The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-06 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WO. RE',

The weekly meeting of the board was held -;rea,
,erday, Mr THWAITES, the chairman, presiding:.

THE STATE OF THE THAMES.

Mr ROCHE asked if the engineew had po Wer to
deodorise the Thames, if occasion should arise, 'while
the members of the board were on their holidays.
At the present time the river did not appear in.. par-
ticularly good odour, and it might be necessary
for something to be done before the board', re-
assembled.

The CIIAIRMAN said that the engineer might: take
all the steps he considered necessary while the
board were away. The river doubtless suffered
through great heat and the low rainfall; but
a
largequantity of the sewage wasnow diverted,
a the
the inconvenience arising had been very slight com-
cored with what it was formerly.
The engineer stated that the amount of sewage
now diverted would be further increased during the
month by the completion of the middle level sewer,
which it was already, with the exception of the
aqueduct over the Metropolitan Railway.

THE THAMES CONSERVATORS AND THE THAMES

EMBANKMENT WORKS.

Some explanations were given as to a question in
dispute between the Thames Conservators and the
contractors carrying out the embankment. The Act
makes it imperative that the part of the embank•
went behind the wall shall be filled with materal
dredged from the bed of the Thames, and which
material the conservators were to supply at a given
cost. The conservators complained that the con-
tractors were not taking the dredged material, and
the contractors replied that they had been supplied
with the worst material by the conservators, who
sold the best part to builders, and as a portion of
the material supplied ran off into the Thames, a great
additional expense had been entailed upon them. It
had been determined not to take any more filling in
material until the front wall of the river embank-
ment was so far completed as to prevent this loss.
The Board, on its rising, adjourned for a month.

The Military Strength of the United States,

(Front the .New York World.)
By the census of 1860, it appears that the total population
of the United States at that time was 31,148,000, of which
the white population numbered 26,957,000, Of this
aggregate, the Free States had within their boundaries
17,224,400—the Slave States 9,036,000. But Delaware,
Kentucky, Missouri, and that portion of Virginia now
known as West Virginia, have been and are ranked with
the non-slavehelding states in loyalty to the Federal
Government. Their population was 2,539,380. Out of
this number, however, a certain proportion are active
sympathisers with the rebellion, and have furnished a large
quota towards the support of the rebel armies. Probably
the number may be stated at 500,000—leaving, in round
numbers, 2,000,000 who may be represented in the armies
of the Union. This number, deducted front the popula-
tion of the Slave States, will give 17,036,000 as (practi-
cally) the total number from which the rebellion could
recruit its armies—while a corresponding addition to the
population of the Free States swelled it to nearly
20,000,000. But to this number must bo added the free
blacks of the North, the slaves who have come under
the control of the United States Government, and
the number of loyal Southerners who have
established their adhesion to that Government since the
war began—in all about 1,000,000—making the aggregate
loyal population 21,000,000. According to the proportion
shown in the census tables of 1860, of this population the
number of males between the ages of 18 and 45 would be
about 5,000,000. As the census returns of 1860 show that
the total number of males in the 'United States at that time,
between the above-mentioned ages, was 5,624,065, this esti-
mate would give to the States in revolt between 600,000 and
700,000 males capable of bearing arms.

In his report made on December 1, 1861, Secretary Came-
ron stated that 77.875 men were raised during that year,
under the first call of the President. These were " three-
months men," The number of men at the date of his re-
port, enlisted for three years, was 660,971. So overwhelm-
ing was the response to the call for men at that time, that
the Secretary stated he had no doubt the national forces
could have been swollen to a million of men had not
the department felt constrained to restrict volunteer-
ing, July 1, 1862, immediately after the retreat
from the peninsula, the President issued a call for
300,000 more volunteers. This force was chiefly infantry,
iu pursuance of 3 recommendation of the President. On
August 4, of the same year, the President called to the field
300,000 militia, to serve for nine months, This number was
promptly furnished. June 15, 1863, the President sum-
moned from certain States militia to the number of 100,000.
this number was afterwards increased to 120,000. During
the month of July a draft for 300,000 men was enforced.
There is no public means of learning the number of men
yielded by this conscription. Since October 17 last (at
which time a call for 300,000 men was made) under all
he calls, about 700,000 men, exclusive of negro soldiers
and " one hundred days' men," have been pnt into the
field. Thus it is easy to arrive at the total number of men
called out since the outbreak of the rebellion. It is given
concisely in the following table :
Number of Men Sammoned to the Field.

tinder President's first call, April 19, 1861.. 77,875
Volunteers for the war, 1861 _ ._ 660,971
_ .

Under President's call of July 1, 1862 300,000
Militia called out in August, 1862 300,000
Militia called out in June, 1863, ...
By conscription, July, 1863, say
Since October 17, 1863

Total 2,408,846
Deduct militia and three months' men
Balance 1,910,961

Thus it is seen that the enormous number of one million
nine hundred and ten thousand nine hundred and sixty-one
men have been placed in the field, exclusive of the tempo-
rarily-serving militia, of the black soldiers, and of the hun-
dred days' men who recently offered their services.

RACING FIXTU:

Aui
Lewes . 5
Huntilfgdon
Wolverhampton
Reading n
Egham
Dover .. lB
Oxford lB

BUTE"
Weymouth 1
Baden-Baden
Warwick September 6
Bridgwater
Leicester 8
Doncaster

Brecon .• 19
Richmond
Royal Caledonian Hunt 21
Monmouth .... 22
Manchester Autumn .. 23
NewmarketFirst October 27
,BER

OCTi
Bedford
,Edinburgh and Lothians
C1ub..... 5
nw,:narket Second Oct. 10

Lincoln ..
Kelso ....
Gloucester
Newmarket boug on 24
;MBER.

NOTE;
Worcester' Auturm: .... 1
Shrewsbury .A.utuutit .. 14 I

Leamington &War. Hunt 22

IRISH.
SEpTh:MILER.

Curragh• •• • • ...... .., 6, 7, S

OCTOBIad4i

Carragh ~ ~.., 18, 19, 20

STEEPLECHASING FIXTURES ;?OR 1864,

NOTEMBER.
Leamington and Warwickshire Hunt 22

"LIVES" OF BANK NOTES.—The average period
which each denomination of London notes remains
in circulation has been calculated, and is shown by the fol-
lowing authentic account of the number of days a bank-note
issued in London remains in circulation :—£s met, 72.7
days; £lO, 77.0; £2O, 67.4; £3O, 18.9; £4O, 13,7; £5O,
38.8; £lOO, 28.4 ; £2OO, 12.7 ; £3OO, 10.6 ; £5OO, 11.8 ;
£l,OOO, 11.1. The exceptions to these averages are few,
and therefore remarkable. The time during which some
notes remain unpresented is reckoned by the cen-
tury. On the 27th of September, 1846, a £5O note
was presented, bearing date 20th of January, 1743.
Another, for £lO, issued on the 12th of Novoraper,
1762, was not paid till the 28th April, 1845. There is a
legend extant of the eccentric possessor of a £l,OOO note,
who kept it framed and glazed for a series of y
ears, pre-
ferring to feast his eyes upon it, to putting the 'mount it
represented out at interest. It was converted into gold,
however, without a day's loss of time, by his heirs on his
demise—a fact which can very easily be credited. Stolen
and lost notes are generally long absentees. The former
usually make their appearance soon after a great horse race
or other sporting event, altered or disguised so as to de-
ceive bankers, to whom the bank furnishes a list of the
numbers and dates of all stolen notes. Bank
notes have been known to light pipes, to wrap up snuff, and
to be used as curl papers ; and British tars, mad with rum
and prize money, have not unfrequently,
in the time of
war, made sandwiches of them, and eat them between
bread and butter. Carelessness gives the bank enormous
profits, against which the loss of a mere £30,000 note is
but a trifle. Iu the 40 years between 1792 and 1832, there
were outstanding notes of the Bank of England—presumed
to have been lost or destroyed—amounting to £1,330,000
odd, every shilling of which was clear profit to the bank,—
Cyetopffldo of Commercial 4nechtes,