12 THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
. 
[JAN. 7, 
Thursday and yesterday the weather continued extremely 
variable, presenting alternations of thaw and frost during 
the 24 hours, and completely at variance with the predic- 
tions of many of the weather prophets. 
Income Tax in the City.—The committee appointed at 
a late public meeting of the inhabitants of the ward of 
Tower, to ialise the C issi for General 
Purposes, on the subject of the improper increase which 
had been made upon the Income-tax returns of that dis- 
trict, had an interview on Saturday with the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer. They were accompanied by Mr. 
Masterman, one of the city Members. The deputation 
presented a memorial, stating that the Government sur- 
veyor hadadmitted, in a letter to the chairman of the 
meeting, that in the assessments for income alone, no 
fewer than 556 persons out of 1,542 had had their in- 
comes estimated by the ward assessors, it having been 
alleged by the officers that these persons did not make 
returns; that upon inquiry he had found this to be 
partially untrue, inasmuch as some of the returns ap- 
peared to have been dost or mislaid ; moreover, that the 
increases under schedules A and D had in almost every 
instance been made upon the suggestion of the ward 
assessors ; that the ward assessor had presented himself 
at the meeting, and publicly denied this, and had charged 
his superior officer with having compelled him to 
make the increases. That the meeting, upon this evidence, 
had nominated the deputation then present as a com- 
mittee to confer with the Commissioners for General 
Purposes, to whom a memorial was immediately prepared 
and presented, inywhich the illegality of an assessment, 
estimated or increased-upon grounds such as those men- 
tioned by the government surveyor, without the interven- 
tion of the additional commissioners, as required by the 
act of Parliament, was strongly represented; and that as 
no deliberation could have been bestowed upon the dif- 
ferent cases, or discrimination exercised by the proper 
authorities, and, moreover, as it was quite apparent that 
neither the spirit nor the letter of the Act had been com- 
plied with, the memorialists prayed that the commis- 
sioners would be pleased to cause a re-assessment of the 
ward, according to the original returns, to be made; that 
the commissioners, in answer to this memorial, had said 
that the district rep d by the deputati d cer- 
tainly some reason to complain, but while they made this 
acknowledgement, they lamented it was out of their power 
to grant the relief which was prayed for. That the 
assessment-books having been signed by the additional 
commissioners, they were thus legalised, and that they 
have, therefore, no power to cause a re-assessment of the 
district. The abstract went on to say that the deputation 
had been compelled to bring the case before the govern- 
ment in the shape of the present memorial. That in doing 
so they had been actuated by no political or party feeling. 
That the district from which this complaint emanated had 
ever been remarkable for its Joyal acceptance of all con- 
stitutional measures, and that the inhabitants, though they 
did not shrink from bearing their fair share of any public 
burden, felt confident the Government did not desire that 
they should be forced to contribute more than by law 
could be required. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, 
after hearing these statements, said that the individual 
who had been most in fault was the district assessor; and 
that officer not having been appointed by the Government, 
it was clear the Government had no control over him. A 
remedy for his defects lay rather in the hands of the in- 
habitants of the district themselves. If a case were made 
out against an officer who had his appointment under the 
Government, the Government could then interfere. Several 
members of the deputation then entered into details, and 
mentioned many instances which had come under their 
personal observation. Mr. Piper stated, on the authority 
of the assessor, that while that officer was at the chambers 
of the commissioners, going over the returns for the Ward 
of Tower, a junior clerk called out, from a remote corner 
of the room, ‘‘ Have you come to So-and-so’s return 
yet? ’’ adding, “ I know them well; they ought to make 
a wapping return! Put500/. on to them at least.” , Mr. 
Hunt, a member of the deputation, informed the Chan- 
cellor of the Exchequer that it was his case to which 
Mr. Piper had alluded, and offered to put the very docu- 
ment in his hands on which the addition was made. At 
the close of the interview, the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
said he felt obliged to the deputation for the statements 
they had made ; the information which he had obtained 
would not be thrown away ; and over and above, he would 
look into the case, as regards the legality of the assessment. 
Sunday Trading.—For some time past, the inhabitants 
of St. Pancras have complained of the traffic allowed to 
be carried on, not only on the Sunday morning, but 
throughout the entire day. During the last few days, 
the various paving boards have taken the subject into 
consideration, and have issued printed notices, that any 
person opening shop on Sunday for the sale of any articles 
will be proceeded against with the utmost rigour of’ the 
law. | The itinerants who sell articles in the streets have 
likewise been cautioned not to offend, as proceedings will 
be taken against them. 
Metropolitan Churches.—The directions contained in 
therecent charge of the Bishop of London are complied with 
by a large number of the metropolitan clergy. On Sunday 
morning the Rev. Dr. Spry, rector of Marylebone, preached 
for the first time in his surplice. The Bishop, it will be 
remembered, recommended that the clergy should preach 
in their surplices in the morning, and in their academical 
gowns in the afternoon and evening. At the close of the 
communion service Dr. Spry ascended the pulpit, and pro- 
ceeded to the delivery of his sermon without the intro- 
duction of the usual hymn or psalm, for which no proyi- 
sion is made in the Rubric or canons. At Trinity Church, 
in the same parish, notice was given on Sunday morning, 
that in future the recommendations of the Bishop on the 
subject of preaching would be adopted—that all notices 
would be read by the clergyman from the reading-desk, 
instead of by the clerk as heretofore ; that the sacrament of 
baptism would be administered immediately after the 
second lesson in the afternoon, and that the church would 
be opened for Divine service every morning during the 
week at ten o’clock, and every afternoon at four. The 
rectors of the remaining district churches in the parish 
are expected to follow the example of the rector. In St. 
George’s, Hanover Square, however, and some other 
churches at the west-end of the town, the clergy have re- 
fused to comply with the proposed alterations, In the 
City the incumbents have held a meeting at Sion College, 
at which a deputation was appointed to obtain an interview 
with the Bishop of London. They expressed the appre- 
hension of the clergy, that the alterations pointed out for 
their adoption would give great offence to the laity, but 
at the same time stated that if the bishop would order 
them to adopt them, they would obey. The bishop re- 
plied, he would not order, but it was his charge; the 
City clergy have, therefore, with few exceptions, made no 
alteration. 
Hall of Commerce.—On Monday the opening of this 
very handsome building, recently erected by Mr. Moxhay 
in Threadneedle-street, was celebrated by a déjediner, 
under the auspices of the Lord Mayor, several of the 
aldermen, and sheriffs. The interior of the establishment, 
which is at once spacious and elegant, consists of a hall 
of meeting, with every dation for the i 
of business connected with the general commerce of the 
kingdom; a reading-room, supplied with British and 
foreign newspapers ; private apartments, to which parties 
meeting in the hall may retire to conduct negotiations of 
a confidential character; sample and deposit rooms, 
with iron safes, a register-office, &c. The Lord Mayor 
presided, supported by the chairman of the East India 
Company and the principal merchants of the City. 
Lord John Russell arrived some time after the commence- 
ment of the proceedings, and was received with loud 
cheers. The Lord Mayor, after giving, with all the 
honours, the usual routine toasts, proposed ‘‘ Prosperity 
to the Hall of Commerce.” He referred to the fact that 
the magnificent building under whose roof they were 
assembled had been erected by the unaided means of 
one man, at a cost of more than 60,000/,; and he felt 
confident that every one who had looked into its arrange- 
ments would agree with him, that such an institution was 
calculated greatly to increase the facilities and promote 
the interests of all who were engagedin commerce. Lord 
John Russell returned thanks as one of the representatives 
of the City of London, for the honour which had been done 
them by drinking their healths. He was sure they were all 
actuated by one cordial feeling of admiration of the public 
spirit and enterprise which had prompted Mr. Moxhay to 
undertake the building of that great and splendid hall, and 
they all wished him the fullest and most complete success. 
He hoped the. undertaking would be successful for Mr. 
Moxhay’s own sake, but he felt persuaded it would be a 
higher reward to him to find that his efforts had conduced 
in any way to promote the commerce and prosperity of 
that great city. This was not an occasion on which 
political matters should be introduced, but he trusted they 
were all anxious for the promotion of the prosperity of the 
City and of the country to which they belonged, whose 
prosperity, he might say, was so intimately connected and 
bound up with that of the City of London, that the City 
could not prosper without the country participating in 
the benefits to be derived from it. In conclusion, there- 
fore, he would beg to give as a toast, ‘ Prosperity to the 
City of London and the trade thereof.” Mr. Moxhay and 
several other gentlemen addressed the meeting before it 
broke up. Among the embellishments of this institution, 
a statue by Mr. Carew, placed at the grand entrance, 
attracted general admiration. It. is executed in Malta 
stone, and represents Whittington, the size of life, seated 
on the mile-stone, tired and dejected, at the moment when 
the merry sound of Bow bells strikes upon his ear. 
The Great Northern Steam Ship.—This vessel arrived 
in the Hast India Docks last week from Ireland, and was 
visited on Monday by a number of Naval officers, including 
Capt. Sir Edward Parry, Mr. Lloyd, chief engineer of the 
Woolwich dockyard, &c. The Great Northern is fitted 
with Mr. Smith’s Archimedean screw, and is one of the 
largest vessels to which ‘that principle has hitherto been 
applied. She was built at Londonderry by Mr. W. Coppin, 
and laid down about 18 months since. The following are 
her dimensions :—Extreme length, 247 feet; extreme 
breadth, 37 feet ; depth in hold, 26 feet; draft of water, 
16 feet; with a dead weight of 1,300 tons, consisting of 
coals, ballast, machinery, &c, The diameter of the’ 
cylinder is 68 inches, the length of stroke 4 feet 6 inches, 
and the number of strokes per minute 173; the diameter 
of the propelling screw is not less than 11 fect. The Great 
Northern is frigate-built, pierced on her upper deck for 
44 guns, and fully rigged as an ordinary sailing vessel. 
The mainmast is 90 feet high, and its diameter 33 inches. 
The length of mainyard 76 feet, and the diameter 224 
inches. When in full sail she spreads no less than 6,700 
yards of canvas. Her speed under steam-power only was 
accurately tested before she left Ireland, on Loch Foyle, 
where she made 84 knots per hour, equal to 94 statute 
miles; and in her voyage to England she ran, under sails 
only, from the Ower’s light, near Portsmouth, to Dunge- 
ness, a distance of 66 nautical miles, in five hours. The 
position of her machinery is near the stern, leaving the 
hold entirely free for mercantile purposes ; and the boilers 
and furnaces are all placed below the water-line. The 
machinery occupies about 1-6th of the tonnage of the 
vessel. The consumption of fuel is about one ton per 
hour; and the extraordinary capacity of the ship may be 
judged from the fact, that, with 600 tons of coal on board, 
she will still take in 1,000 tons of measurement goods, 
and afford accommodation between decks for nogless than 
800 troops. Her destination is not at present known, 
but there is said to be little doubt that she will be engaged 
in the India trade. Thirteen large vessels are at present: 
fitting with the Archimedean screw, among which may be 
mentioned the Great Britain, now building at Bristol—a 
vessel of more than 3,000 tons burthen; the Rattler, 
Government frigate ; and three French ships of war. 
The Scottish Monument.—On Friday the workmen 
commenced the clearing of the ground in Regent Circus, 
which the Marylebone Vestry have granted to Mr. Hume, 
as the site of the proposed monument to the Scottish 
Reformers of 1793; and a long pole, showing its intended 
height, was placed in the centre. On Saturday morning, 
to the astonisl of the inhabitants and the public, the 
pole was found to be surmounted by a cap of liberty. In- 
formation was forwarded to the parochial authorities, who 
declined to mix themselves up in the matter. Some gen- 
tleman resident on the spot, it is stated, lost no time in 
conveying information of the occurrence to the Com- 
missioners of Woods and Forests. ‘The result was, that 
the red cap and pole were speedily struck down. At 11 
o'clock the vestry assembled to consider a motion 
of which Mr. Gomm had given notice,—* That the 
safety and protection of the persons and property of the 
members of the board of vestry may be duly considered, 
the parish solicitor be instructed to submit his opinion in 
writing to the following q' “Can any pr dings, 
and of what nature, be adopted, and by whom, against the 
board of vestry, or any or either of its members, for a 
recent grant of a portion of the parish land to Mr. Joseph 
Hume, M.P., to erect a column to the alleged Scottish 
martyrs?’”’ After an angry discussion, during which 
several vestrymen addressed the meeting for and against 
the motion, a show of hands took place, when the motion 
was declared tobe negatived by a large majority. Mr. Gomm 
then demanded a division, upon which an extraordinary 
scene of confusion ensued. The moment Mr. Gomm 
mentioned a division, those who voted in the majority were 
seen rushing from their seats in all directions, making~ 
their exit as fast as possible in defiance of the authority 
of the chairman, who continued to use his hammer 
for some minutes to no purpose, the vestry at the 
time being in a state of the greatest uproar. The op- 
ponents of the monumental column insisted on the di- 
vision, when the motion proposed by Mr. Gomm was 
carried by a majority of nine to eight. It was stated that 
the reason for the course adopted by those who left the 
vestry was to prevent their names being recorded in the 
event, of legal proceedings being taken. 
Fires in the Metropolis.—On Monday Mr. Braidwood, 
the superintendent of the Brigade Force, at the meeting 
of the Directors forming the Committee of the London 
Fire Establishment, made his annual report of the fires 
that occurred during the past year within the limits of the 
Metropolis. The report commences by stating that fires 
were on the increase in London, thenumber of last year ex- 
ceeding by 73 those of the preceding 12 months, and being 
213 over the average of the last nine years, though they 
have not been so extensive in magnitude. The following 
are the number of fires that have taken place since the 
Brigade was formed, ten years ago: In 1833, there were 
458 fires, destroying 31 houses totally, and damaging 427 
other buildings. In 1834, 482 fires; 28 houses burned 
down, and 454 damaged. In 1835, 471 fires; 31 houses 
burned down, and 440 damaged. In 1836, 564 fires 333 
houses burned down, and 531 damaged. In 1837, 501 
fires ; 22 houses burned down, and 479 damaged. In 1838, 
568 fires ; 33 houses burned down, and 535 damaged. In 
1839, 584 fires; 17 houses burned down, and 567 damaged. 
In 1840, 681 fires; 26 houses burned down, and 655. da- 
maged. In 1841, 696 fires ; 24 houses burned down, 672 
damaged: and in 1842, 769 fires ; 24 houses burned down, 
and 743 damaged: making a total of 5,774 fires within 
the last ten years ; including 269 houses totally burned 
down, 1,611 partially consumed, and 3,894 slightly da- 
maged. number of lives lost by houses taking fire 
during the period is as follows: In 1833, 12; 1834, 3 5 
1835, 11; 1836, 14; 1837, 13; 1838, 24; 1839, 25 ; 
1840, 25; 1841, 11; 1842, 20—total, 158. These are 
the lives lost where the firemen were called, but many 
others have occurred through clothes taking fire, &c., of 
which no notice has been received. The chief portion of 
the fires broke out in the undermentioned trades: At 
booksellers’, bookbinders’, and stationers’, 79; bakers’, 
140 ; brokers’, 48 ; cabinet-makers’, 84; carpenters’, 245 ; 
chandlers’, 48; chemists’, 40; drapers’ (woollen and 
linen} and mercers’, 107 ; grocers’, 59 ; hat-makers’, 57 ; 
lodging-houses, 440; private dwellings, 1,935; public- 
houses, 318; oil and colour-shops, 87 ; lucifer-match~ 
makers, 63; stables, 113; and sale-shops of different 
descriptions, 825. A great number have been proved 
to be wilful, and the offenders escaped punishment 
on account of the want of a prosecutor. 
Vive at Somerset House.—On Thursday evening, 
about half-past 6, a fire occurred in the office of 
the Commissioners of Stamps and Taxes, in the south- 
east corner of the quadrangle of Somerset-house. It 
originated in one of the apartments on the basement floor, 
and was occasioned by a large fire having been lighted on 
the hearth (no stove being in the fire-place), which becom- 
ing ted, muni to imber under~ 
neath. Several engines were speedily in attendance, but 
5 
the flames were subdued before they reached the spot, and 
very little damage was sustained, 
Metropolitan Amusements. The sums of money spent 
