The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-31 00:00:00

MEETING AT GREENWICH.

A very numerous Meeting of the inhabitants of
Greenwich was held yesterday in the School-room,
near the Church, at two o'clock.

Mr. Churchwarden BAKER was called to the chair.

It will be recollected in February last the Mitre
Tavern and two other houses were destroyed by
fire. It was then thought a most desirable oppor-
tunity presented itself of imp►'oving the town, by
purchasing the ground on which they stood, and
thereby opening a clear view of the church. A
Vestry Meeting was accordingly held on the subject,
and a resolution► passed appointing a Committee to
purchase it of the Trustees of " Roan's Charity."
The Meeting of yesterday, therefore, was to receive
a report of that Committee, likewise the resigna-
tion of Mr. Hammond, one of the Committee, and
other public business.
The regular business of the Vestry having been
gone through,
Mr..LimEs, the Vestry Clerk, read the report of
the Committee, which stated the contract entered
into between the parish and the trustees of Roan's
Charity, for the purchase of ground adjoining the
Church-yard. he amount of money necessary to
complete the improvements was 82161., and the sum
received from the sale of property, and other
sources, amounted to 7450/., leaving a balance of
7661. yet to be provided for. In the expenditure
was an item of " expended for stamps, &c. 2661.;"
this caused considerable murmurings ;—after they
had subsided,

Mr. PENN rose to move that the report be re
ceived ; which having been seconded,
Mr. Moitßis read the following amendment :

" Resolved, That the appointment of Trustees
by the Vestry Meeting on the 28th of May last is
in itself an act at once nugatory and illegal; and
that, consistent with the good sense of this Meet-
ing, a report cannot be received from persons so
constituted."

The reading of this amendment was received with
considerable groaning and dissatisfaction.
Mr. KADWELL then addressed the Meeting. He
was sure the Meeting would think the Committee
and Trustees of the Charity were entitled to their
warmest thanks.

Mr. GRIFFITH said no one had a greater desire
than himself to see improvements, if they could be
accomplished by legal means. How had the feoffees
acted ? NVhy, they had sold a property of the value
of 1901. a year for 3,0401., or 16 years' purchase—
(Hear)—and this, too, without obtaining the con-
sent of the Court of Chancery, which he contended
was absolutely necessary. Another 1,200/. of the
money too, he understood, " had taken to itself
wings, and flown away." He recommended that
the expence of the projected improvements should
be raised by subscription, and the past blotted out
of the book of remembrance. So, said Mr. Griffith,
ends my chapter.
Mr. RuctnE for one, would have no objection to
subscribe 201. towards the improvements, but he
never would consent that the funds of a respectable
charity should be injured.—(Hear and Cheers.)
Captain BARNES, one of the feoffees of the charity,
explained to the meeting, the whole of the negocia-
tions with the parish. He could assure them no•
thing was farther from their intention than to injure
the funds of so excellent a charity, neither (lid they
wish to injure' the parish. The whole loss, by this
alteration, to the charity, would not exceed 81. per
year.—( Hear.)
Mr. HAMMOND contended that the charity would
lose 981. a-year by the improvement, and that the
feoffees had sold property at the rate of sixteen years'
pm chase, when 25 years' purchase might have been
obtained.—( Hear, hear.)—In fact, the property was
estimated worth 370/. a-year, so that the charity
had lost that sum nine times over, for he knew 25
years' purchase might have been realised.—(Hear.)
—He must enter his protest against such an abuse
of the funds of the charity. If the affair got into
Chancery, he thought the Lord Chancellor would
make some inquiry into it.

Mr. MORRIS'S amendment was then read several
times, amidst the greatest confusion we have wit-
nessed at any parish meeting for a length of time—
twenty or thirty persons all talking at the same time.
It was at length announced by the Chairman that
it had been negatived, and the report of the Com-
mittee adopted, with only a few dissentient voices.
The next business of the meeting was to give the
Committee power to raise a further sum of 7661.,
necessary to complete the improvements.
A great deal of angry discussion here followed.
It was at length decided that the Committee should
be authorized to raise the required sum in the man-
ner they thought best.
.Mr. Hammond's resignation, as one of the Com-
mittee, was the next subject for the consideration of
the Meeting, when another violent discussion took

place, which ended by Mr. Hammond consenting to
remain in the Committee; and thanks being voted
to the Chairman, the meeting separated.