The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-02 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

The usual weekly meeting of the members of
this board took place yesterday, at their offices in Spring-
gardens; Sir .1..1.1N THWAITEM in the chair.
A deputation from the Metropolitan Association of
Medical Officers of Health attended the board to present
a memorial praying that in any bill introduced into par-
liament for the amendment of the Building Act a
provision should be made to insure proper sanitary ar-
rangement, in the dwellings of the poor, and to require
that all offensive and injurious businesses should be re-
moved from London.

Dr. Dnswirr, president of the association, supported
the prayer of the memorial, and it was referred for con-
sideration to the special oomudttee on the Building Act.

HAM PSTF.AD HEATH.
The Works and General Purposes Committee presented
their report upon the result of the Legotiations between
Sir John Thwrites, the chairman of the board, and Sir
Thomas Msryon Wilson, as to the purchase of his rights
over Hampstead Heath. The report was as follows :

Your committee have to report that they have received from
the chairman of the beard a statement of the result of the in.
terview which he has had with Mr Thomas Maryon Wilson,
Bart., In pursuance of the resolution of your honourable board
of the flat December last ) No. 9,, requesting him to seek such
Interview, nod ascertain whether Sir Thomas Is prepared to nego-
tiate for the dedication of Hampstead-heath and portions of
adjoining lands to the public use, and, if so, upon what terms.
The thiamin has stated to your committee that, agreeably to
an appointment made for the purpose, he, on Thursday. the 24th
inst., proceeded to the residence of Sir Thomas Wilson at
Charlton, Kent, where he was very courteously received by Sir
Thomas ,who was attended by Mr. Y. J. Chu*. surveyor'. The
questiou of the purchase of Hamsteath-heath was then discussed
at considerable length, anti Sirthomas, in reply to the chairman's
inquiry as to whether he was willing to part with his Interest in
the Heath, and If so, upon what terms, at lint stated that until
the 21st section of the Leases and Sales of Settled Estates
Act," 19 and 20 Vic., c. 12u, was repealed, he would not be able
to sell or even treat for the sale of It. He then made an ob-
servation to the effect that he supposed he was asked to sell his
freehold property at Hampstead. The chairmen reminded him
that, up to the present time, he had been treated with as lord of
the manor, and not as the freeholder of the heath, and called
his attention to • letter from his (Sir Thomas') solicitor, Mr.
Laden, which was read to the bond on the Pith June, 1857,
and also to the statement made by Mr. Leaden to the board on
that day, In which he referred to Sir Thomas as simply lord of
the manor. The chairman further reminded him that the ex-
tent of his rights in the heath need offer no interruption to the
of the negotiations for Its sale to the public.
Inasmuch as the question of such rights was at the
, present time before the Master of the Rolls, and would In doe
course he determined ; nor that the restrictions to which he had
referred, with respect to the tilt section of the act above men-
tioned, need be regarded as a bar to any agreement which Sir
Thomas, as representing the property, and the chairman of the
board, as the representative of the public, might enter into for
the sale of the rights In question. The chairman reported that
he distinctly put It to Sir Thomas that, provided an arrangement
could he come to between the board and himself for the pur-
chase of the heath, they would be willing to join him In an ap-
plication to parliament, for the purpose of obtaining the neves-
eery powers to enable hint to pant building leases of such por-
tions of the adjoining lands as the board might not require for
the purposes of the public, and that, in all probability, parlia-
ment, having regard to the fact that such au arrangement
would secure the heath to the public In perpetuity, would accede
to the request. Sir Thomas, however, did not appear
disposed to agree with that suggestion, but argued
that he saw no reason why he should sell his pro-
perty at Hampstead for the purpose, as he alleged, of grati-
fying and bantling certain parties who had for years o
him In obtaining his rights. l'pon being again utged tree
chairman to favour him with bis views as to the value of his
interest in the heath, Sir Thomas Wilson elated that, having
regard to the price which he obtained for some land at Charlton,
sold by him to the South Eastern Railway Company, he was of
opinion that the property on Hampstead-heath was worth from
49.000 to £lO.OOO per acre. The chairman expressed his astonish-
ment at the amount mentioned by Sir Thomas, in which expres-
sion of opinion your committee fully concur. Your committee,
whilst they cannot but express their regret at the result of the
negotiations, are of opinion that it would be advisable to refer
the subject back to them to watch the proceedings now pending
before the Master of the Rolls, and from time to time to report
the progress of the same, together with such other particulars as
they may consider desirable, and they recommend that course
for adoption.

Mr. FREEMAN said they must all of course regret the
way in which they had been met by Sir Thos. Wilson : but
so long as he, the lord of the manor, considered himself
as the freeholder of Hampstead-heath, it would be useless
to try to negotiate any further with him. He moved that
the report of the committee be approved and adopted.
The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
RE- ‘PPEAItt`CCE OF THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
"_'..

The CHAIRMAN said he regretted to state that there had
been a sudden outbreak of the cattle plague in Islington
in a large dairy in that neighbourhood, and nine of the
cattle bad been already slaughtered. The committee had
considered the matter, and had declared that parish to be an
infected district under which cattle would be prevented
from being taken into or out of that area, and thus the
plague spot would be oonEned to where the disease bad
broken out. The place is near to the Metropolitan Cattle.
market, and the fear was that the infection might be car-
ried to it, and thus prevent the market being held. He
had had a communication, however, with the Lord Presi-
dent of the Council, and received from him an assurance
that their order would not affect the holding of the
market. _ _

Mr. FREEMAN wished to know whether these were
foreign cattle
Mr. RICHARDSON said they were not. They were all
English cattle.
After the transaction of some further business, the board
adjourned.

ANOTHER OUTBREAK or CATTLE PLAGUE IN THE
7ileritorotia.—After an interval of some months, the
rinderpest has re-appeared in the metropolis, and, by
what at first sight seems a singular coincidence, it has
broken out ou the same premises where it was first diaoo-
vered in June, 1865. At tha beginning of the present
week a cow at Mrs. Nicholls's, Laycock's Daisy, Islington,
was observed to be ill, and upon en examination being
made it was discovered that the animal was suffering from
cattle plague. The information was immediately for-
warded to the proper quarter, and the most energetic pro-
ceedings were adopted to arrest the spread of the malady.
The dairy and the lairs adjoining (which are used for beasts
brought to the Islington market) have been declared
infected. In explanation of the outbreak, as fares we are
informed, it can only be stated that *considerable number
of foreign animals are weekly brought to the lairs, which
are on the same premises as the dairy. The existence of
the cattle plague in Rhenish Russia has been announced ;
reports, which require confirmation, point also to Bavaria
and Silesia as infected districts : and without desiring to
excite any unnecessary alarm, we cannot avoid expressing
a fear that we shall see more of the pest yet. Its present
outbreak might ere this have assumed proportions that
would render it difficult to control, had there not been at
hand the means of dealing with the emergency without
delay.—The

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as the business of the commissioners will allow, be kept
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