3 OCTOBER 1835, Page 2

ebe SittrupaItti.

The Livery met at the Guildhall, on Tuesday, to elect a Lord Mayor for the ensuing year. Lord Winchester took the chair amidst hisses and hooting. After a few preliminary remarks, the Recorder proposed the names of the Aldermen who had not passed the Chair. For Alderman Copeland about half the hands were held up ; for Al- dermen Marshall, Cowan, Wilson, and Pirie, none ; for Alderman Harmer, about as many as for Alderman Copeland. The Sheriffs then declared that the show of hands was in favour of Aldermen Cope- land and Harmer ; and proceeded to make their report to the Court of Aldermen. They soon returned, and announced that the Aldermen bad chosen Mr. William Taylor Copeland to serve the office of Lord Mayor for the ensuing year. Mr. Greig wished to address the meeting on the subject of the elec. tion which had just been made; but Lord Mayor Winchester threa- tened to arrest him if he spoke. Alderman Copeland then addressed the Livery, as Lord Mayor elect. He promised that he would never allow his private opinions to interfere so as to curb or restrain the expression of the feelings of his fellow citizens. (In a letter to Mr. Deputy Weston, published on the preceding day, Mr. Copeland had said, " Any man, whoever be may be, who declines to call the Common Council or Common Hall together, upon a requi- sition respectably signed, ought not to seek the office of Lord Mayor of London."] The Sword-bearer invested the Lord Mayor elect with the chain of office ; and • Mr. Dillon was about to speak, when the Lord Mayor Winchester, accompanied by several of the Aldermen left the hull amidst almost universal hooting. Mr. Sheriff Lainson and Mr. Alderman Venables declined to take the chair, which was occupied, on the motion of Mr. Fearon, by Mr. Richard Taylor. Mr. Dillon then moved a resolution in favour of reforming the Cor- poration of London ; and expressed his hope that some alteration would be made in the mode of electing the Lord Mayor. Mr. Young seconded the resolution, which was put and carried. On the motion of Mr. Stevens, a vote of thanks was carried to Messrs. Raphael and Midge, the Sheriffs of the year.

Mr. Fearon moved a vote of censure on the Lord Mayor Winches- ter, for his uncourteotts conduct during his Mayoralty, and for his shameful breach of his word— lie need not state how much he condemned the conduct pursued by their chief magistrate; and, above all, after the solemn promises he had voluntarily made previous to his election to the high office he now held, namely, that he would on all occasions be ready to call meetings of his fellow citizens, and that his own political opinions should never interfere with the discharge of his offi- cial duties ; and yet in every instance he had departed from the engagement he had made. Ile was present when the promise was made to which be had just alluded, and yet the Lord Mayor seemed to think that he was entitled to go from his word at his pleasure. He solemnly protested against the conduct of the Lord Mayor, who had acted in a despotic and arbitrary manner with the rights of his fellow citizens, and had done all in his power to establish a civic despotism. His conduct that day was perfectly unparalleled in the history of the proceedings in that hall. Never was an instance known before of a Lord Mayor, as soon as his successor in office was declared to be elected, having di- rected that the Common Hall should be dissolved, and ordering his officers to take into custody a gentleman who came forward to speak ; this, however, bad been done on the present occasion. (Loud cries of " Shame !") If any one had been so foolish as to come forward to propose a vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor, no other person present, he was sure, could have supposed that it would be carried by that meeting.. Knowing, then, the strong feeling that prevailed among the 1.ivery with reference to his conduct towards his fellow citizens, as well as for his nialepractiees and the complete prostitution of his high office with which he was chargeable, the Lord Mayor, Instead of waiting to see whe- ther any motion of thanks would be proposed, as soon as the election was over, hastened out of the hall. Ile must have been perfectly conscious that such conduct would call forth that honest expression of just indignation and of pub- lic opinion which it deserved, and therefore he had abruptly endeavoured to break up the meeting.

Mr. Saul seconded the motion, which was carried without oppo- sition.

On the motion of Mr. Greig, a vote of thanks was carr:ed to Mr. Taylor, the chairman, and the meeting broke up.