The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-10 00:00:00

7HE SECOND MARSHLAND INUNDATION

KING'S LYNN, THVRSDAY.
Yesterday another step was taken to exclude the
tide, by the formation of an earth dam about 400
yards above the fen drain sluice, and the same dis-
tance below the sack and pile dam at St. Mary's-
bridge. This could not be commenced until the
morning's tide had fallen several feet, and the site
site for the work was the subject of great contro-
versy, several contending that it ought to be much
nearer the sluice, where the banks are higher.
However, the decision of the stronger party was in
favour of the spot indicated, and 500 men and 50
or 60 carts were set to work under the direction of
farmers and engineers, and by the evening a solid
dam, 20 or 25 feet wide at the summit, had been
made.

The cradge banks on either side of the drain were
also raised as high as it was thought necessary.
The evening tide, however, 17ft. Gin, above zero,
was about six inches higher than the banks, and
consequently again poured over into the Marshland
sewer, and in addition over the bank on the other
side.

This morning's tide was higher again, some
18ft. 3in, above zero, and once more overflowed the
cradges. The men are now employed in raising and
puddling these, a labour which it is obvious might
have been saved by making the dam nearer the
sluice. The inundation has not exceeded the limits
already mentioned, but has rather subsided from
the high land by running off through the drains.
Many of these in the interior of the country have
been now closed and demanded
.to prevent the ad-
mission of more water.

It is strongly hoped that this evening's tide will
be excluded by the raising of the banks now going
on ; and if so, " the country " (as fen men say) is
safe for the present from further disaster. The
" flitting" from the houses in the fen, however, still
continues, in anticipation of the worst. Some of
the poor people had only just returned to their
homes, from which they were driven by the last
inundation.

SIR JOHN PAKING7ON ON AMERICA.

At a dinner of the Worcestershire Agricultural
Association, held on Wednesday at Worcester, Lord
Northwick in the chair.

Sir JOHN PAKINGTON, after explaining that he
thought the rule excluding politics applied merely
to party politics, spoke on American affairs :

" He did not believe that in Europe there was any
one who had a head to think and a heart to feel who
had not been filled with horror at the manner in
which human blood was being shed, human misery
being created, and every element of national pros-
perity being destroyed in that aimless and profitless
war, with a recklessness which caused feelings of
the deepest disapprobation in Europe. He believed
that those feelings were universal, and he main-
tained that he was not violating their rule, that he
was not touching upon party matters, when, as an
avowed opponent of the present Government, he
said that he was perfectly willing to give the pre-
sent Government credit for the caution with which
they acted in this delicate matter. He imputed no
blame to them, he acknowledged the great difficulty
of the question which they had had to decide ; but,
on the other hand, they had all a right to thing
for themselves, and he spoke for himself alone,
when he said thct he considered that the time
was now come when some efforts ought to be made
by the great Powers of Europe to put an end
to that fearful struggle. He thought the time had
come when, not England alone, but England in
conjunction with France, and if possible with
Russia, ought to offer mediation, of course upon the
basis of separation, and with a clear understanding
that if mediation was not successful recognition of
the South must follow. (Hear.) He could not but
express the hope with which he had read that day
the telegraph summary of the words which fell from
one of her Majesty's Ministers, from Mr. Gladstone,
lat Newcastle. He was deeply struck, as it was
possible they had all beet struck, with the expres-
sion in the telegraphic summary—that Mr, Jeffer-
son Davis had created a nation in the Southern
States of America, These words, as coming from
the lips of a Cabinet Minister, were words of great
significance, and he hoped he was not too sanguine
in drawing from them the inference that the present
feeling of her Majesty's Government did not differ
very widely from that feeling which he had now
taken the liberty of expressing. (Hear.) They
must remember their own interests ; irrespective of
general feelings of humanity, and he might say the
general feelings of civilised nations, there were spe-
cial interests immediately touching the welfare of
the country. There was a vast district which had
hitherto been one of the most prosperous parts of the
country, while thousands of men were soddenly, and
thrown into deep
swuifft he
roiuntg a
bnyy
thisfault uon ff their a
toswann,
that he fully sympa-
d terrible war. He
from the newspapers
et
ho ui
sledd no
with
refrain
what fromile l
learned
dg
had been said by Mr. Disraeli at a meeting similar
to that one, which was held at Buckingham, where
he expressed a hope that the landed interest would
not be indifferent to the sufferings of their Lanca.
shire fellow-countrymen. They had every reason
to be thankful. After a cold and wet summer,
which had caused much alarm, they had had a won-
derfully fine harvest. What was the result of that
harvest in actual produce it would be premature to
say, but at all events he thought
they might say
this—if it was not generally satisfactory throughout
the country, Worcestershire had been favoured, so
far as his knowledge went, with a very fair har-
vest ; and, taking the wider view, it was impossible
to deny that the agricultural interest of England
was now, and had for some time been, in a state of
great prosperity. He would not reopen the question
as to whether the fears of the farmers with regard
to the passing of the great measure of free trade in
corn were exaggerated, but the great influx of gold
11.94 enabled them to overcome the dangers which
had threatened the agricultural interest. It was for
net° now to consider that a great number of their
fellow-countrymen were in a state of great distress.
It was time
that the Legislature before they broke
up had made
VYovision as far as the Poore law could
make provision, f
sr that suffering body of their fel-
low countrymen. But
they must recollect that the
men who had to pay the
that it would be a painintrathte.s were also suffering;
to expose so large
a body of men to pauperism ,I°g7
and that even the as-
sistance which the Poor-Jaw would
dole out to them
was so small that this was one oY those cases in
which, if the misery continued, public charity
be appealed to, and in which he hoped atlytmiht
the sympathy of the whole country would be
eliu gcistteedd
They all remembered the time when want oppressed
the agricultural districts, and when the cotton trade
was in the ascendant. Now the case was reversed
—while the agriculturists were prosperous, the la-