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

Sir C. Wetherell.—la it not a atone unfairly cast at the head
of every alderman of Norwich?
Witness.—Yes.
Lord PLUNKKTT (to the witness.)—Do you mean to swear to
the justice of the metaphor ?
Lord 13watt:strata thought the question was intended to be a
leading question, and therefore oughtnot to have been put.
Sir C. Wetherell, professed his desire to perform his duty with
justice to all, and without offence to any.
Lord BROI:GHA'M.--71. air sure you do. Sir Charles.
The witness continued.-1 du not recollect the commissiciner
remarking in strong terms on the way iu which the accounts
are kept. 1 never knew an instance in which the cur ()orate or
charity funds have been misapplied. There is no such company
as the Weavers' Company. No company whatever has existed
for fifty years in Norwich, so that the statement of an appoint-
went by the aldermen of a person in the Weavers' Company
for political purposes cannot be true. The statement is unfair.
The property of the widows' trust has not been considered re-
coverable for a century at least. The difficulty of its recovery
was acknowledged by the charity commissioners. The repot t
of the municipal 'commissioners with regard to this bust is an
unfair representation. There is, its fact, no money to give at
the present moment. The committee of management of the
charity estates have no salaries allowed them. They perform
their duties without any remuneration, like the other manageis
of the funds. We have an hospital at Norwich culled the Great
Hospital. which contains upon an average 173 old men and wo-
men. There are at present iu it 81 women, of whom 27 are the
wives and widows of freemen. Out of 51 freemen at present in
the hospital, 31 are Tories and 20 Whigs. Of the 27 women,
15 are the wives of Tories, and 12 of Whigs. There are six
scholarships belonging to the corporation at Corpus Christi, the
foundatiou of Archbishop Parker, in right of the corporation.
There is a graminar-school at Norwich, in the patronage of the
aldermen exclusively, confiirinably to the instrument of founds-
lion. The salary tif the master is £B'.) per annum. The corpo-
ration expressed-their readiness to submit their accounts to the
inspection and examination' of the commissioners. They di-
rected the town-clerk to supply them with this information; but
two protests were drawn up against the proceedings of the com-
mission on the part of the corporation. The council proposed
to be elected by the bill, in my opinion, will be less efficient than
the existing council. It would be more controversial and less
satisfactory.
By the Earl of RADNOR.—I was not aware that the explana-
tion-I have given with regard to the balance in the treasurer's
hands is stated in the report.
Mr. Ilarvey.—l ant au alderman of Norwich: have been one
for half a century. I can confirm the correctness of the state-
ment given by Mr. Booth with respect to the mode in which the
corporate trusts are performed. Never knew any maiversation
on the part of the mayor, whether of one political party or of the
other. Tl•eir political differences of opinion have never biassed
their administration of justice. During the time I administered
the charities no alteration whatever was made in the mode of
administering theta..•
Mr. Preston' (the recorder of Norwich).—l have been re-
corder fur foUr or five Years; I atteridedahe sessions at Norwich
tor 25 years. The judges have decided that I have a capital
jurisdiction, but I have never exert ised it. The commission of
crime in Norwich has very much diminished within the last
nine years. 8J or 90 prisoners upon an average are tried in
one year. I stn satisfied that the administration of justice has
given universal satisfaction. No person in my station dare
swerve from the strict administration of justice. 'The juries in
Norwich are composed of persons of ail political parties, and
are most impartial in their dccisious. 1 recollect no instance
during my time, or that of my immediate predecessor ( Mr.
Alderson), who was of different politics from myself, in which a
verdict has been biassed by political considerations. I waited
on the commissioners out of respect to gentlemen holding the
King's commission, and attended their sittings for six or seven
&vs. I recollect an investigation as to tl.e conduct of Mr.
Alderman Itackham. I went to the commissioners and told
them that he was in London, and that it was desirable nut to go
into the investigation. Upon this a dispute arose, and I never_
attended the commissioners' room again, because the commis-
sioners declined to accede to my suggestion. I recollect the
case of Alderman Turner. He was indicted for bribery iii a
local election. I did not try the case. Four persons were in-
dicted. I adjourned the grand jury for a fortnight, and in the
after indictioeut Mr. Turner was included. I thought that the
rich and the pour ought not to be dissevered. But the case was
ultimately tried lieforeanothertribuual, because I had discharged,
the previous grand jury, and I doubted whether I had jurisdic-
tion to empanel a new one. What the report contains in regard
to this matter is untrue. I have £26 lUs. a-year in lieu of a
field which is attached to my office.
Mr. Joseph Causeby proved the number of hnuses in Norwich
to be 14,201. and of these only 3,692 at and above £lO value.
It being now I o'clock, the period • aepoitited for the adjourn-
ment of the evidence, counsel were oreered to withdraw, and
appear again at the bar at 6 o'clock, for the further prosecution
of the evidence.
The house adjourned during pleasure.
The Marquis of Clauricuide postponed the second reading.o,
the Litman catholic marriage bill; anti the Marquis of London-
derry his motion for an address to his Majesty, praying his
Majesty to rescind the order in council respecting the suspen-
site' of the foreign enlistment act.
Shortly after six o'clock the corporation inquiry was resumed,
and counsel again called in.
Mr. Newton, an alderman of Norwich, was called to state
some additional particulars respecting that city. Heard the
evidence given here, and concurred with it generally. Was
present at the sittings of the commissioners in November last;
attended five or six days. Drew up a remonstrance to the cont.
etissionet s as to the course they were pursuing. This was served
on Mr. Long, one of the commissioners, some time early in
December. The remonstrance was signed by five magistrates,
two aldermen, and 30 common-councilmens Witness had before
this remonstrated orally st veral times, as to the course the com-
missioners were taking His reason was, that they were receiv-
ing evidence which no court of justice would receive, and that
there was an evident bias against the corporation. 'l'hey also
took evidence of what happened in the Menu e of those who had
been dead many years, and who had no one present to defend
their memory. The
_protest or remonstrance was signed by wit-
ness and others. Witness signed it conscientiously, and not
from party motives. A passage in the report, page 2494, re-
lating to Mr. Turner, who was described as Mr. Alderman Tur-
ner, though he was not so at the time of the transaction to which
the passage alluded, was read to witness, and he said that it
contitined a must unfair statement as to Mr. T.•rner. It de-
scribed him as having compromised an indictment brought
against him fir giving a bribe by payment of £5O, though the
commissioners were informed that the said Mr. Turner was not
the person who had committed the alleged offence, and ghat he
had paid the £5O only as the costs to which tie would have been
put in bringing the action to trial Witness added that he con-
sidered this representation as to Mr. Turner was most incorrect
and that the commissioners were informed of the exact particu-
lars before they published the report.
The protest was then put in and read.
Joseph Crosby was next examined.—The nuntber of houses
in Norwich is 14,201, or which 540 are rated, and the number
rated at £lO and upwards is 3692. If rated under the proposed
bill, the number under ER) would be four to one, or thereabout.
ROCHKSTER. .

Mr. Lewis, town-clerk of It uchester.—Has held the office of
town-clerk for two years and a half. Has resided in Rochester
50 years.. The number of freemen is about 4(X). The aldermen
and the ussistants were ehesen for life, and taken from the intim
respectable class of freemen. Justice was administered by four
aldermen, and administered to the general satisfaction of the in-
habitants. Formerly non-freemen were obliged to pay at title
time 305., at another £3. annually, hot carrying on wail busi-
ness in the city; but this fine had not been levied for the last
three years, nor bail there been more than one sale of fieedorn
of the city, which only took place to people in business, during
the same period. The charge for freedom varied. It bad been
£3O at one time, enema, ds 1:20, more recently £lO. The last
charge was £lO. The corporation revenues wire managed under
the direction or the common council. No part of corporation
jiropert hut eser been applied for the benefit of individuals.
l'he freemen had no such preperty. There were several valu-
able charities; one derived £lOtX) a year from freehold estates.
There was a school for the children of freemen exclusively,
called Sir T. Williamson's school, possessing an income et
OW per annum. If freemen were abolished, heetpprehended
that the grant would revert to the donor. He attended the pub-
lic sittings of the commissioners,- Mr. Ellis and Mr. Maude, in
the Guildhall for the seven days. Everybody who chose came
forward and made his statement..TherXguituation was on oath,
which was administered by the commissioners. lie had pro-
tested openly against the evidence they were receiving, as not
being according to any rut g of law; they attended to hearsay,
conjecture, belief, and supflesition, as contradietinguished from
facts known. In answer to his objection, Mr. Ellis said he need
have no apprehension, for that be would not put in his notes
any evidence that was improper. lie had read the report, but
the evidence was not there stated; it only contained the state-
ment of the conclusions at which the commissioners had arrived.
He was not prepared, accordingly, to state that any part of the
report was actually founded on evidence such as he had de-
scribed. The learned counsel read a passage from page b5l, in
which it was stated that great rancour and exasperatiote pre-
vailed in the political parties on either side. The witness de
nied the truth of the statement so far as the corporation were
concerned. Great scurrility, rancour, and violence hart been
directed against the corporation. The analysis of the chamber-
lain's accounts was delivered in by him on oath. It was drawn
up according to a scheme given him by the commissioners, to
which he added some columns, thet eby making the account more
precise and full. There was no conceal'nent—none enjoined by
the committee appoieted to assist him, as suggested in the re-
port; there was none contemplated or intended. The nun her
er houses under LIU in the tett isheetif St. Nicholas and St. Mar-
garet. the most considerable in R.'icheSter, was thtie; 'they pate
use-fifth of the rates. The number of £lO houses and upwaids
was 417; thee paid four-fifths of the rates. The evidence given
by a Mr. Snidlev was omitted in the report; he was opposed to
the majority.of the corporation, and favourable to the views of
the cononissumers. He coneiuded his testimony by raying,
"The corporation have used me ill, but I am bound to say they
are honest." 'this was not stated in tie report. The corpora-
tion contained men of different iiolitics. In answer to Lord
Radnor, he said that if the commissioners had held the scaler
with an even hand, they would net have listened, to much ot' the
evidence they bed heard. Their demeanour was courteous and
gent lemannie, but they admitted that to be tendered to them as
evidence which was notoriously unlike any any thing that could
ha properly received as such. 'The freedom of the corporation
was frequently, almost always purchased; the price varied from
£lO to 1230; it has risen as high at £4O. I paid £4O for my
freedom. The price is now down as low as £lO, there having
been ne purchasers since the reform act. There are about ItX,O
freemen resident and non-resident. We consider all to be mm-
resident who live without the original boundaries of the borough;
according to that definition 600 of the freemen ate non-resident,
but 200 of the 600 live within seven miles of the town. I have
not known honorary freemen at any tin.e made in contempla-
tion of an election for member of parliament.'
To Lord Asti BURTON.—A proposition for investing the cor-
poration with the power of making a rate would, I ant sure, be
exteediegly nupopular.
HENLEy-oN-THAMES.
Mr. Cooper, town-clerk of Betties -on-Thames.—l have filled
the office which I now hold siuce-the year 1819: From my
knowledge of thy borough, I ate enabled to say that the best
class'of .residents are members of the corporation. ' I have never
hettid, and I do not believe, there ever have been Made any
complaints respecting 'the administration of justice: A con-
siderable portion of the property of the corporation is.for rhas
ritable prirposes.• This amounts to £l,OOO a-yeas, andisepplied
to various purposes of public charity, under the directien of the
corporation,
the greater part being for purposes connected ex-
clusively with the established church; a part of it may be, and
has been, applied to the repair of the church. It has rarely
occurred that we have ha.l a church rate. Sometimes a century
has elapsed without ti church rate. We have occasionally bad
discussions as to the
,expediency of su small a community as
a minsicipat institution at till; and '6)1181(1m:10)1m
ours having
h,
iv;
been explessed,aseo the. utility of it, lint I think
'that the majority of the inhabitants consider that cdtr'bornitgli,
magistrates -Would beat di;charge the duty 'of udwiiiisterihg
justice, and be more competent than the Inagikttritle• ft.ir. the
counts, at large, to take ctignizanee of the petty offences most
frequentieithin outjueistlietion. ,
VEH ING-ATTE-BoWER: • •
Mr. Tyrrell stated that be was agent for Mr. Macintosh, who
lately purchased this manor from the crown, with the privilege
thereto annexed, at the price of £72,000; that by reason of a
very ancient attO peculiar larisdivtien the lordship of that manor