Court Of Common Council.
The Times, 1824-10-22T00:00:00

A Court of Common Coundil was held yesterday at the GuildItall for the despatchi of general business. 2ZORD XAYOIt'ELECT. After tb~im-rtinuf es'f he last Court had been read4 The LORD UMAYoR presented to the Court a written conimuni- catiOfi froim thd Loard Mayor Elect, in whichi he stated his willing- neat to take upon hirm the high office of L-ord Mlayor, to which bi had been unanimoasly elected. This letter was ordered to be entered upon the journals, asa was also a letter from the SecretaTy to the Co,mniittee for the Relief of the Distressed Settlers at the Cape of Goad Hope,thaaking the court for their very liberal donation in aid of the fuinds for that benevo- lent object. HIGH PRICE 05' COALS. The LoeD AIAYoR observed, that before the Court entered up- OR the business of the day, he wished to call its. attention to a sub- ject of very great importanceto the inhabitants of the metropolis.-.- lie meant the present very high price of coals. (Hear, hear.) There had~ been, not a long time back, an increase in the number of coal- meters,and there had liewise been a reduction in the coial-duty, ancl yet it was found that the supply of coals was much less and the price higher than before. Thete were in the present month fiewer ships at market than in the corresponding mionthi of last year, and at the lnst markcet-day there were only two entire margoes on the lists. He had made inqutiries, as to the cause of this very inadequate supply, and had corresponded withi a gentleman at the port. of Sunderland oni the subject. F'rom this genitleman he hfad received a communication, whichm stated that the inadequate supply, and the consequert inrea-se of price in London, were cauised by the'nmonopoly tf F-few individuals at Sunderland. These persons purchaLsed fronti the owiers of;K thie pits, and stfood between them and the consumers in Lion' dlon. They so arranged the Supply, that they' were al- ways9 to keeP Up the price. the), sent a certain number of ships to market, and in v-ery man v inistances refused to load others until thleir own ships returned. It was unniecessary that he (the Lord Mlayor) should -point out to the Court the great inconvenience which must result to thte inhabitants of London fromi a monoepoly to carried on. At the present momtent, anid fo-r a considerable tirne, back, the so PIpy was so apportioned to the demarad, thnat tipon the average of, thle market li',ta, the rnumber of shiips unsold on any market-dasy did not exceed 10 per cenlt. There were 90 out of the 100 sold its soollas brought tonmarket. With asupplyso regulated, atntd so little exceeding the demand for imimediate conisumption, he would ask whether,ifaiiyuanforeseen circums,tances shouldoccurtostop thatsapplyfor ashort time, the cnnsequcncese iright not hermost serious5 to maniufa~cturers in London. and to the great body of the poor, parn ticularly in a severe season i He mentioned these facts for the cori' sideration of the Court, and hie Trusted that the membLrs would give thieir imnmediate aLttention) to it, in order, if' possible that some re- medy might be devised for an evil Ilkely to be proucliive ef sucht serious consequences. (H-ear.) He hiad mientioned the deerease of Supply writhlin the last nsianth. The coDnsequence ,vas, that the pric ha riisen within the Yer' last three wects full niine shillings per chaldroit. The w-hole of, tiis eeormtous profit went inot the pockets nt those monopoliststo wlhom be lied Isefore alluded aitd the Courtnighit juidge of the amount, when they learnied, that a sum oi 1Od. per chad- dron On the comsumption of Lonelon. amounted to not less than 50,0001. a Year. He would not, press the subjecct farther at that time, but be hopedi that before the rising of' the Court some- thing wouild be done res-pecting it. Alir. S. Di xo-, said, that undoubtedly tite subject to whlich his Lordship) had called their attentitn was most important, but he feared thie introduction of' it, or the interference of' the Court, wvould not be productive of the good effect expected. The Couirt had taken up thie Subject of the scarcity of' other articles of genieral and neces- sary consumption, no doubt with the very laudable view of rom-e- dying the scarcity, but the tffect had been otherwise. HIe rc- niembered, when onl a former occasion the attenition of the Court kad been calle from that chair by onie of bis I ordshipi's predecessiors, to the then high price of bread anid Scarcity of corn. A committee was aPpointed to consider of it : hut the very mention of stat cits' from suchI autlhoritv had just the eff-ect, and tipo other, of enihanci'ng the Price of thlat n'`ecexsarv~ article still f-arther. It would, be feared, be no betier in this cas;e' at the very reading of' the facts stated to tile Court, whic'h wuld of course find their way in3to all the paper of to-morrow, people would begin to he alarm'ed, and dreading a still furthier advarce in price, each would be anxious to lay in his wvinter stock as Soon as possible,and thius the evil would, for a time at least, be increased. It iran, he feared, alfiost innate in human nature for every max,to get the highest possible price tor the at ticles he had to dispose of, without reference to the effect of that price upon others, and there- fore there would he at all times attempts at mionopoly. Howrever, as hie deprecated such attempts as thore mentioned by his Lordship as niuch as aniy mart, lie would endeavouir, now thiat the Subject had been initroduced, to, find at remedy. W"ithi that view lie would mnove, thlat the communication made by hiis Lordshipj shiould he referred to the Coal and Corn Commnittee, to repoqrt thereupon to the Court. Mir. FAVELL, in seconding this motion, madie a few remarks, whichi were inaudible below the bar. Mfr. Fu itcor.Ea Concurred in referring this important subject to the consideration of the Conninittee. He thoueht that if permis.. nsioi were given to bring up caals by an inland navigation, the metropolis might in a short time he- supplied with sotne hundredt thousand chaldrons of coal at a miuch cheaper rate. lf this experi- ment wvere made, and itbecaLnieknown tLothe monopolists at thepit' m4outhisin Sunderland, we should soon have avery plentiful supply o~f coats, on mnuch, cheaper termis than wve had had for a considerable Time. After a few words fioni AlIdermnan C. S3I ITas and Aflr. BLADEN, which were quite inaudible, The LOan) NIAYOR said, that generally the U3ndon miark-et was supplied so as at lea,st to meet the demand for immediate con- suinprion) but withlin the last iwo monthis this had not been thecase. W'ithin that timie thiearrivals of coals in the river were less by 400 siail thian inthiercorresponding period of last year. liewould admil thatthis diffe~rence might be owing ini some degree to the laic heavy weather, but that couldl not account for such a great diffetrence extending over a Period of two mou01ths,. a great portion of whiceh wvas good weather. Having mentioned the subject, he would leave it to the considera- tion Of the Court ;but lie certainly thotught: it onie wliich caelle for imnmediate interference. After a few words f-romn Alr. WE'LCH, Who airre' d thiat much be- nefit mighit he derived by opening ouir inland navigation to ithe Lon- dion coal trade, Alr. S. DTXOy' Said, thatt if we adopted that plan, we should be enhiancitig thie price ot coals in the w-siern Parts of the country, wh'ile tre lowered them here. Besides, he believed it would he found that the coals brouglht byv The ialand navigation would not suit lor.don consumners, They' tvree good looking, but very deceit~ul...Thie question was thien refecrred tot the Committee. CrTY TITHES, Mir. Jt. (C~tTERa preSented a petition from thes chiurchwarderns, overseerN of thepoDor,anil inhabitants of th,e parbii of-ST. Botelph. Aid. gate (witlhout), settinig forth the irrievzrnce ui,der whiich they suffered by the demand of a tithe of 2s. 9d. in the pound. suede by, thit lay ins- projpriator of their parish, R. Kynaston, Esq. -Tois demand was made under the act thie 37thl of Henry, VIII., the decree of whichi the pletitioners, contended hiad never been enrolled in thie Couirt otf Cuancery,as thiat act direc-ted, and therefore could not now be legally acted upon. The tithe thus demanded of them would amnount to a surti of about 5,0001. a-year. Tute petitioners wvere! willing to giv-e to the impropriator a flair comrpeition in lieu of' itis tithe, but They cauld not consent to Pay annuailly such an extravag-art demaLnd as t hat macde upon themn, wvhen theyi believed that such a demand teas niever authoirized bi', law. Whb en the sum oh 2s. 9d. in the pondmi was firs.t granted, it ~va; intended utot merely for the support of' the clergYman, but also for the relief of the p our 01' the parish, aind for time repair of the church h ut now the whole sum was claimed by a man who coiitributed not so any of these, hut left thiem to he paid by thec parish. The petitioner resisted the claim. and in consequence proceedings in, Chancery had been COMnienced .against some of them, and had been thireatene'd agaiiist others -,they therefore praved the int,crference of the Court ohn their behltf, and at grant of such pecu- niary aid as might enable themi to oppose this opleressive demand. Several very respectable parishioners who hadi biped the petition attended the'Court en support of it. Wihen a-sked by the LoaD MALYOR whether they had atty thling to add to what was cnontained in their petition M1r. Standring (one of their numnber) addressed the Court, He ssid that they approached thie Court under a deep sense of' tse hieavy, boirdern which it was attenipted to ionpose on them, and under a firni conviction that the Court would do in their casee what is its hionouir it had done in every ca-se of public oppression wliieh had come before it-give every relief in its power. 'They were a large body, but nut a rich one. The numbers of poor in their parish were very considemablc, and it was notorious that somneof the richest pe- rishes in London had The smallest nuniber of' poor to support. They had for a considerable time paid 8,1001. a-year in poor's araes, and Yat the present moment were Paving betw-een'a.0ftl. and 6,0001., besides many other heavy burdenls,'whijch the Court mlight jud"ge Of, when he mentfioned thnt on a re-ntal of 377,0001. they patid 26,0001. a year in various taxes, They were uniable to support the addi- tional heavy burden which was attemptedi to be imposed upon them. They~ thierefore hiumblv implore-d the assistance of thle Court; and 'they were the mnore earnest in pressing ibis subject upon the attentioni of the Court, as it was a case in which a vast body Of' the citizens of London in several other parishes were cncered. (Hear, hear.) The ptitionler having withdrawn from thte bar, Mlr. Kt CARTE R~ moved that the Petition he referred to the Tithe Committee, Alir. FAV'ELL, in seconding the motion,. observed that the tax of 2s. 9d. in the pound was origitmally connected withi the support of' the tpoor and the repalasr of the chiurch, as well as thie maintenance of the clergymnan. and could sever have been intended toe the private emiolument of an individual not connected with any of those objects. Tlisi was a case not confined in its operationi to one'set ofindividuals~, but to a great portion- of the citizens ot London ; and he trusted that. the Court would therefore take it into its niost serious considera- tion. Air. S. Dixom admitted that is was one which called for serioust conBideration, but he.trusted that it might be brough't to an issue as soo asposibl, nt mrel asfaras h.parishionersi of St. Botolph, butas ll thr prises imlary grcmstauced, were concerned. hi ws vry dsirble hatsomegen ralrgulation sho~uld be made Aftr aDfewwords, frnd Al.SvAE r. WELCHe, Air, TAxEs, Aic. ous'oRn,and Ir. Deputy R~EEvEs,. Mblr. rIURCO SE stid he was glad to see the disposition of the Court to relieve thc petitioners, and other parishes equally circum. stanced. Hlc hoped' the Court would give the Committee to whom this subject was to be referred, leave to report from time to time, which be thought woild have a good effect in forwarding the gene- ral object of the petitioners. Thes subject wass one which ought equally to interest all parishles upon which the claim of 2s, 9d. in the pound might be made, and lie trusted that they wlould comne forward sand. exert themswelves on the occasion. - Air. CARTER now put his motion, T.ith the addiiion (as suggested. by Ilr. Hurcombe), that the Consisittee should have leave to report, to thc Court from time to time. The LOR1D MAYOR said he was glad to see this importart qaues ton thus brought btfore the Court. Several private individuals hrl applied to him in his magristerial capacity at the Mlansion-house on this subject, but he could give them no retef. Thin was a question which one individual woula not be able to contest, neither could it be effectually taken up by one or two parishes. It was a question which itnplicated the interest of a largebodv ofthectizensofljondon, and which he thought the corporation, as conservaitors of the rights and privileges of their fellow-citizens, ought to take up and carry before Parliameist for final adjudication. Ue had risen for the Pr_. pose of setting the Court right with respect to a report-which ha-a gone abroad otn thc subject of the struggle mnade hi St. Andrew's llolborn. It was stated that he was the wrincipal promoter of those' proceedings. He could not lay claim fi that honour: he wished he could. The procecdings were ably catried ont by ethers, and they ought to have the merit ef the result. This he woald say, from his. [knowledge of the parties concerned, that bad any offrbeert made by C'ter Paiislseg to 1oin thein in their proceedlings, it would have been et readily accepted. (Hear.) TlhTemotron wa4 then put, and carried. JL--tWna.WA j &tALEt OF. LAND. kpetiinitw Te 'fromd aiuipleraoti, n4rnea-Sglbk" 'Ohq r oei of the bridge.kouse farms, belonR!ngz to the C6robrdtioijin ltnt ,stating,. thLat -he took te farm but3 E at -a ,tent'i*opdrfldned' to-the .ice Of cr s in that day; t that the prce of corn had Sio-ce tnen greatlylliminished, and that in consequence he hed, on D ore that One ODc,sionu been alloTed an abatement of his rent. The sunm c thts nbabd he ihad laid Oat on the grourd eelf p n tf sery mowh sMerky wit; bot lie sow prayed, that ao the price of ev was still beloV tha't 'at Nrihhe t6ook dhe land, and thierefore tpe land was of lesvalue, the abatenient might be continued, The Court, aften a f th obseratCionsfrod fr S.llin , an ole or two other nanobers, were of' opile tim e S. dixozin a hababted, and the p byset were of opinon, that the sumns already obaed,andtheliksen prceof corn, were enough to leave the tenant a fair profit fol the lnd, and they yreed to re thinktthe ro a comtee e er fum te reer tief petaitio 5tECTOitMIP or ST. PETER'S, e61INHILL. The Lorta A or informep the Court., that the recforsuip Of ,st. Peter'si, CornhDli was vacant by the death of the late Dr. Ro-. berts, and wiied to .now whether it wouldl be convenient that the niext court day sbou! be appointed faor fiiung it up ? ?tr. S. Dmox ied to know how the Court got possession of the appointment: to tIs rectory?' The Town clak w about to te sme explanation of the sub- wh,t ilen gieIo Di r. Deoiur toea rone t thatought it incondveniient tiat such questions shotild be put, which the clerk could not be sup- pwed to be fully prepared to answer at Once. Mr. S. DiXOl saidn e had not put the qkestion without having uiven the Tohn Clerk notice of it before. He poul see no inconvein nienrc in having it ap ed. lth clerk wae unable to gve the ac- coun wha h the a pi ntmJ bent had givens hinm a e lsort hit t detai l, from which it apper t, that in the Couar 1729-4lere t ir. Dixon -.7as interrupted by criti of "1 Ordler ' and it not appearing to be the wish of the Court niat the subject should be then gone iNrto, h reumed his staoLl The Court then sopented the next Court-day for filling tiP thme v. IGhI BaiLIff whOF on0IJtIWAy . tsenaRrit OF PRIVILEGE. The Court was occaoied for a considerable time in discussing a mtion wDhich was submitted by Mr. Deputy Routh, on this stibject. Ve have not room forthe whiole of the proceedings, but we toink the iatter will be sthfe DOtly understood fromc the followingdbriefdetail: ft apocars that byr Prin the High Bailifi, having found fault with hi. deputy r. after indsavo preferred certain charges against tim, th wedn tke itor tsideration by a Committee ofthis Cour it Cmiee o Ge Purposes, we believe.) Ic i Je e n }ul s by l a t, e s u b eth e w a sh m e n ti o n e , a n ti o in t rl e v c c a s io n th e C ou rtho c7 e to a rev olutio n, "th at r. Ralp h L in d say 's ap p oin tm en t -o the ia ction of Depuch Hwi gho taile conavint been ratified under the eal f rth Conrt in open v atnd noSt since revolied, the Court would not undr. the thense irnuedtheet(vizn. the proceedings pending efore t5e Ch m cmitteel, recoghim u the appoint pient of any other A)er5ab in tha cpi. It ay here be necsary to ob- querve, t'nat the appointe f deputy retb withh thl figh Bailiff, but subject to the rifiction of the Court of ComllmOn C'ouncil. The Committee to wich the comphaints abeuinst Mr. 1,indsay bad been preferred, were ready a few days ago to make their treport, aid it Somehow tranrpired, that they bad agreed that the chacrges it hit p3f,f were all frivolous. This reachedmthe ears of the 3-tgh Bafliff, who on Saturday last sent a written notificationo to qusr. Liadsay, revoking his authority to act as his deputy, and aP- pointing a Alr,.Jac"oon to act in his stead. dmr. De puty Roure thir tdayubmitted that this wa-sthirect ia- lition of the privilege at' the Court, ang called Alr.Livndsa to the 1iar to prove the notice he had received. Mr. Lndsay,y Of a r..zer to questions iut to hire stated that Mr. Jackson had he ted as deputy by the High Bailiff's directions, and in his preience. MNtr. Depaty Rovs nd , after disavowing ally personal feeling, and stating that lie acted only to support the privileges of the Colrt, movell," That it appears to the Court, that the counse which ias been pursued by the ?i-gh Bailiff of Southwark, in revoking the kulthorily -of Al r Ralph Lindsay, hiA cdeputy, and in appointing Alr, -l..cksos to act as such, withiout thie convent and authority of this ewrt, andl in open violation of the resolution of the Court of the P9th of July last, is a direct breach of the privilege of tiortg lurt" Mtr. FAVvg.t, seconded the motion, lie did sio, he said, reluct- tiotul, Iuit his duty compelled him to uphold the privileges of the Court. AI r. pAreEs, Mr. S. Dixon, and otliers, were anxious that the question shioull tand over to a future day. The High Bailiff, who hlatd been in attendance during the morning, ohad gone away, under tnhe'imeression that the subjecttwould hot have been brougi t for- ward ie'.da. It would, it was observed, be bitt an act of jus-tice to the nig Bailiff to hear what he had to say before the Court pro- ceeded topys a censure of this kind upon him. It wa then moved, as an amendment, that the discussion of this }'uestior. should be adjourned to the next court-day, and should rtand in the summonses for that day. rhiis mnedrnmen d wa s, at r a edscssion, negatived by a con- siderable majority, and the original motion carried, and a copy of The ourtagred wth he Nvigtion Committee in a report for makig a emuteraion o Mr Nelon,the deputy water-bailiff, for ibi pat srvers an anaditinalannalallowance during pleasure, andrefrre itto Itecomitte t cary he same into effect. The ~oaland ornCommtteeniae a imeport on xeconsideTing thei fomerreprt n th peitins iromIpswich, Reading, Alar- low, nd Heley,companigo tecarges for laboutr done by the f~hlowsi1m potestothrwha newtalof rates for portage la- memlier wasordee to be printed, ad COPY sent to eacii nmorprevious toben taken into consideatio. The saine Committee alto presented a report, recommirending an alterations to take place in the working hours of the corn-meters andl lellowship porters, which was agreed to. Another report. from that Committee, recommending the appoint- mnent of an additionial beadle at the Coal-MarkeCt, for the purpose of prevcnding improper liarsons obtruding theinselves thereon, wits de- livered iii. and negativedI by a majority of two, uPotl a division, after a long~ discussio; the numbers being- For agr-eeling withithe report.. Commoners, 26 I Tellers, 2-28 -AArs?Irts,t Alderman,I I CoenmonerN, 27 1 Tellers, 2-t The Court passed the Wlatchi 'Act for the year ensuing. Several p-Etitons and reports, for leases and otherwise, were pre- Fultexl, anid agreed to.-Adjourned. COURT OF COMMAON COUNCIL.