uuable to claim
for himself any servitude to which he could refer as a
warrant of his future conduct, or as in part expressive
of his principles, he should be obliged to trouble them
ith a few remarks illustrative of the course he
should adopt, and the line he should advocate,
if fortunate enough to be returned as one of
the Councillors from that ward. Personalities
in cases of th's kind he abhorred, and he would therefore

avoid them as far as he consistently could with the duty
he had to perform; and, therefore, in questioning the
principles of any one not of his own opinion, he hoped
they would attribute his observations to public duty, and
not to any private animosity.—(Hear, hear.) The first
measure to which he would allude was that most
obnoxious and iniquitous one—the present corn-
law—(Hear)—of which he had endeavoured to give
them a specimen of his opinions in a short address he
had published to the electors of the ward. He would
add but a few facts to the statements in
,that address,
and he thought the meeting would deem them of suf-
ficient importance to justify his troubling it with them.
He held, then, in the first instance, that it was most pre-
sumptuous and unrighteous that man by his laws should
presume to stop the bounty of the Creator, by standing
between him and his creature, interfering with the bounty
of the one and the benefit to the other. He referred
more particularly to what had occurred in America—the
result of these cruel laws. There, in the state of Ohio,
not more than some three or four years ago, the crops of
corn upon the ground had been literally consumed.
Why ? Because there was no market for the produce ;
while at the same time in other parts of the same
state the inhabitants were suffering severely from
the want of crops.—(Hear, hear.) They, in Britain,
would have taken that corn in exchange for their own
manufactures, but these laws stood in the way. The
state of Ohio contained 25,000,000 of acres, and of this
number of acres 20,000,000 were capable of growing
wheat.. This was nearly one-third more than the entire
surface of England, including its rivers, its rocks, and
its barren mountains.—(Hear, hear.) Now, how much
better, he would ask, would it not have been if they had
exchanged with a population, evidently intended
by nature for an agricultural population, the produce
to which their country was peculiarly adapted, giving
them in return the manufactures which their peculiarly
fortunate position had enabled thorn to cultivate with
such industry and success ? How much better, he re-
peated, would it have been for both countries, if this
country had encouraged America to pursue her agri-
cultural capabilities, instead of driving her labourers
to the manufacture of stockings and nightcaps, which
they could get from England at one-tenth of the cost.
Labour, they were all aware, was wealth, and could any-
thing be so highly absurd as that the Legislature should
compel the poor and famishing workman to give his
labour for twelve hours per day for two shillings'-worth
of corn, when, by adopting another principle, he might
get for the labour of six hours an equal amount of
food. If the real interests of the labouring classes
were consulted, they should give to other countries
that which they produced most cheaply, receiving from
those countries in return those articles in which they
most excelled.—(Hear.) But, perhaps, some of those
opposed to those opinions did not calculate the immense
increase in the population of the United Kingdom. It
was on all hands admitted that the present growth of
the country, taking the average of every year,
was barely sufficient to supply the wants of the
population. The increase, by the statistical re-
ports, were proved to be at least one thousand per
day, or above 360,000 a year, so that in some twelve
years the population would have increased four or five
millions. Thus, then, they saw the working of the
obnoxious corn-laws. If they were to be supported, what
would become of the multitudes added every year to the
population?—(Hear, hear.) There was no more corn than
at the present time sufficed to satisfy the country, and
yet an obstruction was placed in the way of the repeal
of a law which prevented the additional increase pf
mouths to be fed. It was absolutely monstrous that auy
one could be found to defend them. There was one
question to which he had referred in his address, and
that was the question of national education. It was a
question which involved the happiness, the morality,
and the comfort of every man in this great
empire. The speaker then proceeded to argue,
in the most eloquent manner, that neglect was attri-
butable to the Corporation of London, inasmuch that they
had, not long before, curtailed some of their shows and
dinners of some of their unfair proportions, and with the
fund annually saved, some 5,0001. or 10,000/, founded
schools, that it might be said over the world that, how-
ever ignorant the extremities of the country might be,
London, the soul—the centre—could boast that all its
inhabitants could at least read.—(Hear, hear.) He then
advocated the introduction of railway communication into
the City, and he particularly referred to the expression
of one of the candidate that " this was not the place to
introduce controversial subjects."
Mr. LEE WILSON—I never said so.

Mr. BENNOCII said that he had the words in
writing, and here they were. He said, " This
is not the place to introduce controversial sub-
jects." The Hon. Gentleman might not have meant
that ; but what then did be mean ? If he (Mr. B.) were
honoured so far as to be sent to the Court of Common Coun-
cil,he would go there determined to wage war with whatever
bigotry, or prejudice, or despotism he might find in that
small high place.—(Hear.) It was new to him to suppose
that in that deliberative assembly a gentleman should
have only to announce, as if he had been an oracle, "Listen
to me, hearken to the voice of wisdom, and be edified,"
and that he would be obeyed—that the assembly would
arise with loud acclaim and confirm the oracle. The
thing was absurd. The speaker concluded by assuring the
electors that they should find him in the Council bear-
ing and forbearing, but always ready to defend the rights
of the ward, and the country, against any and every
attack made upon either.—(Hear, hear.)
The poll then proceeded, and at the closing hour this
day the nnmbers were :---