PRESENT STATE OF DOVER.

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Dover, in its civil jurisdiction, is governed by a mayor, twelve jurats, and thirty-six common council men, from the latter of which the town-clerk and chamberlain are annually chosen. The mayor (who is coroner by virtue of his office) is elected by the resident freemen in the church of Saint Mary the Virgin, on the 8th of September, being the feast of the nativity of the Virgin Mary, and every mayor quits his office immediately on the choice of a successor. The jurats are nominated from the common council men, by the jurats, and appointed by the mayor, jurats, and common council, by ballot. It sends two members to parliament, who are elected by the whole body of freemen, resident and non-resident. These are also chosen in the church of Saint Mary. The mayor is the returning officer.†

* On this occasion a common hall, or general meeting of the corporation, is convened by sound of the common horn, which is made of brass, and ancient. The bench usually nominate four jurats as candidates, from whom the freemen elect the mayor.

†The method of voting in Dover is different from most other places. After the court is opened, the town clerk

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Freedom is acquired here by birth, servitude, marriage, purchase, and by burgage tenure; but the franchise, if by marriage, ceases with the death of the wife; or, if by tenure, with the alienation of the freehold. The number of freemen is about 2100.

Dover surrendered its charter to Charles the Second, and had a new one granted in August, 1684, which was not registered in chancery. The office of water bailiff, and keeper of the prison, was granted by queen Anne, in the first year of her reign.

The corporation seal is a large round one, of brass, and was engraved in 1305. On the obverse is an antique vessel, with a bowsprit, and a mast, with a pennon of three tails; the sail furled; a forecastle, poop, and round top, all embattled; the steersman at the helm. Two men on the forecastle blowing trumpets, another climbing up the shrouds, and two below forward at a rope; a flag at the stern

takes the register book, where the names of the freemen are entered by seniority, and proceeds to summon them by name to the poll table, beginning with the corporation. If a person is absent, and does not answer to his first call, he must wait until the book is called over a second time before he can give his vote. This undoubtedly employs more time, but certainly creates less confusion than the mode commonly pursued.

charged with the port arms, inscribed, The common Seal of the Barons of Dover. On the reverse is Saint Martin on horseback, passing through the gate of Amiens, and dividing his cloak with his sword, to cover a person naked to the waist, and leaning on a crutch. The whole within an orle of lions passant gardant, in separate compartments respecting one another.

The old seal of mayoralty is of silver, and the one in present use is of steel, and of elegant workmanship. It represents the same legend of Saint Martin, and has nearly the same inscription. There are also two steel seals, the one somewhat larger than the other, formerly used in the ports register office for seamen, engraved in 1696.

The seal of the chancery and admiralty is of silver, and of good workmanship. It represents a man of war, with two decks, under sail, with an ensign, and flags at the main and mizen mast heads, all charged with the cross of Saint George, and a pendant at the fore top mast head, passing by a castle on a hill, with a union flag displayed, inscribed, The great Seal of Dover Castle, and of the Courts of Chancery and Admiralty of the

Cinque Ports. The register of the Castle has two seals nearly alike, with a castle of three towers, without any inscription. Brown Willis gives a curious account of the device on the common seal, and says it represents a highwayman robbing a man on foot.

In the year 1731, Mr. Jonathan Taylor left by will to the corporation of Dover, the sum of 1001. to be expended in the purchase of a piece of plate, to grace their convivial meetings, to weigh a given number of ounces, and to be made in the figure and form of a punch bowl. This bequest was intended as a mark of esteem and gratitude for the respect paid him, when he visited Dover under a severe indisposition; for the recovery from which he held himself indebted to the salutary aid which this place afforded him. After the death of Mr. Taylor, his will was litigated, and the concern became subject to the court of chancery, where it continued ten years, and was afterwards compromised. The expenses of this litigation were considerable; so that the corporation received only a composition of about £75, but determined that the will of the donor should not be rendered void by the expenses of the law, they resolved

to supply the deficiency from their own fund. The bowl was accordingly made and finished agreeably to the directions given by the will; and its magnitude, joined to its neat and elegant workmanship, render it one of the first pieces of plate in this county. It weighs 200 ounces, cost £107 6s. and is sufficiently large to contain six gallons of punch. On it are placed the town arms, together with an inscriptlon from the will of Mr. Taylor, relative to the bequest.

In this place also it will be proper to notice the gift of the late John Minet Fector, esq. to the corporation, who, in the year 1814, (expressly to fulfil the wishes of his late honored father) begged their acceptance of three chests of plate; the contents of which were a handsome ladle for the large bowl; two bowls of a smaller size than the large one, with appropriate ladles; two large candelabras, with four branches to each; and four smaller ones, with three branches to each. The whole weighing 1070 ounces, of elegant workmanship, and of several hundred pounds value. On these are also placed the town arms, with a suitable inscription. The magnificent appearance which these appendages