The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-23 00:00:00

PRIVATEERING.

Mr. COBDEN called attention to the exploits of the
Oreto, alias the Florida, the Alabama, alias the 290, and
the Japan, alias the Virginia. The hon. gentleman hay.
ing dwelt upon the provisions of the Foreign Enlistment
Act, and to the attacks which the abJve-named vessels had
made upon the merchandise of a friendly power, remarked
that every vessel which was captured by them was taken
note of by the American Government, In all cases the
value of the vessels seized were taken by deposition on
oath, and in all cases a claim was made for compensation
on this country. The Government always resisted these
claims, but that was the most serious part of the matter,
and he contendei that in such cases every man ought
to constitute himself a detective policeman in order
that these proceedings might be frowned down. By
every feeling of reciprocity towards the American people
[LEFT SPEAKING.]

Proposed Street Improvements in the City.

A somewhat ambitious project has been submitted to the
Corporation of London by Mr. Greenhill, the engineer,
which, if carried into effect, would produce as great a
change as can well be conceived in the s,reets, levels, and
architecture of all the leading thoroughfares in the western
part of the city. When we state that it proposes to obviate
the necessity fur a viaduct over Ludgate-hill, to make the
hill itself almost level, to roll the two intended bridges at
Blackfriars into one, to carry an underground railway
along the line of New Bridge-street and Farringdon-
street, and to raise Holborn valley nearly to the level of
Newgate-street, probably enough will have been said to en-
title the scheme to consideration at least, if it were only for

its novelty, and still more for its daring, inasmuch as
it implies the destruction of the whole of the existing
houses on each side of Farringdon and Bridge street, and
probably the greater part of those on either side of Ludgate-
bill, with corresponding changes in the approach to Black-
friars-bridge from the Surrey side. A street from Black-
friars to the Mansion-house, by way of St. Paul's Cathedral,
is also part of the plan. At the outset the scheme, what-
ever its merits, has to contend with ihe grave objection that
it comes before the public too late in the day, seeing that
the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company for
some months past have been vigorously engaged in the con-
struction of their viaduct across the Thames, and that an
Act of Parliament has been passed enabling the Corporation
of London to build their bridge at Blackfriar, from a design
which they finally settled after more than a year's detention
Mr. Greenhill meets this objection by suggesting that, inas-
much as a temporary bridge will be required for the accom-
modation of the traffic while the new bridge at Blackfriars
is being constructed by the Corporation, advantage might
be taken with that view of the works now in progress for
the erection of the railway bridge.

The plan of Mr. Greenhill may now be described more in
detail, stating, by the way, that a model of it upon a large
scale is now being exhibited h Guildhall and excites a good
deal of interest. He first of all proposes what he calls a
compound bridge at Blackfriars, for road and rail, thus doing
away with the unsightly spectacle of two bridges side by
aide and the danger which he says would be caused to the
navigation, especially at that part of the river where there is
a cross current, The road bridge would be uppermost, and
that for the rail below, leaving about 26 feet of head-way at
high water for the navigation. The gradient of the roadway
approach to the bridge from the Surrey side would be about 1
in 40, and of that on the Bridgestreet side 'about 1 in 80.
The bridge would be of iron, with five arches. Besides the
primary object of carrying the London, Chatham, and
Dover line across the Thames, he proposes to make the bridge
available also for a railway communication between Hunger-

tord and Waterloo stations,and the Metropolitan Railway ter-
minus in Victoria-street. Four lines of railway wquld run in
a double i ow of arches, below the level of the streets, from the
north end of ft e br:dge,along New Bridge-street and Farrin g-
don street,to communicate with the Metropolitan Railway at
a gradient of 1 in 86 from the bridge to Ludgate-hill, and
thence to Victoria-street on a level. The double row of arches
would cover in the railway along Farringdon and New
Bridge-streets. By this general arrangement it is sug-
gested that the necessity for a viaduct across Ludgate-hill
would be avoided, and that the s.reets would be tree from
the noise, smoke, and steam of a railway. It is an essen-
tial if not an unavoidable part of the project that the pre-
sent levels of Farringdon and New Bridge streets would
require to be raised some six or eight feet, we be-
lieve ; but the effect of that would be to improve the gra-
dients of Fleet-street and Ludgate-hill on the one hand,
and of Holborn•hill and Skinner-street on the other. It
is understood that the whole of the property on either side
of the valley from Blackfriars-bridge to Snow-hill, and
some considerable part of that at the lower ends of Fleet-
street and Ludgate-hill, would have to be pulled down
and rebuilt in order to its being adapted to the rise in the
street levels. A communication would be made between
Earl-street and William-street by means of an arch
under the railway ; also between Upper Thames-street
and Now Bridge-street by an easy approach of 1 in 37 ; by
Earl-street and the Thames Embankment, either under an
arch of the bridge or by way of William-street and round
the Gas Works. Mr. Greenhill also proposes a new street
to St. Paul's, nearly level, to communicate with Cannon-
street ; a thoroughfare for carriages north of the Cathedral,
and to widen Queen-street or other cross streets running
trom Cannon-street to Cheapside, thus rendering unneces •
sary the projected new street from Blackftiars to the Man-
sion .house. He also contemplates a branch railway from
Victoria-street to Smithfield and Fit sbury.
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to be under consideration by a committee of the Court
of Con men Council.—Times.

Count Oriolla, formerly Prussian Ambassador et
the Hague, who was obliged to leave Holland so suddenly
some time back, has just died at Goerlitz in a private
lunatic asylum.
Before - leaving Rome Prince de ha Tour-d'Au-
vergneatnt to the chapter of St. Jean•de••Latran the eight
diplomas accorded by the Emperor of the French to the
canons, and conferring upon each a yearly allowance of
1,500 f.