The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-24 00:00:00

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I many months been working to carry it out, and
whole terraces, streets, and squares in south-west
London have been tunnelled under almost without
the knowledge of the inhabitants. The new line, as
well as the extensions, will be on the underground
system, but open cuttings will be made wherever it
may be convenient to adopt them. Yesterday the
contractors, Messrs. Peto and Betts, Kelk and War-
ing Brothers, invited the directors of both the com-
panies—the -Metropolitan and the Metropolitan Dis-
trict—and some other gentlemen, to accompany
them over, the works. The inspection commenced
opposite Westminster Abbey, where the brickwork
in the sidewalls and arches have been completed for
a length of 200 ft., and iron girders for nearly half
that length are in place. The excavations for the
remainder of the line between Tothill-street and
Westminster-bridge are being pushed rapidly on in
order that it may be completed before the com-
mencement of the next session of Parliament. The
"slums"_ of Westminster will be very much im-
proved by the construction of the line. In Broad-
way a number of dilapidated houses have been
pulled down, and many more are " ticketed.''
Here the excavations have been made to the re-
quired depth for a short distance, but much water
enters as the navigators proceed with their work,
and it has been found necessary to have a powerful
pump constantly in operation. The first good view
the party "got of any portion of the future tunnel
line was when they entered it from Buckingham-
row, at the rear of Victoria-street, whence they were
enabled to walk through the excavations till they
arrived at the Victoria-station, a distance of 1,500
feet. The inspection of this portion of the work
enabled one to judge of the difficulties which both
engineers and contractors have had to overcome. So
great has been the flow of water during the excava-
tions that engineers have been at work night and
day, pumping it out at the rate of 4,000 gallons a
minute. Here, too, the line passes under one of the
largest sewers in London. This the company had
to reconstruct of cast iron, and a huge cylinder lift.
lin height by 14ft. in width, and supported on mas-
sive girders, forms part of the arch of the tunnel,
while it also carries off the sewage of the streets
above. Stranger-fitill, not far from this monster
iron tube, the roofing of the tunnel will form the
foundations for a large brewery. Elliot, Watney,
and Co. owned some of the land required by the
company at the rear of Victoria-street, and not liking
to be driven from their old premises, offered some
opposition to excavating and boring in this direction.
A settlement was, however, come to, and, in pur-
suance of agreement, the contracters have spanned
a portion of the tunnel with enormous girders, on
which a brewery is to be erected. Some of the houses
on the north side of Victoria-street are very large
and of great height, and the owners were much afraid
of the effects of the tunnelling; but though the line
has been excavated cicse up to the rear of those pre-
mises not a crack has appeared in any part of them.
At the end of Victoria-street the new company will
have an exchange station with that of the London,
Chatham, and Dover Company. Indeed one of the
most important features of the undertaking is, that
it will either be directly connected or have an ex-
change station with nearly every one of the lines
which now come into London. It is intended by the
District Company to build a very large station at
the end of Victoria-street, for which purpose the
whole of the houses in Shaftesbury-terrace and some
of those on Wilton-road have been pulled down.
Passing on by Lower Belgrave-place, Pimlico, where
a length of 150 feet of arch-covered way is com-
pleted, the line goes by Coleshill-street to Sloane-
square, where there will be another station, which
is already in a forward state. Passing on to Crom-
well-road, the line continues its course to Glouces-
ter-road, Brompton, one of the chief points in the
united scheme. Here is the south end of a double
branch to the West London Railway, the north end
being at Kensington. By means of this branch
trains from the circular line can enter upon the
West London at either of two points according as
they want to proceed in a northerly or a southerly
direction. For some distance either way from the
Gloucester-road station there are two separate tun-
nels, in each of which there will be two lines of
rails. On both the junctions with the West Lon-
don line a temporary railway has been laid down,
to Gloucester-road on the south and Kensington
on the north ; and the contractors and their party
were drawn over it yesterday by a ballast engine.
At Earl's Court the contractors have erected two
immense brick-kilns, where 50,000,000 bricks are
being made by machinery from the clay taken out
of the excavations. It is estimated that about
140,000,000 of bricks will be required for the
works. At Kensington a very capacious station is
in course of erection, as a great traffic is expected
to pass to and from the line at this point. From it
the work of completing the communications en-
tirely devolves on the Metropolitan Company, who
will have stations at Notting-hill, Bayswater, and
directly opposite the Paddington Hotel. There
will be communication between this last station
and the Great Western line by means of a subter-
ranean passage, but an extension will be continued
on to the Edgeware-road, where it will join on to
the existing underground line. At Paddington the
inspection ended. Several hours had been occupied
in going over the ground, and, though here and
there one had to mind his footing or take care of his
head, the exploiation was on the whole exceed-
ingly interesting. A paqsenger passing in a railway
carriage through a finishbd tunnel sees nothing out-
side ; but yesterday all the party were accommo-
dated in open waggons or made the passage on foot,
sometimes by the light of innumerable candles,
sometimes by the more brilliant aid of gas jets.
Water pipes, gas mains, sewers, and monster beams
of timber presented themselves in all directions
overhead, while workmen, numerous as bees in a
hive, were excavating, setting bricks, and fixing
arches with as much dexterity as if they had served
their apprenticeship in underground railways.
Judging from the results already shown by the
working of the Metropolitan line, even in its imper-
fect state as only a partial system, a traffic such as
never has been known on any line is expected to be
secured by this circular scheme. The Metropolitan
line at present carries annually a number of pas-
sengers equal to seven times the population of Lon-
don ; and so short an extension as that from Far-
ringdon-street to Moorgate-street increased the
traffic 50 per cent. But owing to the want of a
complete communication between the various parts
of London, the Metropolitan traffic never has been
developed by any system of locomotion. In Paris,
with a population of about 2,000,000, no fewer than
100,000,000 passengers are carried by the omni-
buses ; while in London, with its 3,000,000 of in-
habitants, the number does not exceed 80,000,000.
To what is this to be attributed? Doubtless, to the
correspondence system which is in operation in the
French capital, and which is analogous to the
through communication this now railway is in-
tended to effect. It is expected by the traffic ma-
nager that at least 200,000,000 passengers will be
conveyed over the new line annually even in the first
year of its working, and this with perfect safety to
the public. When the Metropolitan line was opened,
some railway authorities gave it as their opinion
that, with a due regard for the lives of the pas-
sengers, trains could not be run oftener than each
quarter of an hour. They are now run at intervals
of five minutes over the whole line, and at intervals
of two minutes between King's-cross and Farring-
don-street. It is one of the advantages of a
shortof
signalling l e
t canha amoret arrangement
b enforcede P
than would n ct
bepossible
without an enormous expense on a long line. On
the Metropolitan Railway the block system is in
which has preceded it has
any station till the one
operation. Asa rule no train is allowed to leave
made between King's-cross and Farringdon -street.
passed out of the next station. An exception_st is.
The journey takes four minutes, and v.a it )8 f ound

necessary sometimes in the day to allow only two
minutes between the starting of the trains the usual
rule could not be applied; but here a special ar-
rangement has been made which is equally applicable
to any like case. A signal station has been erected
midway between the two passenger stations, and no.
train may leave either end until the previous one is
telegraphed as having passed the signal station.
Even should a train from any cause come to a stand
after leaving a station there would be little danger
of a collision, because owing to the break power
provided on the Metropolitan line a train can pull
up within a distance about its own length. After
the inspection yesterday the party assembled at lun-
cheon in the Great Western Hotel. Among them
were Lord Devon, chairman of the Metropolitan
District Company ; Mr. Sheriff, M.P., Mr. Gilpin,
M.P., Mr. W. H. Smith, Mr. Pigott, Colonel Talbot,
Mr. Worms, Mr. H. Seely, Mr. M. Fenton, traffic
manager of the Metropolitan line ; Mr. Burchell,
the Messrs. Waring, Mr. Walker, &c. Lord Devon
spoke highly of the manner in which the new lines
were being constructed ; and the other directors
present expressed their concurrence with his lord-
ship. It is expected that the line from Paddington
to 'Westminster will be opened by the end of next
year, but its completion towards the city must de-
pend in a great measure upon the progress of the
Thames Embankment.

THE CHOLERA.

MANSION-HOUSE RELIEF COMMITTEE.

Last evening the fund now being raised at the
Mansion-house for the relief of poor persons suffer-
ing from cholera, and their familes; amounted to
about £14,500, of which £620 odd had been received
during the last two days. Within the last week or
ten days considerable quantities of port wine,
brandy, arrowroot, corn-flour, bedding, clothing,
and other stores and commodities, have been for-
warded to the Lord Mayor by benevolent persons
for distribution among the sick and convalescent.
Three different firms of wine merchants—Messrs.
Clode and Baker, Messrs. Byass, and Messrs. Robins,
of Brighton, have each made the munificent present
of a pipe of port wine. Messrs. Morewood and Co.
have kindly afforded warehouse room for the wine
and stores, and thence they are distributed, in quan-
tities carefully apportioned by the committee through
the agency of the local authorities. Yesterday a
costly contribution of Liebig's extract of meat for
the production of beef-tea was made to the Committee
by Messrs. Allen and Hanbury, of Plough-ccurt,
Lombard-street. Messrs. Martin, wine merchants,
have also made a present of wine. Thus through
public and private munificence, and with the co-
operation of the local authorities, the Mansion-
house Committee are effecting a great amount of
practical good, as they have reason to know, in
nourishing and comforting the sick and relieving
the distress caused by the epidemic, and are also in
this way, while leaving it to those whom it more
immediately concerns to deal with the subject of
water supply as a predisposing cause, doing much,
as they believe, to stamp out the disease itself.
At the meeting of the Working Committee yes-
terday the Lord Mai or presided ; and there were
also present Sir Mordaunt Wells, the Rev. F. G.
Blomfield, Dr. A. Clark (Physician to the London
Hospital), and Messrs. Maxwell, Ripley, Wade,
Fowler, S. Hoare, A. Johnston, and R. Wigram.
The LORD MAYOR, on taking the chair, said he
wished to invite the attention of the committee to
the orphans. He had given the subject much con-
sideration, and his great fear was lest they drifted
into what was commonly called a balance. To that
he had a great objection. The money had been
given to them to be spent among the poor creatures
in distress from the disease and its consequences,
and it must be spent, and spent promptly, at a time
' when it was most urgently needed. Re suggested,
therefore, that they should convene a special meet-
ing for an early day, to consider the case of the
orphans; and it was then his intention to propose
that £5,000 be set apart for that object. In the
event of that proposition being adopted, they would
endeavour to obtain statistics as to the number of
orphans in the various districts where the distress
was most urgent, and, having done that, they would
consider how the £5,000 was to be apportioned ;
but they must not lose sight of the fact that a large
number of these orphans ought to fall on the parish,
and such as did nat fall on the, parish, and became
objects more or less of the public care, were the
children with which the committee would have to
deal. The disease was, unquestionably, on the de-
crease, but the distress and misery remained, and
be believed the public were prepared give any
amount of money that might be wanted to relieve it.

Mr. R. B. WADE said he had gone into the figures,
and he thought £5,000 in the rough would provide
for 100 orpLans ; £5O a head would be about the
whole cost, but it would be more likely to be £6O.
The LORD MAYOR said he only wanted to see the
money spent where it was really wanted. He de-
sired, if possible, above all things, to avoid falling
into the misfortune—for misfortune it was--of
allowing, as in the case of the Patriotic Fund and
others, the moneys intrusted to them to drift into
the hands of a banker in the shape of a balance.
There must, from the accounts laid before them, be
many sufferers, and it would be a difficult problem
to solve, but solve it they must.

Mr. J. A. SMITH, M.P., urged upon the committee
the great necessity of establishing temporary homes
in the open country, and in places easily accessible
by rail, for the treatment of convalescents. He
dwelt upon the state of squalor and wretchedness
in which thousands of the poor were living in the
eastern parts of London as something inconceivable
to those who had not witnessed it, and he stated
that if the committee were prepared to take the mat-
ter up the necessary funds would be forthcoming in
abundance. A letter addressed to the Lord Mayor
by Miss Sellon, from the Temporary Cholera Hos-
pital in Commercial-street, Whitechapel, was read.
The writer stated that observing in the report of the
proceedings of the Mansion-house Committee in the
Times of yesterday that much stress was laid on the
necessity of providing some place for the reception
of persons recovering from cholera, she desired to
bring under their notice the fact that one of the
wards in the hospital there had been devoted to that
purpose, and that she is in a position to receive any
patients recommended by the medical superintendent
of the hospital.
A letter addressed to the committee by the Rev.
J. Cohen, rector of St. Mary's, Whiteehapel, was
read. He stated that their seven lay agents—namely,
city missionaries and readers, three
addi-
tion Bible-women,
and two nurses—were hard at work all day??g
ministering to the sick. He had employed
~ ill
,to_
four other persons to assist in the woorrn:,
gether they had 14 paid agents, besides
clergy-
men and himself ; about ten active
d
district visitors,
all most sedulously engageci •
beef-tea
daily, and
They had been
eedis-
tributing over 100 pints of
help-
Ting with money, food &e vabout distinction of
creed or regard to anything
but real 'iced. Many
convalescents had
sent to their friends in the
country, or otherwise elassisted. They had scut money
.
tin S ic s •
Spicer-street,
to the Roman Catholic priest
to Nonconformist minis-
ters of the parish and neighbourhood. The money
intrusted_ to him was dispensed under the direction
of a committee consisting of various denominations,
who met daily with the visitors. In that way he
did not think it probable that a case had escaped
notice or help in his district.

Mr. R. WIGRAM, chairman of the Poplar and
Southißromley Relief Committee, with a population
of about 54,000, reported that the number of deaths
in the last five weeks in Poplar alone waz 529, or
about 106 on an average weekly. They had relieved
551 families in money and kind in that time at a cost
of £745 15s. ; their local subscriptions, including
£2OO from the Mansion-house Committee amounting
jto £999 odd, They had relieved 478 existing cases of

South districts

Total

'NT E IV S PA P E R
L:...1.Z,..:,?.1.4.2.:.:6:::7..„i
- - 1-.
Cholera or diarrhoea.
...4. of-;401 ire
cases" was 73. The pro._
_.d idia4uteit4n that
interval were over 2,0001 b. of beef, ariout 25 gallons
of beef-tea, 601 b. of arrowroot, and two hogsheads
of port wine, besides brandy, groceries, &c. The
committee made yesterday a further grant of £250,
with 18 gallons of port wine, and a quantity of
arrowroot, flour, and essence of beef.

A deputation from the Local Relief Committee
formed in Limehouse attended to ask for another
g►rant. The committee consists of 2I vestrymen, and
is divided into four committees for a house-to-house
visitation in the parish. The whole committee meets-
every evening, after visiting cases during the day,
and distribute relief on the recommendation of rate-
payers and medical men, and on their own know.,
ledge of circumstances. The Limehouse Philan.
thropic Society distribute the relief at their disposal
later in the evening at the Town-hall, and it was
the belief of the deputation that the epidemic would
entirely disappear from the district of Limehouse in
the course of next week. The committee granted
them £lOO and a quantity of arrowroot and other
stores, and some clothing. They also granted £25
to St. Jude's, Southwark.

Up to last evening the total grants made by the
committee since the commencement of the fund
amounted to £4,550, of which £425 was voted yes.
terday, besides wine and stores.

The number of patients in the cholera wards of
the London Hospital has been reduced to 96. The
admissions during the 24 hours ending yesterday
forenoon were five (two being cases of cholera, three
of diarrhea), the recoveries were nine, and the
deaths two. Of those remaining in the hospital, 68
suffer from cholera, 28 from choleraic diarrhoea.
The out-patients are only 84. ' -

---
From a return made yesterday to the Bethnal-
Sarvis, the medical officer of.
health, it appears that the total number of applica-
tions at the dispensaries established in the district
of Bethnal-green during the outbreak of the epi-
demic is 14,000. Rather less than 300 of these
cases were cases of cholera ; the deaths have been
72. The vestry have secured 24 beds at the new
hospital under the care of the Sisters of Mercy, in
Commercial-street, Spitalfields, and six beds at an
establishment at the Green, at the other end of the
parish. Of the 24 beds at the Commercial-street •
establishment only six are at present occupied. A
house has been appropriated at the Green for the
reception of the children whom it is desirable to re-
move from infected homes.
No new cases of cholera had been admitted at
the Bethnal-green Workhouse during the week end-
ing on Tuesday last. On the previous Tuesday 24
cholera cases were in the wards. Of these, two
died, three were discharged cured, 12 convalescents
remain in the house, and seven are under treat-
ment.

The following is the return of deaths from cholera
and diarrhcea iu London registered on AVednesday,
Aug. 22 :

Cholera. Diarrhoea.
... 1 ... ... 4
... 3 1
... 25 3
•. ... 4 ... ... 4

West districts
North distric•s
Central districts..
East districts-

~ 35

... 14

Greenwich Conservative Association.

Yesterday afternoon, the first anniversary meeting of
the members of this association was held in the grounds
of Sir T. M. Wilson, Old Charlton, and was attended by
the most influential electors of the Conservative party,
accompanied by the ladies of their families, from the
three towns of Greenwich, Deptford,and Woolwich. The
bands of the Woolwich Dockyard Volunteer Artillery
and the Deptford Dockyard Rifles were present. At three
o'clock a meeting was held on the lawn immediately front-
ing Old Charlton House, the chair being occupied by Sir
T. M. Wilson. Mr. Eastinore, the secretary, read the annual
report, which stated that the association now comprised
1,200 electors; that a weekly local Conservative news-
paper had been established, and that the prospects of the
association were most encouraging. Mr. Young, of Green-
wich, who addressed the meeting as " brother and sister
CoEsorvatives," moved the adoptiun,pf the report. Ho said
the Conservatives had been taunted with stupidity and with
opposing all progress. This he emphatically denied. The
object of Conservatism was to maintain and advance all
that exalted humanity, and there was nu improvement or
change of a reasonable nature, either social, political, or
commercial, that tho Conservatives were not anxious to
carry out. Ile wished toseo the bettorportion of the work-
ing classes intrusted with the franchise, but it was no
doubt a difficult task to separate the good from the bad, an,i
ho certainly could not agree to swamp all the classes of the
community by giving a preponderating power to the in-
dustrial class. The working classes were the mostnumerous
and the least instructed portion of the population, and not-
withstanding the speeches and proclamations of Mr. Bright
aud the absurd declamation of Mr. E. Beales, ho held that
it would be most dangerous to give them almost exclusive
power. Dr. Carr, of Lee, seconded the adoption of the re-
port. Mr. P. IL Dyke, M.P. for West Kent, said the pre-
sence of so many ladies gladdened his heart, and Mr. Mill,
M.P., if present, would no doubt be delighted to see the in-
terest they took ,in political matters, although it would
throw a damper upon the member for Westminster if ho
had to canvass the ladies present. After referring to the
strong contest between tho Liberals and Conservatives
and the success of the latter in West Kent at the last
general election, Mr. Dyke expressed his approval of the
steps taken by the late and present Government with regard
to the cattle plague and the German war. The Reform Bill
of the late Government appeared to be like an unfortunate
donkey—it had no friends—everybody had a hit at it, and
one peculiarity was that those who hit the hardest were not
the Conservatives, but those members who sat on the Mi-
nisterial benches. He shanld, no doubt, beasked at a future
time by some of the electors of the county why he voted
against the bill—and probably told that ho was au enemy
to progress and hated reform as a mad dog dreaded water.
He opposed the bill because it was peculiarly ill adapted to
remedy those evils which all admitted to be now existing,
and if carried would have destroyed the proper balance
between the county and borough representation. Mr. Glad-
stone made a great flourigiltd trumpets about giving poli-
tical rights to working men, and at the same time inserted
a clause in the bill to disfranchise that industrious and re-
spectable class the dockyard voters. The Conservatives
were
accused of being filled with some undefined dread and
horror of the working classes. But he utterly denied that
imputation. It was very observable that at all the declama-
tory public meetings recently hold resolutions were not
passed in favour of Mr. Gladstone's bill, but in favour of
universal suffrage and the ballot. It was, therefore, clear
that if the bill ha.i been carried it was not to have been
deemed a settlement of thequestion, but only as a stepping
stone to violentand destructive measures, and this had been
openly avowed by Mr. Bright in the House of Commons.
lie would gladly see the franchise enlarged, but only on
the basis of the constitution. Mr. Dyke concluded by
urging unity in the Conservative ranks, as t,ii,obye
rwould
t
have to be engaged soon in another struggle.
io
Nt Vhaes
proceedingsadopted, a and
.d a vote of thanks to the chairman closedP
arrliv.heed Earl and
oawnhdis, Countess Selkirk„ o f
I,llll;i3o.7no.littr-la visit Eadn,,,,drcu tmb o
the
e() 1
Earlav
Countess of
and Countess of Dalkeitb, from the E
Lichfield's
and 'felfield's seat in Staffordshire.ueiiew
y's Ointment and Pills.—
ADVERTISEMENTAp. vhou
diarrhoea, dysentery, or cholera
pre
gv
ea
nil
es
mi anyulie
ads' :a ,t,ni
at
u sbehoveseTa, hanisde
wvveeerrlyltiiogknone,
wtl ov
hub watchfulhoifnotr
mee nl
ti
and to have at hand the moans of checking those symptoms
l
the threatening ma ad y-
rubbed diligently and repeatedly upon the pit of the sto-
mach and over the abdomen exercises the most powerful
and salutary effects in arresting these morbid indications
of the coining evil, and, aided by appropriate doses of the
pills, will secure safety to their employers, whilst tLe
a firstheed-
less Every•aces of disordered
criticalaro
tfaimlliengshtollutelkdlysuabroduunedtthheem. ti person at this
action by Holloway's regulating purif y jug prepara-
tions.
ADVERTISEMENT.]
-Avoid medicines: they always aggra-
vate chronic complaints, but Du Barry's Delicious Healti -
Restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, which yields three times
the nourishment of
andthe ibastva saves fluty times Its cost
in other remedies,restores perfect digestion.
strong* nerves, sound 1 ••
treshing un,,s, healthy liver, pure blood, re-
sleep, functional reou I
arity, and energy to the most
disordered or ente(bled. We extract a few out of O,OW
Cures:—Caro No. 58,:!16, of the Marchioness de Brehan.
et seven years' liver complaint, WAS in! away. debility,
nervousness, with a nervous palpitation all over, bad diges-
ion, constant sleeplessness, and the most intolerab'e nervobs
34itation.—Cure No. 1.771. Lora Stuart de Decies. Lord
ulenant of Waterford, of many years' dyspepsia.—tie.
19,832. "Fifty years' indescribable a;:ony from dyspepsia,
nervousness, asthma, cough, constipation, flatulency.
spasms, sickness, and vomiting.—Maria Jolly."—Cm e No.
46,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Frimley, Surrey, of thirty
years' diseased lung 4, spitting of blood, liver derange-
ment, and partial deafness.—Cure No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth
Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion, gatherings, lo
w
spirits, Jove
spirits, and nervous fancies.-cure . 54,511
" oNfo indigestion anhd torplas,,
T. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk,
dity of the liver. which had resiste 1 all
medical treat22s ; mefintib
In tins, 11b, 2s 9d ; 21b, 4s 6,1; 51b,121b.i
ios.—Barry Du Barry and Co., No. 77, Regent-street,. ion on
also Phillips, tea dealers, 8, King Wilualu;s9a Beeits, ik ewi
at et, Gracechurch -street ;
4, Cheapside ; , hOpsl,,,ate-
i
street Within ; 63, 150, and 298, Oxford-street; 330, strand;
,
54, Upper Baker-street; IC3, Tottenham-court-road; 96,
; Upper-street, Islington, N.; Harvey, Notting-hill; Close
Brothers, 65, Lligh-street ; and Stubbs, Queen's-terrace, St.
John's-wood. London; aud all respectable grocete aitd die.
mists.—Beware 91 spurious imitations.

Tho number
movisions dist

LONDON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 1866.

The debate on the address, in reply to the Speech
from the Throne has occupied the chief attention of
the Chamber of Deputies, and the whole has been
adopted after much discussion bad taken place,
only twenty-five members voting against it. Some
very plain speaking was heard during part of the
debate, especially from Dr. JACALY. He said that
the recent war had not been in the interest of the
people or of freedom. This is an announcement
more in conformity with truth than any that we
generally hear from an assembly of Prussians. He
admitted that a glorious success had attended the
venture of the Royal army, but he declared with
perfect justice that the " strengthening of the Prus-
sian monarchy could not be approved from a German
point of view." This is an exact description of the
state of affairs, and aptly represents the condition
of things. Of course all ended in talk, however,
and BISMARCK has had his own way, as usual. Here-
after these numerous protests may be expected to have
some effect in bringing people to a right under-
standing of what has taken place. It appears to be
the great object of the Berlin Government to press
on matters as speedly as possible in the formation
of a German Parliament, and in the consolidation
of their recent acquisitions. All is put aside that
does not immediately bear upon this point, and the
troops are being withdrawn with great despatch ; so
much so, indeed, that only 6,000 men remain in
Prague. This is certainly a satisfactory announce-
ment, inasmuch as it shows that there is no inten-
tion of continuing the war at present. It is said,
indeed', that peace has been signed between Prussia
and Bavaria, but of the authenticity of the state-
ment doubts are entertained. No doubt, however,
if incorrect, the news is only premature, and that in
a day or two we may find such to be the case.
Peace seems now all the rage, just as a few months
ago nothing but war would satisfy the German
States, great and small. The fact is, that BISMARCK
is so elated at the success he has met with, that he
is anxious to make the most of them, and, there-
fore, seeks to secure them before any doubt is
entertained as to the validity of the possessions he
has recently acquired. Notwithstanding all the
strenuous efforts made, however, it will take some
time before the work of annexation can be com-
pleted, and meanwhile various knotty points will
have to be settled.

The other day, in the Chamber of Deputies, there
was an animated discussion at the sitting of the
committee on the Annexation Bill, Count Bls-
MARK being present. Some of the difficulties to
which we have alluded presented themselves in the
course of the debate. It was proposed by some
member that an amendment should be passed for
the purpose of converting the " personal union"
intended by the bill into an immediate and " abso-
lute union." Count BISMARCK did not appear to
entertain any very decided objection to this scheme;
perhaps, indeed, it is what he has been all along
driving at, only he has considered it more expedient
to make a show of moderation to begin with, until
he has felt his way, and weighed all circumstances.
lie replied to the suggestion made to the effect that
he would consult with the rest of the Ministry on
the subject, and this looks significant, because if he
really disapproved of it he would not have been slow
to say so. In support of this idea we find the Pro-
vincial Correspondence declaring that it is far from
being the intention of the Prussian Government to
connect the annexed States with Prussia by a mere
personal union similar to that of Lauenberg. Pur-
suing the theme, the following emphatic declara-
tion is made that the KING assumes the Go-
vernment of these States, not as King of
Hanover, or Elector of Hesse Castle, &c., but
as King of PRUSSIA, and in the name of the Prussian
Monarchy. We have all along suspected that this
was the object in view, notwithstanding the elabo-
rate professions made. If we are to credit the ex-
planation given by the journal referred to, it would
seem as if this notion of a personal union was merely
a feint, and done in order to gain time. It is said
that the arrangement was made because it was im-
portant not to have any delay, and it was essential
that a change should be effected that would
establish the permanent sovereignty of Prus-
sia over them, and had other modes been
adopted some time must necessarily have elapsed.
One of the most unfair things in the settlement of
affairs appears to be the condition, imperatively
imposed, of all the States paying a sum to Prussia
for the purpose of defraying the war expenses.
Such a stipulation is harsh in the extreme and
entirely uncalled for. Nothing compelled Prussia
to go to war except her own greediness, and it
is quite out of character that the unoffending
States which were forced into the war should be

compelled to contribute to the expenses of Prussia,
while they have a heavy burden of their own to
bear as well. Such a piece of tyranny is,
however, only in conformity with all that we
have witnessed of Prussian policy for many years
past. The denial in the Moniteur of any commu-
nication having been made by the EMPEROR to the
King of the BELGIANS is regarded as a good sign,
since it shows that there has been no idea enter-
tained of the frontiers of France being rectified
at the cost of Belgium. This is truly considered
to be a very satisfactory announcement, for
it would profit the French but little to acquire
the said territory, while the interference
would do them great harm in their reputa-
tion for political honesty and fair play.
Belgium has deserved well of the nations of Europe,
and it would give great offence in many directions
were its integrity to be assailed for no imaginable
cause but the law of conquest. One of the most
noticeable signs of peace is to be seen in the circum-
stance of the Italian prisoners having been set at
liberty, mho fell into the power of the Austrians at
the battle of Custozza. These indications of the
certain cessation of war will do much to restore
things to a more satisfactory state than they have
been in for some time past ; but it is, indeed, vexa-
tious to think of the many disastrous effects the
war has produced with no counterbalancing gain,
for the only Power that has profited will abuse
every advantage she has acquired.

The British Association is now actively at work,
and its several branches have plunged into the dis-
cussion of numerous abstract questions. They
range over a very wide field ; and, if not exactly
roaming " from grave to gay, from lively to severe,"
they wander from mathematics to anthropology,
from BAKER in the nineteenth century at the source
of the Nile to Caesar's account of the early Britons.
Among these multifarious subjects there were many
interesting matters brought up, and although the
principal paper read in Section A—the report of the
Lunar Committee on the mapping of the moon—
was chiefly directed to scientific hearers, the paper
which followed it "On Electro-negative fog, and
more particularly the dry mists which occurred over
London and its neighbourhood in June, 1861, and
August, 1866," attracted a good deal of attention,
especially as it elicited from Mr. GLAISHER some
remarks respecting his famous "blue mist." Mr.
GLAISUER observed that he did not assign to it any
connection with the actual development of cholera;
indeed, where the blue mist was most intense ap-
peared to be the most healthy; but there was a very
remarkable coincidence in its appearance at the
time of the late outbreak of disease, and the phe-
nomenon was, he considered, well worthy of inves-
tigation. As a proof that there is really some con-
nection between the presence of cholera and the
appearance of the blue mist, we may remark that
Mr. GLAISHER has been watching for it during
the last two years, but has never seen it until lately.
This subject will, no doubt, be pursued by our
scientific men until they are able to arrive at some
practical conclusion. In Section C, Geography and
Ethnology, under the presidency of Sir CummEs
NICHOLSON, there were several valuable acquisitions
to scientific stores to be considered, The Presi-
dent in his opening address remarked upon the
gains of the past year, foremost among which he
naturally placed the researches of Sir SAMUEL
BAKER ; but as the meeting was fortunate enough li
to have the opportunity of hearing that gentleman's
own recital, Sir C. NICHOLSON did not go into details.
The efforts made by other African travellers, induct-
ing M. DU CIIAILLU, of gorilla celebrity, and the
unfortunate Baron VON DU DECKEN, were' re-
ferred to, and the exertions of the numerous
other enterprising explorers who in different
parts of the world have carried on their
researches were also included in the summary of
the year's achievements. Prominent among these
were the labours of Captain MONTGOMERY in North
Western India, the exploration of the Parus river in
South America by Mr. CHANDLERs,:and explorations
in Australia made through Dr. MuLLEa's exertions.
Sir CHARLES remarked that although the geographer
may regret that he has no new worlds to conquer,
but must confine himself to filling up the outlines
which others have sketched, yet there is much re-
maining to be done. Africa is full of uncertainty
and mystery. Australia is as vet but imperfectly
known, .and our scanty acquaintance with the geo-
graphy of New Guinea is, in Sir CHARLES NICHOL-
SON'S opinion, a reproach to our discoveries.

Sir SAMUEL BAKER, who was warmly welcomed,
delivered an address on the Abyssinian tributaries of
the Nile. After having dwelt upon the efforts made
centuries upon centuries ago to discover the source
of this marvellous river, Sir SAMUEL observed that
the inundations were now most satisfactorily ac-
counted for by the sources of the White Nile being
concentrated in the two large lakes which for many
months in the year received the rainfall from
lofty mountains. Sir SAMUEL BAKER'S address
was listened to with the deepest interest, since
every word he said was confirmed by personal
experience, and his audience knew that his asser-
tions were not merely speculative and theoretical,
but had borne the searching test of practical expe-
rience. Sir SAMUEL BAKER'S superiority to all
those petty feelings of jealousy and detraction
which so often darken the character of
the most distinguished men was strongly
shown by his cordial testimony to the achievements
of SPEKE and GRANT, and to the great service
which their observations had been to him. After
expressing his gratification at the public recognition
of his services by the QUEEN and by the country,
Sir SAmum..said he felt some regret that SPEKE, who
had led the way through Africa, had died without
receiving any testimonial; "but he felt sure that
SPEKE'S name would be proudly remembered by
Englishmen when every title was forgotten." The
titles won by such heroic labours as those of Sir
SAMUEL BAKER and his high-spirited wife are not,
however, to be lightly laid aside ; and the name of
BAKER will henceforward be inseparably associated
with the exploration of the sources of the Nile.

The members of the Mansion-house Committee
continue their labours in the most indefatigable
manner, and they have the gratification of wit-
nessing the abatement of the disease, a result, no
doubt, due in a great measure to the promptitude
and liberality of the remedial and preventive mea-
sures. At the same time, as the LORD MAYOR yes-
terday observed, there is a terrible amount of dis-
tress and suffering consequent upon the epidemic,
and those recovering from its attack are often
left enfeebled for a time, at least incapacitated
from supporting themselves and their families.
There are hundreds of cases in which the bread-
winner of a family has thus been laid aside in addi-
tion to those numerous instances in which the loss
of one or both parents had thrown a family of
orphans on the world. We are glad to see the
LORD MAYOR taking the question of the future of
these poor children under consideration. Their
case is certainly one which forcibly appeals to the
sympathy of the public. Many of them, if their
parents had lived, would have been brought up
poor, respectably and inde-
pari
to trades, and lived, if
what is
peßdently. If they are sent to the
sh,
their itallre likely to be ? However excellent the