Star.
London, England, 1830-04-21 00:00:00

REDUCTION OF CIVIC HOSPITALITY.

The Cottunittee appointed upon Mr. C. Pearson's M -
1:.011:o sit In Guildhall. for examining ir.W the propriety of reducing
the zillowance of the Lord Mayor. and the salaries of the chief City
officer.. has been for some days actively employed; ui salinity, how-
ever, has not been the order of the day.
Mr. PLACOCIL, of Bishopsgate.street, was appointed Chairman.
Mr. Pa ARSON said, his first proposition should refer to the Chief
Officer of the City, whose allowance appeared to him to be much
greater than the condition of the Corporation Funds justified. 1h: '
Lord Mayor's salary had. in consequence of the high price of pro-
visions, and what were considered indisper.sible articles of luxury.
been increased 60:I/. in the year 1805, and in 1811 an additional in.
crease had beet, made to the same amount. for the same reason. The

low price of provisions. &c. howet cr, ncve; produced a corresponding
reduction ; but he trusted that now that an example was set where
the City of London was accustomed to look in vain for precedents,
the work of retrenchment would not fail to exhibit itself. He pro-
posed that the allowance to the lard Mayor should be reduced
ICOOI. a-year. The grounds for that 'Auction were. the low price
of provisions and the increase of certain tees to the Chief Magis-
trate. Part of the income of the Lord Mayor was derived frum the
entrance into port of vessels laden with corn. last year the money
arising front that source amounted to 1,6991 which was paid in
lieu of samples of coin, but the Committee should be fully satisfied
upon that head by the Returns front the Cocket Office. The Cocket
writing of Corn had increased since the opening of the ports 5001.
a-year, and an addition had been made to the perquisites of the
Lord Mayor of a similar sum, on account of the duty on the guag-
ing of oil and wine. Mr. Pearson referred to the regular City Ac-
counts to prove that expenccs were incurred by the Chief Magistrate
which were wholly unnecessary, and in very bad taste.
Against this proposition there was a growl in the committee.
Several members declared if they stinted the Lord Mayor he would
indemnify himself, and have his revenge by a frightful economy in
the larder and cellar of the Mansion-Howe. It was even said that
no fall had taken place in the price of protitions since the periods
at which the allowance had been raised. . .

11r. S. Dixon was decidedly against reducing the allowance or
adopting any measure calculated to lessen the dignity of the Chief
Magistrate Convivial entertainments never failed to restore
the harmony which politic a disagreements occasionally sus-
pended between individuals. It was essential to the mainte.
nance of a gond understanding amongst the members of the Coe.
poration that they should perform those important and agreeable
functions of nature--eating and drinking together. He had long
been in the habit of contributing his share in doing honour to the
ancient and respectable practice, and he hoped to see no check ad.
ministered by the economical discernment of the worthy Member.
If the dinner allowances were not made to the Committees, nobody
could be prevailed upon to attend. He therefore trusted that the
idea of squeezing in the established mode of Civic hospitality
should be altogether abandoned. (Laughter and applause.)
Alderman 'fiionesow said, he was ready to lay before the
Committee, if they should consider it requisite, an account of the
expenses incurred in his Mayoralty; but he by no means in.
tended it to be understood that he pointed to his year as a cri-
terion for the direction of other Gentlemen—on the contrary,
he had incurred expenses, which perhaps he would rot have been
justified in contracting, if be had not been a Member for the City
as well as Chief Magistrate. If he had gone to the seemingly un.l
necessary expense of extraordinary liveries, and in other respects'
given proofs of a fancy for ostentation, he was not to look for in.l
demnitication to the City funds. In the estimate which a Lord
Mayor made of the expenses of the year. it never, he believed, oc.
curred to that Magistrate that in making it he was bound to in-
clude the expenses which he must have incurred in his family, if
he did not fill the chair at all. (hear.)
Ald. COPELAND felt some delicacy in speaking upon the subject,
as he had " not yet" reached the dignity which was so liberally sup-
ported by his fellow-citizens. He felt perfectly satisfied that the
Corporation would, on this occasion, adopt the most judicious course,
and he should continue silent, as lie was to be affected personally by
the result. He, however, could not avoid contrasting, in the Corn.
' mittee the conduct adopted towards the different offices of Sheriff
and Lord Mayor, and to express his astonishment that while the
Corporation thought proper to indemnify the latter so bountifully,
the former was left without any allowance whatever. In his own
cue the expenses of serving the office of Sheriff, and of the election
for the year, amounted to 6,5011. over and above all that he received.
Mr.Peaissort urged the necessity of diminishing the Lord Mayer')
allowance. He proved by quotations from the printed access%
that several of the expences generally reported and believed is
be liquidated out of the allowance, were defrayed independently
by the Chamber. One of the items was 1441. for the Lord
Mayor's " entertaining gown ; " another was 301. for lbw
gown of the Common Crier, who cries aloud to strangers in die
Common Hall, that they must depart on pain of imprisonment.'
From these and several other instances of foolish extravagance,
the general enormity of the expenditure might be conjectured.
Many complaints had been made of the present style of the Mansion.
house ; but that building had cost, in the repairs of itself, and its
furniture and plate, upwards of 2,0001. a-year for the last fifty
years ; so that while for that period the cost of improving the streets
of London amounted to no more than 66,00 W., the residence of the
Lord Mayor caused an expenditure of upwards of 120,0004
The proposition for reducing the Lord Mayor's allowance 1,5001.
a-year, was then put and negatived by 12 to 6.
Mr. Pgaison then moved that a Report be made specifically to
the Court that the Committee would not recommend the reduction
of the Lord Mayor's allowance. He should not propose that the
salaries of the inferior officers should be reduced, as that of the
principal was to remain in sloth gun ; and he wished to have the
directions of the Court as to whether the subject was to be
treated in reference to the fall of prices or not. He considered
that he was involved in consequence of the misrepresentation
of the order of reference. The question appeared to him to have
been decided solely on the ground that the Lord Mayor expended
the amount of his allowance ; and he could not think of trying the
Lord Mayor by one rule and the clerks and servants, &c. by ano-
ther. If the salaries were to be determined by the capability at
persons to spend them, the Committee would not be likely to come
to the decision he sought. He could give proof of that capability
himself. (laughter.)
Mr. PE itTERESA seconded the proposition; but
Mr. T. Woon, who strongly contended against reduction, got
rid of the question by proposing an Adjournment, which was ear.
ried by a considerable majority.
The attempt to reduce the allowances to the several Committees
will, it is believed, share the same fate. Some members have ex-
pressed their determination not to enter upon the usual annual re-
commendation of Reform to Parliament, in the Common Council,
as there seen.s to be a most inveterate objection to the admission of
the principle into the Corporation of London.
The proceedings of the Committee are looked for with the greatest
curiosity.

Fitchland, a Danish writer, had instituted a vet;
minute inquiry into the decreast; which hue taken place
in the produce of grain, as compared with ancient times;
and has adduced a host of curious facts to establish this
cicciinistance, though he confesses that, in every instance,
he cannot tuke upon himself to vouch for their accuracy.
According to the book of Genesis, the soil of Gcrara, a
toa n of the Philistines, yielded one hundred for one ; and
according to Herodotue, the lands near Babylon, which
were irrigated by the canals drawn from the Tigris,
and E rphrates, producedithree hundred for one. Theo-
phrastas, however, records that, with very little atten-
tion, fifty for one could be obtained, and with skilful
cultivation, one hundred. Varro tells ns that, in Syria
and Byzacium (the present site of Tunis), the soil
yielded seed a hundred fold. Strabo relates the same
thing of the land about Leontiom, in Sicily, and also
speaks of the trecentuple produce of the Babylonian
territory, bnt that it was confined to barley alone. Ni..'
buhr, in his Travels, attributes an equal measure of fer-1
tility to the environs of Alexandria,observing that the hard
grain, called dourra, produces 150 for 1 ; that at Tekamn
as many as two hundred, and, at times, even four hundred
seeds were obtained from every grain sown. Sitesoadi
reports (in his sketch of husbandry in the Tuscan do-
minions,) that some districts return one hundred and one
hundresi and twenty fold, and that many parts of Sicily
are of still greater fertility. Frechlaarl is of opinion,
that the ancients pursued a more perfect system of
husbandry than ourselves, and thus endeavours to
account for the amazing fertility of such soils as
were of a naturally productive character. He considers
that, in those parts where there has been a decrease of
this fertility, the fault is ascribable to the husbandman,
said not to the land ; and that where doe pain are taken,
the soil will be found to be as pinball,. as it was io fee-
sun times. As regards the northaraclialnot Pink*.
lady Denmark, w• are told by him that each vale• el
wheat yields eight, and barley between 12 sad .14 use&
though tradition informs as, that Norway and ilkiisesile
oos4 koloorly to ridges twisty-four teid.—Athosasss.