The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-25 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

THIS DAY.—Morning, 2h. Om.—Afternoon, 2h. 21m.
To-Moßßow.-Morning, 2h. 47m.—Afternoon, 3h. 12m.

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7

LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1865.

The acknowledgment of an evil is the first step
towards its alleviation, and accordingly, when once
the unhealthy condition of our Indian capital was
openly admitted to affect the public wellbeing, there
was hope that some steps would be taken by the
necessary authorities for the introduction of sanitary
reform. There were, it is true, tremendous diffi-
culties to contend against. There was old-estab-
lished prejudice in the way, and that supineness and
love of dirt which seem to be especially congenial
to the Bengalese character ; there were the long
years of neglect on our own part, the indifference or
dislike to change of the Anglo-Indians, besides the
fear of interfering with native religious prejudice,
which was inclined to regard any effort on behalf of
public health or general cleanliness as a direct
attack upon their faith. Still it was not likely,
when, one after another, our most distinguished
public public servants fell victims to an exhausting
climate and to the pestilential diseases generated by
a disregard of all sanitary laws that would be fatal
in a temperate zone, that some effort would not be
made to stay the sacrifice. Many of the dangers
of Calcutta were due to the difficulties attend-
ing the vast increase of the traffic of the
port and the inefficient arrangements for
it ; many more to the vicinity of the na-
tive town, and the rigorous observance of pesti-
lential customs, such as flinging the dead into the
river, so that corpses floated up and down with the
tide, a prey to the birds and beasts. But others
were due to an absolute disregard of what, among
ourselves, would be held as the first requisites of a
civilised city. If London had no better system of
water supply and of drainage than Calcutta has had
for many years, we should certainly expect the
Registrar's tables to show a different amount of sick-
ness and mortality. Of late, however, a change has
been instituted, and if there still remains much to be
done, we may be thankful at least that the work is
set on foot, and that the movement, if slow, is in the
right direction. One of the most important steps
as yet taken is the establishment of a system of
regular drainage, which, when completed, will have
a most beneficial effect, Scarcely second to this is
the design for a supply of pure water, to be raised

from the Hooghly, 16 miles from Calcutta. If we
can fancy a European city in the hottest days of a
sultry summer, with a very scanty supply of impure
water, and the drainage entirely destroyed, we shall
not wonder that the City of Palaces has not been
hitherto regarded as a city of health. The health
officer has recently issued his first report, and
gives some account of his labours in the
native town which has always been a grievous
stumbling-block in the way of sanitary reform. It
has been divided into sanitary divisions, each in
charge of a regular staff. All offensive matter is
removed outside the city and burnt, unwholesome
trades have been removed, drains opened and
cleaned, and a vigorous clearance made in every way,
while a supervision has been held over the food im-
ported from Europe, much of which was of a very
doubtful character. As for the dangers and incon-
veniences arising from the overcrowding of the port,
these are hoped to be modified by the labours of the
committee, which Sir JOIIN LAWRENCE appointed
some time since to examine into the subject. The
chief engineer of the East Indian Railway has pro-
posed that the line should be taken across the
Hooghly a few miles above the city, so as to run
into the terminus of Sealdah, where it is intended to
concentrate the railways, and from which lines are
to run south of the city to take up the foreign
steamer traffic. There are some objections raised to
other parts of the scheme, but its principle appears
to be sound. It is only to be hoped that the autho-
rities will give it full and fair consideration, and not
be biased by the wishes of any one clique or party,
but take into consideration the natural character-
istics of the place, so as to make the
most of the advantages ready to their
hands, and weigh the opinions of practical
men who know the requirements of the traffic and
the peculiarities of the ports. The extension of the
railway system is an important element in the civi-
lisation of India, as well as in the improvement of
Anglo-Indian health, seeing that a few days or
weeks' change is now no longer an expensive and
tedious process. But, notwithstanding Sir C.
WOOD'S self-satisfaction as to his own good deeds
in this direction, it seems that he has not afforded
the railways all the encouragement and assistance
that he might have done, and that, despite the
great and increasing traffic between Calcutta and
Delhi, the railway facilities have been increased very
slowly. So vast is the pressure that the rail way
officials consider there is great risk of collision. The
Governor-General has sanctioned an expenditure of
£lOO,OOO to double the line from Luckee Serai,
near Patna, up to the Jumna, and has addressed
Sir CHARLES WooD, who has hitherto stood
in the way. The same non-progressive
baronet has objected to the establishment of a
Telegraph Company, though the excessive pressure
on the telegraphs already at work is a matter of
general complaint and causes great inconvenience.
When we get a few more drag% off the wheels and
really allow India to enjoy free competition and
internal liberty, we shall be able in some degree to
appreciate what the country would be were its re-
sources actually developed.

The anniversary meeting of the Royal Geographi-
cal Society took place on Monday last, when Sir
RODERICK MURCHISON, the President, occupied the
chair. The proceedings were very interesting, and
well worthy of attention. The President's address
embraced the topics suitable to the occasion, and
afforded general satisfaction. Nothing is more in-
I teresting of its kind than to trace the progress of
I geography, and nowhere can such a theme be more
appropriate than in a country like this. Explora-
tion has been carried to an extent in these days that
would have amazed and astounded our forefathers,
and each great exploit serves only to nerve others
with fresh zeal and renewed ardour. Sir R. Mun-
cirrsoN had a wide field for his discourse, and he
made the most of his opportunity. The thirty-five
years during which the Geographical Society has
been in existence have indeed been momentous ones,
and the want of such an institution to increase and
perfect our knowledge of geography has been more
and more felt during each successive year. It is
wonderful to contemplate the effects produced by
the energy and enterprise of modern days, and the
President did well to point out as one of the more
striking consequences, that " nearly 2 -3 ds of Australia
have now been either settled or partially explored,
while the population, which in the year 1830
amounted only to about 50,000, has risen to nearly
1,500,000 inhabitants." There is every reason for
the assertion that before this generation passes
away there will be an intercourse established be-
tween Australia and our East Indian possessions,
China, and Japan. It must have been a satisfac-
tion for Sir R. MURCHISON to advert to a passage
in a farewell address of his, in which ,he prophesied
that the energy of British colonists would
connect the Australian possessions with the
rich marts of the Eastern hemisphere. Some
wise individuals doubted the accuracy of this prog-
nostication, but time has shown them their mis-

take. Because much has been done, however, it
will not do to imagine that there is any reason
to give up all efforts ; and those who have time
and opportunity to pursue this inspiriting and in-
teresting work will find, as the PRESIDENT said,
" countless unexplored fields." Enormous tracts
in Australia have yet to be visited, and in America
much is waiting for the explorer's energy to dis-
cover and make known to the generality of
mankind. Both North and South America
possess abundant scope for the disco-
veries of science ; and as for Asia, the 1
cradle of the human race, Sir R. MURCHISON has
shown that there the eye of the geographer may
rest on as many terra incognita as in desolated
Africa or America. China and Japan form prolific
subjects for contemplation. The learned President
concluded by mentioning that a very considerable
expedition had been sent to that part of Africa
which was the subject of so much discussion, and
where SPEKE and BURTON had made their disco-
veries. The projected expeditionto the North Pole
was also alluded to, and the President observed that
they had communications with the Imperial Aca-
demy of Sciences at St. Petersburg ; and that the
Russian Academicians concur in the opinion of the
Royal Geographical Society with respect to the
advisability of such an undertaking. There is
truth in the remark of Sir R. MußcHisoN that there
are too many people now-a-days who " see no merit
in any advancement of knowledge if it does not
carry with it political profit ;" yet, as he says, they
have the satisfaction of being sustained by the
science of Europe ; and certainly the progress of
the Society is such as to encourage all who take part
in it, and to hold out the confident expectation that
it will go on and prosper,to the credit of its members
and the general advancement and enlightenment
of the community.

The Likeral-Conservative working-men of
Brighton dined together yesterday, and some in-
teresting speeches were made. Mr. MOOR, M.P.,
addressed them at some length. He declared that he
had not sought to come forward, and that it was only
on account of solicitation that he had teen induced
to exchange the retirement of a private life for the
duties and responsibilities of a public one. He thus
stood before them as one of their representatives in