The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-11-11 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.

Yesterday the first meeting of the newly-constructed
Council was held in the Council Chamber at the Town
Hall. Sir John Bent, previous to the election of the
new Mayor, presided. There was a very numerous at-
tendance. The new members present were—Messrs.
Banner, Houghton, M'Guffie, Stewart, Royden, and
Bradley.

ELECTION OF MAYOR.
Sir JOHN BENT announced that the first business of
the Council would be the election of Mayor.
Mr. HUGH HORNBY then rose, and said that the first
business which the Council bad to transact, they had just
heard, was the appointment of Mayor for the ensuing
year. He rose for the purpose of moving that Mr. Thos.
Littledale be appointed ( hear, hear). The qualifications
of Mr. Littledale for the office were so universally recog.
nised, not only in that room, but throughout the borough,
that it was unnecessary forhim to dilate upon them. In every
situation which Mr. Littledale had held in connexion
with the Corporation he had given the most entire satisfac-
tion, but more especially as Chairman of the Dock Commit-
tee were they deeply indebted to him. Mr. Littledale had
undertaken that important office, the duties of which were
so arduous, at a time of great excitement, arising out of
the opposite opinions held on the subject of dock rating,
and which had given rise to such warmth of expression.
Without swerving from his own opinions, Mr. Littledale
had gained the esteem of every member of the Dock Com-
mittee and of the Council; and he (Mr. Hornby) believed
that the harmony which now existed between these two
great bodies, and which was so essential to the well-being
and working of the two estates, was in a great measure
owing to the prudence, discretion, and conciliatory man-
ner in which Mr. Littledale had discharged the duties of
his office. As chairman of the Dock Committee, Mr.
Littledale was possessed of qualifications of no ordinary
character; and these eminently fitted him to fulfil the
office of chief magistrate. If their choice fell upon Mr.
Littledale, he (Mr. Hornby) felt assured that they should
never have occasion to regret their selection. If Mr.
Littledale should be elected, he (Mr. Hornby) sincerely
hoped that, at the conclusion of the term of his office, he
would find that he had conciliated the esteem and good
opinion of as many friends, and made as few enemies, as
Sir John Bent had done. (Applause.)
Mr. SAMUEL HOLM); rose, and said, that having had
the pleasure, on a former occasion, to second the nomina-
tion of Mr. Littledale for the office of mayor, he now
again took the liberty of seconding a similar motion. He
(Mr. Holme) did not admit that because any gentleman
had filled the office of dock chairman, that that alone was
a sufficient reason for appointing him mayor ; but the
onerous and difficult position in which a dock chairman
found himself placed, and the time necessary to be de-
voted to public affairs, gave him a claim to the office of
mayor at any rate, as a stepping stone. Cordially agreeing
with every thing which had been said by Mr. Hornby, he
(Mr. Holme) had great pleasure in seconding that gentle-
man's nomination. Mr. Littledale had been three times
delegated to the Council by one of the most important
wards in the town; and in saying this he did not mean
any thing desrespectful to any other of the wards.
It was for the ward of which Mr. Littledale was
one of the representatives, that the pulsation was
given which caused the commerce of the town to run
through every rill for the benefit of the general commu-
nity; and this was a proof that his constituency admired
his character and fitness for office. Mr. Littledale was
the member of a firm second to none in importance in
the town, and one which maintained the highest commer-
cial position. Mr. Littledale's hospitality in private life
was unbounded, and this hospitality, when Mr. Littledale
was placed in office, would in his (Mr. Holme's) opinion
lose nothing by the change. Of his gallantry they had
also had proof, in his success in saving from a burning
ship a number of his fellow-creatures. Believing that
Mr. Littledale possessed those qualifications to render his
election a benefit to the general community, he had great
pleasure in seconding the nomination.—(Loud applause.)
Mr. A. J. JONES said he rose with great pleasure to
support the motion. Being at the head of a deputation
to wait upon Mr. Littledale to ask him to allow himself
to be put forward as Dock Chairman, and having seconded
his nomination in Council for that office, lie had great
pleasure in supporting the motion of his appointment as
Mayor; and he perfectly agreed with all that had been
said with respect to the way in which Mr. Littledale
had discharged the duties of the office which he had so
ably filled. He (Mr. Littledale) had most thoroughly
redeemed the pledgehe made on receiving the appointment.
There being no other candidate to propose,
The MAYOR asked if it was the pleasure of the Council
to appoint Mr. Thomas Littledale mayor of the borough
for the ensuing year.
The Council unanimonsly assented.

Mr. Hornby and Mr. S. Holme, the mover and seconder
of Mr. Littledale's appointment, then proceeded to the
ante-room, and introduced that gentleman to the presence
of the Council.

Mr. Littledale was warmly cheered as be passed up the
room to the presidential chair, the whole of the members
upstanding at the time. Here he was greeted and con-
gratulated by Sir John Bent, who, having warmly shaken
him by the hand, resigned to him the chair of office.
The usual oaths, See of qualification havinc, been taken,

The new MAYOR rose, and said, he hoped-the Council
would allow him to return thanks for the very distin-
guished honour which they had just conferred upon him
by placing him in the exalted situation of chief magistrate
of this great and important town. The novelty of his
situation and the excitement of the moment unfitted him
for tendering them those suitable acknowledgments
which his feelings of gratitude would lead him to do.
If the honour was a great one, the responsibility
was still greater ; if the position was an exalted
one, the more it would become him to endeavour
to perform those duties consequent upon it in a way to
enable him, at the expiration of his term of office, to re-
flect that with whatever success he might have fulfilled the
duties which had devolved upon him, there had been no
exertion wanting on his part to act to the best of his
ability (applause). In conclusion, he begged of them to
afford to hire that indulgent consideration and support
which would perhaps render his office of presiding over
their deliberations not only an easy but an agreeable task,
and which support might be the means of shortening their
own labours,and of conducing to the better administration
of the affairs of the town (applause).
His WORSHIP announced that, in conformity with an-
cient custom, he purposed attending St. Peter's Church
on Sunday morning next, when he should be glad of the
company of the whole of the members of the Council.
TOWN COUNCILLORS AND THE POLICE.—THE
CASE OF MR. PRESTON.

The following letter from Mr. William Preston (a mem-
ber of the Council), in reference to an article in the
Liverpool Times of Thursday, was read by the Town-
clerk :

" Rock House, West Derby,
Monday 10th Nov., 1851.
" My dear Sir,—As I am confined at home by indisposition.
I shall feel greatly obliged if the Council and yourself will
grant me the favour of allowing me, through you to make, by
letter, a communication to the Council, on a subject affecting
myself personally.

" Representations have been publicly made with regard to
my conduct, in reference to the case of Mr. Charles Joughin,
a publican, the recent subject of legal investigation ; and it is
therefore due to the Council and to myself, that 1 should
explain the part I took in the matter.
' ➢lr. Joughin, who is not a customer of mine, (but was
accompanied by Mr. Philip Newton, who is), called upon me,
and told me that he was likely to be the victim of misrepre-
sentation, and that his license, and consequently his living,
were in jeopardy, anr' begged me to aid him in preventing
injustice from being done to him. I accompanied him to the
chief commissioner of police, and in his presence told the
commissioner the circumstances as Mr. Joughin bad related
them to me, and he promised me to investigate the case. I
then left the matter in the commissioner's hands ; and I had
not, subsequently, any act or part in the matter; and indeed
did not again hear of it until I saw the report of the case
in the public newspapers. I did not consider that the fact of
my being a councillor ought to deprive me of the privilege
which any member of the community possesses, of aiding an
inhabitant in getting his complaint inquired into in the proper

quarter

" I may add, that I am not a member of the Watch Com-
mittee.—l have the honour to be, my dear Sir, very faithfully
yours, - _ " IVILLIAM PRESTON."

" To Sir John Bent, Mayor.
Mr. Alderman PROCTOR said, lie thought the attack in
the Liverpool Times was not only an attack upon Mr.
Preston individually, but upon all other members of the
Council belonging to the spirit or brewing trades, and he
should be glad if the Council would appoint a committee
to inquire into the charges of the article contained in the
Times. It was rather too much that attacks should be
brought in the public papers against men who had no
other intention than of fulfilling their duties.
Mr. J. HOLMES said, that when the subject of the
license was under consideration of the magistrates, they
decided upon the evidence which was then produced.
Mr. Alderman PARKER begged to second the motion of
Mr. Procter. Either the Watch Committee were affected
or they were not affected, and he thought the affair should
be inquired into.

Mr. FERNIIIOUGH was glad that the allegation had
fastened upon Mr. Alderman Preston. Attacks had been
made by the press upon other parties who did not hold
the proud position of Mr. Preston. He (Mr. Fernihough)
felt glad that they had now something to tackle with ; and
lie trusted that the gentleman alluded to would take those
steps to place the matter before a jury in a court of law,
in order to show these libellers that they were not to
trample upon the characters of other men. (Hear, hear,
and ironical smiles.)
Mr. ItoGaus thought the less that was said about the
matter perhaps would be the better. It would die away
if not interfered with.

Mr. THOMSON.— Perhaps as he (Mr. Rogers) is a mem-
ber of the Watch Committee, he thinks there is some-
thing in it.
After a discussion, a committee consisting of the Chair-
man of the Watch Committee, and the new members of
the Council, was appointed to inquire into the charges
contained in the article in the Times.

Mr. PROCTER. suggested that the editors of the Times
should be present at the inquiry, if they chose.
Mr. COOPER and several other members objected to
this, and the Council overruled the suggestion.
DOCK COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS—ELECTION