The Sun.
London, England, 1820-01-21 00:00:00

COMMON COUNCIL.

A Court of Gammon CUIIIICiI WAS held yester.
day at Guildhall.,

ALLEGED INELIGIBILITY OF A MENIBEIt.

Mr. FAVELL presented a Petition from M. Tip-
per, and others, of the Ward of liread‘street, set-
ting forth that Mr. Samuel 'Elliott, who had been
elected Common Councilman for the Ward, held
the place of tradesman (painter) to the Corpora-
tion, which was, according to a bye-law of, the
Court, incompatible with his office of Common
Councilman, and praying that his election be-de-
clared void. He moved, that the Petition be re-
ferred to the Committee on City Lands.

rT. N. WILLIAms moved, ail intendment,
that the rn4tter be reterred to the Court if
men, on the ground that the Petition had al-
ready beets received and discussed by that Court.

Dlr. Alderman NVOOO contended that the Court
of Aldermen had nothing to do with the matte'.
I rested entirely with the 6otnnion Council them-
selves. The Court of Aldeinten had only to de-
clare whether Mr. Elliott was duly elected, and
thst fact being out of question, it Only remained
for the Court of ComMOn Cunt►ctl to COilstder
whether there Was any tt•ing in their own bye-
laws o bitir prevented Mr. Dhoti from holding
►he t‘vo offices of menthcr of and tradesman to the

Mr. GlumTu contended that Mr. E;liottitad
a.perfect tight to his seat.
The byr-lake or standing order uhicli had been
rtierred. to was read. It tv:ts dated 1777, and
declared, among other thing, expressly, that
whenever a trachscnan accepted the ()lice of Com•
'not) Councilman, his office ht. rades md.ll was there-
by yacated.
Mr. DIXON observed, tinat the matter had been
bronght before the Aldermen in a tl.l'ierent shape
troth that in Which it could be taken ttin by. the
Court. The Aldt men had only to determine oun-
ce! ning the due election of the Member—the Com-
mon Council Whether his pldt-e was vacated.

A Mgm'sza'observed, fiat the Court could do
no other than declare the place of painter vacant.
Mr: .ages said,- that as many Members of the
Cow t were itrthe same sitavion as 51r. Elliot,c,
to avoid the appearance of partidny,they, should
appoint a 'Committee to examine It ow far the
standing - ordets of the Court had been complied
with. •

Mr. AldermatOVAlTkimaN approved of this sug-
gestion, and thought tile matter should he taken
up generally, though he was not aware that many,
or any other "Members of the Court stood in the
situation in which Mr.,Elliort was said -to stand.
He remembered that when he entered the Court
25 years ago, nothing so lunch disgusted him as
the appearance, on. any vacancy of offices at the
disposal of the Court, of Members of the Court as
Candidates, who by.their exertions in canvassing
interrupted all public business. He had moved
Standing. Orders to prevent the recurrence of
those scene, and he thought it roost essential that
they and other similar Standing Orders should be
maintained, to prevent the Court from becoming
a scene of. most profligate jobbing.
Mr. FAS' ELL thought the course imposed upon
hint bribe words of the Standing Order, was to
move the Court to declare the office of painter
vacant.

111 r. T. N. WILLIAms Objected to this, as a trio
summary proceeding agaiust a person who had
perhaps unwittingly fallen into a spate.- -
Mr. Huttcomlze thought the words of the Or-
der. were so plain, that the Court had do choice
but to proceed to a new election.

Mr. ELLZOTT declared his ignorance of the
Standing ()oder. 'He -had known a tradesman of
the Court elected who had continued to' enjoy
the office.

Mr. JAcxs said, he was ignorant of the existence
of the Older.

lt,was finally referred to a Committee to en-
quire whether any Members of the Court " q(ere
ineligible to hold the of of tradesmen of the
Court i"
ALLEGED NEGLIGENCE OF ALDERMEN.

Ml'. °LIMAN presented 8 Petition from eight
Citizens, Jurors et the Adjourned Loudou•Sea-
sions in December last, wdo stated, that having.
been sun►moued to attend at those Sessions, and
having attended accordingly, they were, after
waitieg for more than an hour, dismissed by the
Recorder, because' two Aldermen could not be
found to open the Court, and the Sessions were
adjourrKd for a month, whereby they had lost
their time, the due administration -of justice had
been impeded, and many persons who had been
committed fur simple assaults had suffered incar-
ceration fur want of bail. The Petition having
been read, Mr. 0. 'said it was painful to him to
be obliged to-make remarks which might appear
personal towards individuals for whom he felt a re-
spect It was barely 12 months ago when a similar
oegligettee had beau complained of by kiln to the
Court, when on the 29113 of July the London Sei-
sions were adjourned for want of two Alderititu.
The Court referred it to a Committee to consider
what meaiss Could be taken for securing the re-
gular attendance of the Magistracy of the City.
—The Committee had reported an order of the
Court of Aldermen; that for the prevention of
the like occurrences in future, all the Aldermen
an the rota should be summoned in future. Yet,
notwithstanding this order, the same anomaly
had recurred. The Aliermen on the rota were
John Atkins, the late Lord Mayor, Sir J. E 1...
mer, Aldermen Ansley, Sir C. Hunter, and Hee-
gate. The last, Alderman 11eygate, however. Ile
'understood was present at the Sessions. The
consequence of this culpable neglect bad been,.
that jut y, witnesses, counsel, prosecutors, had
lost their time, and mail prisoners had been
incarcerated for another month who were to
be ptesumed to be innocent, and one of
whoa►, after that imprisonment, was actually
discharged because no prosecutor appearec.
—The Sessions, the Justice, the Old Bailey,
and even that Court had been delayed hour after
hour for want of the attendance of Aldermen, yet
the Court cf Aldermen themselves did not takes
up the matter, or attempt to remedy the evil.
There was, however, a contrast between the con-
duct of the Coin t of Aldermen with regard to the
administration of justice, and on Other occa9ious.
When justice was to be administered two Alder-
men could not be procured but when-a l►toiecu.