An Act of Parliament received the royal assent on June 23rd, 1832, removing the assizes from Thetford to Norwich; and the corporation passed a vote of thanks to John Stracey, Esq., for his exertions in obtaining that measure, and also a vote of thanks to the lord chancellor for having granted two jail deliveries in the year. Since then the city assizes have been held at the Guildhall, and the Norfolk assizes at the Shirehall. The city sessions are held every quarter at the Guildhall, and the petty sessions daily at the same place. The reformed House of Commons having presented an address to His Majesty, praying for the appointment of a commission to inquire as to the existing state of municipal corporations in England and Wales; the king, on July 18th, 1833, complied with the address, by issuing a commission; and notice was subsequently given to the mayor of this city, S. Bignold, Esq. (now Sir Samuel Bignold), of the intention of the commissioners appointed to investigate the affairs of the Norwich corporation, in compliance with a request from a meeting of 300 citizens, held on the 13th of May preceding. A special meeting of the corporation was at once convened to consider the course to be pursued, and the assembly determined on a reluctant submission to the inquiry, so far as regarded the production, by the corporate officers, of all “charters, books, deeds, accounts, papers, and muniments of title,” but at the same time protested against the commission as illegal and unconstitutional, and against the right of the commissioners to make any inquiry whatsoever. As may be supposed, the dominant party in the city did not like it, and the sheriffs especially protested against it. They declined to attend at the proposed enquiry, or to recognize the authority of the commissioners by any act, and addressed a letter to that effect to the commissioners, signing their names, W. J. UTTEN BROWNE, and EDWARD STEWARD, sheriffs of Norwich. Of course the commissioners were not very pleased at this ostentatious opposition to their authority, and in the course of their enquiry showed an evident hostility to the predominant party. Witnesses were allowed to make statements reflecting on the characters of the living and the dead, and every facility was afforded for the gratification of political, perhaps of _private_, revenge. This will appear in the following summary of the evidence, taken from the Digest, published soon afterwards. THE INQUIRY RESPECTING THE OLD CORPORATION.