The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 28, 1863.

was his wish to say anything in reply to the charge, it was
his (Mr. Henry's) duty to hear him.
The prisoner, in a low voice, replied that he had nothing
to say.
" ' ' •

Mr. Henry remanded the prisoner to a future day to give
time for the post mortem examination ; and the prisoner,
who during the examination hung over the felons' dock in
a stooping position, and whose appearance was wild and
restless, was then taken out of court.

Royal Geographical Society.

JAPAN, &c,

A crowded meeting of the Royal Geographical Society
was held on Monday evening—Sir Roderick I. Murchison,
President, in the chair.
Among those present were Admirals Sir George Beck and
R. Collinson ; Generals Sir Justin Sheil, Sir Geo. Pollock,
and Sir Andrew S. Waugh; Lady Franklin and Miss Cra-
croft, Lady Oliphant; Cols. Dickson, Walker, Hawkins,
and Shaffner; Captains Bedford, Glyn, Hope, Percher,
Liudesay Brine, Dyke, and Stirling, R.N. ; Major Cooke,
M. Du Chaillu, the Hon. H. S. Law ; Captains Baker,
Harris, Murchison, Pounden, and Pook ; Sir Stuart Donald-
son, Mr. and Mrs. Hoggins, Mr. Gregson, M.P. ; Drs. Rae,
Day Goss, Gallagher, M'Loughlin, Cawps, Shorrin, Shea,
Ogle, Seemann, Hamilton, and Webster; Messrs. Osborne
Smith, C. White, Biddulph, Pennycook, Brown, Rolston,
Cocks, Arrowamith, Findlay, Galton, &c.
Lieut. F. Duncan, R.N., Major F. J. Goldsmid, Capt.
E. Menzant, the Rev. F. Trestrail, Major Q. Vivian, and
Messrs. J. G. Austin, A. Barry, T. irl. Crowder, J. Emslie,
W.Gillett, C. Harvey, M. Joshua, F. J. Jourdain, G. Mac-
farlane, J. A. Olding, F. J. Walker, G. C. Wallich, M.D.,
F. G. A.Williams, and John Wright were elected Fellows.
The minutes of the former meeting having been read by
Dr. Shaw,
Mr. SPOTTISWOODE read the first paper, " On a Proposed
Route to Siam, China, &c., across the Isthmus of Kraw, by
Capts. Fraser and Forlong," commun'cated by Dr. Duncan
Macpherson, M.D., F.R.G. The paper endeavoured to
show the advantages to be derived by the construction of a
railway across the narrow neck of laud in the Malay Penin-
sula known as the Isthmus of Kraw. The paper stated
that the saving in time between Calcutta and Hongkong by
this route would be 93 hours, and 56 hours would be saved
from Ceylcn to Hongkong. From Ceylon to Kraw, and
thence direct to Calcutta, two extra English mails might
be carried in nine and a half days to the mouth of the
Hooghly, necessitating only one extra steamer between Cey-
lon and Aden to meet the Bombay mail. The cost of con-
structiGn would not exceed £760,000.
Mr. JOHN CRAWFORD, F.R.G.S., considered this route
to be impracticable, and even if practicable he did not think
the small saving of time would justify the great outlay that
must be incurred. As to the alleged dangers of the Straits
of Malacca, during 18 years the Peninsular and Oriental
Company had lost only two ships in the Straits, and out of
300 voyages made by steamers from Calcutta and Bombay
not a single vessel had been lost.
Capt. HENDERSON said he had navigated the Straits 37
times,and had never met with an accident. He, too, thought
the route undesirable in a national point of view, and une •
qual to other projected routes.
Mr. LAURENCE OLIPHANT, F.R.G.S., then read his
paper " On a Visit to the Island of Tsusima, Japan." After
alluding to the inland sea of Japan, Mr. Oliphant gave an
account of his visit to Tsusima, an island midway in the
Straits of Corea. Fatchin,the capital,containing the Prince's
palace and a population of 10,000 inhabitants, is situated on
the east coast. The Prince is absolute proprietor of the
island, and has a monopoly of the transit trade between the
Corea and Japan, which consists chiefly of tiger skins,
hides, rice, silver, and gold. The island is about 40 miles
long, and eight to ten miles broad, and contains 30,000 in-
habitants. It is hilly, heavily timbered, the highest peaks
being upwards of 2,000 feet. The island is almost bisected
by a deep sound. from which numerous fiords diverge. 'I he
fleets of the world might be concealed in this labyrinth of
inland waters. Its position between Corea and Japan ren-
ders it important.
The PRESIDENT complimented Mr. Oliphant on his zeal
in making this exploration while still suffering from the
wound he had received in Japan.
Sir R. ALcocii., F.R.G.S., said it was known that the
Russians had for some time made Tsusima a sort of naval
port for repairing their ships, and it was, therefore, desir-
able to ascertain whether these advantages might be fairly
shared by other nations. He was convinced that there is
no part of the Chinese Seas which could be chosen with so
much advantage as a place of resort for fleets in distress.
He then drew attention to several native Japanese maps on
the table, including a topographical plan of Jeddo, brought
from that city by Lady Franklin. The accuracy of these
charts and maps was a great evidence of the ingenuity and
untiring perseverance of the Japanese.
Capt. BULLOCK, R.N., said it was not too much to say
that with such fidelity were the charts obtained by Captain
Ward executed, that they had been the means of enabling
20 years. The means by which these surveys were effected
as to anticipate the survey of the Japanese coast by at least

was extremely doubtful.
Capt. MALCOLM, F.R.G.S., said when he was in Japan
Col. Siebold, of the Dutch engineers, showed him some
original Japanese surveys of very old date, and told him
that a Russian officer years gone by had surveyed the coast
and had instructed the natives in the art.
Before adjourning the meeting,

The PRESIDENT called attention to the reported death of
Mr. Consul Petberick and his wife on the White Nile, and
after expressing deep regret for their loss, stated that the

Council had determined to place the remainder of the

money raised by the Fellows of the Society for the purpose
of sending assistance to Captains Speke and Grant in the
hands of Mr. Baker, who, according to the last accounts,
was about to proceed into the interior from Khartum, and
to request him to pursue the expedition which had been in-
trusted to Mr. Petherick. He also informed the society
that the three ladies of whom he had spoken on a former
occasion had passed beyond Gondokoro, and he hoped that
at a future time their exploration would be laid before the

society.
The meeting then adjourned to Monday, February 9.

CITY COURT OF SEWERS.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the Commissioners of Sewers,
held at Guildhall, Deputy De Jersey in the chair, a letter
was read from the directors of the Great Central Gas Com-
pany relative to the public lighting. Their attention, they
said, had been called to the report of experiments made by
the engineer of the Commissioners in December last for
the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of gas supplied
to the public lights—and, being surprised at the apparent
results, the directors instructed their engineers and chief
inspector to make experiments upon
the particular
in lamps
specified in that report, with the view of testing its accu-
racy, such lamps remaining precisely the same condi-
tion as when experimented upon by the officers
samv• oenr
a. g 0 T hc
ee
nrs eusulu results 0
no f
otfh o st
he e e xwp ehroi
Imo e n
tt
os
per hour. Classified into streets,
showed
otwheedComthme i
Farringdon-street was 3.08 average an
gas
tbhhooeu3r.c6o; 6n
Fsuleme cubicpt.t,
sitorne feetei
tn,3.14 ; Skinner-street, 3.6 ; Snow-hill, of
3'6 ; Well-court, 5.4 ; Upper Thames-street, 3.90 ; and
Bucklersbury, 3.90. The pressures at which those burners
were tried were taken from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., and the pres-
sure on the mains at that time was one-tenth of an inch less
than the average pressure during the hours of lighting.
From those results the directors believed that, instead of the
public lamps in the southern side of the city being sup-
gas than the quantity contracted for, the
t less than from 20 to 25 per cent. more than
spulipepdlywiwthas lneoss
such contract quantity. On the motion of Deputy Elliott,
the letter was referred to the General Purposes Committee
for consideration and report, as was also an application from
the City Gas Company to lay down a 24-inch gas main from
their works near Blackfriars bridge to the Minories by way
of Ludgate-hill, St. Paul's-churchyard-Cannon-street, and
Eastcheap, in order that the committee might prescribe the
hours of the day at which the work ought to be done, with
the least inconvenience to the public and interruption of the
traffic. A novel application was made by Deputy Bower with
respect to a public lamp in a part of Billingsgate, where
upwards of 200 years ago a citizen fell at night and broke
his leg, and afterwards bequeathed a sum of £4 a year for
the maintenance there of a public light at night for all time
The money had been regularly paid for two centuries, and,
since the introduction of gas, to a gas company charged
with lighting the district, and who had kept up the light.
The application now was for a new lamp in place of one
which had become ruinous from ago. It was granted. A
report was brought up from the General Purposes Commit-
tee, and agreed to, recommending the payment by the
Chamberlain, on the 24th of June next, of L 10,136 odd, the
estimated contribution due from the city to the expenses of
the Metropolitan Board of Works for the current year. On
the recommendation of the same committee, the Commis-
sioners ordered a consolidated rate of Bd. in the pound for
the half-year ending July 1, and a sewer rate for the whole
current year at the rate of 3d. in the pound. A letter ad-
dressed to the Court by the Secretary to the Commission-
ersbbye the
of Customs was read. Dr. Letheby, he said, having
stated in a report to the Commissioners of Sewers that
diseased cattle which had been landed from a foreign ship
in October last, and condemned by the veterinary surgeon
employed
iteDadepaLtnaheanvtinhgabdebeneendetsetkroeynetde,
and that the unwholesome meat had probably gone into
consumption, the Commissioners of Customs had made par-
market to
denial. inquiries into the matter. From the evidence they
had obtained it appeared that ten carcases of diseased Bre-
men beasts, imported in the vessels Schwalbe and Schwan
on 21st October last, were condemned by the veterinary
surgeon, and delivered into the charge of E. Snell, an officer
of revenue, for conveyance to the premises of W. T. Favey,
at 2, James-street, Bethnal-green, in order to their being
effectually destroyed. It also appeared that the carcases of
three foreign beasts, in a very bad condition, were taken to
the slaughter-house of Mr. C. H. Packman, in Islington-
market, on the evening of the same day, by one Markham,
a carrier, for the purpose of being dressed for market, and
that the meat, when dressed, was delivered to Markham.
The mark on one of the condemned beasts corresponded
with the mark upon one of the beasts taken to Packman's,
and, inasmuch as three of the beasts were conveyed from
the importing vessel in a cart driven by Markham, the
Board were of opinion that the three beasts taken by Mark-
ham to Packman's formed part of those entrusted to Snell