The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-23 00:00:00

Liverpool Cotton Market.—This Day.

The market opens steady. Sales 10,000 bales or
more.

GENERAL LEE.

-The following letter has been addressed to a
contemporary :
Sir,—The undersigned has been instrusted with an im-
portant mission to the people of Great Britain, and begs
your attention to the following brief statements of facts;
which ho trusts will secure your interest and sympathy.
You are probably aware that since the close of the recent
American war, Gen. Robert E. Lee has become the Presi
dent of Washington College in Virginia. This institution,
situate at Lexington, in that State, was originally endowed
by George Washington, and has always borne his name•
For more than half a century it has worthily fulfilled the
intention of its illustrious founder. But during the con-
tinuance of hostilities, the Valley of Virginia, as you
know, was the theatre of active military operations, and
Lexington falling into the hands of the Federals, the Col-
lege suffered very cruel losses in its library and apparatus.
Subsequently, when the State was conquered by the Fe- ,
deral armies, it sustained a still graver loss in the ruinous
depreciation of its funds. It is now desired, in the into-
rests of education—and not less for the benefit of General
Lee—to add to the endowment of the institution a suffi-
cient sum to repair the ravages of the war, and to provide
a proper salary for the new President.
The sum of £30,000 is needed for this purpose. One-
third of the amount has already been subscribed by friends
in America, and it is confidently hoped that another third
will be secured when the returns of the new harvest have
been realised. For the remaining third I appeal to the libe-
rality of England.
The sincere admiration felt for the high qualities of
Robert E. Lee by the English people inspires the belief that
they would gladly unite in a testimonial in his behalf could
a fitting occasion be presented to them for so doing. But
General Lee, with the self-abnegation that has always
marked his conduct, has persistently refused to permit any
efforts to be made for his personal advantage, and has ex-
pressly declined to accept gratuities that had been sub-
scribed without his knowledge. He would not authorise
the use of his name in any effort of this kind that might
be set on foot in Virginia or elsewhere, and it ought to be
stated that the present writing is wholly without consulta-
tion with him. I feel, however, that the people of England
will readily see in the proposed "R. E. Lee Endowment
Fund for Washington College" an opportunity of testifying
their regard for the Christian hero in a manner that will
enure practically to his material benefit, without wounding
in the least his sensitive delicacy or compromising his per-
tonal independence.
Should the English people generously respond to my ap-
peal, as I am induced to hope they will, the double object
will bo attained of placing General Leo in a position of
honourable competence, and of reorganising on a scale of
wider usefulness an institution which owes its origin to the
munificence of Washington, and is now under the
guidance of Washington's worthiest successor.—l am, sir,
most respectfully your obedient servant,

15, Ryder-street, St. James's July. S. 9. STUART.

The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up
,o this day, are in round figures as under :

1866. 1865
Great Western 81,296 76,090
North Western 133,344 126,905
South Western 30,655 30,392
Brighton
Midland
South Eastern 29,082 28,957
Great Northern
Lancaster and Yorkshire
Bristol and Exeter 8,474 8,073
North Eastern 77,406 75,285
Manchester, 'Sheffield, and Lincoln 20.909 20,142
Great Eastern
Loudon and Chatham and Dover 14,154 14,328
These returns, when compared with those of the
corresponding period of last year, are, with a few
exceptions, of a favourable character. On the
Great Western there is an increase of £5,206, on the
North-Western of £6,439, on the South-Western
0f£263 ; on the Brighton of £1,866, on the Mid-
land of £3,759, on the South-Eastern of £125, on
the Great Northern of £3,807, on the Lancashire
and Yorkshire of £3,854, on the Bristol and Exeter
of £4Ol, on the North-Eastern of £2,121, on the
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln of £767, and on
the Great Eastern of £482. The London, Chatham,
and Dover, however, shows a decrease of £174.
LONDON STREET NAMES.—A blue-book has just
been issued by the Metropolitan Board of Works giving
returns of the names of streets in the metropolis as regu-
lated by the orders of the Board since 1856. These returns
show that from 1857 to May in the present year 46,879
houses were re-numbered, 2,110 subsidiary names of streets
were abolished on re-naming or re-numbering the whole
street, and 824 new streets have been approved from time
to time under the Metropolis Local Management Act. In
selecting new names of streets, the rule of the Board is to
adopt such as are not already in use in the metropolis, as
far as this can be known, but they complain that the law
on the subject is not sufficiently observed by vestries and
district boards, who frequently adopt names for new
streets without communicating with the Board. The con-
sequence is that streets, roads, terraces, squares, and
places of the same name are constantly recurring all over
London. The "Post-office Directory" for 1866 gives the
following among other results :—London contains 6 streets
called Smith-street, 12 Thomas-streets, 14 Gloucester-
streets (with 9 Gloucester-places, 9 terraces, and 6 Glou-
cester-roads), 15 Market-streets, 18 James-streets, 20
George-streets, upwards of 20 Duke-streets, 20 Princes-
streets, 21 Union-streets, 25 William-streets, 26 Iligh-
streets, 30 Charles-streets, 35 Devonshire-streets, terraces,
and places, 40 Wellington ditto, 40 John-streets, 40 King-
streets, and upwards of 30 Queen-streets ; there are 46
Park-streets, pisses, terraces, and roads ; the name Victoria
occurs 40 times in the "London Street Directory," including
4 streets, 8 terraces, 9 roads, and 6 places ; and the name
Albert occurs about as often. York, a very favourite street
name, occurs 60 times. There are 14 West-streets, 12
East-streets, 17 South-streets, and 20 North-streets in the
metropolis ; 85 thoroughfares designated "Great" ancodrii:
designated " Little" (there aro as many as 8 Little G g
streets alone), and there are 50 Lower-streets,
large number of 139 Upper-streets in the.
len. These names have been abolislictdacult. It is worth
instances by the regulations of the recent act.
facts touching .
every one's while to know the following modernanumber of
of houses.
the naming of streets and
itlllreb therefore, begins at the end of the
St. Paul's Cathedral is
and the numbering* of housesrogtliTisod. as a central point,
right and left (assuming
the back
sides of the streets
number will street nearest to that
the odd
to bo towards St. Paul.)
to the left and the even numbers to the right hand
side. be
No name is to
used for a street unless with the ap-
I of the Board, and the name • t•
prova must be one con sls ill g,
if possible, of one word, with the addition of "street," or
"road" as the case may be, not already in use in the street
nomenclature of the metropolis. Only such streets as aro
leading thoroughfares of considerable length can bo desig-
nated "roads." Lastly, names for terraces, or places, or
other blocks of houses, and sections of streets, and usually
known as subsidiary names, will not bo recognized ; nor
such names as are already in use for provincial towns and
postal places. If persons about to build would give atten-
tion to these directions it would facilitate the labours of the
board and tend greatly to simplify our street arrangements.
Building News.

The eouree of exchange at New York on London for bills at
60 days' sight is lin to 108 per cent. At these rates the e
is no profit on the importation of golf trout the United
J tato.