The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-07 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL

A Court was held at the instance of the Lord Mayor,
on on Saturday, in consequence of the death of Mr. W(.)od-
thorpe, the Town-clerk.

His LORDSHIP stated that he had called together the
members in order that a person might be appointed
pro tern. to perform the duties of the office.
Mr. WIRE, after expressing much regret at the death
of the highly respectable and valuable Town-clerk, than
whom a more efficient officer could nowhere be found,
said that he had three resolutions to submit to the
Court. The first was, that the Remembrancer, not being
a candidate for the office, should be appointed to per-
limn the duties until an election should take place. The
second was, that it be referred to the Committee, Offi-
cers, and Clerk to examine and report relative to the
duties and emoluments of the office, and also to report
whether any and what alterations should take place
in r4gard to the fees, &c. And the third was,
that the Committee should inquire whether the office
should not be made one of annual election.
It was, he said, well known that the office of
Town-clerk of the City of London was held by
grant, and the holder could not be removed, and there
had been occasions in which Town-clerks so situated had
defied the powers of the corporations with which they
had been connected. It was his object to alter so objec-
tionable a principle, and he, therefore, wished, that if the
Committee were of opinion that the alteration would be
legal and practicable, a bill should be brought in to
effect the obiect.—(Hear, hear.)
. The first resolution, appointing Mr. Tyrrell, the Re-
membrancer, to act until the Town-clerk should be
elected, was then unanimously agreed to.
' Mr. NORRIS moved the second resolution.
Mr. ANDERTON rose to move an amendment, or rather
an addition, to the resolution, to the effect that it would
be advisable to unite the two offices of Town-clerk and
City Solicitor. It was his anxious wish, that places
under the Corporation, should be consolidated as much
as possible. They had now a legal staff of considerrble
strength and magnitude, and it was desirable, when
places became vacant, and could be properly attended to
by existing officers, the additional duties should be per-
formed by those whose business partook of the nature
of that of the Town-clerk. He found, upon refer-
ence to the Report of the Municipal Commissioners, that
the office of City Solicitor was comparatively of recent
origin, and that the duties of that office, of the office of
Clerk of the Peace, and several other offices, had been
originally performed by the Town-clerk. Now, if the
duties of City Solicitor and of Town-clerk could be per-
formed as well by one person as by two, he did not see
what rational objection could be made to the union of
those two offices. That a great reduction of the expense
would result from the course he suggested, there could
be no doubt. However, he merely proposed it as a mat-
ter of inquiry before the Committee.—(Hear.)
Mr. HOLT seconded Mr. Anderton's amendment.
Sir P. LAURIE was decidedly against the plan of unit-
ing the two offices. As a Magistrate he often found it
necessary to consult the City Solicitor on legal matters of
importance. How could the Town-clerk attend to ad-
vise him as City Solicitor at the Mansion-house or Guild-
hall, when the City Solicitor was attending as Town•
clerk elsewhere ?

A MEMBER asked how were the duties performed of
late years ?
Sir PETER LAURIE said that the active duties of the
Town-clerk had been performed of late years by Mr.
Firth.

Mr. B. TAYLOR said that if the matter was submmitted
to the Committee they would very soon dispose of it.
It had been !mind necessary to separate the offices of
Comptroller of the Bridge-house estates from that of
City Solicitor, and after the failure of the experiment of
joining those two situations, he could not see how a
more important place could be with any foundation or
reason joined to that of City Solicitor.
Mr. LAWRENCE denied that the experiment of join-
ing the two offices alluded to had failed. The City Soli-
citor of that day was unable to perform the duties in con-
sequence of the deplorable state of his health. The
corporation were bound to do all they could to add office
to office upon the occurrence of vacancies. The late Town-
clerk was a man of extraordinary talents, but he had done
little or nothing its the office of late years. The
whole of the business had been done by other parties.
Now the City Solicitor would in consequence of the
near approach of the termination of the labours of the
London-bridge Committee, soon have a good deal of
time upon his hands, and that time could not be better
employed than in the performance of the duties of
Town -cl erk.

Mr. WIRE had no objection to have the question re-
ferred to the Committee. It happened, he said, that the
duties of Town-clerk and City Solicitor in many respects
were closely assimilated. They were both expected to
attend Committees, and meetings of Courts of Aldermen
and Common Councilmen, and Conservancy, so that
there 'could be no objection so far to merge the offices in
one person. Under alll the circumstances he could have
no objection to Mr. Anderton's addition or amendment.
After a few words from Mr. COPE and Mr. PEWTRERS,
Mr, WILLIAMS said it appeared from all that had been
said, that both Town-clerk and City Solicitor had little
or nothing to do.
The motion, with Mr. Anderton's addition, was then
carried by a large majority.
Mr. HARRIS then moved the last resolution—viz., that
it also be referred to the Committee to consider a re-
port on the legality and power of the Court to elect a
Town-clerk annually, and if decided in the affirmative,
to prepare a bill accordingly.—Agreed to.
OFF

ICE OF TOWN CLERK.
On Saturday a numerous meeting of the Common
Council was held at the Guildhall Coffee-house, to con-
sider what steps it would be desirable to take in refer
cute to the vacant office of Town-clerk. J. T. Norris,
Esq., was called to the Chair.

Mr. NORRIS said that the attendance of gentlemen at
that meeting was not to be considered as pledging them
to the support of any particular individual who might
become a candidate. The meeting was convened rather
for the purpose of deliberation than action. He invited
every gentleman to the free expression of his opinion in
order that steps might be taken to fill this most important
office in the most efficient manner.(Hear.)
Mr. WIRE considered it was the duty of Members of
the Corporation to weigh well the importance of the si-
tuation vacant by the decease of the able and excellent
gentleman who had recently' filled it, before they pledged
themselves to support any individual. For his own part
he had no hesitation in saying that, however respectable
other gentlemen might be who had offered themselves
as candidates, he was of opinion that the present City
Solicitor, was the person pre-eminently qualified for the
appointment.—(Hear.)
Mr. Deputy STEVENS felt it right to observe that he
did not entirely approve of this meeting. He was of
opinion that the Court of Common Council ought first
to refer the question to a Committee, to fix the duties
and the emoluments, and when they made a report if
would be time enough to look out for a person to fill it.
It was highly probable that some alterations might be
made in the amount of salary, and if that were the case,
the City Solicitor might suffer from the change. That
officer was universally respected in the place he filled
to the entire satisfaction of every Member of the Court,
and merely because the office of Town-clerk was more
elevated in rank than that which he already held, he
;bought it no sufficient reason for the change.
Mr. CHARLES PEARSON being called upon said he
was obliged by the consideration which his friend
Stevens had expressed for the welfare of himself and
family, but he thought that as 47 summers had passed
over his head, he might be safely trusted not to sacrifice
the pecuniaryinterest of his family in a romantic pursuit
of honorary distinction.—(Hear, hear.) He was free to
admit that he coveted the high distinction of filling the
highest office in the greatest corporation in the world,
but he did so only upon the presumption that it
could be honourably obtained, and usefully applied.--
(Hear, hear.)_ He felt highly flattered by the testimony
borne to the manner in which he had conducted him-
self in the office he already tilled.—(Hear.) He
hoped, however, that he might say without offence that
some portion of those labours which had obtained for him
such complimentary notice had rather reference to the
functions of Town-clerk than City Solicitor.—(Hear.)
He had cheerfully rendered every assistance in his power
during the illness of his friend the late Town-clerk, and
whoever might be elected he should be proud to continue
to make himself useful to the Corporation in any capa-
city. If, however, the Court thought he could be usefully
placed in a higher situation than that which he now held,
it was a legitimate object of ambition.—(Hear.) He re-
quested the gentlemen present to act upon the principle
recommended by their Chairman, and by Mr. Stevens,
and to withhold their promises of support until they could
ascertain with certainty what would be the future posi-
tion of the-office.—(Hear.) He considered himself, like
the gentlemen present, unpledged as to the future ; but
there was one thing upon which every one might rely,
that, if he should announce himself as a candidate, as re-
quested by his friends, he should consider himself bound
in honour to continue to the end, and not to retire in
favour of any other gentleman who might solicit their
support.—(Hear.)
Mr. JOHNSON and other gentlemen addressed the
meeting, and the members then retired to the Council
Chamber.

ADVENTURES OF SIR HENRY MORGAN THE BUC-
CANEER, BY THE AUTHOR OF " RATTLIN THE REEFER."--
This new work, from Mr. Howard's able and fertile pen, has
the advantage of a most happily chosen subject, combining the
intense interest of historical truth with the popular attractions
of fiction ; no wonder, therefore, that it should he, as it un-,
doubtedly is, the best production of its taler ted writer. Its
hero was, unquestionably, one .pf the most extraordinary per
sons that ever lived in any country, and his adventures as extra-
ordinary as extraordinary as the character of which they were
the fruit. Sir Henry Morgan the Buccaneer, is a personage
so litile known to the ordinary readers of English history that
this book will not produce its due effect, unless it be expressly
borne in mind that every leading incident related in it is strictly
true. Some of these incidents are, indeed, of such a nature as
to be much too strange and wonderful for reception in a work
of fiction, without excing the incredulus odi, unless this were
premised. But, being true, as a record of human action, cha-
racter, and passion, they are invaluable._ Naval and Military
Gazette.
PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.—The Vindictive, 50, Cap-
tain J. T. Nicolas, with the flag of Rear-Admiral I.;ir Thomas Cochrane, was taken out of harbour yeshrilay 'afternoon, by the Driver and Styx steam-ships,
lashed alongside of her, The steamers were
until they got an`.l. took her along very well
Gut to the Spit, where, as it was
blowing c.'resh, there was a heavy swell, so that the
wetifnermost steamer (the Driver) was compelled to east
as she was injuring both her own and the Vindictive's side.
No sooner had she cast off than the wind and tide took the
Vindictive on the bow and slewed her round, so that she was
nearly on shore on the Spit, and only prevented such a catas-
trophe by
letting' go her anchor, the remaining steam-ship,
the Styx, being unable to contril her. Many persons who
witnessed the occurrence, believed she was on shore, and a re.
port to that efiect was rapidly circulated ane believed through-
out the town, and caused a great sensation. Fortunately, how-
ever, this was not the case, and having got sail upon her,, she
slipped her cable, and ran for the most eastern part of Spit-
head, where she is now at anchor