The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-07 00:00:00

AN IMPROMPTU DINNER FOR THE

POOR.

The late William Fox of Nottingham, a member
of the Society of Friends, was remarkable for his
sympathy with the poor. It is the custom in many
parishes for the overseers and the committee who
attend the weekly payments of the paupers 'to have
a good dinner at the close of their day's labour, and
this is paid for by the poor rates ; but as it is a mani-
fest abuse, he determined to put an end to the prac-
tice in his parish. He, therefore, one day hastened
away before the close of the weekly payment to the
dining-room, and thus addressed the master of the
workhouse :—" Is the dinner ready ?" " Yes,
sir." " Then bring it in." " Are the gen-
tlemen ready, sir.' " Never mind the gentle-
men ; I say bring it in." And this was done.
4‘ Now, call all the poor people, sir, now call the
poor people. Dost thou not hear what I say, sir ?"
" This dinner is for the gentlemen." " For the
gentlemen ; oh ! who pays for it then, do gentle-
men ?" The workhouse-master, staring most amaz-
ingly, said, " Why, no, sir, I reckon not ; it's paid
for out of the poor rates." " Out of the poor rates ;
to be sure it is,,thou art right. The rates are for
the poor men, and not for the gentlemen. Poor
rates, eh ! I think we have no gentlemen's rates,
so fetch in the poor at once and look quick.' The
workhouse-master went, and William Fox went

too,co
give
n dtsto see
hwe was
sl
athrhumartr
to
he ed
tdihinde
aga as
wnhhte was
.lole host
ordered, rt
andde
oe
frhd and
in
hungry
nag re not
ws te
pau-
perso.
who had Act for years set eyes on such a feast
as that. They did not wait for a second invitation
to place themselves at tabie, and William Fox bade
them help themselves, and kt once there was a scene
of activity that for. the time it lasted justified the
name of the house. It was a workhouse: indeed,
William Fox all the time stood cutting and carving
and handing good pieces of pudding and meat to
such as could not get seats ; in a few minutes there
was a thorough clearance of the table. Scarcely
had William Fox dismissed his delighted company
when another company presented themselves, and
these were the gentlemen, who stood in amazement.
" Why," exclaimed they,." what is this, why is the
table in this state, where is the dinner ?" " I found
a very good dinner ready, and as I knrw that none
but the poor have a right to dine out of the parish
funds, I have served it out to the poor accordingly;
but if any of you are in want of a dinner, he may
come home with me and I will give him one." The
gentlemen knew well the character they had to deal
with, and never attempted to renew the practice of
dining at the public charge during William Fox's
year of office.

BANQUET TO THE HEROES OF LUCKNOW.—A
grand banquet will be given, by permission of General
Craufurd, on the heights at Dover, on the 13th inst., to the
gallant 32d, the heroes of Lucknow, who have just arrived
a t Dover from India. The regiment numbers 228 rank and
file, the whole of whom are to be regaled by the inhabitants
of Dover, who have formed a committee to raise the rta-
quired funds, and who intend to extend their invitation to
the men's wives.

MISTAKING BELLADONA FOR BLACKBERRIES.—
Last week some children belonging to the town of Seven-
oaks went out blackberry gathering, and one of themt,a
lad about 10 years of age, was induced to eat some berrin
which he found growing in Knole-park, and which prov(d
to be the belladonna, or deadly nightshade, one of the most
dangerous of the 44 narcotico-irritant" class. The poisono4B
effect of the berries soon became visible, and shortly aftq
his arrival home he appeared in a state of extreme intoxics,:
tion. This was afterwards followed by great delirium FA,I,
total blindness, although the eyelids were widely Wendel_
as if in earnest' gaze. For some time his life was despaill
precarious condition,—South —as ,
osuf,rgebuotn othweingladtois
gthoeingunronenilfartvtoinutgraerbtailtyt(eivnataiohdsnotuoogfnheth)
BGetiliPaYtilt:

- .
Seine experunenfi haVe juSt been made at Chat-
ham by Captain Norton, in order to show the
method by which. sporting guns can be utilised
as military arms, and the ordinary muzzle-load-.
ing patent breech sporting guns rendered availihie
for military. purposes in case of emergency. This
Captair/Norton proposes to effect by using his gos-
samer covered cartridges, with a close-fitting sphe-
rical bullet, enclosed in a thin greased patch,of elas-
tic cotton net, and the result of the trials which
have been concluded at Chatham. leaves no doubt
that any 'ordinary musket may by these means be
turned into a inflitiarklaini.- ro,iiring44 experiments
Captain Lemprieief,- te-instiueiol4o- Alluskeltry_ to
the Royal Engineers-Tfited-twublank gossamer cart-
ridges from an ordinary 'l4-bore sporting gun, with
very satisfactory, results ; after which a Val was
made in firing a_" jacketed" rifle shot
..7#4 the
same desviption of cartridge from a 14-boreircioVed
rifle having a patent breech, the' results in 'each
case being equal`satisfactory.
In addition to the reinforeements already ennme-
rated.in The Sun; dile following, number of officers
and troops will embark at.Gravesend to-morrow.=
board the :chartered.vessel Surrey,l,oB9 tons, Capt.
W. Escott, for Calcutta—viz., 1 field officer and 2
subalterns of the Royal Artillery from Wbollkich ;

1 field officer; 2' subalterns, arid 56 non-commissioned
officers and' men of the 35t1i1RoYal Sissex)-Regi-
molt, from iChatham ; 1 ,captain, 2 subalterns, ftnd
248 men of the Ist battalion; 6th root, 1 subaltern,
and 7 men of the 34th Regiment,_and 46 non-com-
missioned officers and men of thp 88th Connaught
Rangers, from Colchester ; total, 10 offiders and 357
non-commissioned officers -arid men. The hired
troopship GOsforth will embark the following troops
at Gravesend,on Friday for Madras—vit., 651 no-
ncommissioned: officers. and mien of the 12th (Prince
of Wales's) Lancers from Maidstone ; 4 men of the
Royal Artillery from Woolwich; 8 men of the Ist
battalion of the Ist Royals and 9 men of the
44th Regirrierit front 'Colchester ; 78 men of the 69th
Regiment froth Ferinoy ; and 3 officers within men
of the 91st Regiment,.from Pembroke; total,l3 offi-
cers and T5l, men of all ranks. •

Yesterday a detachment of the Royal Artillery
left the. Camp at Aldershot for Shoeburyness, to
practise firing with the Armstrong gun. They will
be succeeded next month by a party from the Camp
at Shorncliffee. The guns now in use at Shoebnry-
ness carry five miles and hit the mark with preci-
sion each time.

Lieutenant-General Chas. Gilmour, of the Royal
Artillery, died on the 31st ult., in his 79th year.
The gallant officer had, been more 'than 60 years
in the army, and during his early career had seen
much active'serviee, having served at the capture
of Ischia, Zante, and Cephalonia in 1809, and
at Santa Matra in .the following year. The de-
ceased next proceeded to the eastern-coast of Spain,
and was present at the battle of
,Castalla, and was
engaged
,with the enemy. in covering the retreat,
and employed in the batteries against Tarragona.
After leaving Spain the deceased General joined
the army under Lord William Bentinck, at Genoa.
His commissions bore date as' follows :—Second-
Lieut., December 20, 1798 ; Lieut., December 3,
1800 ; Capt., June 1, 1806 ; Major, August 12,
1819.; Lieut. -Col„, September 27, 1831 ; Col., No-
vember 9, 1846; Major-Gen., June 20, 1854, and
Lieut.-Gen., Feb. 4, 1857.
Lieut.-Col. C. W. SibleY, of the 64th (the 2d

Staffordshire Regiment), died on the Ist inst., after
a highly honourable career` in the service. He had
attained the rank of Lieut.• Colonel solely by per-
sonal merit., When serving in the 13th Regiment
he took a part.in the first Burmese war, for which
he had a medal; and while in the 62d he served in
the campaign on tde Sutlej, and was severely
wounded at' the battle of Ferozeshah.

Yesterday the IN ho' le of the volunteers to the West
Essex Militia, Lieut.,Col. Brise commandant, were
summoned to muster at the head-quarters, Chelms-
ford, on the 21st inst., for 21 days', drill.
The Antrim Artillery Militia are under,orders of
readiness to leave Cork for England. The Royal
Lancashire Artillery Militia, Lieut.-Col. Aitchison
commandant, are ordered from Shorncliffe to Cork.
The screw steamer Iberia has been taken up to
carry the regiments to and from Ireland.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING 711 E
WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Report)
The health of London is improving, and the mor-
tality is below the average of the season. In each
of the corresponding weeks of 1849 and 1854 be-
tween 2,000 and 3,000 of the population died; in
the week that ended Sept. 3, 1859, the registered
deaths amounted to 1,047. After excluding the
years of epidemic cholera this is 76 less than the
average number (1,123), corrected for increase of
population.
The earth underwent great magnetic commotions
during the week; auroral lights were seen, thunder
and lightning were observed, and rain fell on three
days (0.33) ; but the most direct cause of the decrease
of death was the fall of mean temperature to 56.5
deg.; or to 69.0 deg. daily as the mean highest, and
50.2 deg as the mean lowest. The temperature of
the Thames was 66.4 deg., and it varied little. The
1
swibarometeraotshn4edBaa.yair was
and
wasnegd.
Tuesday
uora
eywt
su,
dr
generally.aa2yt9i .o6tnOh )0
ef
an the
ve
The average
Estei
gr;
ewwt
velocityi
nethd dnabw
being 100, the humidity was represented
from the south-west, passed over Greenwich, at the
rate of (4.8), neatly five miles an hour ; and on
eight miles an hour.
Diarrhcea, which depends to a considerable exteuct
upon temperature, declined as the temperature fell ;
the deaths by the disease were, however, IN. The
deaths by cholera were 5. Small-pox, chiefly
through the neglect of vaccination by parents' '4lB-
- oy ed 27 lives. 15 deaths were referred to mess' les,
55 to scarlatina, 13 to 'diphtheria, 3to troop, 11 to
hooping-cough. Fever was fatal to 49 perm) ;
21 under and 28 above 20 years of age.
Six children died of syphilis, three persons di ed of
delerium tremens, two of disease induced by i; Akin.
penance. These are only a few of the deaths ei &lased
by vice.
Of consumption 73 persons died in the prig ae of
life (20-40), and 56 at other ages.
Twenty-five persons died by accidents ; be it it ie
I well known that while some deaths are reall' y seei..
dental, the greater part of them arise from *le negli-
' ce of the persons themselves or of 1-41t0 rs, and
gen
many such deaths may therefore be Al. One
murder or manslaughter was registered, and four
, suicides.
While 40 deaths of old people were regi 'ete:l4 at
the age of 80 and upwards, 201 - infantf died in
London under one year of age--namely,;; sof ar9,4.11-
pox, 83 of diarrhea, 14 of tabes, 9 of
w ater on the
brain, 29 of convulsions 17 of prematw „birth; and
51 of atrophy and. debility. But what N the dome
of these diseases? All may well inquirll
e, for a Er
that the lives of young children" mai
The`births of I,7lllchildien, •878.
be Fese
33
andws
girls, were registered during the wr
,ek• blowing
wi7uinn2r
uigt;

. ~ *listio.

-;;;;,
,
-