The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-03 00:00:00

THE BOARD OF WORKS.

Mr. ISAACS, chairman of the Coal, Corn, and
Finance Committee, asked whether the representa-
tives of the Corporation at the Metropolitan Board
of Works were aware that Sir John Thwaites, the
chairman, had stated in his evidence before the
Local Government and Taxation Committee of the
House of Commons that direct taxation in the me-
tropolis had reached its highest limit; and also that
the Board was in want of funds to complete the im-
provements it had already undertaken. He likewise
asked if they could give the Court any information
that would reconcile the apparently inconsistent
action of the Board in pressing their Improvement
Rate Bill, the object of which was to aid to that
direct taxation which was said to have already
reached its highest limit, and for their declining, iu
the event of the defeat of the same bill, to co-ope-
rate with the corporation for the passing of the
London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance Bill,
which would have given to them and the corporation
unitedly nearly a million sterling.
Mr. J. E. SAUNDERS, in reply, said he believed
Sir John Thwaites gave the evidence referred to, but
whether that evidence was to be interpreted as the
opinion of the Board or of the chairman individu-
ally he was not prepared to say. As to the second
question, he could only say that it had been pub-
licly stated by the chairman of the Board that in
interviews they had had with the Government
it was distinctly understood that no continuance of
the London coal and wine duties should be allowed
for the purpose of finishing the Thames embank-
ment unless at the same time a direct Improvement
rate was imposed.

Mr. Deputy Fnv said that so far from there being
an understanding of that kind, Mr. Gladstone, then
Chancellor of the Exchequer, had imposed, as a con-
dition to the continuance of the coal and wine duties
the levying of a
_rate for purposes of improvement,
and if, on the change of Government, there had been
a proper co-operation between the Metropolitan
Board and the corporation, the Coal and Wine Duties
Bill, pure. and simple, would have been carried..
Mr. SAUNDERS said the Metropolitan Board had
powers of taxation for purposes of improvement
almost unliMited, except that they were governed by
public opinion. They proposed now that a bill
should be brought in limiting their powers of taxa-
tion for purposes of improvement to a 4(.1. rate, one
half to be charged upon the owners and the other
upon the occupiers of property.

THE GUILDHALL.
On the motion of Mr. STAPLETON, chairman of
the City Lands Committee, who stated that during
the last 15 years the corporation had expended
about £50,000 in all in adapting the Guildhall to
great State ceremonials, it Was resolved by a majo-
rity of 11 iu a court of 97 members—" the
repeated and heavy expenditure which takes place
at the Guildhall on every occasion of public recep-
tion affords evidence of the insufficiency of the ac-
commodation at the disposal of the corporation for
such purposes, while the space available for the
library and museum has also been declared altoge-
ther insufficient ; that therefore it is desirable some
comprehensive and well-considered plan for provid-
ing permanently for such objects should be at once
prepared and laid before this court, and that t be i
referred to such a committee as this court shall
direct to obtain a plan and estimate accordingly.'!
On the motion of Dr. Saunders, it was resolved in
effect to retain the building in Guildhall-yard, re-
cently erected for the reception of the Sultan, for the
use of .the Corporation until after the 9th of Novem-
bernext, Lord Mayor's day.
THE RECEPTION OF THE SULTAN.
At the instance of Mr. Deputy WHITE, the thanks
of the Court were unanimously voted to the Special
119ception Committee for theltdrairablo arrange-

ments made by them in carrying into effect the re-
solution of the Court for receiving his Imperial Ma- I
jesty the Sultan on his visit to this Corporation,
which resulted in giving entire satisfaction to his
Imperial Majesty and also to the numerous and dis-
tinguished visitors who honoured the Corporation
with their presence on the occasion.
Mr. Depty FRY, the chairman of the Entertain-
ment Committee, replied that they had vied with
each other in making the reception in every respect
worthy of the illustrious. Potentate in whose honour
it was given, and of the Corporation, and he bore
testimony to the cordial co-operation of the Lord
Mayor on the occasion.
COMMON CMER AND SERGEANT-AT-ARMS.

Mr. John Alexander Bed,lome, who had held it
provisionally for some time, was unanimously chosen
from among 13 candidates to fill the ancient and
honourable office of Common Crier and Sergeant-
at-Arms to the Corporation of L'ndon.
THE RECTORY OF ST. PETER, CORNHILL.

The Court next proceeded to elect a clergyman
to the vacant office of Rector of St. Peter-upon-
Cornhill, the right of presentation to which benefice
being in the Corporation. The candidates were the
Venerable William Emery, 8.D., Archdeacon of
Ely; the Rev. Francis Osborne Giffard, M.A., of
St. John's College, Oxford, vicar of Hartley,
Win tney, Hants; and the Rev. Richard Whitting-
ton, M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge, one of the
Masters of Merchant Taylors' School, and evening
Lecturer of St. Peter, Cornhill. They were first re-
duced to two by poll—namely, to Mr. Whittington
and Archdeacon Emery, the former having a con-
siderable majority of votes. Upon that Archdeacon
Emery gracefully declined to go to a poll, and the
election fell upon Mr. Whittington as a matter of
course. The Archdeacon, who is reported to be
a man of great energy and high character, appeared
to have made a most favourable impression upon
the Court. He greatly distinguished himself as a
scholar at the City of London School, and after-
wards at the University of Cambridge, where he
became a high wrangler, but, unfortunately for
himself on this occasion, he entered late in the field
as a candidate for the benefice on its becoming
vacant.

TIIE SULTAN AND THE POOR OF LONDON.
The LORD MAYOR, replying to questions by Mr.
Deputy Farrar and Mr. Bennett, said his Imperial
Majesty the Sultan in sending him £2,500 to be
distributed among the poor of London had left the
disposal of the money to his absolute discretion, and
that he meant to apportion his Imperial Majesty's
bounty among such of the humane institutions as
dealt more immediately with the homeless and des-
titute poor, rather than attempt to distribute it
himself among individuals.
Mr. BENNETT commended the intention of the
Lord Mayor in that respect. The Court then
adjourned.

THE LOSS OF HER , MAJESTYS' SHIP
OSPREY.

PoRTSMOUTII, Friday.

The court-martial assembled to try Commander
Menzies and Navigating Lieutenant Christian, of the
late ship Osprey, for the loss of that vessel off Cape
St. Frances, on the 30th of last May, resumed their
sitting on board the flag ship Victory this morning.
Commander Menzies was called upon for his
defence, which he read to the Court?. From
the time he took command of the ship in
March, 1865, he had never ceased to feel that the
lives of all in the vessel were entrusted to him. He
had never spared himself day or night in order to
safely conduct the Osprey through the many
dangers on the China station. The orders under
which the ship sailed were unfortunately lost in
the Osprey. He attributed the great damage
done to the ship—her bulwarks being carried
away and her side laid open--to her havins, been
caught in a gale when under canvas alone,° and
to her being unable to carry sail enough in order
to stay the ship. He explained the reasons for dis-
carding the printed instructions, and for not using
the lead, under the peculiar circumstances, and said
that no sailing instructions were supplied to the
ship, with one exception, to which he referred.
A book referring to this he never saw. He laid
before the Court a letter f rota the French Vice-
Consul at Algoa B ty, regarding currents on that
part of the coast where the Osprey was lost. The
letter referred to the loss of a French ship near
Cape St. Frances, in 1850, the captain, at the time
the vessel struck, believing her to be 36 miles from
the coast. Two other ships were also lost on that
coast, entirely owing to the existence of an unknown ,
current, as was shown by an inquiry, the captain of
one of these ships believing himself to be forty
miles from the shore. The captain, believing
himself safe, hal just gone below when the ship
struck, and she was lost under circumstances
similar to the loss of the Osprey. After these
losses the French consul reported the matter to
the French Government, saying that it was neces-
sary, owing to these currents, that notice should
be given to masters of vessels, advising them to
use more than ordinary precaution. lie had always
taken his own observations, making it a rule to
compare results with the navigating lieutenant,
Christian, in whom he had entire confidence. He
had used every exertion when be heard they were
about to return home to make himself acquainted
with everything, in order to secure the safety of
the ship. Ile had lost all his personal effects and
his certificate. His professional reputation he left
in the hands of that honourable Court.
Commander Menzies then callel witnesses to
corroborate his statements.
The Judge-Advacate, by permission of the Court,
read Lieutenant Christian's defence. For six days
prior to the stranding of the ship, they had experi-
enced a south-westerly (set current), as shown by the
log, which must have shifted to the northward, as
from the position of the ship at noon on the previous
day, taken by Captain Menzies and himself, they
ouslit to have been, at the time of the disas-
ter, fifteen miles from the position of the
wreck. Bat allowing the same set as they
had experienced on the previous day, it would have
increased the distance of twenty-seven miles. He
regretted the loss of their work book, which would
have laid these facts before the Court. He has since
learnel that this set existed. He had no recent
sailing directions for the African coast. It was now
well known that several wrecks had occurred on
the coast where the ship was lost, and he re-
ferred to an account written by the harbour master
at Algoa Bay, which stated that two ships, the Run-
neymede and Prince of the Seas, were both lost
owing to the variableness of the current.t
h eh
left b t I :I
no orders for being called, becaus
wt or
ebeekubpesfoeolnt
la)
cf
rt
fees
cdtiayy, e
dTwhiet itghl t s
hbiepf
,osr the
pe
osi
tion. Had it been possible for him to have found bot-
tom the sounding could not have given him any idea ,
as to the distance from land, and no observation could
have been taken to ascertain the
It ship'
ad
s posiiion after
the noon of the 20th of May. wasadvisable that
the anchors should be lashed as the weather was so
bad. Having handed in his certificate he left his
case in the hands of the Court.
Witnesses were then called for the defence.
The Court then cleared, and after deliberating
for three hours and a half,
The Judge Advocate read the sentence, as follows:
—The Court having weighed and considered the
whole of the evidence, and having heard what the
prisoners and their witnesses have said in defence,
are of opinion that the charge against Commander
Menzies and Navigating Lieutenant Christian has
been proved, inasmuch as they were guilty of negli-
gence in not using the lead, or in not making any
attempt to get soundings when approaching laud,
and in default of not wearing the ship off the land
during the night if they thought it dangerous to
sound. But from the general character borne by
Commander Menzies for carefulness the Court thinks
that such negligence arose from error of judgment.
They therefore adjudge him to lose four years'
seniority in her Majesty's service and to be severely
reprimanded.
After taking into consideration the very high tes-
timonials possessed by Navigating Lieutenant Chris-
tian, the court adjudge hint to lose two years senio-
rity in her Majesty's service, and to be severely re-
primanded.
The President —The court cannot separate with-
out an expression of regret that her Majesty's ship
Osprey was not supplied with an edition of the
African Pilot" for 11365.
The court then separated after sitting three days. ,

BOT.ES

FROM
TRAIN ING QUARTERS.