The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-01 00:00:00

THE THAMES AND ITS LATE EXCESS OF
POLLUTION.

Standing at Battersea, not far from the inconve-
nient wooden bridge, we note the river dyke running along
the south bank, and on the north the rod, ly constrec:ed
quay and other works. Some picturesque houses of about
Charles ll.'s time stand pleasantly on the road; and bete
we learn from an intelligent mss, who has for many years
been engaged upon the Thames, that there has been no
encroachment at this point during about 131) years, as the
title-deeds of some adjoining property show. " These rains,
air," says he, " have done • power of good to the river.
I believe that • great deal of the damage to the Thames
would be stopped if all the sewers were carried into the
middle course in pipes. Some people have laid the late bad
condition of the water to various causes ; some said it was
cleansing the Brentford Canal, but that was not the thing
that did it; they have been cleansing out the docks.
Why do they do so in the hot summer weather instead of
twister 1" This observer also told us that at the time the
condition of the river was attributed to the Bri ntford Canal,
the fish (t►e flounders, &G.) had actually left the eastern
part and gone to the neighbourhood of the canal. "The
fish turn their tails to any impurity. You cannot, sir, have
better judges than the fish; and they came at the time of
the disturbance in immense shoals from the neighbourhood
of the docks. The fishermen tried here for some days after
that, but without success. The fish are now coming back
again, which is • good sign. I cannot say that I know of
salmon having been caught hers, hut I believe that they
still come. I have often seen porpoises off Battens': last
whiter I shot two." Our informant continuer, " There was
an open sewer close to here, which was not only foul itself,
bat was also the means of laying a quantity of unwholesome
deposit on the shore. This has Dern taken by pipes into the
river, and we have not had so much to complain of since."—
The Builder.

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rthheth: tßehrlhivtdha servant
oou
Irr
the
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dered man, presented himself at our out!), It towards Sak,
pretendinghatriso t
se
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idhyes that
in
legdawLms, aitnogef firstch.e
erh,:a;Letde,
ethrh,,atat4n.h.c.
ießthhuld
eduheineeeeer p
gave rise to so much suspicion in the mind of Mentkli
Paths, that the latter bed him placed in strict c.:nfinement.
Oa the following day the news of the murder perpetrated
near Sak found its way into this place, and after a strict
ezunisation of the deserter it soon became clear that he was
the murderer, his sole motive having been to spend some
jovial days here in the garb of an officer, with the money of
his victim. lie hu been delivered again to the Russians.
CHANCERY Ituronms.—By an act passed in the
late session infants can, on the sanction of the Court of
Chancery, make valid settlement. of their real and personal
estate in contemplation of marriage. The act is not to apply
to any male infant under the age of 20 or to any female
infant under the age of 17. The sanction taf the court is to
be obtained by petition.

23: ex43regOl.

ereTtiatenemb tatendeell;;;:itier Itipme,7'l:4eatis remiss paper,
must be at awe Otace, to, Bouverlwiyeee, by Two *Week a tb•
Gay 01 plabboaticee.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tuts DAT-linrailus, lb. Itia....- Aftentoou. SA. 31a,
tenon, Sk.lls.

LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER t

--•

IT is of good omen for the popular cause that the
very gavernments which an most anxious to trample
upon and nib public opinion are in these days
continually found soliciting its favourable judg-
ment. Governments like Russia and Austria rely
leas upon their armies than upon the circular
despatches and manifestoes which they cause to go
the round of the journals, or upon the newspapers
which they themselves establish at no slight expense.
When Mr. GL ADSTONE or Mr. BRIGHT makes
a speech in favour of Russia, the Cabinet of
St. Petersburg hugs itself in the belief that
its arguments have made a favourable impres-
sion upon the public opinion of England, and an-

nommen the f►ct in its official Gazelle s with more

eagerness than it would a victory. Even the darkest
of despotisms practically confesses that it has aban-
doned all hope of suppressing public opinion, and
seeks only to mislead it. Kings and Kaiser., u slut
resource, flatter themselves that they can persuade
the people to put themselves down. Curious enough
it is, white listening to the denunciations of jour-
nalism by absolute courts, to reflect that our de-
nouncer. are all the while dabbling in our trade. The
Russian Government, which allows no independent
journal to enter its dominions unmutilated, pub-
lishes a journal of its own in Belgium. There is
more in this recognition of public opinion, as the
ultimate court of appeal, by the old despotisms, than
at first appears. It is a proof that we live in au age
when it is not enough for any one to have might on
hi► aide, if he cannot, persuade men that he has right
at the same time. The sovereignty of the people is
confessed by all who appeal to the people's judgment.
Real power has been transferred from princes to
peoples; and it only requires that the latter should
become conscious of this, and know how to exert their
power wisely, in order to establish their freedom.

_ .
The last piece of journalistic special pleading which
has emanated from the Court of St. Petersburgs is a
curiosity of its kind. It is the long-winded account
of the bombardment of Sweaborg, based upon a
report of General Vow Bvato, which has appeared in
the lutaUde Busse, and which we transferred to our
columns yesterday. Like all the Russian narratives
of incidents in the great struggle in program, it
shows a consciousness that in seeking to extenuate
their losses the writers must be on their guard not to
deviate too widely from the truth. In the Napoleonic
wars the bulletins, on both sides, were almost
always " romances founded on facts;" but
in our days the wings of the imagina-
tion of official scribes have been sadly clipped.
Hence it comes that the Russian account of the
affair at Sweaborg resolves itself into a prolonged
expression of wonder on the part of the narrators
that they should have come off with so little injury,
considering how long and how mercilessly they were
peppered. It is admitted that for forty-five hours it
literally rained balls, bombe, and rockets upon Sate-
berg. It is admitted that deposits of military stores
were horned and blown up; that a ship of war
anc►ored so as to command the entry of the
harbour was riddled ; and that many lives were
lost. It is admitted that the assailants re-
ceived no material injury. The most is made
of every casualty that occurred in the allied
fleet, and the Russian loss is set down at an
incredibly low figure ; but the essential facts of
the bombardment are not, because they cannot bet
denied. The only consolation that the Invalids
Russo can afford its countrymen is a philosophical
explanation of the causes of their enemies' supe-
riority. The large ships of the assailants escaped
onsosthed because, as their service, were not re-
quired, they kept out of range of the Russian batte-
ries. The mortar-boats and gun-boats, to be sure,
were more exposed; but, being moved by steam,
they were able to keep shifting their positions,
and thus baffled the Russian gunners. All this only
proves that the Allies possess infinitely more
power to damage an enemy and shield themselves
than the Russians. The article in the Invalids
Busse resolves itself into a laboured demonstration of
Russian inferiority. And there is one additional
proof of the conscious weakness of our adversaries not
touched upon in that document. The withdrawal of
a number of the allied ships of war from before
Cronstadt, while the bombardment was in progress,
left the blockading fleet for the time weaker in re-
spect to the number both of ships and of guns than
the Russian ; yet the latter did not dare
to avail themselves of the opportunity to
attack an inferior force. After such hu-
miliating confessions by the organ of the St.
Petersburg Government as we have been adverting
to, one is curious to know what pretexts for selfeon-
gratulation are left to it. On this score considerable
ingenuity is displayed. The facilities afforded by the
fortifications of Sweaborg for evading the enemy's
shot are enlarged upon ; the coolness of tho men in
abstaining from firing when it would have been of no
avail, is lauded to the skies ; aid the dexterity of the
soldiery in playing the part of a fire brigade to arrest
or extinguish conflagrations, is represented as some-
thing supernatural.
With such a confession from our enemies before
ns, we cannot say that nothing has this year been
accomplished in the Baltic. An uneasy feeling has
been disseminated through Russia that their means
of defence are inadequate to resist the means of
offence at the command of the Allies. The winter
will be spent in anxious forebodings of the death-
grapple that is to on the return of spring. The
business of the Allied Powers during the winter will
be to prepare to realise these anticipations. It is
now obvious that their power to assail the Ruasians
with effect in the Baltio may be augmented, and the
necessary expenditure diminished, by the manse ar-
rangement. One-half of the large ships may be dia-
petused with at the same time that the force of
mortar-boats and gun-boats is increased. This year
has shown that it is possible to destroy the stores and
troops of the Russians within their granite fortifica-
tions, leaving these imposing structures so many
empty shells: next year may show that the shells
too can be broken.

THE case of the Essex labourers appeared to its so 1
monstrous and incredible, that we have hesitated to
comment upon it until inquiries in the district have
convinced us that material facts have been with-
held or misrepresented. There was a review
of the Essex Yeomanry, Artillery and Cavalry, at
?lasing Mead, on the 6th inst.; and it appear, that
Thomas and Gecko's Counts, poor and hottest la-
bourers, were minded to see the show. Having no-

!titled their intention—in the belief that for their
half-day's play they would, u is usual, lose
no more than their half-day's wage—they
sought considerately to help their employ
in the scarcity of labour then as new pre-
vailing, by going to work on the fife day an howl
acd a half earlier than customary ; Rid having tt
shown their good faith, struck /York at sue p.m.,
went to add by their enthusiasm to the politioal value
of the Review. This was on a Monday. On the two
following days these poorest', iineetiodoes of is -
ipending woe, wrought for the very patriotic pig.
jobber, who could not as yet conveniently dispense
with their labour, but was no doubt in private and,
sweet communion with his lawyer and the Good
Shepherd of Pandas. On Thursday, a cunning little
' trap was laid for them, and they were handed over
to a constable; he whisked them off to the ataxy-
man, and the clergyman loot no time- in
their transfer—without notice to their friends—to

the County Gaol, there to devote for fourteen days,
to the unproductive crank, those energies which they
had denied for five short hoer, to the lands of their
gentle employer. But a Mend was raised up for
these poor men in the person of Mr. GEORGE
Patina, of ?fazing Park, commandant of the Yeo-
manry, and a county magistrate, before whom the
complaint ought in the first instance to have been
laid. This gentleman, whose untiring seal and ge-
nerous outlay have raised as fine a corps as any in
her MAJ urea regular force', and whom in other
times Sovereigns would have delighted to honour,
nor certainly refused the little grace he craved, sub-
mitted to the Homooffice a deposition from the
father of the man Counts, and his own urgent ap-
peal on their behalf, sanctioned by his reverend
brother magistrate. The answer be received
was, that " after communicating with the com-
mitting magistrate," Sir Osoaos Garr Could see
no sufficient ground to justify him in advising her
Maassrr to interfere with the prisoners' sentence.
Since the publication of this reply, we have, as we
said, taken pains to inform ourselves accurately as to
the facts. It was always possible that some-
thing remained untold. Agrarian combination
might have been proved. There might have
been outrage on the employer, or even con-
tempt of the potent Bench; and these proba-
bilities were favoured by the fact that one BENJA-
Nur Bunter and a boy, his brother, were at the same
time fined respectively five shillings and one shilling
for the same offence. But nothing has transpired.
Nay, the tardy attempt of the clerical magistrate to
vindicate himself admits all the worst features of his
case.

If, indeed, we would have given him the benefit of
the doubts above suggested, we are precluded by the
admission of the HOME SECRETARY, in his reply to
Major Fauna, that the men were sentenced to
fourteen days' imprisonment, "for leaving their
work;" and this simple statement compels as to
adopt some strange hypothesis by way of accounting
for the want of an proportion between the sentence
and the crime. For is it possible that any man of
education, with one spark of gentility, or mercy, or
love of country, in his composition—having before him
the Act of the 4 of Geo. IV., cap. 34, entitled " An Act
to enlarge the powers of justices in determining com-
plaints between ;tutors and servants, &c."—and
having also before him these two poor men, charged
with the offence of deserting their labour for five
hours in favour of " God save the Queen " and " the
British Grenadier"—could, while the nation is on all
sides tempting her children to change the sickle for
the sword, get his convictions to back him in this
licentious stretch of the power, too trustingly dele-
gated to a churchman, by the Ministers of one who
has sworn that she will "cause Law and Justice, in
mercy, to be executed in all her judgments."
The third chines of the Act in question empowers
justices, if breach of written or parol contract shall
appear, or if the accused shall have been guilty of any
other misconduct or misdemesnour, to commit, with
hard labour, for a "reasonable time," not exceeding
three mouths, and to abate the wages accruing during
the term of the sentence, or in lieu thereof to punish
the offender by abating the whole, or any part of his
wages—or to discharge him from his contract, service,
lor employment. The IN-Justice of the Peace, there-
fore, in before the case us, who must well have known
that his disposal of the case at all was a breach of
etiquette, seems to have discarded the two milder
forms of punishment, which were open to him, and
hie election of the most stringent—and the
consequent initiation into crime of two gaping
rustics—as if criminals were not bred fast enough
already—meets of course with the support and sym-
pathy of the Home-office, already distinguished for a
more than sneaking kindness for tyranny in any
shape. We read of similar transactions in our letters
from Rome, from Naples and Russia, and are apt to
thank our stars that our lines are oast in pleasanter
places. The self-deluding Englishman huge himself
that he cannot be summarily incarcerated for offences
he harboured thought of ; but here is one of the
rude reminders our chosen men administer sometimes
—that English liberty is to some extent a delusion,
and that the law may be an yogis or a torture rack at
the caprice of its administrator.
We verily do believe that the Home-office,
who have not got over the blow of the
" Beer Row," had pleasure in refusing the
prayer of Mr. PALMER'S petition : but it behoves the
press to warn the country that an Act exists suscep-
tible of such dangerous abuse, and that Mr. Secretary
GREY is not the man to check it. Children should
not be trusted with edge-tools, nor fools with fire, and
if such an Act as the 4 of Geo. IV., cap 34, is to
remain on the statute boot, we must somehow purge
the Roll of Justices from such as Mr. ilemmito, the
more patent tendency of whose misdirected energies
would at present seem to be the discouragement of all
military spirit, and the wholesale manufacture of
criminals.

A French lady (hidllo. Isabella,) who is laid to
His effected a templets revolatim la the erten& of Mang
and horsebeeakiag to the Goverment School@ of Frame, has
arrived at the Maidstone barracks ander the sanction of the
GI I Comasading la Chief (Lord Hardiage), who, in
general orders, directed that every attention should be paid
her, sad obedience shown to her orders. Bee has rem.
winced the deseoestraties of ►er system, which appears
to be that of emsesciag where the usual training bas
*early terminated. Two recruits, two trained horses, and
two young horses ►ase been placed at her command.

.
A soldier, tha only eurrivez out of four belonging
to Siddingtee, writing to his mother, says, "I have bees
engaged in every battle, sad In every sortie of importance,
from the sommeasement of the war, and I hope I shall
continue to the sad; bat if flail, be sure and lead to the
War Moe and pt my medal. That, at least, will be
something to remind you that I served and bled for m)
country, sad the lead I love."

On Thursday last throe of the scholars belonging
to the Harerebsa Grammar Scheel, were drowned while
bathing with a amber of their eorepaaione, in Morecambe
Bay. near Low Lome.

A young naturalist, Mr. N. H. Mama, whose
roquiremente su certified by rose of our highest authorities,
le about to visit the Azores, Madeira, sad the Canary Wands
for purposes of Wadi& ressarch.

From all the hop growing districts, the mooned'
ere of the Rest sheering description. The hops are eh Ow
eithar growers es seeininew sea desire, Wing most ahead-
sot, sad almost free from the scourges—mould aid lice.
The dety has beat mimed S 4 high as 300,0001. The picking,
however, this yeas, will be late, aid that fact will most pro-
bably wake a datum ia the loop.