Municipal Government.

Municipal Government.

As the history of the corporation of every city is intimately connected with the history of the city itself, the most important facts connected with this corporate body have been interspersed in the sketch of the History of Dublin, given at the commencement of this volume.

In 1173, a charter of incorporation was granted by Henry II. who, at the same time, induced many inhabitants of Bristol to unite themselves with the citizens of Dublin, and enjoy the advantages of this charter. The chief magistrates of this city were originally denominated provost and bailiffs, and the first who bore the title of provost, was John Le Decer, when Richard de St. Olave and John Stakehold were the first bailiffs, in 1308. In 1665, Charles II. had changed the title of provost to that of Lord Mayor, and conferred this honour for the first* time upon Sir Daniel Bellingham, with a salary of 500l.* per annum.

The corporation consists of the Lord Mayor, 24 Aldermen, two Sheriffs, Sheriffs’ Peers, who are members for life, and 25 guilds. The two component parts are denominated the board of Aldermen, and the Commons; the latter consists of the Sheriffs’ Peers, and representatives of the different Guilds; the Lord Mayor presides at the upper board, and the Sheriffs of the year in the lower assembly. The Lord Mayor is elected from amongst the Aldermen, by the concurrent voices of both assemblies. He is chosen in April, and continues to be styled Lord Mayor Elect, until the 30th September, at which time he enters upon his office. The Aldermen are all City Magistrates, and assist the Recorder at oyer and terminer.

The Sheriffs are elected from the Common Council, and are obliged to swear that they are worth 2,000l.: those who have served the office and those who have *fined, *are called Sheriffs’ Peers. The Aldermen are elected by the Board and Common Council in conjunction, and it it only necessary that he should have been a Sheriffs’ Peer. The Lord Mayor holds a court at the Mansion-house, for the trial of petty offences and misdemeanours; and the Ex-Lord Mayor is president of the Court of Conscience, which is held at the city Assembly-house in William-street, and where debts are sued for, which do not exceed 40 shillings.

The authority of the Lord Mayor extends, not only all over the city, but part of the Bay of Dublin is considered within his jurisdiction, and the limits of his authority over the watery world are determined in the following. manner: at low water, his Lordship rides to the very water’s edge, and from thence throws a dart as far as his strength and skill enable him, where it falls, is the boundary of his power; he then proceeds to perambulate the bounds of the city, or of his jurisdiction. Upon this occasion, not many years since; all the guilds attended, and formed a procession of great splendour and magnitude. **

The Mansion-House**. - The residence of the Lord Mayor, stands on the south side of Dawson-street, detached from the houses on either side of it, and receding some distance from the street. Its appearance is unprepossessing, being fronted entirely with brick, and built after a design which never could have been pleasing to the eye. There is, however, an excellent suite of apartments, capable of accommodating several hundred persons, which number is not unfrequently to be met at the convivial assemblies of his Lordship.

On the left of the hall is a small apartment, called the Gilt Boom, where is a portrait of King William, a copy, by Gubbins, an Irish Artist of high character Adjoining to this, is the drawing-room, a spacious apartment, nearly 50 feet in length, where public breakfasts are given. The walls are ornamented with, portraits of Lord Whitworth; Earl of Hardwicke, by Hamilton; Alderman Alexander, generally called the “father of the city,” by Williams; Lord Westmorland, by Hamilton; and John Foster, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons (now Lord Orieb. The next is the Ball room, used for dining in upon gala days; a noble apartment, 55 feet in length, the walls of which are wainscotted with Irish oak. Near the entrance, are placed the two city swords, the mace, and cap: one of the swords is only used upon those days on which the collar of SS is worn by the Lord Mayor; this famous collar of SS was given by William III. at the solicitation of Bartholomew Vanhomrigh, Lord Mayor, in 1697, and it was then valued at 1,000l. The former collar was presented to the city, in the year 1660, by Charles II. and was carried off by Sir Michael Creagh, a Lord Mayor of the city. At one end of the room is a portrait of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, and at the other that of the late Duke of Richmond, by Sir T. Lawrence; over one chimney-piece is a portrait of Charles II. and over the other one of George II. at an early period of life.

At the opposite extremity of the ball-room, is a door leading into the Round-Room: this spacious and princely apartment was built in 1821 (Sir A.B. King, Bart. being then Lord Mayor), for the express purpose of entertaining his Majesty George IV. who was pleased to honour the corporation of Dublin with his presence at a splendid city feast, on the 23rd of August, 1821. It is a perfect circle, the diameter of which, being 90 feet, is 10 feet greater than the diameter of the Rotunda in this city; and a corridor, five feet wide, is continued quite round the room, so that the external diameter of the entire building is upwards of 100 feet. The walls of this magnificent apartment, which will be a lasting monument of the liberality, loyalty and independent spirit of the corporation, are ornamented with paintings in imitation of tapestry. It is lighted by a lantern 50 feet from the floor, and the dome is painted to represent a summer sky.

On the other side of the Mansion-house are several rooms also appropriated to public use. The small room communicating immediately with the hall, is called the *Exchequer: *the walls are wainscotted with Irish oak, and there are some portraits of eminent persons, - the Duke of Bolton, - the Earl of Buckinghamshire (Lord Lieutenant from Oct. 1777 to Dec. 1780), bearing a scroll in his hand, on which are these words “Free trade, October 12th, 1779,” at which time, both houses of parliament in Ireland petitioned for, and obtained, a free trade from his Majesty; - the Marquis of Buckingham, - and, the Earl of Harcourt.

Adjoining the Exchequer is an apartment, 40 feet long, called the *Sheriff’s Room, *and ornamented with several excellent portraits, viz. the Duke of Northumberland, 1765; Lord Townsend; John Duke of Bedford; an admirable portrait of Alderman Sankey, by Hamilton, 1792; Alderman Manders, 1802; and the celebrated Alderman Thorpe (commonly called “the Good Lord Mayor,” who served during the famine in 1800, by Cummins.

Several designs. have been presented for a new Mansion-house, but none adopted: the centre of Stephen’s-green was suggested as a very appropriate situation, but the present site is one of the most desirable in Dublin, and it is most likely the corporation will gradually improve the present edifice, until it becomes almost another building.

On a lawn beside the Mansion-house, is placed an equestrian statue of George I. which originally stood on Essex-bridge, but upon repairing the bridge, which was much injured by the weight of the battlements, it was removed to the garden of the Mansion-house, at the expense of the corporation. At the extremity of the court-yard, or garden, in which the Round-Room stands, are two colossal statues of Charles II. and William III. **

City Assembly-House**. - This building is situated in Williain-street, at the corner of Coppinger’s-row; and was formerly called the Exhibition-room, being erected by the Artists of Dublin, for the purpose of exhibiting their works.

There is but one large room in this building, and in this the Commons assemble. The board of Aldermen meet in another apartment of the building, and quarter-assemblies, election of city officers, and various other matters relating to the affairs of the corporation, are transacted here.

One of the most important disputes that has occurred in the Assembly-house, took place upon the election of Sir A. B. King, Bart. to the office of Lord Mayor in 1821. The Court of Conscience is held in a spacious room under the assembly-room, the entrance is in Coppinger’s-row. Previously to the purchase of the city assembly-house, by the corporation, public meetings of the board and Common Council, and the Court of Conscience, were held in a stately building in Skinner-row, called the Tholsel. This structure (of which a correct elevation may be seen in Malton’s Views) was built after a design of the celebrated Inigo Jones; the front was richly ornamented, and in niches on the second story were two gigantic statues of Charles II. and James II. now preserved in Christ-Church Cathedral, but no trace of the Tholsel remains: it stood at the corner of Nicolas-street, and the site was let for building in 1807, by the corporation. **

Aldermen of Skinner’s Alley**. - In 1688, James II. obliged the Protestant part of the corporation to retire from office, and remain in concealment, until more auspicious times; and the place of their retreat was Skinner’s-alley, in the Earl of Meath’s Liberties: at length, the memorable battle of the Boyne, restored the Protestant religion to the country, and the corporation to its rights. The reinstated corporators, impressed with the truth of this motto “Haec olim meminisse juvabit,” retained the name of the Aldermen of Skinner’s-alley. **

Merchant’s Hall**. - This useful and necessary building is situated on Aston’s Quay, opposite the iron bridge. It is two stories in height and contains an office on the basement story; with the great hall and a small apartment on the upper floor. The front, which is of granite, is inclined obliquely to the line of quays, and is in other respects also an awkward structure. The Guild meets here for the election of Master Representative in die Common Council - Coal Meters, &c. **

Tailor’s-Hall**. The Corporation of Tailors claim the honour of precedence of all other Guilds, on the ground of antiquity: this right, however, has lately been ceded to the Guild of Merchants as a matter of courtesy. Their hall is in Back-lane, in the neighbourhood of Christ-Church Cathedral, upon which site they have had one for several centuries, but the present structure was built in 1710, John Shudell, being Master of the Corporation.

The principal apartment, which is 45 feet by 21, is ornamented with a gallery at one end, and has the following paintings, viz. a full-length of Charles II.; a portrait of Dean Swift; a painting of the Tailors’ arms; the Royal Arms as a companion; a head of Charles II.; a very Curious painting of St. Homobon, a Tailor of Cremona, of whom it is recorded beneath “that he gave all his gain and labour to the poor, and was canonized for his life and miraculous action in 1316.”

In this hall, the following corporations, not having halls pecularly belonging to their Guild, are permitted to assemble – Butchers, Smiths, Barbers, Saddlers, Glovers, Skinners, Curriers, and Joiners.**

Weavers Hall**. - This hall is situated on the Coombe, in the Earl of Meath’s Liberties, and is a venerable-looking brick building, having its front decorated by a handsome gilt statue of George II. In the principal room, which is 50 feet by 21, is a portrait of one of the Latouches, who came into this kingdom with the French refugees, and greatly encouraged the art of Weaving. There is also a portrait of George II., worked in tapestry, on the frame of which is the following couplet:

“The workmanship of John Vanbeaver, ye famous tapestry Weaver.” This is extremely well executed, and there is not a better piece of workmanship of this description in Dublin, if we except that in the apartment called the tapestry drawing room, in Waterford-house. This hall is so little used, that a congregation of Methodists take advantage of its desertion, and assemble here every Sunday and holyday. The only Guild which meets here, besides the Weavers, is the Guild of Hosiers.

There are a few other halls belonging to different Guilds, the Apothecaries-hall, in Mary-street [see art. Apothecaries-hall]. the Carpenters’-hall, in Audoen’s Arch; the Goldsmiths’, in Golden-lane ; the Cutlers’, in Capel-street and the Coopers’, in Stafford-street.

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