The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-04 00:00:00

heavily, he thought the immediate relatives of the deceased gen.
tleman ought to feel some commisseration in their bereave.
ment when they reflected on the manner in which his death
was received by all ranks and classes in the community. In ad -
dressing those gentlemen who had lcng had a seat in the
council, it was unnecessary for him (Mr. H.) to observe upon
Mr. Currie's conduct in it, but it might not be improper to
mention one very striking and important fact connected with
his public career, to those who had recently entered the
chamber—namely, that while he carefully abstained from any
expressions that could give offence to those opposed to him,
there was no member whose opinions had greater weight with
the council, or who was listened to with greater respect.
(Hear, bear.) As chairman of the Finance Committee, he
could safely say that the members composing it would all feel,
for some time at least, his loss to be irreparable, for his prompt
and able explanations, his thorough acquaintance with the
committees, and his quickness of perception, were present,
he was sure, to the minds of all. To the value of his services
in the committee, the resolution passed unanimously at their
first meeting after his decease abundantly testified ; but he
(Mr. H.) hoped he would he pardoned if he just said one
word with regard to his own feelings on this melancholy occa-
sion. (Hear, hear.) During the last few years he was
brought into more intimate acquaintance with Mr. Currie
than ever he was before, and he could safely say that he es-
teemed him most highly as a gentleman of cultivated intellect
and the kindliest feelings. (Hear, hear.) He moved, there-
fore, the following resolution :
Resolved unanimously—" That the council is anxious to
express its feelings of sincere regret at the loss which it has
sustained by the lamented death of one of its most eminent
members, the late William Wallace Currie, Esq. ; that it is
desirous at the same time to record the deep sense it enter-
tains of the valuable and important services which, during a
long series of years, he rendered to the town of Liverpool ;
that it bears testimony to the zeal, intelligence, and success
with which he laboured to improve the estate of this corpo-
ration, and to apply its large resources in promoting the
general benefit of the inhabitants; as well as to the kind and
conciliatory manner and dignified deportment by which his
conduct, as a member of this body, and his intercourse gene-
rally with his fellow-citizens, were uniformly distinguished."
Mr. CASE had no hesitation in rising to second the ad-'
dress. There was very little left for him to say after the
very able and eloquent address just delivered by the chairman
of the Finance Committee; but as he had twenty-two years'
experience of Mr. Currie's services to the council and town
at large, he felt he would be very much wanting were lie not
to rise on the instant and second the motion which had been
proposed. The old council were often delighted with his'
eloquence and conciliatory manners, and he (Mr. C.) did not
hesitate to say that on every occasion he had been sincere in
wishing to promote the public good. If these were the only
grounds on which the present council ought to regret his
loss, such grounds as these were quite sufficient to induce
them to do so ; and he should merely conclude by seconding
the motion fully and most cordially.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE felt that it was difficult for him to
say anything on the present occasion, as he was perfectly
sensible of the great loss they had sustained in being deprived
so unexpectedly of Mr. Currie's services. In the name of
the political party with whom be acted, he regretted his de-
parture. (Hear.) For many years Mr. Currie had fought
the battle of municipal government in that room, and though
political differences had arisen of late years that severed the
link which once bound him and others together, still no
diversity of sentiments interfered with that harmony which
subsisted between them. To him (Mr. L.) Mr. Currie had
been uniformly kind and encouraging, and, as a party man,
he would say that the conservative body deplored him
sincerely, as they looked upon him to be a kind of link in
which extremes met, and as they felt that they should with
difficulty supply his place. (Hear, hear.)
The MAYOR, in putting the resolution, said he concurred
in all that had been said regarding the deceased gentleman,
and from his experience of him, which continued during the
time the reform council had been in existence, he could say
that no man knew more of the past and present proceedings of
the council than Mr. Currie. His loss, therefore, on public
grounds, was irreparable, and, in private life, all who knew
him lamented his removal.

The motion was then put and carried unanimously.
The proceedings, resolutions, and reports of the Improve-
ment Committee, the Watch Committee, the Markets' Com-
mittee, the Town-ball Establishment Committee, and the
Church Expenditure Committee having been read and con-
firmed,

Mr. H. HORNBY hoped he might be allowed to retire from
the Parks and the Church Expenditure Committes, as, in
his absence from the council on the last occasion, he found
he had been placed on more committes than he could con-
veniently attend. He wished, therefore, to give notice for
the filling up of his place at the next meeting; and he might
observe that Mr. Currie's place on the Law Courts' Com-
mittee would have to be filled up at the same time.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said it was very inconvenient to
allow gentlemen to be retiring from the committees in this
way, as it might lead to a dangerous precedent.
Mr. HORNBY having re-asserted that it was utterly im-
possible for him to attend all the committees on which he had
been placed, particularly as he had been appointed to the
Finance Committee.

Mr. LAWRENCE admitted that the request was a reasona-
ble one in the present instance.
The MAYOR observed that as Mr. Currie had been a
commissioner of the Wallasey Embankment, they would
have to supply his place in that capacity also.
Upon the proposition of Mr. CASE, Mr. Hornby's re-
signation, on both the committees mentioned, was accepted.