The Press.
London, England, 1853-12-03 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Whenever this poison shall be removed by an
in►shwous system of drainage beyond the sphere of
the London atmosphere, the liability of the metro
polis to cholera will cease. (It' four bankside sub-
districts of London the mortality of two was four and
a half greater than that of the other two ; but the
former were "marginal to the valley of the Fleet,"
which, "for a considerable part of this district, may be
regarded a creek of the Thames." But it is unneces-
sary to accumulate proofs; suffice it to say that ►t is
the opinion of Mr. Simon that, " without the reten
tion and soakage of organic matter," cholera could
i►ot exist :

" Past millions of scattered population it mores inno•
4110111. Through tl►e tinpolluted atmosphere of cleanly
districts it migrates silently, without a blow—that which it
can kindle into p►iaon lies not there. To the foul. damp
breath or low•lyiug cities it comes like a spark to powder.
Hem hi contained that which it can swiftly make destrue-
tive---soidced into soil, ►tagau►t in water, griming the
pavement, tainting the air—the slow rottenness of unrc-
tamed excrement, to which the first contact of this foreign
ferment brings the 4 weludou Of changing lute new and more
deathly combinations."
As in certain conditions of the body it is more sus-
ceptible of infection, so in strict analogy are localities
on the earth favourable to the development of cho-
lera according to their existing conditions. The
remedy for this predisposition to be smitten by the
Pestilence is as simple as to bathe in Jordan and be
whole ; it is, ill a word, 43.EANtasums--cleaulittoss in
its widest and most extended meaning. Thu Thames
is beyond the control of those to whom Mr. Simon's
report is addressed, but fifty miles of sewers are
within their jurisdiction. The proof of good drainage
is, that it should be itiodorous; and no ono who has
inhaled the atmosphere of London in certain states—
before a shower of rain after lung drought, for

stance—can deny that there k mitch ro7m for im-
provement hero. Again, the duties of scavenger* and
dwotmen should be diligently performed ; strict
supervision should ho exercised over all " markets,
slaughtering-houses, So., to prevent the retention of
refuse matters, animal or vegetable." Another point
of "paramount importance " is, that after the month
of May the soil of the streets should not be diAitrbod
by Ow various gas and water companies. A copious
and frequent use of water is recommended :

" With a view to the best alternative for n continuous
simply. I would recommend that at leant a daily tilling of
all eisternage take phtee, and expressly that Sunday form
no exception to the advantages of this rule. if a choice of
evils must he made, 1 trust it is no heathen's part to urge
that the Christiau Sabbath settlers more desecration in
the filth and preventable unwholesomeness of many
tinmsanti humanoids than in the holiest industry of
dozen turneoats."

On this subject 3(1.. Simon mentions an interesting
fact. "One popular pump" in the City owes its
celebrity to the circumstance that the sources that
feed it are drawn from underneath a churchyard.
It is to the nitre derived from the animal matter that
it is indebted for its brisk cold flavour. lint on this
isolated instance it would he dangerous to base a
system of pumps near churchyards, for it depends on
the stage of decomposition which organic matter has
reached whether it is beneficial or detrimental. A
system of house inspection—the allotment of unlet
houses for the reception of patients in poor neigh-
bourhoods—general care of the health—and espe
cially a judicious use of tunics, which it seems are
peculiarly requisite in London,—these are some of
the 'Wilkinsl precautions the adoption of which
Mr. Simon recommends. We regret that its length
has precluded us from giving his most valuable, mas-
terly, and interesting report entirely in his own
words ; but the substance we have given ; and we
think the reader will be of opinion that though the
office Mr. Simon so ably tills is not political, and
brings comparatively little time, yet, if the end and
aim of government be to secure " the greatest
amount of happiness to the greatest number," he has
done more by his quiet labours to attain that object,
and is more entitled to the gratitude of mankind,
than many others who occupy a larger space in the
eyes of the world.

A 111!Tr11147 linos been printed showing how Vail. chanted
In the civil contingetwies of butt year Ws/1 e ;tended in
creating Geitoesl Lonl Fitzroy Somerset a Lanni of the
I:tvited kingdom. The l'rlovii.ogice cilarges were
Id., and the Potent-olliee charge •4111. Itts.
Tlit. expeitsee are remarkable. To the Stamp-office, 14111.1 a.;
Lail I itancellor, great seal fee, '2l. tle. SI; clerk of the
IlattatiaT. 'W. 13s. Id. ; deputy ditto, 1!. la.; Lord l'hato
cellar's pursehearer, ; porter to great seal, 1/. Is.;
gentlemen to ditto. lt/. : sealer. IL tls. dd.; deputy ditto,
; chaff wax. I/. ; deputy ditto. Ills. Old.:
roysl 11,111%,•11,11, lot/. 11.4. Itkl. ; principal usher of Scotland,
I:Is. Itil. ; Scotch heralds. : English ditto, Mi. ; Earl
%lusted. ; garter king at antis. •20/.; gold emblazoned
skin and boxes to hold patent and told, It/ lit' the I omit-
°dice charges •20/. went to the Attorney-tieitend, anti
71. 7s. lid. to the clerk of the patent to the Attoniey•
lienend, and I/. Itts. the stoup duty on warrant. To the
engiossing clerk I/. Is. for engr.luing the warrant and for
parrinuost. The authority fur all them: charges Is
" auelent usage."

SATURDAY,

CORPORATION FINANCE.

TITE Corporation Committee have added largely to
their piles of collected evidence during the past
week. Among the witnesses examined, however,
the person whose testimony possessed most weight
and presented most points of interest was Mr. W. E.
Hickson, late editor of the Westminster Rer iete, and
who had deeply studied the subject of corporate
reform, on winch he had written a series of elaborate
articles published in the pages of that periodical.
lie was examined on Tnesday last. His evidence
related chiefly to the extent and management of the
City revenues, and the mode in which► their receipt
and disbursement was accounted for by the corpora.
tion officials :
Mr. Hickson examined : I am the author of various
articles which have appeared in the Westminster Review (.11
municipal reform. I have been commercially connected
with the City for many years, and have property in the
parish► of St. Dunstan, Fleet-street, and I ant often pain-
fully reminded of City burdens. I carried on the West.
minder ftsrien, for eleven years, a►d 1 endeavoured to
make it useful on all subjects of administrative reform.
have always endeavoured nut to make out a came against
the corporation, but to wake out a ease for the necessity of
a better system of local government generally fur the city
of London in its relation to the whole of the metropolitan
constituenciew. I du nut think there is any individual
corruption in either the Court, of Common Council or the
Court of Aldermen, and, as a whole, 1 think they are fair
templed of municipal institutions. Our principal griet once
is, that our establishment charges are enormous mid
excessive. Ido not believe there is a city in the Wiorill in
which the city burdens ought to be smaller, but in which
they are larger, than in the city of London. The mode
in which the City accounts NV kept also shows the prin-
ciple of divided management. The City publishes an
annual statement, called " a statement of the profits and
expenditure of the City funds." Nothing relating to act
of Parliament feuds appears in that account, ►old, in cote
sequence of this omission, these rondo( for the past year are
only returned at 211IYInni. When the last committee sat,
its income was reported at I i 5,0110/. only, whereas, if all
the sources of income had been enumerated in one account,
they would show something like 000,000/. a year. There
is an erroneous impres with respect tocorpomte funds,
which arises from tin• subdivision of accounts. There are
upwards of sixty accounts kept by the City Chamberlain.
and it is impoNsible for the most intelligent member of the
Common Council to understand them. The Ulan who
attempted it would be somewhat in the position of a fly on
St. Paul's Cathedral, which paused to consider the magni-
tude oldie stone on which it alighted, without taking into
consideration the vast aggregate of the whole. There is no
balance-sheet published showing the whole receipts and the
whole expenditure at one view. Every Item itt the annual
statement published by the corporation appears to be
flamed with a view to 'undyed. The account, for instance,
state's that the salary of the Lord Mayor is 0,00/. per
annum, whereas it is well known that he also receives cer.
tain fees which raise the salary to 5,100;2. a year. Tho
difference of 2,41001. does not appear in any account, that
I ant aware of. With regard to the City tradesmen, it is
well known that the ()Mee of a City tradesman is worth
I,INNII. a year but it does not appear in the City accounts,
Isocuure the items are entered in small aunts, mid the bills
are sent in to the various committees, who classify them in
their own way. The !ethnics of the commissioner of police
and his chief offieers, the' latlTCyurS, Rail meters, are
omitted, and, hr fact, salaries and e luments to the
antionit of AtI4MNIi, arc wholly ..nutted front the return of
the income and expenditure of the corporation as made by
the committee appointed to inquire, ascertain, and report
on the t of the fixed annual moieties and emoluments
of each officer of the corporutien during the last file
yetnb. In the year 04.35 an incomplete return, furnish.
by the officers tlenowlvt•s, was publishes), which showed
that the mutual expenditure for legal staff; state Akers,
((T., amounted to 1 lil,oso/. Ws. 11►,1. The fees received in
that year by officers of the corporation, and for which
no account Was given. anemote•d to 110011/. These fees
have sine*, been (snasiderably reolneed, but the whole
amount !mid in salaries( and emoluments by officers of the
corponition is now upwards of 1.44,40011. per annum. It is
my impression that 120,001. is considerably within the
mark. Ido not include in that stint the receipts thou the
admission of freemen. The question of (satirisation to
t 'ity ofiieers will be one of the first things which the eons-
initiee will have to decide upon, and it will be a matter of
extreme difficulty to deal with. I think if the cominitt( e
were to report in favour of liberal compensation for
abolished or consolidated (offices, an accurate return of the
imolinnents could be obt ' 41. I think a compensation
equal to two-thirds of the income of the officers ought to
be given to them. and even then iny intiowssion is that the
public will be huge tatilltiti. At present Ido not belicee
the corporation know the amount of fres received by their
own Ibitimrs.

Mr. C. Lewis: Will yon state the unmeant those officers
Witness : I would rather not be culled upon to do so, as
it might appear invidious. I wish to deal with general
principles only. Another proof of the tleii‘otive system of
keeping the *twining may lw shown hy, the return of the
salaiy. The mitlary of Nit gitlicvr 2,6010. a
year. but the expense of the Whey is 9.,ltsg. a year,
making the total charge to the country 1r itali. per year.
In the ulllO way the town clerk appear* to"tective ,Ms2l.,
liereas the elptilbe of 116 Otliee ex.32eds .1,01.10/. per dialing'.
I haat:in my hand it return of the munieiPalexpenaes oldie
INirough of Leeds tOr the year ending the Ist of September.
1,44, ley whiell it appears that the total ekpenditureby the
borough, including apunt a year fur runee. hat eaehmeng
riving, lighting, and cleaning, amounts to 17.110:ii. Os. aid.
the population of Leeds is 174,470 parsons, biting CitiMa.s