The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-19 00:00:00

have been already accomplished. Remembering
the rapidity, however, with which the eight miles,
or thereabouts, have been substantially excavated
subterraneously to the north from the Mansfield-
road, at the foot of Hampstead-hill, to Old Ford on
the River Lea, it is enough for us to know that the
southern nine miles or thereabouts have been reso-
lutely taken in hand at the instance of the Commis-
sioners.

It is particularly worthy of note that this impor-
tant question as to the course to be ultimately
chosen for the low level sewer to the mouth of the
River Thames, is held carefully in reserve
or suspense until such time as Parliament
shall have definitely settled the project of
a double line of Thames Embankments. " The
Board," quoth the report, " have on former
occasions expressed the opinion that it would, on
various grounds, be most important to construct the
sewers in conjunction with a Thames embankment;
but whether that can be accomplished or not de-
pends on the provision which may eventually be
made by Parliament for defraying the cost of the
embankment." A consideration this quite suffi-
cient of itself, we should imagine, to hearten our
metropolitan members on next session to the settle-
ment at last for once and for all, of this long inter-
mittently agitated project of constructing along the
Thames, from the Palace of Westminster to the
Tower of Julius, a double line of terraced embank-
ments. Until this ornate scheme shall have been
decided for or against conclusively, the Main Drain-
age of the metropolis must remain thus lamentably
interrupted. And the folly of any serious interrup-
tion to the Drainage of our vast and populous
capital nay be most readily appreciated by bearing
in mind some of the Board of Works' latest calcu-
lations upon this as to the sum total of the moneys
expended during the year on Sewers and Drain-
age ! Comprising among the works thus effected
underground the cleansing of one hundred and
sixty-six miles of main sewer and works of deodo-
rization—the epitome of the last report of the
Board shows an expenditure, within the twelve-
month, under these heads alone, of £209,698
10s. sd. ! In reference to this mention of " Deo-
dorization" as a simple item in the accounts, it is
especially worthy of observation that " the total
quantity of disinfecting material used dur-
ing the summer " for the simple purpose
of effecting the deodorization of the river
Thames comprised within it 4,281 tons
of chalk lime, 478 tons of chloride of lime,
and 56 tons of carbonic acid, at a cost in the
aggregate of £17,733 That is, of course, £17,733
sheer waste, poured into the river and washed out
to: sea during one summer tide—a monstrous waste,
from the recurrence of which we can alone be
saved in perpetuity by completing our new system
of Main Drainage, in combination with the build-
ing up of the Thames Embankment.

DEATH OF JOSEPH LOCKE, ESQ., M.P,

We exceedingly regret to announce the sudden
and unexpected death of the celebrated engineer,
Mr. Joseph Locke, M.P. for Honiton. The sad
event took place yesterday morning at Moffat.
Mr. Locke had been in good health and spirits up
to Saturday, when he was seized with an obstruc-
tive attack in the bowels, which terminated fatally.
Thus hath departed, one by one, within the short
space of twelve or fourteen months, three of our
most eminent engineers—men who have stamped
their names, by their works, on the roll of fame
for all time, and who by their masterly genius have
given a stimulus to emulation now and hereafter.
It is melancholy to reflect on the singular fatality
which often carries off men so eminent in such
rapid succession ! Stephenson—Brunel—and now
Locke! Verily
The path of glory leads but to the grave I

TEE HARBOUR OF lIALI4FIX.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—In your correspondent's letter from Mil-
ford Haven respecting the Great Eastern, which
appears in The Sun this evening, he says, "he can-
not ascertain why she called at Halifax on her re-
turn from New York ! That no cause is assigned
for it ! That it is perfectly unaccountable ! "
Your correspondent evidently knows little of
Halifax, and therefore, for his information, I may
tell him that Halifax is on the direct line from
Liverpool to New York ; that it is 600 miles nearer
to England (and to Europe) than New York, and
400 nearer than any other open port in America.

That the harbour of Halifax is of sufficient capa-
city to hold 1,000 Great Easterns—that it i• the
only port on the Atlantic shores of North America
that the Great Eastern can enter at all seasons and
at all times of the tide. It is the first great har.
bour, and the best on the continent of America, and
will, on the completion of the railway system with
Canada and the United States, become (what Mil-
ford Haven ought to be to the United Kingdom)
the great landing stage of North America.
On the expiration of the West India mail con-
tract, in 1863, the British Government have ex-
pressed their intention of sending the whole of the
West India and Pacific mails via Halifax. It is
two-thirds of the distance from Liverpool to
Jamaica, and only 180 miles out of the most direct
course; it is as near from Southampton, via Hali-
fax, to Havanah and the Gulf ports as, via St.
Thomas (the present route), to those places.
From the increased quantity of coal in Nova
Scotia, and the easy access, both by water and rail-
way, from the mines to the port of Halifax, it is
already the best and cheapest coaling station in
America.

These are a few of the reasons why the Great
Eastern called in to have a look at Halifax; and,
rest assured, that it is between that port and Mil:
ford Haven that she must look forward to her com-
mercial success.—l am, sir, your faithful servant,
JOSEPH NELSON.
Harrow, Sept. 17.

The Earl of Macclesfield and Lord Parker arrived
at Glenmoriston, their stalking quarters in Inverness-
shire, the week before last, from Oxfordshire.

The Earl Delawarr arrived in town on Monday
from Buekhurst Park, Sussex.

The Countess of Mulgrave arrived yesterday at
the Duchess of Cleveland's, in Grosvenor-square, from
Nova Scotia.

The Countess de Spaen has arrived at the Queen's
Hotel, Upper Norwood.

Viscount Maynard has so far recovered from his
recent severe illness as to be able to travel home from Ger-
many.

The Belgian journals state that game is abundant
this year in Brabant, and that the markets of Brussels are
well supplied with hares and partridges at reasonable prices.
THE MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY,—The
facilities for sending messages by telegraph appear to be
gradually approaching the conveniences of our postal sys-
tem. The Magnetic Telegraph Company are now issuing
small adhesive stamps for franking messages throughout
their lines in the United Kingdom. The principle is pre-
cisely similar to the postage stamp system, and the conve-
nience of this arrangement will no doubt be duly appreciated
both by the commercial and general public. For example,
a message can be written wherever convenient, and, after
affixing the necessary stamp, it can be sent either by post or
messenger to the nearest magnetic telegraph station, and
thence forwarded to its destination. The directors consider
that the saving of time and trouble by this arrangement are
sufficient to enable them to allow a liberal discount to pur-
chasers of these stamps in order to assist in bringing them
into general use. •
THE HARVEST.— We are indebted to a gentleman
who travelled by the London and North-western Railway
yesterday from Liverpool to London for some agricultural
statistics, which were taken without any view to publication,
and merely from that general feeling of interest which all
feel in the progress of the harvest at present, he not being
in any way connected with operations in the corn market.
Taking the grain fields impinging upon the railway, the
progress of harvest operations was as follows :
Counties. Uncut. Cut. Carried.
Lancaster, fields lB 43 4
Cheshire, 31
Stafford, »
Warwick, »
Northampton, ~
Buckingham, „
~
Hertford
Middlesex, „

—Liverpool Albion,