The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-31 00:00:00

THE SERPENTINE.

Mr. George Rennie, in a letter to a contemporarY,
says :—" Until the publication of Mr. Chadvvick's
letter in your columns of the 23d inst. it appears to
me that your multifarious correspondents on the
" Serpentine" question have omitted to give due
attention to the interests of one of the most prais
worthy institutions of the country; I mean the
Royal Humane Society, whose exertions to prevent
the numerous and lamentable accidents occurring
all the year round in that fatal lake almost ever"'
person must have noticed and appreciated. I have
not the means at present of referring to the tabular
statement which was furnished me by the secretary
of the Humane Society, when I brought forward
the subject in the House of Commons 17 years since,
of the number of deaths by drowning in the water!
of St. James's-park and the Serpentine for each eI
the 10 years previous to 1842, amounting, I believe,
to about 12 to 15 per annum. Any person, how-
ever, may find it in" Hansard's Debates." To the
best of my recollection the expenses incurred were
between £2,000 and £3,000 for the cost of building
the house on the banks of the Serpentine,e with ail
annual exenditure of £1,500 t0,£2,000 annual
p
At the same time was assure dby the society that
they would be most happy to be enabled to transfer
their services to situations where no remedial means
could be taken to insure safety to life, were the
to
simple plan which I proposed carried out—viz.,
deposit at the bottom of the lake a sufficient qua%
tity of gravel, which may be had to any
eaten
close to their own receiving-house, so as to reduce
the depth to four or five feet. It is well known that
deep at present, and I feel assured that, omitting
a very large portion of the area of the lake is not so
the unnecessary removal of the mud and the layer
of concrete, the cost of obtaining full security for
bathers and skaters with the relief to the Humane
Society's funds, could be obtained far a comparatively
fractional part of the sum now held out to terrify Par-
liamentary economists from relieving themselves of
a charge of what can only be looked upon as show:
ing a total disregard of human life. My principal
object in now addressing you is in the hope that
this appeal may reach some member of the 'WY's'
Humane Society, and that a statement of the num'
ber of deaths which have taken place, &c.,e
since
1842 may be laid before the public, as well as-th
charges incurred in preventing those losses, whiell
may be so readily obviated. Messrs. Easton an
u
Amos have shown how easily the only other re
quirement—viz., supplying clean water—can
be
.
secured, and, as far as I have observed, the cost of
covering the mud with gravel has not been esti
'
mated, they, having the sections of the pale
could form an approximate valuation with gale
trouble. I trust that the Government will not stop
half-way in carrying out an improvement so loudlY°
called for, and which in the case of St. Jam
park has been so fully appreciated.

TELEGRAPH TO THE ISLE OF MAN.-Our reader'
will ba aware that a company was some months ago ibrinhed;o
in the Isle of Man for the purpose of securing telegraPx
communication with England, and the capital necessary to
the enterprise was, wo believe, mainly subscribed ill tir.
island. The cable was successfully laid on Friday last. 1.
was constructed by Messrs. Glass, Elliott, and Co., an"
measured 35 miles in length; but it was only found neces-
sary to pay out 332 miles. The steamer Resolute, having
the cable on board, and accompanied by the steamer Mon'!;
Queen, which carried a large party of excursionists, left
Point of Ayr, at the ext •eme north of the island, between
11 and 12 o'clock, and reached St. Bees-head, on the coast
of Cumberland, at half-last 5 p.m. After being landcd the
wire was tested, and the insulation found to be very good.
The paying-out of the cable was superintended by Mr. F.
Webb, and the operations at es
St. Be were
the under
Electr thu direc-
tion of Mr. G. G. Not men, engineer of ic Tele.
graph Company at 3lanchester. The lines of the Isle (.t
Man Telegraph Company are placed in connection with
Close of the Electric and International Telegraph Com-
p tny, and consequently are in communication with E.ng
bud, Smtltvid, and the Continent. T
Douglas. here are two stations
oa the island—namely, at Ramsey and