The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-27 00:00:00

COURT OF SEWERS.

A special meeting of the Court of Sewers for the City and
Liberty of Westminster and part of the County of Middlesex,
took place yesterday at the Sewers'-office, Greek-street, Soho,
for the purpose of resuming the consideration of the inquiry
into the accuracy of the documents upon which the Court paid
to the contractors in the year 1843 the sum of 21,7671. 105.4 d.;
to ascertain the authority -of the Court to rasa any " laws,
ordinances, or constitutions," in opi:osition to the general laws
of sewers, as laid down in the statutes and the judicial deci-
sions thereon ; to elect a new assistant surveyor, and also a
fourth cletk of the works.

T. L. Donaldson, Esq., took the chair at 12 o'clock.
Mr. LESLIE deprecated the course that had been pursued on
the present oceasiop, namely, that of tacking on to the pro-
eeedings of a Special Court a contested election.—( Hear. )
The subject that he was about to bring before the Court was
perhaps the most important that had ever been brought before
it, and it was not fair to the public or to himself that they
should be interrupted by an election, which he for one con-
sidered totally illegal. Between two and three o'clock there would
probably be t.wo or three hundred Commissioners come down
to the Court for the purpose of voting, and could any one say
that that would not disturb the calm discussion which ought to
take place on so important a subject. He had at the last
Court objected to this mode being adopted, and he did so still.
He trusted if any inconvenience was found to result from the
election taking place, the Court would allow him.to edjourn
the subject to a future day.
The CHAIRMAN said there could be no objection to the
adoption of such a course. No blame rested with him for the
manner in which the business had been arranged for that day.
Mr. LESLIE, seeing Mr. Smith, the Solicitor to the Com-
missioners, in Court, wished to know why he was in attendance?
The CHAIRMAN said that he was there for the purpose of
assisting the Court upon any legal points, and to answer any
legal questions that might be put to him.
Mr. LESLIE wished to know Mr. Smith's interpretation
of the clause in the contract with respect to the delivering in of
the contractor's bill. The interpretation of the clause was, that
in order that no delay should take place. the contractor
should deliver in his bill every quarter, and that until he had
brought in his bill, he was not entitled to any interest, suppes-
lug it should not be paid for six months.
Mr. SMITH agreed with the worthy Commissioner in that
respect, but he would ask him whether, according to the terms
of the contract, after the bill was delivered, the interest did not
go back to the previous quarter?
Mr. LESLIE then prucceded to argue that tie contractors
had broken their contracts in almost every one of their provi-
aims, that they sent in their bills for work done that was not
completed, that measurements were not made for diggings,
that they had charged for the timber used upwards of
19 per cent. above the contract prices, and they had charged
for carrying away rubbish, which they were not entitled to do.
The Learned Commissioner then examined several of the offi-
cers of the Court to prove these facts, and particularly with
respect to Messes. Hennett's bill far the quarter ending on the
24th of December, 1842, in which 300/. 3s. 70. was charged .
for works in Newton-street, Holborn. From this examina-
tion it appeared that the work was not completed when the bill
was sent in, although it was charged as being se ; that no
vouchers could be discovered is the office for it ; that theca-
tries of the measurement were made two or three days before
it took place ; and that the accounts kept by the dicers, of '
the Court were most irregular, inaccurate, and inconsistent
with facts ; in short, that the accounts, instead of giving a
clear statement of the proceedings of the Commissioners, were
calculated to confuse, l erplex, and mislead the Commissioners.
Th? worthy Commissioner said that every member of the
Court ought to rush forward and do all in their power to put
an end to such a system.
It being two o'clock,
The CHAIRMAN proposed that the Court should now pro-
ceed to the election of a new Assistant Surveyor and fourth
Clerk of the Works.

Mr. LEsLIE felt compelled to express his regret that the
proceedings of the Court had compelled him, and those who
agreed with him, to be present to e itness a proceeding which
they considered illegal. For his own part, he would much
rather that the stilled should be adjourned to another day, that
he and those who thought with him might retire from
the Court. He was willing that the subject should stand over
to any day most convenient to the Court. The worthy Cam-
missioner concluded by proposing that the subject should
be adjourned to Tuesday week at eleven o'clock, on the ground
that the next point he had to bring before the Court involved
a question that could only be answered by Mr. Doull, the
principal surveyor, who was absent from ill-health, and that
the subject could not be calmly considered on a day appointed
for an election of officers.

After some discussion a show of hands was taken upon Mr.
Leslie's proposition, when there appeared—
For l‘lr. Leslie's motion
Against it ...
Majority against Mr. Leslie's motion —I
The motion was consequently lost, and at three o'clock the
election having terminated,
The CHAIR 31 A N stated that the choice of assistant Surveyor
had fallen on Mr. Hawkins, there being for Mr. Pole 15, for
Mr. Hughes 1, and for Mr. Hawkins 31. Mr. Phillips was
elected fourth Clerk of the Works.

- Air. Hawkins and Mr. Phillips were called in and informed
by the Chairman, no doubt very much to their satisfaction,
that they were the successful candidates. Mr. Phillips was
ordered to commence his duties on Monday next, and Mr.
Hawkins on Monday week. After some fnrther discussion, the
subject brought forward by Mr. Leslie was adjourned to Tuesday
week, at eleven o'clock, and the Court adjourned to Friday
next, the 2d of February.

THE WIIEAI TRADE.—An intelligent writer on
the present state and future prospects of the wheat trade afOrints
the late crop to have been a defective one, and is of opinion
that a supply of 3,900,000 quarters of foreign grain will be re-
quired before another harvest can be gathered. To meet this
deficiency there are not more than 350,000 quarters in granary,
so that it follows, as a necessary consequence, that prices of
wheat will, before long, take a high range. To all appearance
the farmers will be rnn out of their stocks by June. The
crops on the Continent are stated to be worse even than those
in this country.—Wilts Independent.—[Even the clodhoppers
won't believe this intelligent writer,)
MILDNESS OF TILE SEASON.—If any proof was want-
ing besides bright sunny days and starry nights of the
mildness of the season, the appearance of spring vegeta-
tion would add its testimony. On Sunday las', several
full blown violets and cowslips were plucked in an orchard
at Galphoy, near Ripon. Not a very usual occurrence IA
the month ofJanuary.— Yor k Courant.