The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-02 00:00:00

control of public officers, whose authority terminated
at the door of private dwelling-houses. The conse-
quence has been That communication with the main
sewers have been made without any regularity or com-
pleteness, and that although the city of London passes
tor one of the best-drained cities of Europe as tar as
street sewerage is concerned, one-third et least of its
houses, according to the most favourable computation,
remain still undrained. In these cases the raise is
left, to accumulate. in cesspools which are, or should
be, peri„clically emptied, and the demand for reform
in this respect may be inferred from the fact that
5,414 of these sinks are estimated to exist within the
;units of the City, though the total number of houses
is only set at 16,300. Fortunately it, is
now competent to the authorities to enforce
house drainage in connexion with street sewerage,
and we may therefore anticipate that a
remedy will be soon- applied to an evil which bears
with peculiar hardship on the poorer classes of the
population. After these preliminary arrangements
the great question of outletl is that on which every-,
thing depends. Next to relieving the dwellings of
individuals comes the duty of cleansing the town •at
large. Somewhere or other the main sewers must
discharge themselves, and the method or direction of
this outfall has been the principal object of recent'
sanitary researches. In common with many other
simple-minded people, the committee which has been
considering Mr. Simon's report, conceived that there
was a certain'body of men highly qualified by talent
and education, and invested with extensive command
ever the purses of their fellow. citizens; whose express
and particular commission it was to determine this
all-important question, and, accordingly, in the inno-
cency of their hearts, while acknowledging the urgency
of some measure for the purification of the Thames,
they propose to await the result of the pending
inquiry respecting the "system of drainage for the
whole metropolis and the question of outfall for
the same"—little thinking that the said " question
of outfall" would be quietly shelved, and that
the great Metropolitan Sewers Commission would
come to no ether conclusion than a confession of
their own impotence or perversity. Meantime one
of the 170 gentlemen whose suggestions were dis-
missed in a lump by the Greek-street Commissioners,
as deficient, inadequate, and impracticable, has
modestly gone to work on his account, at the mouth
of the Puddle-dock sewer, and is bidding fair to
solve the problem which Lord Ebrington and his col-
leagues are spending 100,0001. a year to prove impos-
sible. " The Thames can never be cleansed," says
Sir John Burgoyne. "Water can never be forced up to
the tops of houses," said his prototypes in the days
of Elizabeth. The Dutchman, however, soon settled
the doubts of his generation; and as much will in-
fallibly be done for ours before the Metropolitan
Commissioners can spend another quarter of a mil-
lion. The passage of the Atlantic by steam was
proved to be impracticable in the very month in which
the Great Western entered New York harbour. As
regards avocations and practices prejudicial to public
health, the difficulties are, of course confined to the
suggestions of interested opposition. There is a pretty
general consent about facts. Intramural slaughtering
receives the unequivocal condemnation of the commit

tee, nor can we doubt that the particular pursuits
carried on in Smithfield upon cattle days are included
in the " other offensive trades" by which the clause
is rendered duly comprehensive. It was, perhaps, no
more than was decorour, considering the present
stage of the question, to leave the subject of parochial
interments without any further allusion than a casual
approval of the proposed reform. Evidence has
already been given that the City autaorities are in
this respect fully awake to their duties, and the inter-
ference of the Legislature will shortly bring the ques-
tien to a conclusive issue. As the law stands at pre-.
sent, even the utmost exertions of the sanitary officers
backed by the general consent of the population and
the terrors of a pestilence, were found inadequate to
prevail against the obstinacy or interests of individuals.
All these are matters of general expediency. But
Mr. Simon's Commission extended beyond the esta-
blishment of mere sanitary principles, and his ap-
pointment was, in fact, a testimony to the anxiety
felt by the inhabitants of London to bring their city
under such practical order as should secure pure air
anti wholesome lodging to all classes of the population,
and thus diminish those causes which aggravate so
seriously the mortality of the whole. With this view
an ex urination was instituted into the dwellings of
the poor, and it was opposed even to maintain
a staff of officers for the permanent exercise of this
supervision. Sufficient attention has not bsen paid
to the fiict that until proper lodging-houses have been
extensively constructed every metropolitan " im-
provement" adds to the misery and discomfort of
those classes who are thus driven within a circle
growing narrower and narrower day after diy.
People must lodge somewhere, even if they can pay
hut eighteenpence a week rent, and, in proportion as the
courts and alleys where this accommodation was pro-
vided are destroyed to make room for another class of
habitations, the state of those which remain becomes
worse and worse. The committee have admitted the
principle of Mr. Simon's recommendations on this
head, and have so far acceded to his suggestions as to
advise an outlay of 2501. per annum upon the acqui-
sition of proper and continuous information respecting
the localities in question, so that the first appearance
of infectious diseases may be instantly noted, and
means promptly adopted to encounter the enemy.
On the whole, the City Commissioners have substan-
tially concurred with all the recommendations of
their officer of health, and it is to be hoped
that this co-operation may develope itself in some
visible results before another hour of peril comes
upon us.

ENTERTAINMENT AT THE
MA NSION- HOUSE.
The customary Easter Entertainment at the Man-
sion-house took place last night, when the Right
Honourable the Lord Mayor entertained to dinner
the Aldermen and Common Councilmen and their
families. There were also present the French Am-
bassador, the American Minister, the Bolivian Mi-
nister, the Bishop of St.:Asaph, Lord Dudley Stuart,
M.P., Sir William Molesworth, M.P., Mr. Cartels,
M.P., Mr. Mitchell, M.P., Mr. F. French, M.P., the
Chairman and Deputy-Chairman of the East India
Company, the Deputy-Governor of the Bank of
England, Major-General Delamotte, Lieutenant-
Colonel Williams, the Venerable Archdeacon Wil-
liams, Sir Hamilton Seymour, &c. The Aldermen
of the City were also present, in their robes of office,
and a great number of the members of the Common
Council.

The Egyptian Hall was decorated as on the former
memorable occasion, when the heads of the various
municipalities of the empire were entertained by the
Lord Mayor with his characteristic hospitality.
After the usual loyal and constitutional toasts had
been given.

The LORD MAYOR proposed " his Excellency the
French Ambassador and the Foreign Ministers."
The FRENCH AMBASSADOR returned thanks on be-
half of himself and his colleagues. He had already
been such a frequent guest at this festive board, that
he considered himself almost at home in the civic
selfish
vanity,
fur
was he not
hall where they were now assembled.—(Great ap-
plause.) He was proud of the welcome they had
given him, not from any fin
even from a sense of personal gratification, of
sensible that these kindnesses had a view towards the
country he had the honour to represent—(Applau.se)—
and he was fully convinced that nothing could be
more conducive to the welfare both of France and
England than the continuance of a friendly under-
standing,between the respective countries.—(Cheers )
The AMERICAN MINISTER said he hardly knew
how to express his gratitude to the Lord Mayor for
the frequent opportunities he had afforded him of par-
taking of his splendid hospitality. He was there as
representing a nation speaking the same language,
governed by the same laws, and having the same re-
ligion with themselves.—(Applause). He was there
as a cousin of their own—(Loud applause)—and he
had now to return thanks on the part of the country
he represented. He was present in the largest, the
richest, the mightiest, city on the face of the earth—
(Applause) —and this mighty city had been created
through the instrumentality of commerce—commerce,
the greatest pioneer of civilization all over the world.
—(Great applause.) He was present in this great
city, renowned in history, renowned for its charitable
institutions—renowned for its commerce—renowned
in literature, science, and arts—renowned, too, in war,
and he hoped it would hereafter be as greatly renowned
in peace. He had partaken to-night of the loving
cup, which lie understood to pledge those who
drank it to friendship, and a determination
t) stand by each other. He had sipped of that cup 111
rho name of twenty-two millions of
the
people—(Cheers)them
—and if he had the power, he would
briugieers.)
here and make them sipof it too.
—(Loud
He begged to conclude by proposing, fts a toast,
history
" City of London, renowned in the annals
rea
of
fur its commerce, hospitality, and charity —renowned
above all for its devotion to the cause of civil and re-
ligious liberty."—(Loud cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR then proposedthe " Lord
Bishop of' St. Aaaph and the Cl,?rgy.'
•
The Bishop of ST. Asaris returned thanks, and
presscd his cordial concurrence in the sentiments so
eloquently expressed by the French and American
Ministers. lie recollected haring been brought pp