The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-24 00:00:00

- _
MR. ALFRED MELLON'S CONCERTS use: WaS there in Sunday schools and day schools,
EVERY
ROY XL ITALIAN OPERA EVEHOUSE, COVENT-GARDEN. NING, at Fight. i,l mother's meetings, evening classes, or any of the
THIS EVENING, Mdlle. C. Patti, Mdlle. Krebs; Mr. Levy kindly efforts which had for their aim the mental
Mr. G. Collins, Mr. Patey. and Ali Ben Spu-alle. i
BAND OF ONE HUNDRED PERFORMERS. and moral elevation of the poor ? But while rents
Operatic selection, "Don Giovanni," &c. are so high and the smallness of the incomings made
To-morrow (Thursday), a BEETHOVEN NIGHT.
the necessaries of life the first object with the Is.
On Friday neat, a Selection from Ross ni's Stabat Mater.
On Saturday next, a Grand VOLUNTEER NIGHT. First bourer and his family, it was difficult to devise a
Performance of the " Faust" Selection this season. Hand of
the Coldstream Guards (by permissiCo. of CoL Mark W,ed). cure. All parties, indeed, readily admitted the

Conductor, Mr. ALFRED MELLON.
Promenade, Amphitheatre Stalls, and Amphitheatre, One
Shilling; Dress Circle, 2s. ed. Private Boxes, £1 Is. and
10s. Cd.
The Box Office is open from 10 till 5.

existing evils even as they now promptly join in
any denunciation of the state of our agricultural
cottages, but the evil in both cases remains un-
touched by words. It needs acts to produce an
actual and substantial change for the better, such a
change as has now been inaugurated, and, we may
trust by the blessing of Providence, will be pro.
ductice of lasting benefits. Tae extortionate rents
which labouring men and their families
are forced to pay in London is not the worst part
of the matter, although half a crown or three shil-
lings a room deducted from twelve or fifteen shil-
lings a week is serious enough when there is a
family to feed. All that goes on the rent is taken
off the food, and, naturally enough, is begrudged ;
so, to lessen the burden, in many instances one
family, already overcrowded in one or two rooms,
takes in another to share their little tenement, and
so the worst forms of overcrowding result from the
avarice of landlords. But when these extortionate
rents are paid, the accommodatio❑ is in many in.
stances altogether deficient. Drainage and venti-
lation are bad, there are no conveniences for wash-
ing clothes or persons, and dirt and squalor pervade
the establishments, where repairs are never thought
of. The stairs are ricketty and sometimes dangerous.
There was a case some time back of a woma❑ being
killed by falling down a dark, steep flight in one of
such houses, and the whole aspect of the place tends
to demoralise and degrade its residents. It breaks
down the self-respect and independence which are
so great a safeguard to the labouring class, and en-
courages the weary, disheartened, and thriftless
mood which comes only too readily to poor
hard-pressed toilers. This question of a
due provision for the wants of our artizans
of various grades has always been of con-
siderable importance. But it is now becoming daily
more conspicuous from the disturbance created by
the numerous railway schemes which are being
carried on in London. Railway lines, stations, and
termini are revolutionising numerous quarters of
the City and dislodging their inhabitants, while
the various public improvements now being set on
foot, however beneficial in the long run, must nee
cessarily have the same tendency. Land is rising
to an amount which is surprising, even for London;
and if the old fable of London streets being paved
with gold has not been realised virtually, it has
certainly been so figuratively, when we hear of
ground near the Mansion-house being bought at
£1,800,000 the statute acre. A small freehold,
which cost .£7,000 some thirty years back, has now
been valued at £95,000; and it is said that the
owners of: a, little chapel in the Poultry have been,
offered £40,000 for its' site. At this rate of cal-
culation there is certainly not much room for work.
ing men's abodes, hoWever profitable the letting off
houses may be elsewhere. Lord DERBY'S kindly
foresight secured the introduction of a clause ensur-
ing the running of a working man's train night
and morning, but the railways must be constructed
before that will give relief, and in the meantime,
where are the labouring classes to go ? There
will, besides, be always a good many to whom
it is very important to live close to their work,
and who, therefore, cannot afford to move far
away, however unwholesome or inconvenient the
locality may be. Under these circumstances, then,
it is highly satisfactory to find benevolent under_
takings set on foot in an earnest, business-like,
practical spirit, which argues well for the ultimate
success of the movement. It must not be a matter
of charity, but of trade and profit, if the work is to
be carried out on a scale commensurate with the ne-
cessities:of the people. Capitalists and speculators
must be shown that the erection of proper dwelling
places for the labouring classes may be made a pro-
fitable
investment if we are ever :o see our courts
and alleys, our rookeries and their miserable tene-
ments replaced by clean and wholesome habitations.
Of course, those who set about the business from
purely benevolent motives will always give their
tenants some advantages and indulgences which
the mere agent or speculator will not grant, but the
great principles of good ventilation and drainage,
properly built and substantial houses, good water
supply, and reasonable rent, may all become the
rule, and not the exception. Mr. PEABODY'S noble
gift must be fresh in the recollection of all, and the
trustees could not have applied it better than in
ministering to this great want. They have erected
a substantial block of houses in the heart of Spital-
fields at an outlay of £20,000, and are now building
others on a larger scale in the Lower-road, Islington.
The names of Lord STANLEY and Ald. WATERLOW
are familiar as workers in this cause, and the noble
lord, who is one of Mr PEABODY'S trustees, is also
chairman of the company established by the worthy
alderman, which has raised £30,000 for a similar
object. Alderman WATERLOW has at his private
expense made several experiments in model build-
ings, most of them being situated in the densely
populated districts of Finsbury, where they are
greatly wanted. The City of London has voted
£120,000 for the erection of houses for working men
and their families, and has given also a piece of
ground in Clerkenwell, which, as times go, is a yet
more costly present. Miss BURDETT CODTTS,
always foremost in practical good works, hes ex.
pended £50,000 on a block of buildings in °Glum.
bia-square, Bethnal-green, which are at present
inhabited by 705 persons, being 417 adults and 288
children. These buildings are constructed in the
form of a square, with a large playground in the
centre, and every accommodation necessary for
health and comfort. The PEABODY block in Spital-
fields is built on the same plan, and in both instances
there have been hundreds of applicants for future
vacancies. So that one great end has been attained ;
and even in these miserable localities the poorer
classes have been taught to appreciate comfort and
cleanliness. It only remains to convince landlords
that such investments can be made at a profit ; and
as even Miss COUTTSI elaborate construction is esti.
mated to return £l,BOO per annum, it is to be hoped
that the task of conviction will soon be accomplished.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.-
Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining.
THIS EVENING, BORN TO GOOD LUCK. Paddy
vßaffer: y, Mr. Dominick Murray.
After which, THE STREETS OF LONDON. Messrs.
Vining, J. W. Ray, D. Ft her. D. Murray, J. Nelson, 11.
Forre-ter. H. _Mellon; Mrs. henry Alaiston, Miss Emma
J3arnett, and Miss F .nny Gwynne.

NION THEATRE-It° YAL, ADELPHI.-
Sole Proortrator and Manager. B. Webster.
THIS EVENING, MY WIFE'S MAID. Yessrs. J, L.
Toole, P. Bedford, It. Phillips, and Mr •. Alfred Mellon.
After which, MASKS AN D FACES. Messrs. B. Webster,
, Bedford, R. Phillips, Billinuton, Stuart; Mrs. Stirling,
Billing-ton. and aliss H. Simms.
To conclude with THE ACTOR'S RETREAT. Messrs.
J. L. Toole, P. Bed,ord, R. Phillips, and Miss Woolg.r.
Commence at 7.

INTEW BOWER OPERE rrA HOUSE.--
Senora Georg' Cardinal, the eminent Spanish Come-
dienne, in Smyth Lee's new and eminently succesthil Come-
di-tta, HER ONLY FAILING; which, together with
CYMON AND IPHIGENIA, ICED CHAMPAGNE, and
THE KISS AND THE ROSE, will be repeat.d EVERY
EVENING.

.00UNTRY and SEASIDE DRESSES.
J Messrs. .TA Y, of Recent-street, have now in stock a
%...Viety of WASHING DRESSES, suitatle for the
country and seaside,'and at the c earing-out pt ice of only
£llls. 6d. the dress.

JAY'S,
247, 240, and 251, Regent-street.

BLACK SILKS.—The price of Silks in the raw
material has already r se, 15 per cent., and it will soon
reach a far tzreater per-tentage. Messrs. JAY, therefore,
invite their numer )us patrons to take advantage of the stock
they have on hand, which they cm now dispoNe of on favour-
able terms ; but the same qualities will naturally b., more
zo,tly as the price of silk fluctuates to a higher average

JAY'S,
217, 219, and 2M, Regent-street.

COALS. LILLESHALL COMPANY'S
COALS.
Direct from their own Collieries.
Marquis' .23g. per ton. I Double 20s. per ton.
Top 92a. „ Deep ....215. „
Well screened and delivered within five miles of their De-
pots, Westbourne Park-road, W., and 17, South Wharf,
Paddington, W., and Maiden-lane, N.

Best Coke

Terms cash.
JOHN SCOTT, Sole 2,zent.

THE THIRD EDITION OF " THE SUN,"
Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,
can be had Every Evening of
G. It. GLIsNIE, NEWS AGENT,
No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park.

THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN'
supplied, as soon as published every Evening' by
HENRY BROOKS, Newspaper Agent, 21, Old Cavendish-
street, W.

Many will hear with regret that it is the inten-
tion of Colonel APlVlintno to retire from the post of
Inspector-General of Volunteers. He has faithfully
discharged his duties during the period he has held
the appointment, and his services have teen of.the
greatest value to all concerned. He has thus confer-
red a benefit upon his country, for the Institu-
tion of the Volunteers would be of no
avail if they were not Efficiently drilled and well
instructed, and we have to thank Colonel M'MuRDo
for his zeal and ability in performing his arduous
task. It is not easy to exaggerate these services,
for the difficulties that had to be encountered in
training and fitting the Volunteers for service
were very great, and the peculiar nature of
the case prevented the adoption of those summary
measures by which regular discipline is maintained,
and order resolved out of chaos in ordinary affairs,
where incompetency is speedily transformed into
capability. It has been said that the moment of
and truly the
MGM is the moment to 'elm off,