The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-06 00:00:00

SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON

"Though not so tall as Pofessiir Wilson, he was
above the middle height, and the sinewy vigour of his
well compacted frame, the strength and penetration of
his look, the perfect self•reliance and finished courtesy
of his manner, would at once have impressed you any-
where ; while on the opportunity of a nearer view in his
class-room, it was impossible to see the massive head,
decisive yet finely cut features, dark, calm, piercing eye
of the lecturer, and listen to his deep, firm, truthful
voice, expounding the problems or annihilating some ob-
noxious theory of his science, in sentences strong and
brilliant as polished steel, without feeling that here at
least was a master,—one who had learnt the lesson
given by the oracle to the wisest of men, who had fear-
lessly confronted the cruel Sphinx of self-consciousness
and read her riddle, who, holding the keys of an invisible
world, could unlock the hidden mysteries of thought •
and having found such an one you might be pardoned if,
in the enthusiasm of the moment, you were almost
ready to exclaim, with Socrates in the Phasic', ' that you
would follow him as a god.'"

Impassioned praise, truly: but still praise entitled to
our respectful consideration, seeing that it is in every
syllable but the outpouring of a most genuine and
unaffected admiration. he last of these eight
remarkable Essays is an elaborate paper upon
" Chemical Final Causes," by Dr. George Wilson,
no inconsiderable authority at the Edinburgh
University, in his position as Regius Professor of
Technology.

Ask Mamma. No. 11. Illustrated by John
Leech.

The illustrations—as yet—are decidedly the best
things in this new serial of " Ask Mamma ; or, the
Richest Commoner in England." They are capital
—worthy of John Leech—and surely that is saying
a great deal ! Several new illustrations are intro-
duced in the present number—pretty Miss Do
Glancey, the Young Horsewoman—Fine Bill the
hero, of whom she is destined (or we are much
mistaken), judging from the facetious "cover" of
the story to be the cara sposa—and last, but not
least in importance, that hunting, sporting, bois-
terous, roystaring " indomitable youth," the grey-
beaded, purple-faced, Earl of Ladythorne. Billy
the Fine, when the number. closes, is on the eve
of making his first appearance in "pink," on
" pig-skin," upon the back of - a high-flying
hunter at the tail of Lord Ladythorne's foxhounds.
Whether he figures as a Mr. Winkle or as a Mr.
Apperley we have yet to learn. At any rate there
is the prospect of some genuine fun at last in the
letterpress as the consequence of that first appear-
ance. Then we hope that the_vis .comica of "Ask
Mamma" may not (as in the present number) rest
exclusively upon John Leech's delightfully humor-
ous illustrations.
amemennoraMiraimar

CATTLE IN LONDON.

(From the Builder.)

Although the new regulation respecting the
slaughter-houses of London has effected much good
iu certain districts (particularly in the City), still
it is by no means uncommon to see a flock of sheep
dropped, and pushed:through trap-holf s, into deep
cellars, or oxen persuaded by blows, tail-twisting,
or other gentle means, into the doorways and
narrow passages of ordinary dwelling-homes, and
then slaughtered in most unfit and inconvenient
places, which are surrounded by thick populations.
Reflecting on the evils of this practice, which is
not only injurious to health, but also the cause
of considerable waste of valuable material into
the sewer, the writer visited, the other day,
the recently erected slaughter-houses at near
Smithfield-market. These ara spacious and
properly ventilated places, fitted with the proper
machinery for hoisting heavy animals : there are
receptacles for the various kinds of refuse, almost
the whole of which is sold at a profit, and but little
is allowed to pass into the great drain, which runs
to Essex. At frequent intervals, everything iO,
cleared away, and by means of an elastic hose, and
powerful force of water, the roof, walls, and floors,
are so thoroughly purified, that no taint remains.
Several of the London butchers are beginning to
avail themselves of these places, finding that it /61
better and cheaper to have their animals slaughtered,
in.properly appointed houses than in ill-arranged
dark and poisonous slums. It is, unfortunately,
difficult to get rid of old customs ; and we fear tbo,
it will be some time yet before the slaughtering 0'
animals in this large metropilis has ceased. we
hope, however, that before the summer comes, the
cellar slaughter-houses and other wrong places wl.l`
be visited, and made conformable to the rcgultv
tions,