The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-28 00:00:00

TILE REPEAL OF TIIE HOP DUTY.

We understand that in compliance with the
resolutions passed at the last hop duty meeting,
held at Robertsbridge, the committee appointed at
that meeting have applied to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, soliciting an interview on the subject
of the hop duty, and that an answer bas been re-
ceived from the right hon. gentleman fixing an
early day next week to receive a deputation. While
on this subject we cannot refrain from alluding to a
letter recently addressed by Mr. C. H. Frewen,
M.P., to the hop planters of West Kent, in which,
in referring to the coming election in that county,
he says he considers this to be " the most fitting
time for the electors to return a representative to
Parliament who will advocate the removal of that
unjust impost, the hop duty." We regret to find the
hon. member adding his impression, that "if West
Kent declares in favour of retaining this tax it is
quite useless for any Sussex member to move for its
repeal, as we are sure to be told by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer that, as the Kent planters do not wish
for the removal of the tax, he cannot consent to
give it up when there is so much difference of
opinion among the planters themselves." Now,
we do not dispute the probability of the Chancel-
lor seeking to take advantage of the differences
among the planters. But we do emphatically deny
the proposition of Mr. Frewen that because of
those differences it is useless for a Sussex member
to move for the repeal of the duty. So far from
the opposition of the West Kent planters being
fatal, we maintain that there need scarcely be a
stronger argument with the House in favour of re-
peal than the fact that the West Kent planters are
opposed to it. Let Mr. Frewen explain clearly to
the House " the reason why " the Kent planters
oppose the abolition of the hop duty, and we are
bold to think it will supply one of the very
best "reasons why" the prayer of the Sussex plan-
ters should be granted. We look to the principle—
the broad fact of the injurious and severe pressure
of that which Mr. Frewen himself calls that " un-
just impost"—we look, we repeat to the intrinsic
merits of the particular case, and although it would
of course, be highly desirable to have the support
of the members for West Kent, we by no means
consider their opposition of very grave importance.
The day has gone by when petty personal or
private interests can be allowed to stand in the way
of right principles and sound policy. The reasons
urged by the advocates for retaining the duty are
just those which are the last to find favour at the
present time of day. The argument of the oppo-
nents of repeal are founded—expressly founded—
'on the misvhievous and exploded principles of
" class protection," and on nothing else. When
even the member for East Sussex gives up that
principle and advocates freedom for the hop plan-
ters, we cannot think that the repealers have much
tcefear from the opposition of those who resort to
the sword and buckler discarded by Mr. Frewen.
—Sussex Advertiser.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FACTORY OCCUPIERS.—
The second annual meeting of this association was held
yesterday afternoon at the Manchester Town-hall, Mr.
E. Ashworth presiding. Mr. Whitworth, the secre-
tary, read the annual report, which referred chiefly
to the passing of the bill introduced by the associa-
tion in the last session of Parliament, to effect a reason-
able modification of the imperative provisions of the
21st clause of the Factory Act, 7th and Bth of Vic-
toria, cap. 15, which required All mill-gearing to be
"securely fenced." The committee state that they are
not aware of ary case of arbitration having arisen since
the statute was passed, but they feel confident that its
provisions will be found an ample protection to the
operatives and will prove satisfactory to the employers.
Notwithstanding the heavy expenditure of prosecuting
the bill, a balance of 2,6751. remains available for the
purposes of the association. Mr. Lewis, of Derby,
moved the adoption of the report. He congratulated the
association on the success of their proceedings, and eoe•
sidered it was the first time the factory interest had
received anything like justice at the hands of the Legis-
lature. He was glad that there was no proposition to
dissolve the association, which it was most desirable to
retain in operation, not for purposes of aggression, but
as a means of protection to the trade. Mr. Clapham,
of Airedale, seconded the motion, which was carried
unanimously. Mr. Wright, of Oldham, moved a voted
of thanks to the executive commitee, which was seoonde
by Mr. H. Mason, of Ashton, who recommended extreme
caution on the part of the members individually in Rot
• laying themselves open to attacks such as tad been made
upon the trade, as they would always be losersif they
had to fight public opinion. The motion was carried
unanimously. Mr. T. Cooke, of Manchester, remarked
that the factory occupiers could not better secure public
, support than by strictly obeying the law as it now stood.
Mr. N. Buckley, Mayor of Ashton ; Mr. Rowland, of
Oldham ; Mr. J. Simpson, of Manchester, and other
gentlemen took part in the remainder of the proceedings
which were merely of a formal character.

St. James's-park at the present time looks almost in
a hopeless condition. The beauty for a season is greatly
impaired. The loug works in progress have necessarily
cu. up the grounds in a sad macner, and they leok as if
they we old never recover. This was, however, to be
expected to a certai❑ extent when it was decided to make
the alterations ; but the difficulties in carrying out the
works have been much greater than were originally
contemplated. It seemed at first sight easy enough,
after the new sewer was made, to drain the water from
the lake and to level it ; but no sooner was the work
commenced than an immense number of copious springs
were tapped, which being below the level of the out-
fall could not be carried off by the ordinary methods.
It was found necessary to sink a sumph or well,
at the end of the lake opposite the Horse Guards, to re-
ceive the produce of these springs, and to erict a double
action pomp, worked by steam, to lift the water into
the new sewer. It has also been found requisite to lay
down three lines of twelve-inch drain-pipes along the bed
of the lake, to conduct the water to the well, instead of
through cuttings, as was originally intended. The ,e
pipes are no ,v being covered up with earth to within five
feet of the surface, which will then be covered over with
concrete of a uniform thickness. When the whole of the
bed of the hike is thus completed,. the well will be filled
up with concrete also, and then the outfall into the
sewer will be sufficiently high that the water may at any
time be drained off by gravitation, so that, if necessary,
three or four times a year, with the assistance of some
dozen men, the lake may be cleansed in a single day.
The works are now proceeding rapidly, and that por-
tion of the lake between Buckingham Palace and the
proposed new bridge is nearly levelled. About a hundred
men are at work, and great efforts are being made to
complete the work by the end of April. The excava-
tions for the foundation of the new bridge have been
sunk, and within a month the basements of the bridge,
should all go on smoothly, will be finished. To the
surprise, however, of the contractors, after digging some
five or six feet, they came to a bed of solid peat of
seine five feet in thickness, which cut like so much
cheese, and .below this some powerful springs were tap
ped, which compelled the erectio❑ of double-actioned
pumps, that are now in full operation. This will neces-
sarily increase the cost, but we do not think Parliament
will grumble if the work is welt and completely done.
It is not like the Houses of Parliament, the cost of
which every year is augmented, and the ultimate amount
no one even now, after twenty years' experience, can
predicate. The work seems to grow in Sir Charles
Barry's bands, and as long as Governments are to
be found to recommend additional expenditure,
and Parliaments ready to grant it, the building.
will, year by year, be increased. With St. James's
Park, however, the cost will very soon be finally
determined, and the first bill will be the last, although,
probably, it will be a heavy one.
Turning from St. James's-park to Battersea-park, we
find in the latter that astonishing progress has been made
in the works during the past eight months. Many per-
sons thought that the park never would have been made;
❑or would it have been, at least for the next ten or
twelve months, if the old procrastinating policy of the
Office of Works had been continued. Fortunately, how-
ever, for the public, nothingat this office is now considered
impossible. What it was deemed impossible to accomplish
in nine or ten years it is now found ca❑ be done almost in
as many months. Battersea-park will exemplify this ;
for many years it has been at a standstill, but now, by
a little pressure from above, the different officials have
worked with such a will as to lead to the hope that be-
fore the present year expires the park will be opened to
the public. Already a considerable portion of the walks
is completed, and some thousands of shrubs and trees
planted ; but still there is much more to be done. A
great part of the new park lies very low, and will have
to be thoroughly drained, otherwise trees will not
thrive. Toie is being done, whilst, at the same time,
every exertion is being made to plant as many shrubs
during the present season as possible. Whilst the park
is thus rapidly progressing, it is satisfactory to find that
at length the man and boy who have been for so many
years employed on the new Chelsea Bridge have got
other assistance, and that the works are really now
progressing. One of the temporary chains has been
carried over the abutments, and others will be put up in
the course of a week or two, and, should nothing adverse
arise, it is probable that the bridge will be available for
the public in the course of the summer, provided the
approaches are sufficiently advanced.
Government operations, under the Board of Works,
have generally been carried out with less speed than
works undertaken by private enterprise. It is to be
hoped, however, that such will be the case no longer.
The office of Chief Commissioner of Works used to be
regarded merely as a political one, and the holder of that
position, as a rule, did not consider it as a part of his
duty to go into the details of the departments. The
Government principal official was practically, as far as.
works were concerned, the real director, and thus it has
happ-ned that so many works have been commenced,
altered again and again, and never completely finished.
This, however, is not the case now—at least if we
may judge from the undaunted energy that is dis-
played in this department of the State. 'Lie office
will, however, have plenty of work on hands for
many years to come, and it will require an in
creased staff to keep pace with the public requirements.
For instance, the Downing-street improvement alone
will entail a large amount of labour and attention, for
although the Government have only as yet sanctioned
the erection of two new offices, there is no questio❑
but that the other improvements suggested will be
eventually carried out. With reference to these im-
provements, it is curious to observe bow the occupiers
of houses that will have to be taken by the Govern-
ment appear to have had their bu finesses increased
during the past twelve months. Th. it income-
tax returns show that some of them are doing twice as
much as they did before. The same thing, however, has
been observed in other cases where lands or houses have
been taken under the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act.
But in this case, when the claims for compensation are
gone into by the arbitrators, it is more than probable that
they wilt call not merely for the last year's income tax
return, but also for the two previous years, so as to form
an average. We are afraid that some of these gentlemen
may be too clever and sharp.—Morning Chronicle.

THE UNEMPLOYED LABOUR OF

LONDON.

Yesterday a number of persons, who stated that they
were unemployed operatives and lab curers of the metro-
p dis, made an application in a body, as also they had
done on the previous day, for parochial relief, at St
Pancras Workhouse. There were two batches of about
eighty each, and in the first instance loaves and rations
were given them, and their names and addresses were
taken with a view to inquiry by the poer inspector int..
their actual circumstances. Yesterday morning another
batch of near ly 100 presented themselves at St. Pancras,
but they were most of them disappointed when tickets
for labour at stone-breaking were offered them.
At a meeting of the directors of the poor, held yester-
day. Mr. Churchwarden Streeten in the chair, the Cnait -
man stated that 88 of the alleged unemployed artisans
had applied for relief. Fifty loaves were distributed and
tickets for labour at the stone-yard were offered. It
was needless, however, to say that in most instances the
tickets for labour were refused. Indeed it was quite
evident that many did not want work.
Mr. G. A. Yomeo, the chairman of the Committee of
Welke, moved "That the Stone-yard Committee do
meet that eve❑ing, to make arrangements for offering
labour to able-bodied applicants in the emergency." If
they did not apply the labour test, they might have idle
vagabonds coming from all parts of London.
Mr. OuR seconded the motion.
Mr. CLARKE, relieving officer, said these parties were
led on by a Mr. M'lleatb, who kept a coffee-shop and
"Temperance Ilan" in Weston-street, Somers•town,
where these men met nightly, and out of which he made
a very good thing ;yet lie had the aesuraece to apply for
relief for himself and his four children.
After some discussion the motion was carried, a❑d
the Stone-yard Committee appointed to meet at 8 o'clock
last night, to give the applicants either employment at
stone-breaking or upon the roads.
The Board, after some other business, separated.

Sporting Intelligence.

BETTING AT MANCHESTER.--YESTERDAY.

There was only a moderate attendance at the Post-
office Hotel, and a great deal of time was taken up in
appointing a committee of twelve persons for the manage-
ment of the rooms. The publication of the weights for
the Liverpool Steeplechase had little effect as regards
i•ringiog that race more into notice. 200 to 10 was
taken about Escape, against whom, in a general way,
100 to 6 were the odds offered ; that price would h*ve
been taken about Emigrant. For the Chester Cup 15 to
1 was taken to 501. about Leamington, and 20 to 1 was
offered against Mincepie, and 1,000 to 40 against Roger-
thorpe. Schiedam had friends at 5 to 1 for the Two
Thousand Guineas Stakes, Nothing was done upon the
Derby.
LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE.
100 to 7 agst Emigrant (take 100 to 6)
20 to 1 agst Escape (taken)
100 to 3 agst Lough Bawn (taken)
Two THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES.
sto 1 MHO
Sc (taken)
CHESTER CUP.
15 to 1 aget Leamington (taken)
20 to 1 agat Mincepie (offered)
25 to 1 agst Rogerthorpe (offered)
30 to 1 aget Schiedam (offered)
50 to 1 agat Good Friday (take 500 to 8)
50 to 1 agat Early Bird (take 66 to 1)

THE FRAUDS OF THE CITY OF LONDON UNION.—
yesterday, at a meeting of the board of guardians of
this Union, a letter from the secretary of the Poor Law
Board was read, communicating the conclusion at which
the Commissioners had arrived, respecting Mr. Rowsel I,
the chief clerk of the Union. The board attribute the
success with which the recent frauds had escaped detec-
tion to the neglect of regulations to which Mr. Rowsell
ought to have strictly adhered, and express the opiiii, n
that his resignation should be applied for and accepted.
The board have also forwarded a letter to Mr. Gibbs,
auditor of the London district., in which it was stated
that the evidence had clearly established great neglect
upon his Vart, without which it would have been. diffi-
cult for the frauds to have escaped detection. Parton ar
stress was laid upon Mr. Gibbs's own admission that
" he had never audited the treasurer's accounts at all."
As in the former case, the board are reluctant to visit
neglect with dismissal, but they require Mr. Gibbs,.
s
immediate resignation.

"That, though the committee may adjourn from day
to day, it will not disband till we are sure the community
are safe from the troubles'that caused our organisation,
and to secure this end we invoke the aid of our city
authority, the strong arm of the law, and the sincere co-
operation of all good citizens.
" That we advise the people of every civil district in
the country to organise a vigilant patrol of 20 men, under
the command of a captain, who by turns shall patrol their
respective districts by day and night until the present
excitement is allayed. By these precautionary measures
we seek to create no alarm, but to allay it, and if this
advice is followed all danger will be averted. In caution
there is safety.

"For the future negroes shall not be permitted to
hire their own time, as it is called, under any pretext
whatever, or be suffered to remain in town if it is at-
tempted, and we pledge ourselves to enforce the law
against all persons who, in that respect, shall attempt to
evade it. The ev►ls growing out of such practices are too
grave to be tolerated any longer, nor will it be permitted
that captains or other officers of steathboats shall hire
negrues at night about the town, to assist in loading
and unloading their boats at the wharf or landing,
except they have the written permission of their masters.
The negroes invariably return to their masters next day,
if not orunk, broken down and unfit for service.
" That we recommend in the appointment of patrol in
the town and country, that the strictest attention be paid
to the selection of men of character and prudence, and
that masters be requested to keep their negroes upon
their own premises as much as possible till the excite.
n,ent in the puulic mind is allayed, and this as well to
prevent the destruction of the slaves by imprudent rnen
as to prevent combination and concert on the part of the
slaves, should they entertain any improper design.
" G. A. HENRY, Chairman.
"W. M. STEWART " G. A. HARREL
"J. 111`.KEAGE " W. LUTER
" W. A. QUARLES " W. M SHELTON
" W. E. NEWELL "CAVE JOHNSON, sen.
" BRYCE STEWART " H. F. B'EAUMONT
" F. A. HANNCAI " W. A. FORBES.
" JOSHUA ELDER " C. H SMITH
"J. 0. SHACKLEFORD "J. M. DYE
" LARKIN BRADLEY."

FEARFUL CO3LISION ON THE (MEAT
trESfEItIV (OF CANADA) RAILWAY.

The Hamilton Spectator, of Jan. 9, says that an acci.
dent, attended with loss of life and serious injury to per-
son and property, occurred about 8.30 yesterday morn-
ing. Tile mail train from the West, which should have
arrived at Hamilton at 8 o'clock, was delayed, owing,
probably, to the state of the roads, and only passed
Duudai, at a little after eight.
A freight train left Hamilton for the West at this time,
and a telegraphic message was sent to Dundee (the re-
ceipt of which was acknowledged) to stop the mail train
there, and switch it off the track. From some cause this
was not done, and the two trains came into collision on
the embankment crossing the old entrance to the Desjar-
diei's Cana}, just beyond Burlington Heights. The trains
fortunately going round the curve were in slow motion,
and therefore not a car was thrown off the track, so that
the catastrophe which would have occurred by the rolling
of the trains down the steep embankment was avoided.
Serious consequences have, however, resulted. S. M.
Keeler, of Windsor, the inspector of the water service
on the railway, was killed on the spot ; Chas. Betts, a
fireman, and .vlr. Hiram Everson, the express messenger,
received injuries, from which they died in the course of a
few hours, :and the driver and two other persons em-
ployed on the train were severely bruised, scalded, or
otherwise hurt. The mail train was composed of the
engine and tender, the baggage car, the mail, and ex-
press car, one second class, and three or four other pas-
senger cars, and to this train the most serious damage
Chas done. The baggage-car was thrown by the shock
en the top of the wail-car, into which the second-
clas- car ran as a knife into its sheath. These
three were thus heaped together and completely crush-
ei. In the exprete car were, among cases of game,
etc., three sates, containing money, &c., to the
amount of 600,000 dole. Fortunately it happened that
a Mr. G. B. Sanford, one of the messengers of the
American Express Company, was a passenger on the
train. He assisted in extricating the injured agent
(vho delivered h!s key:), and then be instantly crept
among
the
1. up
in
s,
and proceeded to extinguish the fire,
ravage,-. With the assistance of a few of the passengers
which, commencing from the stoves, had begun its
who handed snow to Mr. Sanford, this was accom•
piished, and the safes ,a ere rescued with no further
damage than im:lentations on their exterior.
Tun freight tiam conhisted of eight cars, two of which
were demedished arid smile others slightly injured.
Tue swi' di tender Dul,d,s, a man et the name ot Grier,
ah-coueed shortly after the accident, but subsequently
gave bianself up to the authorities. A coroner's inquest
was held on the day of the accident, and adjourned till
the day following.