The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-17 00:00:00

14 blisayila

LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1851.

- The Commons held an early sitting
yesterday, in the
course of which
Lord JortN RUSSELL announced that the Government
would not attempt during the present session to carry
any measure for regulating the water supply of the
metropolis.
On the motion of Mr. BANKES, and with the assent of
Lord JOHN' RUSSELL, th', petitionue interference of the ele
ctofors
the
of
Harwich, complaining of an und
officers of the Government at the last election, was or-
dered to be referred to a Select Committee.
The Law of Evidenui Bill passed through Committee.
Other Bills having been advanced a stage, the House

went into Committee upon the County Courts Further
Extension Bill, the discussion of which occupied the re-
mainder of the sitting.

Revelations have again been made, illustrating the
necessity of some well-considered and comprehen-
sive system of sanitary improvement. In accordance
xvith the suggestion of the Hon. Baronet the Member
for the borough of Marylebone, a report recently,
made to the Board of Health by one of their most in-
telligent inspectors has been printed by order of the
House of Commons. And from this document may
be obtained a mass of evidence sufficient to satisfy any
one of the grievous want experienced by large
classes of the metropolitan population, of some
interference in their behalf on the part of
her MAJESTY'S Government. The district espe-

cially selected for investigation is that of
Agar Town, a densely crowded locality in the parish
of St. Pancras. Turning over the first half-dozen
pages of the report relating to this quarter of the
British capital, it is impossible to be otherwise than
saddened by the spectacle of squalor presented therein
to our imaginations. Abodes, scarcely suited in any
particular to the most impoverished and degraded
members of the community, appear to be jumbled
together in Agar Town in the most foul and pes-
tilential confusion. The whole quarter, according
to the avowal of the inspector, " has the aspect
of one of the most neglected parts of the
metropolis." Even to the appearance of the
thoroughfares, if those disgusting channels of offal
and ordure can be so designated, the spot presents
a view of almost unexampled wretchedness. Dis-
gusting, nevertheless, as the road is during the
drought of the summer solstice, we find it remarked
by one respectable resident when questioned, " Oh !
it is nothing now, but in the winter it is awful !"
Nor can any wonder be experienced at this abomi-
nable accumulation of dirt in the roadway, when it is
borne in mind that among the evidence adduced, a
little further on," it is observed that although " the
scavenger cleanses Church-lane, &c., daily, the people
state that he does not go into the alleys and courts,
and will only remove the dust, &c., when it is placed
in the street." Whenever, indeed, they have com-
plained that " the dust and filth were unbearable," the
scavenger seems to have contented himself with
replying that it was no business of his to go into the
courts and byways. While this habitual negligence
is tolerated, it is obviously idle to dream of witness-
ing any real amelioration of society, or any diminu-
tion whatever in the maladies which periodically
break out to decimate the population of the me-
tropolis.
Doubtless there are many who regard inquiries
such as the present with mingled sentiments of con-
tempt and loathing. It may appear to them a viola-
tion of all delicacy to enter into these painful expo-
sures. They would shrink instinctively from a scru-
tiny calculated, according to their ideas, only to revolt
their nature with such detestable and sickening par-
ticularities. It was against butterflies of benevolence
like these that Haznerr many years since directed
his noble and withering scorn, when he spoke

of them as elm who hated the look of the

people, the touch of the people, the smell of the
people—nibbles of fashion who would have perfumed
the fields with pachouli, clothed Egeria in brocades,
and viewed the glories of Nature only through an
efferninating atmosphere of coventionalities. It
was not thus HOWARD felt when he entered the
fever wards and the dungeons of all the most pes-
tiferous prisons throughout Christendom. It was not
thus the canonized philanthropists of the middle
ages felt when they tended the victims of " lame-
ness and lunacy, blindness and leprosy." And
it is because we have ever recognised a
generous disregard of these repulsive obstacles to in-
vestigation on the part of the Noble Lord who has
recently succeeded to the Earldom of Shaftesbury,
that we have always regarded his personal exertions
in behalf of his fellow-creatures with such
earnest and spontaneous admiration. If, like him, we
are really solicitous to extricate the poorer classes
from the miseries with which, until now, they have
been more or less surrounded, we must despise
with equal resolution the disgust evinced in
reference to these things by the over-fastidious
and undiscerning. Away then, and for ever,
with all these petty qualms and weaknesses ! Away
with all this morbid and miserable false-delicacy !
Let us look the evils we have to remove steadily in
the face, as the surgeon does the gangrene or the im-
posthume. We must learn to call things by their
right names, moreover, if we would not be for ever
beating about in a haze of uncertainties. We must
arrive, likewise, and that with all reasonable rapidity,
at the conviction which can alone enable the masses
to rise out of their long-continued and, there-
fore, perpetually accumulating wretchedness. We
must see that if we would effect any genuine
improvement in the morality of the labouring classes,
we must first of all enable them to live in decency,
surrounding them with wholesome means of exist-
ence, if we would ever hope to see them imbued
with pure and lofty sentiments, having more regard
for their physical condition and for the salubrity of
their homes, if we would ever dream of witnessing
their intellectual education and social improvement.
Bear these solemn and persuasive truths in re-
membrance, and we warrant that no indi-
vidual gifted with even the most ordinary
amount of sensibility will shrink henceforth from
inquiries such as those here indicated in the report of
Mr. GRAINGER. Turning to the 9th page of the docu--
ment, read such a melancholy revelation as this :
" At the top of a narrow alley in Church-lane I saw
an old hole full of excrement, and sickening to the smell.
In this alley are four small dark huts, or single rooms,
black with filth, crowded with children and adults. In
OLIO of these hovels, in which I could not stand upright,
was a poor woman cowering over a few embers in the
cold stage of ague, a girl with fever, and, standing at
the door, a man who was attacked with typhus last
January, had been three months ill in the workhouse,
and, although discharged, was still ill and ailing, and
his eye-sight so much affected from the fever that he
cannot go up any scaffolding, and consequently is un-
able to get work."
'With such a villanous den as this for a house, how
can we look to these poor creatures for the virtues
and energies desirable in the industrial ranks of our
population ? It is for the transformation of such styes
into clean and habitable cottages that we are perpe-
tually solicitous, and to this end, consequently, we
are continually insisting upon the necessity of a grand
system of sanitary innovation.

The " English Thugs" have again commenced their
atrocious practices in the metropolis, and notwith•
standing all our boasted improvements, notwithstand-
ing the brilliancy of our gas lights, in spite of
the boasted organization, nay, we fear, that we
must add in consequence in some instances
of the culpable connivance of the constables of the
police force, passengers are attacked, rendered sense-
less, and robbed in the streets of London at midnight,
at an hour when all London is stirring, and when
many of the shops, and none of the taverns or other
places of public entertainment, are closed. In the
columns of a morning contemporary we find the fol-
lowing letter :
" Sir,—Allow me to draw your attention to a high-
way robbery perpetrated on myself last night. On my
going home, between twelve and one o'clock, two or
three villains rushed suddenly, I imagine, from a door-
way, one of whom pressed some hard substance against
my throat, whilst the others pushed me down a gate-
way. I became almost instantly insensible from the
pressure producing suffocation, and no doubt I should
have died if I had not become insensible so soon, as it
enabled them to rob me and release my throat. After
lying, 1 imagine, about half an hour, I recovered my
senses,
and
and found
F my
ndl had been robbed of a gold watch and
chain,
money, about 4/. I am at pre-
sent saffering great pain, but hope I have not sustained
a great injury. Now, Sir, this atrocious attack was not
committed in a by-place, but in a public thoroughfare, a
public-house being open and within half a minute's walk;
and I would observe that these diabolical robberies are not
of rare occurrence, but I believe they are concealed by
the police. Ido hope you will take some notice of this
matter, which concerns the public at large; for my part,
I shall be afraid to pass a doorway or any place capable
of concealing these scoundrels. I send you my address.
" I remain, Sir, yours very respectfully,
"July 16." " A SUFFERER.
In our introductory remarks we said that we feared
that in many case s these robberies were perpetrated
with the connivance of the police force, and we re-
peat the assertion ; but at the same time we wish to
guard ourselves against misapprehension. We do
not believe that all, or nearly all, or any considerable
fraction of the police force, would connive at, or aid
or assist, or abet in the commission of such atrocious
deeds- As a body, we. know no set of men who act
so admirably, so firmly, yet at the same time so tem-
perately ; suariter in ?nod°, fortiter in re might be their

motto, and this description still applies to all the old
officers. But within the last year or two there has not
been exercised that care and judgment in the se-
lection of men which had been exercised heretofore,
and the consequence has been that on several
occasions of late policemen have figured away before
magistrates as defendants, and it has been a not un-
common occurrence of late to find a conviction re-
corded at the Central Criminal Court against an ex.
policeman. A circumstance, too, has recently come to
our knowledge which proves that among certain
members of the force corruption, or rather extortion,
is by no means uncommon ; we have been informed
by a person on whom we can rely that on a recent
occasion, in which some French and some English
were engaged in a drunken row, a policeman took
them into custody. On their appearance before
the magistrate the next morning, the Frenchman
was discharged and left the police court ; he
was followed by the policeman, who stated that as
the late prisoner had been discharged in consequence
of the favourable evidence given by him (the police-
man), he should expect a gratuity. The Frenchman,
who considered this a very queer occurrence, gave
him a small gratuity, and thus the matter
ended. But this circumstance shows the ne-
cessity of the institution of a strict and
searching inquiry into the characters of the men con-
stituting the police force ; the man who would ask a
gratuity of half-a-crow❑ from a Frenchman for
having given evidence in his favour, would not re-
fuse a sovereign from a Thug who should ask him in
return to be out of hearing of a certain door at a
certain hour, and there can be no doubt but that
all parties would take care that there should be ample
evidence forthcoming to prove that the policeman was
most assiduously engaged in the performance of his
duties elsewhere. Another cause of the impunity
with which the " Thugs" are enabled to commit
these robberies is, that although the ratepayers of
the metropolis are over-taxed and over-policed, they
are unguarded. The number of men enrolled in the
Metropolitan Police force is sufficient to guard, and
amply guard, a metropolis of even twice the extent of
ours, whilst the number of men actually employed
in guarding it is miserably deficient. No sooner
does any disaster occur in the country, occa-
sioned by the parsimonious conduct of the
"great unpaid" of the provinces, in refusing
to organize a police force for themselves, and to rate
themselves for its maintenance, than a detachment of
the Metropolitan Police force is sent down. Thus,
when the extortion and tyranny of the Welsh
squires had driven the whole population of
South Wales into rebellion, a large de-
tachment of that Metropolitan Police force was
immediately sent down into Wales, and the in-
habitants of the metropolis were not only rated to
maintain a police force for South Wales, but their
own homes were left without that guardianship for
which they had paid, which Was trans-
ferred to the Welsh squires, who paid nothing.
Again, during this last week how many of the Metro-
politan Police have been drafted off to Windsor to
protect the Duke of RICHMOND and the fat pigs and
calves and other notabilities of the great bucolic
interest ! Surely, if the Welsh squires or
the English showmen of fat cattle need
police protection, they should pay for it themselves.
One thing is clear, that we have not policemen suffi-
cient in the streets of the metropolis to protect us from
highway robbery ; and another thing is equally
clear, that if the services of all the con-
stables supported by the metropolitan ratepayers were
confined to the metropolitan districts, we should be not
only amply guarded, but should be enabled materially
to reduce the numbers of the force. We commend
these things to the attention of the ratepayers, and
hope soon to see a series of meetings to upheld the
principle—" The Metropolitan Police for the Metro-
politan districts alone."

THE SHREWSBURY and CHESTER

RAIL WA COMPANY.

MEETING AT CHESTER.—(THIS DAY.)
[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH ]
FOR THE GREAT WESTERN ALLIANCE.
Persons present. Votes. Proxies. Tota'
240 3,286 14,545 17,83
AGAINST.
95 1,674 5,366

7,040

Majority for Great Western Alliance .. 10,79

DEPARTURE OF THE COURT FOR WINDSOR CASTLE.
—THIS DAY.—Her Majesty held a Court and Privy Council,
which was attended by the Ministers and great officers of
state, this afternoon at two o'clock, at Buckingham Palace,
and immediately after the breaking up of the Council, the
Queen and her illustrious Consort, accompanied by the Royal
children, and attended by the Viscountess Jocelyn, Lord
Elphinstone, Lord Charles Fitzroy, Lieutenant-Colonel
Francis Hugh Seymour, Colonel the Honourable Charles
Gray, Lady Caroline Barrington (in attendance on the
youthful Royal Family), and the usual retinue, left the
Palace, escorted by a party of the Bth Hussars, for the Pad-
dington terminus of the Great Western Railway, where a
special train was in readiness to convey the illustrious party
to Windsor. They were received at the station with
the usual military honours, and thence proceeded to the
Castle, where they will sojourn some days.

THE EXHIBITION.—On Tuesday the girls and
boys of the school at Havering-atte-Bower, Essex, were gra-
tified by a visit to the Great Exhibition. Ibe school had
been sanctioned by Royalty on her Majesty's accession, who
was pleased to hot,our it by a donation of 201. The parish
was once a royal residence, and has been visited by Queen
Elizabeth. The peculiar neatness and healthy appearance of
the children in their new dresses attracted very great notice.
They were attended by the clergyman, the master and mis-
tress, and a company of the parishioners.

SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, ROYAL GIFT.—
Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to present a very
beautiful dark African leopard to the Surrey Zoological
Gardens. The animal, which was a gift to her Majesty from
the King of Geeboon (on the west coast of Africa), has been
only a few days in England, having arrived in the Heroine
brig of war, now lying at Plymouth. The gardens have at
length begun to feel the benefit of the extraordinary influx
of visitors to London. During the last fortnight the num
ber of visitors each evening has been from 10,000 to 14,000.
ASSAULT OF Amts.—An assault of arms, in which
almost every variety of attack and defence was exhibited,
took place on Tuesday evening at Saville-house, Leicester-
square. The spacious apartment in which the sports took
place was crowded with visitors, among whom were a vast
number of foreigners. The programme contained the names
of most of the celebrated French swordsmen now in Lon-
don, and the names of many eminent English boxers. The
great novelty of the evening and the exhibition which at-
tracted the principal attention was, howeve-, the display
given by M. Leboucher and other proficients of the science
of French boxing of what is called the savate—a method of
kicking an adversary in the face. This (to Englishmen)
perfectly new mode of attack, as exhibited in a contest be-
tween two strong and active professors, excited the wonder
of those who were unacquainted with its effects. It cer-
tainly exceeded the speculations of the English pugilists,
and is a formidable and dangerous manner of doing battle.
The arrangements were under the management of Mr.
Green, the proprietor of the place, assisted by Mr. Harrison
and other well known professionalists.

GRAVESEND.—Yesterday a special session was held
in the Town Hall, for the purpose of deciding a question that
has for some time past been the subject of much discussion in
Gravesend, viz., the liability or non-liability of the Terrace
Pier and gardens to be rated towards the support of the poor.
Mr. Levy, the present occupier and lessee, claimed exemp-
tion on the ground that the land occupied by the pier and
gardens, on which formerly stood the old Block-house Fort,
was extra-parochial, it being Crown property, and that the
Pier Company were under covenant to give immediate posses-
sion of the land in the event of the Crown demanding it.
The magistrates, however, decided that the pier and gardens,
having bee❑ underlet by the original lessees, and, the pre-
sent lessee deriving a profit from the ball and concert that
nightly takes place, he was liable, and must pay the rate.
ST. MARTIN's•HALL.—A selection of choral music
was performed last night, under the direction of Mr. Hullab,
by the members of his Upper Singing Schools. The masters
drawn upon were J. Bishop, Lotti, Horsely, Croce,
Reynolds, Croft, Danby, Tieck, Wilbye, Orlando Gibbons,
Bennett, Mendelssohn, and Lord Mornington. The pro-
gramme was, on the whole, very interesting, although
somewhat monotonous. The most beautiful piece was a
part-song of Mendelssohn, `• 0 hills and vales," which con-
trasted quite freshly with the somewhat pedantic character
of most of the other compositions. Wr ilbye's quaint madri-
gal, " Flora gave me fairest flowers," was equally welcome
in its way, and for the same reason. It was exceedingly
well sung, and encored unanimously. A hymn by Mr.
Hullah, " 0 God that mad'st the earth and sky," a favour-
able example of that gentleman's skill in the art of writing
for voices, and a part song, " Pack clouds away," by the
same composer, even more pleasing and melodious, both
met with the utmost favour. The latter was admirably
performed, though the former left much to be desired. The
whole of the first part of the selection was sacred, and the
whole of the second secular. the concert terminated with
the National Anthem, which created the accustomed exhi-
bition of enthusiastic loyalty. The performance appeared
to give entire satisfaction to a numerous and attentive
audience.

REFORM ON THE CAB-RANK.—A correspondent
says, that within the last few days the Metropol tan Com-
missioners of Police have suspended the licences of 800 cab-
drivers. The Commissioners having ascertained that num-
bers of the licensed drivers were brothel-keepers and other-
wise improper persons to be entrusted with the public ser-
vice, on the last annual licensing day in 1850 gave individual
notice that strict inquiries would be made on the next occa-
sion, and all who were found as above-mentioned, or notori-
ous drunkards, would be deemed untie persons and their
licences reused. The result has been the suspension of up-
wards of 800. These vigorous measures t. f the Commissioners
have astonished the whole fraternity, and several meetings
have been held to consider the position of the body.

One or two of the New York papers are once
more reviving the sea-serpent story. An American captain
has, it
seems, seen a whole brood of sea serpents, and has
even been fortunate enough to zeCtire the head of one of the
young members of the tribe.