to pass such resolutions as they might think proper, it being for him only to indicate what were the motives for calling that meeting. The chairman next referred to the resolution of the Town Council respecting the name. That resolution had been transmitted to the Postmaster-General, requesting to attend to it. Whether he would or not, remained to be seen. The Town Clerk in his letter to the Lord Duke added a reason to the request which was very curious and worthy of remark - "Because there is great confusion in the delivery of letters, owing to a certain portion of the Borough of Hastings being styled St. Leonards, which is quite wrong as all the property on the East side of St. Leonards Archway is strictly Hastings, and nothing can be legally shewn to the contrary." Confusion! Now, was there any inhabitant of the district in question who would admit that? Were they not all met there to affirm exactly the contrary? (cheers) - to affirm their satisfaction with the present arrangements? But what would be the confusion if the resolutions of the Town Council should be adopted? - if this large district which for so many years had been called St. Leonards, should now be called Hastings? It was a name that had never been given to it. St. Leonards had been fixed to all legal documents and to public institutions. Among the latter were the St. Leonards National Schools, the St. Leonards Mechanics' Institution, the St. Leonards Wesleyan Chapel, the St. Leonards Provident and Coal Club, and several others (cheers). The existence of so many institutions proved the importance of the locality, and the very great inconveniences that would arise if any alteration were to be made in the name of it. There were institutions of the same sort in Hastings, and people would not know one from the other, and the Hastings people would probably get money that was intended for St. Leonards. It would indeed be "confusion worse confounded" This act of the Town Council has been committed in virtue of the wording of a certain clause in the Act of Parliament which regulated the proceedings of the Local Board. On looking over this he (the chairman) found there was not the least doubt that the Municipal body of Hastings had to see that houses were properly numbered. It was perfectly obvious that that was one of the necessary duties of the Municipal body, and it was especially necessary to name new places; but there was nothing in that Act which authorised the Council to change or in any way to alter the original denomination of a place.
There were a great many houses that had particular names; and they might next have the Council rubbing them out and put-
