The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-07 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

Tail DAY— rn., 55 min. aft. 3 —Even., 15 min. ail. 4
TO-MORROW —Morn., 33 min. aft. 4 —Even., 0 m'n aft. 5

ME WEATHER —Soy OFFrcz, Ocroßsa 7.
TEIRRMONE Mit, IN Tag SHADE.
61—highest since noon yesterday.
53—lowest this morning and during the night
61—this day at noon.

BAROMETER. 2 ~42.
IVIND, South-esaterly ; fresh and equally," with dull
weather, inclining to ra.n. Rain in the morning.
Two O'CLocK Rain.

t* r.Z.rat',±27,cr• •

~~.1~~,.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7, 1857.

We have already had an opportunity of wit-
nessing partially the mode' in which the -day of
national Fasting and _Humiliation is observed by a
I►rge proportion of the inhabitanti of the metro-
polis,. The shops generally speaking, are closed,
or at least shutters are put up, al th.iugh a smart

trade may still be carried on in the ictonor. Church
bells have bean ringing, and. servie coodueed in
the various places of worship, although not to
'very numerous congregation?. Miny persons of
both sexes decked out in their best have started
in search of enjoyment with any thing but gloom
in their aspects, or sorrow or humiliation. in their

hearts. The chief manifestations were those of
Intense delight and elation at the unexpected
escape from the toils of every day life. There was
certainly, occasionally, an appearance of dejec-
tion. But that clearly proceeded from the lack
of means to make the most cf the opportunity,
and the tantalising prospect before them, " their
p werty and not their will " consenting to lc^op
the fast, or possibly the showers that endangered
their finery.
This is but a superficial view of the subject.
It is what must be app .rent to every eye, that
looks on the Metropolitan thoroughfares or the
green-lit:Km, and other haunts of the pleasure-
seeking inhabitants of the modern atbylon. If,
however, we could obtain another A3modeus cap-
able of showing the interiors of the different

houses, we might find a still stronger confirmation
of the impolicy of the proceeding. We should, in
some instances, find men drinking heavily of the
liquors they had previously provided, or waiting
anxiously for the opening of the public-houses to
procure the means of intoxication, or sleeping off
the fumes of last night's debauch, into which they
were seduced in consequence of knowing that they
would not have to rise early. to go to work this
morning. The wife is probably very differently
occupied. While the husband is drinking or
venting his ill-humour on herself and her children,
in consequence of the delay in obtaining liquor.
or snoring in their single room, She is thinking
of the terrible deficiency in the receipts on Satur-
day, from the loss of a day's wages, and also of
the amount squandered in drink or amusement,
and painfully considering what articles can best
be spared from their scanty furniture or clothing
to send to the pawn-office, in order to make up
the hiatva valde deflendus. Those of a bettor
class will have friends to visit then', as on. San-
dap, and feast rather than fast, while the
few, the vexy-44,w, who follow the proclama-
tion in heart °ad spirit would have acted simi-
larly had there been merely recommendations from
their pastors, or, at all events, the appointment
)f a Sunday, for the national
demonstration.
In addition to this, as we have already stated,
there is a serious loss from the compulsory idle-