The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-24 00:00:00

GOOD FRIDAY AT THE LONDON DOCKS.

The Rev. C. F. Lowder, incumbent of St. Peter's,
London Docks, has given notice thaton Good Friday
" The Way of the Cross will be made with litanies
and hymns in procession through the parish, and
short addresses will be given at each station." The
Daily News. disapproves of this announcement, and
hopes that " Mr. Lowder and his friends will find it
convenient to conduct their worship next Friday
somewhere within doors under guarantees of peace,
quiet, and good order." Whatever may be thought
of the particular ceremony which he has selected, it is
obvious that a service " indoors" would fail of the very
object which Mr. Lowder desires. He wants to impress
upon the vast mass of heathen living in his
parish, and which never can be persuaded to enter a
church, the great event which is celebrated on
Friday. Services ever so impressive, sermons ever
so eloquent " indoors " are of no avail to those out-
side. How are these to be reached ? The Daily
News fears that there will be a disturbance. If
we remember rightly the Apostles created several
disturbances, but these did not persuade them that
they ought to do their teaching " indoors " and leave
the outsiders to take care of themselves. Our
contemporary has no idea of mission work, and yet
it is needed quite as much at the London Docks as in
Patagonia. Repeating "Dearly beloved brethren"
twice a week is not quite adequate to the occasion.
EMIGRATION.

A meeting of the Managing Committee of the
British and Colonial Emigration Society was held on
Monday at the Mansion House, under the presidency
of the Lord Mayor. A letter was read from the
Home Secretary discouraging the proposal to issue
a royal commission on the question. A report
from the sub-committee was read recom-
mending that 200 emigrants should be sent
as soon as possible to Quebec, 100 of them being
,
sent from Woolwich, where many men are now
übnutemthploy
never assisted single men, and
some debate was held on the question. Various
the society
etyFhreaes passages are given to families
suggestions were made, but the point was
not finally decided. It was resolved to ad-
vertise that the society was ready to receive
applications from persons willing to• pay part
of their passage money. Very encouraging accounts
were received from Mr. Dixon, emigration agent for
Canada,.who thought there would be no difficulty in
settling in that country 20,000 farm labourers, 2,000
female servants, 6,000 female farm servants, 3,000
navvies, 4,000 mechanics, and 6,000 agricultural
labourers. It was also stated that about 3,000 emi-
grants could be placed in good positions in West
Australia. The society has now £3,600 in hand.
EQUALISATION OF POOR RATES.

- -
On Monday a numerous deputation had an inter-
view with the President of the Poor-law Board to
request the Government to introduce a bill for the
equalisation, o;Ltp., explained the purpose of the
poor rate through the metropolis.
mr
deputation, and a memorial was presented,
which had been adopted by an aggregate meeting of
vestry district boards and boards of guardians. Mr.
Goschen said that his own opinions
were in favour
of the equalisation of the poor rates, and he
thought that they • were travelling in the right
direction for the accomplishment of such an object.
Ile saw difficulties, however, in the way of equalisa-
tion if the local management were left as it was.
The question was, what control would there be by
the ratepayers over the management of the rates
when the equalisation was effected ? lie wished to
be candid, and he thought that means must be taken
to prevent one parish from being lavish at the expense of
another. If the ratepayers of London would support
the Poor-law Board in the matter, he had no doubt
that they would arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

• VELOCIPEDES.
Velocipedes in the streets of large towns are like
dirt—matter in the wrong place. Perambulators are
not altogether pleasant to foot passengers, but velo-
cipedes are perambulators run mad; and one might
almost as well have a locomotive steam engine
careering through the streets as one of the vehicles
which are now becoming so fashionable. A few days
ago a man was driving one of them through
Clerkenwell at the rate of twelve miles an hour. He
knocked down three persons, ran over the foot of a
third, and then tried to run away. But he was
seized by the police, and will be prosecuted by the
vestry. Intending buyers of velocipedes will do well
to defer their purchase until it is known if the prose-
cution will be maintained.
THE TIIAMES AT WAPPING,
It may be a'very grand thing to live on the banks
of the noble river Thames, but those who reside in the
classic region of Wapping evidently cannot under-
stand the honour of dwelling in sight of the noble
forest of masts about which poets and essayists have
been wont to prate. A meeting of the inhabi-
tants of the district was held a day or two back,
when one of the speakers stated that whenever there
was a high tide the river overflowed, entered the
houses, and but a very short time ago the whole of
the inhabitants of one street were compelled to
remove from their tenements. When the water
subsided the floors and furniture of the inhabitants
were coated with mud, which emitted a most dis-
gusting odour. Another speaker, the landlord
of a public-house said he had had his cellar full of
water four times in three weeks, and on the last
occasion it was full for two days. A. boat was then
plying for hire
_along the main street. The meeting
proceeded to pass resolutions calling upon the
G overnment to erect an embankment. The Hercules
of the Treasury will be sure to tell the .Ler to put
his own shoulder to the wheel, wT ;,•iso the
Thames-eiders to make the embanknt ei i; for them-
selves, for certainly the Chancellor of the Exchequer
will not help them.

PIRATING ENGRAV G 3.

Mr. Graves, the engraver, of Pall Mall, is making
a succession of raids upon the printscllers who are
viratane pktures. It is. not surxr.L:sing that he