The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-16 00:00:00

Speculative Society of Edinblugh,.

The opening meeting of the hundredth session
was held in the College of Edinburgh on Wednes-
day. There were about 70 members present, in-
cluding Lord Brougham. The secretary read the
minute of the last meeting, at which it was resolved
to confer the diploma of honorary membership upon
Lord Glenelg, the Lord Justice-General, and Prir,-
'cipal Sir David Brewster. A letter was read from.
Lord Glenelg, expressing his gratitude for tho
honour of being advanced to the honorary member-,
ship of the society, and at the same time expresa
sing his regret that the state of his health precluded
him from showing his gratitude by personal attend-
ance at the present meeting. The degree having
been conferred on the Lord Justice-General and
Sir David Brewster, the following resolution
was carried with acclamation :—" That the mem-
bers of the Speculative Society desire to record
their gratification at the presence of one of
their most illustrious members, the Right
Hon, Lord Brougham, on this occasion, and
to offer to him their hearty thanks for the many
services and kindly offices which, during the long
period that has elapsed since he became an ordinary
member, he has rendered to the society." In the
evening the society held a centenary commemoraa
tion dinner in the Douglas Hotel, Lord Brougham
presiding. About 100 gentlemen sat down to din-
ner. On the right of the chairman were—The Lord
Justice-General, Sir G. Clerk, Rev. Sir H. W. Mon-
creiff, and Lord Neaves; and on the left, Sir David
Brewster, Sir W. Gibson-Craig, Mr. Sergeant Shee,
and Lord Ardmillan. The Lord-Advocate was
croupier; and was supported by Lord Curriehill,
the Right Hon. Joseph Napier, M.P., Mr. Mure,
M.P., Lord Deas, Professor Aytoun, Mr. H. M.
Inglis, Mr. Campbell Swinton, &c. After dinner
Lord Brougham, gave the usual loyal toasts, taking
occasion to notice that his Royal Highness Prince
Alfred, who was to attend the winter session at the
Edinburgh University, had expressed his desire to
become a member of this society. The Lord-Advc.
cate gave "The Navy, Army, and Volunteers," after
which Lord Brougham gave "The Speculative So-
ciety," remarking that himself and Lord Glenelg
Were the only survivors of the great and distin-
guished class who frequented the society at the end
of the last and very beginning of the present cen.
tury. He combined with the toast the Historical
Society of Dublin, which had always maintained
the closest relationship with this society, and which
was represented on this occasion by his friend Mr.
Napier. The right hon. gentleman having replied,
Sir George Clerk proposed " The College of Jusa
tice." The Lord Justice-General acknowledged
the toast, and gave "The health of Lord Brougham,''
remarking that the life of the noble lord never could
be measured by the number of years, however great,
that may have passed over his head, for when we
looked to the number and variety of his works, and
to the success that had attended them, we might say
truly of him that in his time he had lived many
lives; that his mind had done the work of many
minds ; and that his achievements were such as
might have rendered famous not one, but
many men. (Loud and prolonged cheering.)
Lord Brougham, in reply, said he never could
forget the many happy hours he had spent
in the Speculative Society. Lord Neaves gave
" The University of Edinburgh," and Principal
Brewster replied. Mr. Campbell Swinton having
given "Both Houses of Parliament," Lord Brougham
replied for the House of Lords. He said—" It hall
been often thought that the House of Lords expose
themselves justly to complaint when they differ front
the rest of the community, but very often when they
are most complained of it will be found, on Cahn
examination and consideration, that they are in the
rigiat. (Cheers.) It is perfectly impossible to
maintain a free Constitution—that is to say a
_Con-
stitution removed, on the one hand, :from
from
tyranny of an individual, and, on the other, ff:a
the worse tyranny of a mob (hear, Hear,-bieb
cheers)—without a respectable and responsible
the
like the aristocracy of the country, °flvthe only
House of Lords is the main though 1337 tire, m.p.,
representative." (Loud cheers.) Mi lord Ad.
replied for the House of Commons9.o
Tecate gave The English Bar, "c: :31r.. Sergeant
toasts appro.
.j
Shea responded ; and several °tti
ion
and cordially
priate to the occasion were given
received.

saturne—Yesterday,
c „.ria,
-..,_____--___
Bank of England
tp the A t 7th and Bth v „, .
An Account, Pnr°nan----4P--c—endlngt on Wednesday, th,.
cap. 32, for;the Week . 14th day
of Oct., 1863:--

Notes Issued .......,V7.l:sPLOGRtohlvemerrEnNsmeeTeunrtitDieesbt £11,015,1C0
Gold Coin & •
• 13'634''3°' Silver Bullion 3,E57,024
.

£28,537,9'25;

£28,587,924

BANKING DEPARTMENT.
Government Secu-
rities (including
Dead Weight A-
nnuity) £1P,945,36S
Other Securities 21.340,145
Notes
Gold and Silver 682,651
Coin

ero
iota,. Cap.
1:,414.553,000
t 3 '''''''''''' 3,123,551
aeit;lieposits (in-
a--(fing Exche-
quer, savings,
Banks, Commis-
mis sioners of Na-
tional Debt, and
Dividend A c-
counts) .......... 4,616,052
Other Deposits... • 16,352,618
Seven Day and
other Bills ..... 724,14$

4 39,369.569

£39,380,564
RSHALL, Chief Cashier.

TIM CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA,

(Ftom the Correspondent of the Times.)

NEW YORK, Oct. 2.

New York held high festival yesterday. Broad-
way arrayed itself in banners, and the city poured
out its thousands to welcome Admiral Lisovski
and the o'Eacers of the Russian fleet. Such a recep-
tion as triis flighty and easily excited population
loves to give to anybody of sufficient note to justify
the expfmditure of time and money was given on
this occasion ; but it was a mere copy and repeti-
tion of previous displays. As Kossuth was re-
ceived years ago, and the Prince of Wales, and
the J 3panese Ambassadors, and, more recently,
General Corcoran, so also, with little variation
in the programme, were the Russians made free
of foe Empire City, and bidden to share in the hos-
pitalities of the Corporation and of the magnates
of its trade and commerce. The
.promoters of the
gala had the good taste to confine
it to its sole pur-
P°'-lei the glorification of Russia, and to refrain from
inviting, as they were publicly. urged to do, the Bri-
tish and French admirals and officers now in the
port, to be sharers in the festivities. The whole
scene passed over with satisfaction to all concerned
—especially to the
thwar between the United
Republican party. There is a
growing impression
States ar.d Prane or e, at
is inevitable, France and England combined,
andthat under such circumstances it
is well for the Americans to have a friend in the
Czar. Mr. Charles Sumner declares that the Federal
Government
all the P has no friend except Switzerland, but
Republicans and many of the Democrats
.think the Senator in error, and are of opinion that
in case of European complications growing out of
the Tlesiiion of the recognition of the Southern Con-
federavy, or any other of the possible issues of the
war, tzle Federal Government might securely count
upon the physical aid and the moral sympathy of
the Emperor Alexander. An alliance offensive and
defensive with Russia is the present day-dream of
the Americans, which they indulge not altogether
for the love and affection which they bear to the
Russians, or for any community of interests between
them, but for the hate which they bear to Great
Britain, which dates from the days of George III.;
and for that which more recently they have begun
to entertan towards France for the unpardonable
but not easily definable sin of sympathy with the
South, aggravated by the Emperor's contempt for
the Monroe doctrine, as exhibited in the affairs of
Mexico, and the attempt to introduce monarchy on
the North American continent.

The city positively teems with rumours of fresh
disasters, both at Chattanooga and Knoxville—rn-
mours which do not find thier way into the news-
papers for fear of General Dix and the Provost
Marshal, but which are repeated at every corner,
and tend to send up gold and depreciate stocks in
Wall-straet. It also begins to be seen that if Gen.
Gilmore and Admiral Dahlgren cannot take Charles-
ton during the present month—which, judging
from thz. past progress of these gentlemen in their
task, is not very probable—the siege will have to
be abandor,ed, fcom the impossibility of maintain-
ing the ar my in health during the winter on the
sandy wad inhospitable shores of Morris Island,
where 'the tents cannot stand the violence of the
gales ; where everything the men eat is gritty with
sand arid dust : where the water is scarce and bad ;
and where fuel, if obtainable at all, can only be ob-
tairiedl at heavy cost from New York, there being
not so much as a shrub on the island of which to
make a camp fire.

But, whatever may be the good or the evil for-
tunes of the Republic, General Schenck persists in
courting attention. He and his subordinates at
Baltimore are irrepressible. Neither anger, nor con-
tempt, nor ridicule can teach them decency. Two
new eases have just occurred which exceed in
stupidity of injustice all that he and his ready in-
strument have hitherto perpetrated against the
luekless citizens of that pleasant capital. The first
in order of time is that of the Rev. Frederick Gib-
son, a clergyman of the Episcopal Church—a man
highly esteemed in Baltimore in every relation of
life. Ho has, it appears, been in the habit of re-
ceiving into his family for the purposes of education
10 to 12 young gentlemen, and as his reputation as
a teacher stood high the applications for admission
to his school were more numerous than he could ac-
comlrAodate. On the 21st of September a General
G. Ce Thomas wrote to him from 'Washington to
kricAle whether he had a vacancy for his son. As
Gen. Thomas was an officer in the Federal service,
Mr. Gibson replied that he should be most happy to
eeeeive the young gentleman, but thought it only
proper to inform the General, " in th© unhappy cir-
'cumstances which now distract the country, that all
his pupils this year without exception advocated
the Southern side, and that such being the case, he
did not think Gen. Thomas's son would find it plea-
sant to be among them." This was a privileged com-
munication, and ought to have been so considered
by a gentleman. Gen. Thomas, however, was of a
different opinion, and forwarded the document to
Mr. Stanton. Mr. Stanton forwarded it to Gen.
Schenck, and Gen. Schenck instructed his adjutant.
general, one Col. Dann Piatt, like himself a -Western
attorney, elevated into military importance by the
war, to do what was needful in the circumstances.
Mr. Gibson was forthwith summoned into the awful
prusence of Col. Platt and underwent a searching
er
Gibsn-oex m.ation as to his political opinions. Mr.
replied that in his public character of a
clergyman and a teacher he expressed nopolitical
opinions whatever, and neither preached politics
from his pulpit nor taught them in
his school. Be"
pressed to tell what his private opinions ^were Being
frankly admitted that he had always thought the
war against the South to be indefensibleand that
he heartily sympathised with its people. This
more than enough for Dunn Piatt, who angrily was
formed Mr. Gibson that with such opinionshehand.
no right to be in Baltimore, or any right at all
except the right to be sleet and buried. He forth-
with consigned this clergyman without rights to a
common cell at the rear of the Provost Marshal's
office, where he still remained on Monday last,
pending Gen. Schenck's decision as to what shall
be done with him.

in itself, is
The next case, though less painful
persons
blockheads
scarcely less disgraceful to the
named Carr,
ow,hoonaidsger, were on
who govern Baltimore. Five
Berry, Jordan, Kelly, and B
wrote__ -
L. that
of drinking Fish, the
Monday, the 28th, brought before
Provost Marshal, upon the charge
following toast :—" Damnation to the gethe
rirew the quill that made the pen that
r,
coin's Proclamation of Emancipation."
treason. was
This in.
alleged to be nothing less than high
vain the culprits protested that it was a good Union
sentiment. Colonel Fish was inexorable, and
ordered them to be transported beyond the Federal
lines into Virginia, to drink the toast if they pleased
among their friends the "rebels." As it appeared,
• the business of these men would be
however, than
wholly ruined and their famili destitute if the
decree were enforced, the offended Majesty of
Colonel Fish consented to reconsider the matter.
well a day's deliberation, the interval having been
employed by the friends of the offenders in
bringingha,yr testimonials of their previous good be
crira`ueuw,,it7as intimated to them that their grievous
would t,..o';_ti be overlooked this once, provided they
sident 0 'wObatb of allegiance to that gracious Pre-
sident
irre,ete:_se goose-quill they had spoken with
atTh wi,hout ,7.. Each and all of them took the
The Court hesitation.
has decided• ' of A
by Appeals of the State of New York
Justice didsen-tiangra:ZraittY"of the judges, the Chief
tender for
,ii private.e 5, well
_g_ greenbacks" are a legal
the clause
which deit.',:t:is
teon,titnt'l3,4l2ub_he debts, and that
the United States
right of
~ printing" g"
" coinino the Federal ,or
inon*97iine Government the sole
further money.adjudicaien AS
the
ease will the might of
United States, the only
the Sup,: be, taken for
Court
interpret the Constitutioyntoe
that
hasCnurt of h
in the country, the question and' the
highest
to
as decided. In the meanntiims not to b,ltotnri.bunal
Judge Wright, in support meantime the
the arguer„dtred
Federal Government to print as much
right of the
congress may authorise, merit the s Paper tka_
peens as well as Americans. study of Euraa
'They will
serve
ehow into what a fiaaucial gulf Mr. Cease haneto
and dragged the American people after hill:jujrn`dg--
a
Wright if of opinion that Cimgre.9 and the Govern

1
went were justified in issuing any possible amount
of paper which the necessities of the State might
have required or will yet require, for the rep! on that
the money in gold and silver necessary to carry on
the war for the "life of the nation" cold not have
been borrowed if the civilised world :lad been ran-
sacked for the purpose. " That Congress judged
wisely," he adds, " the astonishing success that has
attended the issueslof this money fully proves. All
loyal citizens have prospered immensely by the Act
of Congress which declared greenbacks a legal ten- '
der. Such a thing as pecuniary distress in the loyal
States on account of the war, or by reason of the
financial measures of the Government, hae not been
heard of. If the national life were to be preserved,
more money was required than had ever been coined
at the national Mint, and at the time the Act was
passed, four times greater in amount than all the gold
and silver coin in the country. The money had to be
borrowed, and it was borrowed from the American
people. We have been ofadtmoensinsihtefrodm an irredeem-
able thefr
frightful
consequences in the future or
paper currency, based on the credit of the na-
tion, but if all the evils so strongly pictured, and
which are mainly figments of the imagination, were
to occur, how insignificant they would all be in corn
parison with the destruction of our Government. If
this magnificent governmental structure of ours falls,
it will matter little that in the effort to save it, not
only disorder, but ruin, were brought on the com-
mercial and monetary interests of the country." The
Judge may be a patriot, but he is certainly not a
financier, or a political economist. Any common
Jones or RAinson,issuing his irredeemable promises
to pay and renewing his bills ad infinitum, might
support his system by the same arguments. It is
necessary to him, Jones or Robinson, that his life
be preserved; his life cannot be preserved without
money; the coin that he can borrow will not meet
his wants by three-fourths; therefore he will pay
his way with paper. He will not only be prosper-
ous himself while his paper circulates, but every-
body who takes it and passes it to his neighbour
will be prosperous also—while confidence lasts.
Mais apris? Jones will shrug his shoulders if you
ask him ; Robinson will do the same, and so also
will the Federal Government and Judge Wright.
The system is beautiful while it lasts, and if confi-
dence could only he made permanent would be beau-
tiful for ever. Unluckily, however, the day of
reckoning cornea. The holders of greenbacks will
sometime or other expect coin for them ; and as,
according to the showing of the judge, there will
not be coin enough in the country or to be got out
of the civilised world to effect the liquidation—even
within 75 per cent. of the nominal value—there will
be a commercial crash such as the world has seldom
seen. But the Judge thinks such a result a mere
trifle. Perhaps, if at the day of reckoning he has
100,000 in greenbacks, and no other property, real
or personal, he may awaken to the melancholy con-
viction that irredeemable paper is not quite such a
blessing as he now considers it.

Utilisation of the London Sewage.

A public meeting of the ratepayers and inhabi-
tants of St. Marylebone was held in the Court-
house, Marylebone-lane, last night, to consider the
subject of the utilisation of the London sewage—
Dr. Brady, M.P., the chairman of the select com-
mittee on the sewage of towns, presiding.
In consequence of the wet weather the meeting
was not well attended.
The CIIAIRMAN said he had devoted considerable
attention to the subject of the utilisation of the
sewage of towns, which was of the greatest impor-
tance to the community at large, but when he
brought it first under the notice of the House of
Commons he had no idea that he had undertaken so
difficult a task. It had over and over again been
called the unsolved question of social progress, but
why, he was at a loss to understand. It had also
been designated the ass's bridge of social mathema-
tics, but nothing was easier than to pass over that
bridge. (A laugh.) A large amount of evidence was
taken before the select committee, and with the ex-
ception of that given by those who were interested
in artificial manure,it all tended to show that sewage,
if properly applied to land, would be a most valu-
able manure as regarded almost every description of
crops. The different agricultural societies through-
out the country had also given testimony to the
same effect, but an enormous influence was exercised
by the artificial manure interest in almost every
market town iu England, in order to depreciate the
value of sewage as a manure, and it was therefore
most desirable that the public should be enlightened
on that question. There could be no doubt that b 3
proper utilisation of sewage the ratepayers would be
largely benefited in a pecuniary sense. He then
alluded to the experiment mado by the commission
at Rugby, and said that though he would not go so
far as to call it humbug, it was anything but what
it should have been. The land had never been
prepared for the application of sewage, and the
experiment was therefore fallacious, as it could
have led to no other result bat failure. As
the sewage was their property, as rate-
payers, they ought to see that it was turned
to profitable account,and with that view they should
first have the whole matter thoroughly discussed.
(Hear, hear.)

Mr. HEALY referred to instances in which sewage
bad enormously increased to productive powers of
land in Lincolnshire, and said he looked upon the
London sewage as a mine of wealth to the rate-
payers. A large manufacturer of artificial manure
had told him that utilisation of sewage " went
against the grain," which amounted to a confession
of its value, and he (Mr. Healy) believed that if the
whole sewage of the metropolis were converted into
manure the cost of main drainage works would be
next to nothing. He concluded by moving the fol-
lowing resolution :—" That this meeting, in view of
the evidence laid before the Select Committee of the
House of Commons on the sewage of towns, and of
the analysis of the metropolitan sewage made by
Messrs. Hoffmann and Wilt, is of opinion that the
metropolitan sewage is a manure valuable for all
crops, and that it can be profitably utilised. That
its profitable utilisation depends upon its applica-
tion in a liquid form, in moderate dressings, over a
large. area; and that any other mode will be finan-
cially unproductive. And, further, that a plan
based upon the foregoing p
is the only one which offers rainncyipplreossapnecdt conditions
dai tsiuo nbs
.
stantial reduction of local taxation."

The motion having been seconded by Mr. BLACK-
BURN,

Mr. SLACK said he believed that the sewage of
London was in value equal to £5,000,000 a year.
lie knew from practical experience that it gave an
enormous amount of nourishment to all vegetable
matter, and,in a short time, its effect had been almost
miraculous on land to which it had been applied.
One great advantage of the main drainage system
was that it would purify the Thames, and out of
' the .£5,000,000 he had mentioned he calculated that
£3,000,000 would be the value of fish which would
then be produced in that noble river and the
streams which ran into it. Within his own know-
ledge, a man some years ago used to take six
or eight salmon at a haul in different parts of the
river above Chelsea•bridge, and a friend once caught
one opposite Strawberry-hill weighing 601 b., which
he sold to a fishmonger in Jermyn-street for £25.
Formerly the fishermen in the villages along the
erous, but now
banks of the river d werel very pm_p
gone, owing
int
e to
' the
their occupafttiohe n hwaatea,rmaonstd
imPuritYtt theiro families were obliged to rely
ywutntor
1 they and .
He had recently visited the out-
fall relief. . 1
0. d
parochial
in drain at P umea Marshes, and
fan nf the ms
in
of a mite of the place he
happened to inhwhen withi—n a ,"ale the abominable kffia via from
an artificial manure manufactory, which made him
8;) ill that he wad unable to take food fur a lung
time afterwards.
Dr. BAcH"NE R
said that having deeply
studied the question before the meeting, kind made
regard to it, he had no doubt
many experiments
in
reo e
of the metropolis and of
whatever that the sesvag
the whole of England was a very valuable commo-
dity. (Hear, hear.)
,could not en-
b3 applied
He,
dorse the principle that it could only
__,.11, in the ab
Profitably in a liquid form, especially
sauce of any evidence to that effect, and moved,
48 an amendment, that the latter part of the reso-

lution, from the word " valuable," should be
struck out.

The amendment having been seconded,

Mr. BAXTER LANGLEY, a member of the Sewage
of Towns Association,lin supporting the original re-
solution, said there wab no hostility on the part of
that association towards the Metropolitan Board
of Works, their only object being to thoroughly
ventilate the subject, and to arouse the attention
of the ratepayers to it, as it affected their pockets.
If they took the sewage of London as only worth
2d. per ton, that would reduce the local taxation
over the whole area by 6s. Bd. in the pound, or
one-third of what they now paid, (Hear, hear.)
He complained that the Board of Works had not
treated the matter exactly as they ought, as they
made a concession of the sewage to a particular
gentleman which they were ultimately obliged to
withdraw, a circumstance calculated to shake the
confidence of the public in the action of that board
on this question.

Dr. BACFILIOFFNER deprecated a personal attack
upon the board, and called Mr. Langley to order.
Mr. IYIFFANGER denied that the proposal for a
concession to the gentleman mentioned had been
approved of by the board, and said that, on the con-
trary, it was, after discussion, rejected.
Mr. LANGLEY contended that, in the first instance
the concession was for all practical purposes granted.
He then replied to the objection that the London
sewage was too diluted to be valuable for manure,
and said he had received a letter stating that near
Watford sewage was used all the year round, and
that it was diluted still more before it was
applied
to the land. The people who opposed the utilisa-
tion of sewage were, without exception, either arti-
ficial manure manufacturers or persons in their
employ ; and to show that the former had a great
personal interest in the matter, he stated that four
or five firms were realising from the sale of artificial
manure sums unequalled by the incomes of peers of
the realm.

The amendment was then negatived, and the
resolution carried.

Mr. BURTON then moved—" That the agricultural
value of sewage as a manure is only to be correctly
ascertained from the results obtained from those
who have used it for years, not for the purpose of
proving anything, but simply to obtain by its als-
distance the largest and most profitable return in
their crops. This meeting, therefore, disapproves
of all experiments, no matter by whom conducted,
initiated merely for the purpose of proving or
dis-
proving its value."

The resolution, after a few words from the seconder
and Mr. Nicholay, was also carried, and a
thanks to Dr. Brady for presiding concluded the
proceedings. vote of