The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-02 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Hoxton traffic, Bishopsgate-street for Hackney or
Shoreditch traffic, and proceeding down to the river
side by way of Houndsditch, the Minories, Tower-
hill, and then crossing the river by steam ferries,
such as those common in America ; half a dozen or
more vehicles, and 500 to 1,000 pedestrians crossing
at once ; the existing toll-bridges to be free ; the
Hungerford fitted for carriage traffic ; and new
bridges thrown over the river at the Temple and St.
Paul's ; but, after all, the most important point was the
embankment of the Thames from Westminster to St.
Paul's. The plan proposed combines a promenade, a
carriage-way, and a railway, and he was of opinion that
the entire work might be executed without costing
the metropolis or the country a farthing. The rove•
nue from the railway and the frontage obtained from
the river would not only compensate all persons
having claims, but pay a handsome dividend to the
projectors. The proposed embankment commences
at Wegtminster-bridge and terminates at the pro-
posed St. Paul's-bridge. A railway starts from the
Post-office, being in continuation of the Fleet Valley
railway from King's cross ; it follows the road on the
embankment along the river, enters a tunnel at
Whitehall, and proceeds westwards to Richmond
and Brentford. The gardens of Whitehall and the
Temple are to be enlarged, while new gardens are to
appear in front of Somerset-house. Every street
coming down to the river is to be improved, and a
greater amount of wharf accommodation secured
than now exists. The railway starting from the
Post-office has a branch uniting it with the South.
Western on the one hand, while on the other it is
connected with the South-Eastern. He thought this
entire scheme for Thames embankment, railway
junction, and a high level bridge at St. Paul's, could
be completed in five years. On the lowest level,
facing the river, it is proposed to place the wharfs
and other matters connected with trade; on a higher
level, but receding considerab'y, is a promenade for
pedestrians ; next comes the space over which, on
iron columns, the railway is to be laid down ; next
comes the roadway for carriages, forty feet wide, and
then another footway or promenade in front of the
houses that may be erected; the entire width for
toot-passengers, carriage-way, and railway, being 100
feet. Another line might run along the side of the
new road, from St. Paul's to the Elephant and
Castle, and, branching off to the left, give railway
convenience to the immense omnibus population of
Camberwell, Kennington, Brixton, Clapham, and
Streatham, uniting with the Crystal Palace Railway
to the West-end. It is further proposed to unite the
Thames Embankment Railway with the Blackwall
Railway.
A discussion ensued, in which Dr. Letheby, Messrs.
John Ware, Edwin Chadwick, C. 8., and Hayward,
and the chairman, took part.

THE L.tw AMENDMENT SOCIETY held their first
meeting, since the dissolution of Parliament, on
Monday. Mr. Headlam, M.P., in the chair. The
procoedings were opened by the Secretary, who read
a lengthened address of the council to the society
on its resuming its fourteenth session. The first
topic touched upon was the question of the appoint-
ment of a Minister of Justice. The council con•
gratulated the society on the adoption of Mr.
Napier's motion ih the House of Commons, and on
the pledge given by the Government to carry out the
wish thus expressed by the Legislature. The re-
port then adverted to the difficulties attending the
organisation of a department of justice, and more
especially as to the question in whose hands the
supreme direction of such a department was to be
vested. It had been proposed that the Minister of
Justice should ue an independent officer of State,
having a seat in the Cabinet and the House of
Commons, but to that it was objected that the
existence of such an officer would not be compatible
with the political influence of the Lord Chancellor,
who was at present the representative of law in the
Cabinet. Whatever weight attached to that objection
seemed to apply to another proposition, of making
the Home Secretary the Minister of Justice, with
the additional evil of still further burdening a de-
partment which was at present supposed to be fully
occupied. Both those plans seemed to be founded
on the popular feeling, to which it was hardly pos-
sible to attach too much importance, that proper
security for vigilance and activity of such a de-
partment was only to be obtained by its direct re-
sponsibility to the House of Commons. The council
adhered to the opinion they expressed some years
ago, that a board of justice should be established
on the same footing as the Board of Trade. That
the Lord Chancellor should be president, and that
there should be in addition a vice-president, with a
seat in the House of Commons, and a permanent
non.parliamentary secretary, with a competent officer
and staff. The report then adverted to tllO question
of the transfer of land, commercial law, judicial
statistics, divorce, and testamentary jurisdiation, Sir
George Grey's bils for increasing the term of penal
servitude, and for facilitating the establishment of
reformatory schools. On the motion of Sir Erskine

429

Perry, M.P. seconded by Mr. Power, the report was
adopted, and it having been announced that Mr.
Webster would, on Monday evening next, read a
paper on the Corrupt Practices at Elections Pre-
vention Bill, the meeting separated. .

THE REV. R. MAountE has been once more elected
minister of St. James's, Clerkenwell. The rev.
gentleman's induction may now be expected imme-
diately.
M. DE LESSEPS, at a recent dinner at Goldsmith's-
hall, at which were present Mr. Gladstone, the
Bishop of London, General Williams, Sir Roderick
Murchison, the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, and
Air. Ellice, in reply to his health as the projector of
the Suez Canal, slimmed up, in concise terms, the
present situation of the enterprise, which had passed
through the period of doubt as to the material pos-
sibility of its execution

This part of the question bad been completely set at
rest by the report of the International Scientific Commis•
sion and that of the Academy of Sciences of France,
lately presented by M. Charles Dupin. As regarded its
financial success, he had received numerous and solid
proofs from all sides that they should not experience any
want of confidence on the part of capitalists. The pro-
ject had aroused the sympathies of all nations, and, as far
as he had hitherto experienced, he could safely say the
British people had not shown less interest than any other.
The voice of the press, and other manifestations, public
and private, had shown nim that the canalieation of the
Isthmus of Suez would find in Great Britain the most
efficient support, as she became convinced that by thus
shortening the route to the Indies her power and pro-
sperity would he increased in the ratio of her superiority
over all other nations in shipping, industry, and capital.

THE HON. AND REV. J. T. PELHAM, who will shortly
be consecrated Bishop of Norwich, has appointed
the Rev. J. J. S. Purowne, Fellow of Corpus Christi
College, Cambridge, one of his examining chaplains.
This appointment is reported to have given much
satisfaction to the Evangelical party in the diocese.
THE TURKISH MISSIONS AID SOCIETY held its
annual meeting on Tuesday at Wilis's•rooms. The
general report was satisfactory, a balance of
652/. 13s. lid. remaining on hand. Amongst those
who addressed the meeting was General Sir W. F.
Williams, who bore testimony to the good services of
the American missionaries :

The American missionaries printed the Scriptures
the Turkish language; they educated a number of youths
who had spread themselves through the Sultan's domi-
nions, and he hoped the seed which they had sown would
produce an abundant harvest. He had assisted the Ame-
rican missionaries in their labours, which were of a very
important kind; they worked with zeal and energy, and
the clergy were ably assisted by physicians. Also in
Persia, on the borders of Lake Oroomia, was assembled the
remnant of the Nestorian Church, who were the objects of
their especial care. There he found the printer at work,
and before he left the entire Scriptures had been reprinted.
That was only a portion of their work. These missionaries
had established a school, and he thought they had as many
as 100 pupils when he was amonkst them. These pupils
would spread through the country,and become instruments
in diffusing a knowledge of the Gospel.
The object of this society, it may be stated, is not to
originate any new mission, but to raise fund; in aid
of existing evangelical missions in the Turkish em-
pire. It is, however, competent to the committee to
make grants to individuals labouring in that field,
provided that such labourers be under some recog-
nised and responsible supervision.
THE TOLL REFORMERS held a meeting on Wed-
nesday at the Craven Hotel. Mr. Ingram, M.P.,
presided. The secretary of the association having
read the yearly report, which stated that the Toll
Commission received 00,000/. for which they never
publicly accounted, Mr. Ingram explained that the
object of the society was to obtain the abolition of
tolls within a radius of six miles of Charing-cross
He trusted that the present meeting was the beginning
of an agitation which would result in the abolition of the
toll system throughout the country. In France there were
no toll bars, nor were there any iu America, Sweden, Nor-
nay, the Isle of Man, or Dublin.

Va-rious resolutions were proposed and adopted, and
liberal subscriptions announced.
THE WESTMINSTER BONDHOLDERS held a meeting
on Wednesday, and carried a resolution, proposed by
Mr. Beaumont, appointing an independent committee
of bondholders, for the purpose of watching the bid
to be brought before Parliament, and opposing it as
far as was deemed necessary for the protection of
the rights and interests of the bondholders, and that
the committee should be instructed to co-operate
with the Commissioners, the parishes, and the repre-
sentatives of her Majesty's Woods and Forests, with
the view of obtaining such modifications of the bill
as would render it advantageous to the bondholders;
that the committee should endeavour to obtain an
Act of Parliament which would vest in a body of the
bondholders, under the name of the Westminster
Improvement Commission, or some other name, such
powers as would enable tliem' subject to the control
of the general body of shareholders, to dispose of
the property for the advantage of all. The following
gentlemen were appointed on the committee :—Mr.
W, Bennison, Captain Hunter, Mr. J. A. Banker,
Mr. Smith, gr. liaiwell, gr. Andrews, Mr. Beau-

430

mont, and Mr. Truelly, with power to add to their
number. _ _

THE MAY MEETINGS have already commenced.
The Church of England Scripture Readers' Associa-
tion held its thirteenth annual meeting on Wednes-
day, at the Hanover•square Rooma. The Bishop of
London, who presided, explained the objects of this
excellent institution.—

The object of the Scripture Readers' Society was to
assist the parochial clergy, and he was sure that those of
that body present who had had the largest amount of prac-
tical experience would he the most ready to acknowledge
that the Scripture readers provided by the society were
indeed great hell s to them. Any of those visionary no•
tions of which they formerly heard, that the clergy were to
meet with vigorous and dangerous rivals and antagonists
in lay Scripture readers and schoolmasters, seemed to him
altogether out of place in these days. They hoped by
means of this society, if there were somewhat of spiritual
deadening in the parochial system, to be able to restore it,
and to infuse more life into it; and he was quite sure that
every clergyman who was thoroughly earnest in his work
would find the truly pious and active Scripture reader, and
the well-educated and etficientlytrained schoolmaster,
invaluable helps. The days had long since gone by when
the clergy could command the assistance of the laity by
any factitious dignity attaching to themselves or their
office. The clergy could only command the respect and
affection of the laity by devoting themselves heart and soul
to the high office their Lord and Master had committed to
them; and he believed that every parochial clergyman who
was really devoted to the great cause in which he was en•
gaged would gladly avail himself of the assistance the
society offered and acknowledge the advantage he derived
from it.

The report of the committee showed that 122 grants
hal been made by the association to 88 districts, and
that 50 applications now on the society's list were
not to be complied with, owing to want of funds.—
The CHURCH OF ENGLAND METROPOLITAN TRAINING
INSTITUTION has held its eighth annual meeting, and
exhibited a most satisfactory progress. Since the
last meeting 33 students have completed their edu•
cation and been appointed to schools, making alto-
gether 161 young men who have been trained in the
college. The average number of students during the
year has been 66. At the opening of the college
after the Christmas vacation the 70 rooms were all
occupied. The funds of the society exhibit a balance
of 1401. 3s. 7d. excess of income over expenditure.
THE CAUSES OF FIRES IN LONDON, FROM THE YEAR
1853 To 1856, INCLUSIVE, was the subject discussed
by Mr. Fothergill at the meeting of the Institute of
Actuaries, held on Tuesday at the rooms in St.
James's•square. The objects of the paper appeared
to be to show the desirability of deciding upon
some more accurate principle of estimating the
amount of risk in private houses, public buildings,
and buildings devoted to trading purposes, with a
view to the adoption of a more equitable scale of
charges by the insurance offices. It stated that
while the total yearly averages of fires in London
had advanced during the last eight years by about
forty per cent., the number where the destruction had
been complete remained almost the same. The
number considerably damaged had also increased
just in proportion to the total increase :
Of fires caused by candles, curtains, or gas, those at
bagnios showed 75.3 per cent.; at drnpers, 61.4 ; at
lodging•houses, 52.7; at private houses, 47.9 ; at blacking-
makers, 40 ; while in twenty-two trades out of ninety-six
enumerated there had not been any fires traced to these
causes, though in the case of founders there had been as
many as sixty-one fires. It was clear that the mode of
fixing the lights, the dressing of shop windows, and the
setting of stoves or furnaces, deserved consideration in
estimating risk.

Amongst the causes included, but which were of
rare occurrence, some were curious, as sewing and
reading in bed (of which there ha'l been twenty-six
cases in the twenty-four years), hunting bugs,
thawing water•pipes, frying fish, bursting of spirit
bottles, suicide by charcoal, warming beds, sealing
letters, &c. The number of unknown causes did not
exceed, for any trade, thirty per cent. of the risks
considered least hazardous by the insurance offices
and rated accordingly :

Churches and chapels showed the largest, and a very
considerable per tentage of total destruction as compared
with the number of tires, viz., 8.8, which was higher than
amongst carpenters, japanners, lamp-black makers,
musical-instrument makers, varnish makers, and many
other extremely dangerous businesses. In this class of
property sixty per cent. of the total damage was occa-
sioned by flues, furnaces, and stoves. Amongst the
trades which had furnished no instance of total destruction
were, strange to say, colour makers, illicit distillers,
lucifer-match makers, and others, which were considered
extremely hazardous. There has been only six fires
amongst printer's-ink makers, where either total destruc-
tion or considerable damage had ensued. Thirty•four fires
in theatres showed no medium between entire destruction
and slight damage. Froap these data he argued that there
were difficulties (owing totleticient information) in arriving
at a correct estimate of fire risks, so as to apportion the
scale of charges to different classes of buildings and build-
ings devoted to different purposes, which did not exist in
the crie of life risks, where healthy lives of the same age
might generally be taken at the same rate without injustice
Wither to the office or the assured.