82
NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. VIIL AUG. 3, 1007.
1720 till his death was pastor of the South-
wark Baptist Church, now meeting at the
Metropolitan Tabernacle. Toplady said of
him, "This age has not produced a more
learned, pious, and profound divine " ; and
Spurgeon wrote of him as " one of the most
learned men that the Baptist denomination
has ever produced." On the publication of
his commentary the title of D.D. was re-
ceived by him from Aberdeen ; and on his
deacons congratulating him, he thanked
them pleasantly, adding, " I neither thought
it, nor bought it, nor sought it." He was
full of quiet humour, and, on one of his
hearers expressing dissatisfaction with his
preaching, said, pointing him to the pulpit,
Go up and do better ; go up and do better."
Dr. Gill's pulpit is still preserved at the
Spurgeon Pastors' College, and made use of
by the students. Gill died on the 14th of
October, 1771, and was buried in Bunhill
Fields.
When The City Press was started there was no paper devoted to the interests of the City, and the proceedings of the Corporation were not reported adequately or systematically. The City Press was intended to be, and it has been, loyal to the Corporation, but has criticized where and when it thought fit, and the result has been to bring about reforms from within rather than from with- out. The paper has been identified with many of the forward movements which, in the course of years, the Corporation has initiated and carried through. At the time The City Press was founded, the voice of " re- form " was in the air, and would-be desp oilers of the Corporation were to be found in all directions. Half a century has passed, and in the Jubilee number of The City Press it is claimed that
" the City more than maintains its ground. Other authorities have sprung into existence, but the Corporation remains at the head of the municipal life of London, and is still the body which is called upon, at times of national rejoicing and emergency, to take its place in the van, and to formulate and direct public opinion."
The Corporation is described as a most de- mocratic body in constitution, as its members have to be elected annually, no matter what their position may be, and " yet it is so ancient a body that its origin goes back beyond legal memory, and it enjoys privileges and franchises which can neither be lost by forfeiture nor voluntarily surrendered." The government of the City has always borne a strong analogy to that of a county or shire ; indeed, the City is a county in itself. Just as the shires were ruled by aldermen, " so
did the City receive from King Alfred art
alderman as its first municipal governor in
the person of Ethelred in A.D. 886."
A valuable and concise resum6 of the work of the Corporation since 1857 is given. In that year, as many will remember, the- old shambles near Newgate Street still existed ; cattle were driven in crowds every Monday through the streets, to the terror of the ladies, though our friend Punch could not refrain from using his pencil to depict some of the humorous scenes. Now there are three large markets, including the- Foreign Cattle Market at Deptford ; while to facilitate the supply of fish two millions have been spent in improving Billingsgate.
To the work of the Commissioners of Sewers (whose powers were transferred to the Corporation in January, 1898) high praise is accorded. The Commission was appointed, under an Act of Parliament of Charles II., by the Corporation on the 12th of February, 1668/9. Although it had a distinct constitution, and possessed 3 far wider powers of civic government than the Court of Common Council, it was to all intents and purposes part and parcel of the Corporation. Under the Burial Act it purchased in 1852 ground at Ilford, and laid out the City of London Cemetery at a cost of 82,0001. By this purchase the- Commissioners acquired rights in Wanstead Flats and Epping Forest, which are now preserved to the public for ever.
Another good work of the Commissioners was the erection of artisans' dwellings at Houndsditch ; and they spent 88,OOOL on acquiring depots in connexion with the- cleansing department, so that the City of London has for years enjoyed the reputation of being one of the cleanest in the world.
When the Commission ceased to exist it possessed a rating margin of sixpence in the pound, while the liabilities on loans were less than 1,400,0002. It collected and paid over to the School Board 3,014,974?., and to the Metropolitan Board of Works, until this was superseded by the London County Council, 1,704,904Z.
As to the street improvements carried 7 out by the Commissioners, " their name is legion." The Commissioners were ever ready to set back lines of frontage. I may mention the widening of Ludgate Hill, the Poultry, Queen Street, Great Tower Street, Eastcheap, Threadneedle Street,. Upper Thames Street, and Liverpool Street. The Commission of Sewers was also the pioneer body in bringing forward electric lighting, and as far back as 1878 experi-
