The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-24 00:00:00

JIILLIEN'S CONCERTS.
Lyi • R)YAL MALIAN OPER 1, COVENT-GARDEN.

occupied would make up his mind —not to put forward
fanciful theories—not to determine that there shall be one
rule far all parts of the country, but to frame an act that
was applicable to the peculiar circumstances of each local-
ity--ho believed that the office would be respected rather
than shunned ; and though the department was not one of
the highest in the State, it certainly might be made one of
the most useful. The right hon. baronet concluded by
moving for leave to introduce his bill.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS was glad to find that the right
hon. baronet had taken up this question, which was one of
the greatest importance. He also approved of the inten-
tion of the right hon. gentleman to refer his bills to a
select committee. As he understood it was not the inten-
tion of the right hon. gentleman to make his first bill ap-
plicable to the metropolis, but his second bill, the Nuisances
Removal Bill, was to apply to the metropolis as well as
every other part of the country. He trusted that the
right hon. baronet would allow evidence to be taken by the
select committee ; for there were many trades of great
importance which would, no doubt, be affected by the pro-
visions of the second bill.
Leave was then given to introduce the first bill.
Sir B. HALL, on rising to move for leave to introduce
his second bill, said that it was a measure that would affect
the metropolis most materially, and lie knew of no measure
that was more wanted during the visitation of the late epi-
demic.thAet
atehte tinimeexitshteenmeeeturoppeonlisthewas
subsj
ue
effte rwi na
found
cholera
wholly inoperative. Innumerable complaints had beep
made to him that the provisions of that act were not at
all adequate to the purposes intended by it. Some par-
ties were desirous of evading the fulfilment of their duty ;
others complained of the cumbrous proceedings necessary
in order to put the act into operation. And
parties seemed disposed to make all sorts
almost all
of excuses for
not complying with the terms of the act. The local boards
had no power, except under orders in council or orders of
the General Board of Health, to appoint these officers who
ought to exist in every locality, whose duty would be to
suppress nuisances and to keep the country free from every-
thing that was oalculated to engender sickness or disease.
On the 12th of August, when ho went to the office of the
Board of Health, there was hardly one inspector in exist-
ence in the whole of the metropolis, and he had great diffi-
culty in getting boards of guardians to appoint inspectors,
and to make some of them do their duty. In one place,
Clerkenwell, he was obliged to threaten the holding
of an inquest in case of any more persons dying in the
district, unless it was properly visited by the board of
guardians. He did have an inquest upon one occasion.
The coroner sat, and everything connected with the case
wat fully brought before the jury. A most excellent effect
was produced—the local body having been madeto do their
duty. Now, as to the expense attending upon the neces-
sary medical aid. In this parish, comprising- a population
of 139,000, in which the rateable value was 500,0001., a
penny rate produced 2,0831., being a sum deemed sufficient
for the purpose. But in order to show the way in which
the health of the people was cared for in this metropolis,
ho would read a copy of the directions sent from the Lam-
beth Workhouse on the 12th of August, 1854. The docu-
ment stated that the authorities at the workhouse were
' prepared during the prevalence of the epidemic to enter
into an engagement with properly qualified medical men,
by which they would be paid ls. Gd. for the treatment of
each person suffering from diarrhoea, and 2s. Gd. for each
person suffering cholera. (Laughter.) That any such
medical gentlemen as were willing to agree to those terms
should sign the accompanying form, and enclose it back to
W. T. Logan, clerk." Now, in alluding to particular
districts in the metropolis, he must say, that the parishes
of St. George, Paddington, Islington, and St. Pancras,had
afforded him the greatest assistance he could desire, and
showed an example to other local boards in the metro-
polis which it would be well if they followed. There was
one remarkable feature exhibited in reference to what
might be effected by a system of constant sanitary supervi-
sion. lie would take the case of the model-lodging-houses
in the metropolis. The report in respect to them showed
that where the commonest care for the health of the inha-
bitants was taken the proportion of deaths was extremely
small indeed. He wished to draw the particular attention
of the house to the circumstances under which London it-
self was, comparatively speaking, spared during the late
awful visitation. Mr. Simon, who was appointed the medi-
cal officer of the City of London' whom he (Sir B. Hall)
had consulted in the framing Of those bills, and to when'
his thanks were due for the great assistance ho had ren-
dered him throughout, had sent in a report to the commis-
sioners of sewers, in which ho stated that during a period
of two months, when the cholera was raging in the metro-
polis, the mortality within the city itself was only 16 to
10,000 persons, whereas, even in the neighbourhood of
Hampstead, and other elevated parts of the metropolis,
the mortality was nearly three times as great. Mr. Simon
attributes this difference to the precautionary measures
that had been taken to abolish nuisances, and to get
an improved supply of water within the City of Lon-
don. He was now going to ask the house to give the
same powers to other parts of the country as weze
already given to the City ; and he thought if they did so
they would save a great deal of misery and human suffer-
ing which otherwise would ensue. Ho proposed to place
every district in England under the constant sani-
tary inspection of local boards, which would have the
power of removing nuisances, and of preventing the occur-
rence of fresh nuisances, and to deal with such houses as
were manifestly unfit for human habitations. They would
also have the power of removing or abolishing offensive
trades. The measure also proposed to compel the local au-
thorities to make reports of the proceedings under this bill
annually, and to furnish a copy of the same to each rate-
payer. In the event of inaction and carelessness in the
discharge of their duties by those local boards, they would
be compelled by the bill to perform their duties, and the
measure would inflict penalties upon them for a wilful ne-
glect of such duties. He now wished to call the attention
of the house to one of the most valuable reports ever pre-
sented to Parliament. It would be recollected that the
noble lord the Secretary of state for the Home Depart-
ment sent a commission to Newcastle last year to inquire
into the circumstances connected with the outbreak of
cholera in that town. The report made by that commis-
sion was drawn up by Mr. Simon, Mr. }llium, and others,
and was as follows :
" The corporation of Newcastle is described as not only
being ' ancient, wealthy, and influential, but as having for
at least seven years possessed under its own local acts, in
1837, 1846, and 1553, unusually extensive sanitary powers.'
" The town is said to afford remarkable facilities for
draining.
" Under those of 1837 and 1846, they `obtained complete
powers of supervision and extensive powers of control
over the formation of new streets and the erection of
houses, including the provision of proper domestic conve-
niences, and other important points.'
" Under the local act of 1846 they obtained power to lay
down rules for cleansing and whitewashing filthy and un-
wholesome dwellings, and to make regulations for the re-
gistering of lodging-houses and the maintenance of cleanli-
ness therein.
"It is also enacted that the owner lof every house un-
provided with necessary outbuildings !Mould provide them,
and that no house should be erected without them.
" It gave powers for the cleansing of all necessaries, ash-
pits, Src., and for the management of public necessaries ;
for compelling owners of houses to pave the streets on
which the houses abutted; for regulating the keeping of
swine, and for compelling manufacturers to consume their
smoke.
" By the act of 1853 the town council were empowered
to cause streets to be sewered, drained, &c.
" To make regulations as to the levels of houses, streets,
drains, &c.
"To order the closing of dwelling-houses unfit for hu-
man habitation.
"To order the erection of necessary out-buildings to
hotels and public-houses.
" To carry private drains into the common sewer at the
expense of the owner.
" To cause the owner of ahouse to repair and cleanse the
private drains.
" It was also enacted that no house should be erected or
rebuilt until the drains were made; and that all manu-
factories, fire-places, and furnaces, should be constructed
so as to consume their own smoke.

for admission, in order to inspect premises between the
hours of nine o'clock in the morning and six o'clock
in the evening, and if any person shall refuse to admit the
justiceparty
erfotpleierlpyeaaeuet,huopriesd touebei inspectngiuferus ete
dhapeluaecke,
retfhuesn a
al,
and upon hearing it stated upon oath that there wasreason-
able ground for supposing the existence of a nuisance upon
the premises in question, should have power to issue a
of them.
He nub
smat
timee
eonsnu. si ,s
alwnhhceiescsel a ea
justices
hudso
ttuioelt
el
spbreeohhei heardublidt
tthah
one duo:ll:mut i
occurrence
determined
pabwy e
rt wt oe.
He now came to the case of houses which were manifestly
unfit for human habitations. Ho proposed, in the
event of any houses being proved to be unfit for
human habitations, that the authorities should have
the power of prohibiting such houses being used for
the purpose until they were rendered fit for occupation. He
wished to skew the house what good grounds there were
for such a provision. He could speak with accuracy of one
set of houses in the metropolis, inasmuch as he had visited
them in company with Lord Shaftesbury ; and the same
were noticed in a small pamphlet entitled "The Labourer's
Friend." He referred to a locality in the neighbourhood
of Drury-lane. The number of families in it was about
200. Ho held in his hand an extract from a report on the
present state of Wild-court, and guggestions for its im-
-1 provement, by Mr. Baxendale :
" None of the basements are at present occupied except
as lumber places, and are in a most filthy state, emitting
at times effluvia the most foul, partly in consequence of the
accumulation of animal and vegetable matter which is
thrown in through the area windows and through holes
made in the ground floors, and partly from the occasional
overflow of badly-constructed `dry' brick drains, which pass
beneath the floor in some instances not snore than three
inches. There is no paving to these floors.
" In the houses 2,3, 4, and 5, the necessaries are large
open holes, sufficiently capacious for a man to fall into ;
they have risers and wood rails in front, but no seats. For-
tunately the rails are fixed too high for children, but acci
dents must now and then occur. This is ono reason the
yards are constantly in such a filthy state.
" Dust-bins are placed in one corner of the yards, and
generally emptied once a week—sometimes, and I fear
very frequently, once a fortnight only. Complaints have
often been made of the stench arising from these places,
especially by the tenants occupying the back rooms en the
ground floor. Every morning the yards are abominably
filthy, and present more the appearance of large cesspools
than anything else. I have seen some of them about six
inches deep in places of all manner of soil and filth, through
which any person requiring water must wade to the water-
butt, as well as to the privy. At times the very passages
are covered to the entrance-door. I have frequently been
unable to get from the stairs to the yard from this dis-
gusting practice.
" Before closing this subject I must say a few words on
the stets in which the roofs and gutters are to be seen any
day. It appears from inquiry and examination that the
families occupying the upper rooms or garrets get rid of
their soil and refuse by throwing it on the roofs at the
back of the houses. It then passes, in some instances,
expoied to view in the room, along the gutters, arranged
on the side of each front attic, to that in front of the
houses, thence by the stack piping to the drains. Some
of these gutters have wood flap covers, partly hinged and
partly fixed.
"The ventilation throughout is very imperfect. No
provision whatever is made in the attics beyond an open-
ing in the window, or by the side of it, about 12 inches
or 14 inches square, as shown.
" The other rooms are equally-bad. The windows in
most of them cannot be opened for the want of lines,
weights, or beads. The larger portion of the glees in the
windows is broken, and partly pasted over with paper
and partly stuffed up with old rags. Some of the win-
dows are at least two-thirds blocked up in this manner.
" It is hardly possible to convey in terms sufficient an
accurate idea of the filth and wretchedness to be seen.
"It is actually necessary, in order to form a just idea of
the present state of the court and its occupants, to make a
personal visit, examine, and institute inquiries."
The place was in such a state of filth and beastliness that he
(Sir B. Hall) should be sorry to have one of his dogs sleep-
ing there. When, then, they saw such wretched houses
occupied by human beings, he thought that they ought to
insist upon them being put into a decent condition. The
mast exorbitant rents were generally demanded for such'
places, and the miserable human beings who inhabited
them were liable to be turned out from week to week, if
they failed in paying their rent. In reference to another
wretched, filthy locality, called Charlotte-buildings, Clerk-
enwell, the book to which he referred contained many
drawings of houses; amongst them is one exhibiting an
attic in a state of repose. Mr. Goodwin says :
" This, if possible, exhibits greater poverty than below.
The walls are full of largo holes, and the light is visible
through the roof. The rent of the attics is the same as
the floor below. It may seem strange that the price of
rooms should not vary, but this uniformity is effected by
the landlord removing those whose necessities are greater,
or who may be a shilling or so in arrear of rent, to the
upper quarters.
" The first feeling after visiting this place is that of as-
tonishment that persons should be allowed to let such
dilapidated buildings to these poor people, who really pay
more than a fair rent for a good house; the rooms are
seldom unoccupied, and the loss trifling ; the rent would
be 411. 12s. per annum.
"The population of this small court is immense. If we
take an average of 15 persons in each floor of the houses
visited, and this is greatly below the number, we find 60
persons are occupying one house, and 900 are in the court.
"Something should be done with Charlotte-buildings
forthwith. Few of the countless throng who flood the
paths in Gray's-inn-lane have any knowledge of the hot-
bed of disease and vice which exists within a dozen yards
of them."
He, therefore, proposed to take powers to put a stop to
those miserable dwellings. He also proposed to give power
for appeal against the order of the justices upon 14 days'
notice being given of the intention of the party to appeal
and in the event of the structure of the works ordered
exceeding the sum of 151. In preposing that no offensive
trades shall be allowed to be carried on within a certain
distance of the town, he (Sir B. Hall) embodied in hie bill
the powers already granted by the legislaturein the Towns
Improvement Clauses Act. Then, with regard to the non-
performance of duty by the local authorities, he proposed
that the surveyors of highways should be liable to a pe-
nalty of 51. for the neglect of duty. In the event of the
existence of a nuisance, notice should be given to the local
authorities on the subject ; and in case no steps were taken
by such authorities for its removal, it should be lawful for
the justices, at the instance of one witness, to issue their
summons to the party offending. He also proposed that
the local authorities should make reports in the same
manner as under the former bill in reference to the pro-
ceedings taken under this measure. It was kis intention
to move that those bills be referred to a select committee.
In respect to the observation of the hon. member for
Lambeth (Mr. W. Williams) he must say he did not see
the necessity of taking evidence before the committee. If,
however, the house should determine otherwise, he would
not make any objection to such a proceeding. His anxiety
was that 1301110 legislation upon the subject should take
place at the earliest possible period of the session, in order
that the country might be better prepared than it was
before to meet such an awful visitation as it had last year.
The right hon. baronet concluded by moving for leave to
introduce his bill.
Mr. WILKINSON expressed a hope that some com-
pensation would be granted to such persons as would be
compelled to remove their trades, which might be con-
sidered offensive under the bill.
}lr. THORNELY asked whether it was intended to
place the regulation ef the burial grounds under any new
authority ?
Sir B. HALL said at present the regulation of the
burial grounds was placed under the authority of the noble
lord the Secretary for the Home Department. There was
no intention whatever to make any alteration in this re-
spect.
Sir 11. WILLOUGHBY said it appeared to him there
was ono point connected with the subject which required
explanation. Ho wished to ask whether it was coo:item-
plated to introduce any bill in conjunction with the last
measure of the right hon. baronet to create local authori-
ties in the various districts of the metropolis for the pur-
pose of carrying out the provision's of this bill. Every
person who had been listening to the right hon. gentleman
must have perceived that he was constantly referring to
loch authorities. Now it appeared to him (Sir H. Wil-
loughby) that in effect there were no local authorities in
the metropolis properly qualified to act under this bill.
He never could understand why the metropolis should be
deprived of the benefit of municipal institutions. (Hear.)
All those questions touched upon by the right hen.
baronet wero of municipal interest. After they had passed
the executive, those provisions were to be carried out by
wpfm:aurrstncasiancticrpeeyaliylnt
gbh
general
ecttinhi
:et
rshwa.
property
elerrroelnefp provisions
i onaa: ideotnhfbteeterhreeitfsealoubrnseitelidtoiunfittneotdhteheffegeereatest im -
properbodi
metropolis Therees
localities.at hnf: l t
occupiers such bI bodies d
wouldi
oe
fs
trgreatlytbye
wate wraelal fits taoettfiilsaft
find,
oeattcehtr
satisfactory
the different
property
ietseer:owners
and occupiers of property were to find, their property ex-
posed to the surveillance and reports ef those with whom
athskeytliweerreighhitnohwona.y baronetconnect connected.
whether ilo
he therefore
establishment of any municipal system for the metropolis ?
In such case they would know to whom their pecuniary
interests would be entrusted after the acts of the execu-
tive. It appeared to him that the time had naturally
arrived when they must deal with that question. Here
was a large city, into which it was proposed to introduce
certain sanitary measures which would require the forma-
tion of several boards to ensure their proper operation. He
therefore wished that the right hon, gentleman would state
whether he contemplated in his present bill, or by any
other measure, the establishment of local authorities for

LAST NIGHT BUT SIX.

The PROGRAMME for THIS EVENING, Wednesday, Jan. 24,
will include —Kalkbrenner's Fantasias on Bellinl's Opera, Il Pirata
(first time), performed by Madame Pleyel; Gipsy Song, L'Etoile du
Nord, and New song, Char:lo, sung by Madams Anna Thillon ;
Overture, William Tell; L'Etede du Nord Quadrille ; the Andante
Cantabile in F, from Mozart's Jupiter Symphony; grand Selection
from Rossini's Stabet Mater; Vahe d'Adieu (last time); the Pan-
tomime Quadrille ; Scherzo in (I minor, from Mendelssehn's Mid-
summer Night's Dream ; Solo, Trombone, Mr. Winterbottom ; the
Sleigh Polka ; and the Grand Allied Armies Quadrille, assisted by the
three Bands of her Majesty's Guards; God Save the Queen; natant
pour la. Syrie, &n. &e.

PRICES OF ADMISSION.

Promenade, Upper Boxes, AmphithJo,rWgtalls, and Am-
phitheatre ..
Dress Circle
Private Boxes for Six Perron on the Grand Tier
Ditto ditto First Tier .. • •
Ditto Four Persons on the Second Tier 125. Od.
Commence at Eight. Places and Private Boxes may be engaged
at the Boa-office of the Theatre, and Private Boxes of the principal
mnsicsellers and librarians.
DAL MASQUE.

M. Jul Hen begs most respectfully to announce, that in consequence
of his provincial engagements, the season will positively terminate
Wednesday, Jan. 31. The grand flat Masque will take place on
Friday, February 2, and will be on a scale of unprecedented splen-
dour:

" These acts were obtained at great cost.
" In January, 1851, a commission was snit to Newcastle
to inquire into the cause of the late outbreak of cholera.
" They state that the average of deaths for 15 years was
28.6 in every 1,000.
"They ascribe the ♦iruleaco of the outbreak of cholera
to the neglect of proper sanitary measures by the town
council.

" In the words of the town surveyor, the local acts 'have
been a dead letter altogether.'
" The powers conferred on the town council by these
acts are also said to have been allowed to remain wholly
inoperative,' no exercise or enforcement of them appears
to have taken place ;' and again the commissioners speak
of 'the entire neglect of the town council of their appa-
rently unlimited power as to cleansing filthy and unwhole-
some dwellings.'
" There are districts in Newcastle which were more
misconditioned probably than any other district of anything
like the same area in Great Britain.'
" Many of the necessaries and ashpits are so built that
the liquid filth ' oozes through the walls' of the houses.
"New houses present tie same evils as old ones, and
many of them are utterly unsewered and undraiued.'
" The corporation property is, if possible, in a worse con-
dition than any other. A great part of their tenanted
property was really unfit for human habitation, and should
be condemned as such.'

"It was suggested to the commissioners that the act
was not enforced because the town council own house
property.
Inspectors have found in one room from 9 to 15, 16,
17, and 19 persons.
"Cholera broke out in rooms in which as many as 20
or 25 occupiers were congregated,' whichgave but 50 cubic
feet of air for each person.

the several districts of the metropolis. He submitted that
it would be necessary to establish good municipal authori-
ties before they could hope to effect any substantial ad-
vantages under the bill of the right hen. baronet.
Sir B. HALL said there were toe many local bodies,
with large powers, already. He had given notice of a bill
for the second of next month, which he hoped he would be
allowed to intreAnce ; and in that bill he proposed to
create municipal bodies, with power to work the provisions
of the Nuisances Removal Act, as well as the provisions of
other metropolitan acts.
Visoount BBRINGTON thought it would be undesirable
for the house to enter on the subject of metropolitan legi-
slation until a positive opinion had been pronounced with
regard to the measure to be applied to the country at large.
The question of legislation for the metropolis was a more
difficult and complicated question than that for the coun-
try at large; for many provisions which would be appli-
cable to the smaller towns would be wholly inapplicable to
the metropolis, numbering as it did a population equal to
that of Scotland, concentrated within a radius of ten miles
of the seat of Government. He hoped, therefore, that con-
siderable progress would be made in the one measure be-
fore the other was entertained. He rejoiced that there
was now a promise of effective legislation on the subject,
and he promised his right hon. colleague his ten co-opera-
tion.
Mr. A. PELLATT asked whether the bill would contain
a clause similar to that in the last bill on this subject, for
raising the wharfage on the river side at Southwark ?
Sir B. HALL was understood to say that this should be
the subject of a separate measure.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS said the clause of the last bill
threw the expense of raising the wharfage on the proprie-
tors and occupants, which he thought was unfair. As the
work was for the general good, it should be paid fur out
of the public money.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill.
Sir B. HALL brought in both bills.
The house then adjourned at a quarter to seven o'clock.

"The stench in tho rooms is described as overpowering.
" No advantage has been taken of the Labouring Classes
Lodging-houses Act (1851).
"'There is no map of the drainage. 0n1y11421 houses
have water-closets, or any drainage. Tho remaining 8032
are entirely unprovided.'
" In Sandgate, out of a population of 4600, perhaps not
100 had right of access to any private necessary ; and at
the very lowest computation, more than nine-tenths of
that resident population, besides the casual population of
the shipping alongside, were wholly dependent on a single
public necessary.
• " In another district, containing 3030 Inhabitants,
there were but one public and one or two private neces-
saries,' 15,000 families would have no right of access to any
private necessary.
" From the want of necessaries utensils called 'kits' are
used. These are kept in the house until the scavenger's cart
drives round, or else emptied out of the windows ; and in
some eases the roads aid footways have thus been raised
from 10 to 20 inches. The necessaries provided by the cor-
poration are ef the rudest and least decent construction.
" The streets and roads are ill-paved ; and in a report
made in 1849 it is stated that not a single street had been
paved under the provisions of the act of 1846.'
" And the accumulations of filth in different parts ef the
town, at the outbreak of the cholera, were so great, that it
was deemed advisable not to remove them, but to cover
them with earth.
" The attention of the corporation has been repeatedly
and by l,lr. Rawlinson's report, u
called to all these nuisances, especially b two sanitary as-
sociations,
wholly disregarded.
as have been by
the re-
sentrep"
The beard of g
against the corporation to makeans
farbeaueeenrtlyremporovceeentd_
sauces of its own creation.

"The power of enforcing the consumption of smoke has
reca
authority
I
been ' left entirely in abeyance.'
" The expense occasioned by the outbreak
which might have been avoided by timely was 83 Opel
Now the bill proposed to establish a local
every district of the country. The town counctlirri where
such such a body existed, would be that legal authority. And
in towns where there was no such body, the board of health,
or the trustees or Commissioners appointed for the general
purposes of the district, would then be authorised to act.
The local authorities would be compelled to appoint a
sanitary inspector, whose duty it would he to initiate pro.
ceedings for the removalOf all nuisances. He further pro.
posed that the local authorities should hare poire to Bled

M. Paulin Guerin, a ;painter of some celebrity, died
the day before yesterday. His -chef-d'ceuvrc, " The
Curse of Cain," is in the gallery of the Luxembourg.
TUE MOUNTGARRET PEERAGE CASE.—The applica-
tion for a new trial in this case, after several days' argu-
ment,
was decided yesterday in the Court of Exchequer.
The wag
theg ranrteeccle,potinontheef gimropurnopdesrof
evidence.misdire ction
of The
costs were given,

THE SUN LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING JANUARY 24, 185,15.

HEM WATIM AT LONDON BRIDGF,

Clll3 DAY ---Morning 13 min.rifter 6 1 Evening 39 min.sft.
ro- sn:irsow • Morning 2 arin.rttor 7 / Evening 20 min.aft. 7

TEiIC WEATHEIt.—Sum Ofiru, Jan. 21.
TdEBMORETi:Ii, IN THE SHADE.
33 —highest 'sines noon yesterday.
34—!owest this morning and during the night.
40 —this clay, at noon.

BAROMMTER, 30'00.

WrND, N.N.W..— Light breeze, and mild, muggy
weather. It froze last night again, but a strong thaw has
now set in.

she I las escaped by the capture and de-
struc Lion of that menacing stronghold, that
Nor thorn Sebastopol. Under such circumstances,
flaw], she could not hesitate as to the side
on which to array her forces. Besides, as a
military force could scarcely act against France or
England, it must be against Russia that it is in-
tended to operate !
We feel all the importance of this demonstra-
tion. Russia can never be completely humbled
until its Northern as well as its Southern
claws be clipped. And this can only be done
through the instrumentality of Sweden, and with
the assistance of Swedish troops. Time is no
necessity for depriving it of the means of defence ;
all that is required is to limit its means of aggres-
sion—to prevent it from menacing inferior powers
if they do not yield implicit obedience to its
views.

The great want of the day is confessed on every
hand. We want a Minister of War ; one with
competent abilities and competent powers. All
the rest would then come quickly right. Great,
we acknowledge, is the sweep it would make of
official and aristocratic rubbish, and well tried
ought the ability to be to which the requisite
powers should be intrusted ; but necessity is a
stern teacher, and the whole nation is now well
schooled in his instructions. We acknowledge
the general War policy of our Cabinet to have
been most aimless and perverse, one partly wait-
ing on the accidents of the hour, and partly
shaped to the wishes of German Governments;
but that is not our point just now. On the
Cabinet, as a whole, on its head especially, rests
the blame of all that. It is the administration
of the War which cannot be tolerated one hour
longer. We will say at once, that, with the
highest respect for the Duke of NEWCASTLE as a
man, we have but little for the Minister of War.
How can we?

It may be said lie is the victim of the system.
We reply, he has no right to be. Ho knew
beforehand what the system was ; he knew that
his orders might have to wait on the caprice, idle-
ness, or official bigness of three or four depart-
ments ; all this he knew. It was, therefore, open
to him to demand powers which should enable
him to give the nation something for its•addi-
tional 17,0001., the cost of his office, or to decline
taking it. He 'had, indeed, the alternative of
retaining the colonies, for which he had shown a
respectable measure of fitness, or of taking the
new and more ambitious office. Now, with all
our respect for this worthy Duke, we think he has
not the shadow of a title, on the ground of the
nature of the office, to clemency. He sought the
office, not the office him. He clings to it in the
face of the most disastrous mismanagement. He
merely declines to defend every detail ; but the
country i 3 satisfied that the details to be repre-
hended make up the greater part of the duties of
the office. It is utterly inexcusable for a man to
thrust himself forward on the nation if ho knew
that he undertook to work a system in which nine-
tenths of the details would be mismanaged--as it
has proved, fatally mismanaged. But if, indeed,
he did not know that the system would work thus,
what language of censure is strong enough for the
audacity and self-conceit which could so ignorantly
undertake the work ?

The other excuse is that he must have time to
serve his apprenticeship. We repudiate such fatal
lenity. -Why must he ? Is it essential to have a
Duke in the office, or even an Honourable or a
Sir ? The country would rather see all the Dukes
in England relegated to their ee,reLry mansions
than our troops starved, frozen, or sickened into
Crimean graves, to keep a Duke in office. We
fear the honest verdict of a competent inquiry
would be—" A well-meaning man, of very re-
spectable abilities, and very high rank' avd con-
nexions, but utterly below the requisitions of a
War-office in time of War." We are sorry, even
in bis official capacity, to censure so respectable a
nobleman as the Duke of NEWCASTLE ; but the
time demands honesty. We do not ask a better
heart, but a better head we must have. Our re-
presentatives must do their duty ; party con-
siderations must be thrown to the wind, and the
one demand must be a man who has given proofs
of capacity to provide for large bodies of men—to
find the right subordinates to carry out his plans
—to ride rough-shed over all the fripperies of
routine—to make his will law, even if it drove an
office full of aristocratic dandies from their desks
to their mothers' homes ; in a word, competency
and a decision of character which would compel
chaos itself into order.

These great requisites aro to be found. We
will not mention names. The mere statement of
the essentials will recal some to the recollection of
most. Wo believe it would not be difficult for
Louis NAPOLEON to tell Lord ABERDEEN Of half-a-
dozen men, any one of whom, were he Emperor
here, he would put ruith confidence over the War
administration—men who, with all the disad-
vantages of a set of obstructive officials, would, if
clothed with the requisite authority, and made
perhaps temporary dictators in the War De-
partment, soon see our troops well provi-
sioned, well cicthed, and well sheltered, and
the guns and ammunition of • all kinds, in
ample supply, and in their places. Thdse are the
fundamental necessaries of warfare, without which
the greatest courage and the highest skill aro help-
less. And these are the things which have been
so shamefully, so inexcusably deficient ; sent too
late—unable to reach the camp, if sent—unfit for
use, if they have been carried there, no one knows
how. Such are the daily tidings brought by the
post. Into the reiterated and provoking details we
need not enter again. We wish but to arouse
the public to insist that the War Ministry shall
forthwith be given to a man equal to his post.
We care not whether ho was trained at Oxford or
at a British School; whether he be a Duke or a
simple Mr. ; but we affirm that, if our represen-
tatives do not demand a man equal to his post,
the homicide of future thousands will be justly
chargeable at their door. It is theirs to say,
" We vote no more millions of the nation's money
until we have a man who can manage to use it as
the nation expects rim."

Admiral Dundas arrived at Berlin on the 19th, and
intended to remain there some days before returning to
England.
VIENNA, Jan. 23.—Count Buol has received the
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and M. Drouyn
de Lhuys that of the order of St. Stephen, in Austria.
The Correspondence of Berlin, states that the Offen-
sive Alliance has reached its conclusion, but that it will
not be made known until the time shall come for carry-
ing it int) effect.
Yesterday the Lords of the Admiralty gave notice, in
the Underwriters' room, Lloyd's Reyal Exchange, that
more steamers of 400 tons and upwards were required
by Government to convey troops and stores to the
Crimea, as also a steamer of 500 tons to carry medical
stores to tho hospital at Scutari. These vessels are to
be engaged for three months certain.
The French Government has just purchased the last
picture of M. Ingres, "Joan of Arc before the High
Alter at Rheims." After having formed one of the at-
tractions of the Universal Exposition this fine work will
be placed in the gallery of the Luxembourg.
The Academy of Inscriptions and thlles Lettres has
named M. A. de Boisseau, of Lyons, whose learned work
on the ancient inscriptions found in the city is well
known, a corresponding member.
We read with regret in the Debats the announcement
of the death cf the Count St. Aulaire, formerly French
Ambassador to the Court of St. James's.

There is no truth in the report that has been current,
that M. Turgot, the French Ambassador to the Court of
MaUrid, thinks of resigning.