The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-21 00:00:00

of the Thames on the south side being carried on

simultaneously with that on the north.
The deputation was a very numerous one, and
consisted of the following members :—W. Williams,
Esq., M.P., W. Roupell, Esq., M.P., A. R. Bristow,
Esq., M.P., S. Brady, Esq., M.P., and A. H. Layar d,
Esq., M.P.; and from the following parishes :—St.
Mary, Lambeth—Fredk. Doulton, Esq., I. Doulton,
Esq., sen., George Hill, Esq., Hugh Fenton, Esq.,
George Taylor, Esq., Robert Taylor, Esq., John W.
Stratton, Esq., J. Stiff, Esq., J. Williams, Esq., J.
Rhodes, Esq., Mr. Thomas Roffey, vestry clerk,
and Mr. Hugh M'lntosh, surveyor of the vestry
Parish of St. Mary, Newington—E. Dermer, Esq.,
member of the Metropolitan Board of Works ; J.
Bone, Esq., and Mr. Henry Chester, vestry clerk.
Parish of St. Giles, Camberwell—Ja mes Pew, Esq.,
member of the Metropolitan Board of Works;
Henry Potter, Esq., Francis Herring, Esq., Al-
lum Fisher, Esq., Mr. G. Marsden, vestry clerk.
and Mr. Reynolds, surveyor to the vestry. Parish
of St. Saviour, Southwark—George Newman, Esq.,
Dr. Shea, H. Williams, Esq., and G. Sandeman
Esq. Parishes of Wandsworth, Battersea, &c.—
James Barringer, Esq., and J. Michael, Esq.
The members forming the deputation met in the
first instance at Fendall's Hotel, New Palace-yard,
Frederick Doulton, Esq., in the chair, when the
different points of the petition to be presented were
discussed, and there was a singular and unanimous
concurrence in its prayer. At half-past 11 o'clock
the meeting broke up, and the party proceeded to
the residence of the noble Premier in Piccadilly,
where they arrived shortly before 12 o'clock.
Lord PALMERSTON, having intimated that he was
quite ready to receive the deputation,
Mr. W. WILLIAMS, M.P. (addressing his lord-
ship), said he had the honour to introduce the mem-
bers of a deputation from the inhabitants living on
the south side of the Thames, to present to his lord-
ship a petition in reference to the embankment of
that portion of it which was on the north side, and
it was their opinion, that unless some provision was
made for an embankment on the south side that the
evils which they at present suffered from flooding
would be greatly aggravated. They therefore en-
treated his lordship's attention to the prayer of their
petition.

Mr. ROFFEY, vestry clerk, then read the follow
ng petition :

To the Right Hon. Viscount Palmerston, First Lord o:
the Treasury.

"The humble petition of the representatives from the
parishes of St. Mary, Lambeth ; St. Mary, Newington ; St.
Giles, Camberwell ; St. Saviour, Southwark ; Clapham
Tooting, Graveney, Streatham ; St. Mary, Battersea ;
Wandsworth, Putney,:and Roehampton, on the south side
of the Metropolis.
" Showeth, that your petitioners represent the several
parishes before mentioned, containing a population of

1,652,420, and having property therein of the rateable value
of £1,589,400.
" That your petitioners are from experience deeply im-
pressed with the present defective physical and sanatory
condition of the locality they represent, arising from its
low. lying situation, and its liability to floods, and they
learn with considerable alarm that that condition is likely
to be aggravated by the bill now in the course of prepa-
ration by her Majesty's Government for the formation of
an embankment on the north side, a work which, they are
informed on good engineering authority, will tend to
reflect the current to the other side, to undermine and
otherwise injure the wharves and other waterside property,
but above all will greatly increase the injury from floodings
to which some districts are already subjected.
" That in the opinion of your petitioners the only remedy
for these evils is to extend to the south side the salutary
protection of an embankment.

"That your petitioners are informed that the cost of the

proposed works is intended to bo defrayed out of duties
levied on coal for the whole metropolis, to which fund they
are, from the number of industrial establishments on the
South side, very largo contributors, and from which they
have hitherto derived little or no benefit whatever, and they
entreat your lordship to prevent such an apportionment of
a common fund as shall perpetuate that gross injustice.
" That from the amount of river-side trade which will

be displaced by constructing the northern embankment, a
very large proportion of the northern heavy traffic will be
thrown on the south side, while the means of communica-
tion adjacent to the river are not calculated for such an in-
crease, and that great injury and damage will therefor •
occur to the inhabitants, unless some means are provided for
improving the communication and providing sufficient out-
lets for s Ich increased traffic.

" Your petitioners, therefore, pray that your lordship
will be pleased to direct that, in the preparation of the pro-
posed bill for the Thames embankment, a clause be inserted
empowering the Metropolitan Board of Works to construct
such a necessary protection on the south side, as far as pos-
sible simultaneously with the northern works, and that the
cost thereof be directed to be defrayed out of the duties
levied on coal within the metropolitan police district, or
from such other sources as the Government may think ad-
visedly, so that the charge be extended over the whole me-
tropolis. And your petitioners will ever pray."
The petition having been handed to his lordship,
Mr. F. DOULTON said, his lordship would perceive
that all the reasons which had been urged in favour
of an embankment of the Thames on the south side
side greatly exceeded those which had been urged
in favour of the north side, and could be applied to
it. The whole of the arguments which had been
used on behalf of the embankment on the north side
applied to the south side, with the exception of one,
and that was, that they were not dependent upon
an embankment of the river for a low level sower.
One reason, however, which they wished to put
prominently before his lordship was, that the inha-
bitants of the south side of the river were subject to
frequent floods of a most dangerous character, in-
flicting annually great injury, attended by a vast
lass of most valuable property ; and, above all, they
caused great injury to their poor neighbours, and it
was only those who lived in those localities who were
at all aware of the extent to which their losses and
inconvenience extended. The persons living on the
southern side viewed the formation of an embank-
ment on the north side with alarm, for if it was
made those evils of which they complained would
not be diminished, but on the contrary would be
considerably aggravated. That would not be the
greatest of the evils to which they were to be sub-
jected, for they must look at the sanatory condition
of the people on the southern side. Their evils, in
the want of sanatory arrangements and comforts,
would be increased by an embankment on the north
side of the Thames and here he would beg his

and the scrutiny of the House of Commons. They
believed that Parliament would not object to the
further continuance of that tax, as it was purely a

metropolitan tax, to be applied to metropolitan pur-
poses. He therefore urged this subject upon his lord-
ship's attention, believing, if the coal tax was
extended for a period of five years, that sufficient
funds would be provided for the purpose of con-
structing a southern embankment. They presSed
this question on his lordship's attention on two
grounds—first, in a sanatory point of view, and
secondly, as a matter of justice, seeing they :only
sought the same advantages which had not been
denied to the northern side of the metropolis.

Mr. WILLIAMS, M.P., said he wished to remind
his lordship that the Chief Commissioner of Works
(the Hon. W. Cowper) had expressed himself
favourable to an embankment on both sides of the
river. His friend Mr. Doulton had stated that
the manufacturers of Lambeth contributed annu-
ally £lO,OOO to the coal tax, and that extended
over a period of ten years would be sufficient to
make the embankment. In 10 years it would
amount to £lOO,OOO, and that would go a great way
towards meeting the cost of this great public work.
Mr. DOULTON apologised to his lordship, and said
that there was one point which he had omitted to
refer to in the course of his observations. One por-

tion of the prayer of the memorial was, that a
clause should be inserted in the bill which was to
be introduced by the Government next session, on

the question of the northern embankment, to attain
this object ; but if that was not thought advisable,
as notices had been given by private individuals for
the purpose of forming an embankment on the south
side, perhaps the Government would take up the
notices already given on this subject.
Mr. LAYARD, M.P., said that if there was to be
an embankm€ nt on the north side only, the south
side would suffer much more from flooding than it
did at the present time.
Mr. WILLIAMS, M.P., said that would most

assuredly. be the wise.
Mr. BAADY, M.P., said from a knowledge of the
locality he could bear his testimony to the state of
the district. He had witnessed, not more than 100
yards from the river, houses with from four to five
feet of water in their cellars, with vessels of all
kinds floating about, and the people themselves in
the most wretched condition. He considered that

these poor people were greatly to be pitied, and his
only surprise was that these evils had been allowed
to exist so long.
Lord PALMERSTON—There is a great deal of rea-
soning and argument in what you have said, and I
can hardly imagine that anything else was contem-
plated than an embankment for both sides of the

river, and especially so if an embankment on one
side only is calculated to entail the inconveniences
and evils which you have mentioned. I have heard
a good deal of the inconvenience which has been
suffered on the south side of the river, by the stop-
page of the streets on the shore, and by the water
getting into cellars and offices, whilst at the Home
Office, where frequent complaints were made to me;
and, therefore, such inconveniences aro by no means
a new state of things to me. I agree with you that
we ought to look for some means to enable us to
complete this embankment by embanking the river
on both sides. There is no doubt that for the in-
terests of the inhabitants, it is more important:that
the river should be embanked on the south side
than on the north ; for the north is, to some extent,
an embankment of itself, on account of the height
of the ground. The only question as to the south
is as to the method of doing so, and I should like
to be informed whether you have any course to-pro-
pose, and also, whether you have made any calcu-
lation as to the expense of an embankment on the
south side corresponding with that on the north.
Mr. DOULTON—The corresponding embankment
would cost about £200,000.
Lord PALMERSTON—What is the extent of the
northern embankment ?
Mr. DOULTON—From Westminster to Black-
friars-bridge.
Lord PALMERSTON—If the coal tax is extended
for five years, will that supply funds to meet the ex-
pense of the southern embankment?
Mr. DOULTON—If the coal tax is extended for
five years we believe that sufficient funds will be
obtained for that purpose.
Lord PALMERSTON—What is the annual pro-
duce of the coal tax?
Mr. W. WILLIAMS, M.P.—About L 170,000; but
as the act of last session extends this tax for 10
years, I have made a higher calculation, as there is
reason to believe that there will be a much larger
consumption. My calculation is that a much larger
sum will be received; and we are willing to submit
to this tax , but if any furthersutmhatisarepqouritrieodn to
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difficulty in the face, and that the coal tax would
not yield sufficient in five years, but if the work
was to be well done, the tax ought to be extended
for 10 years. Mr. Doulton had alluded to the 14
manufacturers on the south side contributing
£lO,OOO annually to the coal tax, but as they had
50 or 60 iron works on that side of the river, he
could safely say that more than half that tax was
paid by those living on the south side of the river.
Lord PALMERSTON—These are matters of detail,
but I may say that I entirely agree with you in
the principle that it is desirable that an embank-
ment should be provided for the south side as well
as the north, but how it should be done and when
it should be done, we must leave that as a matter
for inquiry. I will communicate with Mr. Cowper,
of the Board of Works, to see how the matter
stands, but I entirely agree with you that it ought
to be carried out.
The deputation, who were highly pleased at the
result of their visit, thanked his lordship for the
courtesy with which they had been received, and
retired.

The iron eased frigate Normandie made her first
experimental trip off Cherbourg on Saturday, with perfect
BUCCeSi.4,

they have also materially contributed to-surgical
science. The committee add :—" As a rule, the dam
of cases treated at orthopcedie hospitals have never
been considered as appropriate eases for treatment
at the general hospitals, as is established by the
fact that hardly a week passes without patients
being received who have been sent from other hos-
pitals ; moreover, your committee are borne out in
this opinion by the experience of the ten years this
institution has been in operation, that the satisfac-
tory results they have had to record in the annual
reports were in a great measure accomplished by

the skilful application of mechanical contrivance%
under the personal direction of the medical officers,
who have to devote an amount of time to each case
altogether. incompatible with the duties imposed on
the' medical officers attached to the general hospi-
tals. As each case of deformity has its peculiarities,
so also for its cure it has its special requirements.
Being, therefore, amenable to no general rule of
practice, deformities can only be successfully ma-

naged by those whose acquirements embrace consi-
derable mechanical knowledge and tact, in addition
to their general medical and surgical skill." The
committee, in conclusion, appealed for aid to enable
them to clear off the debt of £572 which rested
upon them, and compelled them to disregard the
claims of the afflicted beings who desired to become
inpatients. The subscriptions announced in the
course of the evening amounted to upwards of £6OO.