The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-25 00:00:00

THE NEW SALE OF BEER, &c., BILL.

GRAVESEND, Aug. 24.—Yesterday being the day ap-
pointed by the borough magistrates for the annual
renewal of existing licenses, and for granting new
licenses, six of the eight gentlemen in the commission,
together with the mayor (who presided), were on the
bench. The superintendent of police of the borough
having on Monday last reported to the bench, occupied
on that day only by the mayor (Mr. W. F. Dobson)
and by Mr. Oakes, one of the justices, that out of the
90 licensed houses in the borough 85 kept open from 1
in the afternoon till 10 o'clock at night on the day
`before, and that some of the principal taverns were open
for the sale of beer, spirituous liquors, and wine even up
to eleven o'clock at night, the mayor reiterated an
opinion which he gave expression to from the bench the
Monday before, to the effect that visitors to the town on
the Sunday were " boni fide travellers" within the
meaning of the New Sale of Beer, &c., Act ; that the
Legislature not having defined who were to be con-
sidered as " travellers' had obviously- left it to the
discretion of the magistrates of the country to make
definition in accordance with circumstances of time
and place in their respective districts, and that in
a place where there was such an influx of strangeis
or visitors on Sunday as into Gravesend, it could
nut have been the design of the Legislature in passing
this act to deprive, between the hours of half-past
two o'clock and six o'clock of the afternoon of the Sun-
day, all means of obtaining refreshment, shelter, and rest,
in hotels, taverns, or other licensed houses. Those
persons who kept their houses open, or who served
visitors or oiler such travellers before 1 o'clock of the
forenoon of Sunday, or after 10 t,'clock on the Sunday
night, were decidedly violaters of the new act, and when
brought before him he would adjudge them to be so,
but lie could not, until better informed on the subject,
consider it illegal of licensed victuallers to supply " ex-
cursionists," or visitors, whether by railway or boat, or
other means of conveyance to the town, and who in his
opinion were travellers within the meaning of the act,
with refreshments, if required from them by such per-
sons. It would appear that yesterday all the magistrates
present adopted the mayor's construction of the act in
this respect, for the police were directed to report only
such licensed victuallers or beershop keepers as opened
for sale of beer, &c., before 1 o'clock in the afternoon •
and after 10 o'clock at night on the Sundays. The
landlords who had on Sunday night last kept open after
10 o'clock were cautioned by the bench to avoid again
violating the new act. There were 13 applications for
new licenses, but the majority of the magistrates consi-
dering that, as there were at present 90 licensed houses
in the town, such number was amply sufficient for public
accommodation, refused to grant another licence,

SANITARY MEASURES' AT HOLT,

NORFOLK.

Any stranger visiting Holt, Norfolk, most have been
struck with its natural advantages for drainage, and the
singular want of it—so little have the inhabitants availed
themselves of their elevated position, or the proprietor-4
of property of providing even necessary accommodation
for their tenants.

These evils will be remedied. A local board of health
has been formed, and measures have been taken to pro-
vide a sewerage for the town ; and those invitations to
the cholera, and other epidemics whieh for years have
been a disg►ace to the authorities of Holt, are ordered
to be removed.

On a place called "The Spoats Common," within a
few hundred yards of the market-place, a noble sprit.,
of water, which discharges front 30 to 40 barrels per
hour, has been allowe l to run waste ; preliminary steps
have now been taken to secure its advantages to the
town. A meeting of the inhabitants has been held, and
a company will immediately Le formed for the purpose of
supplying the town with water. We call attention to
the doings at Holt, in the hope that other towns will
follow its example, and 'that the dirt and filth which
has so long been disregarded may no longer be seen
amongst us.

RIOT AT THE LONDON-BRIDGE STEAM-BOAT PIER.—
Another attempt was made yesterday to fix the steam-
boat pierat the London-bridge stairs, adjoiningFenning's
Wharf; but, as on the previous day, the most determined
opposition was offered. Heavily-laden barges, strongly
moored to the wharf wall, were drawn across the foot of
the stairs, and a number of Irish labourers were placed in
the craft, ready to assist in driving back the steam-boat
people. A large number of the Thames, City, and the
M division of,police, under the superintendence of Mr.
Haines, were in attendance. At high water the Har-
bour-master of the Port of London, independent of any
authority of the steam boat company's to throw out the
pier, waited upon Mr. Fenning, and desired him to re-
move the barges which obstructed the approach to the
public stairs, and which was an offence against the laws
which govern the navigation of the, Thames. The order
was not heeded, the barges remained, and an attempt
was made to cut the chains which held the craft in front ,
of the stairs. A very alarming scene then ensued. A
number of the labourers on the wharf appeared with
sticks in their hands, and one who kept watch on the
chains exhibited a huge chopper. The cuttings of the
moorings on the stairs then commenced, the Thames
police restraining the wharf labourers. Powerful ham-
mers and chisels were brought to play upon the chains,
but the labourers, by their sticks, so baffled the exertions
of the smiths, and the commotion on the bridge was so
pendinggreat,
atta
otht
ioeotdnhwtse
hooarpfkti
ttrhhaesanmudd taahtyto erwri
accordingly,teire
willes
bedro eorttu gnahbnbt determined
aes lexhlpoeoos,
South..l Ons
Cu kls
wark Police Court in a day
or so, teheeowners of the
it sh eu
n 3dpe er
barges having been summoned by the Harbour-master
for obstructing the approach to the public plying place
of the stairs.

ROYAL ORTHOPZEDIC HOSPITAL.—Yesterday the half-
yearly -general meeting of the governors of this charity
was held in the board-room of the Institution, Blooms-
bury-square ; Mr. Jacob Bell in the chair. It appeared
from the report that during the pait half-year, 931 pa-
tients had been admitted to the benefits of the hospital,
being an increase over the number of those admitted in
the preceding half-year of 231. The total number al-
witted sine.- the opentl,g of the institution was reported
to be 16,227. It was also stated that the funds of
.6°
charity were increasing, but were neverthless insufficient
to meet the demands upon them, as upwards of 200 per-
sonsvo were waiting for admission into the wards,_‘n who
could not be treated as out-patients. The buildwgf fund,
too, headel by her Majesty and his Royal
far short
Prince Albert, was progressing, but was very
adopted, and
of the amount required. The report was
of,
a quantity of routine business having been
erdisposed, vil
the prooeedillgs termis►eted pa the usual Highnessu