The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-26 00:00:00

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The Weather—Sun Office, March 26, 1864,

THERMOMETER.
This day at Two o'clock 5O
• Barometer-29.52.
Wind—North ; light breeze.

HIGH WATER, AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tins,7DAy.—llorning, 3i. 52m.—Afternoon,
ra-moaltow.-Morning, 41i. 23m.—Afternoon, 4'1.40m.

T J(
,17.4
:.4 140.2 SUIT
r,

LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCII 26, 1861.

Speculations are becoming mere lively in regard
to the probabilities as to who may be the American
President. MANHATTAN, a tolerably keen ob3erver,
writing from New York, under data the 11th inst.,
is firmly of opinion that Mr. LINCOLN will be
re-elected. "The chances are," he says, " 90 in 100
that Mr. LINCOLN will be nominated, The chances
are 66 in 100 that ho will be elected President."
Mr. BENNETT, of the New York Herald, seemingly,
thinks quite otherwise. He looks, as others look
no less confidently than he does, for no regularly
elected President of any kind as the future head of
the Federal Government. lie looks not for the
election of CHASE—not for the election of FREMONT
—not for the re-election of LINCOLN : but—in lieu
of any comparatively commonplace proceeding of
that kind—for the seiz ire of supreme power
by some great military adventurer, another
JULIUS CJESAR, another OLIVER CROMWELL, an-
o:her NAPOLEON BONAI'ARTE. In this expecta-
tion it may be said that General GRANT, not
old SCOTT, nor yet young M'CLELLAN, but
General GRANT, now at Washington, is the man of
men, the hero of anticipation. Referring to the
fact of his arrival in the Northern capital, Mr.
BENNETT writes rather grandiosely thus :—" He
"Dies to Washington in the greatest crisis of the
country's history, and ho has to measure strength
with those who lead the political factions—the men
who ruined the plans of his predecessors. He is to
be ruled or to rule—there is no line between. If
he is swayed as SCOTT was or as M'CLELLAN was
ho will ba but another hero lost." The Yankee
publicist thereupon adding, in regard to
GRANT —" His position is, indeed, a grander
and more significant one, than any ever
occupie I by SCOTT or M'CLELLAN. He comes
from great victories to a national capital
torn by opposing interests, as C/ESAR marched
towards the Rubicon, as NAPOLEON went to Paris
after the Egyptian empedition, and as CROM-
WELL went to London before the dissolution of
the Parliament.'' Whereupon MANHATTAN, like a
wicked rogue as he is, cannot possibly resist the
inducement here presented to him for Poking a little
good-humoured fun at the hero of Mr. BENNETT'S
lively imagination. Looking to General GRANT'S
speculating as to his future
past history, and thereby
career, the merry wag observes :—" He got his
present position by being a candidate for the Presi..
dency at Chicago in 1860, and then going over to
LINCOLN. Now," adds MANHATTAN, " if he can
come home and control the Mhssaciausetts delega-
tion to Baltimore, and play the same game over
again, he will very likely become a field-mar4h4l,

-unless GRANT should seize the crown, and proclaim
himself Emperor—Emperor ULYSSES 1., or, per-
haps, ULYSSES IL, and then we should not
laugh at the old Greek chap No. I." But
—immediately afterwards—he says (apparently
with twinkling eyes but the gravest face in the
world) " N), the country would never permit a man
with such a second-hand name to mount the throne
or wear a purple cloak. No man could become Em-
peror here with the name of RomuLus, or C.XSAR,
or POMPEY. There is too much nigger about it.
The majority of one people don't know Greek and
history ; and the only Ulysses, and Pompoys, and
Somebodys are their own negroes. General GRANT
would have to take a D.:_77 name. lle might," su
gests MANHATTAN, in this little difficulty very
kindly "take the name of the town where he resides

—MEmritis I." In the meantime the period
for the Presidential election is drawing on
apace, and Mr. LINCOLN seems, in truth, to be
playing his cards even now pretty deftly.
He is certainly as things go, in one sense, master of
the situation. He has the advantage over other
competitors of that "possession" which, according to
a familiar axiom, here amongst us, is equivalent to
nine out of the ten points of law in anyone's favour.
It is true that those nine points were not enough as

it happened, for even a Military Dictator like
General CAVAIGNAC. But then the chief of the
State in the Federal Republic has no such competi-
tor as CAVAIGNAC had opposed to him—a competitor
endowed with a name, a prestige, a glory beyond the
reach of all competition, It had been the notion
years previously of the royalist CHATEAUBRIAND,
that a little three-cornered cccked hat, a pair of jack-
boots, and a grey overcoat, raised upon a pole in any
corner of France, would be an incident sufficient of
itself to excite an insurrection. lYhen the candi-
dature for the Presidentship of the present occupant
of the throne of France was first bruited about in
the late autumn and early winter of 1848, it was as
nearly as could be so, precisely equivalent to that
display of the jack-boots, the cocked hat, and the
grey redingote ! So little was the capacity for
Government of the Prince Louis NAPOLEON sur-
mised at that time that his elevation was then due
solely and entirely to his name—to the name of
his uncle, the Great NAPOLEON. The American
President, we may then with some show of reason
repeat, has not one such rival reputation to con-
front him in the candidature. The reputations of
the rival candidates for the Presidency in point of
fact are, in one of the homeliest of our idioms, . much
of a muchness ! And, being so, the actual occupant
of the presidential clardr at "Washington has in the
simple fact of such occupancy, a "haul" over all
competitcrs. He is thereby enabled to look down
upon them as from a " coign of 'vantage." But
under any circumstance, we should conjecture,
without much sense of exultation in so doing—the
panoramic scene around him being one (visibly so
even from this side of the Atlantic) of such dire
and ghastly, and all but hopeless confusion !

The investigation before the Coroner of Sheffield
as to the cause of the bursting of the embankment
of the Bradfield Reservoir has concluded. The jury,
after a patient investigation, have returned a verdict
which, we think, will meet with general approval.
They find that "Thomas Ellstene came to his death
by drowning in the inundation caused by the burst-
ing of the Bradfield Reservoir on the 12th inst. ;
that, in their opinion, there has not been that engi-
neering skill, and that attention to the construction
of the works which their magnitude and importance
demanded; that, in their opinion, the Legislature
ought to take such action as will result in a Govern-
mental inspection of all works of this character, and
that such inspection ought to be frequent, regular,
and sufficient." After a careful perusal of the evi-
dence we entirely concur with this. No charge of
criminal neglect is imputed to anybody, and great
labour and money were expended in the construction
of the dam ; but it is clear that it possessed some
fatal element of weakness which ought to have been
guarded against, and there is no doubt measures
will be at once taken to prevent the recurrence of a
similar disaster. From the evidence of Mr.
LEATHER, who is the consulting engineer of the
Sheffield Waterworks Company, it appears that as
far back as 1858 he prepared plans and specifica-
tions for the construction of the reservoir, and that
after some delay the embankment across the valley
was commenced. It is 418 yards long, and consi-
derable pains was taken to secure a water .tight
foundation for the clay "puddle" which forms, as
it were, the backbone of the embankment. It was
originally proposed in the specifications to carry
down this puddle some 10 feet into the ground,
but it was found necessary to sink to a depth
of 60 feet before a water-tight foundation
could he secured. The embankment is
600 feet wide at the base, and 12 feet at top. The
inner slope iE 21 to 1, and the outer slope in the
same. The greatest height is 10 feet wide at the
top, and gets wider by an inch and a half at every
foot in depth. Thus, supposing the puddle-wall is
95 feet high, it will be 16 feet wide at the base.
There is 60 feet of puddle below the surface, making
the total depth of the puddle•wall 155 feet. The
reservoir would contain a little over 114,000,000
entire feet of water. The surface area of water was
about seven acres, the area gathering ground is
about 48,000 acres." Up to this point all the wit-
nesses examined agreed that the work was pro-
perly constructed in the main, and the few objec-
tions taken were not of a serious character; but
the weak point of the construction lay in the fact
that two outlet pipes pass under the embankment;
they are about 500 feet long, made up of lengths
of 9 feet, There would be 55 or 56 lengths. They
are joined with sockets and lead in the ordinary
way. They are laid in a trench nine feet below
the surface of the ground. They are wrapped
round with clay puddle to the thickness of 18 inches,
the trench being then filled in. It is to the giving
way of these pipes that the bursting of the reservoir
is attributed, as being either the direct or indirect
cause. As yet, it cannot be ascertained how far this
view of the subject is correct ; but it is certain that
these pipes were so built into the embankment as
to be always a source of danger. The fact of their
being buried beneath the embankment, in such
a way as to be inaccessible for examination or
repairs was a mistake, and again, as if with a view
to enhance the danger, the valves were placed outside
the embenkment,thus rendering it impossible to cut
off the water in case it was found that the water
was escaping in the midst of the mound, which
could be easily done were the valves placed within
the reservoir, so that the pressure on the pipes
moulu be at once relieved. The evidence of Mr.
RAWLTNSON, the Government engineer, upon this
point is deserving of special attention. Throughout
the entire investigation he has been most particular
to avoid imputing any unnecessary blame to any
individual, but he observes that they are met to
discover, if possible, the reason of the accident, and
must, therefore, examine into all possible causes.
Ho says :—" I think no waterworks embankment
ought to have pipes laid through it so as to pre-
vent repair or renewal when necessary. The engi-
neer should be master of his work; not let it be
master of him. I know of many instances of feilnre
where pipes and culverts have been laid througL
the main embankment. A defective pipe to thie
embankment may Iwo worked the destruction we

have witnessed, and no human ingenuity could
prevent it under the circumstances in which these
pipes exist. I did not say that it did do so; I wish
that to be clearly understood. That, therefore, is
not a legitimate way in which to lay pipes for the
making of a reservoir." Now this is a simple,
comprehensible statement, and he goes on further
to state he has found a tunnel through the solid
stratification on one side of the valley, and that the
tunnel is constructed in the best possible manner,
and that within this tunnel the outlet pipes are
ultimately laid—provision being made for closing
the pipes inside the reservoir. He then entered
upon a clear statement of his views and reasons for
deeming the way of 'eying the pipes to be defec-
tive. That point will shortly he cleared up, for the
Waterworks Company have consented to be guided
by Mr. RAWLINSON'S advice as to the propriety
of uncovering the pipes to settle this question.
But there can be no doubt as to the advisability of
having all reservoirs so constructed that the out-
fall pipes can be examined, and the proper means
taken to relieve the embankment promptly from
pressure, in both of which very important require-
ments the Bradfield construction was shamefully
wanting. We do not desire to hold Mr. LEATHER
responsible for the failure of an embankment the
principle of whose construction was not new, nor
his own conception; but while giving him credit for
bestowing all reasonable attention to the construc-
tion of the work, we must say that he did not take
the necessary precautions to avoid as far as pos-
sible the risk of an accident. On the other hand,
we do not think that the Coroner acted towards
him and the other representatives of the company
with the fairness and the consideration which are
incumbent on one in so responsible a position as his.
It is unquestionably the duty of a Coroner to elicit
as far as possible any evidence which can be afforded
by any witness, and to caution or censure him if it
be obvious that he is concealing facts. But Mr.
LEATHER'S conduct throughout the inquiry was
straightforward and outspoken ; he could hardly be
expected to come forward and condemn his own
handiwork. It was enough for him to express his
regret at its failure, and to admit that he had mis-
calculated and acted on false premises, without ex-
pecting him to declare that from the first he knew
that they must miscarry. Because he did not do
this or something very like it, the Coroner made
allusions to him which called forth a well-merited
rebuke from one of the jury. That the recommen-
dation of the jury that Government inspectors be
appointed to examine reservoirs will be carried out
there can be no doubt. But the sooner the public
can be satisfied that all existing reservoirs are in
en effective condition, and that those in the course
of construction are being properly built, the sooner
the sacrificed three hundred will have achieved
their destiny.

Amid the recriminations and dissensions that fill
the world of politics, and the constant reiteration
of irritating topics, without much apparent good
resulting from. their discussion, it is refreshing to
turn for awhile into a gayer and more varied scene,
and to breathe the less tumultuous atmosphere of
the great world of art. The actor's art may not, it
is true, be ranked with the great efforts of creative
genius, although a gifted poet has assigned to it
the merit and the charm of combining the rival
fascinations of sculpture, painting, and poetry. Still
there are points in which the dramatic artist,
though himself one of the kings of mind, may more
powerfully engage the sympathies of his fellows
than the
,composer, the sculptor, or the poet. He
is more one of ourselves, breathing the common air,
mixing more on a level with the worldly wise and
worldly foolish. The sorrows ho has played his
part in have not all been surface deep; his cares,
his anxieties, his responsibilities have nut all been
laid aside with his stage attire; his errors, his dis-
appointments, the tragedies of his existence have
not all ended as he stepped off the boards. His
very profession, gay and animating as it appears to
the looker-on, full of the most fascinating excite-
ment, is in reality a toilsome and arduous routine,
demanding unwearied strength, unflagging energy,
unceasing application. And although the actor's
triumphs are said to be the brightest, the most com-
plete, and the most intoxicating of any successes,
yet not only are they the briefest, but the most
uncertain. A popular whim, a new favourite,
an unlucky piece may render fruitless the
exertions of many weary hours. A profession
whose sucacss is entirely dependent on personal
exertion, and whose rewards arc fluctuating in their
nature, is in its very nature trying and depressing,
leaving little room for the natural infirmities of
mankind, making little allowance for those inter-
vals of mental inaptitude which must sometimes
come to the best and brightest, We have all heard
the story of the wonderfully funny comedian who
was recommended to see himself as a cure for lose
spirits, and the actor's career is especially open to
similar contradictions. But with the advancing
wisdom of the age, and the development of that
noble independence which makes the authors and
artists and musicians of our day rely on no patrons
save themselves and the public, the afflicted or un-
fortunate actor is no longer left to destitution and
despair should his efforts fail to provide for the dark
days. Institutions and societies properly organised
end sufficiently supported, not alone by the friends
of the drama, but by the open hand and realy
generosity of actors themselves, are now in flourish-
ing existence, succouring the decayed or impo-
verished actor, assisting the sick, burying the dead,
relieving the widow, educating and providing for
the orphan. The claims of such a society upon the
public at large were seldom more eloquently en-
forced than on Thursday evening, when the
nineteenth anniversary festival of the General
Theatrical Fund was celebrated under the presi-
dency of Mr. SHIRLEY BROOKS. The address of
this gentleman, no less remarkable for its truth
than for its wit and humour, affords a convincing
answer to the cavils of the censorious and the doubts
of the rigid. As special pleader on behalf of the
theatrical profession, the chairman announced his
intention of calling witnesses ; and, passing over a
good many celebrities who might have supported
his case, he summoned WILLIAM SIIAKSPERE,
" twice of Stratford-on-Avon, sometime of London,
now of all: time." Such evidence as this in support
of the claims of the theatre upon onr grateful re-
cognition was, of course, unanswerable, Had there
been no theatre, no drama, said Mr. BROOKS, "you
would have had no SIIAKSPERE. Ido not say what
you might not have had, for that genius must have
broken forth in some way. Admiral SIIAKSPERE
might have destroyed the Armada ; Lord Chancel-
lor SIIAKSPERE might have written the Novum
Organum ; Sir WALTER SIIAKSPERE might have
made Europe happy with tobacco, but you would
not have had that volume—that wonder of which
no one could speak worthily but himself—the
volume which, humanly speaking, is our treasure
of wisdom, of consolation, of art, of fancy, of poetry,
which furnishes sarcasm for the senate, war-cries
for the soldier, vows to the lover, themes for the
moralist, inspirations for the poet, images for the
painter, divinity for the priest, and songs for the
child," The drama is, after all, human life, and, as
such, affords a scope for the disuisy of poetry, of
passion, of feeling, which anymore ethereal art can
only represent Abstractedly. Coming to the ills-