The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-25 00:00:00

capacity arising out of his infirmities; The physi-
cian, the tradesman, the advocate, whose health fails
him, eridtires;in the loss of income, the visitation of
Heaven : it is only public functionaries—Judges
more especially—the penalties of whose infirmities
fell on the country.
(FROM THE MORNING HERALD•)

The proceedings last night in the House of Lords,
relative to the Corporation of London, have excited
no little interest in the City to-day. There is, how-
ever, but one opinion on the subject, and that opinion
is most decidedly against the Corporation. Indeed,
we do not see how it could be otherwise. Though
men we too frequently not unwilling to partake of
the spoils arising from direct or indirect robbery, yet
few can be found to defend such practices in the
abstract—that is, when they then: elects arc not to
have a share in the plunder. This affair of the
Corporation of the City of London may' be thus
briefly stated. The Corporation has very large funds
at its disposal for the repairs of London Bridge ; how
those funds have been disposed of we will not stop
to inquire, but certainly not exclusively in the re-
pair of the Midge. The cld London Bridge, as
is well known, was so constructed as to occa-
sion, upon an average, the drowning of eight
or ten persons every year. The Corporation,
however, though by far the richest in the
world, was too poor to remedy this evil,. end
people were drowned year after year, till the number
that thus perished amounted to many hundreds, if
not thousands, and still nothing was done. At
length it was thought expedient to pull down the
old bridge and build a new one; but the Corpora-
tion
of the City of London, pretending to be too
pour to effect this, they go to the Legislature, and
ask them to advance a million of money, and to in-
flict a tax upon the public to the amount of 60,000/.
a year, to be raised principally from coals. This most
modest request is acceded to without inquiry by
those excellent guardians of the public purse, the
Members of the House of Commons. Neither the
liberal and Gallant Knight of the Borough, nor the
two pure and patriotic Members fur Westminster,
say a word against it. The thing is acceded to al-
most as a matter of course, and a Bill is accordingly
sent up to the House of Loids. There, however,
Lord Durham, who, by the bye, happens to be a
dealer in coals, thought proper to move that there
be laid before the House " an Account of the In-
come and Expenditure of the Corporation of • the
City of London, from the year 1813 to the year
1828, inclusive, distinguishing the sources whence
that income has been- derived, and the purposes to
which the expenditure has been applied; and also
the amount of the funds which the Corporation
held in trust, the purposes for which the trust was
created, and the appropriation made of them." The
Noble Baton made this motion professedly- for the
purpose of ascertaining whether the Corporation
had any just grounds on which to found their claims
for taxing the public. The motion was agreed to
unanimously, but when the order was sent to the
Corporation, the members of that most august body
refuse to comply with it, and talk abeut its
being subversive of their " rights . and privi-
leges ;" by which high-sounding phrase, we appre-
head, is meant the right of humbugging and cheat-
ing the people. If their accounts arc correct—if
the money of the Corporation has not been
im-
properly applied —why refuse to give a state-
ment of their affairs ? The Corporation came before
the Legislature in forma pauperis, and ask to be
allowed to levy a tax of 60,0001. a year, for a cer-
tain purpose of their own, on the ground that they
are too poor to effect it without assistance; and
then the Legislature ask them to make out their
case—to show that they really are paupers—like
sturdy beggars they turn round, and insult the very
party of whom they had solicited charity. The
House of Lords appear to be determined to sup-
port their privileges, but from the City petition be-
ing brought forward by a member of the Govern-
ment, and more particularly from the observations
of the Duke of Wellington upon the thing, we are
afraid, that it is intended to be hushed up—that,
after all, the mysteries of the prison-house are
nos to be disclosed. The words of his Grace
are not a little remarkable—he is reported
to have said, that "If the Noble Baran had
done me the honour to communicate with me be-
fore I came to the House, and had given me an op-
portunity of considering the motion, if I had had time
to inquire into the subject, I think, in all probability,
your Lordships would have been speed all this
trouble. When I read the paper I own it did ap-
pear to me that there would be no objection to the
production of the documents Begging pardon of
the House, I did say that there was no objection on
my part, nor on the part of Government, to the
motion ; but, if I had considered the subject, I cer-
tainly should not have consented." We perceive
that Lord Ellenborough was one of the Noble
Lords who condescended to become the apologists
of the Corporation. His Lordship has a brother
who is one of the City law-oflicers.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, MAY 2.3.

IS TIIE MATTER. OF THE PETiTION OF R. BEST, ESQ.

_ .
This was a motion of great importance, directed
by the Court of Chancery, to try whether a legacy
and annuity left to the insolvent subsequent to his
discharge, would pass to his creditors towards liqui-
dating their debts, although the testator had, by a
codicilf to his will, directed that neither the legacy
nor the aannity should be assignable or liable to the
then or future debts the party might contract, or had
contracted.
In 1825, the testator (who was an uncle of the
insolvm) made his will, in which he bequeathed to
the solvent a legacy of 5,000/. and an annuity of
4001. a year. In 182, the insolvent took the bene-
fit of the Act, his debts then amounted to 11,000/.
and the testator in the following year made a codicil
to his will, in which he revoked the annuity and the
legacy left to the insolvent by his will, and appointed
certain trustees, authorising them to pay the annuity
quarterly to the insolvent, and to invest the legacy
for his sole benefit ; and if he should either become
bankrupt or insolvent, then they were to apply the
said annuity for his sole and separate use. The tes-
tator also left the insolvent's wife and his only son
an annuity of 1001. a year. In 1828, the testator
died, and the assignees then applied to the Court of
Chancery for a portion of the annuity to be applied
to the payment of the insolvent's debts. The Lord
Chancellor referred the matter to the Commissioners
of this Court.
The CHIEF COMMISSIONER, after referring to a
number of cases which had been cited, said that the
Court was clearly of opinion that the annuity passed
to the creditors, under the 59th section of the In-
solvent Debtors' Act, there being no life interest
left to any other person in the event of the insolvent
becoming a bankrupt or insolvent; and they there-
fore ordered 250/. a year, out of the annuity, to be
paid to the assignees towards the liquidation of the
debts, and such order to commence immediately.

Primrose Hill has, we regret to perceive, been
denuded of its fine trees and sheltering hedges, the shade
of which was a luxury to the citizens of the western pat
of London, for time immemorial during the fine season.
Is there not in this a violation both of good taste arul of
kind feeling towards the middling and lower classes a the
people?
The following curious story is in circulation
—The duty paid on foreign prints -being high, many in-
genious modes have been invented to smuggle the Patio
engravings into London. Last week a number of folio
volumes came from Paris, consigned to an eminent book-
seller in London. The duty was paid, and the book-
seller deposited them on his shelves fur sa►e. Yester-
day his French correspondent appeared at his shop,
and begged to have the books again at the invoice
price ; and the bookseller parted with them for a small
emolument. The cunning gentleman from the continent
no sooner had the books in his possession, than he cut
open the backs, which contained a number of scarce and
valuable French prints.—Evening Paper. One would
have thotight the duty too small (being now ld. a print)
to make it worth while to take the trouble to orAtle it.—
Mariritta Paver.