29.—At the Guildhall, Norwich, John Pilgrim, described as an attorney, was charged before Mr. Samuel Bignold and Mr. E. T. Booth with embezzling the sum of £6 13s. belonging to his employers, Messrs. Sewell, Blake, Keith, and Blake, solicitors. The case was adjourned till Saturday, the 30th, and the hearing lasted till midnight. On Sunday, the 31st, the magistrates again sat, and remanded the defendant in custody. On June 1st it was stated that Mr. Parraman, Governor of the City Gaol, had handed the prisoner over to the custody of the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, on a warrant from the Speaker. The Bench then adjourned the hearing sine die. In order to explain these proceedings, it is necessary to state the following facts:—A petition had been presented against the return of Mr. Dundas and Mr. Kelly as members for Ipswich, and the Committee of the House of Commons, in reporting the election void, passed a series of special resolutions to the effect that John Pilgrim and others were guilty of bribery and of absconding to avoid the Speaker’s warrant; that Pilgrim, having at length been served, was prevented attending the Committee by being arrested on a charge of embezzlement, and that the conduct of the magistrates before whom he was charged appeared to the Committee to be a breach of the privileges of the House. On June 29th it was moved that the committing magistrates be sent to Newgate, but instead they were ordered to attend before the House on July 3rd. That order was discharged, and the inquiry was referred to the same Select Committee that was to investigate the charges against Pilgrim’s employers. At the Norwich Assizes on August 8th, before Mr. Baron Bolland, the bill in the case of embezzlement was respited to the next court. A meeting of the Norwich Corporation was held on September 21st, at which a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Bignold and Mr. Booth “for the performance of their duty as magistrates, which led to their being summoned before the Committee of the House of Commons on the charge of alleged breach of privileges of the House,” and it was ordered that their expenses in London be defrayed by the city. (See March 29th, 1836. )
31.—Died at his house in Bedford Square, London, Mr. William Smith, formerly one of the representatives of Norwich in Parliament. Mr. Smith was first elected member for the city in 1802, and retired in 1830.
JUNE.
3.—Mr. Beacham, a favourite actor at Norwich Theatre, took his final leave of the stage after a service of more than half a century.
6.—The erection of gas works at East Dereham commenced.
10.—A new drama, entitled, “The Puritan’s Sister,” written by Mr. George Smith, was produced for the first time at Norwich Theatre.
14.—Died at Brighton, aged 72, Sir John Harrison Yallop, an alderman of Norwich. He served the office of Sheriff in 1805, and of Mayor in 1815 and 1831.
15.—Sir Edward Parry, R.N., attended a meeting of the Norwich Court of Guardians, and laid before them the views and intentions of the Poor-law Commissioners. Sir Edward also visited other unions in the district.
16.—Guild Day was celebrated in Norwich for the last time. The civic procession to the Cathedral was headed by the regalia borne by the respective officers on horseback. “Snap,” too, made his final appearance. Chambers, the senior boy at the Free Grammar School, under the Rev. Henry Banfather, delivered the Latin oration, and was presented with five guineas’ worth of books by the Mayor-elect (Mr. Moore), who made a similar present to Norgate, the orator on the preceding Guild Day. In the course of the proceedings at the Guildhall, it was decided to petition the House of Lords against the Bill to provide for the regulation of Municipal Corporations in England and Wales. Eight hundred guests attended the Guild feast at St. Andrew’s Hall, and a ball was given at the Assembly Rooms in the evening.
19.—Mr. Richard Shaw was elected an alderman of the Northern Ward, Norwich, in succession to Sir J. H. Yallop, deceased. He polled 345 votes, as against 109 recorded for his opponent, Mr. J. Winter.