The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVEN!

STATE Of THE RIVER THAMES.

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE.—(THIS DAT.)
This committee met this morning, at No. 11 Room,
to pursue the inquiry into the state of the Thames-
Amongst the members present were Mr. Kendall
(chairman), Mr. Roupoll, Mr. Ackroyd, Sir J. Shelley,
Lord John Manners, Mr. Locke, Sir J. Y. Buller, Mr.
Tite, Sir B. Hail, the Hon. Jocelyn Percy, and Mr. •
Alderman Cubitt.
The first witness called was
Mr. Hawkesley, civil engineer, examined by the
Chairman—l have paid spacial attention to the state of
the river Thames. I have made frequent experiments
on Thames water—the last took place yesterday,
During the hot weather I made experiments
in company with Dr. Letheby. The general result of •
the observation is that in consequence of the high degree
of temperature, and the small quantity of water coming
down—being only six or seven times as much as the
sewage falling into the river—l attribute the present im-
pure state of the river. I found that during the time
of the hot weather the temperature of the water
was 72, the highest I ever recollect. The water was
very much discoloured, and the mad was of a black
colour ; the odour was very bad. Having found that
the sewage extended from below Woolwich to Chiswick,
I made certain experiments to test the state of the
Thames at given points. On Saturday fortnight, off
Woolwich—coming up from Gravesend—about nine at
night, I found the stench greatest in the centre,
at Blackwell. The smell was distinguishable off
Greenwich, it was perfectly nauseous. Ab the Tunnel-
pier it was less offeensive ; at London .bridge it was
scarcely perceptible ; and at Waterloo -bridge there was
was no smell at all. This was at low water. On the
contrary, at high water I found a very strong stench in
the vicinity of the Mimes of Parliament. It appeared
to me to begin at Blackfriars-bridge, and to extend
to Chelsea ; but its greatest intensity was at
Waterloo-bridge. It diminished at Chelsea, and at
Chiswick it entirely ceased. Dr. Letheby, in company
with myself and Mr. Bidder, during the latter part of
June, the 21st, 23d, and 26th, made certain experiments.
Mid stream at low water was generally selected. We
found the water to be in a most impure state—in a gal-
lon of the water taken off Greenwich we found 67 grains
of impurity. Those 67 grains contained 24 grains of
alkaline chlorides. At London-bridge there were 29
grains of impurity, at Blackfriars 27, at Hungerford
2Si, at Westminster 26, at Chelsea 29, but there it con-
tained only 1 grain of alkaline chloride.
The Chairman—From your numerous experiments,
can you tell us how soon the sewage is delivered from
the Thames after it has been allowed to enter ?
Mr. Hawkesley—About a quarter of a mile in each
tide.
The Chairman—At what point down the river could
the sewage be introduced into the river without any
danger of its coming back ?
Mr. Hawkesley—Below Woolwich.
The Chairman—Are you satisfied of that ?
Mr. Hawkesley—Were the sewage put into the river
below Woolwich some of it would come back, but not i❑
the same state as it formerly was. On its return it
would be no longer sewage.
The Chairman—Then when the sewage once passes
Woolwich it never returns ?
Mr. Hawkesley—lt never comes back as sewage,
When it does return it is comparatively deodorised.
The Chairman—That is your decided opinion !
Mr. Hawkesley—That is the result of my observa-
tions.
The Chairman—ln the numerous experiments you
have been engaged in did you find the evil on the in-
crease or decrease ?
Mr. Hawkesley—On the increase.
Toe Chairman— What means should you recommend
to avert the present nuisance ?
Mr. Hawkesley—l know of no other means of pre-
venting the nuisance except by removing the cause,
of not allowing the sewage to enter it except at a point
at which it could not return.
The Chairman—Then your remedy is by intercepting
the sewage.
Mr. Hawkesley—Yes.
Mr. Roupell—Then if the Thames was not embanked
over, even the sewage had been diverted mud banks
would still form and give off the offensive exhalations?
Mr. Eawkesley—Yes.
Mr. Roupell—Not only offensive, but injurious
Mr. Hawkesley—Yes, certainly.
Mr. Roupell—Fever in certain parts is mainly, to be
attributed to organic matter mixed with the water ?
Mr. Hawkesley—Yes.
Mr. Roupell—Can the water, after being deodorised,
safely be introduced into the river ?
Mr. Hawkesley—Yes.
Mr. Roupell—And the inhabitants of the metropolis
need not be under fear of bad results following the erec-
tion of the deodorising stations, because such can be
carried out without danger 1
Mr. Hawkesley—Yes.
Mr. Tite—What is your'opinion of the system pur-
sued at Rugby ?
Mr. Hawkesley—The system at Rugby has, commonly
speaking, been a failure. It covered the expense, but
there was nothing to be got out of it.
Mr. Tite—That system was to distribute the sewage
over the land ?
Mr. Hawkesley— Yes,
Mr. Tite—De ycu know of any scheme or system by
which the sewage can be deodorised in the sewers on its
course before it entered the Thames. In your opinion
is such a thing possible ?
Mr. Hawkesley—No, not having a proper re-
gard for expenses. I don't think the sludge could be
carried off through pipes, and the removal by barges
would be expensive and very offensive.
The committee shortly afterwards adjourned.

THE UNITED STATES.

(From the Times Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, JUNE 29.

The excessive heat of the past four days has sus-
pended all business. The sun has blazed down from
a brassy sky without a cloud to intercept its rays.
The heated bricks and stones in town have turned,
the atmosphere they reflect into something resem-
bling what I suppose the interior of an oven may
be. In the countryl the foliage of the trees has
withered under the blaze. Not even the usual sea
breeze has come in the evening to rslieve the ex-
hausted frame. The long hot nights have been
more insufferable even than the day. From
every quarter we hear the usual acounts of the
effects of such protracted and powerful heatrupon
the imprudent labourers. The columns of the
journals record many instances of death from
sunstroke, sometimes instantaneous, sometimes
with more protracted suffering.
The Moses Taylor arrived from Aspinwall on
Sunday With $1,799,502 in gold. The reports of
the gold discoveries on Frazar's River are fully con-
' firmed. All doubt in regard to the richness of the
mines is dispelled, and the floating vagabond bor-
der-ruffian gold washers of California were moving
up in mass. The considerations which should in-
fluence prudent men—viz., the difficulty in getting
there, the cold climate, the impossibility of working
for at least two winter months by reason of the
cold, the high price of provisions, and the immi-
nent danger of a conflict with the hardy tribe of
Indians, whose rights the white vagabonds never
regard,—these considerations have no weight with
th class of men that are in motion. The authori-
ties of the Hudson's Bay Company are evidently
alarmed at the prospect of such an invasion. They
have issued a proclamation, warning persons from
entering Frazer's River for the purpose of trade,
such acts being contrary to law and infringements
ipon the exclusive rights of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany ; and that all persons, boats, and ships, found
14 days after the date of the proclamation in Fra-
zer's River, or in any of the bays, rivers, or creeks
of the British possessions on the orth-west coast
of America, without a licence from the Hudson's
Bay Company, shall be liable to forfeiture, and will
be seized and condemned according to law. There
is plenty of trouble ahead. The class of men whom
the Company propose to exclude have not much
respect for proclamations. They have as little re-
gard for such sort of " powder," and as little re-
spect for a paper claim to the exclusive occupation
of a continent, as the British fleet had for the
similar claims of Commissioner Yeh. Ido not sup-
pose that any attempt would be made to enforce a
forfeiture of a vessel. The mere assertion of the
right appears to have stirred up the gold diggers
wonderfully.
The same steamer brings intelligence that the
Governments of Nicaragua and Costa Rica have
granted to Mr. Vanderbilt and his associates the
exclusive right of working the transit route by way
of San Juan,—the river and lake. The former grant
to the Transit Company is revoked for failure on the
part of that company to comply with the conditions
of the grant ; and now Mr. Vanderbilt has ob-
tained, for the little sum of 100,000 dole. lent to
Nicaragua (and for which a State Royalty upon the
income is pledged), and the further sum of 32,000
dols., the control of the route, and the possession of
all the property of the former comparies. This
transfer and grant are said to have been anterior
to the supposed concession to M. Belly. The Act
of Incorporation, as published, is dated the 6th day
of May. The concession referred to in it is dated
the gth day of March.
We have also, by the same source, intelligence of
the completion of the proposed arrangement for
consolidating the separa' e republics of the Isthmus
into a Federative body, with a common central
Government. This measure was recommended by
the United States' Goys:no-lent many years ago ;
but at that time the difference between the States
of Costa Rica and Nicaragua ran so high, and the
mutual jealousy between the United States and
Great Britain was so great, that it was impossible
to bring it about.
The relations between the United States and
Mexico are complicated by the retirement of the
United States Minis'er to that country, who has
demanded his passports in consequence of the at-
tempts to enforce the involuntary loan. The cor-
respondent of the Tribune says—with what truth
I cannot say—that
" It is probable that Col. Forsyth has asked for
his passports, knowing the intention of Mr. Bu-
chanan to recall him, and wishing to withdraw with
an imaginary eclat."
The intelligence from Utah by way of San Fran-
cisco confirms that received by the overland
route. Only a few Mormons remained at Salt
Lake city to take care of the crops. Three sur-
, veying parties had gone southerly in different
directions. Some supposed that Brigham Young
had selected as the place of his future residence an
unexplored tract of country between the Central
route and the old Spanish trail to New Mexico ;
' while others, probably better informed, sup-
posed that Sonora, or ono of the adjoining Mexican
States, was to be the future home of the Saints.
While the United Sates' Government are driving
them out at the point of the bayonet because their
theocratic fora, of despotism and their social insti-
tutions conflict with those of the rest of the United
States, and make an existence under the same
Government impossible, doctrines more extraordi-
nary than theirs and more subversive of all that is
good in society are freely proclaimed index the
very shadows of the Puritanic mountains of New
England.
Persons dissatisfied with the rest of the world,
and admirers of themselves, have just been gathered
together under a canvass tent among the mountains
of Vermont, with an explosion of gasconade tibaldry
and lasciviousness that puts Brigham Young to the
blush and Mormonism in the shade. Marriage is
denounced as the cause of the slavery and degra-
' dation of woman, whereby she loses the control of
her name, her person, her property, her labour, her
affections, her children, and her freedom ; and a
pretty delez,ate from New York—representing what
department in our Babel I cannot say—'._,n "the
sunny side of 39," with pretty curls, bewitchine
smile, sparkling eyes, and sweet elocution, held
forth upon this text in a spe,ch that fills a column
and A-half in the morning journals. She treated her
subject con amore, but in language that will hardly
bear transcribing. Discontented minds of every
sort were there represented, complaining— sonic of
the restraints of the marriage tie, some of the weight
of the Church and religious institutions, some of the
sin slavery, some of the unjust distribution of
operty—all of the sinful mote in the eyes cf
offending friends and strangers, none of the beam
that was blearing their own vi-ion. Two or three
times a-year there has to be just such a " stanapcdo"
of "isms." The public is amused or shocked, ac-
cording to its fancy, and the spread of these peon-
liar teneti is effecmually checked by the absurdity
of the display.
The Batik statement for the week shows the fol-
lowing comparative results:--
June 26. June 19.
Capital ... 566,717,000 ... $613,717,000
Loaes 118,823,401 ... 117,797,047
Specie 31,948,089 ... 32,396,456'
Citculation 7,215,089 ... 7,297,631
Gross deposits 101,961,682 ... 102,149,470
Exchanged ... 15,825,983 ... 16,868,521
Undrawn... ... 86,135,699 ... 85,289,949
In Sub-Treasury 7,401,599 ... 7,685,876

• The Treasury Department advertises for one-
half of the lean authorised by the late Act of Con-
gress. The following is the notice :
" Treasury Department, June 26, 1858.
"Sealed proposals will be received at this depart-
ment until 12 o'clock, noon, of Monday, the 9th of
August .next, for 10,000,000 dol. of stock of the
United States; to be issued under the Act of the
14th Of Juno inst. Said stock will be reimbursable
in 15 years from the Ist of January next, and be r
interest at 5 per cent. per annum, payable semi-
annually on the first days of January and July of
each year.
"No bid will be received lyilow par, and none
for any fractipn of I,oooJols. No bid will be con-
sidered unless one per cent. of the amount is de-
posited, subject to the order of the Secretary of
the Treasury, with a depositary. of the United
States, whose certificate of the same must accom-
pany the bid. In all cases the • bids, must be un-
conditional, and without reference to the bids of
others, and must state the premium offered therein.
"The sealed proposals should be endorsed on the
outside of the envelope, Prop osals for Loan of 1858,'
and be addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury,
WaThingtou. The sums which may be accepted from
any bidder will be required to be paid to the depo-
sitary
of the United States nearest to his residence,
or indicated as most convenient by him. Should
bids be accepted from parti's not residing within
the United States, they will be required to deposit
the principal -and premium with the Assistant-
Treasurers at Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or
ht;
cp9auyra,,bilies
o tfo
semi-annual
them
New Orleans.
"'Certificates of stocks for \the eums of $l,OOO
e^c~i,
successfuli-annual interestbid defrroomr
of January next, als
• payable to bearer, attached
thebearer, l
s t
witac
the4eto, will le issued for the amount of the ac-
cepted bide upon the certificates
of deposit to the
credit of the Treasurer of the Un'r 1 States with
the-depositaries of the United s 43,
tes The stock
ta .
will in all cases bear interestl from the date of such
deposit. The interest from that to the Ist of
January will be paid to the 8 day . _
successful bidder. or his
attorney by the depositary where the deposit was
made.

"SuCcessful bidders will be required to deposit
the principal and premium of their accepted bids

on or before the Ist day of September next. The
preliminary deposit of one per cent. will b© imme-
diately directed to be returned to the successful
bidders. " HOWELL COBB,
Secretary to the Treasury."
The Illinois Central Railroad Company have
called in further assessments of $23 a-Aare upon
their shares, in order tic, pay off the floating debt.
This step has been renuered necessary by the fail-
ure of the Optional Right Loan.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The United Service Gazette says :
"We have much pleasure in announcing that the
ships intended to form the Channel fleet will be
brought forward immediately for commission.
Rear-Ad mizal of the Red Sir Charles Howe Fre-
mantle, K.C.B , one of the most active and de-
servedly popular in the service, was on Thursday
appointed the commander-in-chief, and will forth-
with hoist his flag at Portsmouth on board the
Duke of Wellington. Sir Charles Fremantle is
in his 58th year, which, as the admirals' list goes,
must be thought young. He is also full of vigour,
and, upon the whole, we may congratulate the
First Lord upon the discretion he has displayed in
selecting this officer from among the numerous
aspirants for this distinguiled post. The flag cap-
tain and other officers composing the staff have not
yet been named. Great care will be necessary with
regard to the captain and commander of the flag
ship, for these are times in which a little delicate
handling will do great things towards manning the
fleet, while the want of it will be productive of much
mischief." . _

The screw steam ship Royal Albert, 121, from
Malta and Gibraltar, arrived in Plymouth Sound
in the afternoon ; she saluted outside the break-
water.
The Hon. East India Company's screw troopship
Undaunted, Commander Franklyn, arrived in the
Thames yesterday from India, having on board 120
invalid troops belonging to various cavalry and
infantry regiments now serving in India, the whole
in charge of Major C. Langdon, Royal Artillery.
The following officers also came home in the Un-
daunted,—viz., Lieut.-Colonel A. Horne, 13th
Light Infantry ; Capt. T. E. Green, 82d Regiment;
Capt. G. C. Hunt, Medical Staf; Capt. Water-
man, 13th Bengal Native Infantry; Lieut. C. A.
Armstrong, 10th Regiment ; Lieut. C. P. Miller,
82d ; Assistant-Surgeon J. J. Mulock, 06th Regi-
ment, and Assistant-Surgeon H. R. L. Veale,
M.D., Royal Artillery. During the voyage from
Calcutta nine deaths occurred on board. On the
disembarkation of the invalids at Gravesend they
were forwarded yesterday to Fort Pitt general hos-
pital, Chatham, where those requiring surgical
treatment were admitted into the hospital, and the
remainder sent to St. Mary's invalid depot to await
their discharge.

Yesterday-the Nimrod, Harrison commander,
arrived at Gravesend from Ceylon, having on board
a party of invalid troops belonging to the 37th Re-
giment and the Royal Artillery. The following
offic.l.-s also arrived with the troops :—Captain S.
Sarpe, 20th Regiment, late of the Ceylon Rifles, in
charge of invalids ; Lieut. S. Halahan, and Ensign
C. D. Baynes, C ylon Rifles, who are both invalided
home. The Nimrod sailed from Colombo on the
11th March, and had a remarkably fine passage.
Tic ee deaths occurred on beard during the voyage,
viz., two men of the Royal Artillery, and one of
the 37th Regiment. The invalid troops, together
with four women and 15 children, were forwarded
yesterday afternoon to Fort Pitt, Chatham.
On Saturday the reinforcements for the Bth (the
King's), 19th, 20th, 24th, 29th, and 35th (Royal
Suss'x) Reeiments, selected from the battalions of
infantry at Chatham, left that garrison and pro-
ceeded to Gravesend, where they embarked from '
Custom-II:Also Quay on board the Annie Roydon,
clipper, 1,170 tons, for Calcutta. Reinforcements
for the 54th Regiment, from the depot at Colches-
ter, and the 64th Regiment, from Janterbury, also
embarked on board the Annie Ito:, cton. The num-
ber of troops at Chatham gairisou still under orders
to embaik for India is nearly 500 men of all ranks.
It is expected that a small body of troops will be
encamped shortly on the Dines at Great Yarmouth.
The 15th Hussars have left Ipswich and Norwich,
and it is expected that the barracks in those towns
will be for some little time unoccupied.
The paddle-Wheel steamship Virago, 6, Captain
Dunn, arrived in Plymouth Senna yesterday
morning. She left Montevideo May 17, arrived at
Rio Janeiro on the 25th, and sailed the 28th, St.
Vincent June the 23d, and Fayal July the 3d. The
Virago brings home Captain Jasper H. Selwyn, of
the sloop Siren, on promotion, and Lieut. A. H.
Fitzroy, invalided, from Rio Jaueiro. She re-
turns in consequence of baying broken the main
shaft of her engine in the Parana. The Virago was
commissioned May 7, 1856, and has been chiefly
employed in the suppression of the slave-trade on
the east coast of America. During the months of
March and April of 1857 and 1858 her crew suf-
fered severely from yellow fever at Rio Janeiro,
where she lost 2(3 men and seven officers, including
Commander Haggard. They are in now in excel-
. lent health, and have bean so since April last.
Spoke, June 26, in lat. 24 38 N., long. 24 15 \Y.,
the clipper ship Gardener, from Glasgow for Mel-
bourne, and 29th, in lat. 34 N., long. 20 43 W.,
the Mary Hardy, 21 days from London for Bar-
nadoes. The paddlewheel steam-vessel, Firefly, 4,
Commander G. F. Day, from the west coast of
Africa, left St. Vincent ou the 23d. of Juno, fLr
Plymouth.

The screw stt.arnsbip Diadem, 32, Captain Wm.
Mo.,rsom, returned to Plymouth on Wednesday
from her cruise in the Channel, and sailed again on
Friday evening for Spithead.

The screw steam-corvette Raco-n, 21, Captain
James'A. Poynter, arrived at Plymouth on Fri-
day, and left yes!erday morning under canvas.
The new screw frigate Orlando, 51, recently
launched at Pembroke, arrived at Plymouth can
Friday, to be fitted with engines of 1,000-horse
power in Yoyham-yard.
The steamihip Chester, Capt. Todd, from Pa-
lermo, which arrived at Plymouth on S:.tur-
day, Jett her Majesty's ships Royal khert and
Marlborough at Gibraltar on the 30th.
The paddlewheel steam frigate Terrible, 21 gun?,
Captain F. ill, H. Glaise,•C.l3., at Sheerness, being
reported ready for sea, wits ordered on Saturday
last to jnceal on a trial of her machinery prepara-
tory to leaving that port. She got up steam and
left at 9.30 a in., T roceedA down the Sevin, and
steamed on about 40 mica below Harwich. She
1;
returned to h, r moorings about 9 p.m on the saute
day. Her rate of sp was from 14 to 12 knots
per hour. Every part of her machinery acted very
satisfactorily, and she now remains waiting Admi-
ralty oldes for her departure. The destination of
ihe rrible is un kno

vic3 commander Henry
Commander the Hon. F. A. F„ ley wason S .tur-
day appointed to the command of her Majesty's
ship eoquetle,
Carr Glyn,
superseded at his own request.