The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-25 00:00:00

Intrb Ulttion4t

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock.

TATTERSALL'S.

(THIS EVENING.)

THE DERBY.
3to 1 agst Dervish (take 7to 2).
6to 1 agst Andover (taken).
10 to 1 agst Hermit (taken).
14 to 1 agst King Tom (taken).
12 to 1 agst Hospodar (taken).
13 to 1 agst Neville (taken).
20 to 1 agst Autocrat (taken).
25 to 1 agst The Trapper (taken).
25 to 1 agst Knight of St. George (taken).
50 to 1 agst Alembic (taken).
50 to 1 agst New Warrior (taken).
1000 to 10 agst Ostrogoth.
OAKS.
7to 2 agst Meteora (taken).
7to 2 agst Omoo (taken).
7to 1 agst Honeysuckle (taken).
10 to 1 agst Malmsey (taken).
12 to 1 agst Sortie (taken).

I ISIPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Cr—
cris EVENING.)
The SpzAirEß took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.
Mr. A. SMITH took the oaths and his seat for Hertford-
shire, in the room of Mr. Halsey deceased.
PRIVATE BILLS.
The following bills were read a third time and passed:—
Bradford, Wakefield, and Leeds Railway ; Chester, Farn-
don, and Worthenbury Road ; East Lancashire, Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire, and Manchester and Southport
Railways ; Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax Junction Rail-
Towy Vale Railway ; Winchester and Petersfield Road ;
Bradford, Wakefield, and Leeds Railway.
PETITIONS.
Petitions were presented by the Sheriffs of London and
Middlesex at the bar in favour of the Oaths Bill • by Mr.
MILES from Chew, Magna, and other places in Somerset-
shire, in favour of closing public houses on Sundays ; by
Mr. T. DIINCOMBE from six gentlemen connected with the
commercial trade of the metropolis complaining that though
they are naturalised British subjects, British passports
do not avail them in travelling in foreign countries ; by
Mr. HEADLAM, from Newcastle-on-Tyne, against church
rates by Sir J. SHELLEY, from the proprietors of Lloyd's
Weekly Newspaper, complaining of the stamp duty; also a
petition from St. Anne's, Westminster, praying for a bet-
ter water supply to the metropolis ; by Mr. Alderman
KERSHAW, from certain inhabitants of Manchester, pray-
ing for the abolition of church rates.

IRISH WORKHOUSES.
Mr. BELLEW asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland,
whether Government is ready to bring in any measure, in
accordance with the prayer of petitions presented to Par-
liament, to enable poor law guardians to consolidate or
very much to diminish the establishments in certain poor
law unions in Ireland, by which greater economy may be
effected without prejudice to the comfort of the inmates of
said establishments.

Sir J. YOUNG said undoubtedly the workhouse accom-
modation was much more than sufficient ; there were only
100,000 persons in these workhouses, whereas they were
capable of accommodating 314.1)00; but the Irish unions
being unusua'•ly large, it would be greatly detrimental to
the poor if any of these workhouses were abolished.

SHIPPING BONDS.
SCHOLEFIELD asked the Secretary of the Trea-
sury whether the commissioners have had under their con-
sideration the advisability of substituting for the numerous
separate bonds now required for the shipping of certain
goods, a single bond from the captain or consignees of each
ship; and if so, whether he is prepared to state the deci-
sion at which they have arrived.
Mr. WILSON said, such a proposal had been made to
the Treasury, but the Treasury did not think it would be
advisable to accede to it.

LETTER-CARRIERS.
Mr. T. DIINCOMBE inquired of the hon. Secretary
to the Treasury when they might expect the report of the
commission appointed to inquire into the grievances of the
letter-carriers ?

Mr. WILSON said it was a mistake to suppose that the
commission was appointed to inquire into the grievances
of the letter carriers ; it was appointed to inquire into
the whole state of the Post-office establishment,
and the grievances of the letter-carriers had come before
them in an incidental manner. The commission, how-
ever, had prepared their report, and he hoped he should
be able to present it in a very short time.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY COMMISSION.
Mr. WISE asked Lord John Russell, whether there is
any foundation for the report that the Rev. George Raw-
linson and the Rev. Samuel William Wayte have been
recommended to her Majesty's Government, as fit and
proper persons to officiate as the Secretaries of the Oxford
University Commission, should the bill now before the house
be passed into a law ; also, whether, if the appointment of
the Rev. Mr. Rawlinson be contemplated, her Majesty's
Ministers are aware that that gentleman has described the
Reformation as " so-called Reformation," and that a ma-
gazine published at Oxford he alluded to the appointment
of a Parliamentary commission in the following terms,
" We look upon the appointment of a commission as the
very worst calamity that could possibly befall the univer-
sities. We can scarcely conceive of an event that would in-
flict greater injury, either upon the universities themselves
or the country at large, than an i nquiry so instituted,
and a reform so conducted. A Parliamentary Commission
for such a purpose would, at all times and under any cir-
cumstances, be a huge and terrible evil."
Lord J. RUSSELL insisted that the question went be-
yond the limits of inquiry allowed by the rule of the house,
and therefore he declined to answer it.

BANKRUPTCY COMMISSION.
Mr. KEATING asked Lord John Russell, whether it
was the intention of her Majesty's Government to intro-
duce any measure, during the present session, founded on
the recent report of the Bankruptcy Commission.
Lord J. RUSSELL replied in the negative.
STAMPS ON FOREIGN BILLS OF EXCHANGE.
In reply to Mr. MASTERMAN,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
Government saw no reason to recede from their already
expressed intention to impose a stamp duty on foreign bills
of exchange.

- BUSINESS FOR TO-MORROW.
Mr. DISRAELI asked Lord John Russell what business
he proposed to take to-morrow.
Lord J. RUSSELL replied that the Finance Bills, with
the exception of the Excise Duties Bill, would be taken
first, and the Oxford University Bill afterwards.
RESOLUTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC

BUSINESS.
Sir J. PA_KINGTON wished to ask the noble lord when
it would be convenient for him to move the resolution
agreed to by the committee on public business.
Lord J. RUSSELL replied that next Thursday would
be a suitable day.

Sir J. PAICINGTON gave notice then that he would
put the resolution on the paper for that day.
Mr. BRIGHT gave notice that he should take the,
sense of the house on that resolution, which proposed to
abolish the usual motion made on Fridays, that the house
at its rising should adjourn until the Monday following.

OATHS BILL.
Lord J. RUSSELL then moved the recond reading of
the above bill.

Sir F. THESIGER rose to move an amendment, that
the bill be read a second time upon this day six months.
The returns upon the subject of petitions against the bill
were remarkable. It was true they had to-day a
petition from the city of London in favour of the bill,
presented with the usual formalities, but that was to be
anticipated, but the petitions from the country were
remarkable. There had been presented three petitions,
with 166 signatures, for alterations in the present oaths,
. but not in favour of the present bill, and one petition in
favour of the measure, while the petitions against the
bill presented up to yesterday were 481, containing 6,171
names. He considered this measure, in fact, showed that the
' noble lord (Lord J. Russell) would allow nothing to stand
in the way of accomplishing anything he wished to have done.
And that being so, it would be well if they were to con-
sider what had induced the noble lord to meddle with this
. subject first. It was in consequence of one of those ill-
considered pledges with which the noble lord sometimes (sm-
. 'hammed himself, by undertaking to introduce a bill for the
imr t 1,080 of admitting a gentleman of the Jewish persuasion
12110 that hotuse. The hon. and learned gentleman retraced
bl_l_eCTUlle of the noble lord's conduct in reference to this
question, and the decisions of the Court of Exchequer and
sited t)ltoentel chequer Chamber on the same subject;
the noble lorcillo _die would ask the house to contrast
could hardly belieAvBsl- and the noble lord of 1854, and he
mind that used sulit was the same voice and the same
(Sir F. Thesiger) Coldifferent language—(hear)—and he
conduct of the noble lo
_ltot help tracing, in the present
tional course in 1850 Ilia
and 1851,
we to retrace his constitu.
must rememberlheztberthee (Hear, hear.) They
04815ellord now sat in a cabinet,
the principal
opponents of Papal aggremsiolZhi,tl had been strenuous
bination of circumstances eoram.'"' ear.) In such a com-
eacTr(alse Was inevitable, and
Bete *of their dearest
there must be a sacrifice by
friends to the antipathies of the
Thesiger) was not aware that the ea OHe (Sir F.
subjects had ever complained of thusplitais fellow-
macy of the Crown, and, therefore, no relief NT:s/ aupre-
by them, such as was introduced into the oat for
Roman Catholic members of that house ; and it Wm most
lamentable to see the noble lord receding from those senti-
ments which he put forward in such a manly spirit in ~s
celebrated letter to the Bishop of Durham in 1850. (Heal.
hear.) And now the noble lord was introducing a bill;
the only object of which was to benefit those whose agoes
sions he so manfully opposed in 1850-51. But were they
onlyold
who followed the noble lord on that occasion now to
retrace their steps, and go with him in his present mea-
sure ? By this new-fangled measure the t
noble
b le
e the
lord
would
have the coronation oath of the Sovereign
one which promised to guarantee the maintenance of the
Protestant religion and to allow the subjects of the Sove-
reign to take another oath so totally
in fact in the oath which the noble lord introduced in
differing from
; and
proposed Reform Bill in 1852, he retained the form for
Roman Catholics which he had said on a previous
occasion that no highminded Roman Catholic could take
without pain, and that it was an insult to them to put
such an oath to them. (Hear.) Of course those who were
to derive benefit from the measure would gladly range
themselves under the banner of the noble lord ; but he
thought he might venture to appeal to the members of
the Dissenting body in the house, and he would
then to consider whether there was any imagi-
.....xtatjr aPPreheilklon in reference to the Roman Catho-
/;,..,*-9:ll7lfousupremacy, and if they would not
. - Af4tjef 1 I'M= lagibr Nf Rome far thicker than the loins of '
0.,..,,th)ii-?Utt47...-A" d• (Hear, hear.) The honourable
41.454,101* , ~Zeliti fill u concluded by moving his amend-
,
~;,!"
\,. 1
:,,72047,0„...„..i, class.
044;437,141:e6„,(rxenFti:ofasnrt(Ehi:WzaEisZHEQUER then rose
!,.

IT

M 1 ?T.ROPOLITAN COMMISSION SEWERS.

I special Court was held on Tuesday at the office in
Gr, 3ek-street. Present—Mr. R. Jebb (in the chair),
Mr Spencer Smith, Sir Charles Fellows, Lieutenant-
Co! lonel Dawson, R.E., Mr. George Baker, and Mr. T.
F.. Gibson.
• Mr. Woolrych, the secretary, reported the available
mice in hand to be 31,5271. 12s. 3d.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMISSION OP SEWERS.

lieutenant-Colonel DAwSON rose and said—l wish,
Sir, to inquire whether you have received any commu-
nication from the Home 'office in reply to the application
which, at the desire of the Court, you were requested to
snake at the last court ?
The CHAIRMAN.—In answer to the question of the
;gallant colonel, I have to state, in consequence of the
wish of the last Court, I wrote to the Secretary of
Elate the letter which is now before the Court, dated
ti 'le 17th inst., to which I received a reply on the 20th.
I will now call upon the secretary to read those donu-
t' ►tints.
Mr. Woolrych then read as follows --
" No. 1, Greek-street, Soho, May 17, 1851.
Ztify Lorcl,—At the request of my colleagues of the
S ewers Commission, I have the honour to call your Lord-
st►ip's attention to the present position of the commission
w ith reference to the greater part of the loan of 200,0001.
effected under the powers of the Sewers Act of the last
session.

Your lordship will doubtless recollect that of the
aibove-mentioned sum the commissioners determined to set
apart 150,000/. towards the commencement of those por-
tions of the main drainage works which are most urgently
nceded—namely, the Hackney Brook, or northern high
le. vel sewer, and the main sewers on the south of the Thames
the estimates for which amount to 1,050,0001., but that
they did not feel warranted in entering upon those works
until they had the written sanction of the Government,
whose aid in Parliament is requisite for obtaining the
funds necessary to complete the works.
"The commissioners now feel that they are placed in a
position of much difficulty as to the proper application of
this sum of 150,0001. On the one hand, in the absence of
the necessary sanction, they are precluded from using the
money for the commencement of the main works ; on the
other hand, as long as there is any probability of that
sanction being obtained they consider that the money can-
not properly be applied to any other object, as that would
be at variance with the assurances from time to time given
to your lordship, and also disappoint the expectations held
out to those more immediately interested in the early exe-
cution of the main works. In the meantime the season
most favourable for entering into contracts and for proceed-
ing with drainage operations, is rapidly passing away.
" The commissioners would therefore beg respectfully to
represent to your lordship the importance of your favour-
ing them with your decision with reference to the main
works, in order that, if your lordship should think it right
to give the requisite sanction, the works may be at once
commenced, or else, if your lordship is not prepared to give
that sanction and would be kind enough to communicate
with the commissioners to that effect, the money may be
devoted to other works now much needed, and the imme-
diate execution of which would alleviate a great amount of
present evil.
" I beg to add, that it will depend upon your lordship's
decision whether the commissioners will feel justified in
incurring the expense and responsibility of prosecuting in
the present session a bill which has been read a second
time, and now awaits the investigation of a committee,
the object of which bill is to enable the commissioners to
take land near Deptford Creek, indispensably necessary
for the commencement of the southern works. In order
that this bill should pass in the present session, it is re-
quisite that the next step should IV taken without any
delay.—l have the honour to be, my lord, your lord-
ship's most obedient servant, " RICHARD JEBB.
" The Right Hon. Viscount Palmerston."

" Whitehall, May 20.
" Sir,—l am directed byViscount Palmerston to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th inst , and to
state, in reference to your inquiry as to the application of
the sum of 150,1)001., set apart by the Commissioner of
Sewers towards the commencement of those portions of
the main drainage works which are most urgently needed,
that the main drainage should be suspended for the pre-
sent.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,
" Richard Jebb, Esq., H. WADDINGTON.
Chairman of the Sewers Commission,
1, Greek-street, Soho."
Lieut.-Colonel DAWSON—Sir, we cannot serve two
masters, and you yourself explained at the last Court
that the obligation upon us to do our duty was to the
ratepayers, and not to the Secretary of State. The
Government, in fact, have the power to displace us
if they see proper to do so, but otherwise, I believe,
they have no control over the exercise of our powers
in expending the funds of the commission according
to the terms of the act aed our own discretion. That,
I believe, is a true statement of our position under
the act as it now stands, but I should nevertheless re-
gret, and I am sure the commissioners would regret, any
disregard on our part of the opinions, wishes, or
views of the Government—(hear, hear)—but when the
interests of the ratepayers are so deeply involved, under
circumstances of extreme urgency, I d not see how we
can hesitate to apply the funds of the commission to
works of such extreme urgency as we have the power to
complete. I believe that the present sum of 200,0001.
was granted for works of urgency, according to the
list we gave to Government of works that amounted
to 567,000/., which was the sum applied for, but
only 200,0001. was granted, and that was required
to be expended before last Easter. We were not re-
stricted as to its application to any specific works ; but we
reported to the Government that we had got two works
on hand which we deemed most important, although not
less urgent than others, and they were the main drainage
on the north and south sides of the river. The sum
set apart for those two works was 150,0001., but the
ultimate cost of them would be upwards of a million.
As we had not under the act of last session power
to carry out those works to their completion, we
were most anxious to have the sanction of the Go-
vernment at the commencement of the works, for the

purpose of securing to us funds for their completion.
As we have not obtained the sanction of Govern-
ment at the commencement, and been told that the main
drainage works are to be suspended, it appears to me
that, as there are works of equal urgency, but not so
expensive, they should be at once commenced and com-
pleted, for it is our duty only to undertake works with
the funds at our disposal ; which, according to the act,
we are bound to expend according to our wisdom and
discretion. Sir, I therefore move that the order for the
works to the Counter's Creek district, reserved at the
last Court, to the amount of 51,300/. be immediately
executed, and that the engineer be instructed to prepare
plans and estimates for other works of the most urgent
nature, to the amount of 100,0001., to be submitted to
us for execution at the next Court.
Mr. T. liewEs seconded the motion, as he considered
that they were not justified in keeping this amount in
the banker's hands. If they could not undertake large
works, they must t%ke up such as they could complete,
their best duty being to spend it in the worst and most
urgent districts.

The CHAIRMAN—Before putting the question, I beg
to say that I concur in all the observations that have
fallen from Colonel Dawson, but with reference to an
observation in which I said that we were bound to ex-
pend the money without obtaining the opinion of the
Secretary of State, I made that statement in answer
to one of the commissioners, who seemed to be of opinion
that we should get the sanction, of the Government for
all works of importance. My observations had refer-
ence only to its legality. I object to pursuing that
course, and I do not think it is one consistent with
our position, or a ground for throwing from ourselves
a degree of responsibility that the Secretary of State
would not thank us for. It is our duty, on all occa-
sions, to pay proper deference to the Government in
the execution of our works, buil. I must protest against
on every occasion running to the Secretary of State to
cast on him the responsibility o f what properly devolves
upon us. When, however, a measure came before Par-
liament to furnish us with the means for making large
sewers, it behoved us to satisfy him and the country, by
obtaining his sanction for the largo sums of money placed
at our disposal. We are now relieved from doubt as to
the propriety of the works we a‘re about to order, for we
are well satisfied of their necessity, the public were sa-
tisfied, and I believe we should have the sanction of the
entire engineering world for thorn. Lord Palmerston
differed from us ou the principle of drainage of part of
our works, but there was not a doubt as to the main
drainage ; it does not apply to works of this important
nature, which the Counter's Creek sewer and other
main sewers of London represent. In addition. I can-
not collect any distinct information that there was any
desire on• the part of Lord Palmerston to control the
commissioners, as I expressed at a former Court, in
the exercise of our judgment upon this matter. I made
an observation some time ago that the expressions of
Lords Palmerston were madis to elicit from us a
reply, so that he might, having. the two cases fully be-
fore him, be able to form a j udgment and come to a
conclusion upon it. I think, there is not the slightest
ground for delay, and that we should be shrinking from
our duty if we hesitated to order these works.
After a few words from Mr. Gibson,
The CHAIRMAN pnt the question, which was unani-
mously agreed to.
The works referred to, estimated to cost 51,3001.,
consist of 1,500 feet of sewer, 9 feet 6 inches by 9 feet,
to commence at the river Thames between Cremorne-
gardena and the Kensington Canal, and proceed in a
northerly direction to King's-road, Chelsea ; and 11,190
feet of sewer, 8 feet 6 inches by 8 feet, to commence at
the King's-road, Chelsea, and proceed in a northerly di-
rection to the Uxbridge-road, and to a point near Royal-
crescent, Notting-hill.
The Court granted permission to Mr. Richard Dover
to make a communication with the Essex-street sewer,
for taking a portion of the sewage water therefrom..
The following expenses of works directed to be paid
by means of special sewers-rates were ordered to be paid
2:vetheotiviu6itssi.oo2nfd,;
Eduistetrict
.sewers-ratea of such districts respec-
-6:7.l:7.;CRooulnbtornerr's Creek, 4341. 15s. 4d.; Ranelagh, 3471.
•; Western Division of Westminster sewers, 6351.
,13621,11i5.i20n of Westin, in,ster s.ewe.rs, In.;,gosstu4hr/ei
Sur-
rey eed3renut.,
92n division, 1,7651. 4s. 7d.; Finsbury di-
vision,
document :a2s
tpheer persons
ea t
years:llA
dt.:atzSssep.mi2taidttl.fiedeldtos
th2eBCo6o/urstsgi9vdi
gnaurmdbenerfoorf
convenience in Covent-
garden been established. For
May
21,
Total for the three years,
the year ending
88,222 ; for 1854, 97,121. 1852, 91,600 ; for 1853,
276, 933.
After
disposing of some routine business, the Court
' adjourned.