The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-06 00:00:00

COURT OF SEWERS

A Court of Sewers for the City and Liberty of Westminster,
and part of the County of Middlesex, was held yesterday, at
the Sewers'-office, Greek-street, Soho-square. This being the
first Court held in the new year, at which the annual nomina-
tion of Chairman for the year ensuing takes place, there was
an unusually full attendance of Commissioners.
F. L. DONALDSON, Esq., took the Chair at twelve o'clock,
and some of the routine business of the Court having been
di•posed of, at two o'clock announced that the time had now
arrived when it became the duty of the Court to elect their
Chairman for the year ensuing. In retiring from the office the
Court had conferred upon him for the last year, he begged to
return his thanks to every member of the Court for the kind-
ness he had met with, and the disposition that had been shown
to aid and assist him in the arduous duties he had to perform.
Mr. Donaldson then retired, and Mr. Willoughby was una-
nimously cal'ed to the Chair.
At this time among the Commissioners present, we noticed
Mr. Tufnell, M. P., and the Hon. Fred. Byng.
On .‘.r. Willoughby taking the chair, and the question of the
election of a Chairman being put,
Mr. LESLIE wished to know under what statute or authority
they elected a Chairman for a year. He greatly deprecated
the election of a perpetual Chairman, believing it to be bad in
principle and injurious to the public good. He felt persuaded
that it would be much better that the Court should elect its
Chairman every day. The adoption of such a course, he be-
lieved, would be most salutary—would expedite the business of
the Court, and would relieve it of many of the evils by which
it was at present surrounded. It was his firm belief, and,
until he was convinced to the contrary, lie shculd maintain it,
that the evils and mischiefs to which the Court had been ex-
posed arose mainly through the Chairman being a permanent
officer. Many things had been done under the autho-
rity of the Chairman which had been totally unknown to
the Court arid quite inconsistent with the Statute of Sewers.
He thought the Court ought to pause and consider well before
they appointed a Chairman, whether they should elect him
for a twelvemonth or a day. He thought it unwise and inex-
pedient to appoint an annual Chairman.
Sir J. J. HANsLER moved that T. L. Donaldson, Esq.,
the late Chairman, should be appointed to that office for the
year ensuing.
Mr. W. B. FAA NCE seconded the motion.

Mr. TUFNELL wished to say nothing in disparagement of
their late Chairman, but he must be allowed to say that he
could not altogether agree with the principle of the Chairman
conducting the proceedings of the Court upon questions pro.
posed and brought forward by himself—( Hear, hear)—and, in
fact, sitting both as judge and jury on his own case.—( Hear,
hear.) He thought some alteration in the constitution of the
Court in thin respect ought to take place, and if something were
not done on the subject, he should feel it to be his duty to bring
it forward by a specific motion.
The CHAIRMAN trusted that the Hon. Commissioner would
put his threat in execution, because he felt if he did so, he
would discover that it was necessary that the Chairman should
take the conduct, in many instances, of the business of the
Court and the public.
Mr. LESLIE would assert, without the fear of contradiction,
that the Court had no authority under the Statute of Sewers, to
elect a permanent Chairman.—(Hear, hear.) Their clerk
was the responsible person, he was recognised by the courts of
law, while the Chairman was rot—( Hear, hear)—and any
mistake that was made would be visited on the clerk, and not
upon the Chairman. Under these circumstances, he should
move as an amendment—" That the Court had no authority
under the Statute of Sewers to appoint a permanent Chairman,
and that no such appointment should be made."

Mr. A'Beces.ri 'seconded the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN had no hesitatitin in deciding that the
amendment could not be put according to the bye-laws.
Mr. BYNo agreed with the Chairman, that in point of form
the amendment could not be put, but at the same time he felt
bound to state that he thought the worthy Commissioner, Mr.
Leslie, right in stating that the Chairman ought to be appointed
daily. He thought, however, that so important a subject
ought to be made the subject of a specific motion. He must
confess that he had witnessed on certain occasions a species of
whipping-in of Commissioners, which could never take place if
their Chairman was elected daily.—(Hear.)
Mr. J. GuNTER supported the amendment.
After a few observations from Mr. Bitecll,
HAWKES said that he felt compelled to. hold up his hand
against the nomination of a fixed Chairman. in doing so he
meant no disrespect to their late Chairman, but he thought the
time had arrived when the subject of the election of Chairman
ought to be well considered. He considered it unjust to the
public and the members of that Court to give such extensive
powers to their Chairman.—(Hear, hear. )
Mr. LESLIE wished to know from the Chairman whether he
refined to put his amendment ?
The CHAIRMAN felt bound to say he could not put it.
Mr. LESLIE said that he would get rid of the objection of
the Chairman by stating that his worthy friend to his right,
Mr. Tufnell, had agreed to be put in nomination, not for the
purpose of being appointed Chairman, but, merely to raise the
question whether the election of Chairman should be annual or
daily. He also wished to give notice that it was his intention
at another Court to move the alteration of the 17th bye-law.
Sir J. J. HANSLER considered that the Court ought to know
whether the gentleman who had been proposed by Mr. Leslie
would serve if elected.

Mr. BEECH considered that frankness, candour, and English-
like honesty required that the candidate for the Chair should
state whether, if elected, he would serve or not.
Mr. TUFNELL, M.P., trusted if he was elected that his
conduct would show whether he was willing to serve or not.
The CHAIRMAN said that there could be no doubt that the
course taken by Mr. Leslie was one that was consistent with
the practice of the Court. Another candidate for the Chair
having been named, the only question was as to the day on
which the ballot for the Chairman should take place.
A long discussion took place, which terminated in the fol-
lowing arrangement---that on Friday, the 12th inst., Mr. Leslie
should bring forward his motion for rescinding the 17th bye-
law with regard to the election of Chairman, and that the
ballot for that election should take place on Friday,;the 19th.
Mr. LESLIE gave notice of his intention at the next General
Court to move to rescind the orders of the Special Court of
the 22d of December, 1843, as to the appointments of a new
Assistant-Surveyor and a fourth Clerk of the Works, because—
First, The repeated statements of the late Chairman of the
area of the Eastern, Western, Ranelagh, and Counter's Creek
Districts being 25 square miles, of which the Clerks of the
Works

Mr. Bell has to superintend 9 square miles,
Mr. Jenkins has to superintend 9 square miles,
Mr. Aslat has to superintend

25 square miles,
are most inaccurate, the Chairman being in error in the su-
perficial measurement of the four districts at least 28 millions
of square 3ards.
Second, That such appointments by the Special Court afore-
sa;d, if carried out, would be illegal, contrary to the orders of
Court, the statutes, the laws, ordinances, and constitution of
sewers.

The other routine business of the Court having been dis-
posed of, the Court adjourned at a late hour to Tuesday, the
9th, at eleven o'clock, when Mr. Leslie brings forward his 27
dreaded resolutions for purging the Court of Sewers of many
of its impurities.
Mr. Willoughby was in the chair to the rising of the Court,
Mr. Donaldson did not make his appearance after his retire-
ment in the early part of the day.
From the feeling exhibited in the Court to-day, if Mr.
Leslie persist in his motion of nominating Mr. Tufnell, there
is every probability of that gentleman filling the most unen-
viable post of Chairman of the Court of Sewers for the City
and Liberty of Westminster, and part of the county of Mid-
dlesex.