The Express.
London, England, 1856-01-15 00:00:00

int expregiO.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
411t1Ilearats lateadel 1c r "The liptero."Looloa Eventag yam
MS le at the Odic*, 10, bouveriactroet, by Two Wawa as tie
they of oubt!eatioa.

RION WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
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LONDON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 15.

Bunn the elections to the Metropolitan Board of
Works took place, we summated that it would tend
to elev►te the character of the Board, and inspire ma-
nioc. in its proceedings, if at its first meeting a
self-denying ordnananes were poised, declaring that
none of its members should be eligible to the salaried,
office of Chairman. The suggestion was unheeded,
and Mr. TDRAITZ/1 was appointed Chairman. We
remaioed convinced that oar advice was gird; but
we abstained from critieleitig triiippointment because
we thought we saw that the argument which
weighed most with the members of the
Board was, that to elect • Chairman who,
was not a member would be tantamount
to a coalmine that none of these were
eemptent to preside. The argument indeed
seemed to es untenable, bet we made allowance even
for a mistaken sensitiveness on this score; and
besides, ell that we could learn of the antecedents of
Mr. Tawarrrw was favourable.
Bet it is a very different matter when we come to
the election of clerk, engineer, architect, and other
merely ministerial officers. The Chairmaa of the Bard
regulates and directs its deliberatioes: perhaps It was
too much to expect that the Board would uses&
such authority to say person bet ewe of their owe
number. But the clerk, engineer, architect, arid es
forth, wily receive and tarry into mastics the orders
of the Board. The Board dose not &risme from its
dignity in appointing to each offices poems who are
. not members. Nay, it may be said members of the
Board derogate from their dignity in aseeptieg such
aloes. There is, thunders, set the shadow alarms:in
for selecting members of the Board to fill places of this
deseriptioo. And, en the other hand, if members
are elected to fill them, a suspicion will inevitably
make to pervade the public mind that men present
themselves as candidates for Medi,* be the Board as
- a step towards obtaining such appoistments. And this
sespicciea will be well founded; for the practice of
electing its own members to lucrative situations in
' its grant will inevitably lead to the Board's be-
coming a centre of jobbery. The public business
will be neglected wed personal contests to obtais
pod appointments; the elestiess will be vitiated by
mine bluenose used to gala a seat at the Board as
a stepping-stone to any good appointment that may
become vacant; and the Board itself will deservedly
be regarded u • mere nest el jobbery—.a nuisance to
be got rid of. This would be a lamentable
termination of an important and hopeful experi-
ment. It is most desirable that the inhabitants
of this great metropolis should keep in their

own hao;ls the memagemen- t of the bed bia-
sses which has been devolved open the Bard,
and =anise a permanent cheek upon the ex-
penditure rweemary to the tranesetion of that
business,. And more than that. experience hasebown
that legislation cod the control of national thienes
by an elective assuably can only be satisfactorily
sosomplished in esestrise where all the hied public
bedtime is in like manner mediated by elective and
_ _ _

responsible bodiN. If commptios and jobber,- le to
in mooicipal bodies, it is vela to hope that
the deeding to the seismal legislators WA Ire
Dept rum There is no exaggeration ia say-
. Mg that the pennasence, 'Mahoney, sad purity
of oar popular 'esthetics* will be materially affected
by tie manner in whir& the Metropolitan Board of
Works conducts itself with reference to the elections

of its ministerial cams.
We are anxious to net the sabstim of this vital
question epos a bread sad several peineiple. If,
otter having doge so, we advert to what passed yes-
tarday at the meeting of the Board of Works, it is
roily for the purpose of illustrating this principle, and
showing how neer it has bees to being violated. We
have no interest in or scquiateaso with any
al the candidates We know act, and we can
an, by what isterests or Maness they are sup-
ported. We believe that the membess of the Board,
if they keep themselves free from endue bias, are
perfectly competeat to select trustworthy sad capable
*Main& Ws do sot premed to pent tut any lath-
vidaal as worthy or unworthy of their choice. Bet
we do implore them, as they vales their own repo-
tads. sad aisfulness, to avoid not Duly jobbery, but
everything that may have the oppessense of icing.
Among the candidates for the ethos of oink
to the Band, spassased at yesterday's meeting,
was Mr. WiLinitoei a member .1 the Board. Oa
thiamine being mods that the shake be coodocted
is the same way it that of Chairmaa bad bees, •
very proper amendment was ably sad impressively
moved by Mr. WRIGHT, to the *Set that "SO mom.
ber of the Beard be accepted as a mail Hate for any
paid ethos in the gift of the Board luta he bad re-
slimed his seat." Mr. WZIOUT remarked with both
truth and point : Suppose so architect was
wanted, there was a very able sac at the
Beard (Mr. Hoer), sad ho might come for-
mai as a candidate. Again, they had a very
abtbgaished civil mignon (Mr. Calesau.), sad he
might become a ondidate whin aa means was
wanted. They might thus descend is this s•aser
until one or other of their colleague would become
oandid ate for the ethos of housekeeper! Mr. Wanner
wall strenuously supported by Messrs. Saon' and
BALL, And ultimately Idismendoest wee carried by
a majority of 20 to 16. The majority which monied
Mr. Wieurfe meadmeat hes saved the Based from
a false step at the very utast el its ann. We have
so lateen= to eall is quacks Mr. Wnitasom's
trustworthlome and capacity to discharge the othes
of clerk ; bat we mat makes that he appears
to as to present himself as candidate far that
office under rather equivocal circemetasess. Wiles
Mr. NICEOLAT littdetteek to set se lateduChainian,
he freakltplsdged himself not to becomes eaadidate
for that dim Whoa Mr. WWWIION leadertoo/ to
act as ianalm-fienetary, he mere cautiously stated
that be Ms sot a candidate for the can of el m&
Illesestiased to mike themes preemies up to the
11th int., when he addressed o letter to the Char-
ms, stating, that, bans( received a requisition from
several members of the Board requesting him to allow
himself to be placed ia somindes lee the oaks of
clerk, he had soussated. I. Mr. WiLauson's inter
seither the names sor the amber of the mini-
demists was stated. It spume that who Mr.
Bayles asked the Maims" yesterday bele may
members had signed the requisities, that gentleness
replied he did an know.' Mr. Witaxesoff's heel-
talks to dealers himself a easiidate is a Had of semi-
sostessies that be doubled the prouist: el his done
so. His ecoatast rental to state explleitly that be
was wet a coadidate helms a haskseeng ease the
Mee. Ueda suit eirmemstmeas, to esme lerward

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