The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-29 00:00:00

STRATFORD AND W.

'ST HAM.

PLAISTOW AND VICTORIA DOCK
MISSION.
DEPUTATION TO THE HOME SECRETARY.

• On Tuesday, the 19th inst., a deputation, con-
' sisting of the Rev. R. W. B. Marsh, the Rev.
Al-
clmoWtersMofastohpe, Plaistowavd
Al-
fred Antonio
and Victoriaßrady,
DockE 3q . , the
Mis-
sion, had an interview with Secretary Sir George
Grey as the Home Office, and presented a petition
from the inhabitants of Hall's Ville, a new town
built in a swamp in Plaistow Marsh, praying for
immediate sanitary measures. The petition was
signed by the four resident medical practitioners,
and by about 250 of the inhabitants. It set forth
the frightfully bad state of the place for want of
proper roads and sewers, &c. ;. and that there was
a tidal absence of any drainage, and consequently
a high rate of mortality, and much sicknsss. The
deputation was introduced by T. W. Bramston,
Esq., and R. B. Wingfield, Esq., the two county
members, who bore testimony from personal know-
ledge as to the truth of the statements put forth.
The Home Secretary's attention was called to the
map of the district, published in 1855, in explana-
tion of the very valuable report of Mr. A. L.
Dickens, C.E., the Government Superintending
Inspector, a copy of which was appended to the
peti ion. We may as well inform our readers
that in his general description of the parish Mr.
Dickens states, " That since the execution of
the Eastern . Countiei' Docks, the population
has increased very materially, and has spread
nearly over the whole area of the parish. Fresh
districts have sprung up, houses have been
erected ; and, as cannot fail to be the case when
buildings of the class that have been erected here
come into exis ence, without any adequate super-
vision, or control, the commonest precau ions for
drainage or general arrangement of streets have
been neglected ; the surfaces of the courts and
alleys are almost without exception-unpaved ; lines
of etreet remain undedicated to the highway au-
thorities ; and in winter it is said that they are
actually impassable from mud and filth." Mr.
Dickens proceeds—" The whole parish is divided
and subdivided, as I have before stated, by open
ditches or sewers; and in no single instance within
my observation (and I perambulated nearly the
whole area of the parish) did I find ONE that was not
MOST HORRIBLY FILTHY AND OFFENSIVE. They are
usually stagnant, and filled with refuse of the
foulest description, their smell being sickening in
the extreme. When I state that in the surveyor's
book in 1821 the area of these ditches is estimated
at upwards of 140 acres, it may be conceived, m re
especially as that area has now been much increased
by road cutting at the railway, fresh sewers, &c.,
what the effects of this large and filthy evaporating
surface must be on the sanitary condition of the
district. In many parts of the parish these offen-
sive open ditches divide the gardens at the backs of
the houses. They are invariably filled with privy
drainage, and the smell from them is perceptible for
a c ,usiderable distance. Under these circumstances
it is not surprising that the medical gentlemen,
who recorded their evidence on my inquiry,
are unanimous in their statements that fever,
cholera, small-pox, or some other epidemic,
is constantly scourging. the parish. Nui-
sances upon nuisances accumulate, and it is
unfortunately not only from the smells from the
open ditches that the district suffers. Stratford
Langthorn (West Ham) is just without the boun-
dary fixed by the Metropolitan Buildings Act as.
the limit within which no new building for the
purpose of carrying on offensive trades shall be es-
tablished after the Ist day of Jan , 1854, unless
under the restrictions imposed by that Act. Thus
it happens that several new and offensive trades
(such as naptha making, oil boiling, varnish mak-
ing, printer's ink making, sic., &C.), have been
newly established here, and which are bitterly
complained of by the neighbouring inhabitants.
Under section 4 of the Metiopolitau Buildings Act,
7 and 8 Viet., cap. 84, her Majesty, by order in
Council, may order the extension of the Act to
any place within 12 miles of Charing-cross ; this
place is about 7 miles only. It would seem, how-
ever, that no steps have ever been taken to obtain
such extension to this district ; although (adds Mr.
Dickens) it appears to me that this is one of the
cases which the section desires to meet." Want of
space precludes our quoting the section on the
present occasion : we will only say' that since this
report was written the abominations described have
vastly increased from the accumulations of the sub-
sequent two years, and the extension of buildings.
We hope to recur to this subject shortly ; mean-
while re trust, now that public attention is called
to the subject, means will he taken to abate the
nuisances complained of. The deaths in Hall's
Ville average five times the rate of mortality in
ordinary towns. The only wonder is that itis not
greater.

THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE OF

RU,SSIA.

PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAY.

It may save the sight-seeking public, who avail
themselves of railway accommodation in these
" excursion-train" days to rush anywhere in search
of the lion of the hour, some trouble and disap-
pointment to know that the visit of the Imperial
Mince, who is the Lord High Admiral of the Rus-
sian navy, and brother to the Emperor of Russia,
is, as far as at present imparted to "authority,"
intended to he one of friendly courtesy to the Queen
alone, divested of any show or state, and whether
it will extend beyond the precincts of the Marine
Palace of Osborne is more than problematical. No
" preparations" whatever are being made at this
dockyard and dependencies in expectancy of a visit
oin the Prince-Admiral, but should he pay one
he will find everything in its daily state. There will
not even be the anticipated general Royal salute
by the squadron at present at Spithead and in har-
bour on the arrival of the Duke with his flag flying
at the main of the Admiralty State yacht Osborne ;
for, according to a telegraphic message received
this noon by Admiral Sir G. Seymour, K.C. 8., the
Commander-in-Chief, from Captain Seynriur, on
b 'and the Osborne, at Cherbourg, the yacht will
ste an through the Needles passage instead of
through Spithead.
The Admiralty yacht will leave Cherbourg so as
to arrive at Osborne about 3 p.m. on Saturday ;
and, in order that Her Majesty may have tt,e first
intimation of the appearance of the Osborne in
sight, a signal officer has been posted by the Royal
command at Hurst-castle to telegraph the fact, and
the Eurydice, 26 gun s-tiliug corvette, Capt. Tarle-
ton, C. 8., will do the hopours of saluting, manning
yards, &c., on the yacht nearing Osborne. Her
Majesty's steam yacht Victoria and Albert, Capt.
the Hon. Joseph Denman, has been re-embellished,
and goes down t Osborne to-morrow morning- to
attend upon the Queen ; it being deemed just pos-
sible Her Majesty may take her gallant visitor a
cruise through Spithead before leaving. The gre-
nadier company of the 93d Highlanders (splendid
stalwart fellows), commanded by Captain W. G.
A. Middleton, with Lieutenants Butter and Wood,
with their fine band, went over to Cowes this af-
ternoon in the steam-tug Pigmy, to form a guard
of honour to the Duke on his landing on Osborne
Beach. Sir George Seymour went down to Os-
b. erne yesterday to pay his respects to her Ma-
jesty on hoisting his new flag, but did not receive any
conimituds flow her Majesty relative to the recep-
tion of the Grand Duke beyond the desire to have
a ship s'ationed off Osborne to salute, Sta., during
his sojourn, which is not expected to be a lengthy
one. None of the Prince-Admiral's own squadron
will come to this port on the occasion. The Rus-
sian Ambassador is expected at Portsmouth this
evening or to-morrow.