The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-06 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE STEAM-SHIP NATAL.

SOUTHAMPTON, Thursday, April s.—We regret to
have to announce the loss of the General Screw Steam-
shipping Company's steamer Natal, intelligence of
which event has reached Southampton to-day by the
steam-ship Euxine, last from Gibraltar.
The Natal was one of the small vessels belonging to
the fleet of the General Screw Company, being only of
650 tons burden and 120-horse power. For the past two
years she had been employed in running between the
Cape of Good -Hope and the colony of Natal, from
'which station she returned (in consequence of the aban-
donment of the service) on the 6th of February
last. After a thorough refit, the Natal was chartered
to the French Government for the conveyance of
troops and military stores, and sailed from Southampz
ton on the 15th of March for Marseilles, to load at
that port for the Crimea. It was while prosecuting this
voyage, under the command of Captain Boxer, that the
disaster occurred. But very meagre accounts have been
received by this opportunity. It appears, however, that
on the night of the 29th ult., at 9.30 p.m., she went
ashore at Conil, on the coast of Spain. Upon the news
reaching the British Consul at Cadiz, that functionary-
immediately started for the wreck to render the neces-
sary assistance. According to the latest accounts, there
was reason to hope that the greater part of the stores
would be saved, but it was expected the vessel would
become a total wreck. All hands were saved with the
exception of one person, John Stewart, fireman, vgh.o
was drowned. The full details of the catastrophe will
be received by the steamer Iberia, expected at Southatnp.
ton in a few dalys from the Peninsular port,.

--,,---
CRYSTAL - A ' CD.—SHILLING DAY.—Aprq s.—Ad-
missions
on pa ent, 1,911 ; ditto by season
tickets,
495.—T0ta1, 2,49-
P \c,..
OTLAND.—Yesterday the Lord
EDUCATION IN
Advocate's bill on education in Scotland was issued. It
contains 43 clauses, and Itio preamble recites that the
present system is inadequate' for the people. The bill
was explained by the Lord Advocate on its introduction.
It bears the names of the Lord Advocate, Lord Pal-
merston, and Sir George Grey.
RAISING OF A SHIP AT GRAVESFA).— The Prussian
barque Samuel, of Dantzic, which was sunk in five
fathoms' water off Coal-house Point on iteporning of
the Bth of March, after coming in collision, with the
Westmoreland, has been successfully raised within the
present week by Mr. Bell, of Whitstable, the well-knoWn
diver, and she now lies a short distance below Graves-
end, previoue being tea into the India docks,

THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND NUISANCES
REMOVAL BILLS-GOVERNMENTAL OEN.
TRALISATION. •

Yesterday a numerous and influentially-attended pub.
lic meeting of supporters of the Anti-Central Legislation
Union of manufacturers, traders, and others for the de.
fence of property and enterprise, was held at the Landon -
Tavern, to consider the provisions of the Public Health
and Nuisances Removal Bills, now before Parliament.
Mr. HILLS (Deptford), in opening the proceedings,,
said the meeting bad been called to explain what 'had.,
been done by the committee since the first meeting held
on the subject, and it would he granted, he thought,
that they hal not been idle in their opposition to the
bills. He had himself been two or three times before
the committee of the House of Commons, but the bills
had been improved very little, if at all, by the amend- .
ments introduced. In fact, he thought they were in some
respects worse than before. For instance, in one clause
it had originally been provided that any injurious and
offensive manufachre should not be carried on, and the
word "and " had been altered to the word "or," so •
that nothing which was considered either . injurious or
offensive could now be carried on. The clauses were still
the same with regarl to the interference of the police
with any place from which offensive effluvia proceeded.
There was bull no appeal from petty sessions to a jury,
while obvious and common Nuisances were not separa. ed
from what might be a great manufacture ; and if mann-
fa. turers Le erally knew the effect which the bills would
have upon them, he thought they would be energetic in
opposition from one end of the country to the other.
They could see what ha l been done by the Smoke Act,
which was supposed would only refer to smoke, but a clause
had been introduced for the suppression of nuisances, by
which manufacturers had been pit to enormous expense,
and then, u hen they had prepared their defence, the pro-
secution had been often abandoned. He was once in

_
court where a dozen manufacturers were brought up, all
of whom were fineo, on which occasion the magistrate
said that if anything could be invented by which smoke
could be consumed it must be adopted, whether itwould
spoil the manufactnre or not. That he thought was not
the meaning of the bill, but such was its application. -
The operation of the new bills would be similar, and this
interference was going on so fast that some strong asso-
ciation ought to be got up to oppose them. First they:
had the Smoke Bill, then the Nuisances Bill, then the
Public Health Bill, and now there was the Local
Management Bill for the Metropolis, which put all'
the others into operation. It was impossible to legis-
late for all nuisances, merely as nuisances, without
great injustice. It was provided that any animal that
was a nuisance could not be kept, so that a poor man's
pig might be sold under the bill. That perhaps was hardly
meant, but it was a power included in the bill, and it
showed the loose manner in which the clauses had been,
prepared. The association ought to be of a permanent
character, so as to meet these bills as they were brought,
forward, and to comprehend within it manufacturers_
and others from all parts of the country. (Hear.)
Mr. HOWARD read a report of the proceedings of the,
committee since the public meeting held on the 6th,
March, which stated, among other things, 'that while 85
petitions had been presented against the Public Health
Bill, only one bad been presented in its favour. The
committee had communicated with the Home Secretary,
Sir G. Grey, upon the subject of the bills, and intended
further to bring the subject immediately under the at-
tention of Lord Palmerston himself.
Mr. TourAirrt SMITH then moved-a series of resolu-

tions in accordance with the objects of the meeting. He
was glad to see that the interest of the subject upon
which they had met continued to interest manufacturers,
for he had seldom known a second meeting, held so soon
after the first, to be so well attended as that. Tie was
not there, however, as a manufacturer himself` but as
one of the " others" who were invited to attend ; and if
manufacturers simply opposed the bills because they
would affect themselves, they would, he thought, find
little sympathy on the part of the public. But he
contended that the bills affected all other classes 'as welt

as manufacturers. In fact, there was no one in England
whom they did hot affect, and the best policy of the
manufacturers would be to let the whole community see
the way in which they would be affected. It was upon
that ground lie took his stand in opposition to the bills.
Manufacturer,. were rich and could speak fur themselves,
but the bills affected as well the poor who could not speak
for themselves. He admitted that it was right to do that
which was essential for the public health, but one of his
objections was that thee attempts at legislationwhich were
not practical, stood in the way of steps that were practi-
cal. They were' proposed only for the profit of those who
enjoyed salaries, and places at the public expense..
(Hear.) His rights were interfered with that his neigh-
bour might wash his bands twice a day instead of once,
and if he were told that the liberties of the country were
to be sacrified that, the hands of the poor man might be
kept a little cleaner, he said lit them hold on to liberty
and let them do as their fathers had done in the other
respect. (Hear.) The Board of Health had from the
first displayed a spirit hostile to the interest of property
and private enterprise, and yet it had lately come to his
knowledge how very little was known of its operations
by those with whom it, interfered. By what the Board
of Health had done they might judge of what it would
do. It had attacked private enterprise from first to last.
The water companies bad been attacked without waiting
to see whether they would fulfil the duties imposed upon

them by their acts of Parliament. The gas companies
had been attacked, and the board on their reperts bad
even' asserted that it was impossible for any one but.
them-elves to bury the people of England properly.
They actually propose to do so, and • that tradingcompa-
nies, as they called them, should not be allowed to hu-y
e peop'e of Eug'and any longer. Thelpswich Ceme-
tery Bil had p3ssed its second reading, when they inter-
fered to prevent its final passage ; and in the same man-
ner they had interfered to prevent companies front

giving abetter supply of water in different localities.
They had also interfered with drainage, but had failed
in everyning which t',ey had undertaken. They
also wanted • to interfere with insnrance com-
panies, because, as they said in one of their report',
insnrance tended to enget.der crime and immorality,
weal en proper forethought, and increase the number of
fires ; and else,.‘ bele they proposed t U put them
under Government control. Their object in the various
bills was to oak further power.; of a summary na-
ture, and so long as they were allowed to go to Parlia-
ment year after year they weal do so. Their bills were so
long that it was impossible for them to be understood, for
with 200 or 250 clauses, members of Parfiarnent were top
much occupied to, read them, while the people of the
country could not undertand them. He held in his
hand numerous letters from different parts-of the coun-
try, all complaining of the want of information upon the
subject. He had also that day received two letters from
Birmingham, which some would think was a• place of
some importance in a manufacturing point of view, and
entitled to some attention, both of which were utterly
opposed to the bills. The interference with property
and enterprise was made, upon the plea of benevolence,
to promote the m( ral and physical condition of the poor,
an attempt which the various bills had never yet accom-
plished. But the question wa., what was to be done
with reference to the present bills ? And this brought
him again to the point that the movement against the
measures might be based upon the ground of their ge-
I neral effect upon the public at large. He knew that
harm had been done by individuals saying they would
be satisfied with the alteration of certain clauses, but
out of the 560 'clauses proposed by Sir B. Hall it was
selfish only to oppose one or two which affected their
own interests as manufacturers. He was certain that
the question did concern the public, and manufacturers
ought to oppose it upon general grounds. There had
recently been a decided attempt by Government to su-
persede trial by jury, by the system of summary convic-
tion, by which the poor man had been made to suffer,
while the rich man looked on with indifference. The
principle, however, was now extending still further, and
the manufacturers found that by not interfering to pro-
tect the poor they had made a rod for their own backe,
and he trusted the bills would pass entire, unless the
manufacturers would oppose them altogether as they
were now introduced, and not let a narrow clique, who
only sought for place and profit, force on changes at-
tacking the fundamental principles of Magna Charts.
Mr. C. FRANCIS seconded the motion.
Mr. J. LLOYD, representing some of the most important
companies in England, in supporting the motion, se-
verely criticised the conduct of Sir B. Hall in stopping
witnesses before the committee when about to give evi-
dence calculated to expose the " monstrosities' of the
bills, as well as the general refusal of the committee to
hear counsel in opposition. It seemed to be sin nowa-
days to be connected with a public company, but to what
but the public companies were they indebted for their
gas, water, and other comforts. He hoped the bills
would be 'thrown out.
worksthat
Mr. DICKEY supported the motion, being altogether
opposed to centralication, although he thought pror
so far as it was concerned, was well able to protect itself,
that
being particularly well represented in Parliament.
s
Mr. S. HOWARD pointed out the danrt theirherewa
g
manufacturers would be compelled to remove
from the country if the bills became Jaw, tin
Bermondsey was already suffering considerably from the
competition of foreign leather.
Mr. ELT having spoken is support, and Mr. T. SMITH
in explanation, the motion was unanimously agreed to,
and a subscription entered into for the purposes of the
Anti-Central Legislation Union, and the. opposition to
the obnoxious bins.
closed with a vote of thanks to the
chTairhme apnro. proceedings

The disoount houses did not give notice yesterday
afternoon of any reduction in their rate of allowance for
money at call, but it is expected to be lowered forthwith
from 4 per cent. to 3 per cent.
DIORAMA OF THE RUSSIAN WAR.—The Marionette
Theatre opened last evening with a moving diorama,
illustrating the principal events of the gigantic contest
on the shores of the Back Sea Commencing with a
view of Varna, whence the allied forces sailed on the
Crimean invasion in list September, the spectator is
successively introduced to the emtarkation of the
Anglo-French army, its landing at Old Fort, near
Eupatoria, the bombardment of Sebastopol by the fleet,
the heroic cavalry charge of Balaklava, and the deadly
straggle of Inkerman ; together with representations of
the interior of the hospitals at Scutari, and -of the hurri-
cane in which the ill-fated Prince and so many transports
were wrecked on the iron-bound coast, of the Crimea.
The pictures are 80 in number, admirably executed, and
vividly delineating events which have been already
familiar to the minds of all. The interest of the enter-
tainment is greatly f nbanc by thq clearness and
graphic power of Mr. Knight's descriptive lecture, seve-
ral portions of which were warmly applauded by the
numerous auditory, among whont we noticed several of
the gallant Guards. Some. appropriate songs areintro-
(Weed by Mrs. Limpus with very pleasing effect. The
ttioranna— of the Russian War is well worth's visit for
the blended instruction and entertainment it affords o
the -engrossing subject of the present day,'