Star.
London, England, 1809-09-30 00:00:00

LORD mdroß ELECT. ,

COMMON HALL,
Yesterday a Common Hall of the Livery of the
City of London was held at Guildhall, fpr the pur-
pose of nominating two fit and proper persons from
among the Aldermen of the City of London who had
served the office of Sheriff, to be Lord Mayor for the
ensuing year. i!t
l'he RECORDER and CONINION SERJEANT having, in
the usual form, opened. the business, read over the
names of the Aldermen who had served the office of
Sheriff, as follows :
Thcimas-Stoidh Esq. George ScholmEsq.
Joshua Jonathan Smith, Esq. Williatn4Domeille, Esq.
Sir Matthew Bloxham, Esq. Christopher Smith, Esq.
Claudius Stephen Hunter, Esq.
On a shew of hands, the choice of the Livery was
declared to have fallen on Thomas Smith, Esq. Al-
derman and Leather Seller ; and on Joshua Jonathan
Smith, Esq. Alderman and Ironmonger ; who were
accordingly reported to the Court of Aldermen for
their choice of one of them to serve the office.
- The Alermen having returned, the RECORDER sta-
ted the election to have fallen on Thos. Smith, Esq.
Alderman and Leather Seller, whom he accordingly
t declared Lord Mayor Elect.

Having come forward, and been invested with the
insignia of office, the LORD MAYOR Elect then ad-
dressed the Livery :—He assured them, that nothing
icoukLegnal, to his mind, the hotrour which the Livery-
'bad conferred on him this day, in electing him Chief
Magistrate of the first City in Europe. He had been
forty years resident amongst them, during the whole
of which time he had lived with them in the greatest
harmony. When entrusted with the high office of
Sheriff he had exerted himself to discharge the duties
of it with propriety, and the thanks of his fellow citi-
zens gave him assurance that his endeavours had not
been unsuccessful. In entering on the duties of the
important trust now reposed in him, his first care
ibould be to watch over and protect the rights and
liberties of his fellow-citizens. He was aware of the
multifarious nature of the duties he had undertaken,
but he Was equally conscious of an ardent and zealous
desire to discharge them with fidelity. If it should be
his good fortune, within the next year, to announce
to the public an honourable and favourable pea-ce. it
should give him the truest satisfaction ; but if such a
peace was not to be procured, rather than hive one
on other terms, he would willingly meet the enemy
at the head of his regiment, in support of a revered
and beloved King, and of a free and happy Constitu-
tion. (Aptioures.)

' Mr. GRIFFITHS then stepped forward, and proposed
the thanks of the Hall to J. J. Smith, Esq. and
Claudius Stephen Hunter, Esq. late Sheriffs of the
City and Sheriff of the County of Middlesex, for the
ability, zeal, and independence evinced by them in
'the
discharge of the duties annexed to that office.
This Motion, being seconded, was carried unani-
mously.
Mr. Alderman J. J. SMITH then came forward
amidst repeated bursts of applause. He declared it
to have been his most ardent wish, when he was put
in nomination for the office of Sheriff, that, if elected
to it, his conduct should be such as to merit the ap-
probation of his fellow.citizens. The unanimous vote-
of that day had been sufficient to satisfy him that hit
exertions, in this repect, at least, had not been disap-
pointed. He felt highly gratified by the honour paid
him, which it should be his future study to shew had.
not been unworthily conferred.
Mr. Alderman HUNTER also addressed the Hall
amidst repeated applauses. When, at Midsummer,
last year, he was called on to undertake the office of
Sheriff, he had stated that not expecting such an ho-
nour, he was utterly unprepared to enter on the duties
of it. He had, however, at the same time declared,
that if the present time was by the Hall supposed to
be more proper for his undertaking that office than
any future period, that he would then cheerfully en-
ter upon it. He was conscious of being then actuat-
ed by a zeal to perform, with uprightness and inde-
pendence, the duties of the office ; and the unanimous
vote of that day told him that he had not failed in his
endeavour. That vote was a retainer of his services
for the public on every future occasion. Should he
at any future period he entrusted with a still higher
situation, the public might rest assured that the same
zeal for the public good which had hitherto marked
his conduct, should not failreto actuate his endeavours.

He was independent in his mind and principles. The
office, however, which he had lately filled, had led
him to peruse writings of his ancestors, which, pro-
bably, he might never otherwise have looked upon ;
'and from these he had learned lessons, which, he
ho d, would enable him, should he ever again be
ca
on to serve tke public, to do so more to their
advantage than it had hitherto been in his power to
do. As it was he could assure his fellow-citizens, that
his beam and hands his poor abilities, and his life,
lay at their costal:tad. •(Reported atfilaustv.)
• 'Pa Hall was, slasst adjourned.
• .

. .
An elopement of rather an extraordinary nature I
occurred at Kensington early on Wednesday morn-
ing. • The patties are a Miss S. and a Corporal be- I
longing to a Light Dragoon Regiment. The Lady 1,
was considered as one of the most polite and accom-
plished girls .in the neighbourhood ; she is 23 years
of age, and has a very considerable fortune. She was
missmg on the morning of Wednesday. Having been
seen at • Chelsea in company with a dragoon, whose
regiment was quartered in the county of Kent, and it
being.known that the young Lady was attached to
her humble gallant, the parties were pursued and
overtaken at Tenderden, near Maidstone, on Thurs-
day morning, and she was restored to her friends after
having presented the dragoon with seven guineas in
the presence of two relatives who overtook her.
FOOT RACE.—A grand foot-race took place, on
Tuesday last at Thorpe, in Hampshire, betwixt the
.celebrated Mr. Downes, and the no less renowned
Mr. Aiken. The match was who should perform the
greatest distance in 48 hours, and betting was in fa-
vour of the former. The pedestrians started together
at the extremities of a piece of ground of five miles,
and met each other. Mr. Downes did 90 miles the
first day, and took two hours rest, and his adversary
•did 88, and only had one hour to rest ; on the second
day Downes had done 72 miles, and had five hours
to spare, and Mr. Aiken had gone only .56 in the same
..time, and resigned.

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