The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-13 00:00:00

SCOTCH BURGHS.

•• , ,
strOttli,by the -AG'REGATE • - t0.14118i1771/M roof
PCBLIC
.BO bl.E.S.tif -the CITY of ED1N131.340-1,"
'their ILESPEC'rI VE C ONS TIT CB N •
Minty's Cire.rEL,llB2l.
It will be.in the recollection of'all persons intereitedlYthe
object with which 'the Aggregate CoMmittees 'were particu-
larly charged,-.-the attainment of a more liberal and -exilf!.;ht--
ened system` f town ptlity,—that the- circumstance whiehle4i
to the original appointment of Committees by the-various:Pub-
lic Bodies-of this city, 'was the gratifying conduct of the late
Lord Advocate of Scotland, in having recommended to the
King in Counciloo grant an alteration of its Sett to ihe Burgh
of Montrose,---conduct for which his' Lordship received -the
I eertfelt thanks of most of the Burgesses of Scotland.
At the first meeting of the Aggregate Committees, the course
which they were to pursue for the attainment of • the object in
view was maturely considered, and it appeared that 'tins could
be accomplished only in one of three ways.
Ist. By an application to the Convention of Royal Burghs,
to which the unanimous consent of the Town Council and-cor-
porations was necessary.
2dly, By an application to the Bing in Council, as had been
done in the case of Montrose, for which it was necessary'rhilt
the Burgh, as iu that case, should be disfranchised I and,
idly, By an application to Parliament, for which, at that
time,-there was no precedent, and which application there Was
no reason to believe would then be fiivourably received.
The first of these was the one to, which the attention of'the
Committees waS primarily-directed, but it was not in `theirpower to ascertain, without considerable delay, whether the
necessary consent would be given or not.
In the intern, 'it appeared to be material not to allow the
opportunity to be lost ilk disfranchising the Burgh, which 'was
efibrded by certain errors, committed in the election of Magis-
trates at the Michaelmas preceding.—The disfranchisement of
the Burgh would have 'given an opportipity'of having recourse
to tne Privy Council for a new Sett ; Nia, at all events, the
Coininittees conceived, that they would grant a poll election,
by which a Magistracy might be appointed, who would con-
cur with the Burgesses in endeavouring to procure an improve-
ment of the Sett of, the Burgh.
While, therefore, the Committees • gave instructions that a
process for reducing the election of 1817 should be commenced
'without delay, they at the same time directed application to be
made to the Town Council, requesting to know, whether 'that
Body would be inclined to concur in an application to the pro..
per quarter, for such an alteration in the Sett of the .13urgia as
might be mutually agreed upon': Whe Aggregate Committees
at.fhe same time intimated, that it wafby no means their wish
that the process of reduction should h.: followed tuts And thnt it
would immediately be abandoned, if ;he object in view could be
attained by an amicable arrangement.
All attempts, however, at an amicable arrangement having
proved fruitless, the. process was proceeded in with all possible
dispatch ; and it is only necessary here to say, that the result
has been such as to chew that the objections ;originally taken
against the election of 1817 were completely well founded ; 'And
that the Committees availed themselves of every favourable op-
portunity to renew their assurances to the Magistrates that they
were ready and willing to abandon all -legal proceedings, pro-
vided only that the Town Council, upon their part, would con-
cur in the necessary measures for 'procuring an improvement in
the Sett of the Burg.
The interest which the proceedings, in the Burgh of Mon-
trose and in this Burgh excited, gave rise to numerous petitions
to the House of Commons from the Burgesses, and from most
,of the Corporations of the Royal -13urghs e and such was the
-strength 'of the prima facie case made out by the petit:inners, •
.that Lord Archibald Hamilton succeeded in carrying a misiou
for the appointment of a Committee of that Hon 1-louse to in-
quire into the grievances complained of.
orthee
tipiraonceedto proceedings in indite
tthqeiyi atevre,ll3taies:nutsu
vecesiarjrh
as
to
herßeestrdtoinmg
prove beyond the possibility of doubt or denial, the existence
of evils far more serious than had even been alleged by the pe-
titioners themselves, and of a nature which no person now care
Pretend to.say do-not require to be redressed.
• Another great and important benefit has been secured tattle
cause of Burgh Reform by these legal proceedings, in the in-
terest which has been created :n the flouse of Commons itself
in this important question, and which cannot-fail to secure toit
the mature consideration of thataugustassembly; itlieneveivX
shal'i be himight.fairly tinder their view.
hile the law process was in dependence, several importsvt
changes in the 'state of the general question of Burgh Reforto-
2Onk.tlace; which tended materially to alter the views of the
Committees, and to render a change in their measures c_xpe-
dient.

, In•the first plac4., the-BUrghof Aberdeen v•as disfranchised.
by-a decree reducing the election of Magistrates 'at Michaelmas
.N 17.; but in place of a warrant fora poll election bang grant-
ed by the Privy CQuncil, the old Magistrates were restored.
In the second place, by a similar event, the Burgesses of In-
verness Were enabled, in- the year-lillB, to-apply to the Privy
Council for 4.p011. election, but the case of that Burgh has not
yet been- disposed of, and it. c -.ltinues to the present day to
be g.tyerned by interim Managers appointed by the Court of
Session:

lii the third place, it never was by any means clear, that the.
Privy Council have the.legal right to alter the Sett of any /loyal'
Burgh; as was done in the case of 'Montrose. ;,.and eerstur But'
gesses of Edinburgh raised an action in. the Court' of SessiON,
to have it found and declared that they did not possess than
. But the existeriee:ofeuis.pOwer \was rendered still more
doubtful by the opinion lately expresSzd by the Lord President
of the Court of .SessSion, that the alteration granted to Mon"
trpse-was. altogether illegal, and that the altered Sett might V
.redueed and set aside. _

These circumstances appeared to the Committees, and to thoso
legal advisers-on whose • opinion they relied, to render the roes'
complete success in the..eensting aelion of little or uo • avail
while some persons were of opinton, that it might even ha Y' an.„
injurious effect upon any ulterior. proceedings-That.- inigb.L;
adopted, as thtel4egisiatere.'rnight peobably dot-aim to -oter
the consideration of the terms of it nevi Sett while. the 13'-ut,„.-
. was disfranchised, as•then the proper officers did not e%i.'4,7:
*oilmen the Corporate .rights elf
.the • .I.jurgh as ecintradis°ll,l
guished front- the peculiar rights :of., the .Corporations, ce"
be attended to.
ot
The Aggregate .Committees...liseing: steadily foll Owed °
the iliwlprocess, so long as it appeared to theinAhat the
franchisement or, the Burgh was- c 4.10.00. ted to to a sato:,
factory result; andhavingeonstantly-:assUred the-M 3
agistrates , 7
: their idlow-citizens, not only that they • were swilling, but tb",,,
they were' anxious to relinquish' it, provided they could, b.,
other means, with the' consent of -We Magistrates, acc°l'.t,
plish their object, they conceived that it would :be biu„:,
expedient, most consistent, anal Most .honourable thern,,,`i4
well as most satisfactory to their constituents, to abandon V:`o,
'proceSs, convinced as they were, not 'only that it would not ,1e
in any shape aid them, in the attainment of an.alteration.Of
Sett of the Burgh, but that, in point of fact, it operated are
serious bar in the way of their ulterior' proceedings. "With !:;(1.
gard to the-request with which they bail 'formerly • acce,-45-n4llcl
their propositionfor a settlement with the .51agistratese—thut .
.should concur in an application -in' the proper quarter fbr.
alteration of the Sett, the :Committees were priaty well
vinced,. that such consent would either nbt be granted at a0,0,..-11
• that, if it were granted, the parties would-agree only to
minor points, .to-render that course nlore injurious that'o
sirable ; and that it was far better to refrain from urging, 1,
,condition, in the confident hope, that whatever was. just and "
pedient •woula be granted by:Parliament.
They were. moreoyer doneons, as •citi.ren-of :F.dinburehl
terminate the dissensions and discord which these legal Pwcce,ie
ings oc'easioned, its soon as they were convinced that no bets`
ciat resnlywae to be expected from them. ll
They therefore adopted the rhonsitre of 'appointing 3 STL•11!
Committee, to confer with a Comrotttee of the Town Cono',o,
which has led to thew:eon being conipromistd-and witl,idrsse
on the coof,ition of .11001. of expences 'being-paid by the
gistrates to the pursuers. •
.mo°
• The Committees do now therefore.lay before their co°4`:',,ced
this-Report of their • proe eedings• t and 'being', fully e°l:poet,
-
that the stage at which they have now arrived-is -a.trlot„iis ;6'
ant one, ants thatethe-state of matters is now more proP—..,-,,,eioe,
the wishesl of their fellow-citizens than at any Rainiere-zojoit
they strongly razornmerld that iroanediate and earnest. appl=e ,t of
should be made to Parliament for -ah alteration of the
the Burgh, by all the Publid'Botlies of this city,
mearn 'should forthwith be talon. for matting a Bill,
this alteentien raay be eflixted.". „
The Committees hope that this 'example' -411 be tb",°` they,
the litwgesses of every Burgh . in the kingdom
-;tv to ir"'
.on their part, authorise. some peraans 'in ibis L• . !jure'',
and ti-..
-a 'AI to the ci•aes of the several disteicts -of 1-1_0,41
that fo.toe grievances complained of being. adequately, e
necessity being admitted of re-Moving many toner
ly: nn eVils, these- Burghs may prepared to' state tl _
.in which they conceive -that this can hest.be accomplisbe

gr.
Oa the I le, is
, ist., in Carmarthen-ztreet, Ilia La.lY of
Joseph Browne, of a son.

OD IVetlnes day, the 11th instant. at- Newiejton,
Home:rsharni a,cd 714, forigitr)i.of .114tirgarGt' s '
Southwark.
"

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