hat the grant of a court of quarter sessions to any borough
other than a county borough after the passing of the Local Government
Act 1888, does not affect the powers, duties or liabilities of the
county council as regards that borough, nor exempt the parishes in the
borough from being assessed to county rate for any purposes to which
such parishes were previously liable to be assessed.

Sheriff, coroner.

When a borough is a county of itself the council appoint a sheriff on
the 9th of November in every year. And where the borough has a
separate court of quarter sessions the council appoint a fit and
proper person, not an alderman or councillor, to be the borough
coroner, who holds office during good behaviour. If the borough has a
civil court the recorder, if there is one, is judge of it. If there is
no recorder, the judge of the court is an officer of the borough
appointed under the charter.

Power to acquire land.

The provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 relate chiefly
to the constitution of the municipal corporation. It does not itself
confer many powers or impose many duties upon the council as a body.
It does, however, enable a municipal corporation to acquire corporate
land and buildings, the buildings including a town hall, council
house, justices' room, police stations and cells, sessions house,
judges' lodgings, polling stations and the like. The council may
borrow money for the erection of such buildings; they may acquire and
hold land in mortmain by virtue of their charter, or with the consent
of the Local Government Board. Corporate land cannot be alienated
without the consent of the same board. The council may convert
corporate land, with the approval of the Local Government Board, into
sites for workmen's dwellings.

Borough bridges.

Another duty imposed upon a borough council by the act of 1882 is the
maintenance of bridges within the borough which are not repairable by
the county in which the borough is locally situate. It may here be
mentioned that a city or borough which is a county of itself is liable
at common law to repair all public bridges within its limits. In a
borough which is not a county of itself the inhabitants are only
liable to repair bridges within the borough by immemorial usage or
custom.

By-laws.

Of the other powers possessed by the council of a borough under the