The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-24 00:00:00

amendment that the Treasurer's letter, with the
accompanying ones, be printed and circulated
among the members, and an early day be appointed
for their consideration. Alderman PHILLIPS truly
declared that the question was one of money ; the
public press and the Commissioners in Lunacy had
declared that Bethlehem Hospital wes unfit for
the treatment of the insane. Alderman SIDNEY
went still further, and declared that they must
consider whether they were prepared to "wage a
war of opinion with the public at large." He assured
them that the Legislature had decided the question
that country air and recreation were more instru-
mental towards the recovery of the insane, and pro-
phesied that Parliament would sanction by a large
majority the removal of the Hospital to a distance
from the metropolis. He concluded by giving the
Governors this salutary advice that " they had now
an opportunity, such as might never occur again,
of doing a great public service in the interest of the
sick poor and the insane of the metropolis, and he
counselled them to avail themselves of it while the
chance remained." This was true wisdom, and it is
to be hoped that those referred to will avail them-.
selves of the excellent advice offered in these
forcible remarks. It is an opportunity that may
not occur again of doing a great benefit to those
who are afflicted in many ways, and who is har-

dened enough and presumptuous enough to say
that he will undertake the responsibility of throw-
ing the chance away ? It is not often that such an
opportunity occurs of bestowing benefits on
the unfortunate as this proposal for removing the
site of Bethlehem Hospital for that of St. Thomas's
has offered. If it is lost or thrown away, those who
are responsible will not have an enviable position
when they face the tribunal of public opinion. It
is to be trusted that when the proposed meeting of
the several Governors takes place that both sides
will agree to meet half way, to sink personal feel-
ings and party prejudices, and to make the great
object of their discussion the one absorbing object of
interest. If they do so the result will be of incal-
culable advantage to all concerned, and if not the
astute and intelligent observers among the pubic
will see where the fault lies, and deduce their
opinion accordingly. It is all very well for those
concerned to argue like Mr. HARWOOD, that " if
the Governors of St. Thomas's bear them harmless
in the matter of expense they should have their
hospital," but what becomes of the duties of
the Governors of Bethlehem. How can their
funds be better laid out than in the
arrangements and alterations which will so
materially conduce to the benefit of those entrusted
to their care. Why should others bear all the ex-
pense of a removal that will further so greatly the
objects of their institution, and the purposes of their
establishment. The medical staff of St. Thomas's
Hospital have given their opinion in favour of two
sites, which they consider of first rate excellence—
one the site now occupied by Bethlehem, the other
the site at Standgate. Of the two the preference is
given to Standgate, a circumstance which of itself
is sufficient to urge upon those concerned the im-
portance of not throwing the chance away. While
some have urged objections of one sort, and some
another, a third party has appeared that may carry
off the prize. At this meeting that is to be convened
let not the statement of the medical staff of St.
fhomas's Hospital be neglected; let it be as the
handwriting on the well to warn them of dangers
ahead, and let them speedily come to a mutual un-
derstanding, or else some other plan may be adopted
that will frustrate the endeavours of the well-
wishers of both sides, and militate against the ad-
vantages that will accrue from the first pro-
posal of settling the question. If the original
plan of mutually benefitting the community
by placing St. Thomas's Hospital on the site of
Bethlehem, and removing that institution to a
more suitable locality, be not carried out, blame
will rest with these who interposed vexatious
delays and made unsuitable demands. The issues
of life and death, the decision for sense or sanity,
rest not in mortal hands; but an awful responsibi-
lity falls on those who take upcn themselves the
responsibility of checking the means devised for the
most safe and speedy cure of such direful ailments,
and who to their societies" give up what was meant
for mankind."

It is with great regret that the public will
hear of another naval disaster, although in the
present instance the results cannot, happily, be
compared to the terrible tragedies which have so
lately aroused all our sympathies. The Norwegian,
sister ship to the unfortunate Anglo Saxon, left
Liverpool for Montreal on the sth inst. She was a
steamer of 1,800 tons, and belonged to the Ocean
and Montreal Steam Company. She was lost, it
appears, on the night of the 14th, on St. Paul's
Island, in the St. Lawrence, having crossed the
Atlantic in safety, to perish so near the end of her
journey. The catastrophe is, however, divested of
its terrors by the safety of the passengers, crew,
and mails. We have no particulars of the wreck,
and must therefore reserve judgment upon the ma-
nagement of those in authority, since we know not
what unforeseen accident rendered their skill or
knowledge fruitless. The noticeable part of the
story is that it adds another to those wrecks of
large vessels which have lately been of no rare
occurrence, It is time that we should look into
the causes of these disasters, and consider what
can be the reason of their increasing frequency.
With the present high state of workmanship, with
all the advantages of applied scientific knowledge,
how is it that shipwrecks of vessels such as these
are not few and far between ? In most cases un-
fortunately, the disaster can be traced to some de-
degree of carelessness or foolhardiness. In one
instance the absence of a proper fog signal led to
the destruction of a noble vessel and consequent
loss of life, but the rapidity with which the steamer
advanced to her ruin no doubt heightened the
disaster. Another time the captain, though an
experienced commander, showed considerable want
of prudence in attempting to cross a peculiarly
dangerous bar without due precautions. Both
these vessels might have been wrecked in any
case, but it would be some consolation to the
sufferers to know that human care and prudence
had fully done their part. What has led to this
fresh disaster it is impossible to say. The safety
of the men and mails is probably due to the fact
of its having taken place in the river instead of
in the open ocean. Peesibly the proverbial reek-
,essness of American steamers had had something
to do with it, by collision or otherwise. It is to
be hoped that our countrymen do not mean to
imitate that recklessness, and consider life and
safety nothing in comparison to " going a-head,"
but it certainly appears as if the cardinal virtue
of prudence were sometimes held to be more
honoured in the breach than the observance.
While we are supporting charitable societies for
the assistance of distressed mariners, and rejoicing
over a life saved by the lifeboats on our coasts,
hundreds of our countrymen and women go down
winds
inds
lessenl r
and waters, nor can any human
Prudence always
in distant waters, thanks to the neglect of some
precaution, or the rash desire to 'cake a speedy
ma the w
voyeaage
to
We, cannot of course, com-
vtehret
eshneceheecaelafmthiteieirn
s but
e nn
do much
Let us go back to
the old times when safety
c j
et necae.
was

the first thought on such voyages—neither fine
sailing nor short voyages, but the safety of the
vessel and her freight. In the meantime we
must be thankful that we have not now to deplore
the loss of any human lives along with the good
ship which has gone down in the mighty St.
Lawrence.

Casts of People Dead 1,800 Years Ago,
NEWLY TAKEN PROM THE RUINS OF POMPEII,

The correspondent of our chief morning contemporary
has recently given the following graphic picture of the
horrors of that fearful 24th of August, seventeen hundred
and forty years ago, when a fearful eruption swallowed up
Herculaneum and Pompeii, the latter within 16 years of its
rebuilding —" There are now boulevards around Pompeii,
and a road is being made for the carts to convey rubbish in
the direction of the amphitheatre. From the top of those
boulevards the visitor has a view of the whole city, and can
form a tolerably correct idea of the interior of the
houses uncovered. Excavations are now going on
on two eminences near the Temple of Isis, and
the house called Ahondonza. Our inspection was
closely confined to the former site, where in a
house situated in a narrow street recently opened, we saw
several bodies, or rather forms of bodies, which now attract
universal attention. The unfortunate inhabitants of this
house fell, not on the bare ground, but on heaps of pumice
stones, and were covered to a great depth by torrents of
ashes and scoria, under which they have lain for nearly
2,000 years. One day, inside a house, amid fallen roofs
and ashes, the outline of a human body was perceived, and
Fiorelli, the chief of the works for excavation, soon
ascertained that there was a hollow under the surface. He
accordingly made a small hole through its covering, and
filled it up with liquid plaster of Paris, as if it were a mould.
The result was that he obtained a complete plaster statue of a
Roman lady of the first century of the Christian era. Close by
were found the remains of a man, another woman, and a
girl, with 91 pieces of silver money ; four earrings and a
finger-ring, all gold; two iron keys, and evident remains
of a linen bag or purse. The whole of those bodies have
been carefully moulded in plaster. The first body dis-
covered was a woman lying on her right side, with
her limbs contracted, as if she had died in convulsions.
The form of the head-dress and the hair are quite distinct
On the bone of the little finger were two silver rings; and
with this body were the remains of the purse above men-
tioned with the money and keys. The girl was found in
an adjoining room, and the plaster mould taken of the
cavity clearly shows the tissue of her dress. By her
side lay an elderly woman, who had an iron ring on
her little finger. The last personage I shall describe was
a tall, well-made man, lying full length. The plas-
ter distinctly shows his form, the folds of his gar-
ment, his torn sandals, his beard and hair. I contemplated
these human forms with an interest which defies expres-
sion. It is evident that all these unfortunates had made
great efforts to escape destruction. The man appears to
have perished in a vain attempt to rescue the terrified
women, who thought they could be nowhere so safe as in
their own home, and hoped that the fiery tempest would
soon cease. From the money and keys found with the body
of the first woman, she was probably the mistress of the
house and the mother of the girl. The slender bones
of her arms and legs and the richness of her head-
dress seemed to indicate a woman of noble race. From
the manner in which her hands were clenched she
evidently died in great pain. The girl does not
appear to have suffered much. From the appearance of the
plaster mould it would seem that she fell from terror as she
was running with her skirts pulled over her head. The
other woman, from the largeness of her ear, which is well
shown by the plaster, and the iron ring on her finger, evi-
dently belonged to a lower class, and was probably a ser-
vant of the family. The man appears to have been struck
by lightning, for his straightened limbs show no signs of
a death-struggle. It is impossible to imagine a more
affecting scene than the one suggested by these silent
figures; nor have I ever heard of a drama so heart-rending
as the story of this family of the last days of Pompeii."
THE EXHIBITION BUILDING.

_
Mr. Hunt's report, explanatory of the estimate of the
cost of completing the Exhibition building at Kensington-
gore, has just been published. It is dated 19th June, 1863,
and gives a general outline of the nature of the works com-
prised in his estimates and specifications. After mention-
ing the substantiality of the picture gallery, and the plan
to make it fire-proof by Fox and Barrett's principle, he
states :

"The remainder of the buildings are partly permanent
and partly temporary in their construction. The iron
columns and girders and the iron trusses of the roofs will
remain permanently, with some adjustments and modifica-
tions. The timbers of the roofs, as well as the skylights,
are, with the exception of the roofs over the nave and
transepts, of a temporary character, and it is proposed to
remove them, substituting new timbers with a cover-
ing of slate of marine metal The skylights will be entirely
new, and the glass in them will be of the quality known as
the 21-ounce sheet. The roofs over the nave and transept
will be slated. All the gutters throughout will be lined
with lead; and the skylights, frames, ridges, and hips will
be covered with lead. The joists and floor-boards of the
galleries will be removed, and substantial new floors will be
substituted. The whole of the ground floors throughout the
entire building will be removed. A layer of concrete 12
inches thick will then be laid over the whole surface, and a
new floor constructed with new materials. The joists will
be of the best fir timber; the sleepers will be of oak, on
proper brick walls, built on the concrete platform before de-
scribed, and the floor boards will be 1/ inch thick, planed,
and put together with iron tongues. All the ceilings
throughout, except the nave and transept, will be plastered,
as will also all the brick walls within the building. A com-
plete system of drainage;was constructed when the buildings
were erected. They will, however, require to be repaired,
and in parts relaid.

"With regard to the domes it is proposed to build piers
of brickwork, upon solid concrete foundations, and to con-
struct brick arches, springing from these piers. The lower
portion of the domes will then be filled in with brickwork,
oovered externally with lead, and the upper portion will be
glazed with thick glass. '1 he interior parts of the brick-
work, including the piers and arches, will be plastered. It
is not proposed to remove the ironwork, but to build it in
with the brickwork."

Regarding the exterior of the building on its three sides,
he proposes that the existing outlines should be preserved,
with such an amount of decoration introduced as may be
consistent with the purposes to which the building is to be
applied. The material to be employed to be Portland
cement. There, he says, are the most important works,
but there are others of a minor description, the cost of ail
which, however, is covered by his estimate, and he has a
confident belief that the estimate for the warming and ven-
tilating apparatus, which is only approximate, will not be
exceeded.

Kr. Roebuck's Interview with the Emperor.

The Paris correspondent of the Times writes :
" Mr. Lindsay and Mr. Roebuck came over to Paris
on Monday morning. They proceeded forthwith
to Fontainbleau. Mr. Lindsay asked for an audience
for himself and Mr. Roebuck. It was instantly
granted, and both gentlemen were received by his
Majesty most graciously. The conversation lasted
some time, and the Emperor declared in the most
formal manner that he entertained the same views
as before with respect to the civil war in
America; that he was desirous again to inter-
pose his good offices, and equally desirous that
England should join him ; that he believed the
joint intervention of France and England would be
attended with good results; and that, in again pro-
posing to England to act with him, he was moved
by no unfriendly feeling towards the North—quite
the contrary. His only motive was to put a stop to
the horrible carnage in America, the more so as it
was productive of no results; and the more to be
deplored as there was no chance of restoring the
Union.

" A statement made many months ago to the effect
that the Emperor had proposed to England to join
him in mediation between the belligerents was con-
tradicted, and, if I am not mistaken, in Parliament.
I may now mention that the Emperor, in his con-
versation with the two gentlemen yesterday, com-
pletely corroborated that statement. He declared
that he did propa_e mediation at the time specified;
and, perhaps, I am not going too far in saying that
Mr. Lindsay and Mr. Roebuck have authority for
declaring in Parliament that what was then stated,
respecting the offer of mediation, was perfectly
correct, and that he felt much regret it, was not
acted upon. Such is, I have reason to believe, the
substance of the conversation that took place yes-
terday at Fontainbleau."

THE MARRIAGE OF THE Duc DE CHARTRES.-
The annexed letter, in reply to an address of con-
gratulation, to her Majesty Queen Marie Amelie, from the
inhabitants of Esher, on the occasion of the marriage of her
grandchildren, the Dec de Chartres and the Princess Fran-
coise d'Orleans, has been received :—"Edinburgh, June 15,
1863.—Sir,—Words can hardly express deep emotions. Let
me nevertheless send you these few lines of broken English,
and try to tell you the gratitude of my wife and myself for
the kind feeling evinced in so many ways by the inhabitants
of Esher on the occasion of our marriage. The citizens of a
free countrywill never understand what exile is. You cannot,
therefore, know how truly such demonstrations of cordial
regards have grno to our hearts. I beg you will accept for
yourself and those around you this impression of our grati-
tude, and believe me, sir, ever truly yours, RoszET
D'ORLS.A.NS, Due de Chartres.—To W. G. Brett, Esq.,
Sandown-house, Esher,"