The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-29 00:00:00

YARD, BY ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL:

Upon the report of the medical officer of health being
brought up, with regard to the reference made to him
as to the desirability of discontinuing interments in the
City graveyards in general, and that of St. Faith's un-
der St. Paul's in particular,
Deputy HOLT observed, that it would be in the recol-
lection of the members that at the last court he stated
that servants of St. Paul's Cathedral were in the habit
of receiving 3/. 4s. fee for every parishioner buried in
the graveyard of St. Faith, and 1/. 17e. 6d. for each
non-parishioner, over and above two a year, which the
cathedral allowed the parish of St. Faith to enjoy.
(Hear, hear.) To this statement a person in office of
the name of Cummings had objected. In the Morning
A dvertiser of Friday last a letter appeared, challenging
him (Deputy Holt) to prove the statement made, Cum-
mings alleging that such statement " was a gross per-
version of the truth." Now, then, he (Deputy Holt)
begged the commissioners' attention to a book which
he held in his hand, and in which there appeared
several entries of amounts in the shape of fees paid
by the sexton of St. Faith's to this very officer, and to
these amounts that individual's signature was affixed.
(Hear.) He (Deputy Holt) would with this explanation
leave the matter in the hands of the commissioners.
(Hear.) In conclusion he wished to say that he felt it
to be a great abomination that interments should be
continued in such a place of public resort as St. Paul's-
churchyard. He (Deputy Holt) was glad that he had
the opportunity of reporting to the court that he had
seen a document from the official authorities directing
the ground to be closed without delay. (Hear.)
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR, considering this matter to be of
public importance, highly complimented Deputy Holt
on the activity he had displayed in its exposure ; and
The Medical Officer said that he hoped in a short
time the whole of the City graveyards would be au-
thority be closed.
The matter then dropped.—Adjourned.

SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION

OF THE LABOURING CLASSES.

The ninth annual meeting of this society was held
yesterday at Willis's Rooms ; the Earl of Shaftesbury in
the chair, supported by Lord Feversham, Lord Haddo,
Lord Brackley, Lord Ebrington, Lord Radstock, Cap-
tain Scobell, M.P., R. M. Milnes, Esq., M.P., Major
Little, J. Sperling, Esq., H. Roberts, Esq,, &c.
The CHAIRMAN, at some length, dwelt on the domi-
ciliary improvement which the society and kindred
institutions had already effected in the working
classes, arguing that a moral improvement was
its concomitant, but regretted that the French Go-
vernment should have the triumphant boast that it
had gone beyond the cast of English benevolence,
in voting 200,000/. to build model lodging-houses for the
labouring classes of Paris. Health he considered to be
the thing most economical, and looked upon virtue as
cheaper than vice, and, therefore, thought that a close
attention to the sanitary state of the dwellings of the
poor would have the effect of rendering the people them-
selves happy, decent, and vigorous.
The report stated that the society had now in all 1264
sets of apartments, which were all paying it a remunera-
tive interest upon the capital invested in their construc-
tion, while the health of the inmates was far above the
average. The income had been 97261. ss. 2d., and the
expenditure 96961. 10s. 4d., leaving a balance of 291.
15s. 10d. in favour of the society.
On the motion of Lord Haddo, seconded by Mr. R.
Slaney, the report was adopted.
Several other gentlemen then addressed the meeting,
when the proceedings terminated in the usual manner.

THE LATE SEWERS ACCIDENT AND LOSS OF
LIFE IN HOLYTVELL-STREET.

SPECIAL VERDICT.

Last evening a lengthened investigation was held by
Mr. Higgs, the coroner for the Duchy of Lancaster, at
the Cheshire Cheese Tavern, Milford-lane, Strand, rela-
tive to the circumstances connected with the death of
James Phillips, a labourer, aged 36 years, which resulted
from the falling in of the tunnel of the sewer now in
course of re-construction in Holywell-street, Strand, on
Monday last, some particulars of which appeared in our
impression of yesterday.
Alex. Lettuce, a labourer, of 7, Wright's-buildings,
Bath-street, Shoreditch, deposed that on Monday evening
last, about 11 o'clock, he was engaged with deceased in
driving a small heading for the new sewer in Holywell-
street. Having got through several feet, timber supports
were put up, and every precaution taken to prevent
accidents, but the brickwork of a vault or cellar of one
of the houses suddenly gave way on either side, causing
the ground above to fall also. Witness saw the earth
fall upon the deceased, who, at the time of the accident.
was standing close by the side of the vault. Every
means was taken to get the deceased out, but it was not
until an hour and three-quarters after the accident that
he was extricated. Ho (deceased) was attended by a
surgeon, but he was found to be quite dead.
George Step, a carpenter, deposed that he resided at
No. 46, Holy well-street, and that the vault belonged to
his house. On Saturday last he descended into the
vault, to see if the walls were cracking, but found every-
thing safe. The men engaged in tunnelling were at
work exactly underneath the vault. He (witness) gave
information that there was a vault, but no one attended
to examine it.

Mr. Edmund Cooper, engineer to the commissioners
of sewers, said that he was requested to state that the
commissioners had taken the greatest care that their
contractors were men of the greatest experience. The
deceased was a very careful and practical man, and had
in consequence been receiving more money than the
other workmen, and was well acquainted with the work
he was engaged in at the time of the accident.
Mr. Charles Anderson, special clerk of the works,
Mr. George Frederick Fry, clerk of the works for the
district, Mr. John Phillips, and other witnesses, were
examined at great length,
The coroner having summed up,
The jury, after about an hour's consultation, returned
the following verdict :—That the deceased died from acci-
dental suffocation ; and we, the said jurors, strongly re-
commend that greater caution be taken on the part of
the surveyors of the contractors to see that the lives of
the men employed be more carefully attended to for the
future."

The proceedings occupied nearly five hours.

PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris is
about at par (according to the last tariff), which, at the
English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 104 d. per ounce for
standard gold, gives an exchange of 25.17 ; and, the
exchange at Paris on London at short being 25.021, it
follows that gold is about 0.58 per cent. dearer in Paris
than in London. By advices from Hamburgh the price of
gold is 427 per mark, which, at the English Mint price of
3/. 17s. 104 d. per ounce forstandard, gives an exchange
of 13.6 ; and, the exchange at Hamburgh on London at
short being 13.41, it follows that gold is 0.59 per cent.
dearer in Hamburgh than in London. The course of ex-
change at New York on London for bills at 60 day's
sight is 110 per cent., and, the par of exchange between
England and America being 109 23-40 per cent., it
follows that the exchange is nominally 0.42 per cent. in
favour of England ; and, after making allowance for
charges of transport, the present rate leaves a small
profit on the importation of gold from the United
States.

ARRIVALS OT AUSTRALIAN GOLD. —The Brooksby
has arrived from South Australia with 25,751 oz. of gold,
value about 113,0041. She left Adelaide on the 18th of
February. The Henry Gillespie has also arrived from
Port Philip with 4,000 oz. of gold, value about 16,0001.
This vessel left Melbourne on the 4th March. The Aber-
foyle, also from Port Philip, has likewise arrived with
16,120 oz. of gold, value about 64,4801. She left Geelong
on the 17th March, and reports the Melbourne steamer to
have left Melbourne on the 13th of the same month
(four days previously) for England, with 29,391 oz.
of gold, value about 117,5641. The Australasia and
the Southern Cross from Hobart Town, Van Die-
men's Land, have also arrived, but the amount of
gold they bring is not at present known. The date of
departure of the Aberfoyle is not so late by a week as
that of the Electricity, arrived at Madras, en route for
England, but we have received some additional intelli-
gence respecting the colony not previously made public.
The discoveries of large lumps of gold at the Ballarat dig-
gings were not so numerous, but the yield was neverthe-
less large, and a very great number of persons were at
work in this district. At the Ovens there had been a
falling off in the yield, caused by the number of dig-
gers having decreased from 12,000 to 4,000 persons.
The greater proportion had been attracted to the Bal-
larat field, in the hope of participating in the many
valuable discoveries lately made there. There had not
been much business done in gold, but the price was
steady at 765. 6d. per oz. The arrival of gold from the
diggings for the week ending March 14 had been, exclu-
sive of the escort from the Ovens, which had not arrived,
41,696 oz which, with previous shipments, made a total
of 514,715 oz., value in England about 2,068,8601.
There had been an arrival of 2,975 persons during the
same week, against departures amounting to 656, which
made the total increase to the population for that period
2,319. From Geelong we learn that the news received
there from the mines was generally of an encouraging
character. The price of gold was 765. 6d. per oz.
ST. PRTERSBURGII.—The advices from St. Petersburgh
reach to the 22d of June. Nothing further was known
regarding political affairs, and business was apparently
little disturbed by apprehensions. In stocks there were
few transactions, but prices were steady, and in all the
staple articles of produce there was much firmness. The
quotation of exchange remained at a point that would
admit of the export of gold—namely, 38d., but as the
rate at Odessa was equal to 39d., a rise at St. Peters-
burgh was certain to take place, so that there was no
prospect of any continued remittances being made to
London, even supposing them to be allowed by the
Government. From Odessa the accounts are to the
17th of June. The next steamer from Constantinople
would bring the final answer of the Sultan to the
demands made .upon him, and was anxiously looked
for ; but, meanwhile, commercial affairs were pursuing
their regular course, and the extent of operations was
rather large, causing a considerable amount of bills to
be drawn on England, and the rate of exchange to be
less favourable for this country. About 40,000 quarters
of wheat had been purchased during the week, princi-
pally for the Mediterranean, and the general arrivals of
grain from the interior were abundant, the total for the
month ending the 12th of June having been 240,000
quarters of wheat, 80,000 of Indian corn, 72,000 of rye,
and 27,000 of linseed.