The Sun.
London, England, 1819-09-29 00:00:00

PUHTIt Y.

IMPROMPTU.
The Tintrs, this day, avows its "hogat
And hence Old SATAI'i soon may do the tame;
The Logs are all his Imik, and therefore welt
Might stile tlieir Paper The Gazette of Hell!
4'7-nO2 Corner, Sept. 29.

THE NEW SHERIFFS,.

Yesterday being the day on which the Sheriffs
Elect usually proceed in State to Guildhall, to be
sworn into office ; the LORD MAYOR and diffeient
'City Officers attended as usual in their chat io:s
ott "the occasion, Mr. Alderman RUTH w ELL,
as 'Senior Sheriff, appeared in a most elegant
carritge with splendid decorations, and was
attenired es his Under Sheriff, by Mr. Tur-
ner, a Gentleman of the legal Profession who
had dis• Charged the same duty for the late
Mr. Sheriff fiOnEaTS. Many of Mr. ROTIIt%'ELL'S
friends joi,ed in the Procession, and among
the rest the Common Councilmen of the IVorthy
Alderman's Ward in four carriages and four ; the
drivers handsomely accoutred in uniform. Alto-
gether this part of the spectacle was more than
usually grand and imposing, and it was rendered
the more striking by the appearance of the other
new Sheriff, in a miserable Hackney-coach, at-
tended as his Under Sheriff by a person named
Jackson, when report states to be a discarded
Publisher of Cobbett's Two-pinny Register !
The LORD N 1 AYuR, on eructing the Hall, was
greeted With those disgraceful outcri..3, which a
set of Ruffians, to the utter disgrace of the City
of London, are in the constant habit of venting On
its Chief M 414 nitrate. These persons depot con-
sider, that by law they are individually liable to
he whipped and set in the storks for such an of-
fence ; and ii is perhaps, ti, be regretted that for
the sake of esample the law is not enforced on
one or too of them, especially on those whose
station in life renders their cowardly insults on
rank and office the tnore disgraceful His Lord-
ship, howeser, scented to disdain their impotent
malice and proceeded with the utmost coolness to
di3cLarge the duties of the day.
Procl.onstion being made, calling on Richard
Rothwell. Esq. Alderman, and Joseph Wilfred
Parkins. Esq. to take upon themselves the office
of Sheriffs, these Gentlemen advaoced towards
the front of the Hustings, when :11r, Parkins
turned round and addressed the Lord Mayor as to
his claim of seniority.
The Recorder—lt is contrary to the law of the
land, and the municipal law of the City, to allow
the seniority [tow contended tor. Alderman Roth-
well must he sworn the first.
Mr. Parkins—Then I protest against it.
consider it Wilval rantable, and I know of no law
which can deprive me of what I consider to be
my right.
The Recorder—Swear Alderman Rothwell,
The Lord Mayor—The Recorder is my legal
adviser. I am not of myself competent to decide
the question, but I have no doubt there is some
tribunal where it can be decided.
Mr. Parkins—l have a duty to perform for the
Livery of London, and I am determined to do it.
Here is my protest.
The Lord Mayor.--I have nothing to do with
it, and cannot receive it.
The Recorder.--Such proceedings are very un-
usual. Let them be sworn ; Alderman Rothwell
first.

Mr. Patkins.—Then as it will not be accepted,
I shall leave it on the table.
The protest having been laid on the table, the
oaths of office were administered, the chains and
other decorations were affixed to the new Sheriffs,
and they severally presented themselves to the as-
sembly. The reception of both was with some
mixture of hisses and applause, but in the in-
stance of Mr. Alderman Rothwell the applause
greatly preponderated.
The new Sheriffs were next called upon to no-
minate their Under Sheriffs, when Mr. Turner,
the present Under Sheriff, was called upon by
Mr. Alderman Rothwell; and Mr. Jackson was
called by Mr. Parkins. Objections were mu-
tually taken by the Sheriffs to the gentlemen
nominated as their Deputies, which led to a
long couvarsation between them. Mr. Turner
had, however, entered his name in the book
kept for that purpose, and Mr. Jackson, upon
proceeding to do the same, was asked his profes-
sion ? to which he replied that he was of no pro-
fession ; and the Recorder stared his opinion, that
Mr. Jackson was therefore ineligible. 111 r. Par-
kins objected to Mr. Turner, as a Gentleman in
whom he could place no confidence ; and Mr.
Jackson was objected to on the other side, be-
cause he was not an Attorney within the imme-
diate control of the Courts, or qualified to execute
a legal judgment.

The Lord Mayor—l Wish to know, Messrs.
Sheriffs, if you he reconciled as to the appoint-
ment of your Under Sheriffs ? for if you be no►
agreed between yourselves, no Under Sheriff at all
can be now sworn.
'he new Sheriffs, upon this, left the hustings,
we suppose, if possible, to agree as to their de-
puties, hut they only remained out a few minutes;
and on their tenni),
Mr. Alderman ItOTHWELL said, My Lord, we
cannot agree.

The LORD MAYOR.-Then, if it is not in your
power to agree, each must make another election.
Mr. TuRNER here endeavoured to address the
Lord Mayor ; but his Lordship said he I►ad no-
thing to do with the matter, and could nut, there-
fore, accede to hearing Mr. Turner.
The new Sheriffs immediately retired to the
Court of Common I'ieas►, when the return of the
prisoners was handed over to them ; after
some time, the Lord Mayor departed in tl►e same
manner as he had arrived —The proceedings were
over about three o'clock —(New Times.)

The (4)1h: wing is a copy of the l'rotest submit-
ted by Mr. PARK! NS :
I, Joseph Wilfred Parkins, do hereby solemnly and pub-
licly pi West against Mr. Alderman Richard Rothwell being
sworn in as senior Sheriff of the City of London and County
of Middlesez, fbr the reasons following:--
Ist, Because my priority of election gives me priority of
rotation, having been elected by the unanimous choice of the
Livery, on the 24411 day of June, 1819, and having entered
into bond to discharge the duties of that office on the 40th
day of July fullowiug whcfea3 the said Alderman Rothweli

• ! seas elected onlv by a rev small stew of hanh,on ttst 26th
of July, that is six days after I had giten a bond, and he
gave bond so lataty at the 14th of the torrent month of Sep-
tember.
2dly. Becante the Act of the CUtilmon Council, pasted in
the year 174S,'cannot affect nay teniority, as that Act only
directs that every Alderman who shall not have served the
office of Sheriff, shall, according to his Seniority in the Court
of Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and before any Commoner, he
put in nomination for the office of Sheriff; and every Alder-
man who shall lie elected shall tape place according to his
seniority in the Court, and have precedence of every Com-
moner; That accordingly, Mr. Aldermen Both well was put
in nomination before Joseph Wilfred Parkins, and rejected by
the Livery, therefore the Act was fulfilled, and if Alderman
Bothwell bad been elected on his first nomination, his seni-
ority might then have been indisputable.
3dly. Because the Act never was intended, nor could it be
legally construed to interfere with a prior election, and de-
prive a Commoner of that seniority which the choice of the
Livery had bestowed, and which, 'by entering into bond to•
discharge the office of Sheriff, had been confirmed before Al-
derman Bothwell bad been, fur the second time, proposed to
the Livery for their approbation.
4thly. Because no Law of tlig Common Council can violate
or compromise the Charter of the City : but, more particularly
110 I Wof the Common Council, ur Representatives of the
Wards, can curtail the chartered privileges of the Livery of
Loudon, who are nut represented in the Court of Consortia
;Ably. Because the Charter of the City of London has direct-
ed the Sheriffs to he freely and indifferentlychosen by tiro Citi-
zens without any restriction, so Joseph Wilfred Parkins was
uoaniumusly chosen and Richard Bothwell rejected, by which
the free and prior choice of the Livery was declared, and the
seniority and precedence of Joseph Wilfred Parkins was esta-
blished; and that any Act of the Cooonou Council which
might be construed to controul the free choice of the Livery,
and give an arbitrary right of precedency to Richard Both-
well, whosu the Livery rejected when they elected Joseph
Wilfred Parkins, must be considered as a curtailment of the
Citizens' 'privilege and choice, in the election of Sheriff, and
as an encroachment on their chartered rights, therefore void,
to all intents and purposes, and enacted without the power of
operation or street.
6thly. Because in entering into an office to which I hare
been elected under charter, by the Livery of London it) Com-
mon Hall assembled, I deny the competency of any other
power or authority than that of the Livery who choose me,
to abrogate their priority of choice and I claim that pri-
ority as my undoubted right, conceiving that if I waved
it, I shout(' not fulfill. the palpable intention of the Li-
very, and should compromise their rights ; therefore I,
Joseph Wilfred Parkins, do hereby demand to be first
sworn into office, and that William Jackson, my Under She-
riff, he also sworn according to usual custom; by which that
priority of precedency ma,,, be confirmed, which the priority
of election had bestowed; and this I now publicly demand in
my own name, and on behalf of the Livery of London, whoce
representative I am, and for the support and lino ern iou oft he
chartered rights and privilege s of the said Livery, in their
free election of Sheriffs, tmencroached on by any self-assumed
authority, and 'unshackled by any laws or regu lin ions to which
they were not parties. J. W. PARIUNS.
Guildhall, Sept. 28, 1819.