The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-05 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

MANCHESTER AND SOUTHPORT.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held
yesterday at Manchester; Mr. George Wilson in the
chair.

The report stated that the directors deemed it ad-
visable to proceed in the first instance with that sec-
tion of the line which will form the connecting link
through Wigan between the east and west portion of
the Liverpool and Bury Railway, and the opening of
which for traffic prior to the 31st of December next
will, under the terms of the arrangement with the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, co•entitle the
shareholders to dividends from that date on the capital
expended upon the works. The directors are aware
that the entire completion of the line can alone make
it fully remunerative to its projectors, and they look
with confidence to their being enabled steadily to ad-
vance towards this desirable result without unduly
pressing upon the resources of the shareholders.
The accounts to the 30th of June showed that
189,9121. had been received, and 110,0101. expended,
including 64,2341. on Parliamentary proceedings,
leaving a balance of 78,9021. The engineer's report
stated that the portion of the line at Wigan, three
miles in length, including the most expensive part of
the undertaking, would be completed next month.
The remainder of the line between Manchester and
Southport was staked out, and the plans and sections
were prepared.
The CHAIRMAN intimated that the directors had
procured an extension of the time for purchasing the
land on that portion of the line yet to be made. The
extension was for two years, but the policy of the
company must, in a great measure, depend upon that
of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, which

SUN ,'
had the largest number of shares in the unde—r•Litr).4:.. f:
it.... - The expense of the line at the other end woU K-.....,:f.....,
but little, and no doubt that portion would be I\isgiAT,,,4Ssik_ .V. 4.
remunerative. C, .‘‘-4--' ----7: 4
On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, seconded by Jur--
BARNES, the reports were adopted.
Mr. TAYLOR made some inquiries as :to the 4"-14114-1147
pur-
chasing up of the shares by the Lancashire and York-
shire Company.
The CHAIRMAN said he eould not enter upon any
question of that kind, as the board of the Manchester
and Southport Company had nothing to do with it.
They had neither bought nor sold shares, and the
matter was altogether a private arrangement by in-
dividual shareholders with the other company.
•
A SHAREHOLDER said, half the capital of the
company having been expended on the line at Wigan,
he wanted to see how !ar the other half would go
towards making the rest.
.. .

Several of the directors assured him that the rest of
the line would be easily and cheaply made. At South-
port there was a dead level.
The accounts were then passed, Mr. Agnew and
Mr. Firth appointed the auditors, and Messrs. T.
Broadbent, H. Smith, and R. A. Thicknesse, retiring
directors, re-elected. The meeting then broke up.

CITY COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

On Tuesday the Court sat in the Guildhall ; De-
puty Peacock in the chair.

FOUL AIR IN THE COMMON SEWERS.

Mr. George Elliott, Zf Chandos-street, Covent-
garden, sent in a plan for disposing of the foul air
from the common sewers. He premised in his plan
that the sewers be constructed upon the best prin-
ciple, regularly flushed, having proper receptacles for
their discharges, and all gully holes and surface drain-
age adequately trapped. He then proposed that chim-
neys be erected at necessary and convenient distances,
their interiors hollow, and of the inverted funnel
shape ; their height to be regulated by circumstances ;
at their tops or other apertures a jet of ignited burn-
ing gas to be constantly directed against their open-
ings. Attached to the interior and upper parts of the
sewers a ccntiuous line of iron pipes to be kept con-
stantly charged with hot water, to propel more effec-
tually, safely, and evenly the foul air to the flues of
the chimneys. As the requisite supply of hot water
would be very small, and its play would be on the
principle of " water finds its level," one engine-house
would be sufficient for a very large district.
The letter of the projector was referred to a
committee.

Deputy BRITTEN applied to Mr. Daw to know what
reply had been given by the freeholders of Sambrook-
court, Basinghall-street, respecting the nuisance so
much complained of in that locality in consequence
of an imperfect sewer, which was very obnoxious to
the inhabitants P

The CHAIRMAN said it was proposed that the
owners should be called upon to cleanse the same im-
mediately, and the clerk was directed to issue the ne-
cessary directions.

SMITHFIELD MARKET.

Mr. DAw (the chief clerk) read two letters, one
from the office of the treasurer of St. Bartholomew's
Hospital, and the other from the office of the Com-
missioner of Police, complaining of the filthy state of
the market on a particular day.
The Inspector of the Smithfield district said he
had made particular inquiries into the cause of com-
plaint, and found that it was extremely difficult for
the contractor to remove the soil on the morning al-
luded to, in consequence of the heavy and thick
weather which prevailed. It was, however, subse-
quently removed.
Mr. BLAKE said if such excuses were admitted by
the Court, they might be used as precedents for a
continuance of negligent conduct.
Mr. L. TAYLOR said it was very customary to re-
present Smithfield-market as a disgusting nuisance.
He was convinced that it was a nuisance to none but
to those who had a particular interest in getting rid of
it. It was a market of great importance, and he be-
lieved that it was much better cleansed than it used
to be. He believed, too, that advantage was taken of
the outcry raised elsewhere to serve peculiar objects.
It was certainly necessary that the inspectors should
closely attend to the condition of the place ; but he
believed it to be impossible at some periods to keep
it in a state of cleanliness.

Mr. BLARE moved that the parties be summoned
to attend the Court.
Mr. KEMP seconded the motion.
The motion was negatived ; but it was agreed to,
on the motion of Mr. WILLIAMS, that the contractor
should be summoned to attend and answer.

VENTILATION OF SEWERS.

Mr. DAW read the following communication, which
had been received by the Lord Mayor, and trans-
mitted to the Court by his Lordship :
" London, Sept. 28, 1848.
"My Lord,—l beg leave to address your Lordship
with the view of informing you that I have invented
a method of sewerage by which the formation and
dispersion of poisonous exhalations from the fthcal
matter of our sewers and cesspools will be entirely
prevented, the whole being gathered in an undiluted
form at extra-mural stations, and treated by
a chemical process, to obviate the loss of the volatile
and invaluable ammonia, and so rendering it present-
able to the agriculturists as a dry transportable
manure, at the same time freeing our atmosphere and
the waters of our rivers from contamination, and be-
stowing a hitherto unattained degree of fertility upon
our land, an equal distribution of fruitful agents, and
the realisation of an immense revenue from the refuse
which has been hitherto known only as a source of
misery, disease, and death.
" The enormous expense of erecting high-shaft
chimneys for the purpose of carrying the effluvia
from the sewers to high altitudes will be dispensed
with ; as also that of excavating deep canals for
manure ducts ; the united cost of which plans could
construct, according to my system, a thoroughly
efficient sewerage, that would be at once a complete
sanitary measure, and a lucrative opportunity for in-
vestment.

" The object of my application to your Lordship is
permission to lay my designs before you and the City
Commissioners of Sewers.'

"Awaiting the honour of a reply, I beg to remain
you Lordship's most obedient and humble servant,
" CHARLES EGINTON."
Mr. STACEY moved that Mr. Eginton be permitted
to ]ay his design before the Court.
To this proposition an objection was started by a
member.

Mr. BLALE said the time had arrived at which
comparisons were likely to be instituted between the
activity of the Metropolitan and the City Commis-
sioners of Sewers. It was quite absurd under such
circumstances to think of allowing a continuance of
the old system. The Court could not, in his opinion,
do better than follow the example of the Metroplitan
Commissioners, in trying experiments for the
removal of foul air from the sewers, and the destruc-
tion of the noxious tualities of the contents. Ho
wholly disapproved of any course calculated to throw
cold water upon the projects and suggestions of scien-
tific men.—(Hear.)
Deputy BRIDGE agreed with Mr. Blake in the
disapprobation of any course likely to discounte-
nance the exertions of scientific men in such a cause
as the preservation of the public health. He sug-
gested the appointment of a select committee for the
examination of all documents such as had been just
presented.
The motion of Mr. Stacey was then agreed to.

THE SCOTTISH HOSPITAL.--Yesterday, at One
o'clock, a quarterly court of the Scottish Hospital was
held in the hall of the corporation, Crane-court, Fleet-
street, to receive the report for the quarter ending the
29th September; Dr. Webster in the chair. Major
Adair, the secretary, produced the report, which showed
that the sum of 4671. ls. 10d. had been given to 645
pensioners, and that by transferring the stock of the
charity from the Three to the Three-and-a-Quarter per
Cent. Reduced Consols 501. had been saved. There had
been received 743/. 155., including 3701. 14s. donations,
1 231/. 6s. from the Caledonian Ball, 451. 3s. annual sub•
scriptions, &e., and after discharging the necessary ex•
penses there was a balance in hand of 1421. 16s. 4d. The
secretary then read a letter received by him from Sir
James Duke, Knight, Alderman of the ward in which
the hospital is situated, accepting the office of chairman
at the annual festival on St. Andrew's-day, and a com-
mittee was appointed to promote the objects of that day.
The report was received and adopted, and the letter of
the worthy Alderman was ordered to be entered on the
minutes. The report of the building committee was
next presented, which recommended the erection of an
asylum for one hundred pensioners, which it was stated
wculd cost about 6,0001., including the purchase of the
land. After some remarks from the Chisholm (chair-
man of the committee), Professor Donaldson, &c., the
report was received, and ordered to be printed and cir-
culated by the committee, to which, and the chairman of
it, respectively, thanks were voted. The court then
broke up.
THE ROY AL MERSEY YACHT CLUB.—At the
monthly meeting of this flourishing club, held at their
rooms, Liverpool, on the 3d, Mr. Councillor Parker,
after some highly complimentary remarks, proposed that
a dinner should be given to the commodore (T. Little-
dale, Esq.), at the club-room, on which occasion a sub-
stantial token of their esteem should be presented, in
the shape of a piece of plate, for the gallantry and hu-
manity he displayed in saving, while out in his yacht, a
number of the lives of those on board the Ocean Mo-
narch when that ship took fire; and also for the warm
interest he has taken in the prosperity of the club. This
motion was unanimously and enthusiastically agreed to,
and a subscription for the testimonial was instantly and
handsomely commenced. The,dinner was fixed to take
place on Wednesday, the 25th instant.
CURTIS, THE SALFORD RATE COLLECTOR.-011
Monday Thomas Curtis, the ex-collector of poor rates
in Salford, was committed for trial, and, on Tuesday,
having failed in obtaining bail, was conveyed to Kirk-
dale, the county gaol, to await his trial at the next
assizes. It is generally supposed, however, that he has
still friends left, who will undertake to be bound for his
appearance, and that bail will be forthcoming ere the
end of the week.