The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-14 00:00:00

EMBANKMENT OF THE T11431.E5.

A public meeting of the inhabitants of the Strand
and the surrounding neighbourhood, convened by
the St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Ratepayers Protec-
tion Society, was held last evening at Exeter-hall,
for the purpose of protesting against the low-level
north sewer being carried up the Strand. Mr.
HENRY HOARE presided.

The CIIAIRMA';T, in opening the proceedings, said
that there appeared to be but one opinion with re-
gard to this low•level sewer being carried up the
Strand and Fleet-street, and that was that it would
be an unmitigated nuisance. When they got below
London-bridge he confessed that it would be abso-
lutely necessary to go under ground for some dis-
tance, but that was no reason why they should have
it in a place where there was no necessity for it, as
in the case of from Westminster to London bridges.
He thought that such a work as that
,should be
made a matter of profit, so as to make the outlay
have fair returns and give interest to the capitalist
who has embarked his money in it, as well as
be greatly beneficial to the agriculture of the
country.
Mr. DOULTON moved a resolution to the effect
that in the opinion of the meeting the embankment
of the Thames between Westminster and London
bridges would be highly beneficial to the public at
large, by improving the navigation, covering the
mud banks, affording relief to the present over-
crowded thoroughfares of the metropolis, and by
providing a healthy and agreeable promeiade to
the inhabitants of London.

Mr. Churchwarden MARSHALL, in seconding the
resolution, enlarged upon the great benefits which
the public would derive from the plan of the em-
bankment of the Thames as proposed by the reso-
lution, and the great inconvenience which would
arise if the low-level sewer was carried under the
Strand.

The motion was carried unanimously.
Mr. TEMPANY moved a resolution to the effect
that the construction of the work should be com-
menced without delay in order that the low-level
north sewer might be constructed within such
embankment, instead of being carried through the
Strand and Fleet-street, a course that would not
only be of serious inconvenience to the public
traffic during the execution of the work, but pro-
bably of permanent injury to the property of the
locality and detrimental to the occupiers of houses
in those lines of thoroughfares."
The motion was seconded by Mr. CRILL, and
carried non. con. Other resolutions in furtherance
of the object for which the meeting was convened
having been carried the meeting separated.

PARLIAMENTARY COMIIII7TEES.

THE THAMES EMBANKMENT.
The committee reassembled on Tuesday, Sir J.
Paxton in the chair. The other members present
were Mr. Phillips, Sir J. Shelly, Mr. Walter, Mr.
Tite, Mr. Beamish, Lord John Manners, Mr.
Roupell, Lord R. Montagu and Mr. Stiring.
Mr. Bazalgette, engineer to the Metropolitan
Board of Works, was called, and explained the
nature of the works now in progress or contemplated
for the drainage of the metropolis. He stated that
the high level sewer on the north side, commencing
at Hampstead and running down to the river Lea,
from whence the sewage is carried by gravitation
to Barking, is nearly completed. The middle level
sewer, commencing at Acton, joins the high level
sewer at Bow. The whole of the works are let and
in the course of construction. The contract for the
high level sewer is £152,000, and for the middle
level £300,000, being rather under the estimates.
The low level sewer, commencing at Chelsea
Hospital, proceeding along the Strand and through
the City, terminates at Abbey Mills' where the
sewage is to be raised up to the high level sewer.
The estimate is £388,000. The soil excavated would
have to be carted to those outskirts which required
raising, and would of course considerably impede
the general traffic. Some portions of the sewer
would be executed by means of tunnels. The fall
would be two feet per mile. If an embankment were
carried along the Thames, with a sewer under it,
it would be an enormous advantage. He had pre-
pared a plan for the embankment, with a roadway
100 feet, from Westminster Bridge to Queenhithe
Dock, where it was proposed to stop, because the
narrowest part of the river was between Queen-
hithe Dock and London Bridge. It would be ex-
ceedingly difficult to construct an embankment
along that past which would not interfere with the
important trade carried on in that district, and there
was no strong reason why the embankment should
be continued to London Bridge. The first object was
to get a direct road to the London-bridge station,
which was provided for by the construction of a
road by the Metropolitan Board of Works on the
south side of the river. If the road were continued
to London-bridge the distance to the London-bridge
station would be reduced by not more than 100
yards. Blackfriars-bridge was an inconvenient
and bad bridge and in a dilapidated state, and,
whether the embankment was constructed or not,
must come down. Some of the arches had sunk
considerably. He proposed that the roadway
should proceed from Westminster-bridge, with an
inclination of .1 in GO until it reached Privy-gardens,
where a small dock would be constructed, to be
called tee Westminster Dock. Opposite Privy-
gardens there would be a solid embankment. The
level would be four feet above Trinity high-water
mark. Over that solid embankment he proposed
to construct a roadway on a series of arches. At
the end of Privy-gardens he proposed to cony the
road on the embankment to Whitehall-place. He
proposed to have a dock at Hungerford ; to carry
the road under the bridge and under the projected
railway, and also under Waterloo-bridge. He
proposed to have a solid embankment at Temple
Gardens, and a dock between there and Blackfriars-
bridge, which- the roadway would pass on a level,
and proceed to Qucenhithe, where there would be a
dock called Blackfriars Dock. From Queenhithe a
street might be constructed to the Bank. me esti-
mated cost of embankment on the north side
from Westminster-bridge to Queenhithe would be
£1,000,000, with a roadway 100 feet wide and includ-
ing the docks; and the sewer under the embankment
could be constructed for £lB,OOO. The cost of the
street from Queenhithe to the Bank would be
£750,000. The embankment would be constructed
by means of cylinders sunk into the ground, and

form cofferdams which would facilitate the con-
struction of the sewer between them. The cost of
embanking the south side of the river would be
£250,000. The whole expense of the embank-
ments and the new street from Queenhithe to the
Bank will be £2,000,000. ',The:embankment would
very greatly improve the condition of the river.
The sewer if constructed under the embankment,
would proceed as far as Queenhithe, and then pass
under the City. He did not believe that the con-
struction of the sewer under the City would at all
endanger St. Paul's or any other public building.
The plan which he had sketched was not an official
one. It had been prepared by Mr. Hemans and
himself. It had not been submitted to the Board
of Works.

Mr. George Hemans, 'civil engineer, who had
assisted the previous witness in drawing up the
scheme, was then called, and was examined at con-
siderable length as to the details of the scheme.
He entirely corroborated the statements of Mr.
Bazalgette, :and stated, in addition, that ample
provision had been made in the plan for the steam
traffic on theriver.
The committee then adjourned.

GUN AND MORTAR BOATS.
The select committee appointed to inquire into
the circumstances which have caused the alleged
detective state of a considerable number of the
gun and mortar boats of the Royal Navy met yes-
terday—Sir F. Smith in the chair.
Sir B. Walker, Surveyor-General of the Navy,
was first called, and stated that since he had been
in that office there had been several contracts made
for the supply of gun and mortar boats. The wit-
ness then went through the whole list of the
builders of gunboats up to the present time, and
stated that the terms of the contract were that they
should find proper material of every kind. The names
of all the contractors have been already published.)
By this, of course, was to be understood properly
seasoned wood : but the fact was that there was not
sufficient seasoned timber in the country at the time,
and the builders could not therefore have procured
it. There was very little surplus timber in private
yards, and there would be less since the introduc-
tion of iron ship-building. We' have a return being
made out of the defects in the gunboats. There is
no reason to suppose tnat the defects have been so
great as has been generally supposed. They
have worked well in China. There are 45 hauled
up at Haslar, and 23 have been repaired, and
are in a good state ; 14 have not yet been ex-
amined. The return called for by the House of
Commons is being made. No gun-boats have
been broken up. Two mortar-boats have been,
and some of the gunboats ought to be. The vessels
were built in the depth of winter, exposed to all
the frost and snow, without shelter. The name of
the builder of the vessel broken up was Thompson.
If the gunboats had not been built in the hasty
manner they were, they could not have been sup-
plied in time, while the demand for them was
urgent. In the gunboats now standing over, it
was ascertained that the sap was in the timber.
In one of the boats built by Messrs. Green there
were 100 short bolts and bolts not clinched. It was
impossible to say how it was that, when there
were 100 short bolts in a vessel, it was not disco-
vered by the inspectors. In Messrs. Green's yards
the Government had two resident inspectors, but
the men were working night and day, with frost and
snow on the ground, and exposed to all weathers.
If there had been more inspectors, perhaps the short
bolts might have been detected ; but it would have
required relays of men to inspect, and they could
not be spared. The pressure at the time was enor-
mous. Many of the contractors lost a large sum of
money, in consequence of the rise in wages owing
to the pressure. That was represented to the Ad-
miralty, and a bonus of 355. per ton was allowed on
such vessels as were completed within certain spe-
cified times, and that bonus amounted to £32,500.
Notwithstanding such, the builders were still con-
siderable losers.

By Mr. Bentinek—All the vessels which had been
examined had been found in a more or less defective
state. Fourteen hauled up had not been examined ;
but means had been taken to ventilate them. The
boilers had been lifted, and part of the bulkheads
removed, in order to procure internal ventilation,
while precautions were at the same time taken to
avoid too great a draught of air. In December,
1857, after they had been hauled up, they were
examined, and no symptoms of premature decay
had been observed. He did not call that a regular
examination, only an overhauling. In the latter
part of 1858, or early in 1859, all the gunboats
were ready for service. The whole of those vessels
laying up were ordered to be put in condition last
year, and they are now ready for any service to-
morrow.

The committee adjourned at four o'clock.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OP PROSELYTISM.

On Monday afternoon the Norwich magistrates
were occupied with a case of considerable interest
and importance, the Rev. Canon Dalton, priest of
the Roman Catholic chapel in St. John's Madder-
market, Norwich ; two jewellers, named Beha ;
and an auctioneer, named Foulsham, being sum-
moned with reference to an attempted flight from.
Norfolk to the Metropolis of a young man, named
William Henry Vansittart, son of Mr. W. Vansit-
tart, M.P. for Windsor.
Mr. Vansittart attended to watch the proceed-
ings, and was further represented by Mr. Carlos
Cooper, barrister, of Norwich, the parties on the
other side being defended by Mr. W. L. Mendham,
town clerk.
William Henry Vansittart, a youth of about 16
years of age, entered into a state to the effect that
he had run away from Rackheath, where he was at
school at the rector's, and went to Canon Dalton's,
at Norwich. The latter, after hearing who he was,
said he must keep very quiet. The rev, gentleman
advised him to pawn his watch, and with the pro-
ceeds to go to London, where he was to see Mr.
Bowyer, M.P., and to take the following letter to
" Father Thomas : "
" St. John's, Norwich, Saturday.
"DEAR FATHER THOMAS,—The bearer of this
note, William Vansittart, has left school, where
his father placed him, in order to become a Catholic.
His father is member for Windsor. The young man
is well known to Bishop Grant, but in case his
lordship should be from home will you kindly take
him where he can find the Rev. Mr. Banfield ?
The young man will tell you all you wish to know.
With regards to dear Dr. Doyle, I am yours most
sincere, J. DALTON."
Before, however, he could leave for London a
police-inspector found him out. He was most kindly
treated at Rackheath, and left solely through the
persuasion of an Italian priest, named Giugini, who
had seen him before when at Brighton, and who
followed him secretly into Norfolk.
Mr. Vansittart, M.P., on being sworn, stated that
the youth who had been the subject of inquiry was
his only son. As regards his own religious opi-
nions, he was a strong Protestant, and had a perfect
abhorrence of anything like Puseyism or Roman Ca-
tholicism. His son was originally intended for the
navy, and he had obtained a nomination for him.
The boy failed, however, to pass the very severe
examination, as he could not grapple with mathe-
matics and double decimals. He was then placed
with a Mr. Jansen, who kept a military seminary
at Brighton. Mr. Jansen was in the habit of
taking some of his pupils abroad with him during
the summer vacation ; and he (Mr. Vansittart)
thought it would be a very advantageous thing
that his son should see the Continent, acquire a
pure French accent, with perhaps a smattering of
German, besides seeing the French army, the
Zouaves, and so on ; he permitted him to go. The
boy had spent his last winter in Ireland with some
relations; when he came back he seemed restless and
uncomfortable, and on his going back to Mr. Jan-
sen's he showed evident symptoms of having
imbibed Roman Catholic principles. He (the
father) was telegraphed for to Brighton, and on
going down he found the boy had been secreted
somewhere in a place known to a Mr. Clery, a
Roman Catholic priest. He called on Mr. Clery,
end insisted on his son being restored to him. Mr.
Clery agreed :to do so, and afterwards, on looking
about for a Protestant clergyman in the country.
he (Mr. Vansittart heard of Mr. Hodgson, and
being very well pleased with the conversation he
had with that gentleman, he sent the boy to him.
The Mayor—Did the priest at Brighton at once
agree to give your son up ?
Mr. Vansittart replied that he spoke sharply to
him, and threatened him with a mandamus. The
priest hummed and hawed at first, but he (Mr.
Vansittart) had net much difficulty in gaining his
point.

The Mayor, after consulting with the other mem-
bers of the bench, stated that they considered the
case a very serious one. They should remand it
for a week, and in the meantime issue a warrant
for the apprehension of the person called Giugini.
All the parties summoned were admitted to bail,
in the case of Foulsham his own recognisancas only.
being required. The inquiry excited great inte-
rest, and the court was crowded throughout the
proceedings.

A FORTUNATE CANADIAN.—It is stated at Nor-
wich that a person who a few years since was employed in
one of the offices of the Norfolk Railway Company, and
who emigrated afterwards to Canada, has by some fortunate
mining adventure amassed a fortune of £40,000. The case
is quite an exceptional one, but Canadian mining certainly
seems about to open a rich field for British industry and en-
terprise.