as from want of room, the managers are obliged to refuse admittance to the schools to any greater number, they will be able, on the completion of these schools, to afford instruction to more than eight hundred poor children, who, without the opportunities thus afforded might grow up in ignorance and vice. We would also remark that we have already paid to the Corporation about £60 for paving, flagging, and sewerage, without receiving any rebate, such as we believe has been made in the case of other charitable objects. The new schools will cost about £900, we have already raised by voluntary contribu tions about £700, so that we still want about £200 to complete the work. This sum we must also raise by subscription, as not being able to comply with the strict regulations of the Privy Council, owing to the form and size of the site, we will not receive any Government grant in aid of the building fund. On these grounds, we venture to ask a donation from the Corporate funds, so that the children of this poor locality may have the benefit of a system of training, which, apart from the sympathy and contributions of the public generally, they could not obtain.

We are, Gentlemen, your obedient servants,

W. L. KAY, M. NESBIT, JOHN J. HUNTER. For selves and other managers of the Christ Church National Schools. To the Worshipful the Mayor and Corporation, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Mr. Ald. HEDLEY believed this was a very strong case, and one he hoped the Council would sympathise with. A great number of children had been educated in the Shieldfield schools for many years past. There were most excellent masters; and he believed at the last examination as many as 98 per cent. passed. He thought the Council would deal with it at once. (Cries of "No, no.")

Mr. Ald. BELL said the application ought to be referred to the Finance Committee.

Mr. GREGSON asked why it should be sent to the Finance Committee. That committee knew no more than they did themselves. The question was whether they would give the money. If they chose to give it, let them do so.

Mr. G. FORSTER thought there was one matter which the Finance Committee should consider. It appeared these persons had not put themselves in a position to get the Government grant. He inferred from that, therefore, that the dimensions of the building, and other considerations affecting it, had not been complied with. That was a question which should be inquired into.

Mr. GREGSON: The Corporation has nothing to do with the building. Mr. Ald, HEDLEY said the only defect was that there was no playground, and that had been dispensed with, as the building was so close to the other school.

Mr. HARFORD: Why should we have our valuable time wasted by applications of this kind?

Mr. GREGSON: It's a very valuable application, notwithstanding. The matter was then referred to the Finance Committee.

BONDS SEALED.

Mr. Ald. BELL moved the sealing of two bonds for money borrowed -one for £2,000 and the other for £950.

Mr. Ald. NICHOL seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.

LEASES AND DOCUMENTS SEALED.

Mr. Ald. BELL moved the sealing of a document for the conveyance of some property at the east end of Ridley place, in connection with the baths.

Carried.

Mr. Ald. BELL next moved the sealing of a lease for 69 years from 29th September, 1866, to Charles Mitchell, of premises at Walker, at a rental of £165, in lieu of the three existing leases held by him, which it is proposed to cancel. Mr. Mitchell, he said, got under this renewed or altered lease one rood eighteen perches of land, in addition to what he already held, and for which he paid a sum of £18 per annum. The property had been improved to a considerable extent by the erection of a bridge there, which cost the Corporation £980, but of that sum Mr. Mitchell contributed £900.

The motion, having been considered, was unanimously carried.

Mr. Ald. BELL further moved that the Corporate seal be affixed to a lease to Edward Spoor (on behalf of the provisional committee formed at a public meeting in Newcastle, for establishing a gymnasium) of 980 square yards of ground in Locke Street, Bath Lane, at a rental of £20 per annum.

Carried.

Mr. Ald. BELL also moved the sealing of a lease to Thomas Scott and Thomas Atkinson of 316 square yards of ground in Church Place, Walker, at a rental of £4 5s. 6d., for 75 years from 29th September, 1866, the site for a Primitive Methodist Chapel.

Mr. SANDERSON: Is that the full value?

Mr. Ald. BELL: Yes; the full commercial value.
The motion was unanimously assented to.

ARTISAN AND LABOURERS' DWELLINGS BILL.

Mr. FALCONAR, in the absence of Mr. Mawson, presented a petition in favour of the Artisan and Labourers' Dwellings Bill, and moved that it be sealed and sent to the House of Commons for presentation. He believed the principle of the measure was affirmed at last meeting of the Council-at least to this extent, that it was thought desirable to have some such bill as that. The Parliamentary Committee had considered the matter, and this petition was the result.

Mr. Ald. LAYCOCK pointed out that there were a great many objectionable points in the bill. The various provisions were exceedingly arbitrary. He thought if a bill of this kind was passed, they would no longer be able to say "an Englishman's house is his

castle;" for it proposed to deal with property in such a way as no other Act of Parliament ever ventured to suggest. It proposed to take a man's property from him by compulsion, on the mere report of a so-called sanitary inspector. It proposed to do under his suggestion what it now required an Act of Parliament to effect; and it would lead, he should conceive, to all sorts of abuses in a borough like this. Any person who had inferior property had only to induce the inspector to report unfavourably, and the Corporation must either compel him to put it into a proper state or they must buy it. He was at liberty to elect whether he would sell it or repair it; and if he elected to sell it, the Corporation must buy it. That, he thought, must lead to serious consequences in any borough under the provisions of that Act. He decidedly opposed the petition in favour of it.

Mr. HARFORD believed a large number of gentlemen would sympathise with the objections Mr. Ald. Laycock had offered; but he, for himself, did not feel at all convinced that the view of the case he had put before them was an accurate one. They had the bill before them at last Council meeting; and on that occasion Mr. Sanderson took exception to one particular clause, as to the powers of the sanitary inspector; but, with the modification of that clause, it appeared to him that the bill would serve a most valuable purpose to the Council, and would often supersede the necessity of making special application to Parliament. If there were no further objections than those which had been stated by Mr. Ald. Laycock, he thought it was very desirable that they should have the benefit of such a measure. He did not say he was strictly correct in what he stated, but he thought the Council would not act worthily of itself if it did not go through these clauses, and ascertain whether there existed such powers as had been referred to. Perhaps the Town Clerk would give them an opinion on the subject. It seemed exceedingly desirable, even on the ground of economy, that they should have the advantage of this bill. He hoped to find that the view Mr. Ald, Laycock had put before them was not strictly applicable, and that without being liable to those objections it would furnish them with facilities for what at present cost them considerable sums of money. This bill had been before the Town Improvement Committee, and it was deemed to be free from the objections that had been stated. He hoped, therefore, they would look carefully into the matter, and see whether they were correct in offering objections to it.

Mr. GREGSON begged to second the amendment, that they do not petition in favour of this particular bill till those offensive clauses were struck out. On last occasion the Town Clerk distinctly stated that there were some objectionable clauses, and that it would arm them with arbitrary power, much to the detriment of the Corporation. He did not think that the Corporation ought to be put in a position of being speculators in old worthless property. He proposed that the Town Clerk should again say whether or not those clauses were

open to the objections he had stated. He had looked at the bill himself, and he thought they were very objectionable.

The TOWN CLERK: Under certain conditions the state of affairs Mr. Ald. Laycock has stated might arise. The Corporation might be compelled to purchase very undesirable property. The Parliamentary Committee thought the general features of the bill were good, and that these alterations might take place in committee.

Mr. Ald. LAYCOCK: We're going to petition for the bill as it is. Mr. FALCONAR: Four householders, or the health officer, report to the Council, who are the local authority. They then make a presentment to the Grand Jury. Therefore, you have two checks before anything can be done; and then it comes before the Council again as to whether they purchase or not.

Mr. Ald. LAYCOCK: We know how easy it would be for a man who wanted to be rid of his property to get four householders to sign a petition.

Mr. MORRISON thought quite enough had been said to make them pause before petitioning in favour of the bill. Why did they not begin to complain about the ships that came into the Tyne? Why did not they say that they were constructed in such a manner that the poor sailors were badly lodged, and that the Corporation must, therefore, buy these vessels up?

Mr. Ald. LAYCOCK: We will come to that next.

Mr. MORRISON said that if they got this bill it would take away the feeling of economy from working men who might, if they chose, build houses for themselves, There was plenty of capital in the country for building houses.

The amendment was carried by a large majority; the petition being, consequently, rejected.

MR. HAMOND AND THE CORPORATE FINANCES.

The motion of which Mr. Hamond had given notice, with respect to the committee and the corporate finances, was, in the absence of that gentleman, postponed.

Mr. GREGSON suggested that when a motion had been upon the paper for months upon months, and the gentleman did not appear to bring it forward, it should be put at the end of the list at the following meeting. He should be made to go down in the list, like a dunce. (Laughter; and a voice, “Certainly.")

ST. JOHN'S LANE IMPROVEMENTS.

Mr. W. STEWART asked what progress had been made with regard to St. John's Lane. It was injurious to life, and most unproductive to the Corporation.

[MAY 1,

Mr. Ald. BELL replied that the Finance Committee had advertised for plans and elevations for laying out the new street, and that was the position they were in at the present moment.

The MAYOR stated that they could not get possession of Mr. Hardcastle's property until August.

Mr. Ald. LAYCOCK thought that they might have left the place as it was until they were prepared with something better.

THE LATE MR. WALTERS AND THE CORPORATION.

Mr. HARFORD said, that with regard to the buildings at the east end of the town, the late Mr. Walters undertook to have all the improvements completed by a certain time, or pay a penalty in default of £10,000. That time had long since expired, and the streets not finished. He wished to inquire whether any steps had been taken in the matter. He had no wish to see the Council done out of so large a sum as £10,000,

The TOWN CLERK replied that the affairs of the late Mr. Walters were in Chancery, but that a claim had been put in by the Corporation for the £10,000.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND THE PUBLIC.

Mr. DICKINSON brought forward the motion of which he had given notice, "That the meetings of the Town Improvement Committee be open to the inhabitants of the borough." With the permission of the Council he would substitute for "inhabitants of the borough" the word "press." Some of his friends had spoken to him on the subject; and he was very anxious to meet their views. He would state very briefly the reasons which had induced him to place this notice on the paper. Business was transacted in the Town Improvement Committee in the best manner possible. He had no complaint to make on that head. The object of his motion was to enable the public at large to know what was going on; because really matters were completed, plans were laid before them, proposals were made for new roads, to alter existing streets, and make a variety of other alterations, and the first intimation the public had, after these works had received the most anxious consideration day after day and month after month, was that they had been carried into execution. That was the reason of his making this motion. He had at first intended to move that all committees should be open to the public. He was sure that there was no single member of the Council who would not cheerfully have their meetings held on St. Nicholas' steeple. (Laughter.)

Mr. Ald. BELL: I beg your pardon. (Renewed laughter.)

Mr. DICKINSON: As Mr. Ald. Bell does not feel inclined to go so high, perhaps the meetings might be held in St. Nicholas' Square. (A laugh.) The greatest publicity should be given to all meetings