Star.
London, England, 1825-04-08 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL...
g./ 'qv
DISTRUS

The minutes of the Court having been read,
Alderman BROWN presented a petition from the Se-
'Cretary of the Committee for relieving distress in Han-
over, which, on the motion of the worthy Alderman
was read..—lt'detailed the late awful visitation of Pao-
Inimaee. and prayed such aid from the Hon. Court as
it should feel disposed w grant.
Alderman &town moved to refer the Petition to the
Committee of General Purposes.
After a few observations from Messrs. Taylor, Dixon, and Old-
ham, the motion was agreed to.
IQUITANLII LOAM COMPANY.
Several Petitions on private business having been re-
ceived and disposed of, a report was presented from the
Committee of General Purposes, on the proceedings of
a Committee of the House of Commons, relative to the
Bill proposed to be introduced into the Hon. House by
the Equitable Loan Company.
The Report in question complained of the conduct of
the House of Commons Committee, in refusing to allow
Alderman Waithman, as agent to the City Corporation,
to enter into the general me' its of the Bill, and protested
against the partiality of such Committee, eleven of the
twenty members being pecuniarily interested in layout
of the Bill.
On the motion that the Report be printed,
Mr. S. Diem commended the conduct of Alderman
Waithman, in refusing o waive his right, as their agent,
to enter into an °pp.), itton to the Bill on its general merits.
Mr.FAYSLL congratulated the Court on the acquisi-
tion of so promising a recruit to its corps of Parliamen-
tary Reformers.
Mr. S. Dixon would act for the future as be had ever
done—conscientiously.
After some further obssrvatiossay different Members,
Alderman WAITNMAN entered upon a detailed state-
ment of the difficulties he had had to encounter in the
discharge of his agency for the Corporation against the
Equitable Loan Bill. Had he witnessed snch conduct
in a Committee of the Court of Common Council, he
should have deprecated it as most unfair, partial, and
unjust. What, however, could be expected from a Com-
mittee constituted as that of the House of Comm Ons
on this Bill had been? In short, such was the personal
• interests of Hon. Members in the success of trading bills,
that the great body of traders affected by the proposed
enactments, must look to the independence of the here-
ditary legislators of the country for protection. The
worthy Alderman concluded by congratulating the
Court on the salutary effect produced on the mind of
an Hon. Member, (Mr. S. Dixon) by half an hour's at-
tention to the partial conduct of the House of Commons
Committee, and he doubted not that it would add a
powerful advocate to the already respectable list of
Parliamentary Reformers in the City Corporation.
The Report, and extracts from the evidence, were then ordered
to be printed.

IMPORTATION OF FORZION GRAIL
The requisition on this subject having been read,
Mr. FAVgLL thought no apology necessary for intro-
ducing this important question to the notice of the
Court. Indeed, it would have been a dereliction of
their duty to their fellow-citizens if they had not come
lota ard in protection of the interests of the traders and
artisans from an excessive remuneration of the agrieul-
twists to the prejudice of the rest of their fellow-sub-
jects. The Hon. Member then referred to Smith's
Wealth of Nations, in aJvocating a liberal policy with
regard to the importation of grain, and to the proceed-
ings of the corporate body, the public at large, and
Sir F. Burdett as their organ in Parliament ten years
since, in proof of the great national importance of the
question. The system of bonding was but a palliative,
and the commercial body was now groaning under it;
it was also obvious, that measures tending to depress
the home market, must be highly disadvantageous to
the agriculturists themselves. So great and so notorious
indeed were the evils resulting from the existing Corn
Laws, that the object which at the present time engaged
the attention of the Court, disinterested as were its mem-
bers on the subject, would, doubtless, elicit a wise and po-
litic resolution of a body advocating the essential interests
of a population of upwards of a million and a half within
the circuit of a few miles. He thought it unnecessary
to detain the Court longer, and therefore concluded by
moving a Resolution declaratory of the expediency of
a revision of the present Corn Laws, and a Petition to
the two Houses of Parliament, founded on such Reso-
lution, and praying the removal of the existing restric-
tions on the importation of foreign grain.
Deputy ROUTH seconded the motion with pleasure.
Aldsrman THOMPSON was convinced of the wisdom
of the course proposed to be pursued, and although it
might therefore appear unnecessary for him to urge any
argument in its favour until those against it had been
submitted to the Court, he could not refrain from avail-
ing himself of the earliest opportunity of expressing his
'pinion of the necessity of an early revision of the Corn
Laws by the House of Commons. He hoped that
s• town and district of Great Britain would petition
Pa. . Tent to a similar effect.
Aluerman Wools expressed his conviction of the ne-
mashy of the propose(' measure, and he should be most
happy to support the Petition of the Court in his seat in
the House of Commons.
Mr. OLDHAM congratulated the Court on the una-
nimity which prevailed on this important subject.
Alderman WAITHISAN, Mr. SLADE, and Mr. DORN•
roan, suppotted, and Mr. Dixon, at some length, op-
posed the motion; which, however, was carried, with
the single dissentient voice of the latter Gentleman.
THZ ZULU OF TIM MAST PRISON.
The Committee for General Purposes presented a
Report on the recent extension of the Rules of the
Fleet, and recommending a Memorial to be presented
to the Lord Chief and other Justices of the Court of
Common Pleas, requesting a revision of their order,
which was agreed to, and it was referred to the Com•
mittee to prepare the proper Memorial.

Wednesday morning, a fire broke out in a large cot-
tage at Upper Edmonton, the property of Mr. Meade.
11e cottage, and all the furniture and other property
it contained, were totally consumed. The fire was per-
ceived at about half-past five o'clock, but owing to the
distance of Edmonton from the metropolis, the engines
did not arrive until between eight and nine o'clock, and
when they had reached the spot, in consequence of the
deficient supply of water, which was obliged to be
conveyed in carts, they could render but little assist-
ante. The Lutes raged with the greatest violence for
yearly four hours. A melancholy accident occursed to
one of the firemen of the Eagle Insurance Com-
pany as they were passing with considerable rapidity
through Stamford•hill gate. he was precipitated, wi h
west violence, from the engiue,which driving over him,
ti.e cap of his knee vs as almost armed ftoto the to‘ket.