The New York herald., 1874-12-28
THE CITY OF LONDON.
HOW the Modern Babylon Is
Governed.
TIL E LORD MAYOR.
Proposed Reforn-The Metropoli-
tan Board OF Works.
LONDON. Dec. ~. 1874.

otner European nations, the English Parliament
in Its next session will De engaged in an endeavor
to solve perpleXng problem OF home govern
ment. The Assembly, which never experiences the
slightest difficulty in impartIng dlctatorial in
structon to the foreigner to the way he should
rule himself, and who is always ready to under
take the government of any remote territory-be
IT all India or only the Fiji Islands-will be once
more at Its wits end to devise government for
the British metropolis. ..What - the German and
the Frenchman will exclaim, 'Is not the Lord
Mayor the government OF LondonS" Not a bit OF
OF 1t. Every Engl1shman knows that there never
was such sham In the flesh as this sefsame Lord
Mayor nor such territorial imposition as 1.-The
city" or course they cannot delude any one who
has lived in England; but both are make.beeves
which go long way with the stranger. When the
Lord Mayor entertains "A king
emperor the metropolis OF Great Britain
gets the credit OF the hospitality and
1.-THE city"-f. e., the territory Of His Lordship's
jurisdiction, is credited abroad with being to Eng.
land what Paris is to France. This is about the
funniest thing imaginable to everybody who
knows that the Lord Mayor no more represents
the metropolis than his title represents a real
lordship, and that while the extent OF "the city,
Is 723 acres, that OF the rest OF the metropolis is
over 10000. Think OF all this immense acreage,
thtrty-1ve miles in circumference, being to the
close Of this year OF grace 1874 without munich.
paty, while .'the city" revels in Its Lord Mayor,
Aldermen and Common Councils It's llverymen and
'longsnoremen innumerable; It's eighty-t three
"companies;' Its legal staff OF Recoroer, Com
mon Sergeant and Commissioner; its lieutenancy,
each lieutenant being arrayed in the gorgeous
panopy OF military general, save that his epau-
lets and his sword knot and the cord his cooked
hat are OF silver lace instead OF gold its tremen
dously warlike looking Marshal, It's sword ana
mace bearers, and last, but not least its toast
master. becoming regard to ''the eter-
nal fitness OF things" shOuld have prompted
us to put the Onicial we have named
last not In that position, but in the very next
to the Lord Mayor himself in the hierarchy
of civic personases. And why Simply because
the Lord Mayors dinners are the very first OF the
civic institutions Of London, and what would
those dinners be without the 1ourshes impaired
to His Lordship's Orat0ry by the official henchman
who stands behind the chair, and alter q blare Of
trumpets makes proclamation for all the Chief
Magistrates marvellous utterances by shout Of
"My lords and gentlemen, change your glasses
and, pray, silence for the Right Honorable, the
LORD Mayorw Is 1t any wonder that even a king
or an emperor should view with reverence not
far removed from awe q host who rises after such
q perOrattOn Numbered forth for him by proxy
and welcomes his guests in the name Of all Lon
don?
For the last quarter Of century, at least.
myriads turn out each 9th Of November for the
purpose OF laughing at 'the Lord Mayors show"
Because OF the ndicue inflicted on 1.-the men in
armor'' and other features OF this piece OF tom
!ooery those knights, with their gas-tarred coats
OF mail and their wa-eyed steeds, have van
lshed for the last five or six years; but
'the show" as well as the Lord Mayor himself.
is a tradition, and though both are anacnronisms
IN apfd dow nCh 10 fhn 0Nopft nj nf fhoT
doners for traditional Institutions however ab
3urd tnat no Lord Mayor has felt himself strong
enough TO abolish the show. aud no English gov
ernment has felt itself powerful enough to eXtin-
guish the Lord Mayor and reform the London
Corporation, an this In face OF the fact that
every other corporation in England was reformed
just thrty-nine years ago. sensible LORD Mayor,
Alderman Allen. positively refused 10 exhibit him.
sell IN "the gold coach'' on his Inauguration day,
and made use OF his own modern and very elegant
State carriage instead Of that venerable gcwgaw,
which weighs about TWO tons ana malt and is be-
dizehed all over with gliding and with little gods
and goddesses IN gaudy colo rs. 1t is not little
singular that such an innovation was attempted
by . conservative Lord Mayor; but as a reward
Tor his efforts to reform, he was hooted and hssed
py the radical mob OF the metropolis. In IKE
selves have been Kept alive by their ira
ditions. Every effort to abolish or abridge
their ancient rights and prlvlleges" has up
the existing state OF things has become SO lntol-
cradle In consequence OF the vast increase OF the
In the coming session to give London munlci-
paiity worthy Of its great commercial and terrific
Meanwhile this metropolis has made some ex-
traordnary and commendable efforts to overcome
OF its endeavors in this way may not be unnter.
esttng to the citizens OF New YORK and other large
and growing communities witnin tue United
tlce to the corporation OF the city to say that when
the whole metropolis consisted OF the community
within Its gates 1t was municipality not unwOr-
thy or what was then the capital OIL England, and
that down even to the present time 1t mas always
administered It's vast riches with splendid liber-
alty. That 1t mas ciung to its pride, pomp and
circumstance" may well be pardoned IN consld.
GRAFTON OF the good use 1t has made OF them within
larged the sphere OF Its usefulness by bring.
Ing WITHIN 5ns sway og hsona s authory ana
such as "Bishopgate Withoutn and Harrington
Wltnout;n but, as the metropolis extended north.
soulh, east and west the necessity OF other ar
rangements was forced on the Legislature, and,
while no other municipality than that OF the city
ten boroughs-W Westminster, Kenslngton, chelsea,
Maryleoone, Flnsbury, Hackney, the Tower Ham
let's, Southwark Lambeth and Greenwich, each
returning two members to Pariament-have been
instituted within the metropolis, besides sthe
city wnich returns loui. but tnat Is s not nearly
that 1.-THE city, has ceased to be the metropolis.
Previously TO 1885, incredible as It may appear,
London, outside 1.-THE city," was administered by
several hundred sets OF Trustees OF sewers, ves-
tries and other sucn bodies. constituted under as
many acts OF Parliament II Is an odd crcum-
stance that the idea OF efectlng metropolitan
improvements In London by the machinery
OF Commissioners OF sewerage dates as
L., and was not even partially abandoned
until 1885, when the Metropolitan Board OF
Works was established. IL appears that IN the
thlrty.alth year Of that monarch's reign the Oliac
tory sensipiities OF q noble courtier were dis
turbcd by the smell OF the Fleet then London's
oniy sewer. He complained to the King, and HIS
Majesty issued commission or sewers TO the
hayor ana sherifYs OF London, requiring them to
'.scour ana clean the River Fleet.n In the nine-
teenth year OF the reign OF Charles H. an act l0r
the rebuilding OF the city OF London after the
great Ore vested IN the corporation certain duties
relating to sewage, and empowered that body TO
appoint persons under Its seal to carry out those
duties: ana IN the tenth and eleventh years OF the
reign OF ner present Majesty the powers OF the
Commissioners oi sewers to be appointed by 'the
Mayor, Aldermen and Council assembled" were
considerably enlarged. Under this last statute
the Corporation, through Its commissioners
OF sewers, maintains very important