The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-23 00:00:00

TflE SITN, LONDON, FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 23, 1842

CANDLEWICK WARD.
THE CITY CORPORATION TAXES.
Some dispute arising yesterday as to the Ward-
clerk's expenses, a Committee was appointed to exa-
mine and report thereon. The bill having been
originally 521., which was commuted to 401., the
inhabitants considered that if the whole was a fair
eharpre it ought to be paid, and, if not, all the items
should be examined.
Mr. ELLIOTT said that the Corporation had, on two
late occasions, made considerable movement respecting
the remission of import duties, and especially those
on foreign corn. It would have been better had they
first looked at home, to their own bread and potatoe-
tax ; but this perhaps was prudent, following the
polici of the prig who had just snatched his neigh-
bour s watch, he ran along the street crying stop thief,
hoping thereby to draw off all suspicion from himself.
Now, the Corporation levied taxes on all the necessaries
of life, and imposed besides heavy imports on trade
and commerce, which materially affected the prosperity
of the citizens. First the Corn-tax, which yielded
about 9,0001. a year, to collect which 13,0001. was ex-
pended, leaving a real loss of 5,0001. a year; then
their potatoe-tax, 6,500/. ; cheese-tax, 560/. ; their salt-
tax, 181.; their oyster•tax, 3131.; and, more cruel
still than all, their coal-tax, which yielded about
140,0001. a year, collected at about a cost of thirty
per cent. Nor could any merchandise be brought
into the City,—no bread, no meat, no potatoes, nor
other vegetables, without payment of City tolls levied
pin a vexatious manner, and at an enormous expense.
Further, no man could set up in the humblest trade
without paying, in the shape of freedom, about 141.
trade-tax to the; Corporation. All these acted in a
vexatious, as well as an expensive manner, on the
trade of the citizens, and injured business in the City.
The bad management of affairs caused all local charges
to be heavier in the City than in any other part of the
metropolis. The cost of the unpaid Magistracy
alone was 32,000/. a year, including 25,0001. for
the Lord Mayor-sums of such magnitude, that
they almost staggered belief, nor would he (Mr. E.)
venture to name them, had they not been admitted
by the Corporators themselves. Their police, which
was most inefficient (a great portion of the time of
their Commissioners being taken up in place-hunt-
inv.); no report was ever made of the state of crime
in the City; no connected correspondence kept up
with the Metropolitan force ; the men were disor-
ganised, and the streets of the City swarmed with
vagrants of all kinds, costermongers, chaunters,
shoonies, spunk-fencers, and the whole race of
cadgers choked up the lanes, and presented disgust-
ing objects, and yet the City police cost, at the very
lowest, 42,000/., while in. Marylebone, a much larger
district, and much more easy of protection, only
25,000/. a year was paid. The manner in which the
money wrung from the public was, squandered-might
be further illustrated by the fact that 12 of the City
functionaries who had the local affairs to look after, of
about 120,000. persons, inhabiting 17,000 houses, the
one-thirteenth part of the metropolis, were paid al-
together 54,8301.. while twelve of the first officers of
State of the British empire, who ruled the destinies
of some twenty-five millions of people, besides colo-
nies, over which the sun never set, and inhabited by
millions of people, were paid but 45,480/. a year—a
sum too much, yet less, by 9,350/., than the City
sinecurists got. Now, had such unblushing extrava-
gance been permitted by rich and proud aristocrats,
he (Mr. E.) would not be surprised, but it was a
misapplication of the wealth the people toiled to
produce, by the hands of bumble shopkeepers and
tradesmen— so true was it that none oppressed the
people as the people oppressed one another. If such
things were done by Sir R. Peel or the Duke of Wel-
lington, the Ministers dare not face the House of
Commons a single day. After some further observa-
tions, Mr. Elliott concluded by moving a revolution.
Mr. EVANS said that it was easier to talk about re-
forming the Corporation than to effect it. The last
speaker had been connected with a body of intelligent
men, who had laboured for more than a year in ex-
posing- the abuses, real or supposed, of the Corpora-
tion of London, but they had not done much. He
admitted that many of the items of expense, and espe-
cially of the Lord Mayor, were very great indeed, and
should be glad to support any measure for their re-
duction.

NOVA SCOTIA AND NEW BRUNS-
WICK LAND COMPANY.

A special general meeting of the Directors and
Proprietors in this Company was held yesterday, at
the George and Vulture Tavern.
Mr. BENSON took the chair, and said the meeting
had been called at the instance of Mr. Pouncey, in
order to lay before the public the position of the Com-
pany, and what were their prospects•for 1843. The
Report stated that not More than 26,0001. had been
forfeited. The arrears on the capital of 154,0001. had
all been paid up, making the. total available capital of
the Company 181,9501. stock. A further call would
probably be made in January next, in order to pay
the ban of 4,000/. to the bankers. This call would
enable them to meet the demand of 4,0001., the ex-
penses of the year, 1,5001., and leaving a surplus of
500/. The Directors recommended the 26,0001. for-
feited shares to be retained until the stock .market
became more enterprising. The Report, in conclu-
sion, stated that Mr. Burchell had been appointed
referee in Manchester, and he had disposed of 1,600
acres of land, and that several settlers in New Bruns-
wick had offered to purchase 9,000 acres of land, pro-
vided the first instalment of a shilling were laid out
in making roads.. The Chairman then stated that the
colony was going on prosperously.
After a long discuStuon the Report was adopted,
and the meeting separalart,.:-,-; '

CURIIIB',S STORY.
A somewhat strange'Wry is just how occupying
the attention of the lovers of g9ssit the neighbour-
hood of 'Walnut-street. There divells in that street a
person named Parkes, whose lipSliiess avocations lead
him frequently into the eotrntry. Mrs. Parkes, who
is close upon the period of her tieet:aichement, keeps no
servant, so that when her, hus**l is-absent, she and
her two children are the sgleihetlipants of the house.
On Friday last; accorlirigkq-WaTerke's account, a
man called at her resistedee-tarid itinested 'permission
to speak with her. Tilifling accorded, the stranger
inquired if her husband were in Liverpool at
that time ? She replied in the affirma-
tive. He then begged to be informed when
Mr. Parkes would set out for his next journey.
Mrs. Parkes informed him that her husband
would leave home on the following day. The
stranger thanked her, apologised for the trouble he had
given, and departed. .On the following day Mr.
Parkes set out on his journey, in fulfilment of his ar-
rangements. On Sunday morning last, about two
o'clock, Mrs. Parkes states, she was aroused from her
sleep by a noise in her bed chamber. She looked up
and saw a man with a light in his hand, and, on'atten-
tively observing him, she saw that he was the same in-
dividual who called upon her on Friday. Filled with
alarm, she uttered a cry of terror, upon which the fellow
advanced to the bedside, and told her that if she ut-
tered another sound, he would put her to death. He
immediately tied her hands and feet, and, putting a
rope about her neck, fastened her firmly to the bed-
post. She had in the bed her two children, who were
awakened by these proceedings, and the elder of
whom, seeing a man binding his mother with ropes,
began to scream. Mrs. Parkes . now became con-
scious that there were other villians below stairs, for
she heard 'one or two voices cry out to their com-
panions above that he was to silence the brat. The
man by threats induced the boy to cease his cries,
and he forthwith proceeded to bind him also, and
a younger child about- three years old. The
party then searched the house for money, and suc-
ceeded in finding about 8/., the property of Mr.
Parkes' employers. Having obtained his booty, they
quitted the house, leaving Mrs. Parkes and her chil-
dren still bound on the bed. Not the least extraor-
dinary part of the story is that which follows. Mrs.
Parkes, when she was assured that the villains had
left the house, screamed for assistance but, though
the next cottage is only divided from her dwelling by
a thin partition, she could not succeed in getting any
assistance. Strange to say, the whole of Sunday
passed away, and still she and her children
remained in the same position, unable to
extricate themselves, or to make any of the
persons outside aware of their situation. Thus
they remained till Monday morning, when the little
boy succeeded in freeing himself from his fetters, went
to the window and gave the alarm. The party at the
next door, it appears, never during the whole time
heard the slightest sound or disturbance. The police
have been made aware of the circumstances, and are
endeayouringio procure some trace of the delinquents.
—Liverpool Courier.

The Courts of Chancery adjourns this day until the
first day of next Term (Jan. 11).
The Marquis of Anglesea is to succeed the late
Lord Hill in the Colonelcy of the Blues ; and Sir
Edward ICerrison, from the 14th Light Dragoons,
will succeed the Noble Marquis in the command of
he 7th Hussars.

BRODDIGNAGIAN TURNIPS.—An exceedingly large
turnip, about twenty-two pounds weight, grown in
Ballycreally, in the parish of Moneyrea, has been left
at this office. This fine specimen of agricultural pro-
duce, which is of the white globe species, was culti-
vated in a field belonging to Mr. Robert Abernethy,
from which a great number of other turnips, of the
same description, weighing from fourteen to twenty
pounds, have been taken, and where many, of a size
equally large, still remain.—Belfast
RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Sunday morning, one
ofthe guards of the Glasgow and Ayr Railway, while
engaged in arranging some of the goods trucks at the
Irvine station, unfortunately got jammed between two
of them, and was killed on the spot. It is said that
the accident occurred solely in consequence of the de-
ceased departing froth one of the regulations of the
Company.—Glogow Chronicle.

ST. THOMAS'S DAY.
(From our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
ELECTION OF COMMON COUNCILMEN.
Wednescia.7 being St. Thomas's Day, wardmotes
were held according to ancient custom in the different
wards of the City, for electing members to serve in
the Court of Common Council for the year ensuing.
Great activity having been exercised by the Anti-
Corn-law Leaguers and the advocates for free trade
to return members who would support their particular
opinions, a more than usual interest was excited.
The following are the principal results :
The names marked * are those of new candidates.
ALDERSGATE WARD.
The wardmote for Aldersgate, for the election of
eight members of the Common Council, was held yes-
terday afternoon, at the Dispensary, Aldersgate-street,
Sir Peter Laurie, Alderman, in the Chair.
There was no opposition to the gentlemen who have
already represented the ward in the Common Coun-
cil, and no new candidate, and the following gentle-
men were therefore re-elected, after a short discussion,
viz. :—Messrs, Lorkin, Godson, Stacey, Norris, Wood,
De Jersey, Mottram, and Smith.
Some business of the ward having then been trans-
acted,
Mr. WARD rose to propose some resolutions. lie
disclaimed all intention to impute any impropriety of
conduct or neglect of duty to his friends the newly-
elected Common Councilmen, and declared that his
object was to test the opinion of the ward as to its
views on those measures of commercial policy which
had been under discussion in the Common Council
Chamber on the Bth of December. Resolutions had
been agreed to at that meeting, to which he desired
the assent of that wardmote; and when he had made
known the proposition which he was about to bring
forward, he thought that they could have no hesita-
tion in declaring their concurrence in his views. He
had been accidentally present at the discussion to
which he had alluded, and he regretted much that the
ward of Aldersgate had, in his opinion, displayed the
least alacrity of any of the wards of the City of London
on the great question which was brought forward. At
that Council meeting, two of their representatives only
supported the views which were eventually adopted by
the Chamber itself; three opposed those views, and
three, besides their Alderman, were absent. It was
this fact which had induced him now to come forward,
in order to ascertain what were the feelings of the
ward upon this matter. He would not enter upon a
fresh discussion, upon all the demerits of the Corn-laws,
or upon the numerous topics which the general ques-
tion presented for debate ; but feeling that the merits
of the measure which he advocated were embodied in
the resolution of the Common Council, he would sub-
mit that resolution to them, and would pray their
concurrence in it. He maintained, in reference to the
last resolution, that the gentlemen whom they sent to
the Common Council were bound to represent the
opinions which they (the electors) held.
Sir P. LAURIE said that as he was referred to in
one of the resolutions, he would say a few words in
explanation. He did not go to the Common Council
meeting, which was referred to, because he was of
opinion that that meeting was not convened for the
purposes of fair discussion, but rather with a view to
St. Thomas's-day.—(Hear, hear.) That reason had
operated upon his mind, and he believed upon the
minds of many other persons. With regard to the
Corn-laws, they involved a principle upon which he
had not yet come to any conclusive opinion ; he could
not help making one observation upon the resolutions
now proposed, however, namely, that if the wardmote
agreed in the sentiments expressed by Mr. Ward, and
which amounted to a censure upon their representa-
tives, they had hardly done well in re-electing the
same gentlemen who had been guilty of the fault of
which they complained. It seemed to him, that for
the wardmote now to agree to the resolution proposed
would be somewhat anomalous.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. R. 13ESLEY rose to propose an amendment to
the following effect :—" That this wardmote, after hav-
ing examined the resolutions agreed to by the Com-
mon Council, cannot but regret that, while the Com-
mon Council is expressing so strongly its abhorrence
of bad laws, it makes no effort to reform some of the
laws under its own control, which inflict a much deeper
injury on the population of this city than those which
they seek to procure to be repealed ; and they recom-
mend to the Common Council to apply themselves to the
amendment of the laws which affect the commerce of

the port of London, .to the Corporation regulations,
and to the reduction of those monstrous legal and
other expenses, which are now watched over only in a
loose and uubusiness-like manner, but which require
the application of the pruning knife of economy, and
the adoption of some other check that that now pro-
vided." He declared that he entertained a strong feel-
ing upon the question of the Corn-laws, but he thought
that a great subject ought not to be dealt with in a
little way.—(Hear.)
Mr. TUCK seconded the amendment. Ile declared that
the Corporation, by the continuance of the existing port
and market regulations, stood between the consumer
and producer, and by the exaction of heavy tolls en-
hanced the price of every sort of food. He insisted
that before they could, with any hope of success, de-
mand the total abrogation of the Corn-laws, they must
remove all those abuses of which complaint was made
in the resolution.

Mr. HERRING supported the amendment. He con-
tended that the Corporation, notwithstanding the vast
means which it possessed, neglected the wants of the
poor, as regarded cleanliness, and all those minutiae so
essential in the internal management of a city, for the
preservation of the public health. For his own part,
he believed that the Common Council were not the
political representatives of the wards for which they
sat. They had representatives in Parliament, to whom,
in political matters, they must look. With reference
to the question of Corn-laws, he thought that the
manufacturer could not in justice demand a free trade
in corn unless he was also willing to grant a free trade
in the commodities in which he dealt ; but he had
had shown his unwillingness to submit to this test of
his sincerity, because for every species of manufacture
a protecting duty was retained under the new tariff.
After a few words from Mr. GODSON, who depre-
cated the introduction of the question of the Corn-
laws into this meeting, the amendment was carried,
and was ordered to be published in the morning
newspapers.
Thanks having been voted to the chairman, the
wardmote terminated.
ALD GATE WARD.

The Lord Mayor presided in this (his own) ward.
A vacancy was occasioned by the retirement of Mr.
Simpson, and there were three candidates for the
honour of filling it, viz. Messrs. Burrell -and Clifton,
Conservatives, and Mr. Dodd, Liberal. The Lord
Mayor declared the show of hands to be in favour of
the following eight gentlemen (the number to be re-
turned), viz. :—Mr. Green (Deputy), Mr. Lake, Mr.
Fisher, Massey, Mr. Whitesides, Mr. Salter, Mr.
Jerram, *Mr. Clifton. A poll was demanded on be-
half of Messrs. Dodd and Burnell, but was subse-
quently withdrawn, and the above gentlemen were
declared duly elected.