Star.
London, England, 1830-06-25 00:00:00

FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 25, IMO.

ELECTION OF SHERIFFS.

Yesterday being Midsummer Day, the Livery assembled in
Common Hall to elect Sheriffs for London and Middlesex for
the ensuing year. There was an immense attendance of the
electing.

The RECORDER read the list, on which a number of names ap-
peared, and the Sheriffs announced that the election fell upon
Thomas Flight, Esq. and Archdall Palmer, Esq. A poll was then
demanded upon the parts of P. H. Martin, Esq. and J. Woolley,
Esq. (as we understood in the great bustle of the hall.) Mr. Flight,
whose name did not appear upon the list, had for his proposer Mr.
Jupp, the Common Councilman, and for his seconder Mr. Deputy
Brook.

Mr. CHAPMAN MARSHALL, who had been solicited to stand,
begged to be excused for a year or two, when he should •oluntarily
fill the office, and use his utmost exertions to please and benefit his
fellow-citizens.

Notwithstanding this appeal, Mr. Marshall would either have
had to serve or to pay, had it not been for a mistake that occurred
in the hall with respect to Mr. Palmer, whose name was confounded
with that of a candidate for one of the inferior offices, and who htd
a great number of Mends in attendance.

When the time for the appointment of aleconners arrived,

Mr. Huw r asked what the duties of aleconners were. He had
heard that it was their duty to go round to the different public.
houses of the city of London, and taste the ale.—(laughter.) When
had they performed the important duty of reporting where poisonous
stuff was sold ? The livery had seen that hundreds of publicans
had been fined for mixing deleterious ingredients with their ale, but
they had never found that the aleconners were those who detected
the offence. No, no ; the duty of the aleconner was to take
bribes of the publicans.—{hisses, and laughter, and applause.)
He would turn all the present aleconners out, and not send
in any new ones, for it was a moat scandalous and disgrace.
ful robbery upon the public. It was a part of the present sys-
tem, which worked amongst the corporation, from the highest to the
lowest. (A great row.) He could prove it beyond all doubt. He
would take the chief office as an instance. It was a part of the duty
of the Lord Mayor to see that no unwholesome corn was received
into the city of London. Did the livery ever hear of his lordship's
tasting the corn and distinguishing between the good and the bad ?
(Loud laughter.) No ; the captain of the cargo waited on him with
a sample, and paid him a bribe, so that the whole system, from the
top to the bottom of the corporation, was base and corrupt in the
last degree.:
The als conners were then appointed.
Some names were then put up for the office of auditors, but Mr.
HUNT proposed Mr. W. Allen and Mr. H. Perry, two gentlemen
who, he said, would perform the duties faithfully and gratuitously,
as those who had just resigned. The election immediately fell upon
the two just named. There was a good deal of squabbling at this
period between Mr. Dixon, the Common Councilman, and Mr.
Hunt, in which the word " blackguard" was used by both parties.
The latter told the livery that there were several bullies around him,
but the day for bullying had gone by. He had shown to the citi-
zens of London that they were annually plundered, and be should
be ready to meet any of those who now reviled him, in the morn.
ing, either as a gentleman or a blackguard.
Nothing was said in answer to this challenge, except by 31r.
Dixon, who said he was willing to have it decided by the livery I*
whom the palm belonged as a blackguard. Mr. Hunt was anxious
to have the question put, but
Mr. FLIGHT put an end to the discord, by standing forward to
return thanks, and to assure the livery that he should use every ex-
ertion to perform the duties of the office to the satisfaction of the
livery.

WlLLiaxs, of Watling-street, one of the retiring auditors,
stood forward to present the report. The expenses were represented
as similar to those of former years, and the auditors complained of
them as being, in some respects, enormous, and in others wholly un.
necessary. The produce of the mayoralty they stated to be annually
11,0421; and after commenting upon this sum, which reached the
mayoralty through several channels, they alluded to an item which
they could not at all comprehend, although they had asked every
body about it. He meant the sum of 1001. "in lieu of furniture to
the Mansion. House." They had ascertained that, within sixteen
years, upwards of 15,0001. had been expended in furnishing that
building—a sum nearly equal to that which the chief magistrate
of Bow.street received for all Ms services during that period. Mr.
Williams observed, that the corporation moved tightly together,—
there was no straggling, and there was therefore considerable diffi-
culty in getting hold of the items of their expenditure. He read an
account of the salaries of some of the principal officers. The audi.
tors had particUlarly examined the condition of the extensive but
apparently unproductive property of the corporation at the west end
of the town, and they agreed, that if proper caution and skill had
been used with respect to that property, the Chamber of the
city would present a very contrasted appearance from that which
it now made to those who suffered by the mismanagement. The
auditors next looked at the trade in freedoms. They were
of opinion, that it was a great hardship upon poor tradesmen to
be obliged to pay for their freedoms—a most harsh toll upon those
who struggled to live upon manual labour. Mr. Williams thee
adverted to the balance stated by the report to be often in the hands
of the City Chamberlain, and complained of the practice of leaving
so large a balance as 114,0001. at the conclusion of one year under
such circumstances. He admitted the high respectability of the'
venerable man; but the precedent was a bad one, and ought to be
checked at once. He beged to call the attention of the -livery to
some items which would_ serve as a comment upon others of a
more serious amount. It was well known that the retiring audi-
tors, as well as those who had preceded them, never ate or
drank at the expense of their fellow.citisens (cheers); and yet there
was a charge for three city carvers to the auditors of the accounts,
of 61. (Loud laughter, and cries of " Starving auditors !") The
captains of the barges, too, and the watermen, had sums opposite to
their names, for every voyage, although they bad salaries, and the
sum of 1351. was charged for conveying the Lord Mayor on that
long and perilous voyage from Blackfriare.bridge to Westminster..
bridge. Mr. Williams concluded an able speech upon the alleged
mismanagement of the city funds, by observations upon other items
in the accounts, which nothing but the livery themselves could in.
fluence the corporation to scout ftom the sanctioned list of charges.
(He was loudly cheered.)
Mr. HON? addressed the livery.—There was, he said, one
document of great importance alluded to by Mr. Williams—namely,
that the City Chamberlain had at the end of one year (1828) a be..
lance in his hands of the city money amounting to 114,0001 This
fact was now admitted by that officer ' • but it would be recollected
that when he said the same thing on former occasions, the paltry
fellows around him gave him the lie. Could they now say that
he had told them a falsehood, when he had their own officer to eoe-
robo.vte him ?—(cheers, mixed with hisses and laughter.) He
knew the Chamberlain to be an honourable man, but he would not
therefore conceal the truth. The man was old, :and must soon die.
Now suppose Mr. Clark had, at his death, one of those enormous
balances in his possession, what might not his executors do with it ?
(Cheers.) Might they not think lit to throw it into that place, of
the difficulty of redeeming it from which he should say no more than
just name the Court of Chancery? (Loud laughter, cheers, and
hisses.) How were they to get their money in such an event ? He
would ask the law-officers. (Ile here turned round to the Recordee.)l
Nu answer. Why, when hr spoke to the City Chamberlain on that
subject, chat gentleman declared that he had no idea that he ever bad
such a balance in his hands. 3lr. Hunt concluded by calling upon
the livery to secure themselves against such an emergency as M
described.
Thanks were then voted to the retiring auditors ; ants similar
compliment having being paid unanimously to the two retiring
sheriffs, the Hall broke up.

CITY AUDITORS' WORT.

The following report was presented by Mr. Williams at the Com.
mon Hall yesterday t
-

_ .
THE AUDITORS' REPORT.
That the city account laid before us to audit was the 31st account
of Richard Clark, Esq. chamberlain of this city, from the Ist day of
January to the 31st day of December, 1828, both inclusive, which
we have accurately examined, and find
That the balance in the hands of the Chamberlain, on the 31st of
December, 1827, was 5491. 10s. lid.
That the receipts of the year ending the 31st of December, 1828,
consisted of—
C. a. d.
Rents and quit-HRH .. .. .. 49,853 19 10*
Mat kets' tolls, offices, and bequats . ... 02,301 7 4
Brokers' rents and admissions . .. 2,557 0 0
Sale of freedoms .. .. . .. 8,900 0 0
Fees on freedoms, enrolments, &c. ... ... 1,391 110
Casual receipts ... .. .. ... I,BM 13 si
Reins. &c. navigation of the river Thames ... 1,279 11 6
Sales and alienations of offices . .. 50 0 0
Fines for leases ... ... ... 1,791 16 8
Insurances of officers' lives .. ... 304 10 9
Interest on Government securities ... .. 1,053 19 II
Sale of premises ... ... .. ... 82 11l 0
Money borrowed for the completion of the new
Fleet.rnarket . ... .. 40,000 0 0

Making together ... 174,412 17 31
Which with the aforesaid balance in hand of

5491. 103. 81d. Is ... .. ... 174,962 8 01
That the payments of the said year consist of the
following items of disbursements :
Payments to the Orphans' Fund. ... ... 11,500 0 0
Rents, quit rents, taxes, &c. ... ... 2,359 13 11
Mansion-house expenses .. ... .. 2,964 5 0
Expenses of magistracy and police .. 9,938 7 5
Expenses of the several prisons, &c. ... ... 20,296 4 1
Expenses of the conservancy of the river Thames 4,281 18 9
Artificers' and tradesmen's bills . • ... 6,350 11 4
.. Market charges ... • • 3,794 7 10
Law and parliamentary expenses • • ... 5,907 11 2
Return of duty of corn imported ... .. 559 3 3
Charitable donations, petitions, &c. .. 1.757 2 5
Salaries and allowances .. .. 22,744 14 1
Sundties, disbursements per order of the Court of
Aldermen ... ... ... ... 393 19 10
Sundry disbursements per order of the Court of
Common Council, including
Allowances to committees, printing, &c. ... 9,794 19 101
Purchase of the right of alienation of the officers of
the Lord Mayor's boumehold ... ... 7,719 9 10
Bequests ... ... ... ... 786 5 6
Annuities, and interest on money borrowed .. 13,626 19 2
Purchase of securities .. ... .. 1,879 2 10
Debts discharged ... ... .. ... 16,250 0 0
Transferred to the new Fleet.market fund, for com-
pleting the said market .. ... ... 31,000 0 0
-------
Amounting together to .. ... 173,975 17 6
'
Leaving a balance in the bands of the Chamber.
lain on the 31st of December, 1828, of .. 985 10 61
The Bridge.house account laid before us to audit was the account
of Lewis Lewis and William Oilman, the Bridge-masters or War-
dens, from the Ist day of January to the 31st day of December,
1828, both Inclusive, which we have accurately examined, and find—
That the belt:nee cash in hand on the 31st of De. Z. a. d.
cember,llB27, was ... ... —. .. 2024. 14 31
That the rents and other receipts of the year ending
the 31st of December, 1828, were ... ... 32,231 834

Making together ... ..E31,1166 271
That the disbursements of the said year, including
dm awn of 22,287 L 7a. flid. transferred to the
account for rebuilding London bridge, pur-
suant to the act of 4 Geo. IV. are 30,1136 4 71
And the remainder will be the balance in bawd on

the Slut day of December, 1828 ... ... 3,319 18 0
We find 6501. was paid to the Bridge-house Committee, for which
no particulars of disbursements were produced.
In the course of our examination we found the following sums
were paid as salary and allowances to the Lord .Mayor :
His regular salary . 15,822 8 4
From the Bridge-house estate
For breakfasts and dinners in attending Courts of Con
servancy on the river Thames
Sundry expenses at the Manaion. house
Fitting up Guildhall on Lord Mayor's-day......... 410 16 11
For sundry sums paid in lieu of table at the Man-
sion-house
Repairing his stables
Votes of thanks on vellum 3B 17 0
A damask entertaining gown 39 4 0
Gold lace for ditto
In lieu of providing furniture at the Mansion-house 100 0 0

£11,042 18 3
The purchase of the right of alienation of the officers
of the Lord Mayor's household
To which add a very considerable sum for the expenses of the
Lord Mayor's or City barge.
We find there arc a very great number of officers, clerks, and
servants of the corporation, many of whom are receiving very large
salaries, besides numerous fees and allowances of various kinds,
amounting, together with the above, to upwards of 60,0001. a year.
There are also numerous other salaries, fees, and allowances, amount-
ing to a large sum, which do not appear in those accounts.
We find the following amongst many other tradesmen's bills :
X r. d.
George Colebatch, carpenter ... ... 3,800 0 0
Samuel Elliott, painter ... 1,219 2 6
Arthur Taylor, printer ... 980 2 0
Jonathan Ede, smith ... 1,102 6 0
John Rider, or printing sermons .. 70 14 0
W. L. Newman, solicitor ... ... 4,882 9 3
Of which law expenses of Alderman Winchester, in his contest
with Mr. Wilde, amounting to 1,5001. form a part, we understand.
Theestates and leasehold property of the city are composed of about
6,090 tenements and houses, (producing a rental of 46,8531. 19s.
100.) a very large portion of which are let on most ruinous terms.
That which is described to be situated in Conduit-weed, comprising
about 600 houses in Haaover.square, Maddox-street, Albemarle-
street, Grafton-street, Bond-street, Conduit-street, and several other
streets in that neighbourhood, is let for 3,4361.45. bd. per
annum
for ever, upon leases renewable every 14 years, by paying a pre-
mium every 14 years, equal to from five to seven years' rent, which
averages less than 61. a year each, and a premium of about 381.
every 14 years, !Or houses which are let in many instances at from
2001. to bOOL per annum.
We find the property within the city to consist of about 2,000 to
nements or houses, which are let at a rental of 33,3661. ls. sd.
averaging less than 171. each; they are situated in evey part of the
city, many of them in the most public thoroughfares and best situa-
tions for business, and are now worth in many instances 1001. to
21101. per annum. A great portion of them are let upon similar
terms to the Conduit-mead estate, with this difference, that in the city
leases the premium payable every 14 years equal to 7 years' rent,
may be paid at any period within 61 years, by paying ft per cent. in.
terest from the end of every 14 years. The consequence of this en.
rious system of letting property is frequent compromising with the
tenants upon the best terms that can be obtained.
We find there is a charge of 111.45. made to every tenant for his
lease, exclusive of the stamp, which is divided amongst various of.
ficers and clerks of the corporation, who derive from this source
very large income: the precise amount weave unable to ascertain;
but from the Conduit-mead estate alone they receive upwards of
6,0001. every fourteen years, and taking that estate to contain about
GOO houses, it forms only about one-tenth of the whole number of
houses belonging to the city. Most of those officers and clerks re-
ceive large salaries and fees and allowances besides. This charge
being considerably more than is commonly paid, it is unjust towards
the tenants particularly, as the only difference between the new and
the old leases, in many instances, is merely inserting $ different
name and year. We also think it a great hardship upon tradesmen
and labourers, who, in order to obtain the means cf subsistence
within the city, are compelled to take out their freedoms, to boob.

Balance 4.314.604 8 11
Of which balance about 40,0001. was expected to 1a,., called for an 4
few days.
We find the city is in debt to the amount of 256,5141. 10s. 50
and it has come to our knowledge that the sum of 431,0001 In..
been borrowed upon the Bridge-house estre Cu building the Le ..
London-bridge, besides 1.000,01101. sterling to make the appro.'. dt .
thereto, on the security of the Orphans' Fund.
In the prosecution of our office, we find the following sum,. haac
been paid into the Chamberlain's hands, of which nu particulars 01
any kind have been submitted to our inspection and examination :
Tolls, &c. collected for improving the navigation 1:, s. d.
of the river Thames westward of London-bridge 16,200 12 3
Sewers' Rate .. .. ... 12,304 IS 10
Consolidated rate for paving, cleansing, and light
..
log the city .. ... 53,960 2 It
The Orphans' fund, being a duty of 10d. per chal-
..
tiron on coals ... .. 62,582 13 21,
Duty on wine ... ... ... 4,480 12 2i
To this fund every apprentice on being bound pays 2s. 6d. and
every freeman taking out his freedom pays ss.
We further report, that the Chamberlain paid away in the year
1828, 12,7581. 2s. 7d. without having received particulars of tli!.-
bursements, namely—
To the Keeper of Newgate .. ... £l,OOO 0 0
..
Ditto Whitecross.street Prison ... 1,200 011
I tint) 0 iltsitur-s t reet ... ... 1,200 0 to
Ditto Borough Compter ... .. 200 0 41
To extra Constabks by order of the Lord Mayor 3,480 11 4
To Frederick Temple, hall-keeper, by order of the
Committee of City Lands ... ... ... 1,600 0 0
To the City Lands' Committee ... 750 0 0
To other Committees ... ... ... 2,250 0 U
To Deputy Dar, for {summer's excursion for the
Commissioners of Senn
To the Library Committee

150 0 0
:;27 11 G

X 12.758 2 7
In their report. the auditors of last year noticed that it had come
to their knowledge that a large sum was received yearly from pei.
suns holding property on the banks of the Thames, for lines and
othet payments for permission to make encroachments on the
river, we find under this head a credit given in the Chamberlain's
account for 1,2721. Ils. Bd. and upon inquiry, are informed this is
the first time this item has appeared in those accounts, but we are
told that it has in fanner years been appropriated in aid of an Act
of Parliament fund for keeping up the navigation of the Thames.
We finally report that the account laid before us to audit is the
account of the year 1828, which was laid before the Common Coun-
cil, and ordered to be printed nine months before it was submitted
for our inspection, although the Common Hall passed a resolution
last Midsummer-day, requesting the Chamberlain to have his ac-
counts in readiness to be submitted to the examination of the audi-
tors at least one year whir.

(Signed) W. WILLIAMS,
D. BARRETT, I.Auclitors
J. HAOOJTT,

REGISTER OF PUBLIC SALES, June 24.

AUCTION MART.

Mr. HO6GART.--.1 Freehold and Copyhold Estate in the pa-
rishes of Kelmle, Knoddishall, and Saxmundham, Suffolk, com-
prising a house with domestic ofkesi large gardens, stabling, and
farm buildings, and 230 acres of arable and pasture land ; let at
2351. to 1831 ; quit rents 31.3 x. M. per annum. Knocked down
at 6,9001. _ _

The Freehold Giddy Hall Estate, Little Clanton, Essex, com-
prising a farm-house, buildings, and 122 acres of arable and pasture
and, let to Michaelmas, 1827 at 1201. a-year-3,5501.
Mr. W. W. Six rsox—The Leasehold Sulphuric Acid Factory,
premises, dwelling-house, &c. &c. near the Bridge, Battersea; held
for 57 years from 1824, at 50L per annum-9801.
MESSRS. MORRIS (OF MAIDITOXE)—A Freehold Residence.
stabling, conch-house, buildings, flower and kitchen gardens, and
meadow land, in all 10 acres, at Ashtead village, near Epsom ; fix-
tures to be taken at a valuation-1,9001.
The Freehold Cophall and part of the Home Farm in the pari-It
of Marden, Kent, comprising the farm-house, buildings, &c. and
103 acres of arable, meadow, and wood land; land tax 41. a-year-
-2,4501.

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ligsd to pay as fees to officers ~. ,af the *.• • t 31,
1101. 4d. which, upon 356 frecdo 3 .4 ibis leaf; •,41•.''', the
sum of 1,4121. 28. 4d. ,
It appears that on the 31st of t a... lain
had a balancein his hands, front va , • , of
the corporation and others, amountinm. J... • • 9 ni
From a hich deduct the amount of monies *dila •
advance on account of other funds ..... .. . . 28.769 0 104