The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-02 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

On Tuesday a Special Court was held, for the purpose
of receiving a report from the Committee for general
purposes, on the petitions of several solicitors to be
admitted attorneys of the Mayer's Court.
The report of the Committee was read, and proved to
be to the effect that the Committee did not consider it
expedient to agree to the applications of the petitioners.
Upon the motion that the Court should agree to the
report,
Alderman WILSON rose to dissent. He could not
see why the Court should put the petitioners to
the heavy expense of applying to the Court of
Queen's Bench for a mandamus, to compel them
to accede to the application, when it was for
an object the most palpably just and necessary. The
recent Act of Parliament provided in the most unequi-
vocal terms, that attorneys who practised in the superior
Courts should have the power to practise in ali the infe-
rior Courts, and contained no clause of reservation. He
should move that the petitioners be admitted attorneys
of the Mayor's Court_

Alderman Sir C. HuNTEn seconded the amendment.

The RECORDER said that without entering into
the merits of the question, he should advise the
Lord Mayor that it was inexpedient to comply with
the request of the petitioners to practise in the
Mayor's Court. The question was one of consider-
able legal difficulty, and that very circumstance
rendered it more necessary that hesitation should
precede decision. His Lordship would assume that by
the general words of an Act of Parliament it could not
be meant to confiscate the offices of four gentlemen who
had purchased those offices from the Corporation.
The Court decided against the prayer of the peti-
tioners, four hands having been held up for the motion
in their favour, and seven having been held up against it.
The Court then adjourned.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
Immediately after the adjournment of the Court of
Aldermen, a Court of Common Council was held.

THE CITY RIGHTS.

Mr. R. L. JONES brought up the report of the
Committee appointed to consider the report of the
Select Committee relative to proceedings having
been instituted in the Court of Chancery, at the
suit of her Majesty's Commissioners of Woods
and Forests, as to the City's rights to the soil
and bed of the river Thames, with power to confer with
her Majesty's Ministers and others on the subject, and
to report thereon. The report certified that the Com-
mittee had proceeded in the reference, and had been
attended by the Recorder, the Remembrancer, and the
Solicitor, and subsequently held a conference with
Sir Robert Peel, which would be likely to lead to
a satisfactory result, and that it was desirable to
open a communication with the law officers of the
Crown ; but the unexpected change which hadi taken
place, and other circumstances having occasioned con-
siderable delay, and the time approaching for filing an
answer to the Bill to provide for the defence, it was re-
quisite that they should be empowered to give the neces-
sary instructions for that purpose.

THE THROWING OPEN OF THE MAYOR'S COURT. ,
Mr. ASRURST then rose,_ and after having made some
allusion to the course just pursued by the Court of Alder•
men on the application of several petitioners to be admitted
attorneys to practise in the Mayor's Court, submitted the
following resolutions to the Court :—" That it is desirable
that the Mayor's Court should be thrown open
.to the
public. That it be referred to a Committee to consider
of the steps necessary for that purpose with reference
to the present and future constitution and practice of
these Courts, and also to inquire what, if any, compen-
sation ought to be made to the couriscr and attorneys of
the Mayor's Court for the surrender of their exclusive
offices, rights, and privileges, or any portion of them."