§ MR. TILLETT, (Norwich)To ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been called to a petition presented by the sheriffs of certain citiesand towns being counties of themselves, praying that similar allowances may be made to them as are made to sheriffs of counties at large for, amongst other matters, advertising assizes, the attendance of the sheriff and under-sheriff upon His Majesty's judges of assize, the use of the sheriff's carriage for His Majesty's judges, the impanelling and summoning of jurors, refreshments, board and lodging of jurors when ordered to be detained, and for the fee paid to a common hangman for carrying out a sentence of death; and whether, seeing that in the case of counties, of cities, and towns, the whole of such expenses fall upon the sheriffs themselves, save in two or three cities and towns where by ancient custom allowances for certain of the above expenses are payable out of the boroughs' funds, he will say what steps he is prepared to take in the matter.
(Answered by Sir H. Campbell-Banner-man.) Long-established practice is the reason for making grants in these cases to sheriffs of counties who are appointed 543 by the Crown, and for not making them to sheriffs of cities and towns who are appointed by the corporations, and I do not think that there is anything in the circumstances of the present time to call for a departure from that practice.