Zig Allietropolis.
• The Common Council assembled on Tuesday, for the purpose of considering the following report from the Committee on Corporation Reform- " We whose names are hereunto subscribed, your Committee in relation to Corporation Inquiry, to whom, on the 29th day of April last, it-was referred to prepare and bring into this Court a bill to assimilate, as nea,dv as may be con- venient, time number of representatives to lie returned to this Court from the several warcls to the relative number of home and wareLene-keepers, and the amount of rateable property. therein, do cert4 that we direend the returns to he prepared and laid before us, showino the number of hwases :tad the amount of rateable properly in the several wards of this city; and ;lasing received such returns, we tureed our attention to the hest mode to adorted for altering the present number of representatives of the several war l-; a71.1, after the best consideration we have been enabled to give the suaject, we ore or opinion that the following should be the number of representatives to be elected in future,— viz. Ahlersgate 8, Aldgate s, Bassishaw 4, Billingsgate Ca, Bishopsgate 14, Bread Street 6, Bridge (3, Broad Street 8, Candlewick G, Castle Bavnard 8, Cheap 8, Coleman Street 6, Cordwainer 6, Col.:11011 G, Cripplegate Within 8, Cripplegate Without 8, Dewgate 6, Farringaon Witaie lh, Pareinalon With- out 16, Langbourn 8, Lime Street 4, Port soken 8, giee;hithe 6, Tower 8, .Vintry 6, lastibrook 0. We thereupon directed the City Solkitor to prepare the draft of a bill, iii conformity with the retarence ef this honourable Court and the above numbers ; and Mr. Solicitor, having pr, pared the draft of the bill accordingly, has since reported to us tint he a L.: :•atym;tte.1 the same to the Recorder anal Common Sergeant, who have ;:apro val. thereof ; and we your Committee having considered the sela hill, e, .e therewith, and recom- mend it to this l'uniourable Court for adoption ; ajud, iseaamich as the bill will make a change of a very important character hi the a sessitution of this Court, we recommend that the same be printed, awl a capy s.a to the Aldermen, Depute, mid Common Council of each wael, i,s he mt .1.1opt sueli proceed-
ings tgereon, in their repective wards, as they may tis1 moot requisite ; and for the further information of this honouniale Court, we have annexed hereto an abstract of the returns. All which we submit," lac.
Mr. Wheeler moved that the report be agreed to.
Mr. Wire was anxious to remove all the abases of the present sys- tem, but he did not consider the proposition before the Court as calculated to remove any one of them, and he should therefore move the "pre- vious question."
A discussion ensued; in the course of which some members expressed doubts whether the Court had power to diminish the number of mem- bers for any ward, though it might increase thefts. The opinion of the Recoraer and Common Sergeant was adduced to show that the pro- posed changes might legally be made. " We are of opinion that the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons, in Common Council a aannbled, possess a power, by an sort of Common Conocil, to increase or reduce the number of members now returned by the several wards as repre- sentatives in the Court of Common Council, mammal that the sanction of Parlia- ment is not necessary to such alterations. "To sustain and render such au act of Common Council valid, this power must be exercised in a manner that good faith and reason can justify, regard beMg had to the rateable property mid poineettion of the wards, to a fair repre- sentation of the citizens, the convenient despatch of public business, and the common benefit of the City. " The ntunber of Commoners returned to serve in the Court of Common Council has beet% the object of regulation by online:lees awl acts of Common Council at different periods.
" The qualification of the electors is fixed by statute 11 Geo. I. cap. 18; but the statute is silent in respect of the arre,ate number of the members, or the quota of the respective wards, and has heft the power of the Corporation in this
particular untouched. " Custs. E. LAM', Recorder.
" JOHN 11111E1101:SE, Common Sergeant." 0:1 a division, the " previous question" was carried, by a majority of 1 ; the numbers being 61 to 60.
Mr. George Scholey, Alderman of Doweeite Ward, died last week. Mr. John Johnson will probably be elected to sauced him, without opposition. Mr. Johnson has beets Sheriff of London.
The Lord Mayor gave an entertainment at the Mansionhouse on Tuesday, to Mr. Daniel Webster, Mr. Alexander Stewart, member of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia, and a large party of citizens. Mr. John Van Buren, SOM of the President of the United States, was unable to accept the Lord Mayor's invitation. After dinner, Mr. Webster and Mr. Stewart were of coarse called upon for epeeches, and delivered a few sentences in praise of England generally and London e:speeially.
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