28 
THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
(JAN. 14, 
say—‘‘ If we again prepare our armies to maintain those 
places, it is a difficult matter to engage with them on the 
waters. Though near to each other we have been idle 
(there has not been any fighting) for many days; and as to 
those places which they have taken and keep possession 
of, will it not be allowed them to return to us our terri- 
tory, and allow them to trade, since they are willing 
respectfully to pay the duties ?- Just now they are sensible, 
and repent of their errors, and are as obedient as if driven 
by the wind, and when again united in mutual friendship, 
benevolence, and truth, all things will go on well. And 
since they will guard their own market, and surround and 
rotect the sea boundaries, there will not be any necessity 
Br recourse to our interference, which will be to the 
advantage of our country.’ The commissioners conclude 
by declaring that they have ‘‘ examined, and found, that 
with reference to equal official intercourse, it may be un- 
reservedly granted ; and as the affairs with the foreigners 
are finished (the war ended), the prisoners may also be 
releastd, by which harmony and good understanding will 
be strengthened ; for a state of peace will bring repose 
and gladness, and overthrow factious parties.”’ 
NiteD Srares.—The packet-ship New York, which 
sailed from New York on the 19th ult., arrived at Liver- 
pool on Wednesday. The papers brought by this con- 
veyance are four days later than those received by the 
mail steamer. There is no political or commercial news 
of moment; public attention in New York is almost ex- 
clusively engrossed by the news brought by the United 
States brig-of-war Somers, just arrived from the coast of 
Africa, of an attempted mutiny on board that vessel, the 
object of the mutineers being to overpower and murder the 
officers, and convert the Somers into a piratical cruiser 
between Europe and New York. At the head of the con- 
spiracy was a midshipman, Mr. Philip Spencer, son of the 
American Secretary-at-War, who, with two of his most 
i di were ily tried at the druam-head 
and hanged from the yard-arm of the brig, as soon as the 
conspiracy was discovered. The details of the plot given 
in the New;York papers are of the most atrocious kind ; 
they were to board every vessel off the harbour, and no one 
was to be left to tell any tales. They were to proceed to 
the Isle of Pines to meet a confederate, so that the con- 
spiracy must have been a long time in embryo, and the 
confederate has yet to be arrested. The Somers is stated 
to be the fastest sailerin the American navy, well manned, 
and carrying 10 guns; and had not the design been so 
fortunately frustrated, frightful crimes might for some 
time have been perpetrated on board the English and 
American packets.—We regret to state, that the latest 
accounts received at New York from Kingston describe 
the health of Sir Charles Bagot as much worse. Only 
slight hopes, it is added, were entertained of his Ex- 
cellency’s recovery. The immense ship canal, which 
connects the St. Lawrence with the upper lakes, is at length 
completed; and on the 30th Nov. the inhabitants of 
Kingston were surprised by the arrival from Cornwall of 
the steam-boat Highlander, the first vessel that had passed 
through the canal. Although one of the largest steam- 
boats on the river, the Highlander met with no difficulty 
in passing through the locks. She left the mouth of the 
canal on the previous day, and ascended the rapids between 
that and Prescott with the greatest ease. 
(iui) Siaene 
Money Market, Friday.—Consols for money and the 
account closed at 94} to }; Exchequer Bills, 61s. to 63s, 
premium ; Bank Stock, 171 to 173; India Stock, 261 to 
263; Three per Cents. Reduced, 95; Three-and-half per 
Cents., 1012 to Z; New Three-and-half per Cents., 101. 
SBletropolis and its Picinity. 
The Weather,—The weather still continues exceedingly 
changeable, alternations of frost and thaw daily following 
each other. During Monday night the wind blew with 
great violence from the S.W., which continued up to about 
8 o’clock on Tuesday morning, when there was a fall of 
snow, which lasted only half-an-hour, and during which 
the wind suddenly shifted to N. The after part of the day 
was extremely fine, although the wind was keen and cold. 
At midnight the thermometer stood at the freezing point, 
and the mercury in the course of the night fell considerably 
lower, so that by day-break on Wednesday morning ice 
nearly half an inch thick had formed; yet at 8 o'clock 
the thermometer again stood no lower than 32° ‘The 
frost, however, continued through the forenoon 3 but 
between | and 2, p.m., a rapid thaw took place. The wind 
also shifted to nearly due S., yet blew very cold, and at 
6 o'clock a fall of snow commenced, which by about 7, 
in the outskirts of the town, had covered the ground to the 
depth of 3 or 4 inches. Throughout the last 12 hours the 
wind has blown a perfect hurricane ; it commenced yester- 
day afternoon, and continued during the whole night without 
intermission. Several fine trees in St. James’s and Hyde 
Parks, Kensington Gardens, Chiswick Park, Zion Park, 
the river. From accounts received this morning, the storm 
appears to have extended as far ag Brighton; and we shall 
ther part: h . 
The Houses of Parliament—y mire ghee 
are employed, under the Woods and Forests, in prepar- 
ing both houses for the approaching meeting of Parlia- 
ment on the 2d of next month. The 
been engaged in painting and otherwise renovating the 
body of the houses, and the libraries, committee-rooms 
yi No material alterations are to be made in 
the interior of the houses. 
The City Sewers.—A report has been published by the 
City C ’ ioners of Sewe ining the result of the 
Surveyor’s examination of the main lines of sewers in the 
City of London. The report of the Poor Law Com- 
missioners on the inquiry into the sanatory condition of 
the labouring population of Great Britain, contained 
several severe animadversions on the present Commis- 
sioners of Sewers. The system of operation, the fitness 
of the commissioners for their situation, and the works 
that had been accomplished, were alike the objects of un- 
compromising blame. The surveyor’s report is made in 
obedience to an order of the Commissioners of Sewers 
made on the 4th of last October, and it is to furnish these 
issi with an opp ity of exonerating them~- 
selves from the charges which the Poor Law Commis. 
sioners have brought against them, that the facts in this 
report have been collected. The following extract con- 
tains some curious historical information on the subject ; 
—‘‘ Previous to the great fire of London, all kinds of 
drainage appear to have been superficial and fortuitous ; 
at that time the main sewers being the Fleet-dike, the 
Walbrook, and the Tower-ditch, the highest point of 
which was at Aldersgate. It was not till after this event 
that the construction of sewers became an object of solici- 
tude; but it not being deemed that there was sufficient 
authority to levy rates for making new lines of sewers, 
* adventurers ’ were permitted to undertake this task, the 
commission taking charge of their cleansing and main- 
tenance, and suffering no one to extend or communicate 
with them without compensation to the first builders. The 
first common sewer was built by the Dean and Chapter of 
St. Paul’s, down Ludgate-street and hill, but its exact 
date has not been recorded. In 1668, that of Flect-street 
was constructed, and for a century afterwards sewers still 
continued to be laid down through the enterprise of 
private individuals, among whom was Sir Christopher 
Wren. It was not until the appointment, in 1768, of Mr. 
George Wyatt, as surveyor of sewers, that the manage- 
ment of the old, and the formation of new, sewers was 
carried on in a workmanlike and efficient manner. This 
gentleman executed with great boldness a main line of 
Sewer, five feet high, and three feet wide, as an auxiliary to 
the Walbrook—the waters pouring into the latter having 
So increased that it had become overcharged, and the 
foundations of the wharf at its mouth were undermined 
and washed away. It was built at a level, very close to, 
and below the church tower of St. Stephen’s, Walbrook, 
and extended to the end of Beech-lane, where it obtained 
a depth of 14 feet, being 4 feet 6 inches high, and 2 feet 
9 inches wide at the head. In 1775, the same year this 
sewer was completed, another main line, 5 feet high and 3 
wide, was 1d along Bishop treet without, 
and was extended to Nortonfalgate in 1778. A sewer 
of the same dimensions was also built in 1777 from 
near Moorgate to the city boundary in Ropemaker- 
street, which, in 1779, was continued along Finsbury- 
road to Tindal’s burial-ground. The increase of build- 
ings in the county, and the additional quantities of 
water poured into the city sewers, rendered it necessary 
that some more capacious outlet should be formed, 
and the Walbrook sewer was accordingly enlarged to an 
average of 7 feet 10 inches, by 4 feet. This was, how- 
ever, only a palliation of the evil, which was not effectu- 
ally combated until, at the building of the present 
London-bridge, Mr. Samuel Acton, the then surveyor, 
proposed that advantage should be taken of it, and then 
was commenced the London-bridge sewer—a work which 
has contributed more than any other to the health and 
welfare of the City and the Finsbury division. This work 
was, through the resignation of Mr. Acton, intrusted to 
the present surveyor, and it was therefore incumbent upon 
him to enter into a defence of his operations, which he has 
done at great length, showing that the line so formed 
actually replaces the old Walbrook, the original bed of 
which it intersects in several places. Within the last 13 
years, (that is, since an outlet at London-bridge was ob- 
tained,) sewers have been built in 168 different streets 
and places ; and the map of the city sewers shows the 
following sewerage lines as complete in that district :— 
From the Temple gates along the river side to Tower-hill ; 
from Temple-bar nearly to Tower-hill; from Holborn- 
bars to Whitechapel-bars ; from Aldersgate, in an irregular 
line, to Tower-hill; and from the Thames nearly to Hol- 
born-bars ; from the Thames to Aldersgate-bars; from 
Dowgate-dock to Golden-lane and Beech-lane, and Rope- 
maker-street ; from London-bridge to Finsbury; from 
the Thames to Nortonfalgate.” The Report adds that, 
“Although it cannot yet be said that not a street, or 
court, or alley in the whole City is without adequate 
drainage, there is fair ground for hope that but few years 
will elapse before so desirable a statement can with truth 
be made.” 
The Fleet Prison.—It has been recently stated, that a 
New Central Criminal Court would probably be erected 
on the spacious site where the untenanted prison of the 
Fleet now stands. The matter has for some time been 
under the consideration of the civil authorities, and the 
daily papers state that it is not unlikely that the improve- 
ment will be realised. 
City Antiquities.— Among the most important works 
now in progress in the city, connected with its improve- 
ment, is the extension of the sewerage through Lad-lane, 
connected with the main leading sewer in Prince’s-street. 
The excavations, which are from 18 to 20 feet deep, have 
during the last week exhibited some interesting facts relative 
tothe early history of the City. Some coins, principally of 
Antoninus, and a few interesting fragments of Roman and 
Samian pottery, with household utensils, have been found ; 
but the chief objects of interest haye been the discovery of 
some vestiges of the foundation walls of some old Roman 
buildings. The most extensive of these was found last 
week opposite the Swan-with-two-Necks, where the 
in thickness, and through which they had some difficulty 
to penetrate. A contiguous line of wall was also found in 
the excavations for laying the foundations for the ware- 
houses of Messrs. Pickfords, which are adjacent, and 
others have been found in other excavations in the neigh- 
bourhood, which lead to the idea that on this spot there 
formerly stood a castle or other extensive building, A 
passage was also found running in a parallel line between 
this and Cateaton-street, about 12 feet wide. At the 
lower depth there was a fine stratum of vegetable mould, 
apparently belonging to an ancient garden site, which sup- 
position is strengthened by the appearance of gravel, pro- 
bably used in the formation of garden-walks, as it is only 
found in thin layers, and in detached portions. Above 
this was found the site of the foundation of the old 
houses destroyed by the fire of London, the rubbish of 
which, without the aid of concrete, formed the foundation 
of the more modern buildings. Opposite to the church- 
walls in Cateaton-street, at the depth of about 18 feet, a 
large quantity of human bones was found, showing that 
there existed here a place of sepulture, which must have 
been coeval with the time of the Romans. 
The Wellington Statue.—The committee of the sub- 
scribers to the city equestrian statue of the Duke of Wel- 
lington, begun by Sir F. Chantrey, and completed since 
his death by Mr.Weekes, met last week at the studio, to 
inspect the progress of the work. The horse is already 
cast in bronze, and the figure of the Duke, in clay, was 
placed upon it, in order to judge of its effect before it is 
also cast. The head of the horse is very spirited, with the 
ears pricked forward ; he is standing on all four legs, and 
is not in action, The Duke is seated in an erect position, 
with the head uncovered, his left hand holding the bridle, 
and the right holding the marshal’s baton. ‘The costume 
in very simple, the whole body, from the waist to the toe, 
being clothed in one unbroken pantaloon, whilst a short 
cloak covers the shoulders, and is skilfully draped over the 
back, and partially down each side. The entire height is 
rather more than 12 feet, and the executors of Sir Francis 
Chantrey stated that it will be ready next June. 
The Model Prison.—The first criminal inmates of the 
new prison at Pentonville were 16 convicts, who were 
drafted from Newgate about a fortnight ago, six of whom 
are under sentence of ten years’ transportation, and the 
other ten of seven, The number of inmates has been con= 
siderably increased since the late sitting of the Central 
Criminal Court, and during the present week numbers have 
arrived under sentences from the Epiphany Quarter 
Sessions throughout the country. 
Public Meetings. —On Tuesday, a meeting of the 
holders of the Portuguese Bonds, issued for a loan raised 
in 1836, was held to adopt measures for obtaining their 
rights, in respect to the advances made to the Govern- 
ment at Lisbon, on the collateral security of the debt due 
€xeavators arrived at a wall composed of flints, about 
18 feet below the surface, which was between 5 and 6 feet 
from Brazil to Portugal. The meeting was convened by. 
the contractors in q of recent icati 
received from the Portuguese Government. The chair 
was taken by Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, who said he had 
taken some pains to ascertain the feelings of the bond- 
holders as to the last offer made by the Government at 
Lisbon for the arrangement of their claims under the loan 
raised in 1836, and the major part of them had agreed to 
the proposition he had now to submit to the meeting. It 
would, however, be important if the bondholders were 
unanimous. He then read a long letter addressed by him 
to Baron De Tojal, which, after going through a state- 
ment of the various financial transactions between the 
Portuguese Government and the British bondholders, 
contained a proposal accepting the terms offered by Por- 
tugal for the settlement of their claims, with this exeep- 
tion, that the reply proposed that the Brazilian stock to 
be placed in the hands of the bondholders should be 
reckoned at 75 instead of 85 per cent, Several of the 
bondholders addressed the meeting in support of the view 
of Sir Isaac and his friends, who hold about 600,0002. of 
the bonds now circulating, among whom was Mr. Tasker, 
who gave it as his Opinion, that in this instance the exer- 
tions made to get from Portugal what she really owed her 
creditors, would prove to other foreign states that British 
interests were not so inclined to have their debts cut 
down as they appeared to imagine. Mr. Thornton seemed 
to think that the bondholders were “driving too hard a 
bargain” with Portugal; and, therefore, moved that the 
terms of the proposal should be accepted. He endea- 
youred to show that the interest of the other class of cre- 
ditors of Portugal would be interfered with, if the terms 
contained in Sir Isaac’s proposal were pressed. He said 
that he represented holders of between ten and eleven 
millions of money, having himself nearly 900,0002, of the 
bonds of Portugal; and he was glad to be enabled 
to state that, as respected the security of Brazil 
offered, Mr. Ellis, the British Minister at Rio, waa 
negotiating a treaty to admit Brazilian sugar and coffee 
into this country, at a moderate rate of duty. The 
meeting, however, was nearly unanimous; and the 
result, when the question came to the vote, was, that the 
mover, and his nephew Mr. T. Thornton, were found to 
be the only supporters of the view he had taken. The 
proposal of Sir I. L. Goldsmid will be forthwith for- 
warded to the Finance Minister, Baron. de Tojal, and 
every hope is entertained that the terms it contains will 
meet with the sanction of the Cabinet, especially as Baron 
Lagos, who was present, expressed himself in favour of 
the fair and candid manner in which the whole question had 
been treated by the majority.—A special general meeting of 
the Anglo-Mexican Mint Company was held on Thursday 
week for the purpose of taking into consideration the pro- 
priety of raising additional capital. The directors in their 
report announced to the meeting that, in consequence of 
having entered into a contract with the Government of 
Mexico for working the Mint of Zacatecas for a period of 
| 
% 
