Page:Item 6 1854.pdf/115

happily for them, the press was not the only means of conveying information. Mr. Vidler ran his head against a very awkward fact, and this might account for the silence of the press. Perhaps Mr. Vidler was not reported fully, because this, as he had been told was his fact: a gentleman came down and took a house in Carlisle parade and called it St. Leonards. But he was told he must not call that St. Leonards; it was Hastings. He replied that he had been told to come to St. Leonards, and off he walked through the Archwa. [Cheers] Next came a man whom they all highly esteemed and respected, the Mayor. He told them two reasons, to the first of which the seconder of the present motion would speak. The second reason was "that all the recent expenditure in drainage had been spent in Hastings and not in St. Leonards, yet it would appear, according to the post-master that a good deal had been spent in St.Leonards." Here was merely a name; and he should very much like to know if they could find out how much the money collectd in that part of St. Leonards had been spent in helping out the drainage of Hastings proper. They did not tell them that. [Cheers.] Mr. Putland next got up, and he (the speaker) thought they all owed him their best thanks, which he understood would that night be offered to him and to the other representatives of the West Ward for the manly and straight-forward manner in which they acted. He would pass over Mr. Putland's speech. His old and highly esteemed friend, Mr. Ginner, who was churchwarden when he (Mr. Hume) was curate at St. Clements, got up and first with that John Bullism which quite belonged to him, identified himself with Mr. Ross going right at the thing at once; but then, whether under the influence of Mr. Putland's speech, or only acting on his own sound sense, he delivered himself of a thought which one might have hoped would have had a little effect on the other members of the Council. "He thought if they made any violent alterations without giving notice they would be throwing the town into confusiion." That was common sense [Cheers.] It might have been possible to have met to investigate the subject; but they [such as composed the meeting] did not like people to come with no courtesy at all towards them. Next came two men who followed Mr. Ginner in common sense, but they also - true as the needle to the pole - went to the -