The Press. — London, England, 1854-07-15 00:00:00

we suspect, the sentiment and language are touched by affectation, and we miss the reality of life, even when acknowledging that considerable talent is shown in its imitation. Angling, and Where to Go. By Robert Blakey. London : Routledge. VIE author, known in metaphysical literature by his "Philosophy of the Human Mind," has here given a readable account of the best mode of pursuing the fisherman's pastime. Juvenile practitioners in rod fishing will find it particularly useful, but its author might have catered better for the want of those Londoners who leave town for a day's sport. His account of the fishing-ponds within metropolitan vicinity is too cursory; and in his provincial descrip• tions of piscatory sport he relies on authorities that are now out of date. Nevertheless, it is a pleasing and useful little volume. Letters of an American on Russia and Revolution Edited by Walter Savage Landor. London : Chap man and Hall. Mn. LANDOR does not say who is the " American" of tie titlepage. Some of the remarks are sufficiently flippant for Yankee origin, but the republican tone of the " Letters" is vague and dreamy, and unlike the masculine vigour of a thoroughbred citizen of the United States. There are vulgar pretension and an oracular air in the dicta of the " American " that are often very laughable, and, whatever his readers may think, it is evident that the self-styled "Ameri can" has a high opinion of his own powers. The Pirate's Fort : A Tale of the Sixteenth Century. By Louisa hi‘Nally. Dublin : Hodges and Smith. THERE is both both fluency and feeling in the style of Miss M‘Nally, but she wants skill in describing character; and there is no local colour imprinted in her tale of buccaneering on the Irish coast three centuries since. Nor has she availed herself of the resources of her subject, as we find no descriptions of scenery, or aught but Irish proper names, to mdi cate the latitude of " The Pirate's Fort." Evidently a first attempt at fiction, it yet shows powers that, with judicious training, may prove successful. Islamism : Its Rise and Progreu. By F. A. Neale, Author of "Eight Years in Syria." 2 vols. London: Madden. A SKETCH of the most memorable events in Turkish annals, from the early years of Mahomet (as Mr. Neale writes the name) to "Abdul Medjid and his Reforms." The work scarcely pretends to a histori cal character; no authorities are cited, and those incidents are most dwelt upon which admit of being told with dramatic effect. The author's knowledge of Arab character and manners enables him to impart reality to many of his passages, and as a general survey of Turkish history it appears to b e faithful in spirit and animated in style. Clara Morison, a Tale of South Australia, during the Gold Fever. London : J. W. Parker and Son. THE novel may be conveniently employed for the delineation of manners; indeed it would seem that manners can rarely be well painted except under some guise of fiction. In " Clara Morison " the main purpose is to exhibit colonial life as it existed in South Australia a year or two ago. The descriptions are certainly the result of personal experience, and appear to be faithful. The story, however, does not help them. A man, whatever his station, is not degraded by any kind of manual labour in the colonies, but the notion of a young lady sent out to obtain a situation as a governess, and, failing in her purpose, accepting a situation as girl-of-all-work, to scrub floors, empty slops, and so on, is not pleasing, more especially when she has to wait on her lover who pays a visit to her mistress's house. The book is said to have been written by a young lady who resided in Australia. It shows talent and freshness, and will most likely be well received by the admirers of the minute school of domestic portraiture. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. Booxs. Bokinga. Morton Rae. Hookham and Sons Indian Leisure. Captain R. G. Macgregor. Smith and Elder. The Church. W. Atkinson. Longman and Co. Lowell Pastures. Routledge. The Adventures of Priscilla Eaton. Shaw. sunny Memories. Mra. Stowe. Low, Son, and Co. The Military Achievements of the Duke of Wellington. Hope and Co. Ditto. Ditto. Shelton Notes on Spain. E. Lee. Nice, and its Climate. E. Lee. Diogenes. Vol. 111. PAMPHLETS. Occasional Sermons. No. :18. Christianity, or Christ our all in all. C 4 kiiloo of Ornamental Casts. K. Wornum. Longman and Co, Wooldridge. JULY 15, 1854. THE PRESS. LORD PALMERSTON AND THE GENERAL BOARD OF HEALTH. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—The adversaries of the General Board of Health allege that it interferes tyrannically, and in a spirit of undue Centralisation, with Local sanitary boards ; that its tendency is to supersede the English principle of Self-government; that it is " crotchety " and unpractical ; that it has promoted works of drainage, water supply, &c., which have turned out costly failures; that it is regarded with mistrust and aversion throughout the country; and that the main source of all these evils is Mr: Chadwick, who ought, therefore, to be removed from his office. I believe these allegations, one and all, to be un true; and I consider it my duty, at the present crisis, to state publicly the grounds of my belief, in which many of the Sanitary Reformers concur. With respect to the alleged centralising tendency of the General Board, and its " tyrannical inter ference " with local boards, it is to be observed that the General Board can only " interfere " in localities' which petition to be interfered with; and that two hundred and eighty-four localities have so petitioned. The people of Brighton, Plymouth, Weymouth, and Burslem, being anxious for the redress of their own sanitary grievances, yet jealous of their local privi leges, sent to inquire among these towns as to the nature of the General Board's"interference," whether "oppressive," &c., or otherwise. The following are extracts from letters sent by the towns in reply to these inquiries : From Rugby:—" The General Board have assisted the Local Board in every was, and do not cause any unnecessary ex pense." From Tottenham:—" The powers of the General Board have been exercised ably and beneficially, with a view to secure to the ratepayers the greatest amount of benefit at the least pos sible cost." From St. Th)mas's, Exeter:—" The powers of the General Board have not been exercised to augment expenses; the con nection has proved in no respect a burden or au inoonvenience to the Local Board; but, on the contrary, they and their officers have to acknowledge the valuable assistance and counsel it has enabled them to obtain in cases of doubt and difficulty. The in terference of the General Board, except when specially required by the Local Board, has been limited to an occasional inspection, by one of their officers, of the works while in progress." From Barnard Castle:—" The General Board have always been very kind and considerate, and rendered be great aid throughout our proceedings. We have seen no oppression, and believe their only wish is to aid the boards and forward public improvements, in unision with the local government." From Ottery St. Mary :—" No expenses have been oppressively or obstructively incurred by the interference of the General Board ; quite the contrary." From Woolwich:—" The General Board of Health have in variably and cheerfully rendered the Local Board every assist ance when required, which materially prevents expenses." From York :—" The General Board does not interfere unne cessarily with the Local Board, and our connection with them has not tended to augment expenses." From Gateshead:— There are no expenses incurred by the employment of officers from the General Board. lam of opinion that the application of the act is highly beneficial in a sanitary and economical point of view. The General Board have never interfered with us except at our request; and their interference does not augment expenses." From Leatnington. —" I do tilt consider the General Board interfere unnecessarily with the Local Board ; on the contrary, wo have not been able to obtain their assistance so readily as we could have desired. We have, nevertheless, al ready found their aid and assistance most valuable, from the use ful information we have obtained from them. Instead of our connection tending to augment expenses, I consider it has, in all respects, quite a contrary effect." From Dover, Derby, Wigan, Wolverhampton, and Penrith, si milar replies lust° the non-interference of the General Board were returned by the chairmen or clerks to the Local Boards. In point of fact, the General Board of Health, so far from withdrawing from local communities the management of their own affairs, has established in many towns throughout the country, under the admirable provisions of the Health Act, a system of Local Self-government which ensures to provincial ratepayers a far more effectual control over their affairs than they ever possessed before. Indeed, I venture to declare, on behalf of the whole body of Sanitary Reformers, that we are not less strenuous advocates of Local Self-government than those who, for party purposes, raise against us the anti-centralisation cry. The sole pretext for that cry is that under the Health Act an end has been put to much local jobbing, by means of a series of administrative checks devised for the protection of minorities, of absentees, and of the unrepresented poor. True Local liberty and real Self-government cannot, we maintain, be said to exist, save where the whole mass of a local population enjoys immunity from the abusive exercise of power, and from the corrupt expenditure of local funds. In reply to the charges the:. the Board of Health is "crotchety and unpractical," and that the works which it has promoted have turned out "costly failures," I submit a table of the cost of drainage works executed in fourteen towns on the new prin ciples (or " crotchets") of the General Board, in contrast with the cost which would hose been in curred had these works been executed on the old principle—now, thanks to Lord Palmerston, well-nigh exploded Town. Cost of Construction of Self•Cleansiug Pipe Sewers. s. d. Rugby Woolwich 15,500 0 0 Croydon Tottenham , Ottery St. Mary St. Thomas, Exeter Barnanl Castle Southampton Coveutry Lancaster 7,600 0 0 Onuskirk 3 .000 0 0 Hiiehin 13,300 0 0 Alnwiek Morpeth Total Coat 98,857 IS S Aver. Cost each Tuwu 7,081 3 5 Cost of Construction of Sewers for Men to Cleanse. A' a. O. .... 14,970 0 0 • 47,963 ci 0 • 29,600 0 0 .... 10,000 0 0 .... 2,113 0 0 .... 6,163 0 0 .... 3,709 0 0 • 5J,713 7 0 .... 30,086 0 0 ▪ 12,000 0 0 .... 0,000 0 0 .... 7,00 0 0 .... 7,500 0 0 .... 3,000 0 249 994 7 0 17,919 17 7 From this table it appears that the " crotchets" of the Sanitary Reformers, as carried into execution by the General Board of Health, have saved these fourteen towns upwards of 150,0001. That the towns themselves appreciate the economy and efficiency of the new works is shown by the fol lowing examples of their replies to inquiries on this head from Plymouth, Brighton, Weymouth, and Burslem : Fsom Ruoay.—Tbe tubular draining quite answers our ex pecastions. Our annual expenses are less than anticipated. The water•olosets in the smaller tenements answer eery well. The whole woiks were completed within the original estimate. The general district rate will be Z.l. or 3d., and the highway rate 9d. instead of bd., as heretofore. Piton 'l2orrEnHAM.—Both the main sewers and the drains in connection with them consist of glazed earthenware tubular pipes. Both the main sewers and house &tains have acted admirably, and have effected a marked improvement in the com fort of the inhabitants, more particularly of the poorer classes. The whole of the main works have been executed within the estimates. The rates for " Private Improvements Works," and for "Public Works," of sewerage, are not yet ascertained; but will be very trifling. FROM ST. THOMAS*, EXETFR.—The tubular system has now been in operation here fur two - years with perfect success. The district is pelfeatly fiat, and. presents au unusual absenee of natural facilities for drainage. Although the main sewer is • stoneware pipe of only eighteen inches diameter, laid with the very inconsiderate fall of 1 in 1,000, it has, to the astonishment of many, kept itself free from deposit without the assistance of artincial means of flushing, and proved sufficient to convey away, notonly the house drainage of the town, but also the rain- fall on the area within its range. Nearly all the houses in the town have now been connected with the new system by small stoneware drains, and there have answered the expectations of the Local Board equally well with the public sewers. Some minor works remain to be completed, hut those which have been finished, and those which yet remain to be done, will fall within the cost originally estimated. These examples which (from regard to your space, I forbear to multiply) not only disprove the pretended " crotchettiness" of the General Board, but go far to dispose of the next charge, viz., "that it is regarded with mistrust and aversion throughout the country." So far is this from being true, that the Local Boards lean greatly ou the General Board for advice and in formation. From a parliamentary return before me it appears that, in reply to questions from the Local Boards, the General Board has, during its five years' existence, sent out no less than 1,070 legal opinions, and above 100,000 letters of advice and infor mation. Mistrust and animosity no doubt there are, and of the bitterest kind; but they are manifested by those only with whose interests, real or supposed, Sanitary Reform has the misfortune to clash. The London Water Companies, for example—a powerful Monopoly, commanding sixty votes in the House, and carrying on a lucrative trade in sewage• tainted water, which the Board of Health has courageously denounced—are to a man its bitter ene mies. So are the Civil Engineers, a rich and powerful body, whose man-size sewers-ot'•deposit are super seded by our small-size self cleansing system. So tar the parliamentary agents and attorneys, whose pro fessional emoluments the cheap procedure under the Health Act reduces upwards of 75 per cent. So are the owners of ill-conditioned tenements—everywhere the most active and vociferous " Defenders• of the Filth." So are the bone-boilers, and the pursuers of other noxious trades, menaced with restrictions under the amended Nuisances Act. These class hostilities only prove that the Board of Health has unflinchingly done its duty to the public, in scorn of consequences to itself. Such hatreds honour it as much as the support and grati tude of the towns whose local government it has im proved, whose sanitary evils it has abated, and whose district charges it has reduced. 1 now come to the practical question which presses for immediate decision. Much as the Board of Health has done, much yet remains for it to do. Mr. Chadwick's useful career is but half run. Towns have been watered and drained on improved principles ; but the application of the sewage to the soil—the transformation of a source of disease and expense into a source of food and revenue—is a problem still remaining to be worked out. Already several towns are preparing, under the auspices and with the aid of the Board of Health, to attempt this great achievement—the Tu bular organisation of town and country—the estab• lishment of a complete C rculating System, urban and rural, in place of the present system of Stag nancy. 667