The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-24 00:00:00

Our attention has been drawn to the pamphlet of
(4-1, r• John Martin, of Allsop-terrace, embodying his
Plan for the Improvement of the Thames and the.
Metropolis," the last edition of which was pub
fished by Ridgway in 1842. Our own impressions on
the importance of the general objects contemplated by
Li e arrangements about to be carried out by the Me-
iropolis Improvement Commissioners remain so strong
and decided, that we cannot but urge once more upon
the
public the views we have announced in former
articles,
touching the necessity of narrowly watching
a developement of all proceedings preliminary
mr to.-the-
,.n.encement of any embankment of our noble river.
'lying already protested against the execution of any
Zi ere engineering work, which shall reduce the grace-
flexures of the Thames between Vauxhall and
London bridges, for the mere sake of straightening the
linand
of the two shores—diminishing the distance
andeen the extreme points we have just named—
deepening the bed of the river, at the expense
kr ail the noble vistas which have been opened of
bifa Years_,
urches and maintained at so much expense, of the
thi"ges) ch, towers, &c. &c., we need not re-state
Principles which we are desirous of seeing eare-
'Y upheld in the final selection of any project for
fr e adornment of what may be termed the " river
pl°,:itage'' of the metropolis. But Mr. Martin's pam-
,',et comes recommended to us at least by these
lifements—that he has devoted many years of his
4. to the project of such an embankment, as that
she Commission
is understood to be under the consideration of
‘A)mmission in question ; that the present de-
e Steps of Government are fairly to be presumed
ver very great degree attributable to his own. perse-
th at ing exertions during that protracted period ; and*
th the second portio -: of his printed plan comprises
reesign which is at this moment under the delibe-
-1Q41.4 of the Metropolis Improvement Commissioners:
4rt:qv the objects of Mr. Martin's plan, as set out in
wattle page, were to supply the metropolis with pure
the r--to embank the river Thames, and preserve
to sewage ; to improve the navigation below
wit4helon Bridge, and to connect the port of London
ter.," the inland railways. And we find that the
Oand division, of which we have spoken, compre-
of,e,,k+ed
.accordingly " the embankment. of both shores
imme river from Vauxhall Bridge to the Tower, the
preservation
of the drainage of the metropOlis, and
of the sewage, for agricultural purposes."
aese are certainly very important features in Mr.
a rtin's scheme. The supply of London with the
pure
dr Water of the Thames," unmixed with the foul
triage," is, in our eves, an object of far greater
o
list:Rent than the question whether it can be accom-
de,.ed " without the aid of engines ;" and even the
tio",sign " to improve the health, beauty, and naviga-
"of the river above Hammersmith, has less im-
Cdiate claims on our sympathy and good wishes
)1:4 an assurance that Londoners may, on this
drink water instead of contamination 1 We
not yet forgotten the terrible revelations
emeed by Sir Francis Burdett's " Supply of
in ,rater, Select Committee" many years ago, touch-
bic°, the unheard of miscellany discharged, and the
esters engendered by the ,4 Dolphin" sewer,
imme-
diate (if we recollect aright) in the imme-
se,:" , vicinity of one of the great companies' re-
the''' between Hammersmith and Chelsea. After
,3c Publication of that " Report," and the subsequent
brPeriments on the magnifying powers of Lieutenant
diselinlinonfrs light applied to the monster-microscopic
hay' of the Adelaide Gallery and Polytechnic, we
Fiy wondered how a -race so fatuous as
oftr,
Water drinkers" could really exist in London. Talk
pea water cure," truly ! The best cure for a pro-
to s!tY to drink water unqualified, is surely to repair
the exhibitions of one of those large microscopic
iyeeetions, of a 500,000 magnifying power, in which
ea Witness the terrible monsters of our dirty pools
lehttggerated into dragon-like cannibals of 14 feet in
ihLM, who prey upon innocent gnats as large as
aa7P, snap off the gigantic heads
,of infant midges,
4): finally eat up their fathers, mothers, or other
th'st convenient next of kin. Father Mathew, strong
tr„,°4lll he be in the holiness of temperance, must
B,oele at the aspect of these avenging furies, the
urgeiu of water-pledged takers. Seriously speak-
a'' it is scarcely possible to overstate the
thuseless filth and enormities which the inhabitants
ee,,rtain districts of London are daily absorbing into
ip hissYstems, with their water. Sir Frederick Trench
interesting letter to Lord Duncannon, enforc-
et°ren the attention of the Woods and Forests Det-
41ent, his own plan for such 'an improvement of
river,4lC quotes, from the Report of the Thames
ankment Committee, evidence to prove that the
tho °val of Old London Bridge, and the erection of
fro tons one, had produced the effects anticipated
Ratio them. " Shoals increased to impede the navi- •
allrfn ; mud banks accumulated, and a larger
exposes of the bank of the river at low water being
fro„, therefore, the injurious or unpleasant effects
ben a discharge of the sewers, is greater than
s) 7',” The Emperor of Russia (Sir Frederick tells
be lamented that the finest river in Europe should
4) a‘Condemned to be a cloaca maxima, and complained
after a fortnight's residence in London, he had
04'
obtained a sight of the Thames, of which he had
o;4l'd so much:' It-also appears that since the creation
the terrace on which the New Houses of Parliament
t: being built, " banks have been created on which
he backs of barges are frequently broken." * *
to'he banks of mud have increased in size and
Wt'sistence," said one witness ; " and where, near
(14:to-duster, we used to have five feet water before the
Qnkment took place, it is now all filled up with mud."
er down the banks are covered with vegetation,
411,1°1, being manured by the sluggish filth from the
croers, present the strange spectacle of a rich green
11,)sil and make the air absolutely pestilential."
likve a, reserve, until after the general question shall
4taiipeen brought under discussion in Parliament, a
Ive et' examination of the magnificent plans, and,
eulaWi
venture to say, the somewhat doubtful cal -
Iqt""s of Sir Frederick Trench, as set out in the
foie we have just cited. They do not, however,
Pbrifteediately touch upon the'all-important means of
NnYttig the water, regulating the sewers, and dis-
g: or the sewage, as the little pamphlet before us.
oPp,,4„,e_te,ils and the indications of the proposed modus
14a4iii"1 for the attainment of these purposes are too
lraq: °id and connected together to admit of our ex-
the °gig them. Nevertheless we can give Mr. Martin
PPertunity of speaking for himself in the passages
eh follow
t Pro . And first to purifying` the water—
t4'll:don ?oornse to separate the tide waters auadofitlethy
141ta.eh 4ousethfe streahm,—to givetahneabid levuevdliatoirewadgetiesor.f
rom.t e lowest to highest
!tllQte Zi•Cantil four miles from London. and. its suburbs, without
eitte eof engines; that eves in time of flood 'the water
Oti%hc, r, the pipes in as bright and pure a state as. when
tesett`s "ruin its native springs, instead of entering from the
I,(tlia stagnant and fermenting reservoirs,—to afford public
1,444 running fountains for Kensington and Buckingham
scarfs,
Vrdens, to Hyde, Green, St. James's, and the -Regent's
S,ro_av'og no stagnant waters in the metropolis; and lastly,.
„ ve the health, beauty, and navigation of the River.'
effect these great objects, I recommend the construe-
er%,,,. a, weir across the Thames, about a mile above Ham-
-41.; Lin bridge, from the proximity'
of this point to the
esit-4°41, and to the Dolphins of the Grand Junction and
'it'Rli',lddlesex Water Companies. This weir should be as
f9aali%earl high water mark, with a moveable flood-gate to
4t,a:oletel
ftohe height of the water in 'extraordinary tides. The
e
tb_uldrainage being thus separated from the pure waters
weir, the property and beauty of the residences and
rti,:ng its banks would be. proportionately improved, and
Nth r Would be secured as a never-failing reservoir of
Y runningleNie water, sufficiently deep to be at all times ne-
w Nble high
to Teddington, affording the, advantage of, an in-.
'uld b 'gh tide • for such is the fall that the whole space
441 e filled in ' •
the course of one tide, as much water being
hes,:sn down with the stream., es flows-op with the
',..,usie``! being free from the. objections whieh attach to
„ntils!isi,s, "suing the supply at a higher level, or at the ;Collie,
the most imortant of which are compensation for
:4Ppllv \ :490,0001 accordingto Mr. Telford's plan, taking the
rtlyosthoe. Alill,—and my own from Denham) • and the
.the river between Staines and London, conse-
tot oa abstr
suppit, acting so much water, as would be required: for
J of the Metropolis."
phir. ,
s an, 4rtin s plan includes, through the adoption of
a 1.:,,,, Other accessory measures, the formation of
t'avver. u,lvalk extending from Twickenham to the
aWQrs _ In the next place, as to . the regulation of
to 4,,a_nd the disposal of the sewage :--
bPro in the first instance, as formerly, •
aborido'r the whole sewage of the western extremity
tf°ve \r„", by diverting it from the river into receptacles
di tha it4oxhall-bridge, forming one at the termination
ti,,taboa'nelagh sewer. The great sewer which. now
1,11,d aties below Westminster-bridge, should be con-
gilara,,°lig Parliament-street, Abingdon-street, and
ia4rlia,, all the minor drainage above the Houses of
I.,te theent beingturned into it, and be finally discharged
ereeelatacle at the termination of King Scholars'
Qibed wer, effecti great benefit to this inadequately
vkiting art of
the town, without entrenching upon
, interests. The ground should be recovered at
the ) rtrZiirl!s above the Houses of Parliament (see
Ai Propos !, Public walk and drive forme.d,uniin with
tht4lis sloes weir, and making a beautiful drive from
ka%City /Tart; the banks of the river. For the body of
and tot Propose to continue the uniform embankment,
and"cra.mrula_an intercepting sewer, commencing at Hun-
reeeiv.rket, passing behind the different docks, &c.,
e Ing all the minor drainage in their course,
tctv,f, theet .
co near Hungerford-market to re-
of- the sewer as far below as Essex-
yhe e rithtse fluid should be pumped up a pipe to
14‘!oa. Tr4,',_ le. at the nearest railway, or convenient ele-
ho:4 ti 0,4,1 general line of the intercepting sewer being
ariera of a . should; be divided into portions of from a
b, voni, mile to a
-ace _ n or more, according to the
d u, the localities, and the works always corn.
t541.",0-ee,--ilitit tit: lower end,' as by these means each divi-
tftrly dirnioni executed independently of the rest, at
tiee,e %wers inkf3P(Pense ; the requisite fall and size
scary mg. small compared to what would be
o shoulda the continued line. The end of- each por-
gy synis be completed, having pipes which .would act
3' 4 rrgons in co •
covt evolvin conveying the sewage, previously stirred
low red bar bar, to the elevated receptacles, or into
the' and a 8F...8, Miner_ a pump when 'it should be very
g 4 ~Whole iwUlee to let off super-abundant flood drainage,
be contain. *6' being effectually covered to prevent
o.llo4Wttitnehe&itirtthie4l.l of, the air. Small floating piers should
the , . exioankmeqt,iortning docks for barges,
. Impeded flow of the water, and the full

'"`
:_

While acknowledging, which we do readily, the
diligence and ingenuity displayed in these memoirs,
we must beg leave to enter our protest against the
partial and one-sided spirit that animates them. The
author—who, we presume, is a very young man—
is not simply a panegyrist, but a most devoted enthu-
siast of Mary Stuart; he is not content with the sim-
ple admis4ion that " she was more sinned against
than sinning"—more unlucky in the period in which
she lived, than criminal in her conduct as a woman
and a Queen—but insists that she was a perfect para-
gon of perfection—an angel without spot or stain ;
and, like a true Quiiotic knight-errant, .he_comes
forth armed cap-a-pie, ready to runa tilt against any
one who impugns the character of his Dulcinea. It
must be confessed that he pleads the cause of the
Scottish Queen with considerable tact, and arranges
his facts judiciously and methodically, passing lightly
over those which tell against him and are most difficult
to be refuted, and laving infinite stress on those which
support his view of the case ; still the cause which he
advocates is so lame a one, and common sense so de-
cidedly against him, that he can scarcely hope to gain
a verdict in his favour, except from the very young
or the very superficial reader of history. Public
opinion is now, we believe, pretty well made up, as
regards the story of Mary and her misfortunes ; no
one denies that her lot was a painful, and in some
respects, perhaps, an undeserved one ; her griefs corn-
menced at an early period of her life with the death
of her first husband and her reluctant departure from
the land of her love; and they were aggravated by
the fierce-and excited character of the period in which
she lived, theimplacahle dissensions that reigned among
the people whom she was,called to govern, the brutal
and lawless conduce -of•her nobles, and the intriguing
habits of her councillors: Still, even when all these
mitigating circumstances are taken into consideration,
it cannot be denied that she was guilty of offences
which nothing can justify; and the whole course of
her conduct as respects Bothwell, proves that she was
in a great degree -dead to shame and inaccessible to
the " still small whisper" of conscience. Mr. Buck-
ingham has laboured hard to defend her on this ticklish
point, but with far more zeal than success._ By
attempting to prove too much, and sinking the im-
partial historian in the advocate, he leaves the ques-
tion, if possible, in a worse state than he found' it.
We must proteit also against his purblind views of
the character of Elizabeth and of the Regent Murray
—the former of whom. he stigmatises as a "monster"
and a "bastard," notwithstanding the known fact of
her legitimacy, which a hasty decree of Henry the
Eighth, afterwards retracted, could not control;
while of Murray—" the good Regent," as he was
justly called—be tells us that he was a mere hypo-
crite in religion, and "possessed all the evil charac-
teristics of his age." Surely this is more boldly than
wisely said ! Of Murray, more than of any other
statesman of his day, it may be urged with perfect
truth that he was in advance of the times in which
he lived. His pOlicy, if sometimes tortuous—and
how could it fail to be otherwise, considering the
difficult position in which he was Placed ?—was, on
the whole, conspicuous by its moderation and equity ;
and in an age when men's minds were heated almost to
madness by religious discord, he had the sagacity to
steer successfully between the, two great antagonist
parties, and make them both subservient to the State
objects which he had in view. We look on Murray
as one of the most accomplished statesmen that Scot-
land
ever produced;. who—to quote the emphatic
language of Milton—" Drew order out of chaos," and
by vindicating the authority of the law, 'and by re-
storing confidence and tranquillity among a rude
people, whom he found distracted with internal dis-
sensions of the .fiercest,. order, conferred immense
benefits on his country. We quote our author's
closing remarks on -Mary Stuart's character, which
will convey a fair idea 'of the chivalrous and enthu-
siastic spirit in which the work is written :
" Despairing of peace in her own land, she threw her-
self, with generous chivalry of heart, into the arms of
'one whom she had thought her. friend ; but found a
prison where she had lootted for succour and consola-
tion ; and, after nineteen years' of miserable and severe
captivity, - aggravated by every means which' heartless
tyranny, could devise, she fell a victim to an unjust sen-
tence, by the headsman's hand. But these extraordinary
calamities, while they draw tears from these who dwell
upon the records of her life, served only to enhance the
excellence of her character. Formed in the justest
mould of perfect beauty, and graced with every charm
which the lavish hand of nature could bestow, the beau-
ties of her person were. overshadowed by the perfections
of her refined and cultivated mind, and these again were
in their turn eclipsed by the peerless excellencies of her
heart. Animated by the profoundest sense of true reli-
gion, she was a- tolerant Catholic, in an-age When the
ardour of persecution yet envenomed the minds of the
Protestant. Church, and, extending keedom of belief to
all beneath her sway, she sought only for a similar pri-
vilege for,herself, while the truly Christian character of
her piety was manifested in acts of charity and bene-
volence to all around her. Warm and enthusiastic in
her temperament, she reposed unlimited confidence in all
who gained her favour, and, though sometimes roused by
the severity of insult into temporary passion, the emi-
nently forgiving character of her heart caused her to
receive again with good will those who had most deeply
offended against her peace. Endowed with every quality
which in woman is most highly prized, she endured, with
an unexampled heroism, which true religion could alone
impart, miseries and persecutions which are without an
equal in the history of the world ' • and 'though it may
have been the lot .of others to fill a more distinguished
station amid the nations of the earth, and to exercise a
more material influence over the destinies of their fellow-
beings, yet, so long as the pure and simple excellence of
a spotless heart are allowed to rise superior to the mere
perfections of person or of mind, and to command the re-
spect, as they enchain the sympathy and affection, of
mankind, the name of Mary Stuart will. shine with a pure
and holy lustre, which, deriving its brilliance, not from
those achievements to whiCh frail and feeble men accord
their highest praise; but, from the unfailing source of
spotless integrity of heart, will grow in radiance in each
succeeding age' and attain its highest glory when vice
and error shall have faded from the world, and rectitude
and virtue shall be recognised as the brightest jewels of
a monarch's crown."

PICTORIAL MUSEUM OF ANIMATED
NATURE.—Parts -XII. and XIIL
C. Knight, London, 1844.
We have in these two parts an infinite variety of
plates, representing birds of all kinds and classes. The
plates, for the, most part, are creditably engraved,
and are accompanied by explanatory letter-press de-
scriptions.

ILLUSTRATED COMPANION TO LADY
SALE'S JOURNAL,
Blachwood and Page, London, 1844.
This is the commencement of a series of pictorial
illustrations of some 'olthe most remarkable incidents,
referred to in Lady_ Sale's well-known journal of. her
tedious captivity in Alfghanistan. The illustrations
are all drawn on stone, and to each is attached the
particular description in her. Ladyship's narrative
which suggeiteci it. The most interesting print in
the Part before us, is a view of the city of Caubul,
in which we have a minute representation of the
principal street, and several of the most conspicuous
public buildings. The plate, it seems, was engraved
from an original sketch by Lieut. Skinner.

TWO YEARS in FRANCE and SWITZERLAND.

Moxon, London, 1844.

The authoress of this little duodecimo is a lady
named Lamont, who describes, in a series of letters to
her mother, the impressions made on her mind during
a residence of two years in the countries of France
and Switzerland. She wields, to all appearance, the
pen of a ready writer, and sketches off the grand
mountain scenery of the Swiss lakes, and the manners
of the people with whom she came into contact in the
gay salons of Paris, with nearly equal facility. Some
of her.recollections of the late Marshal Macdonald, of
whom she seems to have .seen a good deal during her
stay 4 the French capital,'- are !entertaining, though
they wear the appearance of being somewhat over-