The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-18 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

At the last meeting of the Local Board of Health at Wool-
wich, Capt. George Hall Graham, a member of the board,
called attention to the fact that there was about to be a
change in the command of the garrison. Sir Richard Decree,
the present commandant, he remarked, had conferred much
benefit on the town during his residence. Some of the evi•
deuces of his goodness and forethought were the numerous
houses and out quarters erected for the accommodation of
the married soldiers and their families ; the new hospital
built through his influence, the establishment of the garri-
son police, &0., all of which are calculated to promote. the
welfare and comfort of the inhabitants. It would be a
subject of regret, he said, if they were, to allow General
Dacres to leave them without marking their estimation of
the benefits which he has conferred on the town, and to
show their desire to co•operate with the military authorities
in advancing the public good. Capt. Graham moved that a
committee be appointed to draw up an address for presenta-
tion to the General on his leaving the garrison. It was
then suggested that the address should be presented to Lady
Dacres, who had made great exertions for the promotion of
the education of poor children. A committee was appointed
accordingly.

Ironmastere Quarterly Meeting,

DUDLEY, Saturday Evening.

The concluding meeting of the ironmasters of this
district for the current quarter was held in this
town this evening. The attendance was small, and
was confined principally to those who are engaged
in the trade in the immediate locality. Very little
finished iron of any description was sold. The feel-
ing was much the same as at the Birmingham meet-
ing—that although there will be no declared reduc-
tion of prices, nevertheless before the quarter is half
through many of the second class makers will be
glad to accept orders at fully lOs per ton below the
rates fixed by the trade. The contracts entered into
this quarter-day have undoubtedly been smaller
than usual, so unless there springs up a better de-
mand speedily underselling will be inevitable.
Same halt dozen or more of the principal firms are
well supplied with orders, and in the event of their
running abort they will put their works on at three
or four days as the only method of coping with the
difficulty which the unprecedentedly high wages
scale has brought upon the trade.
At the meetings in this town sales of pig iron are
generally reported, but there was very little done in
that line to-day, and there can be no doubt that the
market for pigs is extremely dull ; for hot.blast, all
mine buyers will not give so much by 6s per ton as
they would have done three months ago. For cinder
iron there is very little demand.
The coal trade in this locality is brisk, notwith-
standing the advanced period of the season, when
the demand for domestic purposes generally falls
o$; but up to this time there has been no diminu-
tion in that respect, and though the colliers are
working tolerably full time the commodity is taken
away from the pits' mouths almost as rapidly as it
is raised.
The manufacturing trades of this locality are in a
healthy state. All the large works in the neigh-
bourhood and on towards Brettel-land, Brierley-
hill, and Stourbridge, are in full operation. Labour
of every class is well employed.

Riot at the Southern Outfall Sewage Works.

On Friday evening and Saturday last considerable anxiety
was felt by the inhabitants of Erith, Plunastead, and Wool-
wich, in consequence of a disgraceful disturbance which
broke out amongst the labourers and workmen, upwards of
1,000 in number, who are employed by Mr. Webster, the
contractor for constructing the outfall works for the Metro-
politan Southern main drainage at Crossness-point, in the
Erith marshes.
It is stated that for some days past bickerings have taken
place between the labourers, a large number of whom are
Irishmen, on the subject of'. Garibaldi." On Friday a dis-
pute occurred arising from a foreman named Driver having
discharged a labourer, when a largo number of the men
assembled and demanded that their companion should be
reinstated and Driver dismissed. To these terms Mr. W(b-
ster declined to accede, and the malcontents then struck
work ; and not content with this, commenced an indiscri-
minate onslaught upon the more peaceably disposed, who
had no wish to leave the works.
The riot at one time assumed a serious aspect, the mon
fighting with brickbats, various descriptions of tools, &c.,
and several were wounded, although not seriously. A
message was sent to the Woolwich police-office for assist-
ance, and a body of 30 constables, fully armed, under the
direction of Inspector Linvell, proceeded to the scene of
the disturbance, and succeeded in partially restoring order,
whilst 300 of the labourers were paid di and discharged.
At a later period on Friday upwards of 200 of the brick-
layers, who receive Gs. 3d. per diem wages, struck against
the regulation which requires them to pay Gl. per week for
a sick and funeral fund. These men were also discharged,
and on Friday and Saturday nights a strong body of police
patrolled the streets of Pluinstead and Woolwich, where
numerous fights took place between labourers who had left,
the works and others, and in some caste severe injuries
resulted.