The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-03 00:00:00

THE SUlit,

BRITISH POSSESSIONS.

„, I
Share, Railways. i
i
; Paid. Crlor.'i,m—, lo (Mmes. done
100 f (Atlantic & St Lawrence'
, Uom.,Baroda&Centlnd 1 all
I Leased at 6 per cent
Stk 186 88
I j 100 tei 974 961 71
( gu. 5 percent
- - Do. Addit. Capital Al
18 j Do. Do. B 11 ;d 4 d
204 Buffalo and L ake Huron all 5 54d
204 j Do. New all
10 I Do. Preference
100 f ,Buffalo,llrant&Godrich
I'6 p. ct. bds. 1 Aug., 18;2 1 100 82 87
100 I Do. do. 1 July, 1873 100 73 78
108 IDo. do. 1 June, 1874 100 70 75
5 ICklitta.&S.Eastrn.Lim.,l. 30. par i p
20 (Cape,Eastn.Prov.(Lim.)! 2s.
20. iCapeTown & Dock Scrip 38. 14 1d li
20 Central Oude (Limited)"3B.od.
..
20 Ceylon Guaranteed 6p.c.1 74 ;ii 1 d °3
174 Demerara , all j
20 Eastern Bengal.gu.sp c.! 5 I 4d 4d
Stock East Indian, gu. sp. 0.. 100 1014 102 1014 2
20 Do. I` Shares Ext. i 10 par 4p 10
20 Do. Jubbuipore , ' 10 par 4p
100 Do. 44 p. c. Debentrs. all i 119 4 1094
Stock! Do. 5 p.c. Deb., 1861..1 100 101 102 102 4
20 'Geelong& Melbourne I all 204 214
Sto f ;Geelong Corporation 6 1 100
( I per cent. Bonds
Stock 'Grand Trunk of Canada i 100 34 36 34 1i 5 i
100 Do. 6 per cent. Pref I all 93 gi 934 3 ,
100 Do. 6 percent. Debentr, all j7l 73 72
100 IDo. 7 per cent. 1862 I all 185 87 864 54
100 i Do. do. 1867 ] all 73 75
100 ' Do, do. 1872 all 72 74
Stock Gt.lndlarenin.gua.sp.e lOO 984 994 ,99 4
20 Do. New, gua.s per cent ! 6 4d idi
20 I Gt. South. of fxd.Lim.--; 110 14 ld
( guaranteed 5 per cent I
204 iGt.W. of Canada Shares all 13 134 131 134
204 I Do. New
100 IDo. Bonds pay. 76,witil; 1 all 97 99
I ept. till '6O
100 Do. do. '73 till '6O
109 Do. do. "/3 without opt all 97 99 ' 974
100 Do. 54 p. c. do. '77 do i all 91 93
stock Madras, guar., 44 p. o lOO 88 40 89
Stock , Do. do. 5 per ccnt lOO 974 984 93
Stock ,'Do. 41. p. 0. Extension., 100 90 t 2
Stock IDo. Third Ex. gua.s.p.c. 100
20 Do. Fourth do,
20 Do. do.
Rock Melb. Corp. 6 p.c. Bonds 100 ^'•••
20 I Newßrunswick&Calada.
Ry.&Land(Lim.)g.6pc all 5 7 •
Class ACapitl. Share
Do. do. Land do
20 Do. do. B. Capital do 1 all 5 7
Do. do. Land do )
20 Oude (Limited)
20 Scinde
d2O Do. New Ei
20 Do. Punjaub
,o•
11401 d 994 1004
i
20 Do. Indus. St. Flo. .4,g4 all 94 96
20 St. Andrews & Quebec A 18
10
,Trinidad(Limited)Scrip 1 4d pat

ST. GEORGE'S-IN-THE-EAST.

CONSISTORY COURT-(TIIIS DAY).

CENTRAL CRIMINIL COURT.

THIS DAY.

OLD COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
THE CASE OF TILE REV. MR. HATCH.

The Common Sergeant this morning sent for the grand
jury, and, with reference to the bill of indictment
for Perjury preferred against the young girl
Plummer, said it would not be sufficient to

meet the oath of the party against whom the charge of per-
jury was made by that of another person; but that oath
must be supported by the evidence of other parties, and if
such was absent then they would not be justified in return-
ing a true bill against the party charged.
One of the grand jury asked whether both or either of
the children who gave evidence at the trial of Mr. Hatch
would appear before them to rebut the charge ?

The Common Sergeant replied in the negative. A party
charged with perjury was not examined by the grand jury.
The whole of the evidence given by both children would be
laid before them, and when they had considered that
adduced on the part of Mr. Hatch, they would then have
to say whether the children had stated that which was
false, and unless they were fully satisfied that such was the
case, they would not be justified in returning a true bill.
The grand jury thanked the learned gentleman, and re-
tired.

After an absence of between two 'and three hours the
Grand Jury returned a true bill agairst Eugenie Plummer,
for perjwy.

ROBBERY BY A SERVANT.

A man named GibbDns, pleaded guiny to stealing a
quantity of boots and shoes, the property of his master.
The Common Sergeant sentenced the prisoner to 12
months' imprisonment with hard labour.

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 3, I'6o.

THE RELIGIOUS DISTURBANCES AT

THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE, PROMOTED BY THE REV,
BRYAN KING, AGAINST ROBERT ROSSIER, ONE OF THE
INHABITANTS OF ST. GEORGE'S-IN-THE-EAST.

This case, the simple facts of which, and all the prelimi-
nary proceedings in this court, have been fully reported,
came on for final and solemn decision this morning before
Dr. Travers Twiss, the judge of this court, at Doctors'
Commons, the charge being of an ecclesiastical character,
that of brawling in church during divine service.
[The case was proceeding when we went to press.]

PURIFICATION OF THE SERPENTINE.

The select committee appointed to consider the
best means of effectually cleansing the Serpentine
have considered the matters to them referred, and
have agreed to the following report :-
1. The sheet of water called the Serpentine was
derived from the Itanelagh-brook, which, after
springing in the Highgate-hills, ran along the B ays-
w ater -valley through Kensington-gardens and
Hyde-park, under the ancient Knightsbridge, into
the Thames.
2. The waters of this brook, having been checked
by the dam which was thrown across the lower end
of the Serpentine in the reign of King William 111.,
flowed into gravel pits and ponds which were adja-
cent to their channel, and occupied their present
area in 1730. As population increased in the dis-
tricts through which the brook passed it lost its
character of a brook, and became known as Rane-
lagh Sewer. Its current had become so offensive
in 1834, that am Act of Parliament was passed to
divert it from the Serpentine through a covered
channel, and since that period only the overflow,
in heavy or continuous rains, has reached the Ser-
pentine. The overflow is thel main cause of the
complaints which have been made of the state of the
Serpentine, and constitutes such a nuisance as in
our opinion ought to be immediately abated. The
engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works has.

.nformed us that the lioard are about to commence

works for the purpose of intercepting all this sew-
age, and that these works will be completed before
the end of the summer. When this is done the main
cause of the past deterioration of the water will be
removed.

3. The mud which has been accumulating for so
many years covers the bottom of the lake to a thick-
ness of nine feet in scme places. It is black and par-
tially semi-fluid, containing a large proportion of de-
caying organic matter, and is very prejudicial to those
who, by accidents in bathing, skating, or otherwise,
are immersed in it. The foulness of the Serpentine,
which render it so unfit to be the place of recreation
for the multitudes of all classes and from all places who
flock to the metropolis, is atti ibutable mainly to the
following causes:—The occasional admission of sea--
age, the contamination arising from putrifying mud,
the deposit of soot and other impurities of the Lon-
don atmosphere, the results of bathing, and the stag-
nation of the water.

4. The only correctives heretofore applied to
the evils arising from these impurities have been,—
the supply of a certain quantity of fresh water ob-
tained from springs in the lake itself, the rainfall
and water shed, and ChelsealVater Company. These,
however, have .not been sufficient either for remov-
ing obnoxious exhalations, orfor clearing the water
of confervie and other vegetable productions ; and
during the summer months of 1858 and 1859 a
quantity of quicklime was thrown into the water,
by which, for a time at least, the evils complained
of were diminished.

5. Several plans and estimates have been sub-
mitted to the Government for remedying this evil
condition. Sir John Rennie, in September, 1848,
proposed to remove the mud, and to obtain a sup-
ply of fresh water from the water companies,
or from the Brent or Verulam ; Mr. Mann proposed
in November, IS4B, to cover the mud with concrete
in the manner which was subsequently adopted
with regard to St. James's Lake in 1857. Messrs.
Easton and Amos, in December, 1848, proposed also
to cover the mud with concrete, and they submitted
another project in April, 1857, for supplying water
to the Serpentine from a well in Duck Island. In
1858 Mr. Page was instructed by the First Com-
missioner of -Works to investigate the question, and
in 1859 a plan was prepared by him which he
stated would put the Serpentine into a clean and
sanitary condition, and maintain it in that state,
and also render it less dangerous to bathers and
skaters. This plan received the sanction of the
Government, and was submitted by them to Parlia-
ment. Owing, however, to a change of Govern-
ment before the civil estimates were voted the opi-
nion of Parliament was not taken upon it, and Mr.
Hawkeslcy was requested, on the 7th of July, 1859,
to prepare a scheme, which he submitted on the
15th of July, and which was adopted by the First
Commissioner of Works.

6. A sum of £17,000 was voted by Parliament
for its execution, and tenders were accepted on the
25th of November, 1859; and, although the works
have made considerable progress, they are as yet
incomplete.

7. This plan was intended to purify the water
by filtration, without dealing with the mud, and
without any increase in the supply of fresh water.
It aimed at removing the fibrous filaments of con-
ferva, the naviculie, and other lower orders of aqua-
tic vegetation which occur in still water containing
free carbonic acid or bicarbonate of lime, and which
produce a disagreeable appearance in the water.
8. This object was to be secured by causing the
Serpentine to circulate through filter beds of sand,
so that a 30th part of its whole bulk might pass
daily through the filter during the six hottest
months, a 60th during four of the colder months,
leaving it at rest the remaining two months of the
year.
9. This plan was recommended for its efficiency
and economy, as enabling a larger quantity of water
to be purified in this way than by any other means.
But against this it has been urged that, in compa-
rison with other schemes, its results will not be

worth its cost ; that the cleansing of filter beds close
to public walks is likely to be offensive ; that it
will become unnecessary whenever a copious sup-
ply of water is obtained, and that the works neces-
sary for its execntion will be prejudicial to the
appearance of that portion of Kensington-gardens
where they are situated.
10, Although river water drunk in towns is com-
monly passed through filters of sand on its way to
the houses to which it is distributed, and although
filtration is also used to purify water for some
manufactures, yet no instance has been mentioned
to us of it 6 having been employed for the purpose
of keeping a large body of water in a permanent
state of purity ; and we have received much evi-
dence as to facts which might guide us in coming
to a conclusion upon the probabilities of success
which may attend such an experiment.
11. The proposed filtration is not stated to be
such as can remove impurities held in solution ; and,
considering that the object in view is not only to
provide an ornamental piece of water, but a- bath in
which many more than those who, in the present
repulsive condition of -the water, take 260,000
baths yearly, may seek health and recreation,
your committee are of opinion that the
common mode of supplying a lake with
fresh water is preferable to the new and in-
genious contrivance of refiltering continuously even
a larger annual quantity than can be supplied from
a well or a river.

12. If a supply of fresh water sufficient not only
to replace the waste, but to provide for a continual
change, were impossible to be obtained, in the
absence of another alternative, filtration might be
justifiable; but your committee believe that such a
supply of fresh water may be obtained from the
springs within or contiguous to the Serpentine, from
an enlargement of the water shed of the park and
Kensington-gardens, and from other sources which.
have been pointed out to the committee. Some of
this supply may be obtained by means of simple
gravitation, at a small expense.
13. Conflicting evidence has been given as to
the quantity and quality of the water that can be
pumped from the well in Duck Island, but Mr.
Ilawkesley states in his evidence that he entertains
no doubt that a considerable supply
.of water can
be procured in the neighbourhood of his works, and
that an increased amouNt of water could be drawn
into the Serpentine by an extension of the surface
drainage of the park and Kensington-gardens.
14. We have had, however, a more embarrassing
task than to decide merely whether Mr. Hawkes-
ley's plan is the best for effectually cleansing the
Serpentine. We have had to consider whether that
plan,recommended by great engineering authority,
adopted by the Executive Government,sanctioned
by Parliament, and nearly
.approaching its comple-
tion, is so unsatisfactory in its object and means
that it ought to be arrested, even in its present
stage of advancement, and the work which has been
performed diverted to other purposes. After much
patient investigation, we have arrived reluctantly
at the conclusion that the proposed filtration will
not be effectual for the desired object, and that this
cleansing process ought not to be carried on in one
of the most beautiful spots of Kensington-gardens.
We recommend, therefore, that the project of filtra-
tion be abandoned, and that the best available supply
of fresh water be poured in to such an extent as to
produce some continual flow.
15. Whenever the Metropolitan Board have com-
pleted their works for the diversion of sewage from
the Serpentine measures should be taken for ren-
dering the bed of the lake clean and hard. We
have not come to any conclusion as to the extent
to which the mud ought to be removed, hardened,
or covered, nor as to the relative merits of gravel
or concrete as a covering, nor as to the expediency
of burning it, nor as to the depth which would best
promote the convenience and safety of bathers and
skaters and the purity of the water ; but we are of
opinion that the present condition of the bed of
the Serpentine absolutely requires amendment.

APRIL FOOLS IN LIVERPOOL.—On Sunday
morning an official-looking document was placarded on the
walls of Liverpool, calling upon the Volunteer Corps to
assemble opposite the Lime-street station on the arrival of
the train from London, in order to meet the Duke of Cam-
bridge, who would pass through the town en route for
Dublin. Several volunteers in full attire, and a host of
" civilians," were duly in attendance at theprescribed hour,
and after waiting patiently for some time they at last dis.-
covered that they had been hoaxed, and dispersed in various
states of temper.