The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-14 00:00:00

GOOLE.

The portion of this line extending about nine
miles in length, from Doncaster to the Swinton
st ition, on the Midland Railway, was opened for traffic
on Saturday. Four trains now run daily each way
between Doncaster and Sheffield.
ABERDEEN.

The directors of this company have given notice
of their intention to apply to Parliament in the
ensuing session fur poser to increase the capital ;
to make alterations in the authorised line and stations
in the vicinity of Aberdeen ; to repeal the Act
amalgamating the Aberdeen Companywith the Great
North of Scotland Company ; to authorise the
directors to guarantee interest on the new shares
hich may be created by the company for paying
off any mortgagees or bond 3, and to guarantee in-
terest on any stock into which any new shares may
be consolidated. It is intended to apply for powers
to raise additional capital to the amount of 150,000/.,
but it is expected that 120,0001. will be sufficient
to provide the necessary stock for working the line.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.
The Sacred :Harmonic Society commenced their
season last night at Exeter Hall. The band and
chorus are in all essential respects the same as during
last season ; and the whole of the musical arrange-
ments are under the direction of Mr. Costa. If we
may judge from the admirable style in which the
whole performance, vocal and instrumental, went off
last night, there is no reason to doubt that this so-
ciety will continue to deserve the high reputation
which it has enjoyed, alike with the musical world
and the regular frequenters of sacred performances at
Exeter-hall, since the improved management. The
oratorio selected for last evening was Handers Solo
mon, one motive for opening the season with it being
that, with the exception of a few months, one century
has elapsed since its first production. It was com-
menced on the 11th July, 1748, and finished on the
9th of August; and it was first performed (at
Covent-garden Theatre) on the 17th March, 1749.
One of the latest, it is by no means one of the best of
Handel's oratorios ; but its beauties, which lie chiefly
in the choruses, received full justice from the enor-
mous orchestra. All the choruses are fine ; but
among the most effective last night were, " Through-
out the Land," and the final chorus of the first part,
" May no rash intruder." This last, especially, was
i admirably rendered, so much so that, in spite of the

rule to the contrary, the ebire of the audience for a
repetition was irreprcssi.".l3. Again, the opening
chorus of the second part 'From the censer,' was
magnificently given. The solo parts were sustained
by Miss M. and Miss A. Williams, Miss Stewart
Mr. Lockey, and Mr. Lawler. Miss M. William?
particularly distinguished herself by her execution os
the music assigned to Solomon ; and Miss A. Wil-
liams imparted much pathos to her delivery of the
air, " Can I see my infant gored." The hall was
crowded, and the whole performance went off so
satisfactorily as to imply a very auspicious commence
ment of the season.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A LAW

SCHOOL.

A general meeting of the Society for Promoting
the Amendment of the Law was held list night, at
the rooms in Regent-street, when Mr. James Stewart
submitted a project for the establishment of a Law
School; Mr. Spence, Q.C., was called to the chair.
Mr. STEWART, in his address, said the teaching of
law by means of oral instruction appeared to have
been almost co existent with its being taught at all as
a science. Lectures or professorships had been
established in most cifilized countries, and it was
difficult to show why, as one means of impart-
ing legal knowledge, they should not be
useful. Of late years, however, but little favour
had been shown for this means of instruction
in some departments of the profesSion. On the one
hand, it was said that professors accessible to all
students were not appointed; and on the other, that
students would not attend the lectures of those who
were appointed. There was perhaps truth in both
complaints. But it could not be disputed that under
certain circumstances, and in some departments,
lectures had been successfully delivered, both at the
Universities and in London ; and the Inns of Court
had recently revived, upon the suggestion of Mr.
Bothell, a course of lectures exclusively confined to
students. These would seem, however, not to have
been generally successful. Indeed, so little prospect
of success had appeared as to induce the Society of
Lincoln's Inn, the first in number if not in rank
and importance, to discontinue after a short trial the
lectures that society had established, and it was pos-
sible that the example might be followed by some
or all the other societies. He attached no blame
to the benchers of the Inns of Court for this result,
but he showed from documents that the original
intentions with regard to examinations and prizes had
not been acted upon. Mr. Stewart went into this part
of the question with some minuteness. There was
then no institution in London for the purpose of do-

livering lectures on all the branches of the law; and
it seemed open to any one, more especially to a
scientific society, to provide for the teaching of the
law in this manner to all who were willing to be

taught. He therefore submitted that this would be
an appropriate and fitting duty for the society to
undertake. There could be no better method of
amending the law than first to ascertain briefly and
clearly how the law stood which it was proposed to
amend. No better means could be taken for this
purpose than fully to investigate what it was, and
then to declare it publicly before those competent to
listen to it; and he believed that no better mode
could be found of obtaining a correct and accurate
idea of the law than by lectures followed by
repeated examinations, the lecturer and the
class working together. On these grounds he
invited the society to use its influence and authority
to found a law school for the purpose of teaching the
law in all its departments, and to afford the means to
every one of acquiring a knowledge of those rules
which govern his property and his liberty, his own
rights and the rights of others. lle would let in not
only students but the public. The school should be
entirely of a practical kind. It should consist of
classes in which the main object should be to teach

particular branches, not by fixed rules, or in any
prescribed mode, but by such means as might seem
best to the particular lecturer ; by oral or written
communications, by examination, and free conversa-
tion between the lecturer and the classes. All that
he had consulted upon the subject cordially approved
of the plan ; and he read a letter from Lord Brougham
in which ie Noble and Learned Lord offered 251. as
his contribution towards the prizes, and further inti-
mated his willingness to volunteer a course of lectures
upon Constitutional Law. Mr. Stewart concluded
his very interesting paper by moving that it be re-
ferred toa committee to consider the subject.
The motion was seconded by Mr. PULLING.
The CHAIRMAN said that having been appointed
Professor of Equity in Lincoln's Inn, under the reso-
lution to which his Learned Friend had referred, he
would state the result of his experience in that
office. He commenced his lectures in the Hall. The
system was to deliver written lectures in term, and
after term he instituted examinations upon them.
The society had made it compulsory upon students
who desired to be called to attend these lectures ; but
' the examinations were entirely voluntary. The
number of students who originally attended the lectures
was about 18 or 19. Some of them evidently attended
because they were compelled; but he found that
those who attended the voluntary examination after
term made great progress. This went on for about
a year. At the end of the year the society came to a
resolution that it should no longer be compulsory for
students to attend the lectures; on which those
who had attended only to qualify themselves to
be called ceased their attendance ; but those who
attended the voluntary examination, to the number
of eight or nine, continued. Finding the numbers
thus reduced, and thinking they could be much more
effectually taught round a table, he gave up the Hall
lectures and invited the students to meet him in the
Chancellor's private room, where he proceeded with
them, taking care when he came to the end of every
branch of a subject to inquire whether the principles
he had endeavoured to expound were thoroughly un
derstood ; and after term the voluntary examination
was gone through, as usual, upon what had been
treated during term. He must say he never met
a set of young men more regular in their attend-
ance' or who devoted themselves more completely
to the subject than his pupils. These lectures
would terminate next term; but from his
own experience he could, in the mean time, state
that the teaching of the law by this mode had been
eminently successful. To show that it had not
failed, he would mention that several gentlemen who
attended the first course of lectures also attended the
second, though the subject was the same ; and
that, seeing the earnestness with which the pupils
seemed to devote themselves to the study, he had
himself proposed that at the, end of the course
they should receive prizes. The numbers, however,
not having been adequate, for he could scarcely
think it justifiable to establish a professorship to
teach only eight or nine pupils, the society was quite
right in discontinuing the system, but it could not be
in consequence of any failure as regarded those who
attended. Ile felt sure there was not a man who
would leave the course now in progress without being
in a more advanced state as regarded knowledge than
if he had been at the bar for five years under the ordi-
nary course of study. The system of teaching by
lectures, and the system of a legal school, would, he
was satisfied, be effectual for teaching the law ; and
the v_sults of his own experience led him to concur
heartily in the principle.
Mr. A'BRCKETT de..cribed the success of the lectures
at the Law Institution to articled clerks in the other
branch of the profession, and said it was most de-
sirable that similar advantages of acquiring know-
ledge should be afforded to the students for the bar.
The establishment of a law school would in this
respect be a public benefit; and parties who distin-
guished themselves in it would, on that account, 1 e
very often selected for business.
Mr. STEWART regarded the case of the Law In-
stitution as a most valuable one, because it was an
instance of a successful law school having been estab-
lished by a private society.
The motion was carried unanimously, and after
the remaining business had ben disi o3ed of the
meeting adjourned.

DRAINAGE OF TIDAL TOM NS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—An original suggestion fur the drainage of
London has been just made by Mr. Goldsworthy
Gurney, proposing to take advantage of the tile of
the Thames, running down seven hours, and only up
five. The paper containing this suggestion has been
put into my hands to examine into the correctness of
certain data and calculations necessarily connected
with its practical application. I have maturely con-
sidered the subject, and have been forcibly struck
with its originality ; and at this moment, when our
attention is so closely drawn to sanitary considerations,
deem it important to be put before the public. I
have obtained permission to do so; and if you think
so with me it is very much at your service. He says
—" The current of the Thames, in round numbers,
at London- bridge, runs down seven hours and up
five every tide—in winter more,, in summer less—
depending on the amount of rain-water. It runs
at a rate of almost from five to seven miles per
hour—no matter the exact rate, if we suppose
that it ebbs and flows at , the same; it will be plain
that anything thrown into, and forming part of the
Thames at high water, would, in seven hours, be
carried by the stream more than forty miles down the
river, never to return. In order to make this more
clear, let us suppose a portion of the sewage (or what
is better, a sea-log) to be thrown into the Thames,
and to become part of the current, precisely at the
turn of tide at high water, at London bridge ; in
seven hours, taking six miles per hoer as the mean
run of current, it would be carried forty-two miles
down the river. On the return of the tide, even sup-
posing it to run up at the same rate, in five hours it
will only have come up thirty miles ; and at the time
of the next high water, at the turn of the tile, it
would be full twelve miles below the bridge. It
would now run down again for seven hours, and be
carried 42 IllilCs further, or 54 miles below London-