The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-04 00:00:00

BLACKFRIARS BRIDGE.

Mr. WM. HARTRIDGE put the following Ties
tions to the Comptroller, viz. :—What progress had
been by the Bridge House Committee in respect to
the plans and estimates for rebuilding Blackfriars
Bridge P When the Bridge House Committee were
likely to make a report to that Court ; and whether,
in the course of their deliberations, they had deter-
mined on recommending a bridge at Blackfriars of
five arches P

Mr. BRAND, the comptroller, gave a narrative of
the various proceedings that had taken place in re-
ference to the proposed bridge to be placed across
the Thames by the London, Chatham, and Dover
Railway Company, and the various plans which
had been proposed by them. He said, in the
first place, the plan for a nine arch bridge
had been submitted to the Bridge House Committee
for consideration, but an intimation having been sent
to that committee of the appointment of a Royal
Commission on the question of the embankment of
the Thames, the committee had had to consider
whether the prnrosed embahluncnt -would interfere
in any way with the bridge which might be erected
by the Corporation at Blackfriars. They therefore
considered that it would not be prudent to consent
to the erection of a nine-arch bridge. Since then
the railway company had proposed another bridge
with five arches, and upon this plan several engi-
neers had been called, and the opinions given by
those gentlemen were in the course of being con-
sidered by the committee. Until this had been done,
he could not say what decision the committee would
eome to. He mentioned that it had been agreed
to by the engineers generally that the pre-
sent bridge was in a sound state, with the
exception of one of the piers, and if that pier,
and some portion of the arches were rebuilt only,
that the bridge would be put in a thorough state of
repair, and he might say that the entire question of
rebuilding the bridge had only been brought about
in consequence of the plan of the London, Chatham,
and Dover Railway Company. (Hear.)

The matter then dropped.
THE METEOEOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT
AMENDMENT BILL.

The Town Clerk laid before the Court a commu-
nication from the Committee 'of the Commissioners
of Sewers, drawing the attention of the Court to
certain amendments proposed by Mr. Ayrton, M.P.,
to be made in the above bill. It seemed to the
Committee that the subject was one that demanded
careful consideration when before the Committee of
the House of Commons, which would be the case in
the course of a few days.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON said the proposed amend-
ments could not be discussed that day, but he
thought the matter should be referred to the Law
and Parliamentary Committee, to act in any way
they might think desirable. He then moved to that
effect, and the proposition was agreed to.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR asked the Chamberlain
whether the precept which.had been received from
the Metropolitan Board of Works, due on the 25th
of last month, and which amounted to between
£16,000 and £17,000, bad yet been paid.

Mr. B. SCOTT (the Chamberlain) replied that the
fund out of which the amount was payable was not
sufficient to meet the demand. The matter had
been before the Commissioners of Sewers at their
last meeting, and they had requested him to ad-
vance the money, and that request he should com-
ply with, and the money would be immediately
paid.

Mr. H. L. TAYLOR expressed his regret that the
city of London had not on this, as on all previous
occasions, paid the amount of their liabilities on
the day they became due. At the last meeting of
the Metropolitan Board they had been reported as
defaulters, and it was desirable that the amount
should be paid before their next meeting, in order
that they might not then lie under the imputation
which they did at the present time.
MR. PEABODY'S GIFT TO THE LONDON POOR.

Mr. Deputy CHAS. REED gave notice of the fol-
lowing motion, viz., "That the honorary freedom
of the City, in a gold box of the value of 100
guineas,be presented toG. Peabody,Esq., an American
citizen, in grateful recognition of the princely muni-
ficence displayed by him in devoting the sum of
£150,000 for the benefit of the needy and deserving
poor of the metropolis, and of the Christian sensi-
bility of the sentiments which dictated that the
funds thus created should be administered irrespec-
tive of distinction or nationality, party feeling, or
religious belief.