The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-01 00:00:00

7,- -77

1831; and the further loans eeenreil upon the,
ye receipts of the &I. coal tax are as follows :
Belton-street, Long-acrd ; New Oxford-
and New-street from London Docks to

Spi, ells
Ditto
Coventry-street to Long•acre, East Smithfield to
Rosemary-lane, and in aid of improvements in
Southwark and Westminster
For ditto and general improvements
New street in Southwark
Victoria-street, Westminster
New Faningdon-street to Coppice-row

189,000
U 6,000
30,000
30,000
88,000

(Act 13th and 14th Viet., c. 103.) 5.753,000
It has been said that the proceeds of the 1.1. coal tax are
devoted to the expenses of collection, but that also is a
mistake. A portion of the 4d. and Bd. taxes is stopped
in its transit for the expenses of collection • and the pro-
ceeds of the ld. coal tax is paid to the Board Works for
general metropolitan improvements.
The Chairman—Have you any scheme which you wish
to lay before the commission embodying the alterations
which you would suggest in the constitution of the cor-
poration ?
Mr. Hickson—l would rather come to the subject, of a
scheme by and bye. 1 believe that the only check upon
the abuses of local administration would be found leconati.
tuting a municipality over the whole of Louden, 4o' such
taxes as the coal tax and the like. I think the pomp& of the
coal tax have not been properly applied as regards the me-
tropolis at large. For instance, the improvements in Can-
non-street may be advantageous for the City itself ; but the
plan is not framed with a view to the interests of the whole
metropolis. A main artery for the metropolitan traffic
ought to have begun at Cannon-street and London-bride,
going on by a new embankment on the north side of the
river by. Blackfriars-bridge direct to Charing-cross, thus
avoiding St. Paul's-churchyard and the acclivity at Lud-
gate-hill. The city of London extends over only one-
twelfth part of the whole covered area of London.
Mr. C. Lewis—But there are certain matters in which
the City represents the whole metropolis, are there not—
such as the conservancy of the river, the hospitality of the
Lord Mayor, and the administration of the coal dues?
Mr. Hickson—The City claims to act in such a manner,
but such functions ought to be taken away from the local
government of the City, and transferred to a new general
metropolitan municipality. I wish to put in a copy of the
plan of Sir Christopher Wren for improving the City after
the great fire, because it was owing to the obstructivenese_
of the corporation that London, instead of being the first
city in the world with reference to construction, is now
the wilderness of entangled lanes and alleys which it at
Present is, requiring millions to be spent in bringing it into
the state in which it ought originally to have been placed.
This plan shows a broad embankment for the use of the
public, forty feet wide, along the north bank of the river
from London-bridge. With regard to' the conservancy of
the 'Thames, iny belief, as a pretty considerable traveller, is
that there is no river in Europe the banks of which are left in
so disgraceful a state as those of the Thames. In 1850 certain
buildings were allowed to be constructed on the south side
of the river, near London-bridge, which projected twelve feet
beyond the stairs. These buildings and divided partly
into warehouses and partly into chambers; they interfere
with the embankment of that side of the river, and ought
never to have been permitted by any corporation having
charge of such matters.' In other capitals the inhabitants
value the walks on the banks of the rivers • and the same
would be the case with the inhabitants of London.' With
respect to the poor-law administration of the City, Mr.
Hickson said he thought the three existing unions into'
which the City was now divided ought to have been con-
solidated, and the corporation required to appoint the
board of guardians. The sub-division which has been
practised he believed had cost the citizens, since the pew
ing of the new Poor-law, 300,000/. more -than a separate
union would have done. The three workhouses in the
City are the City of London Union, the West London
Union, and the East London Union.
The following,accotmt of the money expended in the re-
lief of the poor, in the undermentioned districts, for the
rears ending Lady-day, 1848, and Lady-day,' 1852, would
illustrate this point :

Three City Unions
exclusive of Pa-
St. Marylobone. Labetb.
rochial Expen-
•7 157,696. P.,'139,325.
diture.
P., 129,128.
1848. 1832. 1848. 1852. 1848. I 1852.
£93,781 £78,739 £53,524 £47,731 246,751 1'33,923

The commissioners then adjourned the inquiry till neat
(lay.

SAINT ANDREW'S DAY.

Yesterday being Scotland's patron saint day, the sub-
' scribers and friends of the Scottish Hospital dined toge-
ther at the London Tavern. A large number was
present, and the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor presided,
supported by. Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir John Forbes,
P. F. Robertson, M.P., the Hon. Major Dalzell, Col.
Allan, T. Maclean, Colonel Niel Campbell, Mr. Sechles,
Esq. (Secretary to the American Legation), ex-Sheriffs
Croll and Cotterell, Captain H. H. Lindsay, Messrs.
William Stuart Forbes, David Dewar, George Bain,
Major Adair (the indefatigable Secretary of the Institu-
tion), James Thompson, H. M. Phillips, J. B. Allan,
John Mason, and Duncan Sinclair. The room was
tastefully hung with heraldic emblems, flags, and various
clan tartans. The pipers and band of the Caledonian
Asylum played pibrochs and marches during dinner, and
the musical arrangements were conducted by Mr. Rana-
ford, including Misses Ransford and Eyles, Mr. Ransford,
jun., and Mr. Cranford, the latter being a pupil of theta-
mented Mr. Wilson ; and, from the creditable appear-
ance he made last night, he is well entitled to be his
I successor.

The company_wasnurmsrous and respectable, and the
subscriptions in the evening, which amounted to about
3001., were rather above the average of the annual con-
tributions.

After the usual loyal toasts had been proposed and
drank with great enthusiasm,
The LORD MAYOR proposed " The President of the
United States," stating that the American Minister
was unhappily prevented from being present, but that
they had present an excellent substitute in Mr. Sechles,
the Secretary to the American Legation. (Applause.)
Mr. SECHLES apologised for the absence of Mr.
Buchanan, the American Minister, who boasted of a
Scottish ancestry. (Applause.) As they had been good
enough to drink the health of the citizen President of the
United States, he would remark that that officer was a
true and just exemplification of the working of their in-
stitutions. His father, who was an officer in the war of
independence, left his son, as most American boys are
left, to look out for himself. (Applause.) With an
ordinary education, and ordinary opportunities he en-
tered the legal profession, and by his perseverance,
assiduity, and application he aequired such a position at
the bar that he was called upon to transfer his services
for a brief period to the councils of the Republic. But
not liking public life, he soon returned to his native
state of New Hampshire, and though, in 1846, he was
offered a seat in President Polk's cabinet as Attorney-
General, General, lie declined again accepting public-office, whiche •
he said was neither suited to his tastes nor to hi:habits,
warw
absr orke
le
uoi
ruetd,
taen dr
ahi
si se
Mexican
nhire
native
a fsttae rtwe aorft tehwe,
a regiment of soldiers. A company
the small town of New Concord,
where Mr. Pierce was raised in
re-
sided, and lie enlisted in that
soldier. Being well-known company .as a private
to his fellow-townsmen, he
was elected captain of the company,
well-known to the regiment-of which and being equally
a portion,
ne thatTh company was
he was chosen colonel. The
cwutaol. ee
of o
a gentleman who had declined the Attorney-
General,fficeofcn
with a seat in.the Cabinet, having enlisted as
aprivate soldier, soon attracted attention, and the
?resident, not to be behind hand in rewarding this act of
Patriotism, named him a general of brigade. He
went to Mexico, and there performed his duties in such
a manner as won for him the commendations of the
Commander-in-Chief ; and in 1852 he was chosen Pre-
sident of the United States. (Applause.) The honour-
able gentleman went on to state that two natives of
Scotland, John Wotherspoon, a clergyman, and .Tames
Wilson, a lawyer, signed the declaration of indepen-
dence ; that the constitution of the Union was drawn up
by the latter, in conjunction with Mr. Madison, who
was afterwards President ; and that Mr. Wilson was
one of the first members of the Supreme Court of the
United States, who were remarkable not more for the
learning and ability of their adjudications than for
their long black gowns, which were the only badges
of office worn by civilians in America. (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " The Scottish Hospi-
tal" amidst much cheering, and stated that it was an
institution of an old date, and that so early as the time
of Charles 11. it had been patronised by royalty, though
that patronage took the odd shape of placing at the dis-
posal of the managers three knights baronetages for sale
for the benefit of its funds, two Scottish baronetages,
producing 300 guineas each, and an Unglish baronetage
selling for 5001. (Laughter.) He had inquired carefully
into the funds of the institution, and he had found—
contrary, he must say, to his experience of some other
charities—that the funds were well and faithfully ex-
pended ; and he had, therefore, great pleasure in
eto y.
com-
mending it to the kindest attent,n
The LORD MAYOR proposed 1T he Health of Sir Ro-
" in connection with the science of
derick Murchison,
Scotland, and in handsome terms alluded to.his having
been the first to intimate, prior to all experiment, that
gold was likely to be found in South Australia.
Sir RODERICK MURCHISON returned thanks, and said
that having visited the Ural mountains he was led to
believe, from the specimens of mineralogy sent home
from Australia, that the strata were the sane in both
districts, and that gold would therefore be found
in one
as well as the other. He had proved a true
this • and lie now begged to remind his
prophet in
'
Scottish friends
that did he had never said, and that he
sufficient gold would be found in not believe, that
Scotland to repay the
expense of the search. (Hear, hear.) With respect to
the science of Scotland, he was wholly incompetent to
speak. Even in his own department of geology, he was
wholly incapable to do justice to his friend and country-
man Lyell, or to a n • ative of his own county—a man who
was known, or
ought to be'k
nown, to every one in the
room—the genius of the old red sandstone, Hugh Miller.
(Great applause.) He would far rather turn to other.
subjects, and he had therefore to announce to the society
that an uncle of his own, General Sir Alexander Mac-
kenzie, of Fairburn, who had died within the last few
Months, and had left him (Sir Roderick) his executor,
had bequeathed to the Scottish Hospital the sum of
5001. (Hear, hear.)
Several other toasts were proposed, after which the
tables were cleared away, and the dancing commenced
with great vigour. Several ladies who had been in the
gallery during the dinner now joined the company.

THE ADULTERATION OF COFFEE.—Yesterday, at the
Court of Inland Revenue, Somerset House, Edward
Alfred Marsh, No. 103, Long-lane, Bermondsey ;
William Primmer, 104, High-street, Wapping ; Alfred
Dennis, Church-street, Hackney ; William Burnard,lo4,
Wentworth-place, Shoreditch ; William Newman; 23,
Little Bell-alley, City ; and James Morris, 128, Hounds•
ditch, were each fined 101. for selling coffee adulterated
with chicory as pure coffee. The extent of tle ti-dul.
teration varied from 9 to 43 per cent.