§ Mr. Charles Bullerwished to draw the attention of the noble Lord (Lord John Russell) to the circumstance that several Corporations had lately proceeded to dispose of their property with a view to defeat the operation of the Corporation Reform measure.
§ Mr. Cayleyhad, on a previous occasion, called the noble Lord's attention to the subject just mentioned by the hon. Member for Liskeard, and he wished now to ask his noble Friend if any of the new Clauses would contain provisions with respect to this matter. In corroboration of the disposition of the old Corporations to alienate property, he had that morning received a letter from Yeovil, in Somersetshire, stating that the Corporation had lately advertised the whole of the landed property for sale;—property estimated at 25,000l.; a practice they had never been used to, although they had been in the habit of letting out land on long leases. The letter also stated that parties lately returned from Weymouth to Yeovil had brought tidings of the Corporation of that borough having already sold part of the corporate property there. Surely these cases demanded immediate interference: and he hoped the noble Lord would provide a Clause to meet the case, and to render nugatory all bargains of this suspicious character.
§ Lord John RussellThe accounts I have lately received of this nature have been so numerous, that it will be quite necessary to introduce some Clause such as has been suggested by my hon. Friend.