The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-30 00:00:00

was a kindliness in his advertences to the Church
whom he wished, so far as rates are concerned, to
throw her on her own resources, and a conciliatory
tone towards opponents, which, if always adopted

while the directions of the Board of Works

change with every administration, and each party
in succession ignores the proceedings of its prede-
cessors ; while weak officials give credence to each
new fangled idea which is brought forward by
crotchety doctors and engineers with the alphabet
after their names, and a monomania about their own
particular theories, what advance can be expected
towards a sanatory reform. Dr. LETIIEBY, to his
credit, has thrown over chemical prejudice and de-
clared his opinion that the lately entertained pro-
ject of deodorising the Thames by the infusion of
perchioride of iron into the sewers of London, in
the proportion of six grains to the gallon of liquid
sewerage, is impracticable; that the decomposition
of animal matter would be retarded, but not pre-
vented; and that in the end, after vast out-
lay, the public would be as far from the desidera-
tum sought as ever. It is far cheaper in
the long run to incur the expense neces-
sary to complete an undertaking satisfactorily
and to know that there can be no farther call upon
your purse, than to go on peddling year after year
with no result, and in the end, after large sums of
money have been frittered away, to be obliged to
do that which if done at first would have conduced
to the public comfort and to the general health of
the metropolis.
The directors of the Board of Works and of all
other public institutions should be chosen from
amongst men of talent, irrespective of party bias,
and they should be accountable to Parliament and
the public for the due performance of their duty.
But while favouritism and private interest direct
the appointments of Government officials, the
credit of Great Britain for skill and engineering
talent will rest on private enterprise, while the
abortive efforts of Government will be the jest of
he civilised world.

by him,would render his brilliant orations far more
effective. The other two speakers certainly made
the best of a bad cause ; but though we

have considered their representations care-

fully we find it very difficult to extract from them
any relevant argument. They could not pretend
that the wealth of Churchmen, as compared with

Dissenters, was not abundant to meet the require-
ments of the case. The friendliness of Methodists
to Church-rates vanished under the fact that 800
petitions had been presented from them in favour
of abolition, and that there would have been more,
were not the old body subject to an ecclesiastical
despotism called a Conference, whose rule is more
absolute than that of the POPE himself, while, like
all despots, they are almost to a man relentless
Tories, and try to make every little class-leader
Tories also.

The grand pleas, however, were the antiquity o
Church-rates; and the hostility of Dissenters to
Church establishments. As to the first we cannot
comprehend it as an argument. In a sentimental
appeal to antiquaries, or to the fair sex it might be
of service ; but Church-rates is a matter of
parish business, and of parish strife. The
mass, transubstantiation, purgatory, indulgences,
and so forth, we would remind Mr.WHITESIDE, lay
claim to a far higher antiquity. Shall they be re-
stored to the creeds and worship of the Churches
for which less antique Church-rates are now claimed ?
As to the ultimate wishes of Dissenters we cannot
comprehend what it has to do with the practical
question. It is surpassingly ludicrous to hear them
descanted on, as if the Lords' Committee had found
out a THISTLEWOOD conspiracy against the Church.
Public men must have been unpardonably ignorant,
if they have not always known that the great mass
of intelligent Dissenters (for the priest-ridden
Methodists must be of course excepted) were
thorough voluntaries; their practice backing their
theory. In fact all free churches must wish that
one church, not exceeding them in the number of
its worshippers, but exceeding them not only in the
wealth of its members, but in enjoying the patron-
age of the State, should be placed on a fair footing
of equality with them. The Statesman, however,
has to consider not what persons believe theoreti-
cally, but what they practically demand—and the
demand in this case is now practical, vigorous
action. Anti-State Churchmen have no cause
to regret that our Legislators will yet leave them a
platform in every parish, and Parliamentary Re-
formers none, that the House of Commons has
proved its own need of Representative Reform.

AMERICA.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY, APRIL 30,

The Royal Mail steamship Niagara, which touched
at Queenstown yesterday morning, has arrived here.
The specie in the New York banks had increased
over 1,000,000 dols. during the week. Loans had
diminished 700,000 dols.

THE BRAZILIAN MAILS.

LISBON, APRIL 30

The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's ship
Magdalena has arrived here with the Brazil and
River Plate mails.
She will leave this evening for Southampton
with 154 passengers and £27,100 in specie.

Any work that is remarkably clever or intensely
ridiculous will be sure to awaken public curiosity.
" Adam Bede" was a success of the former kind,
and Mr. Warren's " Lily and the Bee," of the
latter. Who can wonder, then, that a pamphlet
which demonstrates the plan of paving the bed of
the Thames should reach a third edition. The
vexed question of how to purify this noble river,
which, owing to the incapacity, indifference, and
factiousness of those whose duty it is to care for
the public health, is gradually and surely being
converted into an intolerable nuisance, replete with
malaria and disease, has occupied the attention of
many, and plans of all kinds have been proposed,
engineers vieing with each other which could bring
forward the most complicated, improbable, and
expensive scheme. But the palm of extravagance
must unquestionably be awarded to Mr. W.
WHITE, nor do we think that the most enthusi-
astic reformer, transformer, or perverter, could
wish for a more complete disorganisation of exist-
ing things than his " Plans for the Purification of
the River Thames" would effect. Nor could the
circumlocution committee wish for more money and
time to be expended to less purpose than the
extravagant chimera before us. This grand absur-
dity, together with the fame of its promoter, will
doubtless descend to oblivion, in company with
that of Mr. HAWKSLEY and the filtering of the
Serpentine, which the Board of Public \Yorks
had the egregious simplicity for a time to coun-

Prince Alfred will, it is expected, take leave of
her Majesty next week, and rejoin his ship for another
cruise.—Court Journal.

The Lord Chancellor has appointed Mr. Alfred
Hudson Shadwell to be taxing master of the Court of Chan-
cery, in the room of Mr. Martineau, deceased.

DEATH OF THE COUNTESS OF MANSFIELD.—
'We regret to announce the death of the above venerable

and much-respected lady, who expired yesterday at her re-
sidence, Langham House, in her 87th year. Her ladyship,
who was the fifth daughter of the late Dr. William Mark-
ham, Archbishop of York, married in 1797, the third Earl
of Mansfield, who died in 1840.
ACCIDENT TO THE DUKE OF HA3IILTON.—On
Friday night the Duke of Hamilton, after having dined
with a few friends, left his residence in Arlington-street, to
take a walk before retiring to rest. In crossing Piccadilly,
between Dover-street aneßerkeley-street, in stepping on
the pavement his foot slipped, and his grace fell, and in the
fall sustained a fracture of the right leg, just above the ancle.
The noble duke was immediately conveyed to his mansion,
and Dr. Ferguson and Mr. Wm. Fergusson, the eminent
surgeon, were soon in attendance, and the extent of the in-
jury ascertained. His grace, we are happy to hear, is going
on favourably.

Lord Clyde has been relieved of the command in
India, and may be expected in England earlier than was
anticipated by those who were aware, some time ago, that
his Excellency intended to remain for another year in India.
It is probable his lordship will arrive in England next July.
—Army and Navy Gazette.

TIIE STAFF —Brevet-Major 11. Holford Steven-
son, of the 79th Highlanders, has been appointed Aide-de-
Camp to Major. General Cameron, commanding the troops
in Scotland. Capt. C. Pemberton, Scots Fusilier Guards,
has been appointed Aide-de-Camp to Brigadier-General B.
Taylor, commanding a brigade at Aldershot.—Ariny and
Navy Gazette.

The railway from Southall to Brentford, in con-
nection with the Great Western Railway, is to be opened
for passenger traffic on:Tuesday next.

THE LIVERPOOL GROCERS AND THE PEPPER
ADULTERATIONS.—A number of Liverposl grocers were on
Saturday fined each in £25 and costs for selling pepper
adulterated with husks of mustard and capsicum seeds.
Mr.
season
, who excited much attention
last
es on Swift, Burke, Milton, &c., at
Willis's-rooms, is announced for a short series of orations,
yonhiJsolenceturs
Al
to be given in the same locality. The first, on the late
Lord Macaulay, as essayist, historian, orator, and poet,
will be delivered on Monday evening, May 7.

tenance.
Although Mr. WHITE'S plan would, if carried
out, entail an enormous outlay, we cannot see
what the result would be, except endangering the
safety of the bridges from the slope given to his
artificial banks and greatly obstructing the moor-
ing of barges at the wharves. He proposes to deepen
the bed of the river from Millbank to Blackfriars-
bridge, commencing operations on both sides at
an even low water mark, at a gradual decline of
seven feet to the centre throughout, and he states,
as a-passing remark further on, that—" To enable
the centre of the river to be deepened as proposed
it may be necessary to strengthen the founda-
tions of the piers of Waterloo and Blackfriars
Bridges ; and this, it is presumed, might be easily
accomplished by paving the bed of the river under
the arches with huge blocks of granite,
causing the sides to form smooth curved
abutments, by additionally strengthening the
fronts in like manner." It is again
presumed that new Westminster and Hungerford
bridges would not require these precautions. The
gravel taken from the centre of the river is to be
placed on either side, commencing at low-water
mark and ascending to the fronts of the wharfs in
easy slopes ; and the whole of these newly-mule
shores are to be paved with granite. According
to this, barges will only be able to come alongside
of the wharfs on the top of high water. But apart
from these considerations, we should like to know
what deepening and paving the river from Mill-
bank to Blackfriars will effect towards purifying
the Thames, or remedying the existing evil of
making a common sewer of the river in the midst
of the City. We admit Mr. WHITE'S scheme
for keeping the sewers of the metropolis clean by
the introduction of water from the river, and form-
ing a belt of water round London, to be sensible
and practicable enough ; and had he stopped here
it would be all very well ; but to endeavour to per-
suade the public that deepening and paving the
river for a couple of miles will cure the existing
evil is simply rediculous.
of Lt
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en dr
vne
ri s
for sit u
thea te
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oas e ms
of
fs t
d i
rnacionnavgeeleinnt
fact,part
at a sort of turning point, the same water travel-
ling up and down its bed with the flow and ebb of
the tide ; what purification it receives from the
river water coming down is more than counter-
balanced by the sewerage of the town. Were it
situated higher up, as at Richmond, the excess of
the ebb over the flood tide would effectually re-
move the noxious matter; or, were it situated
lower down, as at. Gravesend, the large body of
water in the river would prevent any ill effect
being felt. Situated as we are there is but one
resource, which would entirely remove this in-
creasing evil, viz. (as London cannot, until the
science of engineering has been more developed, be
moved), to carry the sewerage down the banks of
the river below Gravesend, or further if necessary.
where, if any company think fit, they can
establish a depot for manure, or the refuse of
London may be emptied into the salt
water for the benefit of the fishes. But

THE NEW MEDICAL RELIEF BILL.—The Boards
of Guardians of the township of Manchester, of the Charl-
ton Union, and of various other unions in the neighbour-
hood, have unanimously agreed to petition against the Me-
dical Relief Bill now before Parliament, on the ground that
the bill is one that is calculated improperly to increase the
fees of medical officers, and extend the power of getting
orders in a way that would prevent anything like check or
control over the cost by the guardians, although the guar-
dians would have to pay all the expenses. It was said that
the bill might possibly be of some use in thinly-populated
districts, but was entirely inapplicable to large towns and
populous unions.
A BOY KILLED BY A LIONESS.—The other day,
when Manders's menagerie was at Great Grimsby, a boy,
named Redman, was swinging on the ropes placed in front
of the dens, and, although previously caution,d, he ap-
proached close to the den in which the lions were kept. A
lioness immediately seized his head with her paw, and would
have crushed it to atoms, had not a lion, anxious to have a
share, pushed heavily against her, and the keeper rushing
up, caused the animal to liberate the poor lad. His head
and neck, however, were so fearfully lacerated that he has
since died from the effect of his wounds .

TM SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING! 3APRIL9 '3O, 1860.