Secretary of State he remarked upon it being "most indiscreet and improper," yet a much graver character attaches to it when viewed in connection with the fact of the Commission having been mainly called into existence through the instrumentality of the few individuals who share with Mr. Warr whatever hostility to the Companies was developed during its sittings. All who have followed the whole course of the agitation, will detect in these circulars a repetition of tactics which have been employed throughout. The unauthorized use of the names of Lord Derby and his colleagues, the unwarranted statement as to the intentions of the Government, the appeal to provincial opinion upon the civic affairs of London, and the assumption that the Lord Chancellor would belie his strongly expressed opinions rather than oppose a Government measure, are exactly in accord with the system of misrepresentation which the small but noisy band of club delegates, who act with Mr. Firth, have pursued throughout. It is much to be regretted that Sir Sydney Waterlow's name should have been introduced, and it is suspected to be more with an object of securing any support it may be presumed to carry than from any other motives. It is impossible to believe that he can have sanctioned it any more than did Lord Derby. These circulars must have the effect of sickening all decent men with the whole affair. The Commission was divided in its recommendations, and the Government will do well to wash its hands of an ex parte and unfair matter, whose whole existence has proved from beginning to end an unwarranted interference with private property, and in every way a trouble and a snare. The Government may be congratulated that the Commission Secretary gave such a finishing touch to the picture, as utterly to preclude any further handling.

mission an

Now that this High Commission has brought its labours to an end, The labours the endless bills of indictment prosecuted to the utmost, and the books of the Comclosed, it is fitting to dissect and examine the information transmitted, ordeal which and the several conclusions arrived at and recorded. As to the Com- has conferred panies themselves, they come out of the ordeal not only unscathed, but honour and with dignity and proven integrity, worthy of their class as prominent proves incitizens of the greatest city of the greatest mercantile country of the globe. tegrity on the Companies' They are shown to have exercised more prudence in the every-day life Courts of of their Companies through long series of ages than any other institu- management. tions of the land. We see how they comported themselves in early days of past history under endurance of State spoliation-in sufferings through fire devastation-under levies of forced contributions towards unlawful objects-in careful and painstaking building up their properties under trying poverty-discretion in dealing with most trivial as with greatest and most important concerns-and withal an ever-boundless benevolence showered not only on the objects specially designated by their founders and benefactors, but bestowed broadly and nobly free from sectarian spirit wherever proper objects have been presented.

Various dis

honourable

charges brought

against the Livery Com

CHAPTER II.

Dishonourable charges of Mr. Firth against the Livery Companies-The charge of bank-notes being placed beneath plates at alleged weekly dinners generallyFirth, when called upon to prove such as general practice, applies same to Cutlers' Company only-Mr. Beaumont and Mr. Graves, of Cutlers' Company, utterly deny the truth of the charges-Correspondence of Sir Frederick Bramwell and Mr. Prideaux, of Goldsmiths' Company, on the subject; in which Mr. Firth adduces a pretended case said to have been furnished him by a Quaker long since dead-A second circular with object of exciting further agitation against Companies through the means of the newspaper press--The second circular avails of the name of Sir Sydney Waterlow, recommending him as a candidate for mayoralty under the hoped-for new municipality of London-The Companies' chief assailant's antecedents-The worthless character of Mr. Beale's and his associates' evidence before the CommissionGeneral properties of the respective Livery Companies proved to be privateFirth's misrepresentation as to salaries pretended as paid to the members of the Livery Courts-Facts as to the large numbers of University exhibitions held by the Goldsmiths' Company-Firth's misrepresentation as to allowances pretended to be made to decayed Goldsmiths-The banquets given by the various Livery Companies made the bill of indictment against the Companies-Persistent repetition of falsehoods as to such-Any presence of the would-be spoilers at the Companies' dinners an abomination to rightminded men-Britain's naval and military heroes from time immemorial chief guests at such entertainments-Gross exaggerations as to cost of such entertainments-Tricksters and slanderers no fitting partakers of such feastsThe entertaining illustrious men honourable to the Companies and the nationThe occasions in past days a leading means of Jewish emancipation through Jews' presence at the feasts.

AMONG the many prominent and barefaced falsehoods continuously disseminated during many years past through every available channel, and relied on as proving more than plausible instances of dishonourable application and usage of the various Companies' incomes, has been a statement that salaries have been paid, that same have been in addition panies through to fees for attendance duties on Committees, to members of the Courts of the Companies-that weekly feasts have been held, and it has been openly asserted that in addition to these salaries and attendance fees, that monies were on occasions of such feasts placed underneath the plates of the dining members in further pandering to the alleged plunder usage of the trust monies. This is no exaggerated statement of the foul charge.

Mr. Firth.

So palpable was the action of these men in regard to these many fabrications that although the majority of the Commission refrain from an expression of their convictions regarding the same, yet the minority of the Commissioners speak boldly thereon. Thus, in their report (3):

"It is only right that we should state that if the inquiry in which we "have been engaged is to be regarded as a proceeding between our "colleague, the honourable and learned Member for Chelsea, acting as "a Government prosecutor, and the Companies of the City of London, "the prosecution has failed, and the Companies have been successful. They easily defeated Mr. Firth as regards every part of the case set up "by him in his work called 'Municipal London,' and a motion by Mr. "Firth in favour of disestablishment and disendowing the Companies was rejected in our deliberations by a majority of ten to two. The

66

gentlemen who appeared before the Commission to support Mr. Firth's "views were, in our opinion, examined by us ultra vires, as they could "not be judged '-we say it with respect-to be competent by reason "of their situation, knowledge, and experience, to afford correct in"formation on the subjects of the inquiry, within the meaning of the "terms of your Majesty's Commission."

in his

the 66

Municipal

Mr. Firth, the member of the Commission apparently ever-untiring in Mr. Firth directing the usage of its powers to the various Companies' detriment, thus makes direct openly prefers the charges in his book entitled "Municipal London :"- charges "The responsibility of a seat in the Court carries with it a salary; meetings of the Committees are duly paid for; some Companies have London." dinners of some kind as often as once a week, and lucky are the Committeemen of such Companies, for, in addition to their salaries, they sometimes find a bank-note delicately secreted under their plates."

Mr. Firth's charge that members of the Courts receive a salary, and this in addition to fees paid them for meetings attendance, is of general application and doubtless intended so by him. The allegation has been demonstrated before the Commission to be entirely and utterly untrue.

66

Who has not heard of these "under-plate bank-notes"? It has been a The underproverb with certain sneerers to refer to a member of any Court as an plate bankunder-plate bank-note man," and it has been currently believed that note charges. some such, or even worse practices have been the rule with the Companies. In the dissemination of such atrocious slanders the motive was designing enough, as was a City Livery Companies' Commission the natural outgrowth. The Courts of the respective Companies patiently, and with a dignity consistent and worthy of honest discharge of duty, submitted to these and other such outrages on their character and honour. Conscious of right, they waited their time. An instrument of retributive justice turns up in no other than Mr. Secretary Warr, who in panting zeal to deal, as he believed, a final blow, unintentionally unearths the whole plot.

driven from

Such a statement when broadly applied was too outrageous to be Mr. Firth credited by those who knew and appreciated the character of the men the charge's implicated, and accordingly Mr. Firth was driven to name instances. He general unluckily fixed on the Cutlers' Company as one of the "under-plate application, bank-note men" delinquents, and on the eighteenth day of the Com- applies it to mission sitting, Mr. Graves, a prominent member of the Court of the the Cutlers' Company. Cutlers' Company, and also Mr. Beaumont, the Clerk of the Company, attended the Commission.

The Chairman (Lord Derby), addressing Mr. Beaumont, said,"I understand that you wish to make some explanation with regard to this passage" (quoting the same, which is the under-plate banknote declaration), "which appears in Mr. Firth's book, London.""

To which Mr. Beaumont replied,

Municipal

"I only wish to do so if that statement can be treated as referring, as I understand Mr. Firth has done, to the Cutlers' Company."

Lord Derby observed,

"Do you wish to state that, so far as you can state it, you are a stranger to anything of the kind?"

Mr. Beaumont, with becoming dignity and unmistakable force, replied,— "I should wish to state, as representing the Company, that I have been concerned for the Company as assistant-clerk and clerk for very nearly twenty years, and my father was clerk before me for thirty-five years. During the period that I have been assistant-clerk and clerk the whole of the affairs of the Company have been before me, and I am prepared most positively to contradict the statement.'

Mr. Beau. mont's

(Clerk of the Cutlers'

member of

Sir Sydney Waterlow asked,-
"What statement?"

To which Mr. Beaumont thus replied,—

"The statement that my Company has at any time placed bank-notes under the plates of the Court, or given them any sums of money beyond Company) and the fees, which were formerly two guineas, and which are now three Mr. Graves' (a guineas. Mr. Firth seems to have confined his statement to a period within the last twenty or twenty-five years. Accordingly I have gone through the accounts of the Company carefully for the last 50 years. I find they have always been kept with strict accuracy; that the fees paid to the various Members of the Court are entered in detail, and that there is no trace of any payment made to any Member of the Court beyond the fees sanctioned by the Court for the time being."

the Court of the Cutlers' Company) denial of the

statement having any truth.

Mr. Graves continues the denial.

The Chairman (Lord Derby) here inquired,

"What are the fees for ?"

Mr. Beaumont answered,

"The fees are for attendance at the monthly meetings. The Court of my Company meets monthly, and the fee which was formerly paid to a Member of the Court was two guineas; but it has been increased within the last 25 years to three guineas."

The Chairman (Lord Derby) here inquired,

"How was it usual to be paid-in what form?"

Mr. Beaumont answered,

"I ventured to suggest, in a letter to Mr. Warr, that if there was any foundation for this statement, it might arise from him. The practice of my Company is to place the fees in small sealed envelopes, which are placed beside the Members of the Court or on a tray, where they can take them immediately after the Court business is over.

The Chairman (Lord Derby) here observed,—

"Not on the dinner-table?"

Replied to by Mr. Beaumont,

"Not on the dinner-table, but in the Court room."

Mr. Graves, one of the oldest and most honoured Members of the Cutlers' Company, was on the same day examined in regard to this alleged "bank-note under plate" practice. His reply to Lord Derby's interrogation was such as would naturally and truthfully come from any and every Member of any or either of the Livery Companies of London to whom Mr. Firth dare to apply the infamous charge.

"I have been on the Court for 20 years, and never met with a case of the kind suggested; and my wife's father and grandfather have been connected with the Court for the last 100 years, and they have never heard of such a thing existing in the Cutlers' Company; certainly during the nearly 50 years that I have known it such a thing has never occurred."

When driven into a corner as to the "bank-note under plate" business, Mr. Firth, in a letter to Sir Frederick Bramwell, stated, "I have been informed of at least half a dozen such cases, and as to some of them by persons quite as reliable as those who profess their disbelief in the existence of such a custom." Being further pressed, this veracious opponent of the Companies was unable to name any one positive instance, and the "half a dozen persons" had dwindled down to one poor inoffensive Quaker, and he now having lain in his grave many years was not producible in confirmation of this further instance of Mr. Firth's eminent powers of invention.

Mr. Firth's evasiveness and shifting of ground in regard to his serious

charges is best seen through his correspondence on the subject with Sir Sir Frederick Frederick Bramwell.

March 8th, 1883.

Bramwell's exposure of the truth as

SIR,-In the course of one of your answers yesterday you expressed a to pretended wish to know of any Company where the practice of putting money gifts of Bank under plates has obtained; I have been informed of at least half a of England dozen such cases, and as to some of them by persons quite as reliable notes. as those who profess their belief as to the non-existence of such a custom. But members of Courts of Assistants do not readily consent to become public sponsors of what they nevertheless avow to be true, and that for obvious reasons. Looking round the various cases, however, perhaps I may trouble you to investigate the matter for yourself, as I have no doubt you will now after your expression of vigorous opinion; I therefore suggest to you in the first instance that you carefully inquire into it as to the Cutlers' Company. If you come to the absolute conclusion that such statement is untrue as to that Company, say within the last twenty or twenty-five years, I will give you the name of the member of the Court of Assistants who vouched for it.

It is scarcely wise to base statements of wide belief except upon wide knowledge; what I stated as to the value of a seat on the Court of Assistants is more than proved by the 87657. paid in the Mercers, and there are other Companies where the proportion to income is far greater. You will, I have no doubt, find the statement as to the minor matter of money also true, as are all my statements of fact. If and when you find it true, I shall rely on your taking such a course with respect to your statement yesterday as your own good feeling may dictate.

SIR FREDERICK BRAMWELL.

Yours &c.,

(Signed) J. F. B. FIRTH.

March 12th, 1883.

SIR,-I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt on Saturday of your letter of the 8th inst. That which Mr. Prideaux and myself have stated on your remark in your work "Municipal London," "That "members of the Livery Companies sometimes find a bank-note deli"cately secreted under their plates" is as follows::

"So far as regards the Goldsmiths' Company, this is untrue, and we "do not believe there is any foundation for it as regards any other "Company."

This positive statement as regards the Goldsmiths' Company, and our belief as regards any other Company, is perfectly true. When I was examined on Wednesday, and you put a question to me relative to this answer, I reiterated the statement, and I certainly said that I considered it a most improper remark. What I meant was that it was a most improper remark to have made, unless you were quite certain of the fact. If it be the fact that this practice prevails in the Cutlers' Company, you would have been justified in so stating; but your charge goes beyond this, and is a very general allegation; in fact the words which you have used convey the idea that it is a present common custom with several Companies.

I must demur to your assertion that all your statements of facts (60 called by you) are true. But are they all facts? For instance, is it a fact that "it is a matter of common repute that the Estates of Companies "are often leased out to members at absurd rentals, enabling the lucky "lessee to make an excellent profit in re-letting them ;" and is your statement as to the effect of the decision in the case of Alderman Plumbe a fact?

c