The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-13 00:00:00

PROPOSED LEGISL.4TION OX DRALYAOE.

A public meeting was held yesterday at the
Hanover-square Rooms to consider the necessary
steps to be taken to secure legislative facilities for
the improvement of outfalls and arterial drainage
generally throughout the kingdom. The Earl of
Romney presided, and there was a considerable
attendance of landowners arid agriculturists, among
whom were Sir J. V. Shelley, M.P., Sir J. 'Tyrrell,
Sir H. Vavasour, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Fisher Hobbs,
Mr. Robert Smith, Mr. H. Corbett, &c.

The CHAIRMAN explained that the object of the
meeting was to consider what steps ought to be
taken to promote an improved system of sewerage
and drainage throughout the kingdom. He strongly
objected to the system upon which the landowners
were called upon to maintain the drainage and
sewerage of the land. He believed that the principle
of taxing land for the purposes of sewerage was very
old, though at the present time it only existed
in comparatively fow districts. At the same time
the powers which were given by local acts were
found to be insufficient and inconvenient, and many
places requiring improvements were neglected
simply because the legislative sanction had not been
obtained to acts which were purely local. No doubt
objections might be made to the sort of legislation
which it was now proposed to adopt on the ground
that it was an interference with the rights of
private property, but any one who had considered
Mae subject knew that property could never be held
so as to he an obstruction to public interests, and
that private rights must inevitably give way to
public convenience. He believed that if the Legis-
lature were appealed to they would not be found
backward in providing a remedy for the injury
which the agriculturists suffered.
Sir H. VAvasont said that the existing statutes
relating to the drainage of land had proved alto-
gether insufficient. It was impossible for any one
resident in a town to realise the state of the country,
and the present year was a most disastrous one to
the farmer. The occupiers of low lying arable farms
had been injured to an almost incalculable ex-
tent, seeing that they had the rain of successive
weeks to contend with. It was not so much the ex-
cess of the rain that had fallen this year as the fact
of the water remaining on the soil which injured
the land. There had already been several Acts of
Parliament relating to general drainage, the most
recent of which was the 3d and 4th William IV., c.
22, but the existence of commissioners and other
local powers rendered them almost nugatory. Small
thready drains, indeed, existed, but the common
outfall was in most cases a sluggish stream, gene-
rally running into a canal, at the junction with
which the course of the water was still further im-
peded by a dam, and as long as the powers of local
acts existed, it was utterly impossible to improve
the drainage. They heard much of the damage to
land from game, but more injury was caused by
want of drainage in a single day than from all other
causes put together. A change in the law of drain-
age was absolutely necessary for small proprietors,
and they must urge the Government to lose no time
in preparing a broad and simple measure relating,
to drainage, so as to put an end entirely to the pre-
sent wasteful and most unsatisfactory state of
things. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was call-
ing upon them for every shilling they could spare,
and when the rental of half a county was spent on
a single ship, and the national debt had a tail as
long as a comet, they could not afford to be fettered
by statutes passed at a time when England was a
second-rate Power and a wheat-exporting country.
(Hear, hear.)
Sir J. SHELLEY inquired whether, in the opinion
of this meeting. the bill introduced some time ago
by Mr. Mills was sufficient to effect the object in
view, and if so would give notice, immediately on
the meeting of Parliament, for its re-introduction.
He fully concurred in the necessity for legislation
on the subject, and thought that if a second measure
were brought in it would be carried.
The CHAIRMAN believed that no bill had been
prepared, and understood that reference would be
made to the bill of 1852.

Sir J. SHELLEY believed that such a bill as that
of 1852 would never be carried, because circum-
stances had since arisen which had increased the im-
portance of the subject. If the landowners would
take the matter into their own hands he had no
doubt they would succeed.

Sir H. VATASOUR then moved the following reso-
lution :—" That this meeting considers that a com-
prehensive public measure of arterial drainage and
the improvement of the outfalls is highly essential
to meet the requirements of the present advancing
state of agriculture." He also proposed :—" That
a deputation from their meeting wait upon the
Secretary of State for the Home Department to
impress upon him the measure at the earliest possi-
ble period of the ensuing session."
Sir J. SHELLEY seconded the resolutions, which
were carried unanimously.
Sir J. TYRRELL wished some explanation to be
given as to what was meant by arterial drainage.
Mr. DENTON.—River reform generally; power
to deal with rivers and all other streams ; the clear-
ing away of drains, and where necessary, of mills
—a point which it was perhaps rather dangerous
to touch upon ; and the clearing of all outfalls into
the sea.
Sir J. TYRRELL thought the explanation unsa-
tisfactory.
Mr. B. THOROLD.—AII that was meant was
power to remove all impediments in the main water-
courses or arteries, and those engineering works
' which wore erected upon Sir George RRnnie's prin-
ciple for the mere purpose of feeding the canals.
Mr. S. CHILTON believed that if the proposed
measure were carried the property in the districts
affected by it would be enormously benefitted. The
valley of the Thames, for instance, where there were
thousands of acres not worth 10s. per acre would
be made worth 50s. per acre. The same might be
said of almost all the valleys of the country.
The following gentlemen were named as the
deputation :—The Earl of Romney, Sir J. Shelley,
Sir H. Vavasour, Mr. Chilton, Mr. Heathcote, Mr.
Langston, Mr. Bailey Denton, Mr. A. Clark, Mr.
Grantham, Mr. Fisher Hobbs, and the Rev. J.
Clutterbuck.

GALLANTRY OF A PILOT CREW.

The Northern Ensign reports the following :
" We stated in onr last that a vessel, supposed to
be a foreigner, was tossing about our coasts on
Tuesday, with her mainmast, Sc., carried away,
and evidently in great distress from want of a har-
bour to run to. Observing from Staxigoe the dis-
abled conditiou of the vessel, and infrring from
the flag of distress that assistance was greatly
needed, five men formed the resolution of proceed-
ing to Ackergill, a distance of several miles, and of
endeavouring to reach the distressed vessel by means
of one of the fishermen's boats there. This was soon
after mid-day. After more than an hour's hard row-
inc,, and just as darkness was coming on, they reached
the vessel off Noss Head. The wind was blowing
with almost hurricane violence, and a terrific sea,
which often threatened to engulf the boat and her
brave crew, broke upon them, at times'completely
covering the boat. It was with no ordinary diffi-
culty that the pilots—George Bain, John Wares,
Peter Gunn, George Manson, and "William Bruce
—managed to get on heard the vessel, in conse-
quence of her heavy pitching and the roll of surf.
The vessel proved to be a Norwegian schooner, in
ballast, with a crew of seven men, driven to this
coast by the violence of the gale, by which they
were overtaken on their voyage from France to
Norway. According to the statement of the cap-
tain they had proceeded far on their voyage when
overtaken by the storm. On the previous evening
when about 17 miles off Aberdeen the vessel was
struck by a huge wave, which threw her upon her
beamends and shifted the ballast, which was thrown
upon the cables, by which the crew were deprived
of their use, and among other injuries sustained by
the (mew one of them had one of his legs broken.
In this condition the vessel was tossed about but
some time, the crew anticipating not
hiug
death every moment. Running before the
fore-
and sea they found themselves on Tuesday
re-
noon on the shelterless shores of Caithnedss,
elFowor,
four days none of the crew had vehntur b
pielots they
and when they were boarded
were in a state of extreme eaxslbLayoursettieounnthaenadanwase were
preparing to run their vessel.
e would have been
Sinclair's Bay, where theriraescap
brief consultation, in
all but impossible. f
which the captain Acommittedte his vessel to the charge
of the pilots, they resolved to brave the terrors of
ther than run any risk „
the Pentland Firth
They thereforer
oreaene d
ethe
farvh ee before
this coast. tvh~n the
he wind, but she had
s carried away. W
for.4oPsailyalhwe o Dun-
asea was terrific, and the strongest
eansbv' Head
was felt that the vessel wouldfounder.
held on, and the schooner was in a
apprehe_osi,eit,
Still ti
ph°
few minutes bounding over the fierce waves of the
Pentland Firth. Seldom if ever has a vessel in
ballast crossed the firth in such a storm. Passing
Canticle Head in almost pitch darkness, and amid
wind, rain and surf, the danger was more imminent
than ever. At one time they found themselves
within a few yards of the rocks, and imagined instant
death was staring them in the face. The poor sailors,
unable to render the slightest assistance, stood in
hopeless suspense, till, after passing Switha,
they
were assured that the danger was over. By five
o'clock they reached Stromness harbour in safe::
after four days of the utmost anxiety, sufferaienegl,
wasa
danger. In a few minutes after the
moored, Too much cannot be said
in
daring and intrepidity of these men. h
o occupy the
is always precarious, but the p 1:12 rheelisre callingthe
villages from Wick to Staxigneilunever shrink from
danger when their herviceu are required."