A Warehousing Port. – At the same meeting (Feb. 1st) Coun. Howell also moved “To consider the expediency of memoralizing(sic) Her Majesty’s Commissioners of the Treasury to appoint the port of Hastings as a warehousing port.” The motion was unanimously carried. At the meeting on June 7th. a reply to the memorial was received from the Treasury Chambers, “that having regard to the extent of the populations of Hastings and the amount of dutiable articles consumed there they [the Lords Commissioners] do not feel that they should be warranted in acceding to your application” The Town Clerk stated that in a recent Act of Parliament it was stipulated that in no place should a warehousing port be constituted where the expense would exceed the amount of goods collected.- Ald Ginner reminded the Board that it was within the last ten years that Manchester had been made a bonded port after much agitation. He thought that if the same were granted to Hastings, there would be many other towns found to have claims equal to their own. Coun. Winter agreed in favour of the concession being made to Hastings, and moved that the correspondence be entered in the minute-book with a view to a second application at a more suitable period. Coun. Howell, seconded, and said that towns smaller than Hastings, such as Rye and Newhaven, received those privileges merely because they were ports. – Motion carried.
Inauguration of the Lord Warden. At the meeting on the 5th of April a letter was received from the Town Clerk of Dover requesting an opinion as to the propriety of immediately assembling the Brotherhood of Guestling for considering the question of joint action to do honour to Lord Palmerston on his acceptance of the office of Lord Warden. The Clerk said he had gone with Mr. Ross to Dover on the preceding Tuesday, and had laid before Mr. Knocker – who had only recently been appointed Town Clerk – various extracts from old records showing the mode of procedure at the election of previous Lord Wardens. The plan suggested in the letter was not the correct one. The proper course was for the Lord-Warden elect to issue a precept to the ports, stating that he would hold a court at some place appointed by himself at which to be sworn in, and the representatives of the various ports must attend there. The question now was whether it would not be necessary to have a court of Brotherhood first to decide who should administer the oath. – Ald. Ross said it was not necessary to call the Brotherhood and Guestling together. Mr. Stringer (Solicitor to the Cinque Ports) had told them that the Lord Warden had given notice to him that it was his intention to take the oaths of office, and when he issued his precepts, Hastings, in common with the other ports, would be sum-
