The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Stx,—As the subjoined notes concern the public, I
beg to hand you copies of them, and I have the
honour to be, Sir, your very obedient servant,
J. A. .NICHOLAY.
Oxford-street, Dec. 8, 1851.

(Copy.)
London, Dec. 4, 1851.
J. A. Nicholay, Esq., Chairman of the Deputa-
tions from the Metropolitan Parishes, &c., &c.
Sir,—As I know you take an interest in the Com-
missioners of Sewers, I beg to acquaint you that an
Arbitration will be held at the Law Institution, Chan-
cery-lane, to-morrow morning at half-past ten o'clock,
to asses the amount of compensation due to the United
Service Institution, for the damages they have suffered
from the formation of the Victoria, street sewer.
The Court is a public one, and the Arbitrators are
Messrs. Smirke, Powell, and Pownall.
Yours ever,
ANONYMOUS.

(Copy.)
December 5, 1851.
To J. A. Nicholay, Esq., &c., &c.
My dear Sir,—According to your desire I went this
morning with " Anonymous" in my pocket to the
Law Institution, to hear the statements made on be-
half the Trustees of the United Service Institution
(Sir J. Cockburn, the Duke of Northumberland, &c.)
to the Arbitrators for compensation for the damages
done to the Museum in Scotland-yard, by the new-
fangled under-tunnelling Government Centralised
Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers.
The statements made by counsel for the trustees, as
well as the reports of Woods and Forests' surveyor,
architects, &c., confirm all that the Mary lebone Ves-
try stated in May last to Parliament. The damage
to the buildings under-tunnelled is as great, if not
greater, than Lord Seymour stated publicly, and for
which the ratepayers will, of course, be further sur-
charged !
To all appearance the money of the " district rate-
payers" has been wasted by these " centralised" Com-
missioners in constructing a defective sewer, and un-
dermining fatally the buildings adjacent thereto in a
questionable manner, whereby the proprietors are
forced into expensive arbitration, alias law, for the re-
quisite repairs, or reconstruction of their property, at
the expense of the " district rate-payers ?"
As this is a case on which the "district rate-payers"
should be fully informed, I regretted not seeing any
reporters for the press there, unless two short-hand
writers officiated for the double purposes of taking
notes and reporting also.
An appointment in the City at noon prevented me
hearing the whole case for the plaintiffs, or the result,
which, as honorary secretary of the deputation, I
should otherwise have given you; but I trust the
press will obtain and publish the whole affair for the
public information.
If the " dilittanti" Commissioners are permitted
to under-tunnel the Strand, Fleet-street, Cheapside,
&c., they will undermine or tumble down the adja-
cent buildings, as they have the United Service Insti-
tution and those at Percy Wharf From the Mu-
seum a Mr. Shaw was warned, and for personal safety
removed to avoid impending danger.
The buildings destroyed by the under-tunnelling
operations at Percy Wharf are partly reconstructed.
Those belonging to the Duke have been re•edified at
his Grace's cost or the " district rate-payers."
I beg to return " Anonymous" to you, and remain,
my dear Sir, yours very truly,
RICHARD DOVER.

EXETER HALL—THURSDAY CONCERTS.
A series of Thursday concerts, modelled upon the
general plan of the Wednesday concerts of last year,
has been commenced at Exeter-hall. The perform-
ance last night was conducted by Mr. T. H. Severn,
who has assembled a very fair madrigal and general
chorus, comprising, indeed, the elite of the choral
performers of both the great Operas. Their execu-
tion of the opening madrigal, "Flora gave me fairest
flowers"—one of Wilbye's happiest inspirations—was
excellent, full of feeling, and the light and shade de-
ligctfully given. The other madrigals were Wilbye's
" Sweet honey•sucking bees," and the ever fresh
" Down in a flowery vale." Besides these, however,
a hunting song by Mendelsshon, oddly enough
written in the minor key, and which has
much of the madrigal character, was per-
formed ,with delicacy and spirit. Among
the soloists were Miss Pyne, who was in full voice,
and loudly encored in Wallace's " Scenes that are
brightest ;" Miss Dolby, who sang a quaintly pretty
couple of " Nile ballads," arranged by Mr.Rimbauld ;
and Miss:Binckes, who gave the "In questo sem-
Plice " with the famous joddliug passage, with spirit
and in a musician-like manner. Mr. Whitehouse, a
gentleman with a firm round bass voice, gave efficient
assistance in the concerted music. Mr. Swift, a pupil
of the Royal Academy, and whose fine even tenor
voice is well known to all the frequenters of the
Academy concerts, made a very favourable impres•
sion in Mendelssohn's graceful song, "By Celia's
arbour." The well-known glees, "Ye spotted
snakes," and " When wearied wretches," were care-
fully and effectively given by Miss L. Pyne, Miss
Dolby, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Swift, and alto-
gether the entertainment appeared to give the since-
rest delight to a numerous auditory, who were most
lavish in their encores.