The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-24 00:00:00

APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES.

The next business proceeded with was the appoint-
ment of the Committees for the ensuing year. Upon
the lists presented to the Court were the names of
several gentlemen who had served upon the same
Committee for the space of four years; the maximum
period for which, according to the 32d article of the
standing orders they were eligible.
Mr. KING objected to this abrogation of the stand-
ing order, and, after a lengthy desultory conversation,
It was moved by Mr. ]?ion, and seconded by Mr.
THOMAS, that the standing order be suspended. On
the question a division was- called for by Mr. King,
when the numbers appeared—

For the motion
Against it lB

Majority

-62

The lists of the Committee were then gone through
seriatim, and the members appointed, a proceeding
which occupied a considerable portion of time.

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.

The TowN CLERK communicated to the Court that,
appended to the annual report made by the High
Bailiff of Southwark of the receipts and disbursements
of his office, was a letter in which that gentleman
invited the attention of the corporate body to a sub-
ject which he felt it to be his duty to lay before it.
It had reference to the effect produced by the opera-
tion of the statute 7 and 8 Vic., passed for the aboli-
tion of imprisonment for debt, upon the office of High
Bailiff of Southwark and of Chief Bailiff of the
Court of Requests for the Hundred of Lambeth.
The Commissioners of the Court of Requests had
thought it right to suspend, in consequence of the
decrease in the business of the Court, the payment of
the sum for which the fees payable heretofore to the
High Bailiff has been commuted until after the Ist
February, in order to ascertain what would be the
probable average amount of fees in future. By the
17th section of the statute, the Lords Commissioners
of the Treasury were authorised to award compensa-
tion to parties whose interests were affected, and the
High Bailiff suggested the necessity for the Court, at
an early period, giving such directions in the matter
as would protect their interests in the office of High
Bailiff.
On the motion of Mr. OBBARD, seconded by Mr.
Deputy PEACOCK, the letter was ordered to be referred
to the Officers and Clerks Committee, to examine into
the same, and to report if any, and what steps, ought
at an early period to be taken in the matter.
POLICE COMMITTEE—NON-ATTENDANCE OP
ALDERMEN.

Mr. ANDERTON said he wished to call the atten-
tion of the Court, and especially of the Aldermen (of
whom he wished there were more now present), to a
subject which he was extremely sorry had been pre-
sented to the public mind in a paragraph contained
in one of the newspapers. The paragraph stated that,
for several weeks, the greatest inconvenience had been
occasioned to the public who had the misfortune to
be called upon to attend the Police Committee, in con-
sequence of the Aldermen not being present, and
stated as the result that upwards of fifty persons were
sometimes kept waiting from two to three hours be-
fore their business was transacted, and that this had
not only been the case last Saturday, but for several
previous weeks. Now he (Mr. Anderton) thought it
was most desirable that the l.ublic should know whe-
ther it was the intend= of the Aldermen to continue
these omissions of their duties, or if they had made
arrangements for the better discharge of their duties.
He had the highest respect for, and wished to main-
tain the dignity of, the Court of Aldermen; but if
this state of things were to be continued, he, for one,
should join heart and hand for the purpose of having
a paid magistracy.
Alderman FARNCOMBE inquired who were the
Aldermen on the rota for last Saturday.
Mr. ANDERTON--They are named in the paragraph,
which perhaps the clerk will be good enough to read.
The paragraph was then read as follows :--
"SERIOUS INCONVENIENCE.—For several weeks the
greatest inconvenience has been experienced by
the public who have had the misfortune to be required
at this Court, by the inattention of certain worthy
Aldermen, whose duty it is to preside at the weekly
sittings, but who seldom present themselves, thereby
causing the greatest confusion, keeping the public
waiting one, two, and even three hours, when the
business is hurried over in a manner not very credit-
able to the City of London. Yester3ay, for instance,
upwards of fifty persons were kept waiting for nearly
four hours ere they could leave the Court, in conse-
quence of the magistrates on the rota not making
their appearance at all. Sir George Carroll, Knight,
and Mr. Alderman Challis, at length arrived, and they
regretted extremely the inconvenience to which the
public were put. They were not to blame, not being
the magistrates on the rota; but hearing that their
brethren, Sir Claudius Hunter, Mr. Alderman Hum-
phery, and Mr. Alderman Moon, had not arrived,
they came farward to dispose of whatever cases might
be brought before them. Really the citizens of
London should petition the Court of Aldermen either
to appoint paid magistrates, or take such steps as to
require the attendance of the Aldermen punctually."
Alderman FARNCOMBH said that the absence, on
Saturday, of Mr. Alderman Moon, was owng to the
illness of that gentleman.
Mr. ANDERTON remarked that the complaint did
not apply to last Saturday only, but to several weeks
past.
The LORD MAYOR observed that personally he knew
nothing of the facts. The paragraph named three
Aldermen when two only were necessary ; and had
he known of the matter, he would have gone him-
self to the Police Committee after he had disposed of
the business at the Mansion. house.

Sir C. MARSHALL said he was glad the subject
had been noticed, for that he himself had been
brought down three Saturdays out of his turn. He,
however, thought the blame ought not entirely to be
laid upon the Aldermen, but upon the officers, who
could easily ascertain beforehand whether or not the
Aldermen on the rota were in town.—(llear, hear,
and a laugh.)
Mr. Sheriff SIDNEY said that, in justice to Mr.
Alderman Moon, he must mention, that on Saturday
last that gentleman was taken exceedingly ill, and
was confined to his bed ; and further, that it only be-
came his thity to have attended in consequence of the
absence of Mr. Alderman Humphery. Therefore,
certainly, under all the circumstances, Mr. Alderman
Moon was not to blame.— (Hear, hear.)
Mr. ASHURST remarked that all the inconveniences
complained of arose out of the constitution of the
Court of Aldermen, and he called upon the members
of that body to petition that they should respectively
be subject to re-election as soon as they had passed
the chair.—(Loud laughter.) At present it was the
invariable practice to lay all the blame upon the
junior Aldermen, though it really attached to those
who, having passed the chair, cared nothing about
the duties their office of Aldermen imposed upon
them.—(Hear, hear.)

CITY IMPROVEMEDITS.-NEW EARRING DON-STREET.

Mr. It. TAYLOR presented a petition from Mr. It.
Thomson, and other inhabitants of the north side of
larringdon Without, and of Ilolborn-bridge, praying
for the completion of the improvements in Farring-
don New- street and Holborn-bridge. Mr. Taylor
said he need scarcely call attention to the incomplete
state of the contemplated improvements in question.
Everybody must have seen and known as a complete
eye-sore the four or five houses still standing, and
which had been omitted from the schedule to the Im-
provement Act, and therefore had not as yet been
interfered with, nor could it be done without an appli-
cation to Parliament for further powers. He could not
suppose the Corporation wished to leave these impor-
tant improvements in their present imperfect state;
and as it was desirable the Court should be put in
possession of all the facts, in order that, upon consi-
deration of them, the work might be completed, he
begged to move that the petition be referred to the
London bridge Approaches Committee, to report as
to the expediency of carrying the proposed improve-
ment into complete effect.