improvement of the place. The Local Board of Health must take care of all except St. Leonards, which will take care of itself.”
The Crown Land Inquiry. — At the meeting on Aug 1st the Town Clerk stated that he had searched the records in London as directed, with a view to discover the right of the Council to the land formerly overflowed by the sea along the borough coast, but had been unable to obtain any satisfactory information, as the records only referred to the subject of his enquiry incidentally. The records appeared simply to embrace certain Roman Catholic charities called chauntries. — Coun. Ross did not like the matter to rest thus, and would take another opportunity of calling attention to the subject. [But he would find himself as far off as ever.]
The Lighthouse. — In consequence of the lighthouse being shut out from the sea by the Commissioners’ new Market-room, it was ordered to be removed to the West hill if Lady Waldegrave would give consent. This she would do on a proper arrangement being entered into by the Council.
A Possessory Title A freehold right to an obnoxious rope-shop having been obtained by a fisherman named Spice through undisturbed occupancy, without original purchase, and he having asked £80 for it, whilst the Council would not give more than £40, Coun. Putland moved and Coun. Harvey seconded the removal of a capstan, so as to render the rope-shop of less value. [In after years the Council had to pay many hundreds of pounds for a capstan in front of Grand parade and a piece of ground, now part of the West-Marina Gardens and parade — in the one case originally used by the same Mr. Putland in connection with his coal trade, and in the other case for storage of timber and a saw-lodge on the beach, and a possessory title claimed, similarly to that of Spice’s, through undisturbed possession. It is probable that in each case the claim could not be the vitiated or set aside; but it often happens that with men in authority there is a want of consistency as pertaining to their public and private dealings.
In Spice’s Case, although the old fisherman afterwards accepted the proffered £40, he held out for some time for the larger sum, he being persuaded to do so by other persons, who argued that the rope-shop being erected on the beach outside the town wall, the Corporation had nothing to do with it. Then, as to the claim of the “stone-beach” per Elizabethan Charter, this had been continually the subject of dispute and of several contradictory counsels’ opinions; also as expressed by the Town Clerk, there was great difficulty in defining the limits of the places mentioned in the Charter, and that, in fact, the said Charter was of very little use.
The Dover Gaol Rate. At the Council meeting still under review, Mr. Putland expressed a desire to know how the Dover-gaol rate was expended, -
