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

apportioned (which remains at 36), but in the number of
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, would con-
tain 621 rated householders, and 622 persons rated to
the relief of the poor, the totAl amount of rateable "mine
on ad 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
26,4761. Ward 4, or Parliament-street Ward, would
contatn 540 rated householders, 540 persons rated to
the poor, and give a rateable value of 54,4211.
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
a:lowed 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 apportion went—thus : to
Ward 1 l2 vestrymen,
Ward 2
Ward 3

.15 ~

Total 36
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 in
connection with this society. The Devon ox sent by
Prince Albert was of a superior kind, and commanded
general admiration. The shorthorn 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 been called
fmth, and whether they had not nobly done their duty.
(Cheers.) As a commercial man he would ask them, as
agriculturists, what was it that gave them security to
pursue their peaceful avocations but the army and navy;
and what was it enabled them to check the ambitious
and grasping designs of the greatest military power on
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 v hat 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 dame out and fought like
men. ( A pplause.) But he believed that when such op-
portuaities should be permitted to our navy, it would be
seen that the British tars possessed the same spirit of
determination which distinguished the navy 40 and 50
years ago. (Loud applause.) He could not help think;
ing, if he read aright the tone which had pervaded some
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 " Hear, 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 bear
him out in saying that Wellington was not the product
of a moment, nor was Nelson the man of a day. It was
years and years before they attained a degree of emi-
nence. (Hear, hear.) He believed that, both in the
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 in
the present war from an alliance of the English and
French ; and expressed a hope that the same kindly
feeling which existed between the two nations might
long continue, by which they might hope effectually to
promote liberty and civilisation, and arrest the progresa
of absolute power. He concluded by proposing "The
Be:, lth of Colonel Vansittart" with the toast (drunk
with three times three.)
Colonel VAN SITTART, in reply, adverted to the bril-
liant services of our army at Alma, Inkerman, and
Balaklava, saying that in each of these both the officers
and men had shown indomitable courage and great de-
teiraination, and in every way they had proved them-
selves worthy of the respect and admiration of their
fellow-countrymen. After enduring great privations
in the prosecution of the war, and having fought
several successive battles (observed the gallant colonel)
the great prize had been won, and the flag of the allied
armies waved in triumph over Sebastopol. (Cheers .)
He believed that but one feeling of admiration pervaded
the people of England at the indomitable courage dis-
p'ayed by the army. They had nobly done their duty,
and the English people were proud of possessing such an
army—(applause)—and, as an old soldier, he must say
that he thought the press had been more severe than just
ie their criticisms on the conduct of the army. He
thought it very hard upon the officers who had shed their
best blood for their country's cause that those papers
should have allowed anonymous letters to be inserted in
their salumns, stabbing the character of those noble men.
(Hear.) They had not given the army fair English play
or common justice. He thought that the names of the
writers ought to be appended to the letters, and then
they would know who it was that attacked them, and
how to deal with them. •It must be remembered that
those men fought not for mercenary motive', not for
dirty lucre, and their characters were more precious than
anything else to them. He must say that there was no
wonder that a great portion of the people of England
should cry out "Shame, shame upon the tyranny of the
press." (Loud cheers.) He spoke as an old soldier,
and therefore must be excused the warmth of his feel-
ings ; but when last year he saw all those names which
he had been brought up to revere—when he saw Lord
Raglan, Sir Richard England, anti others, who had taken
part in this bloody war, had been assailed, his heart
turned back with disgust at it, and he could hardly have
believed that the Times would have acted so dastardly
and cowardly. (Protracted cheering.) He had spoken
strongly on the subject, because he felt that many of
their noble officers bad been unfairly treated.
Several other toasts followed of a local and compli-
mentary character.

NECESSARY REFOEMS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE RUM.

SlR,—When mismanagements are so prevalent in our
War Department, and gun-boats found to be necessary
just a year after they ought to have been in Cronstadt or
Sweaborg, it becomes a matter of interest and necessity
to inquire who are the men that manage, or rather mis-
manage, these things, and what are their qualifications
to be placed where they are ? Why should we, the
overtaxed producers, he Ito victimised ?
In these days of "the right men in the right place,"
when we see reforms tsking place on all sides, it is but
right that something of,the sort should begin in that nest
of corruption, the Board of Admiralty, more particularly
in that part which the public are least able to grapple
with, the Steam Department, .What we would ask is,
Has the head of that department ever bad a practical
acquaintance in the handling of machinery, or is he a
mere theorist, relying upon the skill of those by whore
the engines are contracted for to get him out of his
difFasulties 1 _

When the much-abused Ordnance, and even the Sur.
veyor's Department of the Admiralty, give orders for
the construction of mortars or vessels by private cape
tract, we believe they give plans and say what they
want. Is there no man in this steam-engine-producing
country capable of saying to the manufacturers, " This
is the Admiralty pattern ; I want engines of this de-
scription l"
As it is, we have first one pattern of John Penn 911 a
Sons, then another of IViaudslays and Field, then another
of G. and J. Rennie, then another of Miller, Ravenhill,
and Co,, till the Admiralty engineer has to puzzle his
brains, when transferred from one ship to another, as
to what form of construction he may come to next.
The present plan seems to he something like the old
Vernon, Pique, and Co. experiments, or the. iron shit'
management, till they ore found useless, and laid aside
as lumber, or patched up at a great expense into some'
thing tolerable.
As for the head of the Steam Department he may b°
A good man, and may have been a clever man, but he ill
worn out. We want new men, and till we get new mell
we must not hope for reform.
We have got a new Storekeeper-General and a neVi
Board of Admiralty. Let us now clear out the Augest
Ftable of steam corruption, and then we may hope for
better things.
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
A REFORMER.
Chelsea, Bth October, 1855.

Only one vessel has left the port of London for Atl,6:,
tralia during the week, its destination being Port-Pbill,r
and its capacity 656 tons. The rates of freight still efr'
hibit much depression.
THE MAILS.—The Peninsular and Oriental Compaol4,
steam-ship, MadriJ, Capt. Cook, left Southampton 27',1
terday with the usual Peninsular mail, a full cargo,...ot,
67 passengers, amongst whom were Col. Cobbe, Llg
Lawson, &c. The Madrid takes out specie to tnto
amount of 51,8501., viz., 4,150/. for Liston, and 50,70'
for Cadiz,