The Sun.
London, England, 1856-06-12 00:00:00

lIISTROPOLITAN BOARD OP WORKS.

A meeting of the Board was held yesterday at
Guildhall, when, amongst other business, Mr. Corrie
presented a memorial from Messrs. Thomas Jackson and
George Thornton, on the subject of toe drainage of
Locdon on the mirth side of the Thames, with plans and
sections, and estimates for executing the necessary works.
Tne plan proposed was to construct a large tunnel sower,
c mirn,,ncing in Kensington Ci,nal, parsing parallel with
the banks of the Thames, and discharging it&lf by pump-
ing into a rei-ervoir at alleons Reach, at Woolwich, at
estimated cat of 2,200,0001. The reservoir would
be raised 12 feet above high- water mark ; and imme-
diately the tide was at high water, it was proposed t
op, n the flood gates, by which mean, when the tide was
at half ebb, the reset voir would be empty.
The board then took into consideration the second
part of their engineer's scheme for the main drainage
and sewage interception of the districts north of the
Thames. it was obsfrved that the plan for the southern
side had been, in the first instance, referred to a com-
mittee, which bad not been done in the present case.
Mr. Bazalgette, the engineer, was asked whether, be-
fore preparing his scheme, he looked at the act of Par-
liament whic required that the point of discharge
should not be near the metropolis. He replied that he
had ; and although he did not think that some question
might arise on that point, yet, as the place he selected
was the best in an engineering point of view, he thought
that any technical difficulty in that respect might be got
over. He stated that a piece of land opposite Plum-
stead was considered to be in the metropolis, in the same
way that a portion of Kent on the side of the Thames
was supposed to be so ; but a portion of the stream west
of Barkieg was out of the metropolis, and the opposite
side of Barking-creek was under the jurisdiction of the
commissioners of sewers for the county of Essex. In the
interview with the Chief Commissioner, Sir B. Hall did
not express an opinion. He did not intimate there wou'd
be any difficulty. The question being mooted, he did not
deem it fatal to his scheme. The engineer then went
into an explanation of different parts of his scheme by
referenee to a map, showing that he had made an allow-
ance for the reception of a sudden rain-fall in addition
to the interception of the ordinary sewage.
Mr. CARPMAEL moved, and Mr. FEW seconded, "That
the report of the engineer, in so far as relates to the up-
level and middle level sowers, and their branches north
of the Thames, be adopted."
Mr. Howe moved as an amendment, "That before
proceeding further with the engineer's scheme, the plan
for the drainage of the north side of the Thames, sub-
mitted to the board by Mr. Thomas Jackson and Mr.
George Thornton, and proposed to be carried out by
them, under the superintendence of the engineer, be sub-
mitted to some eminent and impartial engineer to ex-
amine and report upon the same to this board."
Mr. DENNIS seconded the amendment. _ _

After several members bad spoken on either side, the
Chairman put the amendment, but only three bands
were held up in its favour. Mr. Savage proposed an
amendment as to the outfall, but the Chairman said that
was not such an amendment as cou'd be put, as the out-
fall was not now under consideration.

Several motions for adjournment were put and nega-
tived.

A long and irregular discussion ensued, but eventu-
ally the debate was a ijourned until Thursday next.
The board broke up at five o'cleck.

TIIE RIFF PIRATES.

The following is a copy of a despatch received
S esterday at the Marine Department of the Board
of Trade, announcing the destruction of the barque
Hymen, Captain Smith, of Liverpool, by Riff
pirates

" British Consulate, Malaga, May 27, 1856.
" Sir,—l have the honour to report to you, for the infor-
mation of my Lords of the Privy Council for Trade, that
yesterday afternoon I received official information from
Colonel Don Manuel Buceta, governor of the Spanish for-
tress of Melilla, that on the 14th instant the British bar-
que Hymen, of and from Liverpool, Mr. Jas. Smith, mas-
ter, with a crew of 13 individuals, for Ancona, with a cargo
of coals, was attacked and boarded in the waters of
Botoya, on the coast of the Buff, by two carabos or boats,
manned by Moorish pirates of the tribe of Benibugllafar,
armed with pistols and daggers. These marauders, who
were shortly afterwards reinforced by nine other carabos,
plundered and partially destroyed the barque, leaving her
a complete wreck at a place on the beach called Nufter or
Pasani, about three leagues to the eastward of Cape Qui.
late, and ended by carrying the crew of the Hymen ashore
in captivity. Governor Buceta, in his report of the oc-
currence, eulogises in the warmest terms the noble and
disinterested conduct of a Moor called Morabito, a chief
of the tribe of Benisaid, who has rendered pre-eminent
services in providing for the immediate safety of four of
the Hymens crew, furnishing a guard for the protection of
the stranded property, and labourers to assist at the sal-
vage operations instituted under the personal superintend
once of the zealous Governor of Melilla. Morabito has
furthermore assured Colonel Buceta that he will procure
the prompt release of all the captives, and that the per-
sons and property rescued from the pirate horde of Beni-
bugllafar shall be delivered up, without ransom or reward,
to the British authorities who may be sent to receive
them. Upon receipt of this intelligence I lost no time in
communicating all the details to the Governor of Gibral-
tar, to whom 1 despatched an express yesterday evening
at 7 o'clock, suggesting that his excellency should cause
one of her Majesty's war steamers to be despatched pith
instructions to proceed to Melilla direct, at which place,
by acting in concert with Governor Buceta, whose benevo-
lent, opportune, and valuable exertions in this affair are
certainly beyond all praise, the requisite measures could
be adopted for the rescue of the captive crew of the Hy-
men, and the recovery of the plundered property.—l
have, kc.
" WM. PENROSE M4RE, Consul.
" To the Secretary of the Marine Department,
Board of Trade, Loudon."

The Imperieuse, 51, Captain Watsol
last night for Falmouth, having sealed
mate destination. It is said she picks t.
drisa screw despatch boats now at Falmoutb,And Ett.
(seeds to Halifax. From the fact, however, that the Ar.
cher's orders for Halifax have been countermanded, and
yet is directed to be got ready for sea with such haste
that her crew are to work all night at provisioning, it is
inferred that she will sail also under sealed orders, and
,that the destination of the ships thus despatched is other
than that before publicly promulgated. This is, how-
ever, all a matter of surmise beyond the fact of sailing of
the one, and the great haste observed in'getting others
ready for sea.

Her Majesty's steam troop-ship Urgent, 6, Com-
mander Phillips, having refitted her machinery, had up
steam yesterday, and will be ready for service again by
Saturday next.

TLe steam-transport Zebra, No. 211, arrived at Spit•
head yesterday morning from the East with a squadron.
of Hussars ; these she landed, and then left for the
Thames.

Her Majesty's ship, Shannon 51, is the chief object of
preparation in Purtsmouth dockyard. The artifioers are
as busy (and numerous) as bees upon her, and are setting
up her rigging and internal fittings with astonishing
alacrity. Captain G. N. Broke, Bart,, C. 8., son of the
celebrated victor in the action between the old Shannon
and the Chesapeake, visited the new Shannon a few days
ago, and this has given currency to a report that he will
" for auld lang syne " be appointed to the command of
this, the large it and most powerful steam•frigate in the
world. 'lure are two other captains, however, also
named in the same "report" as likely to have the hon-
our of appointment—F. Scott, late of the Russell, Odin,
and W. Peel, late of the Diamond frigate, and the
battery before Sebastopol which took its name from that
frigate.

We learn by electric telegraph that the steam-trans-
port Itnp?.r.dor, No. 107, Capt. Brown, arrived at
Spithead last evening from the East with troops. The
Iwperador left the Great Britain at Gibraltar on the 3d
instant with troops from the Crimea. On the 4tb, off
the Rock, she spoke her Majesty's ships James Watt
and Exmouth, 91-gun line of-battle-ships, and a 60-
gun block-314 ; on the stb, off Cape St. Vincent, bound
eastward, the Royal mail steam-ship Orinoco, the bark
Tasmania, and a screw line-of-battle ship ; on the 70,
in lat. 41 18 N., long. 9 20 W., the Peninsular and
Oriental Company's steamer Indus, bound southward ;
on the Btb, in lat. 43 37 N., long. 9 42 W., the steam.
ship Thalia, bound northward, and the steam-ship Pac-
tol us, bound southward ; on the 9th, in lat. 46 8 N.,
long. 8 31 W.,the steam-ship Andes, the bark Tasma-
nia, and the hoderick Dhu, all bound south.

Letters from Malta, dated June 5, state that the
week preceding had been remarkable for the passage
through and arrival of a number of vessels from the late
seat of war, with troops, c)mprising among the latter
no less than five of the nine regiments destined for the
garrison of Malta—viz., 57th, _ 47th, 28th, 21st, and
14th. All the ships of war and transports had left for
the East to bring away more t, o ps ; and even the Han•
nibal was to be employed in this service, transferring
the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Houston Stewart to a
second class steamer. The Royal Albert awaiting the
arrival from England of Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons,
was the only vessel of war left in Malta harbour at the
date of the departure of the last mail. The late arrivals
brought a Lumber of invalids and convalescents, who, it
was reported, would be quartered at Gozo.
The following vessels passed the Bosphorus on passage
to England on the Bth inst. :—The Earl of Aberdeen,
head quarters, Royal Engineers, 70 men Royal Artil.
lery ; the Holyrood, 250 men, Turkish Contingent, and
passengers.

The paddle-wheel steam-sloop Gorgon, 6, Commander
Richard B. Crawford, with 10,000 stand of arms from
Woolwich, arrived on Monday at Plymouth.
Telegraphic orders were received at Devonport from
the Admiralty on Tuesday to have the screw steam-
frigate Liffey, 50, rigged with all despatch.
The sloop Atalanta, 16, was taken out of dock at De-
vonpart on Tuesday, and, having been masted, was
warped to the jetty to be rigged.
The sloop Camilla, 16, is to be taken out of dock at
Devonport on Tuesday next and masted, preparatory t•
being put in commission.