The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-23 00:00:00

AUTROPOLLI TURNPIKE ROADS. ,

T morning was issued the thirty-fifth report
et abe Conimisrioners of the Metropolis Turnpike Roods

Mirth of the Thames. The tolls on the gaveled districts of
the , metropolis roads were submitted to publics com-
petition at the usual period of last year, whiip the
whole of them were disposed of at satisfactocy
prices. Those on the Marylebone and Fincbley-roads
Were let at the same time for 1,9901., being an iocreseci of
1101. over the sum obtained for them the previous year.
The costinued increase of heavy traffic on almost all the
districtatf the metropolis roads, combined with the extreme
wetness of the season, has condered the =attains°, of the
roads during
_the past year more than ordinarily ex-
passive. lith a view of ascertaining whether additional
accommodation could be given to the public by the use
of tramways on the ordinary
_roada,_ the commissioners
have given- a qualified end nditional permission to Mr.
Trois to Sty the experiment on a mile of read westward
of Tyburn. The expertrucnt of tuna* can slung this
tramway is now in progress, but " is not sufficiently ma-
tured to enable the commissioners yet to decide whether the
disadvantages attending it are counterbalanced by its conceal.
OWN." The noeiptafrom tolls on the metropolis roads during
the pees yew have been 64,1771. 10a. 10d., and the receipt*
from all eonniesi 6915441. 15s. ; the expenditure during
the same period has been 70,18 ed. la. 5d.. the
accounts to the end of }shimmy have been Sand
the estimated amount el the liabilities of.the eriseniasioners
at the close of the financial year was 9,0001. This *mount,
which includes the expenditure on the roads during the
month of March, the Exchequer Bills held are more than
sufficient to pay.

RETURNS PROM THE METROPOLITAN BOARD
OP WORMS RELATING TO METROPOLITAN
DRAINAGE, ac.

This. morning the following return to parliament
from the Metropolitan Board of Works was issued :
"The Northern High Level Sewer contract is dated the
14th Jan., 1859, and the amount is 152,4301. Mr. Wm. Moxon
is the contractor. The contract is nearly completed ; minor
weeks, to the amounted 1,5001., only remaining to be hoislied.
The southern high level sewer contract is dated 3rd August,
1859. The amount of the contract is 217,0001. Messrs.
Belling and Co. were the contractors. In July, 1860, they
failed to carry on the works, and the contract was then pro-
ceeded with by their sureties, Messrs. Lee and
Bowles. The value of the work executed by Mesas.
}felling and Co. was 28,750 i. The value of the work axe-
Wed up to the present time is estimated at 79,000/.
The middle level sewer contract is dated 24th February,
1860, and the amount is 264,5331. Mr. William Henry
Rowe was the contractor. He failed to complete his con-
tract in November, 1860, the value of the work executed up
to that period being about 12,45 U. The contract was m-
ist to Mame. &limey and Co. in February, 1861, for
329,8001. ; and the value of the work axe-
waled up to the present time is about 16,0001.
Thesouthern outfall contract was entered into in March,
1860, for 300,0001. The northern outfall sewer, in October,
1860, for 625,0001. The Deptford pumping engines, in
March, 1800, for 22,3001. The Earl Outlet in March, 1860,
for 8,5664 The Acton branch, in August, 1859, for 8,850/.
The Ranelagh Storm Overflow, in May, 1860, for 26,4961.
The Southern Low Level Sewer, in AugnetslB6o, for 9,1501.,
and the Depthed Pumping Station, in April, 1861, for
113,1361. The amount of the main drainage contract. now
in course of execution, or already completed, is 1,825,1791.;
and the total value of the work executed up to the present
time is about half a million. The amount already paid and
be paid for land and compensations is 102,3501.
The ato
estimated amount of compensation for lead was in-
cluded with other oompeusations and contingencies in •
per centage open the estimated cost of the works,
varying from B) to 47 per cent, and upon
the contracts let, amounts to the sum of 410,0001.
The amount of sewage which, according to the contract.
WOW in hand, may be expected to be diverted from the
Thames by about the end of 1862, is 50 milli:is gallons per
day, exclusive of the maufall, for which provision has aho
been made. The population for which works have been
contracted is about 2,252,861, sod the annual value of
the property is about 11,808,0921. The population
for the removal of whose sewage the hoard
have not yet °attracted is about 127,6152 • and the
annual value of the property is about 642,324/
"The board have no means of ascertaining the actual ex-
tent of the damage which may have been caused by 4 floods.
It was not the estimated extra cost for pumping which
alone induced the board to contract for the high and middle
level sewers, instead of first forming a low level sewer ; but
the high and middle level sewers were designed to improve the
internal drainage d the metropolis, by substituting covered
fur open sewers, and by affording improved °Walls for the
drainage of the districts through which they peas ; and in
an engineering point of view the principle of Interception
by gravitation has been deemed more certain and preferable
than pumping ; and construction of the gravitating sewers
before the low level sewers an arrangement of great eco-
nomy and advantage ; bat the additional cost of pumping
would have been about 800,0001."

A Fox CACONT Ilf LOMEARD-RTRENT,—AIYnit
week ago Mr. Phillips, proprietor of the Langbouro Coffee-
house, in Ball.court. Lombard-street, was aroused in the
middle of the night by a rolice-constahle, who informed
him there were thieves in his kitchen. Mr. Phillips imme-
diately got up, and, descending to the basement story, made
a minute examination of his premises, without, however.,
discovering any intruder or traces of anything, beyond
some disturbance of his cooking utensils, which, at the
time, be attributed to a cat. i keasicsal noises were
beard during subsequent nights, but the cat was
pronounced the disturber, and no further notice was
taken of the circumstance until yesterday morn-
ing, when one of Mr. Phillips's servant« having occasion
to go into an unfrequented coal vault started a fine dmt.fox,
which, on being discovered, gave chase, and after creating
alarming consternation among the kitchenniaids, ran to
earth under sonic of Allem 's ale barrels iu the beer cellar.
It was some time before anybody could he found with the
requisite count* to unearth " Reynard," but at length one
more Mealy lien his fellows got fast Mild of his brush, and
dragging him tut front his leery quarters, carried him off in
triumph to Lea lenhall.market, whence, on inquiry, the
animal is raid to have escaped about three weeks since.
THE Wzarana Ann run CROPI4.—The extremely
dry weather which boa prevailed in Liverpool and the neigh.
bourhond during the peat fortnight had caused some ap-
prehensions in the minds of the farmers and gardeners of
the district with respect to the forthcoming crops and fruit.
Fortunately, however, these apprehensions were disaipated
by the timely fall, on Tuesday evening, of copious showers
of min, which will have the effect of stimulating in an
esormous degree the psogter of vegetation, and particu-
larly of cheapening articles of garden produce. Yesterday
morning there were alight showers of rain in Liverpool and
its vasnith.bot in the afternoon the atmosphere became
very close, and the weather again seemed settled fine.