The Press. — London, England, 1858-07-17 00:00:00

do n must not be addressed to the House of Com mos nor the hustings, still less to the platform, but to the people and armies of India. Above all, they , mast have at the head of the Government in India a ma r l possessing the confidence both of natives and E u ropeans, who could direct military operations, and by his personal authority compel all his subordinates t o co-operate in his policy and that of the Home Government. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE and th‘i Earl of ALBEMARLE briefly supported the bill, which was read a second time. The Earl of DERBY fixed yesterday (Friday) for the committee on the bill, deferring till then his answers to some of the objections made by Earl Granville and the Earl of Ellenborough. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS—THURSDAY. The house, at the morning sitting , went into a C o mmittee of Supply upon the Militia Estimates and the Supplementary Army Estimates, which were agreed to, after discussion, as well as the re-committed vote for the Registrar of Sasines (Scotland), and 20,000/. for defraying the expense of the Wellington monument. 1 1 3 1 1 1 r a r. 1 a THE PRESS, JULY 17,1858. would be at the rate of 600,0001. a year, and the works were to be completed in five years and a half, or in 1863. A question arose, which gave rise to some discus. sion, whether in point of order a prior resolution in a committee of the whole house was not necessary. In the debate which followed, the play sketched out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was variously criticized. In the course of it, Sir B. HALL observed that le had heard that it was intended to alter the Act of 1855 as regarded the point of outfall of the metropolitan sewage, and he thought if it was to be nearer to the metro polis the house ought to be informed of this impor tant fact. Lord J. MANNERS said it was impossible to arrive at any positive conclusion as to the point whence the sewage would not return, or what should be the point of outfall ; but the Metropolitan Board of Works had rightly determined, in the event of a nearer point of outfall being fixed upon, to deodorize the sewage. Mr. WILSON doubted whether the precise plan proposed of raising the loan was the best; and sug gested that it would be better for the Government at once to make a loan for the specific purpose, and advance the money as required through the Exche quer Loan Commissioners. Mr. TITE observed, that if one point in this ques tion was decided, it was that if the sewage was deo dorized, it was of no consequence where it was poured out. Mr. STEPHENSON urged that the intercepting sys. tern was indispensable; it possessed this advantage over every other plan, that it effectei its object pro gressively, diminishing the evil as it went on. Ultimately, after a reply by the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, who stated that the constructions would include a system of intercepting sewers and deodorizing wGrks, leave was given to introduce the bill. The Legitimacy Declaration Bill passed through committee, with amendments. The adjourned debate on the second reading of the Civil Bills, &c. (Ireland), Act Amendment Bill was resumed by Mr. COGAN, who opposed the bill, which involved, he said, great principles, and ought not to have been delayed until many Irish members had left for the assizes. He urged various objections to the bill, and moved to deter the second reading for three months. This amendment was seconded by Mr. ROEBUCK. Mr. WALPOLE supported the bill, the objects of which were, he said, to secure efficient assistant barristers, by removing such as were disabled from discharging their functions, and to transfer them, for cause shown, from one district to another. Mr. OSBORNE strongly objected to the bill, and recommended that itshould be withdrawn and another bill introduce.' placing the assistant barristers upon a better footing. Mr. WHITESIDE justified the measure, pointing out the evils it was designed to remedy. Mr. J. FITZGERALD said he should resist this bill in its present form, in all its stages, considering that it infringed the constitutional independence of judges. The second reading was supported by Mr. S. B. MILLER, and opposed by Mr. P. O'BRIEN, and after some observations by Mr. WILSON and Colonel FRENCH, upon a division it was carried by 97 to 62. The Detached Parts of Counties Bill was also read a second time. The Report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and agreed to. Other bills were advanced a stage, and the remain ing orders having been disposed of, the house ad journed at a quarter to two o'clock. A CABINET COUNCIL was held on Saturday at the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Downing street. The Ministers present were— the Earl of Derby, the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Hardwicke, the Right Hon. Spencer Walpole, the Earl of Ilialmebbury, Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Lord Stanley, General Peel, Sir John Pakington, the Right Hon. J. W. Henley, and Lord John Manners. THE offices of Dean of the Arches and Official Principal of the Arches' Court have been conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Right Hon. Dr. Lusbington. The functions of the Dean of the Arches are now merely nominal, hut the Official Principal of the Arches' Court is the Judge of the Court of Appeal of the Province of Canterbury. The Court of Appeal was formerly held in Bow Church, or the Arches' Church (Sancta Maria de Arcubus), and hence it derived its name of the Arches' C nirt, which accompanied it when the scat of judicature was transferred to (he Common Hall of the College of Advocates in Doctors' Commons. It is reported that Dr. Travers Twiss will succeed Dr. Lusbington as Chancellor of the Diocese of London. CORRUPT PRACTICES PREVENTION ACT. The house then resolved itselt into committee upon this bill. After a short conversation as to whether it was expedient to confine it to a mere continuance bill (as suggested by Mr. V. Smith), or whether proposed by Mr. Walpole ) the bill should not remedy certain ambiguities and points of legal nicety,—such as the question regarding travelling expenses, which, since a recent decision of the House (f Lords, appeared to be in an unsettled state,—in the existing act, The committee were engaged in the discussion of the clauses and amendments during the remainder of the sitting. THE CAPE. In the evening, in reply to Mr. PEASE, Sir E. B. Lrrrom stated that the Government had received no information as to the occupation by the Cape colonists of the territory between the Keei and Keiskamma rivers, and that the last advices iron the Cape afforded no probability of the early termination of the hostilities between the Orange Free States and Moshesh, the chief of the Basutus. THE STATE OF THE THAMES. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved for leave to bring in a bill to alter and amend the Metropolis Local Management Act (1855), and to extend the powers of the Metropolitan Board of Works for the purification of the Thames and the main drainage of the metropolis. After adverting shortly to the state of the river, he proceeded to consider whether the inconvenience was local or national, and to be meshy national or local resources. The Government, he said, were of opinion that the inconvenience was a local one, and that means must be devised to remedy it out of local measures. The question, then, was whether the Metropolitan Hoard of Works should not be placed in a position that would render that body equal to the occasion, and invested with a power sufficient for the purpose. The expenditure necessary for cleansing and clearing the river and for completing the main drainage of the metropolis would be of very large amount, not less than 3,000,0001. Her Majesty's Govern ment proposed to make the Metropolitan Board of Works a real corporation, and to put it in posses sion of an income not of a transient character for such a period of time as would enable it to effect the purpose in view. They propo-ed that a special rate should be imposed upon the inhabitants of the metropolis for the purpose of purifying the river and completing the main drainage, and con fined to that object. As to the amount and the duration of the rate, the objects would be to raise a sufficient fund for this great work (not less than 3 , 0 00,0001.), and that it should be continued for such a period that at its termination a sinking fund, to be in simultaneous action, should suffice to extinguish the whole sum to be raised. The Gcvernrnent were informed that a rate of not more than 3d. in the Pound for forty years would be sufficient to com plete Vie whole of the main drainage, and to supply a sinking-fund to liquidate the debt. To bring about this result application had been made to the Govern ment for assistance, and, in his opinion, the applica • lion was one of a legitimate character. The Govern ment, therefore, proposed to guarantee the principal and int erest of? the sum which the Metropolitan Board of Works would raise—namely, 3,000,0001., at an interest not exceeding four per cent., upon conditions that would place the 140,0001. a year under the control of the Treasury, whica would take care that provision was made for maintaining the ‘inking•fund. With regard to the construction of the works, the Government were of opinion that the i . sorks i n .a..isest course was to l eave th e M etro p o litan Board of possession of perfect freedom as regarded tills object, by repealing the existing restrictions, giving the board ade q uate means of fulfilling he duties. It was calculated that the expenditure STATE OF THE THAMES. THE Parliamentary Committee reassembled on Mon day last at the usual hour. Mr. Kendall in the chair. The other members present were—Sir Ben jamin Hall, Mr. Tite, Mr. Roupell, Mr. Alderman Cubitt, Mr. Akroyd, the Hon. Percy Jocelyn, Lord Palmerston, Mr. Robert Stephenson, Sir John Y. Buller, Lord John Russell, Mr. Joseph Locke, Sir John Shelley, &c. As this committee goes on, the number of persons present increases rather than diminishes, and as the windows are kept closed the heat of the room was almost insupportable. Mr. HAWKESLEY, civil engineer, was the first witness. His evidence is so important that we give it in extenso. He said :-- I have given considerable attention to the sewage of London, and the state of the Thames in connection with it. I have in conjunction with Mr. Bidder and Dr. Letheby made experiments and observations. During the hot days of June I made many experiments in company with Dr. Letheby, who took samples of the Thames at various points and during various stages of the tide. The general results of those experiments and observations were these : —ln consequence of the extraordinary long dry weather and the small supply of fresh water from the upland districts the Thames had become offensive. There was not more than six or seven times the quantity of fresh water over the sewage in the Thames. In consequence of the accumula tion of sewage to so great an extent in the Thames sulp'nu rated hydrogen was omitted from it. I found the water of the Thames at 73 Fahrenheit, a higher degree of tempe rature than I ever found it before. The colour of the water was very black in consequence of the large additional quantity of sewage passed into the Thames. The mud on the banks was in a decomposed state, but the offensive odour of the water was not confined to the backs, and was uniformly distributed all over the river. The state of the water was more fetid than any I had hitherto met with in the river. The smell of the sewage water extended from Woolwich to Chiswick at spring tides. On Sunday fort night I came up from Gravesend, and at nine o'clock at night, when off Woolwich, the stench was very great in the centre of the river. Below that point lower down the river the sewage was completely deodorized. Off Blackwell the smell increased; off Greenwich it was very noxious ; off the Tunnel-pier the odour was less distinct. At London bridge the smell was scarcely perceptible. At Waterloo bridge the smell was not to be perceived at all. Off the Houses of Parliament the smell became very intense. At flood tide the smell was most offensive off Waterloo•bridge, extending from Blackfriars-bridge towards Chelsea. Dr. Letheby, at the request of Mr. Bidder and myself, had made analyses of the water, and he found a great decompo sition of organic matter. On the 21st, 23rd, aril 25th of June and other days experiments were made, and the general results of them were, from the water taken at mid stream at low water, a total quantity of 67 grains of im purity to a gallon. In that quantity of impurity the alkaline chlorines were 24 grains. On the same days water was taken from the midstream at London-bridge, and that gave a general total of impurity of 29 grains, of which only four were alkaline chlorine. At Blackfriari bridge the total quantity was 271; at Hungerford-pier, 24 ; at Westminster-bridge, 26 ; at Ohelsewbridge, 291 • at Isleworth, 19 grains ; at Teddington-lock, 114 ; at Kew bridge, 1h ;at Hammersmith-bridge, 19f ;at Wundaworth, 21 ; at Vauxhall-bridge, 291. The impurity off Greenwich was 66. The Thames was quite clear of sewage below Woolwich. When the sewage passed Woolwich, it became completely deodorized. When the sewage gets below Woolwich it can never come hack in a state which could he followed by decomposition. The London sewage which goes into the river either at Woolwich or any other part would come back again, but it would never come back again in the form of sewage. When it came back it would alto gether cease to be noxious to the inhabitants. I know of no means of purifying the river than by removing the cause of impurity, and that is only to be done by preventing the sewage from going into the river by means of intercepting sewers. I would construct two sewers on each side of the river, one a high level, and the other a low level sewer. The high level sewer would takeoff the rainfall and sewage from the higher districts, which would save a large amount of pumping, as it could he discharged by gravitation at high water. The other sewer being on a low level must, of course, be discharged at low water mark. I would have the means of deodorizing sewage if necessary, hut I have no hope of making it profitable as a commercial specula tion. The manure when deodorized loses its fertilizing qualities—its character then altogether becomes changed.. It would be hopeless to attempt to make a profit by it, as it would not pay the expense of carrying it far three miles. It would not he possible to perfectly cure the present state of the river, even if intercepting sewers were constructed, unless that plan were accompanied by an embankment, with vertical walls continued to low water mark. It would be impossible, even with intercepting sewers, to prevent all the sewage from passing into the river; and as instances of that, I may mention the docks and tlse Isle of Dogs ; but the evil might be :net if the sewage were to be deodo rized in hot weather. The CHAIRMAN: What is the nearest point in the river tc Lnndon that you think that, with safety to the inhabitants of the metropolis and those living on the banks, the sewage might be discharged ? Mr. HAWKESLEY : Not nearer than Barking-creek, as there is no place nearer where works could be erected. By Mr. ROUPELL : if the Thames is not embanked there will always be offensive exhalations from the mulbanks. I think, even if the sewage is diverted, 689