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

684 THE WEEK. A Royal Commission, of the greatest possible importance, is appointed in last night's Gazette," for the purpose of inquiring into the organization of the army at present serving in the pay, and under the control and "management, of the Hon. East India Company." It consists of— The Duke of Cambridge. The Secretary for War. The Marquis of Tweeddale. Lord Stanley. Viscount Melville. Sir H. G. Smith. Sir G. A. Wetherell. Major-General Montgomerie. Major-General Hancock Colonel Burlton. Colonel Tait. In the same Gazette, Sir JAMES OuTnAm is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. And a Baronetcy is conferred on the son of Sir HENRY LAWRENCE. The Prorogation of the Two Houses is always pushed forward, by petty hindrances that arise, to a later day than the one first intended. The 26th was the day named last week. Now it is the 31st that is calcu lated on ; but Monday, or Tuesday, or even Wednesday, the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, may at last prove the day. The Parisian rumour, of a new conspiracy or attempt on the Emperor's life, of which we spoke doubtfully last Saturday, has since been alluded to by the Times and two other daily journals. But no very definite account is given, and the prevalent belief is, that the rumour was groundless. We have noticed in two or three places in to-day's PRESS the progress of the Government in useful works. There can be no doubt that there has been a real progress during the last three or four weeks. The success of the India Bill is, of itself, no slight matter. The settlement of the " Main Drainage Question"—if it shall indeed be settled—will be a thing to boast of. The whole course of the Government during these two or three weeks has been one of success and of real advance, —with one excep tion. But that exception is a grave and serious one. With many men it far more than outweighs all the merits of the other successes. We speak, of course, of the concession of that question which involves the highest of all considerations. The passing of Lord LucAN's Bill, if it does not actually strike out, enables either house to strike out at pleasure, the solemn words, " On the true faith of a Christian," from the oaths taken in Parliament. Now, this concession, to many minds, is of more importance, and inflicts more damage, than can be outweighed by a hundred Drainage Bills, or by a score of Bills for the better government of India. A whole volume of good and useful statutes may be passed without coming near the hearts of earnest men. Sweeping the streets and enlarging sewers are good and desirable things; hut they bear no comparison with matters of faith, or even with questions of morals. " Tithing of mint, anise, and cummin " is not to be put in the balance with " the weightier matters of the law." Hence, while the upper part of the stream may have been running strongly in favour of the Government during the last three weeks, it would be foolish to conceal from ourselves that there is also a deeper and perhaps a stronger current running in an opposite direction. We should greatly dislike to see a general election just now. Beyond all doubt, what occurred in so many cases in 1847 would be seen in some in 1858. Protes tants had returned Colonel Wool) for Middlesex, and Mr. LYALL for London, in 1841; but in 1847 these gentlemen both lost their seats by the defection of their own supporters. And the like thing occurred in fifty other counties and boroughs. We deeply lament this ground of dissatisfaction, on the part of many of the best members of the Conservative party. We lament it the more, because no necessity existed for so grieving the truest Conserva tives. The House of Lords, on the 27th of April, was more than usually firm. Its majority was larger and more determined than last year. And no assault of the House of Commons on its decision could have been other than nugatory. The retreat is uncalled for ; and to combatants whose courage is unbroken, nothing is so grievous as an unnecessary retreat. We will not enlarge on a topic on which we feel more than it would be advisable to utter. All that remains is, to hope that this is the last and only mistake of the kind that will be made ; and that, on the Church-rate question, and on similar matters which may arise in the next session, the Government will show itself firmly Conservative. We noticed, in our Second Edition, last week, that the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had promised to bring in a Bill for the purification of the Thames, and we stated that our anticipations of the measure were of this kind : " That the Metropolitan Board of Works will be set in motion ; there being no other body at present in existence, capable of undertaking the work : " That the Government will furnish the guarantee, which is requisite to enable the Board to raise 3,000,0001. of money : " That the plan which has long slumbered in the Office of Works will to finally approved and adopted : and, THE PRESS, JULY 17, 1858. "That, with reference to the alarm felt, as to the possible nuisan ce which may be created at Frith, the Board will undertake to deodoriz e the sewage, if such a measure shall be found necessary." These anticipations rested mainly upon our knowledge of the ne. cessities of the case. We knew that the Government and the Metro? ) . litan Board had come to an agreement, and we felt satisfied that only in the above way could any practical result be arrived at. No other scheme or plan was at all feasible. For instance :- 1. Many persons have eagerly called for the suppression of the Metropolitan Board of Works, and the handing over the Main-Drainage question to a body of Commissioners appointed by the Government. But these persons must have forgotten that, before the Metropolitan Board was created, the Main-Drainage question had been in the hands of two different Commissions appointed by the Government, neither of which Commissions could succeed in doing anything. The Metropolitan Board, on the other hand, had not been in ex istence six months before it had framed a plan, which plan will now be carried into effect, and the execution of which plan has only been delayed for nearly two years past by the obstacles interposed by Sir BENJAMIN HALL. 2. The second difficulty, next only to Sir Bitx.rAltres veto, has been the raising so large a sum as 3,000,0001. by a new Corporation, possessing no other security for the payment of the interest but what arc called "rating powers." In 1856 the Metropolitan Board intimated to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer that it must ask for the guarantee of the Government before it could hope to raise any money. Sir G. C. LEwis made this application the subject of a jocose remark in the House of Commons, whereat the House laughed. Now, however, the river stinks, and it is found to be "no laughing matter." A proper drainage cannot be accomplished without money, and money cannot be had except upon good security. Therefore the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, like a reasonable man, consents to give the guarantee, and thus the money will be raised, and the work will be accomplished. 3. Then, as to the plan to be adopted. It will be remembered by some that Sir BENJAMLN HALL first rejected plan A, and then plan B, and finally sent plan B• to a committee of three engineers, who drew up a long report upon it. Now, of these three plans, the first, marked A, was the best. And that, it appears, is likely to be the one adopted. We have no doubt that a sound conclusion has here been arrived at ; but let it be borne in mind that plan A, the earliest of the three, was presented to Sir B. HALL more than two years ago. 4. Lastly, the alarm felt by the people of Erith is met by the two provisos :-1. that the point of outfall shall be removed two miles higher up the river, and therefore two miles further from Erith ; and 2, that if needful, deodorizing works shall be established, so as to pour into the river nothing worse than filtrated water. The late Chief Commissioner of her Majesty's Works and Buildings was an active man, made a great stir in the world, and had his own trumpet always at his lips. But a very large improvement is discernable, already, in the actual business done, under his successor, with the CHANCELLOR of the E XCHEQUER at his back. Already we learn, that the Wellington Monument is decided upon. Next, that the Nelson Column is to be finished. And, still more important, the CHANCELLOR of the ExcitEcturs himself announces, that " with reference to the National Gallery, and the " kindred institutions, the Government is prepared to take the responsi " bility upon itself, and at the proper time to submit to Parliament arrange "' ments which it is hoped will remedy the deficiencies generally com " plained of." Certainly, to be able to move forward, in so short a time after taking office, with all these three public works, proves a degree of energy and efficiency in one department which deserves and will secure very general praise. Sir BENJAMIN HALL has brought in his " little bill," and has got it passed by the House of Commons, for " examining a plan for the main "drainage of the metropolis." The amount was 8,8361., which is smaller than we anticipated. But, such as it is, it is 8,0001. more than it ought to have been. The case is simply this. Sir BENJAMIN HALL, when constituting the METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS, took care to reserve to himself a veto on all the most important plans or measures of that Board. In December, 1856, the Board presented to him its revised plan for the Main Drainage As Sir BENJAMIN HALL'S assent was needed, it was right and proper that he should call in a competent engineer, to advise him whether the plan was one which he could safely assent to. Such a course as this need not have occupied so much as a month, and need not have cost 5001. But Sir BENJAMIN took a very different course, and one for which the Act gave him no authority whatever. He created a new Commission of three engineers. He instructed them, not merely to look at the plan pro posed, and to say whether it was a feasible one, but to inquire for, and look into, all other plans, which had been, or which might be, propounded. It was this extraordinary and unwarrantable course which created a delay of a year and a half, and has given the country a bill of 8,8361. to pay. This " examination of a plan," be it remembered, created delay, but