The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-05 00:00:00

MEETINGS OF CREDITORS.

COUNTRY DIARY.—MONDAY, OCT. 8.
Bashforth, M., Huddersfield—Court-house, Huddersfield ll
Brett and HoLa, Burslem—Littleton Arms, Penkridge 1
Dobfon, J!, Huddersfield—Court-house, Huddersfield ll
Ewart, E., Newcastle-on-Tyne—Crown and Thistle, New-
castle ll
Frost, 'V., Sheffield—Tontine, Sheffield l2
If ens M. Comb Fields, Warwickshire—King's Head, Co-
!2 _ .

_ .._
ven - try:4
Morgan, T., Clifton, Gloucestershire—Commercial rooms,
Btistol
Scott, G., Newcastle-on-Tyne—George inn, Newcastle-on-
Tyne ll
Smith, S., Hastings—George, Battle
Williams, W., Norwich—Rampant Horse, Norwich 4

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL,

THE CITY POLICE.

Yesterday a Court was held for the purpose of
considering the report of the Committee upon the
nightly watch, relative to the necessary changes in
the present system of police.
After some. routine business was despatched,
Alderman ITENABLES moved that the report be taken
into consideration.

Mr. FIGGINS did net rise to say that there was
no necessity for an improved system of police, but
could not help declaring that he could not see how
the good to be derived from the project could be
commensurate with the expense which must be in-
evitably incurred. As to the reduction of the num-
ber of watchmen, he could answer for his own dis-
trict, that it was impossible to spare one. All
-through the city he had observed, that whenever
the expenses of a ward happened to be within a mo-
derate compass, the watchmen were most shabbily
remunerated. The wards were generally regulated
as to the payment of the watch, by the state of the
land-tax, (as we understood the gentleman); and if
the plan of paying the watchman 2d. an hour were
adopted as a general principle, many of the wards
must suffer greatly by the additional expence. In
many of these wards no more than 10s., or 10s. 6d.,
were paid to each individual for the performance of
his duty, and it was necessary to employ a great
number of watchmen, so that the expence arising
from the plan recommended in the report would be
very considerable; but at the same time the ex-
pence would be a circumstance not comparatively
important, if the advantages were likely to be great.
In fact, the projected change could not be made
without an increase of expence of nearly 50 per cent.
Alderman VENABLEs did not at all anticipate
such objections as had been mentioned. It would
be found that the evidence bore out every alteration
that had been proposed. It had been proved that
during the hours at which the watchmen were not
engaged on duty, the most of the robberies were
committed. The subject of the protection of pro-
perty was one of paramount importance. The ques-
tion for them to consider was, whether the city of
London was to be protected from thieves or not,—
. whether their houses were to be broken open and
plundered. The expences of affording that pro-
tection was a matter of no consideration. The
different wards would willingly pay the charges.—
(Hear, hear.) It had been said that some wards
could not bear any reduction of the number of watch-
men. Now he knew, and the committee were con-
vinced that the watchmen through the city might
be reduced one fourth with great advantage.—(Hear,
hear.)
Mr. Deputy OLDHAM approved of the report, and
thought that security would be completely effected
by the adoption of the resolutions.
Mr. FIGGINS said, that he had not opposed the
resolutions. He conceived that a great additional
expence would be inflicted upon the city, and that
no commensurate advantage would be derived from
the adoption of the principle.
Mr. GALLOWAY stated that the city of London
was greatly indebted to the Committee for their
exertions upon this important occasion. There was
one thing, of which too much could not be said.
The city was now without protection for a great
number of hours in the day and night.—(Hear,
hear.)—The frequent robberies which took place
were committed when the accustomed securities re-
tired. This plan would effectually remedy that de-
fect. There would be a perpetual succession of
watchmen. Uniformity was, as far as it could be
adopted, extremely desirable; but he was aware that
there were wards in which it might be necessary to
vary from the general principle set down for the
guidancy of all. It was most necessary that the
watchmen should be paid well for the performance
of their duties.—(Cheers.)—How could it be ex-
pected that men would act honestly if they did not
receive as much pay as would enable them to live
without having .recourse to the base methods of
making a livelihood to which they- sometimes. had-
recohrse. At the same time, there were some parts
of the resolutions to which he did not give btu op=
probation ; but he should not oppose the plan, con-
vinced that great benefit mustarise from the adop-
tion of it.

Alderman ATKINS wished to see a regular incor-
poration of the daily and nightly watch: There
should be no cessation of vigilance, but one should
follow another of stated periods.—(Hear, hear.)—
If the system proposed were generally agreed to,
they could enter afterwards into the merits specifically,
and adopt some difference of course, according to
the nature and local circumstances of particular
wards.—(Hear, hear.)—He could not help advert-
ing to the extreme and culpable neglect of many of
the extensive warehousemen, who complained of in-
security, and who had less cause to complain than
any other persons, as they, in a manner, abandoned
their property to depredation.—(Hear.) He had
thought it necessary, in his business, limited as it
was, to*pay a watchman a large salary for paying
particular attention to his premises. It was only
necessary to look at the numerous robberies that had
been committed to be convinced that a very serious
alteration indeed in the system must be accomplished
before the community would be benefitted.—(Hear,
hear.) The Alderman concluded by impressing
upon the Court the necessity that existed for. the
participation of every man in the efforts for the pro-
' teetion of his property, and by reprobating the prac-
ticei so prevalent amongst wholesale dealers of leav-
ing their premises merely under lock and key, and
destitute of guard or security of any kind.—(Cheers.)
Mr. SAMUEL DIXON thought that it had become a
thing of paramount necessity to have a complete al-
teration of system. In the course of the proceed-
ings for effecting the desired improvement, he had
opportunities of admiring the liberality of the worthy
gentlemen at the head of this project. Hie could
not but admire the liberality of 20. an hour for
watching the property of others all night, winter as
well as summer.—(Laughter.)--He believed that
watchmen would, if they were allowed half a guinea,
a day, be even worse than they were ; that they
would spend it in many instances in debauchery;
but he also believed that a narrow, restricted pay,
ohol o old
account man hap-
pened o
had attached to it evils totally insurmountable, de-
pravation of morals altogether incorrigible.-7.-
(Cheers.)—So low was the calling of watchmen, so
infinitely below the scale of other men who lived by
labour,
t
lewshen any
ppaorirs
e
his infirmities, it immediately occurred to those who
thato
b e i n t r foe:
troublesome
knew him in better days, in order to keep the decent
man from a workhouse, to make a watchman of him.
—(Laughter,)—With respect to the burglaries
which so frequently occurred, the proprietors of the
Plundered houses were generally to be blamed for
the success of the depredators, because they left their
stock at the mercy of conspiring thieves, whose plans
were most ingeniously contrived, and executed with
wonderfUl despatch.
Alderman GARRATT (we believe) concurred in the
resolutions.

The LORD MAYOR elect said that he gave his
hearty concurrence to the report. He conceived
that there would be great efficacy.in constant pa-
trolling. In general the watchmen were old and
exceedingly feeble. Indeed, he knew some of them
to whom it was hard work to carry their great coats
and staves.—(Laughter.)—Much had been said
about depredations in the city of London ; but he
was far from attributing this state of things to the
indolence or vice of the police. Many of them had
acted with zeal and ability. Those persons who
complained loudest were themselves highly cen-
surable for deserting their property. Days and
weeks together were premises abandoned to the in-
genuity of the experienced thieves, who always had
half-a-dozen houses in their list. If there happened
to be some obstacle to the commission of a robbery
in one house, why the chance was, that in another
of the half-dozen there would be hope of success.
The in truth, to contend against the
apfrtuebr a
it)ti
tilongus ofd e bleurnagt i ohna—u aufnt edr
ireasoning
,
public had,
a
l
systematic efforts of practised robbers, who laid their
suephuet;ntei
Ise
and the certainty of an uninhabited house.—(Hear,

hear.)—He was well acquainted with the secure
nature of the feelings of the thieves when they en-
tered houses in which they knew the proprietors did
not reside. In.one instance the thieves, after having
packed up every thing valuable, opened half a dozen
bottles of champagne, and no doubt they drank the
healths of those who had so kindly left behind them
the means of remuneration and comfort: (A laugh.)
He concurred in the report, and was convinced that
it would be attended with great benefit, if acted upon
vigorously.—(Cheers.)
Mr. FIGGINS objected (as well as we could col-
lect from the low tone in which he spoke) to the
resolution relating to watch-boxes. He did not
wish that they should be discontinued, for if a watch-
man happened to fall asleep in his box, the inhabi-
tants would at all events know where to find him.—
(Loud laughter.)—He did not see any particular
harm in the practice of watchmen of shutting up
shops ; but if it interfered with their duty, it cer-
tainly ought to be discontinued, as ought the prac-
tice of calling up people in the morning. He con-
demned the abandonment of their premises by men
in large concerns, who retreated in order to avoid a
few liabilities.—(Hear, hear.)—As for the general
conduct of watchmen, he never recollected an in-
stance of the participation of one of them in a rob-
bery; and if they were to be corrupted by thieves, •
they could as easily be corrupted in their walking or
patrolling state as in their standing or prostrate con-
dition.—(Laughter.)—lf a watchman was bent upon
having plunder, it mattered little whether he walked
or stood still.—(Hear, hear.)—For his part, he
would never leave his property except the watch-
man he knew for a long time was in the neighbour-
hood, for then he knew he was protected : a sort of
attachment was established, which promoted instead
of destroying security. He concluded by expressing
a wish that the subject of changing places amongst
the watchmen be referred to the local authorities.
Mr. PEACOCK sincerely wished otherwise.—(A
laugh.)—lt was well known that the watchmen
were paid as regularly by private individuals as by
the Corporation.—(Hear, hear.)—ln fact, the abuses
that existed were dreadful and laughable at the
same time. He knew an instance of a watchman
being absentfrom his own ward in the morning, and
upon being asked the reason, saying that he went
round to Broad-street ward to wake the watchmen.
—(Loud laughter.)
A MEMBER—I know an instance still more extra-
ordinary. A watchman of that very ward of Broad-
street was straying about the neighbouring ward ;
and upon being accused of leaving his be'at, he re-
plied " I came here for fear I should wake the other
watchmen in the ward."—(Roars of laughter.)—ln
fact, sleep is the inseparable companion of • the
guardians of the night—
_

" Sleep, that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care."

Mr. PEACOCK thought the plan an admirable one.
It was impossible, if the watchmen were obliged to
patrol, that their resistance could be available to the
thief.

After some observations from Mr. STRvitris,.. Mr.
HARMER, and others, in favour of the resolution,
Alderman VENABLES said that he saw no grounds
for altering his plan.
The resolutions were then agreed to, with some
unimportant alterations.

THE MARKETS.

sOUTHALL MARKET.—Oct. 3.

At this day's market, which was rather largely supplied,
and pretty numerously attended by buyers, each kind of
meat experienced rather tardy sale, at the following prices
per stone of Sib. to sink the offals:
Beef 3 !Is. tkl 4s
.to .8 I . Veal 4s. Od. to ss. 2d.
Mutton 4 4, 8 Pork 4 6 5 8
Lamb 4s. Oil. to 4s. 8d
The foregoing quotations are, Veal 20. per stone beneath those
of this day se'nnight. In prices of other things no
enaway alteration.
mig
ol
A considerable proportion of the Stock were drip