The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-08-11 00:00:00

Emperfat Varliament.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Tfivasosir
Their lordships met, at eleven o'clock.
The Earl of Shaftesbury sat as speaker.

MUNICIPAi.CORPORATIONS BILL.
The first evidence 'aeard this day was respecting

DOVER.
Mr. Ledger,.town-clerli of Dover, examined by Mr. Knight.
Witness stated that he -cis accidentally in London and unex-
pectedly called upoin to give evidence at their lordships' bar.
Had been ten years town-clerk of Dover; virtually au appoint-
ment for life ; the mayor is chosen by the freemen of the
borough, by open poll, four persons being preciously named by
-the mayor and jurists. The report of the commissioners is in-
accurate in its account of the mode of electing the mayor, as the
jurats never vote for the mayor. There are altogether about
2,03) freeoten, resident and non-resident. and 1.103 persons
capable of voting at elect'ons. Freedom is acquired by birth,
by the marriage of freemen's daughters horn within the tovtn,
by apprenticeship to a freetnan served within the town, and by
the possession of a freehold of £7 per year within the town.
with residence. The freemen by birth preponderate greatly
in numbers over the rest. The administration of justice is well
attended to at Dover. That part of the police which is under
the direction of the magistrates is well conducted; part of it is
under their direction, but is governed by a local act of parlia-
ment. I here were but three criminal cases at the last sessions,

and the poPulati,mof Dover and its limits (in which are in-
eluded Margate and llroadstairs) amounts to 35,00,). The po-
lice established by the local act is under the direction of com-
missioners appointed by the act. There is a property qualifi-
cation required for the commissioners. There are 118 com-
missioners for different purposes; of these 103 are elected by
the ratepayers in general; .35 of these go out of (nee annual.y.
Each annual election is a scene of party strife, and the effect of
this system of annual elections has been to set neighbour
against neighbour, and friend against friend. Great discom-
fort has been the consequence, ands general regret among this
body of respectable inhabitants. If such a system were adopt-
ed in corporate affairs it would be a curse to the town. It has
been practically proved by the operation of the paving act.
Some years ago there was an inquiry before the House of Cam-
mons. When the municipal corporation commissioners visited
the town, a resolution was passed decla-ing that the corpora-
tion were perfectly ready to follow up the investigation into its
affairs begun by the committee of the House of Commons, but
that the members of the corporation were of Opinion that the
commission was illegal, and they refused to produce their hooks
and papers; this resolution was ordered to be communicated to
the commissioners. There are persons of different political
opinions among the members of the corporztion. It is untrue,
as stated. in the report, that the admission into the governing
body was exclusively cogoed to the members of one particular
party. It is not true of apajority of the substantial and peace-
able inhabitants, that there is a want of confidence among them
towards the goveruing body. If the report means, /13 it seems
to mean in one part of the statement, that the corporation ex-
ercises the influence of the Lord Warden, the Duke of Wel-
lington,
.it states that which is distinctly false. The Lord
Warden exercises no influence whatever, direct or indirect,
over the corporation or in its elections. -The witness here
stated the different offices in the gift of the corporation, of the,
warden of the Cinque Ports, and of the harbour commissionei s.
Some of the patronage named in the report is in the gift of the
Lord Wardeu, and the commissioners. But the present Lord
Warden has never, as imputed, exercised his patronage iu
favour of an' member of the corporation. It is not true that a

belief exists among the respectable inhabitants that the justices
have granted or refused licences from improper motives ; nor is
it true that they have so refused or granted licenses. The ma-
jority of the respectable inhabitants is satisfied with the corpo-
ration as it now exists.
By the Duke of WV LiNGTON.—I know the commissioners
of the harbour. (At the desire of the noble duke he enumerated

them, at the head of whom was his grace.) There are persons
of all political opinions among the pilots. They are not all of
the prevailing opinion of the corporation.
By the Earl of RADNort.—lf the mania were excepted which
prevailed in common with other towns in the kingdom just be-
fore and after the passing of the reform act, Dover has not
generally been more than usually excited by political elections.
By Mr. KNIGHT.—The majority of houses are under Eli/
Eight-tenths of the rates are paid by inhabitants occupying
houses of above £lO a-year, so that the majority was composed
of the parties who paid only two-tenths.
MARLIWROUGH.
Mr. Thomas' Merryman, town-clerk, examined by Mr.
Knight.—Wituess first heard that he was to be examined on the
previous day. The governing body consists of thirteen persons
—the mayor and council. The mayor and two of the council
are justices; the justices are appointed by the mayor for one
year; the council elect each other when vacancies occur in
that body; they sire selected from the most substantial part of
the burgesses with the strictest impartiality; the police is under
the control of the mayor an 4 magistrates, and is equal to the
necessities of the town; borough sessions are held in the town;
justice is administered in a manner decidedly satisfactory to
the respectable inhabitants. The population of Marlborough is
3690. There are not more than six or eight persons of property
and respectability who are opposed to thecorporatioit,decidedly
not ten. I ant not aware of any instance of- improper conduct
on the part of the magistrates being established. The report
in thie respect is incorrect. There does not exist among the
inhabitant% any general feeling of dislike towards the corpera-
lion. 'ILI do not mean to say that there is no such feeling, but it
is.cotibinfid to few inhabitants. Among the eight or ten persons
opposed-to the corporate body are the following :—Mr. Wood-
man,' a solicitor, he is a radical; Mr. Reeve, a brewer, he is
another; Mr. Bryant, who is a violent radical ; and a Mr.
Brayley. The witness mentioned some other names, but he
was not acquainted with those gentlemen, and only knew their
political opinions from general report. I was in the room when
the commissioners were there—all the time. Mr. Woodman
merle statements to the commissioners, who took them down.
No person from whom the commissioners derived informatiou
was sworn. My father, who was mayor, remarked that he had
not ),ern sworn, and Mr. Bingham, the commissioner, said that
lie bad not sworn the witnesses anywhere; such was the im-
pression which his laugusge left upon me. The report of the
cominissiouers contains much matter not stated or entered into
in public. I cannot say of my own knowledge how the com-
smssioners obtained their information, as I was present all the
time they were publicly examiuing into the matters connected
with the borough. Mr. Woodman, in common with most of the
professional men of the county of Wilts, had some knowledge
of Mr. Biughatn, who attends"the sessions. I did nut see them
standing or walking together. I do not know where the com-
missioners got the statement that before the p .ssing of the
reform act the election had been iu the hands of the patron of
the bor nigh fur the time being; how they got other information
detailed in the report I ant unacquainted. lam not aware of
any documents ia the possession of the corporation, showing
that in the reign of James I. the inhabitants were all burgesses.
I believe that nu such documents exist. The statement in the
leport, as to controversies between the common council and the
burgesses, as to the right of election, is contrary to the evidence
given before the commissioners. The polls now in existence
show the reverse. The statement had been before made before
the committee of the House of Commons, and I referred Mr.
Jardine, one of the commissioner; to the report to show the
reverse. The legitimate objects of a Municipal iutluence have
been properly pursued by the corporation ; and the statement
in the report denying this is not true. There is a paragraph in
the report referring to one of the corporations as the steward of
the Marquis of Ailesbury ; that paragraph must refer to my
father. He is not Lord Ai;esbury's stemsteimard. My father did
not state that a person opposed to Lord Ailesbury would not be
elected a burgess, and Lord Ailesbury's steward was not there.
The voter's brought into the registry in respect of property
brought into the new borough do nut exceed 20; the rest are
those who are voters in respect of some property in the old limits
*of the borough. Some of them are, and some of them are not,
Lord Adesbury's tenants. It is decidedly untrue that the sub-
serviency of therorporatien of Marlborough to political purposes
lots exeicised an injurious influsnce on the town. The report
states that the commissioners could not find any instances
within two centuries in which the corporation as a munic.pat
institution had been of value to the town. Some years ago the
corporation, out of its own funds, built a school-house, repaired
the sessions-house, and altered the shambles, by which the cor-
peration lost about 5,50 a-year. These things, or at least the
matters relating to the school and the shambles, were stated to
the coiumissionere. I have never known or heard of any ge-
neral corruption among the members of the corporation in the
application of the corporation funds. The corporation is trustee
fur the public school founded by King Edward. The Marquis
of Aitesbury appoints the master of the school_; he is lord of the
manor within which the borough is situate. He is a considera-
ble proprietor within the limits of the borough. The present
marquis takes a very great interest in the town, and Lunch to
the advantage of the town. He permits the poor to collect wood
- and fuel in his wood; that is of great advantage to the poor of
Marlborough. There is not a single institution of the town
which would not be injured by the withdrawal ut his good will
and good feeling towards the town. if tie were to sell his estates
in the town, the circnuastanse would be regarded with almost
universal regret.