The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-22 00:00:00

narrow passage at the corner of Cleveland row and St.
James's Palace is well known, and to obviate accidents
it was proposed that a road should be made through
Lord Sidney's house into the Green-park, and by a turn-
ing in front of Buckingham Palace to Pimlico-gate. This
route would cut up the Green-park to some extent,
merely for the purpose of additional accommodation to
those who reside in Belgravia, and that part of the town
west of the Birdcage walk. It was considered if any
new road was to be made, it should be so laid out as to
afford the greatest accommodation to the public at large,
and not to be constructed merely for the benefit of one
comparatively small portion of the inhabitants of the
metropolis.
As Chief Commissioner of Works, I was therefore re-
quested by the Secretary of State to prepare a plan for
a line of road direct from Pall-Mall to the Birdcage-
walk, by throwing a bridge over the water near the
spot upon which a bridge formerly stood, and terminat-
ing the road at such a point in Birdcage-walk as would
give a direct road to that densely crowded part of West-
minster which has now only a most circuitous route to
the park and the northern part of Pall-mall, it being con-
sidered that such a road, independent of the vast accom-
modation thus offered to the great mass of the commu-
nity, would at the same time give easy access to Pimlico
and Belgravia on the west, and a shorter road to the
Houses of Parliament and Bridge-street on the east, and
the whole of the borough of Lambeth, and relieve the
immense traffic which, during the London season, is
much too great for Charing-cross. This line, if made, will
be open to carriages and cabs day and night, and those
who remember the wooden bridge which once crossed
the water in the enclosure of St. James's-park will re-
collect the great number of pedestrians who passed over
it, and profited by the convenience of such a direct con-
nection between the north and the south of the park.
It has been stated in the public papers that the Go-
vernment intended to avail themselves of the period
when Parliament was not sitting, to commence the road
and ereet the bridge ; and it bas, within the last few
days, been positively asserted in one of the London
journals that the works have been already begun !
There is not one word of truth in these statements ;
such proceedings were never contemplated. Nothing
will be done till Parliament meets ; the public will then
have an opportunity for considering the plans which
t o
will be presented to the House of Commons, and it will
be accommodationseepnlawnhsedthoernottheobviate,
h wolly or sufficiently, those
objections they offer to the
s e
public is the best which should be granted, and whether
these
objections which have been raised against the project.
The object contemplated by the Government is to
make such a line as would be most beneficial to the pub-
lic in general ; but not to construct a road for the con-
venience of one particular locality.
Instructions were given to me with the above view,
and I repeat that it was never intended to proceed with
any works in relation to this object till Parliament
should have had ample opportunity to consider it in all
its relations.—l remain, my dear Shelley, yours sin-
cerely, B. HALL.
Sir John 'Pillio' Shelley, But., ALP.