The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUAR Y 31, 1868.

to which the operatives of the cotton manufacturing
districts were peculiarly liable. Such a memorial of
the liberality which the whole world has extended to
them in the period of their distress would be very ap-
propriate and dully appreciated. The importance
of convalescent hospitals is becoming more and
more widely recognised, and all who are acquainted
with the home life of the poor know how often the
half-cured patient, so soon as he can rise from his
sick bed, is forced to resume his old work with
lessened strength under the very conditions which
produce the disease. A few weeks of rest, change
of air, good food, and quiet, would often make the
difference up between restored health and vigour,
and a shattered constitution, and a life of depression
and suffering. The details of the scheme have as
yet to be discussed and arranged, but in the adop-
tion of the general principle the committee have
acted with fairness and discrimination.

the Metropolitan Board should be conducted in
secret." It is a most unpopular proceeding on their
part, and more especially now when the rates al-
ready press so heavily on the community, and are
still inadequate for the purposes for which they are
applied. Two resolutions were carried, to the
effect that the meeting strongly protested against
the question of raising a large sum of money, the
repayment of which will have to be levied on the
ratepayers of the metropolis, being discussed at a
meeting of the Board held with closed doors, and
the same resolution affirmed that, as the Metropo-
litan Board of Works was intrusted with the tran-
saction of public business which affected the metro-
polis, and also as it exercised most extensive powers
of taxation on the public, " This meeting is of
opinion that the Board ought not, on any
occasion, to discuss matters of importance
with doors closed to the public and the press."
The general feeling of the meeting was strongly
against the course taken by the Board, and repeated
groans and hisses testified to the disapproval felt.
Mr. Ross, one of the speakers, declared that they
must go to Parliament and get the constitution of
the Board altered, and really it would be the best
thing to do, if its arrangements are not more satis-
factory. It is quite inconsistent with the mode of
procedure in other matters of public business, and
quite unsuited to the feelings of Englishmen that
meetings should be held with closed doors, the re-
sults of which are afterwards made only too public
by the ratepayers being called upon to make good
the engagements then and there entered into.

LATEST INTELL

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

PORTUGAL.
LISBON, Jan. 31.

The King and Queen, with a numerous suite,
have gone to Villa Vicosa, on a hunting excursion.

SPAIN.

CORBESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.),
PARIS, THURSDAY, Jan. 30.

Tho:c . our readers who may have the opportunity of
reading the debate in the Corps Ugislatif on the Ceme-
teries will find in it a remarkable illustration of the
strength of sentiment with which the Parisians regard
" God's Acre," as the Germans call it. The speech of M
Jules Simon especially brought this out. He disdained to
regard the number of the tombs to be interfered with ; it
was a question of principle, not of numbers ; nor would
he stay to consider whether they were the sepulchres of
the rich or of the poor. " When one comes to the field of the
last repose all distinctions are effaced—would to heaven
they were effaced sooner." You may be assured that the
effect of the debate was considerable when M. Hauss-
mann was within one vote of defeat.