The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-16 00:00:00

CONSERVANCY OF THE RIVER

THAMES.

DANGEROUS IMPEDIMENTS, &c.
Yesterday, Courts of Conservancy were held before
the Lord Mayor, for Middlesex and Surrey. IE4
Lordship was attended l.y the Reco-der, the City So-
licitor, and other officer:, of the Corporation.
Toe following Report was presented by the Middle-
sex Jury
_ _

.• Monday, June 15, 1840.—0 n their voyage up the
river 'Formes to Richmond, the attention of the Jury
was directed to some barges opposite the Penitentiary
at Millbank, which made the navigation very dangerous.
The Jury, therefore, feel it their duty to present them,
and to recommend their-immediate removal. Several
poles, which have been standing about tightein months
in the river opposite the Chelsea Water-works, being
impediments to the navigation of the river, ottalit to
be taken away. In consequence of the eartoant'ss of
the passages under B ittersea and Putney bridges,
whereby many lives have been sacrificed, and also from
the great increase of the traffic on this portion of the
river, both by steam-vessels and other large craft,
whetehy the danger and inconvenienta s have been ice
creased, the Jury suggest that steps be telt ‘n to widen
the passage Above alluded to. particularly at Patney-
brldge, which has only one large opening, and this if
missed when- the tide. runs strong, renders it very
hazardous to attempt a p..sssge through the smaller
ones. The Jury directed particular attention to the
complaint of the fishermen as to the fatal effects of the
draining from the gas-works and distilleries along the
banks of the river upon the fish, and particularly the
hot wash running daily from the distillery of Sir Felix
Booth and Co., of Brehtford. One fi herman named
Stokes, who has iollowed his occupation on the .river
'-nearly thirty-years, had known forty dozen of flaun-
. dens destroyed in one week in his boat by
merely passing the drain while this noxious water
was running from the distillery into the river.
Another old fisherman, named Pearce, living at Strood-
on-the- Green, gave similar testimony, and stated that
while on shore to get refreshment, for half an hour,
on returning to his boat he found all his fish dead from
the effects of this drainage. Three of the Jury went
in the water-bailiff's boat and procured some of the
wash, as it was running, and having reduced it to the
temperature of the river, placed a flounder in it, which
died in a very shot t time. With this evidence the Jury
felt it their duty to present these drains as nuisances,
and as calculated to be far more destructive to the fish
than the fishermen themselves." At':er alluding to the
dangerous manner in which mady barges below bridge
are moored, the Report concludes thus The Jury
cannot conclude their Report without expressing their
entire satisfaction at the efficient conservancy of tine
river Thames on the Middlesex side, especially be-
low bridge,' where, but for the good order and arrange-
ment of the immense number of craft of all descriptions,
the utmost confusion must enure, and consequently the
vast traffic of the city of London be very materially in-
jured and delayed. The Jury also desire to acknow-
ledged the attention and assistance in the execution of
their duties by the water-bailiff and his assistant."
The Surrey Conservancy Jury presentment stated
that the Jury found on the Surrey side oI the centre
arch of Westminster-bridge, several piles sunk, and very
dangerous ; that the Ilurrgerford and Westminster
Steam-boat Company had occasioned some obstruction,
which at different times of the tide was dangereuQ. and
that they regretted that after so many reports Led been
made of the unsafe state of Battersea and P-alney
B idges, no alteration had taken place, sll.;lioue,tt acci-
dents attended with loss of life frequently occurred from
the want of sufficentrspace between the arches, and also
from the want of lights at night on the starlings.
Tne Lunn Mayon returned thanks to the Juries for
their attention to their duties, end stated that immediate
measures should be taken to cause the removal of the
obstructions, and to prosecute those who would not im-
mediately abate the nuisances described, and the City
Solicitor received directions to act accordingly.
THAMES ANGLING PitISERVATION SOCIETY—NIGHT-

LINE

The Lotto MAYOR appointed the 31st of the present
mouth for hearing the appeal of William Kemp, of
Teddit.gton, agairst his conviction by James Chtheroe,
E.g., a Middlesex Magistrate, for having unlawfully
fiAied with night hooks.

The Solicitor of the Tivimes Angling Society pre-
sented the following Memorial from that b,dv of gentle-

mcn

" Twickenl:;am, July 14, 1840.
a My Lord andtllCu,-(lavingreason to be-
lieve that en attempt may possibly be made by some of
the Thames filiermen to induce your- Worshipful
Court to remove we restrictions imposed upon the
layiuz of night lines and night hooks, by item 44 in the
rules, orders, and ordinances for the preserves of the
river, my Lord, we may be excused for respectfully
offering sonic remarks upon a subject which appears to
us deeply to affect not only the security and weil-being
of the Thames fishery, but the interests also of good
order and morality.
. " That we may establish some claim upon the atten-
tion of your Worshipful Court, we transmit a copy of
our Report, and take the liberty of earnestly requesting
your favourable attention to its contents. It will there
be seen that the Society which we have the honour to
represent has expended in the past year no less a sum
than 1991. 23. 7d., (and we may mention also, in the
year 1838, 1901. 6s. ; and we hope it will appear
that the benefits already experienced are at least equiva-
lent to the outlay. We have no hesitation in express-
ing our decided opinion that the success of any such at.
tempt as that to which we have alluded would in a
sery great measure tend to neutralize the good we have
done, and to paralyze our future exertions.
" Your Worshipful Court are no doubt aware that
night lines are a most unfair and destructive mode of
' fishing : they are drawn completely across the
river, and armed with an immense number of hocks
placed at shit intervals, and baited with
every variety of the most attractive bait. The
ostensible object is to catch eels, but the real conse-
quence is that large quantities of *are thus snared,
including jack, barbel, perch, roach, and trout. The
immediate results of this system upon the fishing,
considering the extent of lines which may be used and
the multiplication and variety of tempting bait called
into play, are too apparent to need any further coin-
went. It will, however, be obvious to your Worshipful
Court that to this direct injury must be added the
temptation offered, and the opportunity afforded, by
the layirg of night lines for secretly resorting to other
niedes of illegal fishing. It is not strictly within our
province to offer any remarks upon the other view of this
question at which we have slightly glanced in the begin-
ning of our letter; convinced, however, us we arc, that
)our Lordship, and every other Member of your Wor-
shipful Court has deeply at heart the religious and moral
welfare of the lower orders, and especially of those who
cow more immediately within the sphere o: your autho-
rity, we feel sure of your pardon when we assure you
that the result our personal observation it to confirm
the conviction theft all the mischievous anti demoralizing
fleets which are long since proved to result front poach-
ing of other kinds, are produced by the encouragement
held out to poaching on she river by the system of night
fithiag —We have the honour to remain, my Lord and
Gentlemen, your most obedient servants,

" HENRY PERKINS, Chairman.
" D. CROLE, Secretary,
" By Order of the Cummi'tce."
After the adjournmet.t of the Court of Censervan:y
the Lord Mayor proceeded with a large party of ladies
and gentlemen in the State Barge to Twickenitam,where
they dined in the Na%igation Barge, which Was moored
,off the site of Pope's villa.

The Master of the Household, the Hon. C. A.
Murray bas obtained leave of absence for two ronths, to visit.
the German Spas, for the improvement of his health. Lord
gssuliton i 3 to join Mr. Murray at Frankfort on the Maine.
a, THE HON. MRS. NORTON'S NEW WORK.—
Mc rapid advance towards popularity which Mrs. Norton's
churning volume of Poems has already made is not to be
wondered at, when we remark how large a number of distin-
guished individuals are, as it were, personally intereoted in its
fami-
lies ofihe realm. who are not either directly or collaterally re-
contents. There are, in fact, few of the distinguished
nd the names of
In one poem alone--
re-
ferred to in one or other of its pieces.
thelr:selves to the
the Odin on tile; Marriage of the Queen—We 6
Heward,t_ Villiers, Lennox, Bouverie, Sutherland, Vere Lam
lAshnldeyi,n th:er Princess
parts
Stanhope, Paget, Carlisle,
the celebrated .7:issian beauty the
of the volume poems speciAlemollfelTyae7lll.ra4eds:;in
Duchess Of. Sutherland,
en"iztesgofutieerinstoo-f
Countess Zavadowsky, the
lnion°eurw)Lualnoldgive vogue to the volume, in-
Maria of Wurteiaberg, the Burrharitootsi
other denizens
of its attractions as a work of high passion, set
cßreaatitietyl'i't.e(.LatyvhSisey.
rlependently
forth in tho garb of the most exquisite poetry.
ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY.—On Tuesday
Chatham-place, thoratm or
the past
Blackfriars, for the per-
li
the general meeting of the above Institution took place at the
h
past half year, and con-
sidering other matters. r. W. Adams, Esq., having been
called to the chair, Mr. Berkeley Westropp, the Secretary, read
nosue se
of freceivinge
-lc'e ie
tt
Yhe
the Report, from which it appeared that various auxiliary
Societies had been added to the parent one ; and that,
upon the recommendation of the Coal, Corn, and Finance
Committee, the Corporation of London had presented the So-
ciety with the sum of 10.5/., and it had received a renewal
of its munificent support from its President. the Duke of
Northumberland, and other distinguished Noblemen and
gentlemen. &iutaos December last 58 cases bad come under
the c.perat fon of the Society, out of which 56 had been success-
' NI ; of these 14 were attempted suicides, and out of the whole
cases 38 had taken place in Hyde Park. Mr. Westropp said
he had to report that he had received a letter from the Hon.
G. Anson, t zpressing tlie pleasure his Royal Highness Prince
Albert felt in becoming an honorary member of the institution.
The Court then proceeded to adjudlcate epon ,he eves, thir-
teen in number, where parties had rendered their conduct me-
ritorious by saving the ;tves of .1,- oeir fellow-creatures. Bono-
i tar iiivvr In•A'tto-
-WATS were awarded
to them.