The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-20 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—As a notion has been entertained by many
worthy persons, and I have received communica-
tions on the subject, that " Letters from Hell," an-
nounced by me, is an irreligious work, I beg you to
enable me, through your columns, to contradict this
impression,
which, left without a reply, might pos-
sibly injure the author. " Letters from Hell" is, in
fact, the production of an eminent Danish pastor,
and has been translated by a clergyman of the
Church of England. The work will appear first in
England, and afterwards in Copenhagen.—Yours
obediently,

RICHARD BENTLEY.
New Burlington-street, Oct. 19, 1866.

Horses Lamed by Broken Granito.

TO TILE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.

Sin,—Perceiving by a letter in the Times of the
9th inst. that another case is recorded of a horse
being rendered useless by the angular stones of our
macadamised streets, you will be rendering a public
service by noticing the fact to your readers, in the
hope that a remedy may be provided in our system
of road-making for the removal of an evil that is a
disgrace to our metropolis.
In the instance alluded to by the 7 imes corre-
spondent, a valuable horse had his fetlock joint cut
by one of these sharp pieces of broken granite near
Grosvenor-gate, by which he was rendered useless
for life, and to terminate the sufferings of the poor
animal his eyes were blindfolded, and, before a
crowd of passengers, he was poleaxed on the spot.
Various complaints of this nature were also made
in Paris when the M'Adam system was first intro-
duced, for which an effectual remedy was provided
by the use of asphalte for cementing the small stones
together into blocks, whereby street surfaces were
rendered impervious to water, and the noxious
vapours and exhalations emanating from the inter-
stices of macadamised roads, as used in London, and
which have proved so productive of cholera and
other complaints, were also done away with. To
these evils it may be added that a macadam road is
an expensive nuisance, as the materials rapidly wear
away, and in wet weather the roadway is covered
with mud and in dry weather with dust, loading
the atmosphere, mingled with the filth that falls
upon the surface, which is carried by the wind into
the houses and shops, and even into the respiratory
organs of the inhabitants, thereby causing the pul-
monary complaints so prevalent in this capital.
For evils of this nature it is to be feared that no
effectual remedy can be provided until the streets
of London are placed under the control of some
central board, by which all municipal improvements
can be regulated, as in Paris and other continental
cities. For the accomplishment of this object we
must call forth the aid of the press, and compel the
adoption of such improvements as those which suc-
ceeded in Paris by the force of public opinion.—I
am, Sir, your obedient servant,
AN OLD CAVALRY OFFICER.

The New York papers publish a telegram
Chicago,which announces the death, in that city, of Augus-
tus Dickens, brother of Charles Dickens, the novelist.
PRESENT POSTION OF THE PORT-WINE MARKET.
—The Assolament° of Oporto states the aggregate produce
of the Douro districts for the years 1841 to 1850 to have
been 297,519 pipes. A similar official document states the
produce of the years 1851 to 1860 to have been 254,265
pipes, a difference of only 43,254. Win Trade Review.