The Press.
London, England, 1855-07-28 00:00:00

STATE OF THE THAMES.

TH:E pollutions of the metropolitan river, and the
power possessed by the City Corporation to take
steps for its purification, were made the subject of
some interesting discussion at the Mansion-house
Court on Tuesday last. The following report of the
statements there made, and the conclusions arrived
at, is given by our daily contemporaries
The Loan MAYOR said that he had lately received a
great many communications upon the subject of the state
of the river, and amongst those who had addressed him
was Sir John Macneill, a gentleman whose opinion, from
the eminent position he held in his profession (that of a
civil engineer), was entitled to the highest consideration
and respect. He (the Lord Mayor) had lately felt very
great anxiety upon the subject of the sluggishness of the
river, and had endeavoured to ascertain whether he was
vested with power, as conservator of the river, summarily
to put an end to the nuisance now so loudly complained
of ; but he had found, to his great regret, that his autho-
rity was completely nullified by the acts of the Legisla-
ture. He had, therefore, requested the attendance of the
City Solicitor, who, perhaps, after hearing the statement of
Sir John Macneill might be able to suggest a remedy for a
serious nuisance, and one which was fraught with so much
danger to the health of her Majesty's subjects.
Sir J. MACNEILL said : There can be no doubt whatever
that a vast deal of the danger at present experienced, and
likely to be continued, arises from causes which may be
remedied if the power exists with the Lord Mayor to do so.
A vast deal of the injury now taking place arises from the
filling up of the river above the bridges, in9luding en-
croachments upon the river. I believe that tto be most
seriously injurious to the welfare of the river between
Battersea or Vauxhall and London Bridges. All the water
that can possibly be allowed to run up above the bridges
tends to loosen and carry away the mud, and to produce a
scour, which is now to a very great extent prevented,
and will be much more so. It would be the object of the
City, if it could be done, not only to remove every ob-
stacle put in the river above the bridges, but also to make
large reservoirs, or spaces above to allow the tidal water to
run into, because the more water that flows up the greater
will be the scour down. I believe it would not only be
for the benefit of the City that those embankments should
be prevented from being carried out, but that they should
be stopped.
The Loan MAYOR: Under whose directions are these
embankments being formed ?
Sir J. DlAcxeitt : I do not know. I have heard that
they are being formed under the direction of the Woods
and Forests. If the subject be inquired into, lam sure it
will be found to be for the benefit of the City, as well as
of the inhabitants generally, that the tidal river above the
bridges should be enlarged and widened, and that reser-
voirs should be formed for the penning of the clear water,
and letting it come down afterwards when the tide is out.
I understand that several hundred acres are about to be
taken in beyond Battersea.

Mr. SAUNDERS, the water bailiff, in answer to a question
by the Lord Mayor, said that on this side of Battersea an
embankment of considerable extent was in the course of
execution, under the directions of the Commissioners of
Works.

The LOUD MAYOR : I understand that a few years ago a
sum of 300,000/. was set apart for certain improvements
connected with the river, and that that sum is now lying
dormant. Can you tell me whether that is the fact?

The Crry SOLICITOR : I have read the letter of Mr.
Frederick Smith, but I have no knowledge of the cir-
cumstances to which that gentleman refers. His state-
ment is that the Commissioners of Sewers for the metro-
politan district actually raised under the authority of
Parliament 300,0001. towards making an intercepting
sewer, but that finding that they had no power under their
act to purchase the ground necessary to construct the
sewer, they have allowed the other powers to lie dormant,
and since the month of April, 1851, have allowed that
300,0601 to remain out at interest. That is the statement.
Of the fact I know nothing.
The Loan MAYOR : To whom ought we at present to
look for the purpose of applying a remedy to the existing
state of things?

The Crry Soucrroa : I have no suggestions to offer.
It is now ten years since the Corporation issued a commis-
sion, in concurrence with the Admiralty, addressed to Cap-
tain Bullock, one of the hydrographers of the Admiralty,
to Mr. James Walker, the engineer of the Admiralty, and
to the harbour master, the water bailiff, and the engineer of
the river, to consider what would be the best treatment of
the river, and, after an investigation of six weeks, they laid
down a plan which was about to be acted upon. The Cor•
poration had brought a bill into Parliament to raise upon
the credit of their own funds 300,0001., to be laid out in
the prosecution of that object. Sir John Macneill will at
once appreciate the course of that plan, when I state to
him that it was intended to define regularly the bed of the
river by wharf-piling and camp-shedding, so as to
deepen the bed of the river without circumscribing its
banks, and so to exclude the tidal water. That was
the principle upon which the work was to proceed, and the
shoals were to be removed. The Corporation undertook
this work upon the advice of eminent men in both pro-
fessions, for, in point of fact, the Corporation at that time
believed that they had the indisputable right, as the con.
scrvators of the river, to its soil and bed. They had had
both from the time of the Saxons ; their right was recog-
nised by the Conqueror in his charters ; and it was sub-
sequently confirmed by various other charters from the
Crown. But no sooner had the Corporation determined upon
this systematic mode of treating the river, than the Crown
instituted a suit against the Corporatioi. by an injunction to
restrain them, setting up a claim on the part of the Crown
to the hereditary revenues and profits of the embankments.
The Corporation was to apply the produce of any embank.
itient or privileges granted to the purpose of public im•