Lord Broughammoved for a Return of the Number of Non-Freemen made Freemen, or of persons who have taken up their freedom during the year ended 5th July, 1844. He wished to state, in order to relieve the alarm which the worthy Members of the Corporation appeared to entertain 885 at the Bill he had introduced on a former evening, that their alarm was perfectly groundless as far as regarded any intention of hurrying the Bill through Parliament. He hoped that he should not be considered guilty of any disrespect to the Corporation, of which he had the honour to be a Member, in moving for this Return; for he had received a communication from the highest authority in the city, the Lord Mayor—that was not from the Lord Mayor himself, because of course the Lord Mayor could not condescend to communicate with him in person—but from the City Remembrancer, who had written to him (Lord Brougham), stating that he was directed—(that of course was the proper mode to be used by so great a potentate)—to inform him (Lord Brougham) that he (the Lord Mayor) was concerned that he (Lord Brougham) had thought fit to introduce such a Bill into Parliament without communicating with the Corporation on the subject. Their Lordships' House was certainly reduced very low; but they were not yet reduced to so a low an ebb as not to have the power of introducing into Parliament any Bill without previous communication with, or without the approbation of any Corporation whatever.
§ Return ordered.