The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-24 00:00:00

PEDESTRIANISM.

WESTHALL AND SrooNEtt's TEN-MILE MATCH FOR
251. 1-EILDE.—Many hundreds of persons assembled on
Tuesday,•in the enclosed grounds adjoining Copenhagen
House, to witness the walking-match between the cele-
brated Charles Westhall and young Spooner, whose re-
cent public appearances have raised him to the fore-
most rank of pedestrians. The betting was 7 to 4,
and iu many cases 2 to 1 on Westhall, a position which
his wonderful performances and self-confidence ap-
peared to justify. The ground being measured, it was
found to be 586 yards, and thrice round to fall a couple
of yards short of the mile. This circuit, therefore,
walked over thirty times, with addition of a score of
yards fur the finish, would give the prescribed dis
tanee. At twenty-five minutes to six the men were at
the scratch, Westhall looking rather stouter than we
could wish, and, in comparison, a giant to his opponent,
who is a smart, well put together- little man, of about
81st. They went off at a tremendous pace, and wer-
together for about a hundred yards. SpoOner then
drew away, and kept two or three yards in front ;
at the close of the mile he went yet further ahead,
being nearly forty yards in front. His first mile was
walked in seven minutes and a half, a rare pace to begin
a ten-mile match at. The seven miles were covered in
fifty-seven minutes and a half, or rather under. The
distance between the men was now much increased. It
was asserted that Spooner had walked unfairly, and that
he had refused to turn when called on to do so. At the
ninth mile it was clear that Spooner must be in first, he
was almost a quarter of a mile in advance, and appeared
as if he could hare overlapped his man by a little extra
exertion. In the tenth mile Westhall stopped, about
400 yards from home, Spooner being then in, but at the
advice of his friends he walked another complete circuit
of the ground, to prevent cavil as to distance. The time
of the nine miles was In. 13min. 30secs. Mr. G. arratt,
the proprietor of the grounds, who held a considerable
amount of bets, received a notice from some parties not
to give up what they alleged to be their money, on the
ground that Spooner had walked unfairly, and refused
to attend to the directions of the appointed officials. Of
course he withheld them for the present, but will hand
them over on Monday next, after the decision of the
referee is given to the stakeholder, and the stakes duly
awarded.

SbeTlirsNisGofOgFreaßt EauLtiiuSi.ty.
The castinggoAf
are said to have been founded at Camp% •
400. But in the Jewish ceremoniesof Campania
in
nthe
yeartabernacle,
The first
and afterwards in the temple, bells of _
_t e
tace
to the dress of the high priests. Theoldl weretabte__sla
.2
the world are in China and Russia
andatarges Nankinlli
there were four bells ofsuch ,
enormous size that,
when first struck with
a wooden hammer, they
brought down the tower, and Still lie neglected
among the ruins. The weight of one was computed at
50,0001 b., double the weight of the boll at Erfurth, said
to be the largest •
In the world. But in the bolfry of St.
Ivan's Church, at Moscow is . one
weighing 127,0001 b.,
and it was surpassed by one cast at the expense
of the Empress Anne, weighing. 430,0001 b. This is,
undoubtedly, the largest bell in the world. The
tradition is that the beam on which it hung was acci-
dentally burned; but this is denied. The Russians might
as well attempt to suspend a first-rate man-of-war with
all her guns and stores. It is 67 feet in circumference,
and more than 21 feet high. Its real history is this:—
A fire took place in the Kremlin, the flames of which
caught the building erected over the pit in which the
bell still remained after having been cast. In conse-
quence of this the metal became hot, and the water
thrown on the building to extinguish the flames fell
upon the bell, causing a fracture near the bottom, suffi-
ciently large to admit two persons almost without stoop-
ing. In value it is about 67,0001., and it has been for
more than a century in its present position. The largest
bells of England are those of Christ Church,
Oxford, weighing 17,0001 b. ; St. Paul's, London,
11,4731 b.; and Great Tom of Lincoln, 10,8541 b.
We may add to this outline of casting in brass and
bronze one fact relative to the neee,3sity of great caution.
Towards the end of the 17th century there was a feuedry
at Moorfields, and in 1716 the cannon taken by the
Duke of Marlborough from the French was about to be
recast there, and attracted a great number of visitors
and strangers, including one Scalch, a Swiss fouedi-r.
He observed that the moulds were not sufficiently dry,
and communicated the fact to the principals of the de-
partment; but, piqued at being dic.ated to by a foreigner,
they treated his warning with contempt:. When the red
het rticzal fi.1c,,3t1 into tie tteitti,.s iii- rt-irtit- ~35 con-
verted into steam and a fatal explosion took place. The
liquid metal flew is every direction, a great part of the

building was destroyed, and sewral lives lost. In con-
' sequence of (..h1,3 the f,:undry was removed to Woo.'tvich,
I and the management of it entrusted to the sagac:oin
I &Moll.

THE METROPOLIS WATER SUPPLY.
POSTPONEMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT

MEASURE.
Yest,rday, this Committee re-assembled at the usual
hour, Sir James Gruharn in the chair ; present, Sir J.
flantner, Mr. Beckett. Mr. Ellis, and Mr. Sanders.
The Right Hon. CHAIRMAN, addressing the various
parties, said—l have b-eu directed by the Committee to
make a communication to counsil on all sides before us.

1 hope that we have shown every disposition to hear
every thing that could be brought before the Committee
with diligence and with patience, but we have now ar-
rived at a period of the session when it is necessary to
call your attention to the short residue of time that
still can be given to this important inquiry. The Ap
propriation Bill is intraduce.d, and has been read a se-
cond time this day. It is clear, therefore, that we aro
within a fortniget of the termination of the session, andl
there cannot consequently remain above seven sitting:
days to devote to the further progress of this inquiry.
What has also traaspired in the House of Commons
is notorious, and renders it plain that the promoters of
this Bill no longer urge with any pertinacity the proof
of the preamble which is now before us ; and, indeed, as
the inquiry now stands, we are in the midst of the case
on the part of the opponents of the Bill. We have
not heard the entire case of the opponents, but we have
heard the entire case of the promoters, and it would only
remain for us to hear a speech—no doubt an able speech
—on the part of the promoters of the Bill, in reply upon
the whole case; but I believe I speak the unanimous
opinion of the Committee, that, as the ease now stands,
we shall not be prepared to declare the preamble of this
Bill proved. If we do not proceed to consider the pre-
amble of this Bill till we have finished that inquiry,
much less can we proceed to consider the preambles of
the other Bills before us. Therefore, as relates to the
proofs of the preambles, it may be considered that the
preambles of the Bills now before us are disposed of;
but at the 'same time I have reason to think that the
House would expect that the evidence taken before us,
even as it now stands, should be laid before them, and
perhaps also the House will call upon us to give some
opinion upon the evidence as it now stands. We are
perfectly willing to sit to the close of the next week,
and I wish to call the attention of counsel for the dif-
ferent water companies to this state of facts, that it
may be very desirable with justice to their case that
some portions of the evidence affecting their manage-
ment of the water supply of London should be rebutted
by the evidence now to be adduced by them before the
evidence shall be finally laid before the House. Now,
during yesterday and the previous days, we have gone
at large into the management of the water supply in
Scotland under municipal administration. Yesterday we
also went into the case of Worcester, and to-day we
are to go into that of Southampton. I am directed by the
Committee to point out to counsel for the water com-
panies that it might be expedient to direct the residue of
the time we can give to the inquiry more specifically to
tho past management of the London supply in the hands
of the water companies. 01 course this communication
I was only directed to make a few minutes ago, and it
may take the water companies for to-day more or less
by surprise. We shall be perfectly willing to-day to
pursue the Southampton case it it should be thought ex-
pedient, but perhaps this evening counsel for the water
companies will consider the statement I have made, and
direct our inquiries after to-day to those points they
think most pressing for the purpose of presenting their
case to the House and to the public in a manner which
they may think the equity and interests of the parties
demand.

Mr. Sergeant WEANGHAM (as representing the water
companies) said he was sure the Committee would not
expect that any of those who appeared as counsel for
the water cAnpanies should say more upon a communi-
cation of the importance of that which had been made
to them, and the Committee would neurally anticipate
that the disposition of those he represented would be
carried out on the grounds suggested by the Hon. Chair-
man, and in a way that would occupy the remainder of
the time in a manner that would be most conducive to
the interests of all, so as to arrive at a satisfactory-con-
clusion. He trusted, however, that the Committee and
the public would bear in mind, that if they were obliged
very much to contract their evidence, it would not be for
want of matter, but for want of time.

Mr. JAMES, QC.' as Counsel for the Government Bill,
said, on the part of those for whom he had the honour
to appear, and' in deference to the suggestion of the
Committee, they would be prepared to apply themselves
to the inquiry rather with the view to investigation than
to the advocacy of a particular measure. They did teal
and certainly had conducted the inquiry with a view to
the supply and management of the water of the metro-
polis, so as to elicit from the witnesses a great deal of
material, which would be essential, as they thought, to
the advocacy of the Bill they represented.
Mr. TALBOT, Q.C., for the companies, entirely eon..
curred in the view stated by Sergeant Wrangham, but
imputations had been cast on some of the companies
which they wished to have full opportunity to rebut.
The CHAIRMAN—It is our object to afford such an
apportunity. We have only, however, a limited time,
and we wish counsel for the companies to distribute it
among themselves in such a manner as they may think
most just to the interests involved.
Mr. KEATING, Q.C., inquired whether, in giving their
opinion upon the evidence already before them, the Conl-
mitten would also report on that part of the case which
ex necessitate and owing to the interposition of the Com-
mittee, the companies might be unable to continue or
contradict.
The CHAIRMAN had endeavoured to state, without
reserve, the exact position in which they were placed.
The Committee were the servants of the House, but as
yet they had no authority from the House to lay even
the evidence before them, much less had they been called
on to present an opinion to the House ; but he thought
it right to mention to counsel representing the water
companies, that he thought it possible an order to ler
the evidence before the House would be given, and it
was not impossible that the Committee might be called
upon to report their opinion on the evidence as it stood.
He did not know that it would be so, but be thought it
right.to prepare the parties for that possibility.
Mr. KEATING said it was to be hoped in that event,
the necessity that imposed upon them the curtailment of
their evidence would be taken into consideration.
The CHAIRMAN had endeavoured, in obedience to the
wish of the Committee, to give timely warning as to
what might be impending,
The Committee were occupied, up to their adj ono"'
ment at four o'clock, with evidence on the water siiipplY
of Southampton.