The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 5, 1854.

some time. He told me to tell the Inspector that
he was no policeman, and that he was not io be
called up at that hour. I said it was an urgent
case, as one of the children was only eight months
old. He told me if it was only eight days old he
would have nothing to do with it ; that I might
lock them all up, and that he would not be
bothered. I told him if he was a man possessed
of any feeling he would treat the case differently.
He asked me how I dared to insult him by a re-
mark of that kind. I said the case would be
brought before the Lord Mayor, and that it would
be my duty to report the remarks he had made to
his Lordship. He told me to tell the Lord Mayor
to trouble his head about city business, and not
about his. He then shut the door, and I returned
to the house where the children were, accompanied
by the Inspector and a woman who had informed
me about the poor family. When we went into
the room, in which there appeared to be nothing
but a broken table and a broken chair, we looked
about, but saw no children ; but in a corner where
appeared to be an old bedstead, we beheld a lump
of filthy rags, and there lay the children fast
asleep. They were covered with vermin. I heard
from the woman who accompanied me that they
had had no food the whole of the day. Of course I
made the best arrangement I could, by the direc-
tion of the Inspector, for the protection of the
children. The woman who undertook to take care
of them was supplied by me with the money, and
she properly attended to them. They seized the
bread that was put before them, and voraciously de-
voured it. They are all under seven years old."
Such conduct requires no comment. The indig-
nant official, whose boundless wrath was excited
by the late hour in which the appeal was made to
his benevolence—he cared nothing whether the
child was eight months or eight days old. He
was not to be, disturbed, or his ease interfered
with, by anything of such trivial consequence as
the life or death of a distressed family, or render-
ing assistance to four deserted children, the eldest
under seven years old. Let the Policeman " lock
them all up—he would not be bothered !" And
yet this man was singularly sensitive as to any
imputation on the humanity of which he had just
given such an extraordinary specimen. When
the really benevolent constable mentioned to him
that "if he was a man possessed of any feeling
he would treat the case differently," he flew into
a towering passion. He asked how his rude
disturber " dared to insult him by a remark of
the kind." He even sneered at the civic majesty,
and hurled contemptuous defiance at the successor
of WHITTINGTON, desiring the constable "to tell
, the Lord Mayor to trouble his head about City busi-
ness, and not about his !" It is impossible to say
what might have been the result had Wu. CLAYTON
dealt with the matter in a similar spirit. He,
however, supplied money to a woman who under-
took to take care of the forlorn infants. He
provided at his own expense the bread which they
seized and voraciously devoured when it was
placed before them, and thus, perhaps, averted
the necessity for another inquest and another in-
quiry, such as that which recently took place in
Marylebone. Such conduct merits the greatest
praise. It was highly commended by the pre-
siding Magistrate, Alderman HUMPHREY, who
ordered the expenses of the constable to be paid ;
but we trust that he will yet receive a more sub-
stantial token of general approbation.
We find a relieving officer of Clerkenwell,
named BENNETT, complained of on Monday for a
pertinacious refusal to receive two deserted chil-
dren—one five and the other three years of age—
who, notwithstanding the Magistrate's order,
were sent back from the Workhouse to the
Police Court, where they appeared "to be
perishing with cold and hunger." As BENNETT
possessed sufficient grace to be ashamed of his
conduct, and promised to receive the children,
we shall not further allude to his conduct. From
that of the Bethnal-green official, however, it is
clear that nothing will suffice to enforce the claims
of suffering humanity until the refusal to afford
adequate assistance in an urgent case be made a
misdemeanour and subjected to stringent pun-
ishment ; and until such refusals be re-
garded as deserving immediate and ignominious
expulsion from office. When such matters are
regarded in a proper point of view by the Guar-
dians we may hope that the disgrace will be
removed from the British name, but no sooner.

MONEY MARKET

AND
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CITY, TWO O'CLOCK.

There is no mail in yet from Liverpool.
The ship Telegraph, arrived at Callao, had
advices of September 26th from Sydney, being a
day or two later, but we have not yet seen any
letters or papers brought by her.
The steamer Magdalena brings the West India
mails, and over 2,100,000 dollars in specie. In the
Jamaica Assembly the proceedings had been very
uninteresting. Three bills had passed, the Road
Bill, the Spirit License Bill, and the Warehousing
Bill. The question of responsible government had
been occupying some attention. The weather had
been boisterous, with strong north and westerly
winds.

At the half-yearly meeting of the South Sea Com-
pany, held this day, the usual dividend of 1 per
cent. upon the company's stock was declared, pay-
able on the same day as the Government annuities.
The income of the company was 146,410/. 13s. 11d.,
and the expenditure 82,0551. 10s. 5d., leaving a
balance of 64,3551. 3s. 6d. It was agreed after
some discussion that a special meeting should be
called for the purpose of considering the propriety
of separating in the new bill now before Parlia-
ment the request of power for dissolving the com-
pany from that for continuing the company for
trust purposes.
The English Stock is very dull again, and there
is a drooping tendency in prices. Consols have
been as low as 92 to 93, after having been previ-
ously at 93k. The New 34 per Cents. have been
941 to and the 3 per Cents. 93 to I. Long An-
nuities are 51. In Exchequer Bills there have been
no transactions, except a bargain in the small at
is. premium.

The Committee of Mexican Bondholders have,
by way of the United States, received a copy of
Mr. Falconnet's letter, dated Mexico, the Ist De-
cember, 1853, which he had sent by the direct
packet that is still due. Mr. Falconnet had been
obliged to defer his departure for another month,
and at the date of his letter intended to leave Vera
Cruz, by the steamer, for New Orleans, on the
22nd December, so as to be here in about three
weeks. The last report of the Committee (24th
January, 1853, pages 10 11) mentioned
that the per centage assigned to the foreign
debt of the export duty on specie, had, by
the Mexican authorities, been calculated on
the 51 per cent. charged previous to Ist of October,
1851, and not on the increased rate of 6 per cent.
then imposed, and that for want of accounts this
bad only just then been discovered, though the
difference may have amounted to 50,000 dollars
annually, to the prejudice of the Bondholders.
The Government has now ordered that in future
the per centage in favour of the foreign debt shall
be calculated on the full duty of G per cent., levied
on the export of dollars. On the other hand, the
Government continued to appropriate the revenues
assigned to the Bondholders in Guaymas, Mata-
moros, and the ports of Yucatan, although Mr.
Falconnet had remonstrated to the Minister of
Finance on the subject.
There has been a flat market again for most
foreign securities, and with very little business go-
ing on. Mexican Bonds have declined to 23i -a,
being a fall of nearly 1 per cent., in consequence
of the continued appropriation, by the Govern-
ment, of the amount of the Customs' duties right-
fully belonging to the Foreign creditors. Peruvian
Deferred Stock has been marked 481. Spanish
Three per Cents. are at 441, and Brazilian Four-
and-a-Half per Cents. at 921. Russian Four-and-
a-Half per Cents. are quoted, ex dividend, 941 I,
being to -is per cent. lower.
The last week's railway receipts ascertained up
to this day are in round figures as under :

THE SNOW STORM.

In addition to what we published in our first edition
yesterday respecting the snow-storm, some further in-
formation has been obtained from which it will be found
that the fall of snow has been general throughout the
country. It appcars we were in error in stating that
tha northern mails arrived in London at 11 o'clock;
this was only a small portion of them, viz., from places
on this side of Crewe, and the letters by this train were
not delivered in the City until past three o'clock. Letters
and papers from Manchester, Liverpool, and all places
farther north, were not delivered at all. Several trains
from the south and west are stopped at Crewe by the
snow, and yesterday no London papers reached Man-
chester or Liverpool. In many places in Manchester
tile snow was a yard deep.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST.
This line was completely blocked up between London
and New-cross, and had to be dug out before trains could
travel in the morning. The mail and other trains arrived
somewhat behind time, but no serious delay occurred.
The down trains were despatched as usual.
LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN.
The mail-train on this line from Southampton was
about four hours late. No material obstruction was ex-
perienced until it arrived at Farnborough, where the
line was found to be completely blocked. A telegraphic
message was sent to the superintendent at the Waterloo
station, who immediately despatched assistance to clear
the line. The other up trains were rather late in arrival,
the down trains being despatched according to the time-
table. So vast was the accumulation of snow upon the
roof of the Waterloo station that great fears were enter-
tained for its safety, and precautions were accordingly
taken to remove the weight from the building. It may
also be mentioned that the glass roof at the South-
Eastern station, London-bridge, was considerably injured
by the weight of snow lying upon it, and a large num-
ber of men and trucks were employed during the day in
its removal

The trains on the line of the Great Northern were all
snow-bound. The snow was eight feet deep between
Retford and Newark, and the line was impassable all
day and night.
The foot promenades in the parks in the metropolis,
as well as the whole of the frozen waters—the ice of
which was nearly eight inches thick—were covered with
snow to the depth of nearly 18 inches. The consequence
was, that comparatively few persons ventured upon the
ornamental waters for the purpose of either sliding or
skating. _ _ _

At no period of the day was the number of omnibuses
equal to the usual supply, while cabs, at first utterly
invisible, few proprietors being willing to send their
vehicles into the streets, and few drivers willing to
take charge of them, were only obtainable with great
difficulty. Most of the omnibuses which ran drove
three, and in some instances four horses, and fully one-
half of the cabs which made their appearance had two
horses, generally tandem. As might naturally be ex-
pected under these circumstances, an adherence to the
ordinary fares was out of the question. The long stage
omnibuses, instead of 6d., charged ls. and is. 6d., and
the twopenny omnibuses along Holborn and Oxford-
street, raised their fares to 6d. Cabs were difficult to
procure at any price, the ranks being almost entirely
deserted, " cabby" arguing, and in this instance with
some appearance of justice, that "once upon the rank,
he would be nailed for the sixpence, which wouldn't
pay for horseflesh in such weather." In some instances
as much as ss. was given for cabs for a distance barely
exceeding a single mile.
The mercantile firms in the City were put to great
inconvenience, and their business almost to a stand-still,
in consequence of the non-arrival of their letters, and
other despatches, :at the usual hour by the mails.

THE EAST AND WEST INDIA DOCK JUNCTION.
This line, which runs from Fenchurch-street and ter-
minates at Chalk Farm, was completely buried in snow
in all the lower portions, where it lay from two to three
feet in depth. A singular circumstance occurred on the
bridge crossing the Great Northern at Hornsey. An
engine, with three carriages attached, was propelled
with the full power of steam ; but on the above bridge it
became perfectly embedded in the snow, stuck fast, and
came to a complete standstill.

GENERAL POST-OFFICE.
The report from this office was, that the Irish, Scotch,
Yarmouth, Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough,
Dover, Deal, Margate, and Ramsgate mails had not
arrived.

The River Thames was in such a state that had the
frost of Monday night's severity continued to the present
time it must have been frozen over. As it was, the ex-
panse of the water, even near the metropolitan bridges,
was nearly covered with large blocks of ice, containing
high heaps of snow, so that steam-boats, or even coal-
barges, could not 'be navigated on the water. Many of
the small coal-dealers in poor neighbourhoods at once
took advantage of the state of the weather, and put an
extra 2d., and in seine places 4d., per cwt. upon the
price of coal, which must have been severely felt by
their poor customers.

Last night a thaw set in, which was very general in
London, but only partial a few miles out of town. The
thaw continues to-day.
The various theatres and other places of amusement
suffered to a great extent last night on account of the
weather—most of the houses presented little more than
empty buildings. Tne Wednesday Evening Concert at
Exeter Hall was entirely discontinued for the evening,
it being found impracticable for the carriages conveying
the company to a,p2voach the building.
The following ac count of the effects of the storm upon
the various railwaya is derived from official information :

at 8 p.m., and ought to have arrived at Dover about 11 crews saved. We are looking for more disasters during
p.m., was delayed until half-past 9 yesterday morning, the night. The ships are protected from wreckers by
being 10 hours behind its time. The up mail from armed policemen. The Sir Robert Peel was a fine
Dover, due at London-bridge at 8 6 a.m. yesterday, did barque, from Valparaiso. Some silver she had on board
not arrive until 12 30 p.m., while up to 3 o'clock no train had been got on shore."
whatever had arrived from Ramsgate, Margate, or Can- The thermometer was 21 degrees belowing freezing
terbury. All the other up trains were considerably late, point in the open air in Shields on Tuesday, and Satur-
but the down trains were despatched at the time fixed. day was the coldest day ever experienced during the past
On the North Kent Branch the snow drifted to an 13 years in Sunderland. The Wear is frozen over at
almost uniform depth of six feet. Mr. Weatherall, the Durham, and the Tyne above the High Level-bridge at
station-master at London-bridge, was arduously engaged Newcastle. There is also a good deal of loose ice in both
from 4 o'clock yesterday morning superintending large rivers, but nothing to induce any fears with regard to the
bodies of men employed in clearing the line. navigation. The Durham and Northumberland hills

have thick covering of snow upon them, and elderly
people call it an "old-fashioned winter." The cold is
intenser than has been felt for many winters. From the
number of winter fowl on the coast, the ponds and lakes
seem frozen over in the interior, and seamen prognosti-
cate hard weather from the number of gulls that have
come into the Tyne.