The Statesman. — London, England, 1818-10-31 00:00:00

4P l ' ~. P I Ft T. P .~ r I 11 vs ~' ~~" t ;~,.A ~..~. .:; E •~• ";:kr d: s'jt j 7 •7' L y r ~ '- .. WATER COMPANIES. QTR ~~'~`. ,Frr4MAN Yeeterilay a very numerous Meeting of the Inhabit., ants 'of the Tower and Fieshstry &starts of Lou. duo took place at the City of London Tavern, for the purpose ofronsidering the best means of prosid. img I' remedy for the evils of which they complain, in cons•cprenci of the inadequate supply of, and es. (*Wig* theme for. Water in those Districts. Mr. T.,8. Sumer being called to the Chair, he es vessel' a hope that in yielding to the solicitation of these who did him the honour of proposing his ap. potato...to, he ;Weld be ...bled, through the indol ent consirietation of the Meeting, to preside over the business of the day. The interests which every moan who heard him most feel is. that Dimities% would, he had no doubt, insure • patient sad deliberate at. teutioo to the fIOSSAITIV width were to be proensed.- 3t win known that a number of Geotlemen of consi derable intelligence aud just feeling bad long Viewed with concern the misery seseltiug from the system of Monopoly eetablishesi by certain Water Companies in that. District wish which he was connected. Until ;kg year 1507, the New River Company had the en tire monopoly of the supply of water for London. But, eo inordinate were the demands of that, Company, while its supply of water was insufficient, that an epplicatinn was made to Parliament for the consti, tattoo of another Water Company, which applic,a. tiew was successful, and accordingly the East London Water Company was established. For some time this Company went on very well, and gave general estisfaction in those whom it supplied. But the dpi. tit of intrigue soon began to act, sod succeeded in producing a combination between this Company and that of the New River, the effect of which was, that each of those Companies transferred whole dis tricts to the other, net only without the consent, but w ithout even condescending to consult the judgmeet of the inhabitants of those districts, In consequence, in. deed, of this conspiracy, that monopoly, to set aside which was the object of the application to Parliament in 1807, was completely reestablished. This re-esta. idishment was immedistely followed by an advance of prices en the part of both Companies, e bile the supply of water from each was so insufficient as considerably to aggravate the alarm, and to augment the mischief molting from fires.—Another evil arose oat of this 'monopoly, namely, that no water would be let on to small premises, unless the landlords consented to guarantee the paymeet. Thus those Companies as sumed to impose a new tax upon landlords. But the evils resultiog from the system complained of were so notorious to those likens be had the honour to address, that he could not think it necessary to 4etail them. To provide some remedy for those evils was the object of this Meeting ; and he (festal that .the measures to be proposed would be fully and fairly considered. Re expressed a hope that no Gentle- Alen mould attempt to embarrass that . consideration, or bawd the excitement of dissension, by thd intro duction deny irrelevant matter; and he particularly deprecated any political allusion upon the discussion a a subject quite of local interest. Mr. Bres t in Mos 44r-repeat a series of Resela. lions, observed, that some might have looked for the attendance at this Meeting of Gentlemen of great fortune, and perhaps Members of Parliament ; but, from the very nature of the Meeting, those only could be expected or desired to attend who practically experienced the evils tomplained of e and who were acquainted with the details. The fact was, that in consequence of the combination complained of, those evils which had been adverted to by the Chairman, were at present mach more severely felt than even befoSto the interposition of the Legislature toptnove the monopoly of the New River Company, and it behoved the People more now than at any former period to devise some remedy for such a system. — leer as in consequence of the Corn Bill, it could not be espected that the qoartern loaf would ever sell at less than a shilling, it was of importance to the Peo ple to provide, that souther article so essential for their subsistence should be had upon moderate terms. The advance in the price of water within the districts from which the Meeting was convened, was notori. Dully exorbitant. That advance had, indeed, in many places been no less than from 2 to 54 per cent. and the argument or apology offered for such an estraor. dinary advaatte, was the espence incurred in laying down iron instead of wooden pipes, for the convey ance of the water. But this new espence or change of system might proceed, as there was reason to sus pect, from the circumstance of some of the Gentlemen connected with the management of these Water Com panies being engaged in the iron trade.—(A laugh, and hear, hear!)—The Worthy Gentleman con cluded with reading the Resolotioos, and opoo their proposition, Mr. Busmen rose to second them. Ile described the mode to which the two Companies alluded to pro. teamd to carry their combination into effect. They divided the Metropolis between them—the Fast Lon. don Water Company took op all its surface pipes ou the western side of the line of demarkation, while the New River Company removed all its pipes on the other side. Thus each Company had a complete mo nopoly in its respective division. Each accordingly charged at any rate it thought proper ; and if the de. mend were refused, the party refusing moat dispense with water, for the other Company would not fur nish it. The consequence of such a system was such as might be expected ; for the price of water, soon sifter the establishment of the combination, rose from 50 to DO per cent.; nay, in some cases'it rose up to from two to three hundred per cent.;--(llear, hear !) ...-Hore the Worthy Gentleman quoted several in staller'+ of enormous enhancement. An inhabitant of East Him, who some time since paid 41. a year for his water, was now compelled to pay M. sod the charge to the parish work-house of Betbnal-green was advanced from sus to twelve pounds a year. Bot another singular case had come to his harm ledge : for some time after the establishineot of the East London ifter Conosioy, persons interested in the concern mob sevetOolications to a certain dying-borne to take . its leder from that Company. But those applicesiens wale refused, because, as it was alleged, the water impplied by this Company was not so suitable for business, because not so soft es that of the New Rivet; and yet this dying.hoose was now coepetled to tail its water from the East London Company, at se espence too of NI. a year, whereas it paid only IEOI. to the New River Com pany. Hue the: sea h cue of palpable elution alto injestice—but smother Justine, of sr jus• Inas had come lit his keowlede: a cettain imams' of persons who mere about to build alien ten*. wants, iiaving appointed a Deputsiinn In enquire of She Directors of the East !.notion Comp/19.0P terms ihey woaid scree co 60,44 those boom" with water ? The Chairman of the Dilemma replied, for eight sl Whigs a year each 'for "e'en years Au agreement was accotdingly concluded. and a memo random was 4igeted by the partie.—t Pt Wore half the time specified in the agreemiint had eapired, this Company demanded 16 shillings for earls of those houses, which tlemand ass pattered ba an arbitrary levy. For all those ,viii he could conceive but , one romedy, namely, that of the erection a a new Water Cempaey, which was necessary to break down the monopoly occasioned by the combinations so generally and so jostly complained of. The Companies forming this combination were, he understood, in the habiti of pleAing as an apology for the rise of their prices; that .their profits were small, and to• show this, they referred to the reduced amount of their anneal did. deeds. But the fact was, as he wee assured, that the , proprietors were in the habit of sinking their divi.i deeds hire capital, for the purpose of advancing nail vales of their shares in the concern. Mr. J. Pavia vindicated the conduct anti character of the East London Water Company, contending that that body did not 'deserve any of the censer," applied' to it in the cooing; of the discussion, and that the Directors were uniformly actuated by a sine - Mr desire to act f;irly and liberally towards the Public. That they were subjected to greet espence was so: deniable, and much of this elpence arose from 111. non-payment of those who occupied smell team° mews; for these the Company, after l a yi n g d o ve s pipes to supply these tenements, had no ventunere.' lion whatever. This loss was, indeed, severely felt by both the New River and the East Lon- don Companies, for when any of the . inhabitants of these small tenements incurred a debt with one of the Companies, he immediately turned to the other. Thus both were defrauded, and hence, for common defence, that arrangement was made which some Gentlemen had thought proper to denomipate a coo." 'piracy. But why should it be made matter of cons. plaint, that each Company refused to supply any per son within its districts with water until a receipt was' '! shown from the Company which had previously served such person? The espence of the East London Com• patty had to his knowledge, amounted within a few years to nearly 4 10.0001. He denied that the Coat. pony sought to esiablish coy monopoly, or to ac• quire any undue profits. On the contrary, indeed, be was authorised to soy, that the Directors were perfectly willing to confer with any gentleman, whom that Meeting might think proper to appoint, and to satisfy such gentleman , that they. required only , fair profits upon the capital embarked in the concern. It was said that in some instances the price for water bad been advanced from .$0 to 30 per cent. Thisbe solemnly denied. Bet if any such case of advents had occurred, all he could allow it to prove was, that the charge in the first instance was very much too low. A. to the assertion respeeting" the profits de rived bribe Proprietors, Welts enabled to Mete, that their annual dividends were under 3 per tent.' and it was quite a fallacy to say that they *ere in the habit of allowing their dividends to be ten verted into capital, as one gentleman had been le to believe. The Worthy Gentleman repeated his as surance, that the Directors of the East Leaden Com pany were ready to confer with any deputation front that Meeting, and to do every thing in their power to meet the wishes of the Public. Mr. LANA complained of the conduct of the East London Company, in his neighbourhood, namely, at Hackney, where, upon the water being with drawn from a canal, this Company refused to supply the inhabitants, unless they (the inhabitants) con sented to defray all the espence of constructing pipes for the convey auce of water, as well as to pay for the water itself. But to this extraordinary proposi. tion his neighbours very properly refused to accede. Mr. ALEXANDER stated, that after the water had been laid on by the East London Company to a house of his in Whitechapel, at the rate of 18,. a-year, that Company demanded an enormous ad vance, which he refused to pay ; but the Company actually distrained for 51. 18s. Mr. EltrisT observed, that the Company alluded to were in the habit of making the most enormous demands, and having a monopoly, they seemed de termined that John Bull should pay whatever they thought proper to demand. They, had commenced their system of 'traction with 10 per cent., but that would not satisfy them, for they aeon carried their advance to 50 per cant. Mr. Yourta defended the Cwt London Company, and proposed as en Amendment, that all the Resolu tions should be rejected, with the esception lot the last, for the appointment of a Committee, and that such Cosseting* should be instructed to coder with the Directors of that Company. Mr. DAM weeded the proposition, pledging him. self that the Directors of the Company alluded to would consent to any arrangement that could in fair ness be demanded. 'Mr. Hosea asked the last speaker by what au thority he spoke as to thodispositiou of the Directors, of the East London Company? 4, • Mr. Davis replied, that be spoke ate *mod, the Directors, and from a perfect kneettedge of 1109 dis position of his Colleagues. The Amendment was negatived by a large majority. Mr. Bice observed, that there was no case so desperate, that some one would not be found to de fend, end especially where many were interested in its defence. He had therefore calculated open some such effort as that which the Meeting had witnessed, and that an attempt would be made to prevent fur. ther proceeding or enqiiry upon this business by prep renting some plausible offer ; but, happily, the good sense of the Meeting had defeated the. endesvour. The several Resolutions were then agreed to, and the Chairman, after returning thanks for the atten tion he had esperienced, stated, that books were opened for the subscription of (hose Gentlemen who might think proper to contribute towards defraying the espence which would necessarily be incurred in the promotion of the object for which they were as. ambled. Thanks were then voted to the Chairmen, whoa pressed himself much obliged tit tf a Meeting fee their atteutioo.—The Meeting separated at few o'clock. flit STOCKS THI% 0. 1 1,t AT ONE (VCI„)01%. Hunt Stark 5 prt Cent. Nary 1071 9, pre Cent Red.7Bll %dna Bo nk tri 88 p 51 pee Coni.Cabui. I Met * I.OK 20i %per Cent. .Earltequer Bids 19 * p wool% for Aee. 7711 Oginjuta 4 per Cent. 950 THE STATESMAN. • LONDON: OCTOIIii 31, 11118. STATE OF THE QUEEN. Her MAJEsTY was throughout yesterday in the same enfeebled state in which she has been for the last eight or nine days; and the Bulletin of this morning shows, that no perceptible amendment has taken place from the slight repose she obtained du ring the night ; on the contrary, her MAJESTY is evidently growing worse. Thecough is said to increase, and her complaints are scarcely audible. The Bet. win is as follows : " Kew Palace, Oct. SI. " The (Amex has bad several boars sleep, bat the symptoms a her iiiiJlMlTes disease resale asiebadgel: (Sired) •, F. MIL MAN •' H. HALFORD." The following Extract of a Letter from the Agent to LLOYD'S at Buenos Ayres, dated the 15th August. was received this morning The Patriot Govern ment brig of war Galvareno (formerly the British brig Lucy), sailed on the 13th instant for Valpa raiso and Callao, to cruise off the latter place for the convoy from Cadiz to Lima, now at sea. The Gal. vareao mounts sixteen 241 b. carronades, and two long eighteens, and has on board 150 seamen and 15 marines ; sod the National vessel Msypo, will sail in a few days icr join her. The Maypo privateer (for. merly an American brig), Captain DANIELS,' has captured three Portuguese vessels, from Rio Janeiro to this place, and is likely to do great mischief to that flag. It is pretty well ascertained that A RTIGAS has granted 100 Commissions against the Portuguese, and that nearly all of them have gone to the United States." A Letter received by Messrs. CAPP and KING, dated Smyrna, September 23, says, •• There was no plague or contagion at that place." The Allied Armies have commenced their march .4 1 oat of France, and in a very short time that interest• ing country will be freed from the presence of its fo reign invaders. Time will show what is the use it will wt►ke of its misfortunes and experience. The _-- - renctt rapers, which we bete totem. state, that immediately after the sham fight Favors, some of the Allied Regiments engaged in those mamparres, " commenced their route of eva cuation." The retreat of the Austrians had begun one week earlier, and though interrupted for a short time to prevent the accumulation of corps at the dif. *trent resting places, was regained with fresh activity. lbe King of PRUSSIA left Valenciennes on the morn ing of the 24th for Maubrage and Sedan, on his way to Paris. Valencienoes wits filling with Pend) Of ficers of the Engineer end Artillery corps. The Em. peror of Russia takes the same route; and the Duke 'of WILLINGION was expected at Paris on the 28th or 29th. The Congress, however, h not dissotved. The Ministers continos to be deepty employed ; and as the Doke of WEL/Amnon has engaged a bos, and the Emperor of AUSTRIA apartments, at Ais-ls-Cha• ,pelle, until the 20th of November, it is inferred that the State business will not close before that period. Indeed, if the statements in the pri vate communications from Aig-la-Chapelle, some of which we insert to the date of the 25th, be correct, one would be led to imagine that the business and the troubles of the Congress were amply beginning. This august Assembly of setf. styled Liberators have neither issued, nor mean to issue, any new Constitutions for the several States of Germany. Like the King of PRUSSIA, they have forgotten all their promises to this effect ; but it bold appear, that though the People must remain sa. ,tisfied with any thing which tbe great Confederacy may be gracloosty pleased to do (*wards them, the little German Courts, comprising the medlstised Princes who have been deprived of their sovereignties, and several of whom have also been robbed of their possessions by the great swallowers of territory, are determined not to rest 'Vilified with their condition and the treat. meat they have experienced. These.aggrieved Princes are reiterating their petitions to the Congress. Some are sending their Representatives for this purpose, and not a few of their little and contemned Majes. ties have retorted to Ais.la-Chipelle to urge their own cause is person. As most of these Princes have as kgitimate rights to plead to a restoratioa of their sovereign privileges end the territories of which they have been deprived, as even the King of PRUSSIA himself has to his throne (the Sovereign who has swallowed tb•• Mit part 'of these unfortunate Estates),and it mould not yet be a very difficult thing to raise the spirit of revolution anew in Germany ; it is not easy to conjecture the result of such mea sures on the part of the inferior Princes.--The affairs between Baden and Bavaria also do not yet seem to be satisfactorily adjusted. This will account for the enormous military .force which the Sovereigns of Germany are disposed to keep up. It eppears by'an article from Frankfort, that of the 300,000 moo, • W \ which will compose the army of the ('mhw - federation, wore than 170,000 oil! be %mistiest by Austria anti t'russia, and 35,000 bj Bavaria. eatraorditAry esertion un the part of th.•, Pow /f . to maintain an overawing forest, Mines 4e, they t hese important objects to preserve. Au article rf BeiVn 111)S, that the King of Paussia,hod p i k es BARDENBERG are artaiously looked f../ since it has become known, that the, CO I , greg, wi ll take so measures towards granting C onst i tuting to those States in Getman) ultose 5 111 , 1 , 401 hive , let withheld those blessings from their Meanwhile, a literary controversy is carried .n he• tween the partisans of the wt. neg. 11 0 tiers and the Reformers, and a no* nrganisstion of the t omtits. tins is loudly demanded. A Prussian Prof /8 " hop been suspended from his functions, and ordered Id be prosecuted, for a publication on the inland litics of the country ; but instead of wooly veld sing to the mark of cloudy displeases, already Ina Aided upon him, and deprecating the further / k w fisemerst with which he is threatened, the p ro y m o is boldly resolved t• publish a defence of his obo noaiotts production. It seems confirmed that some representation k to be made to Congress On the treatment of 'NAPOLEON. The Emperor of AUSTRIA is probably lying back en• til he shall see how this subject will be regarded by his brethren of the Alliance. Baron DE Sweep, late Austrian Commissioner at SI. Helena, Ass passed through the Hague, on his way to Mt Master at kia-la-Cisspelle. This is all the hot telligence given by the French Papers on the subject; bet private letters add, that Le is soil's to deliver a Report on the present state of BONAPARTE-ft It is by no means remarkable that this nonsense/ should not have taken Ertglaud in his way, but gone direct to Holland ; there have beets some powerful warnings held out to persons coming from St. Helens, against landing in this country; and these and the precerious ablution of the afflicted State Primer, may have taught the Austrian Representative, theigh a Commissioner from his legitimate Sovereign, is " shun the fatal shore " We blush for the rel►ats• lion of our cosniry when England may be tonsirkia as coming under this inhospitable denomination. In France the Elections of she llvtaties are still going on peaceably, though stool, ; and the ballot for the recruiting of the army proceeds more rapidly, but with equal tranquillity. The French Fuuds bats 'ellen to 74frs. 90 cents. Some of our cotemperaries eve win s pe cu l a ti n g on the impudence of the Italian, she basso daringly emblazoned his name on the New Crown 'wres t along with tits. Greek head of see twierable Moo * and the terrific and apparently tin'tilael Champion Of this country, and his prostrate &Sea, lelsom, by. the-bye, the Saint appears to have y et to overman Though the disapprobation expte.std of ibis piece. of Italian modesty has touted considerable omfatter" at the Mint, and will be the occasion of no sash expetsce to the British Public, see should deem the bleeder unworthy of any very perticular remark, for errors now come so thick and flesh from the Mint, that the subject appears to be destitute of els velty ; but one observation o f i m p or ting.. is forcibly suggested by the egotism of M. PISTOL/CO being allowed to come thes imposingly end ealoiotirely before us. Mr. WELLESLEY POLE rervities Niters thousand pounds a.year of the public money foe being Governor of the Mint. Now, if Mr. W ELLS,. LEY POLE never saw one of these Crown Pieces anti they were issued, in the name of insulted house", for what duty does this Master of the Mint receive his' thirteen thousand a•yeer T This is a most esp.* sive Sinecure, sod we teas the Merits of Mr. W. Pole *ill not be found to be of 'hat order which wosii justify its continuance rut . individual . interesi.-... We cannot Gut recollect, in connection with Ibh proof of the wise government of the Mint, and the subject of our Metallic Currency, the declared* , which Mr. l'oLt made,,in his usual grave and sole** manner, when the law Coinage was debated in Psi liament—namely, that not less than slaty million's( money had been coined is this country during do reign of his present MAAIPTY; bet VAMP bad become, of it he could not tell. We profess to be as enable to solve this problem as the Learned Master of the Mint; and might be eacused in expressing es mud wonder• at the divappettratice of the (ivies el Mb, valuable labosr - as he seems to have experiericed ;bee swee think, that if Coinage after Coinage, every one of which is effected at great espence, thus to disappear, notwithstanding the impfeW which the erudite MATT and his new eMy and assistant, Signior Pirroticcf, put upon thefts there mast be something radically wrong in then' vernment or the srtem under which such effects phi place. • It is clear that there is no affinity or eguslilf of standard between the paper with which this cow try is now inundated, and the gold and silver elf. rency which our Government is vainly eardeavoodef to site us ; nor can any gold or silver oiler formed upon the standard which our Gorernmeeti ni laid down, remain in this country whilst Liank.seld will pass no where else, end the people of thiecoes• try shall be under the necessity of traosportingtho v selves to foreign shores, and turning their prolog into current gold and silver. tM jr A "wrong and respectable Meeting nt habitants of the Districts of Finsbury and she pro" took place yesterday, fur the perpoes of toltitti 4.: = • ■., .: 1' • Op: I 1,1„ ~' '1 1 1 I t !~