XU

HISTORY OF THE

[APPEN D1X.

“ To the Proprietor of the Freeman’s Journal.

“ Office of Arms, September 10, 1821.

“ SIR,

“ You will, with your accustomed liberality and politeness, do me the justice to insert the followingobservations on an advertisement which appeared in your second page of this day, containing a para-graph formerly published in your Paper, and a letter thereupon, from the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor,with the answer of the Dean of Saint Patrick.

“ You will, Sir, be able to state, that I had nothing whatever to do with the writing of the para-graph in question—with its publication or republication; and you could have informed the LordMayor so if he had made the inquiry. I take it for granted it was written by your Reporter, as a state-ment of what he saw and heard.

“ Having altogether disclaimed the aforesaid paragraph, I shall not make any remarks on hisLordship’s letter, further than to state, that I have had the honour of executing the Office I now fill,with the same powers I now possess, ever since the year 1807, and have had the sole control anddirection of the three Installations of 1809, 1819, and that which has recently taken place.

“ With respect to the answer to his Lordship’s letter, I have only to state that the Dean andChapter, in compliance with the desire of Government, made as usual a formal surrender of theCathedral to me, for the purposes of the Installation, and that the Dean had no right whatever toassign places to any one, or to give the slightest order on the subject of the preparations, further thanconcerned his own closet.

“ I am as ready as the Dean or any other person to admit, to the fullest extent, the merits of thepresent Lord Mayor, and to pass as florid an encomium on his services, and sincerely do I rejoice thathe has received his reward by the gracious approbation of his Sovereign; but I cannot allow anencroachment to pass unnoticed or unresisted, at the same time I would wish that resistance to be aslittle personal as possible.

“ From peculiar circumstances which have lately occurred, relative to the exercise of power out ofthe limits of jurisdiction, it became the more necessary, and, in fact, a duty to resist; it is an ungra-cious duty, but being a duty, I shall not shrink from it, or from giving my reasons for its performance.

“ His Lordship, as Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, claimed, ex officio, to be present at theInstallation, attended by his Sheriffs and Chaplain, in their robes and insignia of Office, without ticketsof admission (which, I may state here, had been sent to his Lordship and the Sheriffs). Having heardof this, I thought it right to send his Lordship notice I intended to oppose his claim; and I now statethe grounds on which I opposed it.

“ 1st. The Cathedral is in the county of Dublin, and out of his Lordship’s jurisdiction.

“ 2dly. His Lordship’s precedence and power are chartered rights, and confined to his charteredlimits, and any exercise or demonstration of power, or precedence, beyond those limits, is illegal.

“3dly. At the Installation in 1809, Mr. Alderman Darley, then Lord Mayor, having tickets,attended as a private individual, but an honourable seat was assigned by me to him, as a courtesy dueto a person holding so high a situation. At the Installation in 1819, Mr. Alderman M'Kenny, thenLord Mayor, attended in his robes and insignia of Office, which, although contrary to law and previouscustom, was passed over in silence, as it was supposed he acted under an erroneous impression. Thishas been the ground of the present claim; he sat in the same seat occupied by Mr. Alderman Darleyin 1809, which was not that occupied by the present Lord Mayor.

“ Had the Lord Mayor gone to the Church with tickets, as a private individual, he would have metwith every courtesy and attention due to the Chief Magistrate of the Metropolis, and to himself as agentleman, and would have had the seat occupied by his predecessors; but I could not allow him totake precedence of the Peers of the Realm, or to violate the rights of others.

“ I am, Sir, your very humble Servant,

“ W. Betham, Ulster King of Arms.”