The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-23 00:00:00

plan of the entire removal of L- he sewage from IL,
no rn as well as from the southern side of the me.
r
tro is, which latter had, indeed, already been sane-
-3
boned. Upon that plan they had a system of inter-
secting drains, in order to carry that oft, and there
would, therefore, necessarily be portions of the distriat.
which would be drained, as it were, by the ordinit#
action of gravity, while others would be lifted by
artificial means into these main channels. Of course
a considerable time must elapse before the minor ad-
justments could take place; but he had risen to say
these few words in order tat there might be no mis-
conception as to the views of the commissioners upon
the point of the entire abstraction of the sewage from
the Thames upon the north as it had been upon the
south side.—(Hear.)
Mr. S. M. PETO, M.P., said, there did seem to be
a very considerable misapprehension, not only as to
what that commission had really done, but as to what
they intended to do, and he should like very brit fly
to advert to the facts. That commiss7Lon was only
appointed on the Bth of October of la,t year, and when
he, together with Mr. Stevenson and. Mr. Rendel,
was personally solicited by the Earl ill' Carlisle to
take a seat at the board, it was distincef understood
by that nobleman, and by her Majesty's Government,
that their doing so was simply as a great matter of
public duty upon their part, their desire being to
render the most effectual aid in their power, in order
that a perfect and practical plan for the whole of the
sewerage of the metropolis might be provided ; and
such a plan, he ventured to say, had been prepared
with every possible expedition consistent with that
due care without which no plan of this kind ever could
bE, matured fur the public advantage.—(llear, hear.)
lie would just for a moment advert to the fact that
since the It th of October last year the commission had
ascertained the exact state, had had a complete system
of levels taken, and had reported upon no less than
700 miles of main sewers. They had examined the
whole of the plans that had been submitted at the pre-
vious request of their predecessors in office, and had
formed a plan for the southern side of the river, which
had been duly advertised. The drawings of that plan
might be had at any hour at that office, and he had
never heard from any practical man a single objection
to it. It was perfectly simple and practical in its
character. It relieved the whole of the southern
district of the metropolis with two lifts only,
and it afforded the power of removing the
whole of the sewage to any distance re-
quired or desired, provided it should not be
found that at that point where they proposed to
stop the public had in the meantime made such ar-
rangements as should utilize the whole of the sewage.
—(Hear, hear.) Then as to the northern side—the
whole of Westminster has been settled for four
months past ; and the necessity of that was urged
upon us by two circumstances—first, the miserable
condition of the locality, which would be credible
only to those who were personally acquainted with
it ; secondly, that the new street--Victoria-street—
which had been projected, had been waiting for three
years for the sewer to be made, while the money had
actually been deposited in the office. The commis-
sioners had thought, therefore, that the observance of
public faith and the necessities of the case required
them to take up that portion first. They had accord-
ingly done so, and having reference to the general
plan of the northern side it bad been so arranged that
the sewage of the whole of Westminster should be
taken to the lowest practical level; and the whole
would be discharged not ultimaately into the Thames
(although at present necessarily so at Scotland-yard),
but ultimately, with the whole of the City sewage, at
such a distance down as should be beyond the reach
of London and from which ne practical evil could
result. Now, though he, as a practical man, was per-
fectly prepared upon all occasions to give his time to the
public, he was not prepared to stand at any one mo-
ment suspected of giving that time for any object except
for the performance of a public duty. He had himself,and
many of the commissioners had done the same thing,
given up what, upon reference to his diary, he found
to be a consumption of time equal to seven months
cinch the Bth of October last year; and when the
multiplicity cf his engagements on every part of the
continent and in this country was known, it must be
apparent to every one that he was making no mean
sacrifice, and he could not and would not submit to
remain quiet under any imputations when he knew
that he had no other intention but to do his duty to
his fellow-citizens.—(Hear.) He was prepared to
give up to the Government, when the term of this
commission should expire in the next session of Par-
Fitment, that office which he had received at their
hands, and he should do so with the proud satisfac-
tion of believing that he bad aided in perfecting a plan
for the northern and southern sides of the metropolis
a vs ell-considered, well-digested plan—not consi-
dered in an open court, where every observation must
be studied with reference to its immediate appearance
in public—but considered, as every matter of great
importance should be, for hours consecutively there,
in quiet, with other practical men who thoughtfully
brought to bear the energies and experience they
possessed—and what for ? Simply that the public
might derive from them the benefit of that experience
and knowledge which it ought to be, as it was, their
pride and their pleasure gratuitously to afford.
(Hear, bear.) He could only say with regard to
himself that with great inconvenience, and instead of
taking his family away, as he ought to have done,
during the interregnum between the two sessions, he
had remained in London nearly the whole of the
time ; and be was prepared so to remain, and to fol-
low this matter up, de die in diem, until they had
completed it ; but he was not prepared to stand sus-
pected of any motives, nor would he quietly submit
to it.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir H. DE Ls Bscua said, his honourable friend
(Mr. Peto) had fallen into one little inadvertence as
to the time during which the subterranean survey
had been in progress. That survey had been insti-
tuted, as absolutely necessary, at the commencement
of the first of the commissions that succeeded the
numerous commissions of the metropolis. It was
found that there was little or no knowledge of the
sewerage of the metropolis existing at that time ; and
it was also needful to have a surface examination.
The two had now been completed, and they had, as
Mr. Peto had stated, 700 miles of main sewers per-
fectly examined, so that at any future time they
could be dealt with and made a part and parcel of
any new system, or they could be rejected as occa-
sion might require.
Mr. PETO did not wish for a moment to have it
understood that the present commission had insti-
tuted the subterranean survey ; on the contrary, it
had been most properly instituted by their prede-
cessors ; but be meant to say that they had had to
wait for its perfection, and that they had to examine
the condition and amount of all the exisiting sewers
l: afore they could, as new men coming into this ques-
tion, at all do justice either to their subject or to
themselves.—(Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN observed that their great difficulty
arose from the manner in which they were required to
do their work by the Actof Parliament.
Mr. PETO said, it would be competent for them to
continue to sit as a committee but not as a court.
Mr. LAWES said, the fact was that the quorum of
six was the same as was required under the old com-
mission when they had from seventy to eighty com-
missioners. However reasonable it might have been
then, six out of twelve was certainly a very large
proportion.
The Commissioners then proceeded to the dis-
charge of committee business, and the reporters
withdrew.

PASSAGES IN TliE LIFE OF MRS. MAIIGARkT
MAITLAND or SUNNY SlDE.—Curiosity is again excite.'
respecting the authorship of this work, in consequence of the
appearance of a new fiction from the same pen, entitled
" Merkland ; a Story of Scottish Life." Even that shrewd
critic, the late Lord Jeffrey, was in some doubt as to the sex
of the writer, as appears by a most interesting letter from
his Lordship, a copy of which obtained publicity in a recent
number of Fraser's Magazine. " When I first read the
book (says his Lordship) I settled it with myself that it was
the work of a woman ; and though there are pronouns in the
letter of the author now before me which seem to exclude
that supposition, I am so unwilling to be disabused of this
first impression that 1 still venture to hope it was not erro-
neous, and that these words were introduced only to presexta
the incognito which the author seems anxious to maintain."
. . " Nothing half so true or so touching in the deline•
ation of Scottish character," continues this eminent critic,
" has appeared since Galt published his ' Annals of the
Parish,' and this is purer and deeper than Galt, and even
more absolutely and simply true. The conception of Grace,
so original and yet so true to nature; and to Scottish nature,
is far beyond anything that Galt could reach ; and the sweet
thoughtfulness and pure, gracious, idiomatic Scotch of Mar-
garet, with her subdued sensibilities and genial sympathy
with all innocent enjoyments, her ardent but indulgent
piety, and the modest dignity of her sentiments and deport-
ment, make a picture that does equal credit to the class from
which it is taken, and to the right feeling and power of ob-
servation of the painter."

case
aa remarkablyEnglishililuasw-
traTt:
fHE L
theAlvd
iojerDeofelero
between the
the Scotch
of marriage (Geils v. Geils) was adjudicated upon by the
Court of Session of Scotland on the 14th inst. After
a suc-
cessful defence in the Arches' Court of Canterbury, to a suit
for restitution of conjugal rights on the ground of her hus-
band's infidelity, and obtaining all the relief that the Can-
sistorial Courts of England have the power to grant, viz., a
separation a niensa et thorn, Mrs. Geils remained stilt subject
to all the legal consequences and incidents of the matri-
monial tie. Her husband continued to draw a sum of
1,20U1. a year from the lady's estates in England, under the
marriage settlement, and according to the law of this coup.
try, would be entitled to receive it until divorced by Act of
Parliament. Under these circumstances Mrs. Geils, in May,
1849, brought the present action of divorce against her hus-
band in the Supreme Court of Scotland, of which country
he is a native, and where the adulteries are alleged to have
been committed; and after an elaborate discussion in the
Court of Session, the Lords in the Inner House affirming
Lord Wood's judgment, have decided in favour of the lady's
suit.. The effect of this decision will be the forfeiture of the
1,200/. per annum, hitherto received by the husband. Ia
addition to this relief, the lady becomes entitled to a jointure
of 400/. a year out of her husband's estate in Scotland.

-- -
The Journal de Toulouse says :—Tte police ar-
rested on the 14th, on the Place de la Capitols, Captain
Tristany, a Carlist refugee, who has been long lying con-
cealed in Toulouse. Some important papers were seized on
his person. Several other Spaniards of distinction, are wait•
iog here in prison, to be sent off to the interitg.