The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-10 00:00:00

ST. PANCRAS NEW RELIEF OFFICES.

The new relief office and dispensary (which is in-
teresting from being the first erected under the pro-
visions of the new act, and with the special ap-
proval of the Poor Law Board, and also the first
of a series of four intended to be erected in the
parish of St. Pancras), is situated in the midst of a
poor population in Compton-place, one of a series
of courts enclosed by the houses in Compton-street,
Hunter-street, and Leigh-street. Access is ob-
tained through archways in Compton-street and
Hunter-street. The Compton-street entrance being
nearest to the dispensary has been re-paved by
the vestry, and a cart-road formed to enable
provisions, fuel, &c., to be carted to the doors.
Very strong wrought-iron railings and gates
guard the outer doors, and divide the applicants
for relief into two streams, facilitating admi-
nistration in times of pressure. The buildings
are very compactly arranged, and the rooms ara all
on the ground floor. The site is of the form of the
letter L, the long arm of which has a double series
of rooms, and the short arm a single series, chiefly
occupied by the porter's apartments. Immediately
opposite the principal entrance and hall is the
general waiting room, the superficial area of which
is upwards of GOO square feet, and is lit by con-
tinuous lantern skylights in the open roof. The
glazed side panels of the lanterns are hung on pivots
and are made to simultaneously open and close for
ventilation. It is heated by a large open fire-stove
surrounded by warm air chambers, through which
the fresh air is made to pass. At the north eta of
the room are exit doors leading to separate men's
and women's latrines, &c., and to the fuel store.
On the east side are a series of doors a linitting
to the committee room and to the doctor's consult-
ing rooms. At the south end is the entrance t°,
the dispensary and relieving officer's room, bread
utiu
only from it, is a drug room fitted with small range,
sink, and shelves. Adjoining the relief office, and
entered only from it, is a store room, constructed
so as to answer the purpose of a strong room also.
Separate conveniences are provided for the officers
and porters, the passage leading to the porter's room'
form au exit from the relief office without necessi-
tating a return to the waiting room or entrance
hall. When there arc few applicants for relief there
will be no necessity to use this passage, as
cants can leave by the chief entrance hall door,
passing the bread room on their way, and without
.
re-entering the waiting room. There is an external
exit door from the committee 'room to allow of al'
plicants being passed out after their examination
without returning to the general waiting roolol
All the rooms are very lofty, being open to
roof and the underside of the rafters ceiled, with
separate ventilating lantern skylights to each. pit
side walls are nowhere less than 12 feet in height,
from the floor. All the fire-places are fitted viltt
Welch's patent ventilating stoves, which admit
of fresh air from without being passed through the
warm air chamber at the back of each into the
rooms through hit-or-miss ventilators over tli
chimney-pieces. All the passages aro paved Witb
stone or tiles, and the rooms have wood floors'
under which a current of air is continuali
passing.
'ill, with

The buildings are very substantially built,
the best materials and workmanship. No ro°l3e',/
has been expanded in useless ornamentation of 3°t
kind ; and though the works are of the plaiee3f
character, the proportions and light and airinesB cir
the rooms, with the agreeable grey tone of celedo
employed for distempering the walls, produces it
very cheerful appearance, and much enhances tile
apparent value. afld
The contract was taken by Messrs. Scrivener dee
White at the sum of £1,311, and some credit
to the architect, Air. E. C. Robins, of IG, S°°„o
ampton-street, Strand, inasmuch as there were for
extras in the contract, if we except about i1a,130
reparations to old walls surrounding the site. ;or
architect's original estimate was £1,350. Altogc'ttico
the arrangements are moat creditable to all or oci
concerned in their origination, settlement,
realisation.—Marylebone Mercury.

DESTRUCTION OF CROPS.—Heavy rains on fri(11,11)
eprobbly damped railway slopes, but during the peg Ilt•ag
considerable addition was made to the casualties 11351,;(0-10
ti
from fires from sparks falling from engines on the
Northern and' Great Eastern Railway s. In the nelglll2of
hood of Manca, on the Great Eastern Railway, five geffa to
wheat were burnt in afield occupied by Mr. Skelton ;
1a of wheat were also burnt at Wimblingtout dby
joining parish. The stubble in a wheat field occuPl- doe
Mr. S. Harvey, of Northorpe, on the Bourn and °Beilri
line of the Great Northern, was burnt • the darneg°L;NO
however, was inconsiderable, the greater part of the "es of
in the field having been carted. Eight or nine ser-ito•I
wheat were burnt on the farm of Mr. J. ThoroP01:1;t on
tShiebseejst(sGiareeaotfNLoitrttlheesrnt.e)eviAngfiesltdatoifo.nwh eat W 45 buret on
(Great No-ed-
. damage estimated at £l6O. Nine or ten acres nf °wore
ing barley and field of barley in the 0041,,lievse
burnt on the farms of Messrs. Fenn, at Ardleig"' tbe
(Great Eastern). Two acres of barley' wore bur t.-
ero. .1‘
farm of Mr. Elsey, at Diss, Norfolk (Great ,15
quantity of barley was burnt on the lama of lkfr• , 6t%
sea Di ghton, of Godmauchester (Great Northerl3.6 oicoi
acres of grass were burnt on the farm of hir• Juas eed
St. Neot's (Great Northern). Some outbuildi area
a hay stack were destroyed at Belton, Suffolk
Eastern). 00014
CONSERVATIVE. DEMONSTRATION AT 1-41 V-- otfottbil:
—On Saturday afternoon the members and fric'irs
Liverpool Cons.awative Working Men's Association,..l)3l.y.
number of nearly 2,00,1, hell a picnic in lino as
They had a large marquee., a tea, and afterwards
and other sports. In the evening they walleod to 11-1./.), eta,
hall, aad an'ivrar to repiated calls the E of iiJoati•
his countess apparel, and bowed their aslc.noWl3".„33ioo
It was understood that tho park was lout for tito 0,7v010p0
o n the express condition that the picnic should not.,_uou 'lose
nto a political demonstration. A number of spec."
,r. 0"
over, were made, one of which at least, that o. f. .yor.
barrister, of London, had a very strong political
.ud"ai the
fe
At the Wesleyan Conference ou
statistics of the present state of the conexina, b
_lOl of
01:
ars
country were published. It appe that tnhe
14'9•1 tote .
of memberi is 342,380, being au increase on t )
`c-,' 10.