The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-28 00:00:00

ME7ROPOLITAN BOARD OF JVORKS.

The first meeting of the members of this Board,
after their adjournment for the holidays, was held
yesterday at their offices in Spring-gardens, Sir
John Thwaites in the chair. The cash statements
showed the following sums in the hands of the trea-
surer on the 24th of September, 1867 :—ln the
London and Westminster Bank to sundry accounts,
£317,180 17s. 7d. ; in the Bank of England to main
drainage account, £44,625 9s. 3d. ; Thames Em-
bankment North, £23,783 3s. 9d. ; Southern Em-
bankment, £51,647 2s. 6d. ; and Mansion-house-st.,
£59,211 10s. 6d.—total in Bank of England,
£182,26768. Od.; grand total, £499,44835. 7d. Checks
not presented £23,920 10s. 9d., and Mortgage Debt
Sinking fund, £35,609 2s. 7d. New Three per Cent.
Annuities. The finance committee brought up their
report recommending the following, which were
agreed to :—" That the sums specified in the state-
ment submitted to the committee, amounting in the
whole to £23,975 19s. 4d., be paid. That the Go-
vernor and Company of the Bank of England be
requested to give directions for a further advance to
the Board of £50,000, for the purposes of the main
drainage, agreeably to the provisions of the agree-
ment between the Board and the Bank. That the
sum of £3,000 be transferred from the general ac-
count to the fire brigade account. That the Board
approve the transfer of £5OO from the Kensington
improvement account to the Holborn improvement
account, and £2,000 from the general account to
the Finsbury-park account, made during the recess.
That the sum of £llO,OOO to be received from the
National Debt Commissioners, being the balance of
the loan of £680,000, agreed to be advanced for the
purpose of the Thames Embankments and Mansion-
house new street, be placed to the credit of the
Mansion-house-street account. Reporting that the
sum of £50,000, being the balance of the sum of
£150,000 agreed to be advanced by the Bank of
England for the purpose of the Kensington improve-
ment, is now payable. That the necessary steps be
taken for issuing the main drainage precepts to the
city of London, and the several parishes, &c., in
the county of Middlesex, and that the issuing of
those precepts affecting the parishes, &c., in Surrey
and Kent be postponed until the new county rate
basis for Surrey has been confirmed. That the
application of the Limehouse District Board for the
sanction of the Board to a loan of £5,500, required
for carrying out an improvement in New Crane,
Shadwell, be granted, the principal to be repaid by
equal annual instalments within a period of 25 years,
and the rate of interest not to exceed 5 per cent. per
annum." Mr. Colliusou, according to notice on Aug.
9, called the attention of the Board to the officers'
attendance book, and moved " that the clerk do re•
port to the Board monthly the names of all those
officers who had been absent from or late in their at-
tendance to their duties." Ile said he would not
name any of the officers who came late, as he under-
stood that with two of them it arose through illness,
but there were others whose names appeared in the
attendance book as coming late as often as six and
tea times a month. In order to put a stop to su2l
a laxity of duty he thought it necessary to bring
the subject before the Board, which he was in hopes
would have the desired effect. There was less ex-
cuse for this laxity in their duties, as they all had a
certain part of the year on which holidays were
granted them, and they could not be considered as
overworked. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Bigood suggested
that a mark sliguld. be placed xgainst every officer's
'name who came late, and that a certain number of

marks should be a bar to their promotion at the end
of the year. Mr. H. Lowman Taylor said that the
clerk ought to make a report to the Board monthly
of the attendance of the officers, and then proper
steps would be taken to put an end to it. The
chairman said his attention had been called to the
subject, and he had spoken privatelyibut officially,
to those immediately concerned, but unfortunately
without the desired effect, al the late- attendance
still continued with many of the officm ; under
those circumstances he communicated with the
Works and General Purposes Committee, and
called their attention to it. Mr. Collinson then
mov&I that the subject be referred to the IVorks
and General Purposes Committee, which was agreed
to unanimously. After the transaction of some
other business, of no public intereA, the Board
adjourned.

1 ali L A.N 0 .

--11.-

DUBLIN, Sept. 27

The half-yearly meeting of the Midland Great.
Western R&l‘.vay was held yesterday, at the Broad-
stone terminus; fir. Ralph Cusack in the chair
The report showed an increase of £5,560 in the re-
ceipts for the half year, and a dividend of 5 per
cent• on the preference stock and 2f on the original
was declared. The chairman spoke in congratulatory
terms of the improved condition of the company,
and explained that the directors had not been able
to recommend a larger dividend, because the work-
ing expenses had increased as well as the traffic;
coals were dearer, Lord Lucan's line had not paid
its contribution for the last half year, an outlay
upon the docks at the north wall had become neces-
sary, and they had to pay for land on the Sligo line.
The chairman also noticed a subject which is of in-
terest at this time, when the project of railway pur-
chase by the Glivernment is engaging public atten-
tion. It may be observed that the directors have
been anticipating by voluntary arrangements the
experiment of cheap fares, which is one of the chief
objects, sought to be effected by the State. The line
is the second in extent and importance in., Ireland,,
and it traverses a comparatively poor district of.
country. It was therefore a bold policy to adopt a
Beide of fares unsually low, to establish a system of
excursion trains every week to and from distant
points, and to hold out special inducements to the
very humblest classes to avail themselves of the faci-
lities of railway travelling. It is a policy strongly
disapproved by the magnates of other boards as
wholly unsuited to the circumstances of Ireland, even
where the population is numerous and tolerably pros-
perous. It is the opposite of the policy pursued on
this same line under former management. In the
face of peculiar difficulties, however, arising from the
embarrassed circumstances in which they found the
railway, they persevered in this liberal course, and
the result, as stated by the chairman yesterday, is
that the experiment has been successful, and is
likely to be still more so, although a different result
had been predicted. He observed that the people
require to be educated in travelling, and that could
only be done by the issue of cheap tickets. After
the termination of the ordinary meeting, a special
meeting was held, at which authority was given to
the board to issue £50,000 preference shares.
The arrangements for the reception of his Excel-
lency the Lord Lieutenant in Belfast are now stated
to be completed. His Excellency will arrive from
Baronscourt on Tuesday afternoon, and be escorted
by the Mayor and Corporation to Belvoir-park, the
residence of Sir Thos. Bateson. On Wednesday his
Excellency will open the new docks, and be enter-
tained by the Harbour Commissioners in the even-
ing. On Thursday he will visit the town, and be
entertained at a dejeuner by the Corporation. He
will return to Baronscourt on Friday.
The Earl and Countess Russell have been enjoy-
ing a pleasant tour in the south of Ireland, and
have everywhere been received with the courtesy
and kindness which the Irish peasantry in even their
rudest state accord to visitors, especially if they
have rank and reputation to bespeak a grateful wel-
come. They have been staying chiefly during the
last week at Bessborough Park, county of Kilkenny.
On Wednesday they went to Portlaw, county of
Waterford, to examine the extensive cotton and
linen factory of Messrs. Male =son, and the build-
ings erected in connection with them for the intel
lectual and moral improvement of the Workers.
They were accompanied by the Earl and Countess
of Besaborough, Col. Tighe, andLadyboui,Sa Tighe.
They also visited the Mayfield National Schools,
and tested the amount of knowledge acquired by the
children. The factory, which occupies a picturesque
site, was erected in 1825 by the late Mr. David
Malcomson. The vast proportions which it has now
assumed, and the air of contentment and comfort
which pervades the surrounding, district, show what
can be done by persevering energy to surmount the
disadvantages under which Ireland labours with re-
spect to manufactures, and to improve the condition
of the lower classes.
A singular instance of popular superstition oc-
curred a few days since at Meyross, in the west of
the county of Cork, and had wellnigh been attended
with serious consequences. The body of an American
captain, whose vessel had been wrecked on the coast,
was recently washed ashore and buried in the Mey-
roes churchyard. His friends, however, desired to
remove the remains to the United States, and pro-
ceeded to disinter them for that purpose. The
peasantry have a traditional belief that the removal
of a body which has been for some time buried
causes extraordinary mortality in the locality for the
next 12 months, and they therefore regard such a
proceeding with horror. When the party came to
exhume the remains they found an unexpected op-
position, which every effort failed to overcome. The
people, filled with excitement, rushed to the grave-
yard armed with every weapon upon which they
could lay hands, and drove the strangers forcibly
away. The parish priest interfered and attempted to
persuade them that their alarm was groundless., but
they would not listen to him, and they persisted in
refusing to let the grave be disturbed. So bent are
they upon preventing it that they have sentinels
watching day and night lest the object should be
effected by surprise. On the other hand, the friends
of the deceased have not abandoned their intention,
but threaten to call in the aid of the military to
enforce their right.
On Wednesday evening a dinner was given by the
Ulster Medical Association to Sir J. Simpson and
other professional brethren attending the Social
Science Congress in Belfast. Dr. Seaton occupied
the chair.
A dejeuner was given yesterday on board the new
steamer France, belonging to the National Steam
Navigation Company of Liverpool, 'which arrived on
her trial trip from LiverpooL She is a fine vessel of
3,571 tons register, and is intended for Transatlan-
tic service.
The first show of the Strokestown Agricultural
Society was held yesterday. It was highly satis-
factory as a first attempt to extend in this district
some of the advantages which other localities have
long since derived from the establishment of such
societies. One of its chief objects is to encourage
the growth of flax, which has already made some
progress. Iu this respect Strokestown is in advance
of other places in the west, having two or three
flax mills in its vicinity.

EXTRAORDINARY DEATlL—Yesterday an inquest
was held at the Loudon Hospital touching the death of
Elizabeth B. King, aged 16 yeirs. Joseph Hinds, Leaden-
hall-street, said the deceased was a domestic servant in the
employment of his mother. Last Monday he heard loud
screams and a crash of glass; and, on going to the back
premises, he found the deceased lying underneath a sky-
light. She had fallen through. Blood was coining from
her. She had "kept conversation" with a young man next
door, and would have to get on to the roof to carry on the
conversation. The coroner said the deceased was evidently
carrying ou the flirtation with the young man when ehe
was killed. The verdict was accidental death.
SUNDAY LABOUR IN POST OFFICES.—•A return has
just been published from which it appears that the persons
employed on Sunday throughout the United Kingdon con-
sist of 31 inspectors, 758 postmasters, 1,054 clerks, 877
scampers and sorters, 3,762 letter carriers, 2,911 rural
messengers, 8,852 sub-postmasters or receivers, and 2,716
"other persons," chiefly mail guards, mail cart drivers,
and assistants at the smaller country offices. There aro
554 head offices and 6,172 sub-offices open to the public on
Sunday in England; 1,582 are not open. In Scotland 133
head offices and 1,032 sub-offices aro open, and 159 are
Closed. In Ireland 133 head offices and 1,02 'sub ofEces
are open, and 40 aro cloud.