The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-14 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 14, 1867.

'talon by butt witness. and saw the prisoner strike till.
statioa•mmter several times.

Mr. Edwin, for the defence. maid that hie client was very
drunk and did not know what he was about. He regretted
it very much.
. . . . . .

Mr. Woolrych observed that he had been 'piny of gross
misconduct and of two offences. The first in attempting
to evade payment of the legal fare demanded of him, and
then in attacking the station-master in a brutal manner
while in the execution of his duty.
Mr. Edwin observed that he was instructed to say that
the bye-laws were not pointed out to prisoner. Had that
been so most likely this would not have happened.
Mr. Oildersleeves informed his worship that he did point
out the bye-laws to defendant, and asked him for his
name and address, but instead of answering him he struck
him as described.

Mr. Woo!rya said that it was a very brutal assault, for
which he fined him: /. or six weeks, and an additional
pen thy of 205., or two weeks, for attempting to evade pay-
ment of the fare.
The fines not being forthcoming, he we, committed to
prison.

MANSION•HOUSE•STREET ZVICTIONS.

DEPI7ATION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS. -(THIS
DAY.)

This morning a deputation on the subject of the
pending evictions for the new line of street from Black-
friars to the Mansion-house, waited upon Sr John
Thwaites, at the offices of the Metropolitan Board
of Works, Spring-gardens. The deputation was pro-
moted by the Evicted Tenants' Aid Association, and
consisted, amongst others, of the Rev. Dr. Stebbing, rector
of St. Mary's, Upper Thames-street ; Rev. C. F. Chase,
M.A., restor of St. Andrew's Wardrobe ; Rev. T. Wiltshire,
M.A., Dr. Clapton, Dr. Moody, Mature. S. H. Hadley,
J. Anderson (Messrs. Hilton and Anderson), T. Chatfield
Clarke J. Taylor, G. Vigeon, E. M. Warwick, C.C., all
members of a load committee ; Messrs. George Cruikahank,
G. Limnos Banks, and H. T. Humphrey, representatives
of the parent society, and about twenty of the evicted
themselves. _ _ _

Mr. Geom.?: eItrIKEHANR, in introducing the depute-
tion, said that as a citizen of London and an artist, he
was anxious that the improvements which the board had
in hand should be carried out ; but at the same time he
considered the effect of those improvements upon the popu-
lation of the d' to where they were proposed was a mat-
ter requiring the greaten consideration. The eviction had
been attended with serious consequences, and he believed
the immorality and disease which would be created by
overcrowding would be a frighful national evil. The
persons afflicted were in very humble positions, and unless
something was done for them, the only alternative left
would be to apply for pariah relief.
Mr. J. L Bangs then read a memorial which had been
prepared for presentation on behalf of small trades and I
poor persons resident in the neighbourhood of Upper''
Thames-street. It dated that the contemplated improve-
ments would drive 50 or GO poor widows from their homes
and deprive them of work and of private gifts
which were only given to those living in the locality.
A similar number of small traders would be also
deprived of the connection which they had been
making for years, and labouring men would be turned out
of the houses which were contiguous to the places where
they. were employed, and compelled to go to other local--
, ties in which they would be required to pay higher rents,
and to pay deposits to their future landlords. The memo-
rialists also complained that the principle of allowing com-
pensation to the poor was not being adequately carried out.
Several members of the deputation having corroborated
and supplemented the statements made in the memorial,
Sir JOHN THwArrrs mid that while he and his col-
leagues regretted the position in which the persons who
were dislodged by the improvements were placed, he
believed it must be admitted on all sides that it was
necessary that these improvements should be carried out.
He had visited the locality to which the members of the
deputation had alluded, and he was surprised to find that
within the City of London places unfit for human habit-
Lion existed, and that the poor were compelled to be
crowded together in an atmosphere most unsuited for the
maintenance of health. The board bad shown every con-
sideration for the poor who were required to leave their
homes, and they had waited tillepnng to evict them and
had abstained fromturning them out at a period of the year '
when the inclemency of the weather would have added to
the misery of their situation. The board were prevented
by act of parliament from giving any compensation except
in cases involving a legal claim, and with regard to the
system of deposit referred to, he regretted that what was
intended to go into the pockets of the poor in the shape of
arrears of rent had been absorbed by the landlords.
However, he promised to lay the entire matter before his
colleagues, and so far as they were permitted by the powers
given them by act of parliament, they should be prepared
to deal with the cases as they arose, and especially with
the evil consequent upon the benefits denved by—he
would not say greedy landlords—but by those who were
taking away what was intended for the poor.
The deputation then thanked Sir John Thwaites, and
withdrew.