The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-04 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

Yesterday, at a special meeting of the Metropolitan
Board of Works, held at Guildhall, the following letter
was read by the clerk :—" Office of Works, &c., July
2. Sir,—l am directed by the First Commissioner of
her Majesty's Works, &c., to forward you a copy of the
report, dated June 30, which has been presented to him
on the flow of the tide in the river Thames, above and
below Plumstead. It is satisfactory to find that the
observations rnaia by Captain Burstal corroborate the
accuracy of those which were made by your engineer,
under the direction of the Metropolitan Commission of
Sewers, in 1351. But the First Commissioner desires
particularly to direct your attention to one of the obser-
vations made by Captain Burstal. He shows that if
the sewage is discharged into the Thames at Plumstead
two hours before high water, which is the time proposed
by your engineer, say at 11h. 16m., it will reach North
Woolwich pier at 126. 3m., the Dockyard Stairs at 12h.
15m., Charlton pier at 126. 27m., Hookness at lh. 3m.
p.m., Victoria Dock at lb. 25m., East India Docks at
lb. 40m. The high water then becomes slack at 2h.
12m. between the East and West India Docks, and it
returns, reaching the East India Decks at 2h. 30m., Vic-
toria Dock at 2h. 48m., Hookness at 3h. Bm., Charlton
pier at 36. 33m., Dockyard-stairs at 3h. 42m., North
Woolwich pier at 36. 52m., and Plumstead at 4h. 38m.,
thus oscillating between Plumstead and a point near the
West India Docks for five hours and 22 minutes every
tide. By the Metropolitan Act of 1355 it is provided
that 'the Metropolitan Board of Works shall make
sewers and works for preventing all or any part of the
sewage within the metropolis from flowing or pas-in;
into the Thames, in or near to the metropolis.' But the
scheme submitted for the approval ofithe First Commis-
sioner actually provides that the sewage shall flow into
the Thames at a point within the metropolis. It con-
sequently follows that before any such scheme can be
carried out it will be necessary to call upon Parliament
to repeal so much of the act of last session as provides
for the purification of the river Thames within the me-
tropolis. The First Commissioner feels that he cannot
undertake to do this, and, considering that the scheme
is entirely at variance with the intention of the Legisla-
ture, as set forth in the act which passed last August,
he considers it to be his duty to return the plans which
were submitted for his approval.—l am, Sir, your obe-
dient servant, ALFRED AUSTIN, Secretary." The letter
was ordered to be taken into consideration on an early
occasion.

Mr. Layard has left Constantinople for Trieste and
Vienna.
" A new kind of fraud," says the Journal d'Elbeuf,
" has just been originated. Ladies' muslin collars, to
all appearance handsomely embroidered, are offered for
sale, and when the purchaser proceeds to handle the
new article a little roughly the seeming embroidery falls
off, being nothing else than little lumps of paper cleverly
pasted on the muslin. A man has been arrested in this
town for selling such articles."
GILTS.--The cry of " What next, and next 1" has
become proverbial, and may now be applied familiarly
to that which in a very especial manner concerns the
ladies of the British Empire. It appears that a large
Muslin Warehouse had given extensive orders in various
colours, and amongst the articles manufactured were a
considerable number adapted for Half Mourning ; but it
was discovered that there is a specialty with reference to
the latter, and that the business is confined to some two
or three trading Mourning houses, whose vast stock of
choice novelties identifies them in the opinion of ladies
generally with "great bargains." And therefore, as was
to be expected, the Messrs. Jay, at 247, Regent-street,
became large purchasers of these Half Mourning Mug.
lins. But the wonder is to come. The said Maslins are
eminently dolicate in texture and beautiful in pattern,
and, however fabulous it may appear, they are selling M
little more than half a franc a yard I Some of these
Muslins have already been purchased by personages of
the highest distinction. Truly they are " Gifts I"