The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-17 00:00:00

SWEEPING OP IttlE STREETS.

The inspectors reported to the Court that the con
tractors had, in almost every instance, performed
those duties well in the streets, courts, lanes, and
alleys by superficial removal. One contractor, named
Newman, was fined upon the complaint of an inha-
bitant that the dust on his premises was not removed,
although notice had been given, and the Court re-
quested that all inhabitants who had cause of com-
plaint would take the trouble to make the representa-
tion, and correction should immediately follow.

hUISANCES OF GAS REFUSE.

One of the inspectors reported that the smell pro-
ceeding from the horrible gas refuse which issued
from the gas manufactories into the sewers had be-
come in some localities quite intolerable, especially of
late, diffusing the most noxious exhalations.
Mr. HAYWOOD (surveyor to the Commissioners)
said there was a most filthy residuum of which the
gas manufacturers were anxious to get rid. It was
so frightfully strong that it invariably caused sick-
ness, and in some instances it caused death. The
reason why the nuisance was so dreadful at the pre-
sent time was, that it was considered prudent to
flush off the residuum at times when heavy rains
prevailed. The flushing took place once in three
months.

Mr. LAWRENCE said the Court had no power to
deal with such a horrible nuisance, as the manufac-
tory from which it proceeded was in Worship-street,
out of the City. He had heard that the residuum
had the power of turning the colour of silver into
that of gold in the pock-fits of those who resided
within its intluencr:. To correct such an evil it
would be necessary to apply to the new metropolitan
board, for the flushing from the country fell clown
upon the City with all abonrinatioLs. He moved that
a &potation should wait upon the metropolitan board
accordingly.
Mr. HARRISON seconded the motion. He consi-
dered that the health of numbers was affected most
seriously by flushing such horrible refuse down the
sewers.

-iii.STACY was convinced that the metropolitan
board, of which Dr. Southwood Smith, who resided
in Finsbury, was an active member, would most
promptly attend to any representation made by the
City Co►nmiasion.
The deputation was then appointed.
ALLEGED LIBEL UPON THE CITY SEWER AUTHO-

nITIES.

Mr. BLAKE begged to be allowed to call the atten-
tion of the Court to a paragraph which appeared in
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, but first wished to
be informed by the surveyor whether it was the
fact that some of the City sewers were paved with
granite ?
Mr. HAYWOOD replied that he had never heard of
anything of the kind.
Mr. BLARE said it had been stated in the journal
alluded to, and Mr. Chambers vouched for the truth
of the statement, that the City sewers were paved
with granite supplied by the chief promoter of the
question, who traded in the article. A report of that
description was calculated to excite against the City
Sewer authorities a prejudice not easily removable,
inasmuch as the ccntradiction might not meet with a
hundredth part of the readers to whom the libel was
known.--(Hear, hear.) There were, he regretted to
say, many members of the press who were influenced
by the absurd and uncharitable prejudice that the
best way of extolling the exertions and ability of one
body was to depreciate the labours of another. He
felt convinced that the Commissioners of the City
Sewers possessed all the capabilities of serving their
fellow-citizens.
Mr: LAWRENCE said he believed the openings and
the steps of some of the sewers were paved with
granite, as being more durable than any other mate-
rial, and better adapted to the purpose. He gave the
Messrs. Chambers credit for about as much knowledge
of sewers as his horse possessed ; but the language of
depreciation was, it would appear, the road to respect
and admiration. The man who could not see a single
beauty in a gallery of paintings was the person whose
judgment was most likely to sway the
multitude,
although the very individual most deserving
Messrs. of con-
tempt for his presumption and stupidity. The
Chambers congratulated the public upon the newly
appointed board, who had done nothing but employ
all the old surveyors, and flushed the sewers, a prac-
tice known and carried into effect before they were
born. Mr. Lawrence then ridiculed the estimate
formed of the relative value of wheat and excrement
in the vocabulary of our modern philosophical bene-
factors of mankind, but expressed an opinion that the
discussion upon those subjects would be attended with
ultimate advantage to the public,however disagreeable
it might be to be obliged to be assailed with such
enormous humbug as distinguished the doings of the
present day.
TUB NUMBER OF PRIVATE DRAINS WITHIN TER CITY.
Mr. HAYWOOD, the City Sewers Surveyor, re-
ported to the Court as follows .
" The total number of houses of every description
within the city i 3 about 16,000.
"The total number of drains connecting with
public sewers up to November, 1847, was 7,738."
This will appear to leave 8,262 houses, or nearly
every other house without drainage. Such, however,
is not the case, for the following reasons ;--
"Although, generally, houses have a separate
drainage, yet, in a great many cases, one drain is
made to serve the purposes of two or three houses.
In numerous instances, also, courts of six or eight
houses collect their separate drains into one, which
ultimately connects with the public sewer. In all
such cases therefore, although but one drain is re-
corded in your books to enter the sewer, a larger
proportion of houses are drained than the drain so
recorded would indicate. _ .

" Again, nearly the whole of the property south
of the 'Thames is believed to drain at once into the
River. In this case, then, yea have no record of the
number of buildings drained.
"Your officers not having the power to enter pre-
mises, the precise number of houses actually drained
cannot be ascertained; but, from such information as
you have, I think I am within the quantity when