The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-23 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 23, 1857.

vessel. The boats were then compelled to return to
their ships, the captain of the wrecked vessel, who,
with a portion of his crew, remained by her, being
promised that they would remain by bar all night,
and renew their humane efforts in the morning.
When morning dawned the mate (Beer), although
finding that tt♦e •nly means of saving the lives of
those on the wreck was by risking himself and his
men, pushed boldly through the surf, when his
boat capsized and the second mate and three men
were instantaneously engulfed. The mate himself
succeeded in passing two oars under his arms, and
he was kept afloat two hours and a-half, during
which time it was believed on board the bark that
be also was lost. When picked up he was in a state
of insensibility, from which he was recovered only
by the shill displayed by a foreign surgeon who was
on board the Donnie Brundit as a passenger. "To
such a man as this brave mate," observed Mr.
Greaves, "who had not shrunk from the gravest
dangers, they could not do less, while presenting
him with a silver medal, than also accord to him
their heartfelt thanks." But to return to the
wreck, from the leeward side of which the captain
and the three remaining seamen had in the mean-
time launched a rudely constructed raft, and having
got on to it allowed it to drift from their doomed
ship. They were perceived by Captain Whiteway,
who gallantly put his vessel forward and succeeded
in meeting the raft and saving those four lives. It
was for these brave deeds that the Board of Trade
had been pleased to grant their silver medals to the
captain and his mate, accompanied by an expres-
sion of their Lordships' sense of their gallant
services.

*ln the first six months the presentations were—a gold
chronometer from the Prestdent- of the United States to
Captain Joseph Clarke, and a gold chronometer by the
President of the Unit©d States to Captain Finnis ; and in
the last six months-601. and a telescope from the Board
of Trade to Captain Hodges; a gold chronometer and chain
from the President of the United States to Captain Sharp ;
a gold medal from the King of Norway tn Captain Graham;
and silver medals from the Board of Trade to William
Eccles and to Lewis Whiteway and J. C. Beer, the two
last being the cases now ander consideration,

TSB GAS MONOPOLY QUESTION,.

On Saturday the Marylebsne Representative
Council were occupied during the principal portion
of their sitting in discussing the recent tender o f
i
the Chartered Gas Company to light the district n
the vicinity of Oxford-street, relinquished by the
Equitable Company at Christmas next, and also
with the attendance of a deputation from ratepayers
appointed by a public meeting, with respect to the
recent division of the metropolis into districts by
the gas companies.
Mr. Tavener having been called to the chair,
Mr. GREENWELL (the vestry clerk) stated that he
had received a letter from the Secretary of the
Chartered Gas Company, in reply to his communi-
cation, referring their tender, read the previous
week, back for explanation. He read the following
communication from the Chartered Company :
" Chartered Gas Office, Westminster, Nov. 17, 1857.
" Sir,—ln reply to your letter, dated yesterday, lam
to state that the directors of this company supposed and
intended that their tender of the 13th inst. complied with
the terms of your advertisement fully, and that illumi-
nating power was alone contemplated by it. But, a.
explanation is sought, I have to say that the directors
propoee to use such a burner to each lamp as will give
a light equal to 8 sperm candles at the annual charge of
3/. 10s, each, or equal to ten candles at 4/. each, or to
twelve candles at 4/. 7s. 6d. per annum, for the choice
of the vestry, upon contracts for three years ; and I am
to add that the superintendent of the company's works,
with
_myself, will attend any appointment you may
intimate, to answer such questions as may yet arise.—
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
"C. BIIELR, Secretary."
Greenwell, Esq., Vestry Clerk, St.

vir. E.
Marylebone.
Mr. GREENWELL stated that Mr. Burls, the
secretary, and Mr. Evans, the superintendent,
were in attendance to answer any questions which
the Board might think proper to put.
Mr. Buds and Mr. Evans were called before the
Board, and in answer to questions the former said
that they were quite willing to give as good a light
as the Equitable Company now gave the parish at
3/. 10s. per light. He did not see why the vestry
wanted to know how many feet of the gas burned
per hour, so that they had as good a light as they
had at present. The gas would be: equal to eight
candles ; and if the vestry wanted a larger amount
than eight-candle gas, the company required pay-
ment for it in proportion. He had no further in-
formation to offer. This deputation having retired,
Mr. GREENWELL, in answer to a questiou,
stated that the Chartered Company had two sets of
mains running down Oxford-street, from one of
which they supplied the ordinary gas, and from the
other Cannel coal gas.
Mr. CARR observed that it was not so much how
many feet of gas was burned per hour ; it was the
illuminating power of the gas to be supplied for
which the Chartered Company proposed to charge
a high price. He believed that the Cannel co d
gas was 6s. per thousand ; but the question was,
considering its illuminating power, whether it was
not cheaper at that price than the ordinary gas at
4s. 6d. per thousand.
Mr. I. BIRD thoughtthe vestry had no alternative
but to accept the tender of the Chartered Company,
and he therefore moved that it ba accepted. (Hear,
and no, no.)
The motion hay ins been seconded.
Mr. HODGES moved as an amendment Chit the
further consideration of the tender of the Char tere t
Company should be postponed to that day w el:.
As to the letters from the Chartered Company, or
from the secretary, they were no explanation at all,
and the vestry were in no better condition than they
were when the tender was read.
The amendment was seconded, and after some
observations from Messrs. Freeth, D'lflanger, arid
other gentlemen in support, the amendment was
carried by a large majority, as was also a further
resoln ion to refer the subject to the consideration
of the Gas Committee on Wednesday next, to re-
port thereon at the next meeting.
Messrs. Burls and Evans were again called in and
informed of the resolution to the committee, and
asked if they would attend and afford information
to the Gas Committee, to which Mr. Buds replied
that he did not think he should be its a position to
give mere information to the Gas Committee than
he did nAr.
Messrs. Carr, Freeth, Nicliolay, and Belton put
a variety of questions, and Mr. Belton wished to
know whether, as the Chartered Company had
thought proper to raise their price for the public
lights, they also intended to do so with regard to
the lights of the private consumer'? (Oh, oh, and
cries of " Committee.") •
The deputation from the Chartered Company
withdrew, and a deputation from a public meeting
of ratepayers, headed by Mr. G. Salmon, were then
admitted, to present the resolutions passed at that
meeting to the vestry.
Mr. Seemoer said he had had the honour tc
crowdedpre-
whomeeting
were the
o naturally
gas co n-
very
as int
eorva e ro
fa
tvhearty
parish,
much alarmed at the attitude assumed by the gas
companies, and the feeling was that time only way
to eeeure them from monopoly was that the vest- y
of Maryle)eone, as their representatives, should
either by themselves, or in union with other
parishes, erect parochial gas works for their supply.
(Hear, hear.) The feeling out of doors was, that un-
less the vestries of the metropolis took some such
step, they wenld be speedily bound hand and foot
by a monopoly of a most extraordinary character.
They believed that the gas companies had entered
into an amalgamation contrary to the provisions of
their Actsof Parliament; and that, unlessthe vestries
either applied to Parliament or took some other deter-
mined step, they (the gas consumers) would soon
become the victims of monopoly. They did not
say that Marylebone should stand alone in this
movement, but they did think that the only re-
medy for this monopoly was, that an application
to Parliament should be made, if they had not
already the power, to construct gasworks and
supply gas upon the municipal principle. (Hear.)
Mr. Salmon concluded by handing in the resolu-
tions passed at the public meeting.
The Vr...4TES CLERK read the resolutions, which
were to the following effect
" That in consequence of the combination of the gas
companies of this parish, and the western and north-
western districts of the metropolis, it is expedient that
energetic measures be taken to counteract the injurious
effects to private consumi•rs and the parish generally.
"That a deputation from this meeting be appointed
to wait on the vestry, to state the best means for the
establishment of parochial gag works, to be enabled to
supply the public lights, and the privets consumers
thereof.

(Signed in behalf of the meeting)
" GEORGE SALMON, Chain-net,'
Dr. BACHHOEFNER said he should move that
uhese resolutions be received and referred to the
gas committee. Ho was gratified to find that
not only the consumers of Marylebone, but the
people of the metropolis, as exhibited by the re-
cent meeting of delegates, were becoming alive
to that question, There was one point which
fell from him (Dr. Bachhoffner) at the meeting
of the delegates on Wednesday, which he was
desirous of correcting, so far as one company
was concerned. He stated that the companies
were compelling in-coming tenants to pay the
arrears of gas of previous tenants before the com-
panies would give them any light. He grounded
his statement on a letter which ho saw in one
of the morning papers, but it did not apply to the
Imperial Company, as, when they were before
Parliament, the vestry of Marylebone procured the
insertion of the 15th section, which bore upon this
point, and enacted that where a person left his pre-
mises indebted to the Imperial Gas Company, they
should not be permitted to compel the succeeding
occupier to pay such debt before laying on the gas,
&c. He believed that no other company bad such
a clause in the Act of Parliament, and it showed
well for the foresight and the vigilance of the then
vestry of Marylebone that they procured its inser-