The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-20 00:00:00

and German policy, may effectually intimidate her.
The intervention of such contemptible Govern-
ments as Bavaria and Saxony, as pleading with
Russia for peace, looks in the same direction. It
is, howeyer, useless to speculate. A few weeks
will decide.

The chairmanship of the Metropolitan Board of
Works is not likely to go abegging. The scene
at Burlington House yesterday, on the first meet-
ing of the Board, assures us of that. It was ex-
ceedingly rich, not to say farcical. The reader
may remember a wicked invention we have seen
somewhere—a story showing what a voluble and
bewildering cataract of applicants a solitary gentle-
man of the metropolis, who advertises for a re-
spectable housekeeper, brings down on his inno-
cent head. The street, if we mistake not, in the
instance adduced, was shown to have been
crowded, the door besieged, the hall crammed,
the landing-place invaded, the dog delirious with
excitement, the charwoman in the pangs of as-
phyxia, the wretched advertiser frantic with ap-
prehension, and the neighbours powerless with
laughter. Whether this would have been paral-
leled in the house and neighbourhood of the
chairman pro tern, of the Board, had it not been
wisely determined that every candidate must find
a proposer and seconder among the members of
the Board, may perhaps be doubted ; but we in-
cline to think it would, judging by what took
place in the meeting, and the opinion of a
member, that there would not be fewer than
5,000 applicants outside.

It is somewhat difficult to preserve any degree
of decent gravity while contemplating that scene.
" Wanted a Chairman"—that was a want easily
to be supplied ; but wanted a chairman pro tem.,
who would abjure all pretension to the perma-
nent chairmanship, that was a different matter.
Up starts Sir JOHN SHELLEY, and, wickedly or
otherwise, proposes Mr. THWAITES. Mr. TAY-
LOR is instantly on his legs to object—Mr.
THWAITES is a candidate. Mr. THWAITES, on the
whole, is of opinion he is, and feels it to be his
duty to give himself a good character. Sir JOHN
SHELLEY'S motion, having no seconder, falls to the
ground, and Mr. TAYLOR proposes Mr. Deputy
HARRISON. The worthy deputy looks grave, and
discreetly refuses to take the required pledge. He
cannot be guilty of the injustice of pronouncing
himself incompetent for the office. Sir JOHN
whistles almost inaudibly ; two worthy gentlemen
look as if they had had au escape ; several seem
anxious ; and, finally, one gentleman is found
without an appetite for " a permanency." Busi-
ness commences, and everybody having agreed to
the amount of salary, the question of election
comes up again. Everybody almost wants to
know all about it. Sir Jomr SHELLEY modestly
expresses his willingness, not to accept 1,5001.,
but to fulfil the duties of the office which every
third man, to all appearance, would grudge no
labour to have a chance of doing ; and, finally,
it is determined that the meeting shall adjourn to
Saturday, up to which time the names of candi-
dates shall be received. The reader will pardon
us if we have not done justice to the scene.
We have no desire whatever to ridicule the pro-
ceedings of the Board, and would not have said
so much as we have had not the temptation been
irresistible. So far from entertaining a desire
of this sort, we willingly confess to having expe-
rienced considerable gratification at the tone and
resolutions of the meeting in other respects. The
limitation of the salary of the future Chairman
to 1,5001. per annum, and the resolution that he
shall devote his whole time to the duties of his
office, look like business, and give us hope of the
interests of the ratepayers being duly attended to.
None are more anxious than we are that the
Board should work well, and most heartily, in
conclusion, do we wish its members God-speed in
their honest labours.