The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-09 00:00:00

NUISANCES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—A few months back I addressed you on the sub-
ject of existing nuisances, and stated my conviction that
many local authorities would not perform their public
duty by causing the abominations to be removed ; and
that the time will come when the Government would
have to appoint independent officers in order to carry
out the valuable sanitary laws effectually.
Let me now illustrate my opinion. The Corporation
of Leicester have what are called "The Town Slaughter-
houses," which, it turns out, have been kept in such a
scandalous state as to be most intolerable, and the life
of a respectable individual, who resided near them, has
been sacrificed, as appears by the testimony of medical
men. This, too, in a town having a Board of Health !
I sincerely hope the Government will immediately in-
stitute inquiry into this sad affair.—Yours, obediently,
Oct. 8, 1855. OBSERVER.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

(From the Daily News of this day.)

At length it seems clear, both from the reports
of Prince Gortschakoff and from the accounts which
have reached us from the allied armies, that neither
is the Russian army retiring, nor all the allied
commanders content with the fall of the town of
Sebastopol as the crowning exploit of the campaign
of 1855. As yet, therefore, neither the gratuitous
advice of the peremptory and prophetic Times, nor
the difficulty of provisioning the Russian army in
the Crimea, has had the effect of driving the Rus-
sians to Perekop. Neither has Prince Gortschakoff
shown any signs of retiring—nor, indeed, do we
believe that he will show any signs of retiring until,
by the operations of the Allies, he is compelled to
take that course. The truth is, as we pointed out
some time ago, the Russians have everything to
gain by delay. If they can only maintain their
present position for two months they will be in a
much better situation for the purpose of conducting
negotiations than if they were now to evacuate the
peninsula. Exasperated as the Russian army and
the Russian people must be by the fall of Sebai-
topol—and that such exasperation is dreaded the
Emperor's manifesto and Prince Gortschakoff's
order of the day are proofs too significant to be
disregarded—it is obvious enough that the effect
of a voluntary retreat might be such as seriously
to endanger the life or even the dynasty of the
present Emperor. Assuredly it is for no slight
cause that an absolute monarch condescends to de-
fend himself before his subjects in a public mani-
festo.

But whilst the perils of Russia are great, and the
necessity of putting on a bold front is of vital im-
portance to the empire, the necessity under which
the Allied Governments are placed of pushing on
the war with relentless vigour becomes every day,
if possible, more imperative. And, indeed, it ap-
pears, if we may judge from the information which
has reached us, that energetic measures have al-
ready been taken to carry this policy into effect.
Although at first some doubt seems to have arisen
as to whether the military movements communi-
cated by telegraph were correctly represented, and
although some of the public journals seem at a loss
to understand their purport, still we think the gene-
ral scheme of operation is sufficiently obvious—
founded as it certainly is upon well-known strate-
gical principles.
The Russian army, amounting to probably not
less than 150,000 men, occupies the forts on
the northern side of Sebastopol, and a line to
the eastward of some twenty-five miles in length,
extending along the precipitous heights of Mac-
kenzie to Aitodor, and thence north-eastward to
Albat, on the Upper Belbek. Along this enor-
mously strong ridge, strengthened by field works
and a numerous artillery, the Russian main army is
posted ; but in front the Russian commander has
thrown forward strong outposts towards the Tcher-
naya and the Valley of Baidar, to give timely
warning of the movements of the enemy. Besides
this main army, and a division in the neighbour-
hood of Kertch of some 14,000 men, there is another
division watching the Allies, towards Eupatoria,
of probably 20,000 men. On the other hand, the
Allies have determined upon a plan which they are
now endeavouring to carry into effect, namely, to
threaten the Russian communications with Perekop
and the Tchongar road. These roads, which fall
into the great road to Simpheropol, are, it is well
known, the only roads by which the Russians are
supplied with provisions, or by which, in case of
necessity, the army can retreat. In furtherance of
their object, the Allies have already transported
some 30,000 men to Eupatoria, who will be rein-
forced from time to time until a corps d'armee is
collected there sufficiently strong to take the field.
Indeed, according to the latest accounts, a cavalry
affair has already taken place between the French
under General D'Allonville, and the Russians,
under General Korff, in which the former appear
to have been victorious. The object in thus taking
the field must of course be to intercept the reinforce-
ments, to cut off the convoys of provisions, and iu
short to starve the main Russian army. In this
way the Allied Generals hope, no doubt, to compel
the Russian Commander to assume the initiative,
and in fact to put him under the necessity of at-
tacking the Allied army in the position which its
Commander may select as most advantageous. But
whilst the Allies are concentrating their forces
about Eupatoria, in order to occupy the attention
of the Russian Commander, it was requisite that
their army on the Tchernaya should advance its
outposts so as to threaten the Russians occupying
the Mackenzie plateau and the Upper Belbek. So
long as the main body of the Russian troops occu-
pies this line it is by no means probable that any
attempt will be made to force it, for whether we
estimate its strength from private letters, from
the best maps, or from the.: photographic repre-
sentations of Mr. Fenton, it Seems a position little

less than impregnable. Unless, therefore, the
Russian line is greatly weakened, the Allies will
probably content themselves by merely threaten-
ing it by the display of such an imposing force as
will demand the presence of the Russian army in
their strong position along those heights. Ac-
cordingly, we learn from St. Petersburg that the
Allies have pushed forward a detachment of some
30,000 men as close as possible to the Rus-
sian outposts, that they are making daily recon-
naissances, and indeed that they have already had
a successful affair with the enemy at Urkusta ; and
it is even said that the pass through the mointains
has been forced. It thus appears that the' Allied
armies are engaged in a double movement, one on
the north and the other on the south of 'Prince
Gortschakoff, each dependent on the other; and
the grounds upon which the schemes of operations
proceeds are obvious.
It is of course necessary for the Russian general
to keep his line of battle along the heights unbroken
—for once pierced, the Russian army is lost. At
the same time it is es ential for him to keep his
communications open with Perekop, and therefore
it is impossible he can endure a corps d'armee in
his rear. His position, therefore, is obviously full
of peril ; though at the same time that of the Allies
is not without peril also. The peril to the Allies is,
lest the Prince, detaching 80,000 or 100,000 men,
should suddenly fall on the Allied corps at Eupa-
toria, and annihilate it. In this way the Prince
may, from time to time, attack the divisions of the
Allied army separately, and thus succeed in repeat-
ing the exploit which has immortalised the grat Na-
poleon, when, abandoning the siege ofMantua, he de-
stroyed the Austrian divisions in succession. To carry
such a scheme into effect requires certainly a con-
summate general, of a genius to strike a blow with
an almost marvellous celerity and with overpower-

ing vigour ; nevertheless, as it seems to us, some
such scheme as this must be adopted if the Russian
army is to be saved. For since Eupatoria is dis-
tant from the great road but 25 miles, it is utterly
impossible that any rational commander should al-
low an army of 40,000 or 50,000 men to establish
itself in his rear, and in the line of his communica-
tions, without making some effort to dislodge or
destroy it. At the same time it may cost Prince
Gort'chakoff dear should the allies learn that his
line along the heights had been materially weak-
ened ; for then, of course, the army from Baidar
would at once push on, seize the plateau, and so
fall on the rear of theßussians.
If, therefore, we have rightly interpreted the
plans of the allies, it seems that the contest is now
one of pure generalship ; and a few weeks must
determine whether or not the Crimea is destined
to be in the hands of the allies before the close of
the present season.

METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT.

THE WARDS.
In working out final results from the returns and cal-
culations presented at upwards of 60 meetings held by
the assessors appointed under the Metropolis Local
Management Act to divide into wards parishes contain-
ing more than 2,000 rated householders, and to appor-
tion among them the number of vestrymen to be elected,
it was found with respect to Paddington that some
doubt yet remained as to whether the number of vestry-
men would be 72 or 84. On inquiry at the vestry-hall
it appeared that Mr. Wood, the assessor, had not made
his final award, but that returns bad been forwarded to
him which it was thought would entitle Paddington to
84 vestrymen.
The difficulty arose from a want of agreement between
the figures taken from the rate-book and the returns
made by the collectors. By the former, it appeared
that the number of persons rated to the relief of the poor
was 6,201, which would give to Paddington 84 vestry-
men ; but the returns of the collectors presented the
number of rated householders at below 6,000, and these
returns, it adopted as correct, would reduce the number
of vestrymen to 72. The assessor, therefore, required
to be furnished with returns showing not only the num-
ber of persons actually rated, but also the number of
occupiers in the parish.
Mr. Aveling, the vestry-clerk, forwarded such re-
turns; and since the publication of the tables, Mr. Avel-
ing has received from Mr. Wood his final award, which
gves to
Ward 1 ..

12 vestrymen.
.18 PP
.18 ~
24 2,

T0ta1............ 72
To Paddington, therefore, 72 vestrymen have been as.
Signed ; and this result will make a slight difference in
the figures given in the tables, which represent the total
number of vestrymen apportioned among the 28 divided
parishes. There the total appears to be 1,980 (Padding
ton appearing to have 84). The total, according to the
amended result for Paddington, will now be 1,968 ves-
trymen for all the parishes divided into wards under the
Metropolis Local Management Act.
In St. Margaret's parish, Westminster, an alteration
has been made, not in the number of vestrymen to be

apportioned (which remains at. 36), but in the Aumber off/
wards set out. There would have been four wards if
the returns presented to Mr. G. B. Allen, the assessor,'
at the meeting held on the 18th ult. had proved true to
the Ist of October; but, the result being otherwise, the
number of wards will be only three.
From the returns presented by the parish authorities,
it appeared that Ward 1, or Hamlet Ward, sticsuld con-
tain 621 rated householders, and 622 persons fated to
the relief of the poor, the total amount of rateable value
on all assessments being 43,9261. Ward 2,.; or Buck-
ingham Ward, would contain 516 rated householders,
and 516 persons rated to.the relief of the poor, ;the total
rateable value being 19,1341. Ward 3, or Middle Ward,
would have 542 rated householders, and 542 persons
rated to the poor, and the total rateable value would be
26,476/. Ward 4, or Parliament-street Ward, would
contain 540 rated householders, 540 persons rated to
the poor, and give a rateable value of 54,421/.
Proceeding upon these data Mr. Allen said the divi-
sion would be into four wards ; but the numbers in
Buckingham Ward being so very close upon the limit
allowed by the act—" no ward to contain less than 500
rated householders,"—the assessor made it a proviso
that, in the event of it appearing on the Ist of October
that the numbers presented had been reduced by re-
- movals- or otherwise to below 500 in Buckingham Ward,
the wards must be modified, or a less number given.
Since the publication of the tables on Friday, Mr.
Rogers, the vestry clerk, has furnished a statement of
Mr. Allen's final award, just received, from, which it
appears that, instead of 'four, there will be but three
wards for St. Margaret's, Westminster. The number
of vestrymen remains the same as formerly given-36
but, of course, with a varied apportionment—thus ; to
Ward 1 l2 vestrymen.
Ward 2 9 ' t.
Ward 3 • 15 ,„

Total s6
The Hamlet remains one of the three wards.

ROYAL EAST BERKS AGRICULTURAL
ASSOCIATION. .

The annual meeting of this association was held on
Thursday last. The exhibition of "cattle, though not
quite so extensive as in some years, comprised 'a larger
number of fine animals than has been previously seen
connection with this society. The Devon ox sent by
Prince Albert was of a superior kind, and commanded
general admiration. The short-horn heifer, the yearling
heifer, and yearling bull, shown by C. P. Grenfell, Esq.,
of Taplow-court, and each of which carried off a prize,
were exceedingly handsome animals ; there was a good
class of mares and foals, and of the latter there was one
worth 50 guineas. The members and their friends, to
the number of 70, dined together in the evening, under
the presidency of Mr. C. P. Grenfell, of Taplow-court.
Mr. PASCOE GRENFELL, in proposing the toast of the
" Army and Navy," said he recollected the time when
this toast was drunk as a matter of course, and when the
speeches made by the colonels or captains in reply were
of a stereotyped character, that whenever the army or
navy were called out, they would be sure to do their
duty. (Hear.) He would appeal to that meeting whether
the time had not come in which they had beet' called
f rth, and whether they had not nobly done their duty'.
(Cheers.) As a commercial man he would ask Olen:), as
agriculturists, what was it that gave them seeerity to
pursue their peaceful avocations but the army and navy;
alai what was it enabled them to check the ambitious
and grasping designs of the greatest military power oa
earth but the army and navy ? (Hear, and applause.)
The names of the Alma, and Balaklava, and the Tcher-
na.ya were becoming almost as familiar in their • mouths
now as he recollected 40 years ago they used to talk of
what the army did at Salamanca and Talavera, and the
navy in the Nile and at Trafalgar. In these encounters
they had seen what the army could do • and as regards the
navy, he was far from being dissatisfied with what it had
done in the present struggle. (Cries of hear.) That ser-
vice had not had the great opportunities Nelson had,
when the opposing fleets came out and fought like
men. ( Applause.) But he believed that when puch op"
portunities should be permitted to our navy, it would be
seen that the British tars possessed the same'spirit of
determination which distinguished the navy 46 and 50
years ago. (Loud applause.) He could not help think'
ing, if he read aright the tone which had pervaded son:0
portion of the public press (and here he must say he re'
vered the press generally, and regarded it as the great
bulwark of liberty in our land), that it bad been a little
too harsh. (Cries of "Heir, hear.") There had been
what undoubtedly might be called a slight reverse, but
not to justify such severe censure and criticism as had
Proceeded from some papers. They had been so used to
the names of Nelson and Wellington, that they; fancied
men of equal forethought and ability were to be found
for any emergency. There were some present who could
recollect the revolutionary wars ; and they Would hear
him out in saying that Wellington was not theproduot
of a moment, nor was Nelson the man of a day. It wall
years and years before they attained a degree of erei'
nence. (Hear, hear.) He believed that, both in tb°
army any navy, now the same spirit actuated the men
and officers. They had shown it in the recent battles+
and would do so again. (Applause.) Mr. .Grenfell
spoke of the advantages which had already accrued i°
the present war from ,an alliance of the English .0
French ; and expressed a hope that the same kindli,
feeling which existed between the two nations might
long continue, by which they might hope effectually to
promote liberty and civilisation, and arrest the progress
of absolute power. He concluded by proposing " Tbe
,Health of Colonel Vansittart" with the toast (drunk
with three times three.)
Colonel VANSITTART, in reply, adverted to .the brit:
liant services of our army at Alma, Inkerman and
Balaklava, saying that in each of these both the officer°
and men had shown indomitable courage and great de'
termination, and in every way they had proved thevy
selves worthy of the respect and admiration 'of their_
fellnw-countrymen. After enduring great "privatioa!
in the prosecution of the war, and having fougb,'
several successive battles (9bseived, the gallant coloootl
the great prize had been won, and theflagnf the
armies waved in, triumph over Sebastopol.., , (Cheers ii
He believed that but one feeling of adruiration pervade°
the people of England at the indomitable courage dir
p'ayed by the army.: They had nobly done their duty'
and the Engiish.people'veere proud•of possesiing such all
army—(applause)—and, as 'art old soldier, he must Pit
that bethought the press had been more severe than e
in their criticisms on the .conduct of the artily. oe
thought it very,hard (Ten the officers who had shed their
Lest blood for their country's cause that those papa°
should have allowed anonymous letters to be inserted
their columns, stabbing the character of those noble men'
(Hear.) They had, not given the army fair English ON,
or common justice. He thought that the names of tb°
writers ought, to be appended to the .letters, md
they would know who it was that attacked them, ant
bow to deal with them.. It must be rememhired thaw
those men fought not for mercenary motive not fof
dirty lucre, and their characters were more precious the°o
anything else to them. He must say that there was nj
wonder that a great portion of the people of:Engirt',
should cry out'' Shame, shame upon the tyranny of tb
press." (Loud cheers.) He spoke as an' old soldier;
and therefore must be excused the warmth of his PO;
ings ; but when last year he saw all those names vibied
he had been brought up to'revere±when he saw L°l.o
Raglan, Sir Richard Ungland, Mg lathers, who had tabs,
part in this bloody war, bad been assailed,: his hear;
turned back with disgust at it, andle could hirdly 130,
believed that the Times would have acted so dastard
l
and cowardly. (Protracted cheering.) He had spoke f
strongly on the subject, because he felt that many
their noble officers had been unfairly treated.
•
Several other toasts' followed of a local and comp"/
mentary character.

NECESSARY REFORMS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—When mismanagements are so prevalent in °ti
War Department, and gun-boats found to he necessarit
just a year after they ought to have been in Cronstadt
Sweaborg, it becomes a matter of interest and necessity
to inquire who are the men that manage, or rather raiii;
manage, these things, and what are their qualificatige
to be placed where they are ? Why should 'we, ti)
overtaxed producers, he so victimised ?
In these days of "the right men in the right plecelit;
when we see reforms beking place on all sides, it is b
right that something of the sort should begin in that Del'
of corruption, the Board of Admiralty, more particulefie
in that part which the public are least able to graph
d
with, the Steam Department. What we would ask
Has the head of that department ever had a prattle'
acquaintance in the handling of machinery, or is 100
mere theorist, relying upon the skill of those by v/11,,°11
the engines are contracted for to get him out of "'
difficulties ?
When the much-abused Ordnance, and even the Sitier;
veyor's Department of the Admiralty, give orders 1.,
the construction of mortars or vessels by private CO
tract, we believe they give plans and say what t 1
want. Is there no man in'this steam-engine-produ,l
country capable of saying to the manufacturers,
is the Admiralty pattern ; I want engines of this
scription
As it is, we have first one pattern of John Penn 5,,e
Sons, then another of Maudslays and Field, then allot%
of G. and J. Rennie, then another of Miller, Ravenbillii
and Co., till the Admiralty engineer has to puzzle ,4.4
brains, when transferred from one ship to another/
to what form of construction he may come to next. 013
The present plian seems to be something like the
Vernon, Pique, and Co. experiments, or the iron s.ji
management, till they are found useless, and laid
as lumber, or patched up at a great expense into s°'''
thing tolerable.
„V
As for the head of the Steam Department he nrol-7,
A, good man, and may have been a clever man, but teo
worn out, We want new men, and till we get nest'
we must not hope for reform.
We have got a new Storekeeper-General and a ",10
Board of Admiralty. Let us now clear out the AUK
st,.ble of steam corruption, and then we may hoP°
better things.
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
A REFORMO
Chelsea, Bth October, 1855.

Only one vessel has left the port of London for hio
tralia during the week, its destination. being Port-Pi
and its capacity 656 tons. The rates of freight Ai'
lubit much depression. 011
THE MAILS. —The Peninsular and Oriental Corollt0;
steam-ship, Madrid, Capt, Cook, left Soutbamptoo
terday with the usual Peninsular mail, a full cargofcil
67 passengers, amongst whom were Col. Cobbe, Ost
Lawson, &c. The :Madrid takes out specie t°/0"
amount of 54,8501., viz., 4,1501. for Lisbon, and 50)
for Cadiz.

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