The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-06 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONbON, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 6, 1859,

nv.mber amongst them four thousand fewer electors
than Manchester ; while both together, the electors
who have exchanged Liberals for Tories, and those
who have done the opposite, are but little in excess
of the thirty-seven thousand and more who are
novr engaged in such fierce battle in the West
Riding of Yorkshire. We leave the obvious moral
to our readers.

London has now a tolerably fair prospect before
it of realising two great and long-desired advan- •
tages. The preliminary excavations with a view ,
to the main drainage of the metropolis have already
commenced. The corporation has recently resolved
to participate directly in the carrying out of the pro •
ject of the City Railway; namely, by taking 20,000
shares, thereby, in other words, embarking a round
sum of £200,000 in the enterprise. By the main
drainage scheme the Thames will be purified and
the Capital itself rendered in every way more salu-
brious. By the City Railway, traffic in the main
thoroughfares of the metropolis will be perma-
nently and effectually relieved, and the con-
venience of the citizens in this obvious manner con-
sulted. It is not of course without a considerable
and stormy show of opposition from the obstructives
in the Court of Common Council, that the proposal
for the taking up of these 20,000 shares in the
Metropolitan Railway Company was acceded to
by the majority of the members of the corpora-
tion. One of these pertinacious obstruCtives (Mr.
HARRIS) considered that the £200,000 asked for
would be lost altogether if granted. Another (Mr.
RowE) regarded the entire project as, u hopeless
speculation. A third (Mr. KEAENs). seemed to
imagine that he put the finishing touch to the con-
demnation of the enterprise by declaring that—the
whole affair appeared to him unsatisfactory ! A
fourth (Mr. BESLEY) considered it to be so unsatis-
factory, that rather than consent to the carrying
out of the suggestion before the Court, he avowed
his preference for the notion that the Members of
the Court should originate another railway them-
selves. Another of these obdurate obstructives
(Mr. TRI:SCOTT) demanded that the Court should
be furnished with additional information. A
sixth (Mr. BENGOUGH) stigmatised the whole pro-
position as one contrived simply with a view to
render the Corporation a sort of decoy-cluck to lead
into the snare the more egregious geese among the
general class of speculators. A' seventh (Mr.
BARKLEY) was so dubious as to the integrity of the
project, that he only regretted that. a motion of his
own, made some five or six months back, had not
then been carried—namely, one for the summary
abolition of the Improvement Committee. An eighth,
the most formidable of all these obstructives (Mr'
TAYLOR), after enumerating all kinds of reasons
why the proposal should not on any account be
entertained, was yet constrained to acknowledge
that, if carried out, it would undoubtedly be of
immense benefit to the Corporation in the improve-
ment of their property. Eventually, after one of
the stormiest and one of the most protracted dis-
cussions upon record in the history of the Metro-
politan Corporation, a division was taken—when
the motion was carried by a clear majority of 63
in a Court of 147—there being no less than 105 for
the motion, and no more than 42 for the amend-
ment. The Corporation has, therefore, definitively
resolved upon itself embarking in the enterprise of
the City. Railway, by taking 20,000 shares, as pro-
posed—encouraged in this determination by the
guarantee, " the material guarantee," apparent in
the fact that all the other shares in the
company are absolutely to be subscribed
for and paid up before the Corporation
can be called upon to pay one single shilling
of their money, to the amount in all of 1:200,000.
It was contended, with no inconsiderable show of
reason, by the promoters of the project; that there
was a glaring inducement to it in the mere circum-
stance that its realisation would necessarily tend
to enhance the value of property now lying idle
and waste in the City, property. in its present
position utterly valueless and profitless to the Cor-
poration. The property actually thus lying idle
in the City under existing circumstances has been
variously estimated at £1,000,000 and at £1,250,000.
This, as was remarked, would at 4 per cent. yield
just £50,000 per annum. Supposing the property
in its present deteriorated condition to be sold,
there would be manifestly incurred a dead loss to
a very considerable amount. Here, in this project
of the Metropolitan Railway, was presented the
very opportunity to be desired by the Corporation
—an opportunity by which the waste property
referred to might be at once raised enormously in
value and turned to profitable account ! Railway
communication being carried from Paddington into
the very heart of the City—leading the way to its
further extension down to the docks—relieving, as
already remarked, the traffic in the streets—facili-
tating the means of transit to the inhabitants—corn-
pletingFarringdonstreet—and at length putting an
end to the desolation of that important neighbour-
hood. As the Court of Common Council was well
reminded by Deputy PEWTRESS at the commence-
ment of the discussion—the Corporation had not
hesitated during the last few years to expend
£lOO,OOO in building Holloway Prison (money
that is sunk and can yield no return), neither had
the Corporation shrunk more recently from apply-
ing £500,000 to the purchase of land and the
erection of the Cattle Market at Copenhagen-fields."
Compared with these enterprises, the one proposed
for the embarking of £200,000 upon the profitable
scheme of the City Railway could not in reason be
deemed in any way extravagant. Happily for its '
own interests, the Corporation has so decided—
and London enjoys now a fair prospect of witness-
ing the rapid realisation of this most admirable
improvement.

We have much pleasure in directing attention
to an article headed St. Giles, Camberwell, in our
front page, bearing the title of the Curates' Testi
monial FUnd. The subscribers tb.this 'fund have
rendered. .an especial service to the- friends of mo-
ralityin Church and State, by evincing their grati-
tude to their Worthy Pastors, the Rev. William
Whitehead and the Rev. Michael Seymour Edgell,
Curates of the Parish of St. Giles, Camberwell,
by presenting these reverend gentlemen respectively
a donation ,a two hundred and fifty and one hun-
dred and fifty guineas each, in testimony of their de-
vout esteem and fervent 'gratitude. How many very
good, but .necessitous ministers of the Gospel must
envy these reverend brethren in having so grateful
and discriminating a flock, who, by their.bountiful
munificence, set so worthy an example to other
congregations ! But it does not often happen that
pastors, however pious, can enter. into the kindly
feelings Of their people so truly as to command
their respect ..in the same manner as Messrs.
Whitehead and.. Edgell, who have won such golden
sympathy from their discerning . and generous
parishioners. The example thus set will, we trust,
be worthily followed by other congregations who
may enjoy such teachers, for their. devution only
requires to be Stimulated by example, and wherever
the Pastor is found worthy, and apprecikied in the
exercise of his divine mission, we say to his flock—
" Go ye :ond do likewise."

A letter• from Rome of the 30th•tilt. says--" The
Prince of 'Wales has been recalled to England,by n tele-
graphic despatch which arrived yesterday evening. His
Royal Highness leaves this day, and in accordance with
instructioAs received, will return home via Gibraltar."

LATEST NEWS.

THE WAR IN ITALY.
The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office

PARIS, MAY 6.
The Moniteur of to-day contains the following
telegrams :--
" ALESSANDRIA, May 4, evening. —The Austrians,
who had crossed the Po in small numbers at Canibio
and pushed their vanguard as far as Sala, have
recrossed the river. The Austrian divisions posted
on the right bank, still threaten to attempt the
passage of the Po at Frassinetto, but the river, which
is much swollen by the rains, would at present offer
a difficult obstacle to their crossing. The rain
continues to fall and the low grounds are covered
with water."

PAIIMA, May s.—The reigning Duchess re-
entered Parma yesterday evening. A part of the
troops had gone to meet her and another part was
drawn up along her road."

MILAN, MAY 3.

An order has been issued by the authorities
commanding the citizens to deliver up all arms
which may be in their possession.

BERNE, MAY 5.

The Federal- Assembly has approved of the de-
claration of neutrality and of the measures of defence
taken by the Federal Council, and has appointed
General Dufour Commander-in-Chief of the army
of Switzerland.

BERLIN, MAY 5.
The Bank of Prussia has raised its discount to
5 per cent.

TRIESTE, MAY 4.

A proclamation has been issued by General
Wimpfen announcing to the inhabitants that the
defence of Trieste and the Illyrian coast has been
intrusted to him by the Emperor.

TURIN, MAY 5.
OFFICIAL BULLETIN.

The attempt of the Austrians to effect the passage
of the Po at Frassinetto commenced on the 3d. The
cannonade lasted fifteen hours and was recommenced
yesterday afternoon and lasted for the remainder
of the day.
The Piedmontese only had a few wounded whilst
the Austrians experienced much loss.
4,000 Austrians were yesterday at Castelnova-
Scrivia.

BERLIN, MAY 5.

In the Chamber of Deputies to-day the Foreign
Minister made a statement with reference to the
present position of affairs. He lamented the out-
break of war, and said that Prussia was, without
deviation, pursuing her object of watching over
the safety of Germany, the security of national
interests, and the maintenance of the balance of
power in Eur Ope. It is with that' object that the
army has been pleated in readiness• to march.

The Finance. Minister then moved the temporary
addition 'for one year of forty millions of thalers
to the Income tax, the Class tax, and the taxes on
meat and corn. This addition to be further in
creased by 25 per cent. in case the mobilisation of
the army should become necessary.