The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-08 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY BVVNING, FEBRUARY 8, 1854.

aRAND BAL MASQUE at the CASINO DE
VENISE, High Holborn.—The Proprietor has the honour to
announce that his LAST BAL MASQUE this season is fixed for TO-
MORROW, THURSDAY, Feb. 9th, 1854, and which will present a
scene of brit saucy and splendour unparalleled. Mr. W. M. Packer's
Inimitable Band Will p rform a programme of dance music replete
With novelty and excellence. Doors open at half past nine o'clock,
to commence punctually at ten.—Gentlemen's Tickets, ss. ; Ladies'
ditto, 3s. each. Suprer at one o'clock. Tickets, 3s. each.—N.B.
Mr. Nathan, Castle-street. Leicester square, is the appointed Cos-
tumier: Clowns, Pantaloons, or Harlequins not admitted.

FRENCH CONSULATE-GENERAL.--Notice
is Hereby Given, that on the 15th instant, the Oflices of the
Consulate• General will be removed to No. 36, King William-street,
London-bridge. Office hours from 11 ti 11.4.

P
URS SELL' S. —BALL SUPPERS and
WEDDING BREAKFASTS SUPPLIED in the first style;
public breakfasts, dinners, and promenade suppers supplied by con-
tract; a large stock of bride cakes for immediate use, from one to
twenty guineas each; a handsome cake for five guineas, packed and
sent to any part of the country if required, and warranted to keep 12
months.—JouN B. PIIRSSELL, 162,1tegent=street, and 20, Ludgate-
bill, only.

Useful Pamphlets, to be had gratis on application at the Publishers.
(if by letter enclosing a postage stamp.)
A TKINSON and COMPANY'S PRICE CUR-
CIL RENT of Iheful and Ornamental FIJRNITIK, Wrirot.;
STLRY, LOOKING GLA'SES, BEDDING, &c. Also, THE
LADIES' MANUAL, or Guide to the Extenstlsa.Rercaatila.F,atab.
lishment of ATKINSON and COMPANY, DRAPERS. SILK and
SHAWL MERCERS, HABERDASHERS, HOSIERS, and LACE-
MEN. . _ .

London: Published by the Proprietors, AtkbAon and Company,
69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75, Westminster-bridge-road, Lambeth.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

At the last meeting of this society, Mr. James Simp-
eon, president in the chair, on reading the minutes of
discussion of the meeting of January 24, attention was

directed to the statement of the experiments recently
made at Alnwick,onthe quantity of water discharged

through a " pot-pipe" of Ei inches diameter ; for while,
on the one hand, the results of the experiment suffi-

ciently confirmed the accuracy of the formulae of Du
Buat, Eytelwein, Smeaton, Prony, Hawksley, and other
investigators, and as iecidedly contradicted the results
published in the blue-books emanating from the Board
of Health, these results, nevertheless, differed too con-

siderably from other consistent conclusions to be fully
relied upon, and it was therefore desirable that this ex
periment should not be taken as a datum upon which to

found any hydraulic law for the determination of the
quantity of water which might be transmitted through
tubes. For this purpose, indeed, the cited experiment
must be deemed unsatisfactory, because pot-pipes were
never of uniform or exact diameter—inclinations were

- ---
always- more or less vaguely stated, joints were seldom
sound, and when the discharge was into free space, the
differential level was rarely satisfactorily afforded.
Moreover, this experiment itself was, in some respects,
contradicted by very carefully. conducted experiments
made by Monsieur Couplet, at Versailles, on a pipe
18 inches in diameter, the results of which were
extremely consistent with the mathematical deter-
minations successfully resorted to by all practical
hydraulic engineers. The experiment by Monsieur
Couplet was made on a pipe of 43,200 inches long and
18 inches diameter, the motive head was 145 inches
(all French measures), the calculated velocity
was 401 inches, while the observed velocity was 39 1-6
inches, differing from the velocity calculated from esta-
blished formUlm only about 3 per cent. It was also
contended to be extremely undesirable that centralised
authorities should continue to exist, as it was uniformly
found that these authorities did great mischief by the
wide dissemination of errors, apparently under Govern-
ment influence, and by the consequent repression of

scientific and practical iinprovements.
The paper read was "Macadamized Roads, for the
Streets of Towns," by Mr. J. Pigott Smith, Assoc. Inst.
O.E. The lengthened experience of the author, as sur-
veyor to the corporation of Birmingham, having under his
charge about 150 miles of street road and 50 miles of turn-
pike road, enabled him to express confident opinions
on the comparative cost, durability, and general quali-
ties of paving, and of broken stone, for roads, and
even for streets, subject to a considerable amount of
heavy traffic. The parties chiefly interested in having
good roads were shown to be the owners of carriages
and horses, and the ratepayers, at whose expense
the roads were originally constructed and consequently
maintained. - 'For both these &stases, " cheateaaada'
(i.e., those of small first-cost) were contended, generally,
to be the dearest ; horse-power being uselessly expended,
carriages destroyed, and constant repairs to the surface
of the road being necessitated. Any undue increase of
tractive power was shown to fall indirectly on all who
purchased any commodities conveyed through the streets,
and the annoyances and hindrances to commerce arising
from ill-paved or ill-kept, muddy, dirty, and noisy
streets were patent to all. 1)1e necessity was thence
deduced for having the roads and streets so constructed
that the surface should be firm, even, and smooth, with-
out being slippery, and be free from mud,. or dust, or
loose stones. To attain this, the foundation should be of
firm material, well consolidated, and perfectly drained,
then covered with stones broken to uniform dimensions,
well raked in and fixed by a binding composition of grit,
collected during wet• weather by Whitworth 's sweeping
inachine and preserved for the purpose. This binding being
regularly laid on, watered, if in dry weather, would, in
great thorougfares, consolidate the new metal in a few
hours, preserving the sharp angles of the stones,
which assumed all the regularity of a well-laid pavement,
with a considerable saving of material, and a firmer crust
than by the ordinary method, of allowing the vehicles
to pass, for many days, over the uncovered surface of the
new stories, grinding off the angles with a deafening
noise, and forming dust, or mud, to be carried on to the
footpaehs and into the houses and shops. Instances
were given of the advantages of this system of using the
grit for binding, which should, however, be that col-
lected by the sweeping machines, and not mere slimy
mud. A street in Birmingham, subject to great traffic,
had been thus perfectly made and consolidated in five
days, whereas, tinder the ordinary system, three months
would have been required to produce the same effect. The
repairs were capable of being effected any period of the
year ; under no circumstances were the street surfaces
permitted to be worn down, and they were never stopped
as was the case for lifting and re-paving. Rules were
then given for keeping the surface in perfect travelling
order, for picking off all loose materials, for sweeping
and never scraping, for preserving the profile of the
surface and getting rid of all lodged water, for light
watering in dusty weather, and heavy watering when
there was adhesive mud, that could not be otherwise re-
moved by the long brushes of Whitworth's sweeping-
machines, which were contended to be indispensable
for keeping roads and streets in good repair, and for
preventing the nuisances of mud and dust. The system
employed in London, of heavy watering without remo-
ving the mud, or of scraping and of hand-sweeping, and
lifting by shovels into carts was shown to be bad and
expensive. The loss of speed and the extra power re-
quired to be exerted by horses drawing ,carriages over
street surfaces in the state of those in London were
shown to be as much as 25 per cent. as compared
to the work done in Birmingham. The employment of
a better system, combined with the use of the sweeping-
machines, had been produetive, at Birmingham, of an
economy of nearly one-third of the materials employed
for the construction andirepairs of the streets and roads.
Instances were given of the actual results of the system
of washing and sweeping parts of the Quadrant, Regent-
street, where the method had been satisfactorily proved
to have produced superior effects, but prejudice had in-
duced obstinate adherence to the old system, to the an-
noyance of the public and with the derision of all
foreigners who visited the metropolis. The actual state
of all the leading thoroughfares could vouch for the jus-
tice of the criticism on the present metropolitan system.
The greatest amount of wear and tear of macadamised
street surface, in Birmingham, was shown to be 4 inches
per annum, the average might be therefore taken at 2
inches ; the cost of maintenance was 4d. per super-
ficial yard, and that of watering and cleansing was 2d.,
giving a total of 6d. 'per yard per annum. Paving cost
15s. per yard ; it required to be renewed once in 15
years, and the cleansing cost about Ad. per yard. Paving
was, therefore, evidently about double as expensive as
macadamising at Birmingham. It was, therefore, con-
tended, that macadamised roads and street surfaces, if
properly constructed and carefully managed, well water-
cleansed for mud and watered for dust, brushed, or
swept by machinery, maintained with a uniform surface,
and not permitted to become degraded, were well
adapted for towns and cities of average traffic, and for
many localities in and around the metropolis.

►N COMMISSION.

again yesterday, at 32,
their inquiry. Present-
-I,nehere and Sir John Patte-
(proceedings,

• .

laugh.) I know that I never spent such a month in thy
life.
The Chairman—Yon mean that it was a, most agrie-
able trip ?
Mr• Anderton—l do, sir. It was the most agreealkel,
one I ever took part in. (Renewed laughter.)
• Mr. Richardson, solicitor, who was previously ex-
amined respectingthe ptirehase of the Citizen newspaper,
attended for the purpose of repeating his former evidence;
to the effect that Mr. Benjhmin Scott-and Mr. Toulmin
Smith were joint purchasers and proprietors of that,.
paper. He thought it necessary to appear and state that
he adhered to his former evidence on that point, be-
cause Mr: Scott had in some manner contradieted• him.,
Mr. Tiirnley, chairman of the navigatkot ceminittee of
the,oorporation, was next examined. He said-Chit he had
held his present office for the last three yeirW: He wa,§,
a lighterman on the river.: The chairman of-the com-
mittee was not always connected with the ,river trade;
but there were at present two members on thecommittee
who were engaged in that trade. There wereother
gentlemen on it also Who were perfectly conversant
with the business of navigation, and ' who had acted on;
the committee for several years. There were shoals in.
the river and always would be. The committee, how:
ever, had not sufficient fun;ds to keep the navigation in
as efficient a state as was 'desirable. The river was not a
source of profit to thecorpo:ration, but rather the contrary.
Witness then said 'he wisheld to state that in June last he
was elected one of the sheriffs of London, but declined to
serve. A man named Roe came to him one day anti said he
wanted to see him. Roe th. en said, " I am very sorry, but
I must make yea sheriff to, tnorrow.•"-
,(Aiaugbd) Witness
replied that he was very much obliged to him, but if elected
he would neither serve nor pay the fine. Witness was a
member of the Merchant Tailor's Company, and Rose
therefore, no doubt, thought he was fair game for plunder.
This man Rose had impowtuned him every year, but
witness had kept his hands, out of his pocket. Having re-
fused Rose money, witness was at last elected sheriff. He
then memorialised the Cou'at of Aldermen to excuse his
paying the fine, and had toad them that they might have
his body, but they should -never have his property. (A.
laugh.) After Mr. Rose had done him the honour of
electing him, he sent some hundreds of "unwashed gen-
tlemen" to him for him to pay them for supporting him.
Three years before the same man came to him in the
same manner, and said, " I am sorry, but I must make
you sheriff." Witness then told him that he had 400
persons who would attend and hold up their hands
against him, when Rose exclaimed, " Oh, I don't mind
that; I have 900 who vllll hold up their hands for you.
I have 200 bankers' clerks -who come out at one o'clock
to their dinners and they will vote for you." (Laughter.)
The system was certainly a. very disgraceful one, and no
respectable man would act as sheriff whilst it continued.
The corporation had nothing to do with Mr. Rose' pro-
ceeding! ; in fact, he acted altogether independent of
them.
Mr. Jones, solicitor, of Ctrosby-square, examined : He
bad been a member of the Court of Common Council for
the last 20 years, and had acted as a member of the
Irish Society in 1843 and 1844. The management ex-
penses of the Irish Society were certainly rather large,
but there was no analogy between the society's estates
and the estates of a private proprietor. The society's
law expenses had been very great some years ago ; but
the suits were all now terminated, and this heavy item
of expenditure would not again recur. The society had
been driven into a course of litigation to defend its own
rights, and had had no other alternative but to embark
in these proceedings or give up its property. The 7001.
paid by this society to the corporation of Londonderry
went to defray the salary of the recorder and other muni-
cipal officers ; and if the society did not make this con-
tribution a town-rate would have to be made for the
same objects, and 'to this late the tenants of the society
would have to contribute. 'The society used to exercise
a political influence over its tenants, but it exercised no
such influence now. The mode formerly was for the
society, when the *candidates were in the field, to tell
the tenants the man whom it expected they would re-
turn, but all that had been since changed.
The inquiry was then adjourned till Thursday.