The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-24 00:00:00

PEAT CHARCOAL.

We ere now firm believers in the wonderful pro-
perties if peat- charcoal as a deodoriser ; and we should
be delighted to have it tested in our own city, which,
in despite of its title " beautiful," is one of the dirtiest
and nestles', in Europe. Verily we don't believe there
is in the wide world, civilized or savage, a city or
town in which health is so wantonly endangered or
(recency is so shamefully outraged, as in this city of
Cork. We dare not describe the condition of our
streets, even in the very noon day ; and we cannot
even think of what they are in the early night time.
All that we say is, that they are a shame and a scandal
to a community calling itself civilized. But are they
always to remain as they uow are ? Is there no pos-
sibility of cure ? Can nothing be done to guard health
against disease engendered by noxious gases, and to
protect decency from daily, nightly, hourly outrage ?
We feel convinced that modern science has placed at
oar disposal a valuable purifying agent, which is
capable of being turned to wonderful account, in a
healthful, moral, and economic point of view. We
believe thet peat-charcoal is this purifying agent.
Curiosiy induced us to pay a visit to the Cork
Workhouse on Saturday last ; and we must confess
we felt. ernersd how any man, or any set of men,
could have been so hoodwinked, blinded, we might
add besotted, as to have selected such a site for such
an institution. It is utterly destitute of the means of
drainage; and, therefore, the accumulated refuse of
4,000 people has no means of escape through the aid
of water or sewerage. Therefore, every week the
penalty is paid for the original sin of selection in the
partial removal from the premises of that which is
noxious and destructive to health. This operation
was being proceeded with as we entered ; and we can
assert that the atmosphere was literally poisoned; and
that the whole space from the entrance-gate to the
board-room, including that place on which the indus-
trial department stands, and where many hundreds
were at work, was filled with the most noxious ex-
halations, which must be the prolific source of the
most malignant diseases. There is also another
tank, or trap, in the very heart of the main build-
ing ; and this cannot be touched without the most
disgusting results. We had been just after reading a
letter which has been in type some days, but which
may be seen in this day's paper, bearing the signa-
ture A Citizen," on the subject of Peat Charcoal ;
and we were then forcibly struck by the necessity
which existed for the application of some purifying
agent, some deodorising process, for the purpose of
endeavouring to remedy the horrid grievance which
we then witnessed, and which was so disgustingly
manifest to our own senses. We could not therefore
avoid speaking to the intelligent master on the sub-
ject; and, in the course of conversation, he told us
quite sufficient to impress us with a full belief in the
value of peat charcoal as a decdoriser. We well
know the subject is an unpleasant one, and is liable
to shock many. Bat really we think there is ten
times more indelicacy in quietly enduring the filth
and the abomination of our streets ; and, therefore,
we feel we should be guilty of a crime if we did not
put this matter before the public. The master told us
that he prepared some turf by baking, so as to convert
it into peat charcoal, which he had then ground into
powder ; and that he himself mixed a portion of this
powder in a vessel full of the noxious matter, and that
almost instantaneously it deprived it of all odour, so
that any person coming into the room would have
failed to perceive its presence. Another gentleman
told us of a somewhat similar experiment, though on
a larger scale, where the result was exactly similar.
Surely, then, we thought, here is an agent which it
is the duty of the guardians to avail themselves of,
and which can alone remedy the original evil of
locality. Here is no possibility of drainage, no possi-
bility of establishing a sufficient sewerage , and here
every week—perhaps oftener—these horrid reser-
voirs are opened, and their contents rendering the air
malignant, and destructive to health. Peat charcoal
is in this case the only possible remedy. In the first
place, it would thoroughly deodorise, or deprive of all
smelt, offensive or otherwise; and, in the next, it
would convert the contents of those reservoirs into a
valuable fertilising agent, the sale of which would go
far towards defraying the cost of the institution, and
proportionately diminish the burden of the heavily-
taxed rate-payers of the union. And we therefore re-
solved to put the matter before the public without
false delicacy or disguise.
We have frequently urged upon the local authori-
ties the neeffsity of a proper city sewerage; end the
answer has always been its difficulty, its expense, its
consequent taxation. We admit the fairness of the
excuse ; but we insist that something must be done in
the matter. Our correspondent suggests that Mr.
Rogers be invited by the authorities "to enliselsten
them on the virtues and uses of peat charcoal ;" and
really we don't think the edvice a had one—on the
contrary, we think it quite the opposite. Tile Wide
Street Commissioners expressed themselves ready to
give 101. for information on the subject of "convert-
ing the manure of the city to valuable purposes."
Why then not hear Mr. Rogers on the subject?
Hear what he has to say ; ask him to give proof that
this peat charcoal is a purifying agent, and a con-
verter of noxious into inoffensive and fertilising mat-
ter ; test him in every possible way, through the aid
of scientific and practical men—and if this agent be
proved valuable, then, in the name of humanity that
is afflicted, in the name of decency that is outraged,
contrive some means of introducing it not only into
your great public establishments, but into the dwell-
ings of the poor, where filth is the natural parent of
disease and death.— Cork Examiner.

FOREIGN CORN.—The Act of the past session of
Parliament, 13th and 14th of Victoria, cap. 95, contains a
section which declares that, from and after the passing of
the said Act, no allowances on account of damage sustained
during the voyage shall be made on corn of any kind on im-
portation into this country from foreign parts. In addition
.to alLwances for damage, it has been customary to make
allowances on foreign corn in the measurable quantity on
account of the heated state of the grain at the time of its
being shipped, which allowance for heat was separate and
distinct from actual damage, and was even sometimes
'granted in both cases, where it could be satisfactorily shown,
as required by law, that the grain had actually been chipped
-in a-heated state, and had also sustained damage to a greater
or lesser extent by bad weather experienced at sea. In con-
sequence of this distinction having always been admitted,
applicetion has recently been preferred at one of the out-
ports to the authorities for an allowance to be granted for
beat on a parcel of foreign grain, notwithstanding the enact-
ment contained in the new Act above quoted; but it has
. been ruled that the intention of the Act 13th and 14th Vic-
toria, c. 93, le as to discontinue allewancesfer any increase on
account cf heat of the measurable quantity of corn on im-
portation from foreign parts, as well as allowances fel- actual
dalr age sustained during the voyage, and that therefore •
neither of Grose allowances can any longer be made.
WORTH TELLING As AlN.—When Nicholas Biddle
—familiarly called Nick Biddie-:-was connected with the
United Sia es Bank, there was en old negro named Harry
who used to be loafing around the premises. One day, in so-
cial mood, Biddle slid to the darky—" Well, what is your
d ?"—Harry, sir ; ole Ilarrv. sir;" said
name, my old Frien
the other,- touching his sleepy hat.—" Old Harry !"said
said
Biddle,'" why that is the name that they give to the Devil,
is it not!" " Yes, sir," said the coloured gentleman, " some-
' times ore Harry and sometimes ole
I)ounua SUICIDE.—TWo days ago some fishermen
at Benne, near Argenteuil, dragged flout the river the bodies
of a young man and womsu, bound closely together by
locket-handkerchiefs and cords. A paper -found in the
pockets of the man set forth that they had committed suicide
owing to the refusal of their parents to consent to their mar-
riage, and begged of those who might find them to cause
them to belaterred withcut any attempt to ascertain who
they were- Thi,paper was signed " Joseph and Madeleine-"
All attempts to-discover the names and addresses of the u-
fortunate couple have failed,—FeenerePaeer.