The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-25 00:00:00

neighbourhood; and from that moment monopoly
began to tremble. " EBENEZER ELLIOTT.
" Margate-hill, near Barnsley, Oct. 17, 1849."

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

On Tuesday (William Cubitt, E President, in
the chair) the paper read was, "On the Periodical
Alternations and Progressive Permanent Depression
of the Chalk Water Level under London," by the Rev.
J. C. Clutterbuck.

The author began by defining the chalk water level
to be, " the height to which the water rises at any
point or continuous series of points in the chalk, or
from the chalk in perforations, through the London
and plastic clays, above the chalk." The term
" artesioid" was used to describe those wells sunk
through the London and plastic clays, in which the
water rose from the chalk, or the sands of the plastic
clay formation, above the level of those strata, though
it might not rise to, or overflow the surface of the
ground.
Reference was made to papers read before the in-
stitution in 1842 and 1843, in which it was shown
that the chalk water level was described by an in-
clined line drawn from the highest level at which the
water accumulated in the chalk, to the lowest proxi-
mate or vent, or outfall ; a general rule, which was
found to hold good, not only where the water was
found by sinking into a permeable stratum, but where,
as in the London Basin, the water rose from a per-
meable stratum, through perforations in any imper-
meable stratum above it.

The example treated of in the paper was described
by a line inclining at an average of about thirtee❑
feet in a mile, from the outcrop of the London and
plastic clays to mean tide level in the Thames, below
London-bridge.
The height to which water rose in the Paris Basin,
from the lower green nand, was adduced in confirma-
tion of that rule.

Before the Artesian well at Grenelle was bored, M.
Arago calculated that the water would rise above the
level of the soil at Paris, as it rose above that level at
Elbeuf, near Rouen.
The height at which the water was found in the
lower green sand, near Troyes, being one hundred
metres above Paris, and one hundred and thirty-one
metres above the sea, the author found that a line
drawn from that point, to the level of the sea at
Havre (where the green sand cropped out), passed
over Paris and Elbeuf at the elevation to which the
water actually rose in both places.
A calculation based on the same principle (taking
the level of the water in the lower green sand, at
Leighton Buzzard, at two hundred and eighty feet
above the sea), showed that if the chalk and gault
were bored through in London, the water from the
green sand would rise one hundred and fifty feet above
Trinity high water mark.
Passing from the natural, to the actual condition of
the chalk water level, under London, there was a
general permanent, depression of from fifty feet to
sixty feet below Trinity high water mark.
Measurements of a well in London, in which the
level was seldom disturbed, showed periodical alterna-
tions, coincident with the exhaustion and replenish-
ment of the chalk stratum by natural causes, to the
amount of four feet six inches, and a permanent de-
pression of one foot six inches per annum, or twelve
fcet in eight years.
Again, referring to former calculations, it was
shown that the margin of this depression was extend-
ing in a greater ratio towards the north than to the
south, or S.E. Since 1843, the level was perma-
nently depressed at Hampstead road ten feet; Cam-
den Town, nineteen feet ; Kilburn, twenty feet ; and
Cricklewood, ten feet. The limit of the depression
being, in 1843, between the latter places.
Allusion was then made to the influx of water at
the point where the Thames passed over the outcrop of
the sands of the plastic clay formation, and the chalk,
as a pint to be determined by geological inquiry,
and connected with observations as to the action of
the tides on the level, and the chemical quality of the
water, in that neighbourhood.
The general conclusion drawn from all these facts
was, that the rapidity of exhaustion from Artesian
wells under London, greatly exceeded the rapidity of
supply; that the amount of defalcation was marked,
and could be measured by the extension of a progres-
sive permanent depression, proving that the supply of
water from the chalk stratum became each year more
precarious, and less to be depended upon, even should
there be no addition to the Artesioid wells in and
around the metropolis.
In the discussion which ensued it was shown that
only such a supply of water percolated annually
through the chalk stratum as could be accounted for
by the discharge from the rivers of the upper dis-
trict. The results yielded by Dalton's Rain Gauge,
as used by Mr. John Dickinson, were adduced in
proof of this position.
The chemical analysis of the water from wells
sunk into the chalk showed the probability of an in-
flux of the tidal water of the Thames to replenish
the vaccuum caused by the immense extent of pump-
ing from the London wells.
On the other hand it was contended, that from the
great extent of surface whence the chalk derived its
supply, there might be such a surplus store of water as
would warrant any amount of pumping, for the do-
mestic supply for the metropolis.
The discussion was announced to be continued at
the meeting of Tuesday, January 29th, which would
be entirely devoted to it.

THE DUNDEE AND PERTH RAILWAY.-A sad acci-
dent took place upon the Dundee and Perth Railway, on
Saturday, at one o'clock P.M. A train arrived at Perth,
with a signal that a special goods train was following.
The moment the train arrived the engine left to cross
the line, to be turned at the company's depot. Attached
to the engine wal a carriage, in which were seated Mr.
Cragie (station-superintendent) and Major Cleghorn.
This carriage was pushed by the engine, which went
down the wrong line ; but before starting, the signal
was put on to stop the special train. The driver of the
special tram, however, took no notice, but ran past the
signal 150 yards, and the engine ran into the carriage,
which was therefore between the two engines, both of
which were going at a great speed. The carriage was
at once smashed to pieces, and the two gentlemen very
much hurt; Mr. Cragie so much so that no hopes are
entertained of his recovery. Major Cleghorn is not so
seriously injured, and is expected t) recover. The driver
and stoker of the engine that pushed the carriage, when
they saw the special train approaching reversed their
engine and jumped off, leaving it is supposed the steam
on; for after the accident, the engine ran away in the
opposite direction, without any person upon it. By
the time it arrived at t' e junction with the Scottish
Central line, it was Ong at a speed of sixty miles an
hoar • lint the man at the, pkints fortinitifely turned it
into a side line, where it pitched into a goods train
that was formed for starting, breaking many wagons
to atoms.

ASSASSINATION IN CORSICA.--A notorious COTSi
can bandit, named Tancredi, was a few days ago
tried befire the Court of Assizes of Corsica, on tt e
charge
different times, a men
m
named Audit"! Natalli, a man
named Dominique Martini, and,
murdering,
a mnagn, a t
finally, for attempting,
on the 24th of March, 1849, to murder some gendarmes.
The several cases of murder were clearly proved
naed Morelli, urderi
sgeinst the prisoner ; and it was shown that for a
long time be hal teen accust mod to carry off young
girls to caves ant forests and there commit violence on
them, that he had levied contributions on the peaceable
inhabitant; of the villages, that he had committed so
many excesses of all kinds, and had exercised such a
system of terror, that in some places the villagers had left
their fields uncultivated, and had abandoned their flocks
and herds. No one, in fact, ventured to resist the audacious
bandit; and the people did not even dare to assist or give
hospitality to the gendarmes sent to arrest kiss. When
he murdered Natalli, the. son of the latter was present,
and in an agony of despair cried, " Oh! when will your
turn come?" " Not until after yours," calmly replied
the bandit, as he reloaded his gun by the side of the
corpse. Notwithstanding the monstrous guilt of the
prisoner, the jury in convicting him declared that there
were extenuating circumstances, and he was only con-
demned to hard labour at the hulks for life.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN ►SHOEEDITCH.--On Wed-
nesday morning, at a law minutes: past six o'clock,
the premises of Mr. H. T. Bushell, a hat manufacturer,
at No. 114, High-street, Shoredich, were discovered
to be in flames. Afterisome trouble the inmates of the
premises on fire, as well as those surrounding, were
made sensible of their danger, and they all succeeded
in making a safe retreat, but not before the flames
had penetrated the roof, and were pouring forth with
such fury as to threaten the adjoining property
with destruction. The engines of the parish were re-
markably early in arriving, and wore followed by four
more belonging to the brigade, and that of the West
of England Office from the Waterloo-road. Fortunately
the fire-plugs of the East London Company yielded an
abundance of water, from which the engines were set
to work, but by that period the flames had obtained
possession of the workshops under the second floor'
and had extended through the top of the building, so
that some considerable time elapsed before the con-
flagration could be subdued, and not until the staircase,
&c., on the second floor were burned out, the greater
part of the roof destroyed, and the stairs and workshops
under very considerably burned and damaged by water.
No. 115, is the same street, in the tenure of Messrs.
E. and M. Bushell, milliners, &c., has the stock in trade
and staircase damaged by water and removal. The
batter's premises were insured, together with the con-
tents, in the British Empire Mutual-office; and the mil-
liners' premises were insured in the Atlas-office.

LINCOLN'S INN.—The Right Hon. T. B. Macaulay
has recently been elected a bencher of Lincoln's Inn.
The circumstances under which the election took place
are equally honourable to the society and to Mr. Ma-
caulay. This distinction is, it will be recollected, usually
restricted to Queen's Counsel, a dignity which Mr.
Macaulay has not attained, he having, as is well known,
long ceased to practise at the bar. The Right Hon.
Gentleman's name,
however, remained on the society's
books. Some short time ago ho sent in the usual for-
mal notice to have his name erased therefrom. On the
receipt cf this notice, Vice-Chanceller Knight Bruce
brought the subject under the consideration of the bench,
and by a very large majority it was resolved to call, in
the person of Mr. Macaulay, an utter barrister to tho
bench of Lincoln's run.