The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-09 00:00:00

RAILWAYS IN THE CITY.

Deputy SNELLING presented a petition from the
inhabitants of the ward of Langbourne for the court
to oppose the City and London-bridge Railways
Bill in Parliament.

Alderman SIDNEY presented a similar petition
from another ward in the City, and they were both
referred to the Law and Parliamentary Committee.

LOCAL TAXATION.

The REME3II3IIANCEI: reported that a committee
of the House of Commons had been appointed for
the purpose of considering the subject of local taxa-
tion in the metropolis generally, and upon the mo-
tion of Mr. LAWLEY, the subject was referred to a
special ward committee, to watch the proceedings
of the committee referred to, and to take such steps
thereupon as they might deem necessary.

THE TRAFFIC IN THE CITY.
Mr. M‘GEORGE inquired of Alderman Stone, the
chairman of the Police Committee, whether any
additional policemen had been appointed under the
recent resolutions of the court for the purpose of re-
gulating the traffic of the streets of the City ?
Alderman STONE replied that the subject had been
under the consideration of the committee, and when
the 50 additional constables were appointed there
would be 91 constables specially employed to regu-

late the traffic in the City. At present two-thirds
of the 50 additional men were under probation, and
he hoped that by the time when the new Traffic
Regulation Bill that was before Parliament had be-
come law the whole number of men would be ap-
pointed and ready to assist in carrying out the pro-
visions of the act ? (Hear, hear.)

TIIE CORPORATION GAS BILL.
Mr. J. F. BONTEMS, the chairman of the special
committee appointed to consider the important

question of the supply of gas to the citizens of
London, then proceeded to propose a motion

having reference to the subject. He said the court
was aware that after one of the most severe struggles
that had ever taken place upon a private bill in the
house of Commons, the city had attained the second
reading of their Gas Bill by a considerable majority.
(Hear, hear and cheers.) He thought he ought not
to omit to express his opinion that they were very
much indebted to Mr. Crawfurd for the able man-

ner in which he had introduced the measure to the
House of Commons and the able and zealous sup-
port he had given to it---(hear, hear).— and also to
Mr. Alderman W. Lawrence for the manner in
which he had supported the rights of the citizens,
and thus succeeded in defeating the determined
opposition of the supporters of the gas monopoly.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) He considered that they
were also very much indebted to Sir G. Grey, the
Home Secretary, for the assistance he had given
them in defending their rights and allowing the

measure to go to the committee that was already
appointed to consider other matters connected with

this important subject. (Hear, hear.) The court

was aware that the committee to whom the subject
had been referred would have to take into conside-
ration questions relating to the supply of gas as it
affected the whole metropolis, and this being the
state of things, the committee of which he was
,chairman considered that it would be advisable that
they 5A1,0,414
the vestries have the power of conferring with all
and metropolitan boards, and co-operate
with them juniattaining the important object of de-
feating the
o,llopoly that at present existed, and
which had led
10 fie much and well grounded com-
plaint, not only on the
partt
hof the citizens of Lon-
don, but the inhabitants of
(Hear, hear.) moved a e.metropolis generally.
resolution to the effect
stated.
the resolution,
Mr. E. PRESSER ROGERs seconded
which was carried unanimously.

ABOLITION OF RELIGIOUS
TESTS.
Mr. Deputy C. REED moved that the 0,-,
liy of Lon-
don School, of which this corporation is th
having sent up to the University of Cambridge
several scholars who have taken high positions in
the university examinations, but have been debarred
from acquiring the honours and emoluments to
which they were entitled by their scholastic attain-
ments by reason of their inability to subscribe the
declaration prescribed by the Act of Uniformity, this
corporation do petition both houses of Parliament to
pass a bill " to repeal certain portions of the Act of
Uniformity relating to the declaration made by
fellows of colleges." The hon. deputy in the course
of an able speech, urged the iinpolicy of retaining
this declaration in enlightened times like the pre-
.nt ; and the great injustice that was done to young
nlell of high attainments solely because they were

This motion was also agreed to, and the court
then adjourned.

The Betting Nuisance in the City.

At the Guildhall Police-court yesterday, Mr.
Lawley, of Farringdon-street, and Mr. Walter, of
Shoe-lane, members of the Court of Common Coun-
cil; Messrs. Holditch, Comfort, Bone, R. Barclay,
Arnold, Dickinson, Simms, Herring, Kimber, Wil-
liamson, and Dr. Wilson, and a large number of
the influential inhabitants of the parish of St. Bride,
waited upon Mr. Alderman Hale, the presiding,
magistrate, to complain of an evil which had re-
cently assumed such a serious aspect as to threaten
the entire suspension of the business of many of the
inhabitants of the neighbourhood, and the total
blockade of the chief thoroughfares going east, west,
north, and south.
Mr. Lawley, who headed the deputation, said he
appeared there at the request of a number of re-
spectable inhabitants and tradesmen in and near
Farringdon-street, to complain of a very great evil
which had become a public scandal—he alluded to
the daily congregation of betting men and others of
an equally disreputable character, to the number of
1,000 and upwards. They took possession of the
footpath, swarmed into the carriage way, and, in
fact, occupied the entire street, so that not only was
the business of the inhabitants brought to a stand-
still, but the public traffic was seriously obstructed,
and unless most stringent measures were promptly
adopted would become one of the greatest scandals
ever known in the city of London. The police, it
appeared, were powerless to mitigate the evil, having
no authority to interfere, notwithstanding the tho-
roughfares were completely stopped up. The deputa-
tion accompanying him represented the parish of St.
Bride, and they came to the court to ask the worthy
alderman, with the co-operation of his brother ma-
gistrates, and the assistance of the police, to adopt
similar proceedings which proved so successful in
mitigating the evil some years ago. Until very re-
cently these men had been in the habit of congre-
gating on the Ruins in Farringdon-road, or Victoria-
street, but even there the nuisance was so great that
upon the complaint of the inhabitants, the open space
known as " the Ruins" was enclosed by a hoarding,
and the betting fraternity shut out, and, conse-
quently, driven back to their old quarters. There
was a bill now before Parliament which would give
the magistrates and police increased powers to deal
with the public traffic ; but he would suggest that
the opportunity should not be lost to obtain further
powers to deal with the betting nuisance.
Mr. Walter said he had spoken to the police with
the view to get rid of the nuisance, but their reply
had been that they had no power to interfere. He
-wished, however, to remind the court that on a for-
mer occasion, when the matter was taken up by the
order of the magistrates, the evil was so far abated
that there was no very serious ground for complaint
afterwards, and it was now hoped that the magis-
trates would again take the matter in hand, and put
the same law into force that was found so effectual

in remedying the evil on the occasion he referred to.

Mr. Bone said the nuisance was increasing day by
day, and it was so great that at the time they left
Farringdon-street that morning to come to complain
to the magistrate there were not less than 2,000
persons congregated there.
Mr. Alderman Hale said he understood that the
betting men did not now infest the Sunday Times
corner of Fleet-street as formerly, but that they now
congregated at the north-west corner.
Mr. Walter said that was the fact, but that the
inconvenience extended all up Farringdon-street
nn-1 Floax+_a+vaa+

Mr. Alderman Hale said the police should be ap-
plied to, for he remembered that on former occa-
sions men had been brought before him, and ho had
sent them for trial at the Central Criminal Court,
and they were convicted. If the police would bring
any one of those men before him he could assure
them that all parties should have ample justice. The
nuisance complained of four years ago was a most
dangerous one, as it was not merely an inconve-
nience to every one, but it was a hindrance to busi-
ness, an obstruction of the thoroughfare ; it tended
to corrupt public morals, and was calculated to be
productive of the most serious consequences in pri-
vate families. In this case the nuisance appeared
to have outgrown its former dimensions, and if it was
found necessary to invoke the strong arm of the
law to suppress it the inhabitants might rest as-
sured that the magistrates would exercise their
power to the utmost to assist them in getting rid of
such an intolerable evil.

Mr. Martin, the chief clerk, said if it could be
proved that the men were engaged in betting trans-
actions they might be proceeded against by indict-
ment.

Mr. Alderman Ilale said if the police saw men
with memorandum booksin their hands, and a num-
ber of persons around them apparently interested in
what they were reading or writing, they might
fairly assume that such men were conducting bet-
ting transactions, and interfere accordingly, parti-
cularly if they saw the same men so engaged day
after day. It would, in his opinion, be a clear in-
fringement of the law, and_the persons so engaged
must take the consequences of their conduct on
themselves.

Mr. Martin said there were several betting men
who had been prosecuted and allowed their liberty
upon recognisances to appear when called upon. He
would supply the police with the names of those men,
so that if they should be found in connection with
the nuisance complained_ of, they could be deal
with at once, as an example to all others offending.

Mr. Foster, the assistant superintendent of City
police, said he would give instructions to the officers
to look out for these men, and in the meantime he
would report upon the present proceedings to the
commissioner.

Mr. Alderman Hale said before the ruins were
enclosed the betting men assembled there and were
in the habit of taking possession of the covered
portion of the Metropolitan Railway station when-
ever it rained ; but an application to Sir Richard
Mayne eventually led to the routing of the fellows.
It appearod in this instance that in driving them
from the Ruins it was getting rid of one evil to
make room for another of greater magnitude, for
they were out of the way to a certain extent upon
the Ruins.

Mr. Holditch, of the corner of Farringdon-street,
said he had more opportunity of seeing the real ex-
tent of the evil than perhaps any one in the parish,
and he assured the magistrate that on the previous
day he sent one of his young men out to count the
number of persons congregated, and after counting
1,500, he came in and said there were so many more
that he could not count them all.

Mr. Alderman Hale said if they met in such im-
mense numbers it must be a great obstacle to busi-
ness of all kinds, and there was quite enough for the
police to act upon.
Mr. Holditch said there were public-houses in the
neighbourhood to which great numbers were at-
tracted in
consequence of persons advertising their
g transactions from their houses.
Mr. Alderman Hale said he
the houses to which Mr. Holclitrcehinhaeindberfed one of
f I;
re
te e
td. H e
was against granting the licence in
the
but he would take care and mention the maintter at the approaching licensing day. In the meantime he
wished the police and the public to understand that
he was prepared to render them every assistance in
his power, and that in all cases brought under his
notice he would exercise all the powers vested in him
as a magistrate with the utmost rigour to put down
the nuisance ariking from the congreotiort of such

large numbers of disreputable characters in the pub-
tion unable
required
conscientiously
of
them, to subscribebefore
they
to
could the
odbetcalianr a
a-, -
lie
fellowship, that they were bona fide members of the Th. deputation then thanked the worthy Alder-
Established Church ; and he concluded by moving m. an for the kind consideration with which he had
the resolution for the adoption of the Court. rec eived them, and retired.
Alderman HALE seconded it, and the motion was ' That being the only business brought under the
agreed to unanimously. prc siding magistrate's notice, and that not being an
The Hon. DEPUTY then moved another resolu- ordt uary criminal case, Mr. Alderman Hale claimed,
tion:—"That, regarding the Universities of Oxford anew !ding to ancient custom, a pair of white gloves,
and Cambridge as national institutions, the full ad- a pre Lentation indicative of, as termed on circuit, a
vantages of which should be enjoyed by all classes "n' Alden aiifilZe."
of her Majesty's subjects, without respect to religi-
ous distinctions, this corporation do petition both
houses of Parliament to pass a bill to provide for
the abolition of religious tests in connection, with
academical degrees and offices in the University el
Oxford."

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The ironclad frigate Bellerophon,:l4, 1,000-horse
I power, Capt. E. Tatham, having received on board
a supply of coals and had her compasses adjusted,
was under orders to leave the Nore yesterday after-
noon for Spithead, to which she will be navigated
by a number of seamen, engineers, and stokers be-
longing to the Medway Steam Reserve. Mr. W.
Eames, :assistant chief inspector of machinery at
Chatham dockyard, will proceed round to Ports-
mouth with the Bellerophon to note the working of
her machinery. During the time the Bellerophon
has been lying in the Medway since being put out
of dock she has been inspected by Vice-Admiral
Sir Charles Talbot, K.C.8., Naval Commander-in-
Chief, who expressed himself in unqualified terms of
approval of the manner in which she has been fitted
and despatched from Chatham dockyard. On arrival
at Spithead she will commence her speed trials over

the measured mile in Stokes Bay at light draught of
water. The trials of this ship are looked forward to
with great interest, as decisive of the true measure
of value of the French bow as possessed by the ships
Magenta and Solferino, and adopted by the English
Admiralty in the Bellerophon.
The Racoon, 22, screw corvette, Captain Count

Gleichen, accompanied by her tender, the screw
gunboat Whiting, 4, GO horse power, Lieut.-Com-
mander James M. Morris, sailed from Spithead yes-
terday afternoon for Queenstown, Ireland.
The Minotaur, screw, iron frigate, Master Frank
Inglis, is having her outfit continued alongside
Portsmouth dockyard. The coal bunkers of the
ship are being filled up to their full capacity ; the
cupola furnace has been taken out of the ship, and
an auxiliary steam boiler shipped and fixed in the
space vacated by the cupola, and a stern gallery is
being constructed round the line of the stern win-
dows of the admiral's cabin. The Minotaur is nearly
three months ahead of the Agincourt in her outfit,
and it is therefore not unlikely that she may finally
he selected as the flagship of the present Secretary
of the Admiralty on his assuming the command of
her Majesty's ships in the Mediterranean. The
Minotaur and Agincourt, when armed with the new
seven and nine inch rifled guns, will be unrivalled
in speed and power of attack and defence among
the broadside gunships of war of all nations.
The screw storeship Fox, 200 horse power, Staff
Commander 11. A. Moriarty, arrived at Chatham
yesterday from Plymouth and Portsmouth, with
supplies of copper and other stores for the use of the
dockyard. The Fox took up moorings in the har-
bour opposite the dockyard.
The headquarters of the 13th Hussars will leave
Norwich towards the end of this month. York is
understood to be the future destination of the regi-
ment.

The 62d Regiment has left Pembroke dock for
Gosport, Weymouth, and Portland. The men were
despatched by a special train drawn by two engines
via fleyland. During the time the regiment was at
Pembroke dock the conduct of the men was excel-
lent, and a general feeling of regret was evinced at
their departure.
A numerous party of convicts arrived at Chatham
yesterday from Pentonville, for employment on the
works at St. Mary's Island for the. enlargement of
the dockyard. Another large party of convicts will
also arrive at Chatham from London to-day. The
convicts, to the number of about 1,000, employed
at Chatham are engaged in making the excavations
and constructing the walls and foundations of the
large basins and docks now in course of formation.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander E. J. Lawson, to
be inspecting commander in the Coastguard service,
vioo 0. A. J.

Reynell J. Fortescue and Sub-Lieut. Robert N.
Hamond to the Icarus; Sub-Lieut. J. F. Hodgkin-
-. Lo the Pallas; William E. Campion, chief
engineer, to the Pallas ; George W. Hill and
Francis J. S. H. Napier, midshipmen, to the Pallas ;
James J. Conway and William Stewart, first-class
assist.-engineers, to the Pallas ; and Edward J.
Huysmans, acting second class assist.-engineer, to
the Pallas.