The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-03 00:00:00

PARISH' or MARYLEtIONE.

Yesterday a general meeting of the inhabitant
householders of Marylebone was held at the Bazaar,
King-street, Portman-stilt re, to consider of the
adoption of means of applying to the Legislature for
an Act of Parliament to obtain for the parishioners
a sufficient audit of the accounts of the Select
Vestry, a modification of the powers of that vestry,
and particularly for securing for all the metropolitan
parishes a more constitutional system of parochial
;overt ment.
JOSEPH HUME, Esq. was called to the chair at
one o'clock. He remarked upon the many efforts
made in the select vestry to encroach upon the pri-
vileges of the parishioners, and of their lavish ex•
penditure of the public money, their enormous debt
of 200,000/. and their continual unwillingness in the
least degree to allow the parishioners the least in-
sight into their accounts, and said the parishioners
having paid the taxes, were entitled by law to show
how they were expended.—(Cheers.)—The lion.
Gentleman concluded by advancing the propositions
which were that day to be proposed for the adoption
or rejection of the meeting. The answer was either
to support Mr. Hothouse's measure, or to petition
at once themselves for a change of the select vestry,
to cause it to be elective, to have a proper board of
audit, which, as payers of taxes, they ought to
have—(cheers),--and to alter entirely the consti-
tution of the select vestry.—( Hear.)
The report of the Committee was then intro-
duced and read. Its principal features were the
harsh and unsatisfactory conduct of the Select Vestry,
and concluded by recommending the measures de-
scribed in the beginning if the report of the meeting.
Tie report was adopted unanimously, upon the
motion of Mr. Barker. _ _ _

Colonel Jones and Mr. Jackson severally addressed
the meeting.
Mr. CRAWFORD, in putting the second resolution,
that " a Committee have power to pursue the usual
Parliamentary means of obtaining for the parish a
proper Board of Audit and representation," hoped
that they would still have the power of applying to
the Legislature if Mr. Hobhouse's Bill failed; and
he instanced a mal-appropriation to the amount of
5,0001. of the parish money, which could not have
taken place had there been a board of audit. (Hear.)
Mr. Honllouse here came forward, and was re-
ceived with shouts of applause. The Hon. Member
said, that although he had not the honour to be an
inhabitant of theirs, he attended the meeting on an
invitation he received, as he considered it was his
duty so to do.—(Here Sir Francis Burdett came
upon the hustings, and was received with cheers.)
—When the applause had subsided, Mr. Hobhouse
proceeded. It was his fate during the last Session,
when opposing the measure of Select Vestry, to be
attacked upon the invidious course of bringing indi-
vidual cases, and was often told that it would be
better for him to bring in a general measure than to
pursue the course of making individual attacks upon
individual parishes.—(Hear, hear.)—And he had
some reason to suppose' that a chalice existed of the
general measure being successful.—(Hear.)—At
least, if the Members of the House of Commons
did their duty to the country, the measure ought to
pass.—(Cheers.)—The measure would be general,
and ought to be uniform as it was general.
There could be no doubt in the Constitution
of this country every payer of taxes was en-
titled to some controul over their expenditure.
(Cheers.)—The Hon. Gentleman, in a further de-
velopement of his plan, expressed his opinion that
the representation of parishes should be upon the
precise plan of that of the country at large ; because
men would then have the means of distinguishing
the worth of their representatives. The Hon. Memr-
her sat down loudly cheered.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, that they might rely
upon it he would do every thing to promote the
views of his Hon. and Learned Colleague.
Mr. POPE, Mr. FIELDER, Mr. CRAWFORD, Col.
Sams, Mr. M. DAWSON, and other Gentlemen, ad-
dressed the meeting, all approving of its object; and
eventually a subscription to defray the expenses of
applying to Parliament, if necessary, and the ex-
penses of co-operating with other parishes, to obtain
the overthrow of the Select Vestry system, were
agreed upon.
The thanks of the meeting were next voted to
Sir T. Baring, to Mr. Hume, to the Members for
Westminster, and to the liberal portion.of the press,
for its powerful advocacy of their cause; and a sub-
scription being entered into, the meeting gave three
cheers, and dissolved at four o'clock.