SCORNERS OF POPULARITY—SHREWSBURY CORPORATION.
IN the course of their progress through the country, the Corpora- tion Commissioners must have witnessed a great variety of amus- ing scenes. The shuffling attempts of some of the Church and King folks to plaster over their iniquities, the barefaced impudence with which others avowed them, and the bitter .reluctance with which all gave the evidence about to be used for their approaching purgation, must have afforded- ample enjoyment to the unrelenting Commissioners and the now triumphant Reformers. One of these scenes occurred lately in Shrewsbury ; where the Corporation, as in most other places, is heartily despised as a body, though con- taining some respectable and honourable men. The feelings en- tertained by the eorporators generally towards their fellow-towns- men, may be gathered from the following dialogue between the Commissioner and Mr. BATHER, a barrister—one of Lord BROLIGHAles Bankrupt Commissioners, and a person, it would seem, of exceeding self-respect. Our authority is the Morning- Chronicle, of Wednesday.
Commissioner—" Well then, Mr. Bather, is it your opinion that the Cor. :poration is a popular body among the inhabitants of the town?" Mr. Bather—" 2 scorn to think that the Corporation is popular. I admit that it is not."
Commissiuner" With whom are you unpopular?" Mr. Bather—" The Whig and Dissenting interest are generally opposed tons. But the high Church party is friendly to us ; and, on my word as a gentleman, 1 believe a. majority of the inhabitants are on our side."
Cominissioner—" Did you ever know.any men of liberal politics admitted into your Corporation ? have you ever seen a sprinkling of Whigs on the list of those to be admitted ?"
Mr. Bather—" I certainly have not; we generally propose and vote for those of our own way of thinking."
It should be remembered, that the Whig and Dissenting in- terest, here admitted by this " scorner of popularity" to be op- posed to the Corporation, has generally contrived to beat the cor- porate and Tory parties at elections for members of Parliament; and is at present represented by the active and .independent Mr.
SLANEY.
The Chronicle also gives a list of what it terms the "Ascendancy families" in the Corporatioa. Earl POW's is the Recorder ; Lord Ceive and Mr. ROBERT CLIVE, his sons, are also members. Then comes Earl Pow!s•'s agent, who is Clerk of the Peace ; his brother is Town-Clerk; and, together, these gentlemen have contrived to make no fewer than a dozen of their own relations members of this immaculate body. Their influence extends also over several other members; so that they generally manage the interest and property of the Corporation, which is .considerable, very much after their own fashion.
• Before this time next year, it is gratifying to think, that these haters of Whigs and Dissenters—these self-elected scorners of popularity—will he politically extinct. If the spirit which appears to animate the magniloquent Mr. BATHER is shared by his brethren generally, as we suspect is the case, though they may be very fitting persons to he vested with authority under the ex- isting system of rottenness, they will hardly receive the free suffrages of their fellow townsmen.
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