The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-29 00:00:00

The Alabama and the Deerhound,

The following correspondence between Mr.
Mason and Mr. Lancaster, the owner of the Deer-
hound, has been forwarded to us for publication :-
24, Upper Seymour-street, Portman. square,
London, June 21.
Dear Sir,—l received from Capt. Semmes at Southamp-
ton, where I had the pleasure to see you yesterday, a full
report of the efficient service rendered under your orders by
the officers and crew of your yacht, the Deerhound, in re-
scuing him, with 13 of his officers and 28 of his crew, from
their impending fate, after the loss of his ship.
Capt. Semmes reports that, finding the Alabama actually
sinking, he had barely time to despatch his own wounded
in his own boats to the enemy's ship when the Alabama
went down, and that nothing was loft to those who remained
on board but to throw themselves into the sea. Their own
boats absent, there seemed no prospect of relief, when your
yacht ayrived in their midst, and your boats were launched;
and he impressively told me that to this timely and gene-
rous succour, he, with most of his officers and a portion of
his crew, were indebted for their safety. He further told
me that on their arrival on board the yacht every care and
kindness were extended to them which their exhausted con-
dition required, even to supplying all with dry clothing.
I am fully aware of the noble and disinterested spirit
which prompted you to go to the rescue of the gallant crew
of the Alabama, and I can add nothing to the recompense
already received by you and those acting under you in the
consciousness of having done as you would be done by ;
yet you will permit me to thank you, and through you the
captain, officers, and crew of the Deerhound, for this signal
service, and to say that, in doing so, I but anticipate the
grateful sentiment of my country and of the Government
of the Confederate States.—l have the honour to be, dear
sir, most respectfully and truly your obedient servant,
J. M. MASON.
John Lancaster, Esq., Findley Hall, Wigan.
Hindley Hall, near Wigan, June 24.
Dear Sir,—l am in due receipt of your esteemed fa%our
of the 21st inst., and am gratified to find that the timely
aid we rendered with the yacht Deerhound to the gallant
captain and officers and crew of the Alabama has met with
your approval. I shall always look back to that event with
satisfaction, however much we may regret the result which
necessitated my interference,—Yours very respectfully,

JOHN LANCASTER.

The Hon. J. M. Mason.

Society for the Improvement of the
Labouring Classes,

The 20th annual meeting of the friends and sup-
perters of this society was held yesterday at Willis's
Rooms, King-street, St. James's. The Earl of
Shaftesbury, the president of the society, presided.
The noble CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceed-
ings, remarked that although the society and the
subject entertained by it had been before them for
20 years, it had lost none of its importance. It was
as important now as when it was first mooted, for
what with the growing increase of the population
within, and with immigration from without, there
was still as mach necessity for their exertions as
there ever was. They had no doubt done consider-
able good, but there was one thing which they had
not done, but which it was most important they
should do. They had not as yet reached the lower
classes of the population. The model houses they
had hitherto built had all been taken up by
mechanics and labourers— people in employment,
and who were able to pay the rent of them ; but
there was a class below that who were not in a
position to take advantage of these dwellings, and
that class they had not yet reached, though he h'eped
some means would be devised which would enable
them to do so.
From the report, which was read by Mr. PAYNE,
the secretary, it appeared that the sum of £5OB 12s
Gd had been received from the tenants of the Thanks-
giving Model Buildings, Portpool-lane, Gray's Inn-
lane, during the year ending 31st December last,
and deducting therefrom for current expenses £154

163 7d, there remained a balance of £353 153 11d.
In the family houses there had been two deaths out
of an average population cf 78, one a female
adult, aged :59, and the other a child, aged two
years. From the tenants in Streatham-street
family houses, the sum of £738 4s 9d had been
received, while the expenses had been £309 2s 6d,
leaving a balance of £429 2s 3d. The renovated
dwellings in Clark's-buildings, St. Giles's,had yielded
£575 Bs, and the expenses having been £496 93 6d,
there remain a balance of £7B 18s 6d. There had
been four death& in these buildings out of a popula-
tion of 236. From the buildings in Wild-court,
Drury-lane, £627 8s ld had been received, the
current expenses having been £444 158 6d, and the
balance £lB2 12s 7d. Tyndal-buildings, for forty
single men, had yielded £647 4s ld, the expenditure
being £4BB 17s 6d, and the balancs £l5B 6s Bd.
The sum of £694 14s 6a had been received from the
tenants at the George-street men's lodging-houses,
and deducting therefrom the expenditure, £360
7s 11d, there remained a balance of £334 6s 6d.
The Charles-street dwellings had yielding £403 92,
and deducting the expenditure, £256 16s 4d,
there remained a balance of £146 12s 711, There
had been received on account of the Hat-
ton-garden houses £324, and after deduct-
ing the expenditure there was a profit of £BB
5s ld. The mortality in the entire of the society's
houses had been, during the past year, 25 out
of an average population of 1,509. Seventeen of the
deaths were of children under ten years of age, and
the average rate of mortality in the society's houses
had been therefore 16.339 per thousand. The net
returns from all the society's houses for the year
exceeded that of the previous year by £196 Os. ld.
The number of washings at the Portpool-lane pub-
lie washhouses during the year had been 21,367,
the receipts had been £451 10s., ld., and deducting
therefrom £448 6s. 10d. for current expenses, in-
cluding repairs, there remained a small balance in
favour of the establishment of £3 3s. 2d.

From the balance sheet it appeared that the funds
actually received during the year from all sources
for the general purposes of the society, had been
£5,561 15s. 5d., and the balance in hand at the
commencement of the year being £285 ss. 11d.,
made the total amount to be accounted for £5,847
Os. 9d. The total current expenses of all the lodging
houses, including repairs of the dwellings, &c., had
amounted to £3,195 7s. 7d., while the other items
of outlay made up the total expenditure to £5,552
10s. 5d., and left a balance in hand of £294103.4d.
The real property of the society valued at a cost was
stated to be £44,545 12s. 7d., and the general
liabilities to £22,269 9s. 11d., leaving assets valued
at cost to the amount of £22,266 2s, Bd.
Mr. GREGSON, M.P., moved the adoption of the
report, and in doing so congratulated the friends
of the society on the success which was attending
the society's efforts, and the good which it was
effecting. He was gratified to hear from the secre-
tary of the order and regularity which prevailed in
all their dwellings, and the good conduct of their
inhabitants. It would also be seen from the report
that the society had been the means of saving
life to a considerable extent, and these and many
other advantages conferred by it gave it an un.
doubted claim on the sympathy and support of the
public.
The Rev. J. B. OWEN having seconded the mo.
tion, it was unanimously adopted.

On the motion of the Rev. R. IVI. Fellows,
seconded by Mr. Dimsdale, the committee and the
other officers of the society was elected for the cur.
rent year, the last-named gentleman pointing out
the propriety of the society using their efforts in the
repairing and renovating old buildings, rather than
in expending their means in the erection of new and
showy ones.
A cordial vote of thanks to the noble chairman
concluded the proceedings.