airtroporio.
The London Corporation inquiry has been in progress during the week. On Monday, Mr. Williams, who was appointed one of the Auditors of the City Accounts, by the Livery, in 1829 and 1830, gave some important evidence.
On being appointed to their office, the Auditors waited on the Chamberlain to examine his accounts; some bills of particulars were laid before them ; but in manly instances warrants only were produced. The account of 1825 amounted to 176,5001. ; for which they saw particulars, with the exceptions of the sum of 12,758/., for which warrants only were produced. They ascertained that the Cl.:uulerlain is .1 I:.rge sums in his hand, and made large payments out of moneys belonging to the City, and levied by act of Parliament ; but they were told they were nut empowered to examine these accounts. The stuns thus raised were- 12,500/. for Sewer-rate; Consolidated rate for Lighting the City, 5:3.5301. ;
the Orphan Fund, arising from a duty of 1041. per elialdron on ceals, ; and the City duty on Wines, 4,460/.
Large balances were left in the hands of the Chamberlain. In 1529, the gross balance was 142,0001. After some difficulty, the Auditors procured a sight of the City leases, and presented a report to the Livery on the had management of the City lands. The estates belonging to the City numbered six thousand tenements ; forty of which were in Maddox Street, Hanover Square, and the rental produced from them was not much above 8,0001. per annum. Those houses were let in perpetual leases, renewable every fourteen years on the payment of a tine not exceeding seven years' rent ; which was exceedingly low, as the same houses would let again for 800/. or 4001. per annum. . All the lettings in the City were much below their value.
The Auditors were allowed 1501. between them for tavern expenses ; but they did not take a penny for that purpose, though the three City Carvers were paid 21. each for carving at dinners which the Auditors never ate.
Tuesday was occupied by the examination of the Surveyor, theClerk to the Lord Mayor, and various civic functionaries ; whose evidence had relation principally to the amount of their salaries and time duties of their respective offices, but contained nothing of public interest.
Orm Wednesday, after some evidence had been given in refe- rence to the duties of the City Remembrancer, and the Comptroller of the Chamber, Mr. Williams, the Senior Attorney of the Lord .Mayor's Court, was examined. It appeared that in June 1806 he had purchased the office of Junior Attorney by public auction, for 2,0151. ; and that the emoluments of the office arose from fees.
Just as the Court was about to rise, the following conversation took place.
Mr. Richard Taylor said, that he had seen it stated in a Morning Paper of that day (alluding to the Morning Chronicle) that the Commissioners had disco- vered a system of malversation and bad management of the City estates. Mr. Commissioner Ellis—" No such discovery could have as yet been made; since we have not got into that portion of the investigation which relates to the management of those estates."
Mr. Richard Taylor—" Then the assertion of the journal alluded to is p...erna• Lure."
Mr. Commissioner Ellis—" Certainly ; for wilco the imirvion.d, whose evi- dence is mentioned in the paper you allude to, was under examiaat ion, and was going to state something about the had management of the City estates, I stopped him, and told him the time was not as yet come for such statements."
31r. Richard Taylor said, that the had management attempted to be pointed out referred to a period of two hundred years ago. Mr. Ellis said, that the Commissioners had not the slightest control over the opinions of persons connected with the newspapers.
31r. Richard Taylor said that he knew, upon the authority of Mr. Galloway, that the editor of the journal alluded to did not scruple to put forward ex parte statements. 31r. Galloway had told him (Mr. Taylor) that he lad heard the editor of that piper say that it was part of his system to misrepresent and exaggerate public abuses, in order to excite public attention towards them.
No evidence of the slightest public interest was given before the Commissioners on Thursday.
A very dry examination into the constitution and practice of the Mayor's Court occupied the Commissioners un Friday.
Previous page
