The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-07 00:00:00

BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females..

Total .

1,625

* The returns for these districts have not been received

THE CHOLERA.

GENERAL BOARD OF HEALTH.
The following is the list of the members of the Medi.
cal Council appointed by the President of the Genera:
Board of Health :

+l. John Ayrton Paris, M.D., F.R.S., President of
the Royal College of Physicians.
§2. Sir B. Collins • Brodie, Bart., F.R.S., Sergeant
Surgeon to the Queen, Consulting Surgeon to St. George's
Hospital.
*3. Sir James Clark, Dart., M.D., F.R.S., Physician
in ordinary to the Queen, and to his Royal Highness
Prince Albert.

*4. James Alderson, ➢T.D., F.R.S., Fellow and Trea-
surer of the Royal College of Physicians ; Physician to
St. Mary's Hospital. .
1-5. Benjamin Guy Babington, M.D., F.R.S., Fellow
of the Royal College of Physicians, late Physician to
Guy's Hospital.
tG. Alexander Tweedie, M.D., F.R.S., Fellow of the
Royal College of Physicians ; Physician to the Fever
Hospital ; Examiner in Medicine in the University of
London.

*7. William Baly, M.D., F.R.S., Assistant-Physician
to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Physician to the Mil-
bank Penitentiary.
§B. William Lawrence, F.R.S., Vice-President of the
Royal College of Surgeons, Surgeon to St. Bartholo-
mew's Hospital, Surgeon Extraordinary to the Queen.
*9. John Simson. F.R.S., Surgeon to St. Thomas's
Hospital, Officer of Health in the city of London.
*lO. Richard Owen, F.R.S., Professor of Zoology in
the Royal College of Surgeons.
1-.11. Nathaniel B. Ward, Master of the Society of
Apothecaries.
:1:12. John Bacot, Inspector of Anatomy, Member of
the Senate of the University of London.
*l3. William Farr, M.D., Registrar General's office.
These gentlemen, with the exception of S:r B. Brodie
(who, being out of town, had not sent in his answer)
and Mr. Green (who has stated his inability to attend,
in consequence of his other avocations), met yesterday
at the office of the General Board of Health, when the
following letter was read by the President :
" General Board of. Health, Sept. 6, 1851.
"Gentlemen,—ln opening the first sitting of the first
medical council that has allowed itself to be assocfatecl
with this department, it becomes my duty, after thanking
you for the -public spirit and benevolence you have shown
in undertaking this service to the community, to point
out briefly both what appear to me to be the general ob-
jects in respect of which your assistance and advice will be
useful, and the more special and immediate matters to
which your attention is invited at present.
" I am charged with the responsible duty of directing
the sanitary administration of the country so far as we
have as yet anything deserving the name.
" But, upon scientific matters connected therewith,
where the medical profession are to be consulted, advised
with, laid under contribution for service or information,
or called upon to act, I wish to have the aid of a medical
council, to whom I may submit questions for considera-
tion, and whom I snap ask to suggest or undertake in-
quiries as may from tine to time be necessary.
" The special work of this department is the applica-
tion of the Public Health Act to such towns as petition
for it.
" Besides this, in times of epidemic, the board is
charged with the duty of issuing regulations and direc-
tions, for the prevention, as far as possible, or mitigation,
of disease.
"It will be apparent that it is in connection with the
latter branch of my duties I shall have occasion for your
valuable services.
" Bat, should public confidence be acquired for this de-
partmept., should the science of public health take its
place among the matters with which statesmanship may
properly concern itself, as I believe must sooner or later be
the case, a wider field will be opened to this department
and to professional advisers whom it may be able to
' associate with it.
" The circumstances of this country—its wealth and
poverty—its great cities with their social extremes of
luxury and privation—its aggregation of individuals on
the same spots—its multifarious industrial occupations—
all point to the duty of studying the effects on life and
health of trades, callings, and processes, habitations, sites,
,water supply, sewerage, the adulteration of substances used
for food, drink, and medicine, as matters vitally affecting
the well-being of the nation.
"On many of these subjects I hope it may be in my
power at future periods to avail myself of scientific aid,
but at present the mutter which most presses is the epide-
mic note' unhappily prevalent in this metropolis, as well as
in other parts of the United Kingdom. With this my
duty brings me into active and hourly contacts and I should
deeply regret if (besides the work this office may be ena-
bled to do at present in aid of local authorities, or when
necessary in compelling the observance of the law) I am
n9tat,le to deduce, by your assistance, from this terrible
vvetation both facts and lessons which may hereafter be
',lade available. For this end I have the -cordial co-opera-
tthberoCtrh Commissioners sci oonuenrtsr
yo ft
he Sewersregistrationfr the
ofm esttraoffp oalnisd,
opera-
tion of the Poor-law Board, the ItegistrarbGeneral, and
boards of health may
the most valuable
be •local
rend'a me most useful service. But
resn' t • •
wanting, unless T have aid •
~ within my reach at present will
while
the lo ca
formation,
ass,e. your in procuring such in-
esedemie, in ".0 the concomitants and course of the GREENWICH.—George Deamotte, E 5 1., lieutenate
detect.
"Choke- •
to the " -
ea `e in the only medical and scientific observation can
4 is now very wide
lprevalent •
ed of September 4 0
metropolis 1 y va in London. Up
, 70 perso have died of the dis- in the East Middlesex Militia, raiding at No. 10, Con.
duit-terrace, East Greenwich, was charged before Mr.
Traill with having feloniously assaulted Charles Brown,
waiter, at Mr. Henry Churchill Lovegrove's, the Ship
" I purpoee to directa one'and T'lllett Tavern and Hotel, Woolwich-road, and at-
attend the presence inquiries into the conditions which --'` further with
gathered fro of the epidemic, so far as they can be tempting to stab him with a, dagger, and
m met
observation. sieal, inieroscopal, and chemical using threatening language towards police-constable
"The gentlemen who hay Hayward and s"•• lier witness, by declaring that "he
eot
inquiries are here, and will detail
iciientdertaken to conduct these would /`"), them all." Ship
what is proposed or has been done. t
for your approbation , hs , vnaries Brown, evVern, sat •d
—I am servant at the
" But, besides this, I have causedne. Woolwich-road, Greenwich. Between
which I propose, with your ap rov„am form to be drawn up, and Billet Tavern, Woolw .
g the prisoner came to
settled by you, to have circulated ' , east after it has been eight and nine yesterday
frommo‘srnln the front to the back
medical practitioners in London, withtanak,P. all the qualified the house and was proceeding
olted the back door and
the number of cases of choleraic diseaysieevf_to determent, part of the premises, when I
roached, and
the proportion stood before The risoner then app
of deaths and recoveries, and the treatment him. - p n can pass out
pursued in each said let me go out. I replied, no person
pri-
The •
Case. comes home.
" The settlement of this return is the immediate object this way until Mr. Lovegrove
one now pro-
of ibis meeting of the council. son'er then drew a sword from a stick (the _
It touched my eose
" I wish also that. Dr. Sutherland should state to you duped) and limb 8 thrust at me. d d grasped
in the way of providing
what has been done for superin. and eue ji lo
guarded the stick off my hea an
truggle, It was
tendence of the execution, by local authorities, of the di- th^ . -I' h • a much bent in the s
li
struck me
olade w itc w a , e
rections and regulations of the board ; and I shall be me _
taken from him by forms
assistance and
obliged if yon would aid me by any suggestion, as (-, o#Sch i eventually
the forehead ate% I sent for
head is
means for this purpose, that you may think desire'
aer heavily on
into the e custody 'of the police. My
, s, be gave bins into 1
„, .
been ill ever since,
taken.
-*4°.° - -much swelled, and e oe.vo , .
" I have also directed to be laid 1— - A. mid..... The pri6olloT WM
rolice-coudable Ilolva
._ ....,, noptea of the

Witness—An officer of Excise.
Mr. Elliott—And did you, an officer of Excise, con-
ceive it to be part of your duty to induce persons to com-
mit a breach of the law ? Are you instructed to do so ?
Revenue Clerk—lt is his duty, sir, to prevent frauds
on the revenue.
Mr. Elliott —But it is not the practice in this country
to tempt persons to commit a breach of the law, and it
cannot be permilted to officers to do so.
Revenue Clerk—lt is the duty of the officers of
Excise to use all diligence to prevent frauds.
Mr. Elliott—And it is my duty, as a magistrate, to
express my opinion and reprobation of the conduct pur-
sued in this instance, and I feel satisfied that, if it is
represented in the proper quarter, it will not be tolerated.
The Revenue Clerk—ln this case information had
reached the officer that the defendant was violating the
law and defrauding the revenue, by letting out vehicles
for hire without taking out the necessary license to do
*so, and he (the officer) was obliged to resort to the best
means he could to detect him; indeed there were no
other means.
Mr. Elliott—There are other means. The officer
should have watched until he found out a case against the
defendant, and not himself have tempted the offence.
Excise officers should no more be permitted to induce
the commission of an offence against the revenue laws
than a police constable be permitted to tempt a man to
commit a felony.
This rebuke to the witness seemed to have been
keenly felt by a number of his brother officers who were
present.
Mr. Elliott was at first of opinion that the offence did
not amount to a hiring, but after wading through several
acts applying to the subject, his opinion was changed,
and convicted the defendant in the lowest penalty in his
power, namely, 251.
Mr. Solomon remarked that he had been induced to
recommend his client in the first instance to plead guilty
from knowing the enormuus powers which the Commis-
sioners of the Inland Revenue possessed, and not wishing
to provoke them by opposition. The commissioners had
the power reserved to them under the act under which
the present proceedings were taken of mitigating the
penalty to a mere nominal sum, and as the view taken
of the case by his worship, evidently indicating that had
he the power his judgment would be for a nominal
penalty, he should feel obliged for a letter from the court
in his client's favour.
Mr. Elliott replied that the gentleman who had at-
tended to prosecute the case had informed him that on a
petition being presented on the subject, the commis-
sioners would mitigate the penalty ; and as he (Mr.
Elliott) was decidedly of opinion that the case was one
deserving the most favourable consideration, Mr. Solo-
mon should have the letter he required.
Mr. Solomon expressed his thanks for the humane and
considerate view taken by his worship of the case, and
the parties left the court.

THAME&—The announcement thabianeCo/bcre was
before this court on Monday, charged with attempting the
life of her husband, W. Colbert, a cigar maker, residing
at 38, Chapel-street, St. George-in-the-East, would be
placed before the magistrates yesterday morning, drew
together a large concourse of persons eager to hear fur-
ther details or this painful case.
The prisoner was placed at the bar, and a certificate
was banded to the magistrate from the house surgeon at
the London Hospital, stating that the husband, William
Colbert, was no worse, but that he was still lit consi-
derable danger. Under these circumstances Mr, Ingham
decided on not proceeding any further with the case at
present, and the prisoner was again rernandsd.