The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-19 00:00:00

THE INFLUENZA.

This epidemic still continues without abatement, and ap-
pears to have spread to all parts of the kingdom. In the
metropolis its virulence is such as to create serious incon-
venience, both in the public offices and among mercantile
men. Many of the oldest and most respectable parishioners
of Chelsea, Battersea, Wandsworth, Putney, Kew, and
other villages on the Surrey side of the river have fallen
victims to the virulent effects of this dire disorder. On the
Middlesex side of the Thames, especially in Kens'ngton,
Hammersmith, Turnham-green, and Fulham, the disease'
has also prevailed, and the consequences have been equally
fatal to the adult population. It is not, perhaps, gene-
rally known that the typhus fever and small-pox have been
prevalent in many of the befoie-mentioned places, and have
carried off a number of both old and young persons. The
latter disease has been particularly fatal among infants. In
Chelsea the effects have been most fatal, several gallant ye-.
terals in the hospital having died, whilst many others are ,
extremely indisposed. In the Duke of York's Military Asy-
lum, in the King's-road, many of the inmates are afflicted
with the complaint. On Monday no less than sixteen
funerals took place in the churchyard of St. Luke, nine
out of which came from the workhouse. On Tuesday morn-
ing, at the usual hour, a vast,number of persons were in
attendance at the Board-room, in which the petty sessions
are held, to make complaints, prefer charges, &c., before
the Bench. The several parties were informed that there
would be no court, as the clerk to the justices and the yes•
try-clerk were both confined to their beds. This was the
second court-day at which no business had been transacted.
Many of the magistrates of this district are indisposed.
During the past week forty-five persons have been interred
in Woolwich churchyard—a larger "number than ever re-
membered in one week. The Royal Artillery Hospital
has at the present time more patients within its walls than
it has had for many years past.

So prevalent is the disease among the household troops,
that it is with difficulty a sufficient number of men can be
got together to mount guard. The regimental hospitals of
the Guards are so crowded that orders have been issued
from the office of the Commander-in-Caief for the fitting
up of temporary hospitals. Thirty-one pensioners have
died at Greenwich Hospital since Sunday last. All the
public and private hospitals in the metropolia are crowded
to excess, and numerous applications for admission are ne-
cssarily daily refused. The number of funerals on Sunday
last are, we believe, unprecedented.

Since the commencement of this epidemic the Commis-
sioners of Police have discontinued the suspension of the
slaing per day, which was previously deducted from the
pay of the police constables, when debarred from their duty
by indisposition. Prior to this prevalence, the anatomical
theatres i❑ the metropolis were very short of subjects under
the provisions of the New Anatomy Bill, but these are now
very plentiful. The unseasonable weather of the last two
days has tended not only to increase the disorder, but re-
store the symptoms in those that were convalescent. In
Hertfordshire the disease is very prevalent. In one house
in Buckeridge five of the inmates died on Sunday. A si-
milar complaint has recently appeared among the horses in
Hertfordshire, which has been very destructive to them.
A quarto pamphlet is preserved in the Royal Collection,
British Museum, entitled " Morbus Epidemius, the Newe
Disease ; its Signs, Causes, and Remedies." Printed 1643.
The description.of the symptoms of this " newe disease," it ,
is remarkable, agree exactly with those to be found in the
malady now prevalent in London—the influenza.

During the past week an act of suicide was effec-
tually perpetrated by Mr. Barr, formerly a solicitor at
Leeds, and who, our readers may probably recollect, w
tried at the last spring assizes at York, being charged wita
forging and signing orders upon the treasurer, purporting to
be the claims for the county allowance made by supposed
prosecutors on certain indictments for offences which in fact
had never been. committed, nor prosecutions taken place.
Tile sentence was transportation for life, with 12 months'
previous solitary confinement or hard labour in this country.
The unfortunate convict, who was about leaving England,
was respectably connected, and his remains %dere deposited
last Sunday in the parish churchyard at Leeds.—Chester-
field Courier.

ST. KATHERINE'S DOCK COMPANY.—On Tuesday
the half yearly meeting of the stockholders in this Company
was held at the dock-house, Tower-hill, for the purpose of
declaring a dividend, and upon other matters. Thomas
Tooke, Esq. in the chair. The Chairman said that, pur-
suant to the provisions of the Act, the annual statements
of the receipts and expenditure of the Company for the past
year had been laid on the table for the inspection of the
proprietors, and they might congratulate themselves upon
the result. The balance of profit brought down applicable
to a dividend at the close of the last half year was 78,4711.
18s. 6d. showing an excess of revenue over the amount of
the corresponding period of last year of 17,0321.55. 7d. A
large increase in the net earnings of the Company had taken
place, and the Directors therefore recommended that the
dividend for the last half year on the capital stock of the
Company should be increased to 21 per cent. It was
satisfoctory to him to be enabled to state, after inquiries
into the fact, that the trade of the port of London was
greatly increased. The total increase in the vessels which
had entered the port. of London with cargoes last year was
250, of the total tonnage of 118,755 tons, and of these the
St. Katherine's Docks had bad their full share, an excess
of 73 ships, of the tonnage of 15,398 tons having entered
there with cargoes above those of the year 1835. In the
last year 487 ships with cargoes had entered the docks.
The increase in the foreign trade of the port of London
in the last year inwards had been 256 ships, of the tonnage
of 118,715 tons. He proposed that the dividend should
be 2-41- per cent. on the capital stock of the Company for the -
half year ending on the 31st December last. After some
conversation relative to the Company's affairs the dividend
was agreed to. Thanks were returned to the Directors
and the meeting adjourned.

Shortly after one o'clock yesterday morning, a fire
was discovered in the lower part of the premises belonging
to Messrs. Cohen and Company, tea-merchants, Aldersgate-
street, City, and for a considerable time threatened serious
consequences ; but owing to the timely assistance of the en-
.ri „nes and a plentiful supply of water, the flames were ex-
,
tinguished before much damage was done.

On Tuesday evening an inquest was held at the
Moors' Arms public-house, Bromley, Middlesex, on the
remains of Charles Taylor, aged 33 years, who died by
inhaling hydrogen gas while employed in clearing out a large
vat or chamber in which vitriol is kept, on the premises of
Mr.. Jones, a chemical-manufacturer in that neighbourhood.
—On Thursday last another inquest was held before the
same Coroner, on the body of a young man named Joseph
Chamberlain, who lost his life through the same cause, in
attempting to clean out the same vessel. The Coroner
summed up, and the Jury returned_a verdict—" That the
deceased, by inhaling the noxious gas into his lungs, had
accidentally come by his death." The Jurors also returned
a deodand of 25/. on the vessel.—On Tuesday an inquisition
was taken before Mr. Stirling, in the board-room of Mid-
dlesex Hospital, on the bodies of Anne and Small M'Grath,
aged four and five years, .who were burnt to death. John
Anneright, a labourer, No. 19, Oxford-buildings, lived in
the room on the second floor under that in the occupation
of the deceased children's father. About twelve o'clock
on Thursday, at noon, witness was in his own room, when
he was alarmed by seeing flames burst into it from the
room overhead. He rushed up stairs, calling for assistance.
The door of the room was padlocked. Witness broke it
open, but. no one could enter, on account of the smoke
and flames. They obtained some water, with which they
put the fir- out. The children were then found huddled ineach other's arms. They were quite black, and all their,
clothes were burnt off. Some persons took them away to
the Hospital. Verdict —" Accidental Death."
ANTI-CHURCII-RATE MEETING.—The Mayor,
actin.'' under the advice of the Tory town-clerk, has re-
fused to convene a public meeting to petition for the abo-
lition of church-rates, alleging as a reason, that such an
official act would be inconsistent with the declaration made'
bj Lim on accepting office. The requisition contained the
signatures of six magistrates, thirty aldermen and coun-
cillors, besides a large number of other respectable inha-
bitants. Mr. Jalland has acquired the honourable dis-
tinction of being the first mayor of a reformed corporation.
that has refused compliance in this matter. Thanks, how-'
ever, to his worship's timidity or faithlessness, arrangements
arc in progress for getting up a more effective demonstra,
tion of public opinion on this important subject than could
have been made muter his merely official auspices.—Hull
Advettiser.

Letters have been received in town from his Royal
Highness the,Duke of Sussex since his arrival at New-
stead Abbey, in one of which, dated the 19th inst., his
Royal Highness speaks of the accident he met with in the
following terms :—" My carriage was nearly dashed to
pieces against one of the posts of the turnpike between
Newark and South%vpll. However, as no one was Iraq, I
am truly thankful to have escaped with so little los% `as that
of nearly complete destruction to my carriage."
Within the last three dais twenty-four new arrests
of persons implicated in political conspiracies have taken
place in Paris.

Yesterday information of the following most exten-
sive robbery was received at Scotland-yard, and promptly
circulated throughout the various divisions of the metropo-
litan police. Between Friday evening and Sunday evening
last the shop of Mr. Myers, at Birmingham, was I%roken
into and.phindered of a number of gold and silver N.; atches,
togcther with gold aye glasses, spectacles, silver spoons,
forks, coral teads, and other valuable property, of different
descriptions ; the watches are for the most part of a supe-
rior kind, and one of them has on the back a
star formed of
diamonds. A reward of 201. has been
,;red for the ap-
prehension of the depredators,