The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-04 00:00:00

AFTER A BATTLE.

A correspondent of the .New York Times, describ-
ing the appearance of the scene of the recent battle
at Williamsburg after the fight, says—" The battle-
field at this place, on the morning of the second day
fo'llowing, presented a most sickening spectacle.
Hundreds of men, friends and foes, mangled and
horribly disfigured, lay dead and even dying,
heaped in groups of six or eight, awaiting burial,
and scattered about promiscuously among the trees
and brush. One, a rebel, hung :dangling in
shreds in a tree-top, where he met his fate
by a shell bursting as it entered his body from
his own artillery. Large circles of clotted blood
lay around the trunks of the trees, while close be-
side, the newly-filled grave marked the resting-
place of the victim. The enemy were buried with
no preparation in trenches, while our own men
were carefully wrapped in blankets and tents, and
carefully laid to rest. Horses lay dead thickly
strewn over the plain, killed by the bursting shells
and bullets. In one of the forts was found a dying
wretch, striving with his shattered arm to gather
over him the mud in which he lay, spurning all
proffered kindness, and hissing from his dis-
figured lips vengeance upon the Yankees. Forty
dead rebels were found in and about the principal
fort, Lieutenant-colonel Irwin, in command of the
Bth Alabama Regiment, and formerly United States
senator from that State, was found dead upon the
field, pierced with bullets. Major Ireson, of the
Eighth New Jersey Volunteers, who was taken pri-
soner after being wounded, was found upon the
field. His brains had been knocked out by the mer-
ciless foe. Other acts of barbarous atrocity too re-
volting to record were practised upon our soldiers
who fell into their hands. Among the rebel dead
was a young Indian, of most beautiful features. He
lay by the roadside, with his long black glossy hair
waving in the wind, pierced in his naked breast by
three buckshot and a ball, which is by far the most
fatal of any musket ammunition used in the service.
A great majority of those killed were found to have
been shot in the head and breast. Two were found
lying side by side, each having the other's bayonet
plunged through his body. For nearly half a mile
in th woods, which are remarkably clear of under-
brush, the soil is dotted with graves. The trees are
scarred with bullet marks, and broken and shattered
by shells and shot, while the ground is strewn in
every direction with clothing, knapsacks, bavre-
sacks, cartridge boxes, and other trappings of the
soldier. In one small sapling, no larger around
than a man's wrist, I counted 12 distinct bullet
holes, within a range of six feet from the ground,
larger trees being perforated in proportion.
Muskets and rifles lay loosely about, or were
piled in huge stacks in hundreds, some of which
were bent, and twisted, and shattered, and even
pierced by cannon shot and bullet. Everything
indicated that this battle was the most desperate
of any yet recorded in this campaign."

SOCIAL SCIENCE CONGRESS.—The arrangements
for this great meeting are now complete. The proceedings
will be opened by a special service in Westminster Abbey,
at 3 o'clock, on Thursday, when the Dean of Chichester
will preach. It has been arranged that the members should
assemble in the Jerusalem Chamber previous to the service
and proceed in a body into the abbey. '1 he opening meet-
ing will be held in Exeter-hall at 8 30, when the president,
Lord Brougham, will deliver the address. We believe that
it will be highly interesting, and it is likely to command
the more attention as it is now many years since he deli-
vered an oration to the public in the metropolis. On Friday
the departments will assemble at Guildhall, at 11 o'clock,
far the reading of papers and for discussion. The evening
discussions at Burlington-house on subjects of special interest
aprrranged as follows :—Friday, June G.—Education De-
u'ent, National Education; Trade and International
tera ; Social and
Law De_ft
punishriave:::raent, Belligerent Rights. Monday, June 9.—
Working Classecsonomy
Reformation Department, Convict Sys-
, ment, Middle-le Department, Habitations of the
Tuesday,E June 10.—Education Depart-
!ment,xamination; Public Health Depart-
Effect of Clem
on Health. Wednesday, June
11. —Work house vi,Piatitni°nB
Lyttel ton will take the ctaiSiOcietY' Report of Society. Lord
mani• a Tehursday, June 12.—Juris-
mgeuLt Laws of the United King-
prudence Department,
dom ; Public Health Depart
SOUTH KES SIN GTON szoritary Statistics,
collection which
On to-morrow
and the two days following the art treasures collection
the South
has been for some months past colrecrpteirsi:
Kensington Museum will be open for
collection consists entirely of objects contribeuvtedew.The
and includes a very large proportion of the finest on
loan,
art of former periods extant in this kingdeoemr;
tion includes goldsmiths' works, jewels,
decorative furniture, bronzes, porcelain and pottery, glass
enamels, ancient illuminations, bookbindings, embroidered
vestments, miniatures, &c. Following the example of her
Majesty the Queen, who has contributed without reserve
many of the choicest art treasures of the Crown, almost all
collectors of importance in Great Britain have lent their
aid, and will have their collections represented by the most
valued specimens. The corporations and city companies,
the universities in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and
every important and public body have contributed; so that
foreigners and visitors from the provinces will have the op-
glehwielloctiohllse _f
op-
portunity of comparing the treasures that have been laid up
in this country during past centuries, with the products of
modern art represented from all parts of the world in the
International Exhibition. It may, indeed, safely be said
that no such gathering has ever before been brought toge-
ther in one building.

COURT 01 AZD WEN,

Yesterday, at a meeting of the Aldermen of the
city of London, held at Guildhall, Alderman Finnis
presiding, their attention was called by Mr. Wood-
therpe, the town clerk, to an official communication
addressed to him by the Commissioners of Sewers
relative to the storing of American petroleum in
premises No. 8, St. Mary-Axe. It enclosed an ex-
tract from a recent report of Dr. Letheby, the
medical officer of health, stating that, complaints
having been made to him on the subject, he had
visited the house and found the ground floor used
in storing petroleum. Some of the American oils,
he added, were exceedingly inflammable, and
would take fire on exposure to flame at a consider-
able distance from the vessels containing them ;
and, seeing how carelessly the oils were treated,
not merely in the storage of them in places where
they were likely to take fire, but also in their com-
mercial management, he was of opinion that some
regulations should be agreed upon in respect of
them. These, be stated, were necessary as well for
the public health as for the public safety. Already
regulations were in operation as to the storage of
other inflammable commodities, such as gunpowder,
phosphorus matches, and methylated spirit. The
Commissioners of Seweis stated that they had
deemed it their duty to bring the subject under the
consideration of the magistrates of the city, with
whom they were advised the power lay to issue
such orders, and take such measures as they might
think fit for the public safety with respect to the
dangerous material in question. Alderman Cope-
land, M.P., observing upon the grave importance of
the circumstances disclosed by the Commissionets,
moved that the communication be referred for con-
sideration to the General Purposes Committee, and
that in the summons convening them the subject be
distinctly indicated, in order to secure as full a
meeting as possible. Alderman Lawrence sub-
mitted that, having regard to the highly combus-
tible nature of this material and to its storage in a
populous part of the city, the Court should at once
proceed to frame regulations with respect to it, see-
ing that before the committee could meet, or while
they were deliberating on the subject, an accident
might posssibly take place. Alderman Wilson
questioned whether the magistrates had any power
to regulate the storage of this particular material,
though they might do so in the case of gunpowder.
Eventually, on the suggestion of Alderman Challis,
the motion was modified, to the effect that the
committee forthwith take such steps in the matter
as might appear advisable in the opinion of the
corporation, and in that shape it passed. Con-
formably to a request by the Executive Committee
of the National Association for the Promotion of
Social Science, the Court then, on the motion of
Alderman Copeland, unanimously placed their
chamber at Guildhall at the disposal of Lord
Brougham and the Council of the Association
during its forthcoming election: The Court next
proceeded to consider the petition of Mr.
Joseph Gwyer Lovell, a merchant at Bristol,
complaining of the conduct of Mr, Wm; Frederick
Stanton, a broker in the city. The complaint
turned upon an alleged contract made in the begin-
ning of December last for the sale to the petitioner
of 50 tons of tallow, at the price of £2,564 odd. In
this transaction Mr. Stanton had acted as broker,
and the petitioner alleged substantially that he
(Mr. Stanton) had substituted the names of Thomp-
son, Benner, and Co. for those of Colchester and
Co., as the vendors of the tallow, and had, in con-
travention of the terms of his bond as a broker, not
kept a book disclosing the names of his principals
in the transaction and the terms of the contract. To
these allegations Mr. Stanton replied in effect that
he had named no other venders in the matter than
Thompson, Bonner, and Cc/,,and that the petitioner
called on him and inspected his book containing an
entry of the sale and did not question the contract
until a loss had arisen upon it. He added, he be-
lieved the petitioner's object now was to force him
to bear a loss which he himself had wilfully incurred.
Mr. Charles Pollock, barrister, was heard for the
petitioner, and a mass of correspondence was read
on the subject. The petitioner was called as a wit-
ness, and stated that in an interview he had with
Mr. Stanton, in January, the latter mentioned
Messrs. Colchester and Co. as the sellers, giving
afterwards at another interview, in February, the
names of Thompson and Bonner for the first time.
In March he saw the defendant at his office, after
waiting there for five hours, and asked to see his
contract-book. The defendant on that occasion
produced some loose papers and a small memoran-
dum book (produced) containing an entry of the
transaction. At this stage of the proceedings the
court was cleared on the motion of Alderman Chal-
lis, and on the readmission of strangers Mr. Russell
Gurney, the Recorder, announced that the Court
was of opinion that no sufficient case had been made
out to render it necessary to take any further pro.
ceedings on the petition, which was dismissed.
Alderman Challis, Chairman of the Gaol Committee, a
presented a report from that body recommending
gratuity of £5O to Mr. Constable, chief warder of the
Debtors' Prison, and an increase of salary of £5O a
year, to be paid out of fees received at the prison,.
Agreed to. A report from Sheriffs Cockerell and
Twentyman was handed in, stating that the num-
ber of prisoners in the gaol of Newgate was 101, in
the Debtors' Prison, 93 ; and in the gaol at Hollo-
way, 352. Of the whole number 18 only were in
the infirmaries.