The Press.
London, England, 1853-09-10 00:00:00

peculiar value to the verification or the national sun
%%Mel' hahl ak•ettnite detcrinination or the latitude mid h.ugi•
tale of the tobscnatory uoultl tam!. Standing as it dues
satin.st midway loetween the 'eastern alliti western eeasts,
and on the %VIVt of the hilly country on the west anti of
the plains on the east, it occupies an illlpteatlt position
for the determination of the ell'ects Of hunt on atmospheric
chango:4."
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Mr. ia►wson hay►, however, fixed the Ist of October
next as the limit of the period within which the !nag
nificent present will le available for the scientific
liublie iu Nottinglounshire. If not definitively Re-
canted on the proposed condition by that day, his
offer will be withdrawn or transferred elsewhere.
The committee have accordingly. less than a ►uonth
before them for collecting sub:m.4l6oos and making
arrangements for the Midland Observatory.

METROPOLITAN COMMISSION OF SEW F. IZS.
commissioners Itch' a meeting ea 'liter:day, at
their principal office in Oreek-street, Soho, being the
Simi, since the passing of the act of Parliament eon
tinning and defining their poweN. The commis-
hioners prosent were Mr. Richard ,Tubb (the chair
man), Lientenant Colonel DaWSOII, Mr. lieergo S.
Swill', Mr. 11. A. Liam, and Mr. Calcium

The Secretary reml to tin' court a statement or the payments
mule ud ordered, front which it appear..4l that the firtub. belong-
tug to the several disti iets dinonnied, on the 811th of .lour last.
Us 35,7411. 4.1.; debt, 29,407 f. 12s. 741.; balms( to er4
6,3142. I is, mi. Thu itiumnit to N. &rived front outstanding rate,.
lu ruilection was 74,0;a on that day. 'file mailable Winn r,
therefore, after taking credit for the outsbuidina rate:, was
$1,41141. leis. MI. With respect to prospective expenses, the cur-
rent ordinary e xpeaditurallis set down at 40,i171. 'rho eatimate
for extraordinary works ordered lint not commenced, or may
partly exe.mted, Up to the 30th or June, 1/44a, was 66, ltd. las. 10.1.;
of this stmt. however. contracts leave born tinishod during
July and .litannt to the wuultut ..f 46,44101., 1 embrachw also
Up., isio,t important these works. The total pr,,sis,•••ti‘s,
ens., wu t, therefore, 125,taitiL Jr's. 10.1. 'the stun available for
farther extraordinary workS Is 14,1148/. Is. 141. The at ttttt int to be
derived from new rates, at (hi. in the pound. is 216,3:11/., and 01
this stun 1 Immo/. may he I' listed %Min the year. This state-
ment does Inn eilibrave Lite !Wattles fia- perniatient loans to the
ttttt rit of 99,1921. 13s. Id., and for the claim for the ordnance
survey to the Moonlit of 24,2121. 17s. —Total, 123,1051. Ills. lid.
The Chairman then took the opportunity of rt._
capit alining the various nets of the present commis-
sioners since their appointment in July last year:—
Find, he milltt advert to the state of atlitirs when the
new eo111111:sSi wits issued in July, Imt).2. Ile might
characterise that time as a period of peculiar dillieulty.
Tinar predecessor:: in (Puttee hail experienced a great blow
and heavy discouragement from the sadden and %cry un-
expected reduction of their rowels td rating from Ikl. to
34. in the pound, about twelve months before that t•
This (dump,. wax made without giving the commissioners
any oppiirtititity of remonstrating or expressing
their opinion on the subject, either to the I lovernment
to Parliament : and it was efftLeted, also, without any eon.
%Menu bin of the wants of the public or the engagements of
the elainisimsioners. Before OW time, the then commis-
sioners were very anxious to execute works fur the benefit
of the public to a very large extent, anti haul even ordered
works to it very great amount. The 'adobe expectation
was raised by iltese orders, which were etonsitlen.d almost
tantamount to actual t:ttgagements; but the ts tttttt tissit oilers
were prevented from fulfilling those expectations by reason
of the sudden withdrawal ..f the means by which trey hold
fully ealettlated quoit having at their ttttt nut& A six.
penny rate prodtteml 1011,010/. a year, and after the reduc-
tion the utmost limit to which they could t.. was 1110,0011/.
a year: which, after deducting the ordinary expenses of
cleansing and rerouting sewers, and the establishnient ex.
Pollsest left the balance applicable for new works very
small indeed. 'flat result wits, that when the new commis.
shin of July, 13:4, was issued, it was found that, atter
giving credit for all rates which had then been math and
tree' in the course of et ollection, there would be it balance
of 311,000/. against the commissi tttt With that debt
the new mumnissi tttt er4 had to contend, and they hail also
to contend with this circittustance--that several of the

• .....
former commissionem resigned, and the commission Wits
in a great measure reconstituted. lint, happily, there
were got together a number of gentlemen who hall, up to
the present time, co-ols:rated with the greatest cordiality.
flaying said thus much respecting the reconstitution of the
cotnnaismioners, and the difficulties they had had to struggle
with, he would pass on to what they had done during the
year. NOW, after looking at the extent of work done for
the several yeiws which had elapsed since the consolidated
commission was established, he could assert that in no
instance had any commissioners ever executed more works
in I twelvemonth than had been accomplished by the
present commission. The public works consisted of brick
sewers and pipe sewers. Of brick sewers them had been
2SI wiles, either constructed, or put in band, or con-
tracted for. There bad also been constnteted at the public
expenie 121 miles of pipe sewers; making the total length
of new sewers made at the public expense 4O miles, the
cost of which had been 14t,m5:11. Rut there were many
other works which were also public in every sense of the
word, although they were constriteted at the expense of
private ludic ideals, the owners of property abutting on the
puLlie roads, and of this species of work there had been
I la miles of brick sewers executed, at a cost of `Kt IV.
The plans of these works had been submitted to the officers
•and the engineers of the commission—they had been cur-
rested by hem. and their execution had taken place wider
the 'superintendence of their officers. There had also, been
a haw amount of pipe sewers laid at the cost of private
individuals, which he could not designate as public works,
although, as far us they went upon the public roads. they
were a public benefit ; and the length of these had beeil no
less than V) miles, the cost having been 41.1 Um/. The
Commaisiglicch bad, thadorg iupainUndvil mks, cu.