The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-21 00:00:00

Every day the highways of traffic and means of
communication in London grow more and more
important. The ever-increasing extent and popu-
lation of the metropolis does not by any means
lessen the tendency of the throng of passengers to
concentrate in certain busy quarters, and while this
is the case in the regular highways, it is evident
that it must be still more so in those channels of
communication between populous quarters which
are limited and far between. The bridges which
unite the north and south sides of the river are
naturally among the most important of our thorough..
fares, and though, until very lately, they have not
been equal in number or capacity to the require-
ments of the metropolis within the last few years,
we have seen great improvements. BRUNEL'S
beautiful suspension-bridge, indeed, has vanished
from the scene, but a fine substantial bridge spans
the river at llungerford, while Westminster has
really a bridge worthy of the name, instead of the
propped-up structure that was so much out of
keeping with the rest of its architectural display.
Blackfriars is now on the same highroad to improve-
ment, and yesterday the foundation of a new and
handsome bridge, free from the drawbacks and
inconveniences of its venerable and tottering pre-
decessor, was laid in due form.
The usual pomp of eivic state attended the cere-
monial. The traffic over the temporary wooden
bridge was suspended early in the day, and at half-
past two a procession was formed, not consisting,
as it might have done in earlier days- of knights
in armour, with trophies captured in war, or
spoils of conquered kingdoms. The most for•
midable members of the body were not men of
war, but guardians of the peace—the sober, blue-
coated constables. The banners which floated so
gaily were not borne by pugnacious squires, but
flourished by harmless watermen. The heroes of the
hour were the engineers and contractors, the plan of
their campaign was the design of the completed bridge.
The enemies with whom they are likely to have many
a tough battle are the tides and the elements, and
in place of " the diapason of the cannonade" the
lookers-on felt their amphibious standing ground
shaken by the thunder of the neighbouring
trains. Yet the ceremony which took place
yesterday in the great cofferdam, transected
with massive beams overhead, and caulked at the
sides like a man-of-war, was neither insignificant
nor uninteresting. The rapid progress which engi-
neering and mechanical science of every kind have
made in our day is the most marvellous feature
of this age of progress, and the rapidity and cer-
tainty with which an undertaking of so vast a cha-
racter is carried on is evidenced by the fact that it
is confidently expected that the new bridge will be
completed within two years from the date of its
foundation. The Corporation has not spared expense
in this arduous task, the estimated cost being over
£300,000, and the new bridge, in width and in easy
access, will resemble the beautiful structure at
Westminster. It is to consist of five arches, being
963 feet in length and 75 in width, nearly the width
of Westminster. The whole waterway for naviga

tion will be 143 feet more than that of the old

bridge, while the carriage way is to be 45ft. broad
in place of one of 27ft. Gin., and the footways are
to be just double those on the former bridge. The

greatest advantage over its predecessor will be, how-

ever, to the land traffic, in the difference of the gra-
dient, the steepest inclination being 1 in 40 instead
of 1 in 18. The old bridge which has rendered
several generations of Londoners good service in its
day, and is now altogether a thing of the past,
contained nine arches, and though latterly it has
occupied a somewhat undignified position,
propped and supported by temporary and
extraneous aid, it was in reality in better
condition than it looked, having given the engineers
some trouble to get it down. A such of nearly
£14,000 has been spent in repairing and supporting
it during the last fifteen years, but it had on former
occasions frequently required repair, and in 1840
the carriage way was closed for the purpose of
levelling the centre and improving the approaches

by reducing the ascent, which ever since then has
been greatly complained off.

It is more than a century since a similar cere-
mony took place at Blackfriars, the first stone of
the old bridge having been laid October 31, 1760,
with great state. The municipal dignitaries, pre-
sided over by Sir THOMAS Cuirrv, took part in the
ceremonial, which was at that day regarded as
highly impor*Lant, and the bridge itself was looked
upon with interest from being the first work of the
kind in which the semicircular arch was replaced
by the ellipsis form. The company assembled on

that occasion would have been somewhat amazed
could they have foreseen the changes to be wrought

in engineering science during the lifetime of their
bridge ; and could they have witnessed the viaduct

of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway run-
ning precisely parallel with its successor ! They
would have regarded the revelations of any second-

sighted sage with the same amazed incredulity with

which we in the present day read Mr. MORLEY s
veritable descriptions of Skitzland ; and indeed our
predecessors of 1760 would a; soon have
believed that we could send cur eyes to
see for ue ill one place Whiir our tongue