be Bictruptfilt.
On Thursday, a Court of Common Council was held, pursuant to requisition, For the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of petitioning the House of Lords upon the subject of a Reform in the Commons House of Parlia- ment, and also for taking into consideration the propriety of presenting the free- dom of the City to the Right Honourable Earl Grey and the Right Honourable "Viscount Althorp, in testimony of the sincere and grateful thanks of this Court lot their great exertions in both Houses of Parliament upon a question of so much importance to the prosperity and to the tranquillity of the country.
The Court was very crowded. The Lord Mayor took the chair a few minutes after twelve o'clock. The business of the day was opened by Mr. E. Fletcher, who moved the resolution fora petition to the House of Lords to pass the Bill unmutilated. Mr. Fletcher urged various reasons why the Common Council should stand forward on the present occasion. In conclusion, he argued its necessity from a consideration of the character of the Upper House itself— They must all recollect the time consumed in the progress of this Bill through the Lower House—consumed not only in that temperate discussion which every reasonable mind must approve of, and which, as far as it went, tended perhaps to improve some of the details of this great measure; but consumed by far the greater part of it in the bitter taunts, atrocious calumnies, acrimonious disputes, petty manoeuvres and chicanery of party-spirit. Such contemptible delays re- flected discredit on that Honourable House, and outraged the feelings of the na- tion. If only to prevent the recurrence of such scenes in the Upper House, they were bound to come forward on the present occasion, and put every legitimate instrument of power which they possessed into operation.
The resolution and petition were unanimously adopted.
Mr. Galloway mentioned a curious fact, in explaining some circum- stances connected with the requisition, to which he had obtained the signatures of seventy-five members of the Common Council, calling on the Lord Mayor to convene a Court to consider the propriety of creating Peers.
A gentleman, high in the confidence of his Majesty's Ministers, had told him that they were much obliged by the support of the citizens, but the time for de- ciding on the creation of Peers was not till after the second reading. They .ex- pected to carry the second reading by a majority of six, but wished that it might only be a majority of one.
The subject of the petition having been discussed, Mr. Fletcher moved the thanks of the Common Council to Earl Grey. The motion was seconded by Mr. Thornhill. It was also agreed unanimously, that the freedom of the City should be presented to the Earl in a gold box of one hundred guineas value. A similar vote of thanks and a similar compliment were unanimously agreed to in respect to Lord Althorp.
Pursuant to custom, the boys. educated at Christ's Hospital, New- gate Street, went on Tuesday in procession to the Mansionhouse ; where the Lord Mayor, the Lady Mayoress, the Sheriffs, and other City officers, received from them their annual visit. The customary oration was delivered ; and on the retirement of the boys, each received the usual gift from the Lord Mayor.
A meeting of the parishioners of St. Clement Danes took place on Monday at the Vestry-room, in consequence of the refusal of the Bishop of London to grant a license to the Reverend Mr. Denham, who had lately been elected as Afternoon Lecturer. It was unani- mously agreed that a deputation should wait on the Bishop, and confer with bim on the subject.
On Tuesday evening, a public meeting was held, in the Wesleyan Chapel, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, for the purpose of promoting and extending the objects of the Westminster Temperance Society. The chapel was crowded in every part. Captain Brenton, who was in the chair, mentioned the loss of the Prince George, in 1771, from being set on fire through the drunkenness of some of her crew; by which accident, 1,550 men out of 1,700 perished. It was stated that three hundred persons had recently joined the Westminster Society.
A meeting of the proprietors of unstamped papers was held on Thursday night; when the result of the proceedings against the Literary Gazette was reported. Mr. Carpenter said, during the week two per- sons were taken before the Lord Mayor, for selling cheap publications in the street. Mr. Carpenter submitted that the prosecution should have been instituted by the Attorney-General, or the Stamp Commissioners ; but the Lord Mayor got over the difficulty by saying that the men had caused an obstruction in the street. A future meeting, to determine whether, for this judgment, the Lord Mayor should not be prosecuted for false imprisonment, was agreed to.
The amount of losses posted on the books at Lloyd's on Thursday less heavier than has been known for a long time; it was estimated at 85,0061.
It is understood, from the best information current in the City, that the reference by the Factory, of the question regarding the conduct of the Chinese, to the Governor-General of India, is wholly disapproved of by the Board- of Directors; and that they are dissatisfied also with the proceeding of the Select Committee in suspending the trade at all, which, they do net conceive to have beak, Wieuseted under the circum- stances of the case.—Dforsing Paper.
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