TOWN-CLERK is the clerk to a municipal corporation, elected by the town council. In England, he holds his office during pleasure, and his salary is paid out of the borough funds. His duties are: to take charge of the voting papers in the election of councilors, to keep the records of the borough and lists of burgesses, and to perform a variety of miscellaneous duties imposed by sundry acts of parliament.—In Scotland, he holds his office ad 91tam ant culpntn, is the advisor of the magistrates and council in the discharge of their judicial and administrative functions, at,en:s their meetings, records their proceedings, is the proper custoclier of the records of the burgh, and keeper of the registers of sasines mid deeds within it. Various important statutory duties arc also assigned to him in relation to the registration of voters, the conduct of municipal elections, the valuation of lands and heritages, the registration of births, marriages, and deaths, the licensing of public houses, etc. In the performance of a large proportion of
these duties, he is independent of the town-council, who cannot make his appointment during pleasure, or attach to it any condition which might enable the council either to control him in the conduct of the business of his office, or withdraw from him any por tion of his emoluments, so far as derived from fees. Being thus protected in the inde pendent and impartial discharge of his functions as a public officer, lie is bound to give extracts from the records in his custody without reference to the town-council, and is hahle personally for the consequences of failure in any department of his duty. He is not. however, a magistrate in any sense, and cannot lie held responsible for the obliga tions of the burgh, or for the omissions or neglect of the magistrates and council.