The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-23 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

CITY RAILWAY TERMINUS.

On Saturday a meeting of the members of the Court
of Common Council was held at the Guildhall, " to con-
sider the memorial of the City Railway Terminus Com-
pany, containing alternative propositions for effecting
the proposed public improvement in connection with the
works of the company, presented on the 20th instant,"
and for the consideration of the following motion by
Deputy Harrison :—" That this court are of opinion
that the corporation ought, forthwith, to take steps to
raise Holborn valley and Victoria-street, and to open a
new outlet from the point where they meet to Smithfield,
to the extent at least of the plans recommended in the
City architect's reports, at the estimated cost of 316,0001.
and 70,0001. respectively amounting together to
386,000/. ; but this court having twice resolved to the
effect that a railway along the valley of the Fleet to
stations in or near Farringdon-street will be beneficial
to the corporation and to the citizens, this court are of
opinion that such street improvements ought to be exe-
cuted in concurrence with the project of the City Ter-
minus Company, providing they are executed under the
supervision and control of this honourable court, and
subject to such improvements in detail as this court and
some department of her Majesty's Government may think
fit to prescribe, in the manner recommended by the
Railway Commissioners' report (1846, p. 8). That the
memorial be referred to the improvement committee to
report whether, in their judgment, the proposition A or
the proposition B, contained in the memorial of the com-
pany, should be adopted by the court, it being distinctly
understood that in case A should be adopted the corpo-
ration shall not be called upon to pay more towards street
improvements than the sum of 386,0001. and that the same
shall he paid at such time, and in such manner, and by
such instalments as this court may determine, with
sureties to be previously given by the company, to the
satisfaction of this court, to ensure the completion of the
entire work. That it be referred to the coal, corn
and finance committee to report how and when the sum
386,0001. may be raised and paid for the required im-
provements ; and that it be referred to the Parliamen-
tary committee to report what sureties ought to be given
by the company for carrying into execution the whole
of the undertakings, and what capital ought to be sub-
scribed before the works are allowed to be commenced."

The Right Lion, the Lord Mayor took the chair at
12 o'clock precisely.
The memorial of the City Terminus Company, pre-
sented to the Court on Friday last, and signed by Mr.
Acton S. Ayrton, the chairman of the railway company,
was then read by Mr. Woodthorpe. The document,
which is very lengthy, contains amongst others the fol-
lowing propositions, to which Deputy Harrison's motion,
as it will be seen, refers :
" Your memorialists submit for your hon. court's con-
sideration certain simple and definite propositions, as
the basis for an arrangement by which they believe
the many complicated questions which would otherwise
arise can alone be obviated. (A.) If your hon. court
are willing to contribute a fair proportion of the cost of
raising Holborn-valley, and the execution of other street
improvements in the City, not exceeding, in any event,
500,000/., this company will undertake to raise a suffi-
cient subscribed capital to execute the entire project of
railroad and street improvements, as specified in the
plans, sections, models, and descriptions exhibited
by your memorialists ; and to give such security
as may be approved by your hon. court for
carrying the whole into execution, under the super-
vision, and to the satisfaction of your hon. court; and if
some department of her Majesty's Government, in the
manner specified in the report of the railway commis-
sioners (1846, p. 8), or if the corporation wish to retain
in their own hands the power of clearing the ground,
the railway company would engage to pay the corpora-
tion a stipulated sum, at fixed periods, towards effecting
the entire clearances, in return for which the corporation
should place the company in possession of the ground
required for the purposes of their railway.—(B.) If
your worshipful court entertain the opinion expressed by
the present chairman of the improvement committee,
and the minority of the members of the court in 1845
namely, that the railway should be restrained north of
Holborn-valley ; and if your hon. court at the same time
are willing to raise the valley, and to readjust the adja-
cent streets in the manner directed by the City architect's
reports, your memorialists are willing to construct their
railway and terminal stations upon the same levels north
of Holborn.vallay in such manner and form as your
hon. court and some part of her Majesty's Government

may approve, to be executed under like supervision and
control.—(C.) If your hon. court shall be pleased to
adopt either of the projects A, B, or C, your memorialists
are willing to purchase the site of Farringdon-market
and the Fleet prison, and the ground closed in and to
be cleared under tha Clerkenwell Improvement Act, at
a fair valuation by competent surveyors, or, at the op-
lion of your hon. court, your memorialists are willing to
purchase the site of the prison and the market at a
valuation, and to take the ground closed in and to be
cleared under the Clerkenwell Improvement Act, by
supplying the balance of the funds requisite to complete
the lanepurchases, and to indemnify the corporation
from the responsibility they have incurred or may incur
in executing the provisions of these acts."
The memorial concludes with the following prayer :
" We pray your honourable court to accept one of the
proposals now preferred, and transmit them to some
executive department of the corporation, with instruc-
tions to carry them forthwith into effect."

Deputy HARRISON in proposing his resolution, re-
marked that the subject was of the utmost importance
to the citizens of London, and he therefore trusted that
nothing would drop during Ow discussion of it of a per-
sonal or offensive nature. (Hear.) In referring, as he
should have to do, to the state of Holborn hill and
Skinner-street, he must be understood to mean that he
made reference to one of the blots of the City, which
they had over and over again recognised and denounced
in that Court. (Hear.) Besides that there was another ;
he alluded to the connection of Ludgate-hill and Fleet-
street, which thoroughfare was constantly blocked up—
a state of things prejudicial to the business of the City.
Means must- shortly be devised to provide increased
facilities for the crowded state of the streets east and
west, and the proposal he advocated would effect the
removal of many of the evils complained of, as well as
provide for the convenience of the public in several other
respects. They all knew that the dead meat market at
Newgate was totally unfit for the purpose, but the
scheme before them furnished the remedy. (Hear.)
The Leadenhall tradesmen were anxious beyond mea-
sure for this improvement, and indeed they had
offered themselves to lay out of 100,0001., if they
might be permitted to become tenants under the
corporation—they were willing to do the work them-
selves, if the Court would let them. It was a
question of vital importance to the trade, and
those parties, he would remind the court, looked to the
corporation to protect them and give to them facilities
for carrying on their business, from the want of which
their skins could not be sorted until they were injured,
and it was a further fact that the skins had to be col-
lected five times, and sent down the railway five times
before they were made into boots and shoes ; so that the
cartage alone was worth six times the price of the article
carted. He was not going to speak upon the question
of the railway, he was looking at the great question of
public improvement ; and in the matter he wished the
court to be consistent with itself. In the year 1843 the
proposal for the improvement of the leading thorough.
fares was first brought before that court ; these altera-
tions he would show to the court by a plan he then laid
upon the table. The one marked A in the plan was one
of special importance ; indeed it was considered to be the
first of a long string of propositions. The proposal was
to form a new street from the east end of Paternoster-
row to Fetter-lane, and a branch street to Holborn, com-
mencing with the houses at the west end of Cheapside
projecting beyond the line of St. Martin's-le Grand • all
between Paternoster-row and St. Paul's Churchyard as
far as Ave Maria-lane, Amen-corner, crossing the Old
Bailey to Farringdon-street, to Shoe-lane, Printers'-
street, Great New-street, to Fetter-lane, to the City's
boundary, and the branch street facing Little New-
street to the north end of Fetter lane, Holborn, about
3,360 feet in length. The greatest inclivity in the whole of
the line would not be more than 1 in 31, and that for only
about 370 feet. In 1845 the court agreed on a report
of the improvement committee, read on the 3d of No-
vember in that year, to the following effect :—" That,
we your, committee, after carefully inspecting the seve-
ral plans as to a viaduct over Farringdon-street, and
certain propositions for railway termini there, on the
petitions of the Direct London and Manchester Railway
and the London and Birmingham companies ; and con-
sidering the statements of the respective parties, with all
the circumstances connected with this important subject
are of opinion that it is desirable, both for the prosperity
and advantage of the citizens of London, to have railway
termini within their city ; that the sites proposed to be
purchased by both companies are desirable, as they in-
terfere in but a small degree with the public streets
within the City ; and that the plans will afford
great accommodation to the traffic passing east and
west." This was agreed to, and indeed the feeling of the
court on several occasions had been in favour of the in-
troduction of railway termini, the principle recognised
being that the projectors should do the work at their
own expense. So it was in the instance of the report of
the Fleet Valley improvement committee, on the memo-
rial of Charles Pearson, Esq. He simply asked the court
therefore, upon that occasion to be consistent. They had

long felt that the time had come when they ought to do
something to relieve the traffic from its undue pressure. A
late member of that court, Mr. W. H. Ashurst, who was
a great authority upon these subjects, and chairman of the
City lands committee, had stated, in a letter addressed to
the corporation in 1845, as follows :—" To wholesale
dealers a City terminus to the northern railroads ir,
in this age of commercial competition, an object
of paramount importance. In addressing men of
business I need hardly say that the city of London is

the great central mart of not only the cotton and linen,
but the silk, woollen, hosiery, and hardware trades. To
bring these bulky and weighty goods from the manu-
facturing districts into the City by rail, instead of dis-
charging them into waggons and vans in the outskirts
of London, is not merely desirable, but essential to the
interests of those who are engaged in these branches of
trade. The cost of cartage to the rail at Manchester
and from the terminus in the outskirts to the City
amounts to more than one-sixth of the charge for the
whole 197 miles. Upon goods from manufacturing
towns nearer to London the proportionate expense of
cartage, of course tells with greater effect. The City
Railway terminus proprietary had no desire to mislead
the corporation in this application. They proposed that
the whole of their capital should be invested before they
touched an inch of the city of London. The money would
be raised, and the corporation would not be involved,
except to any extent they might please. The City archi-
tect was of opinion that the time was not far distant
when the railways might be permitted to enter the City,
for he reported on the 16th March, 1846, that `being of
opinion that ere long the railways may be allowed to
enter the precincts of the City, and thinking also that
there should be a line of demarcation which should not
be outstepped,' without apparent advantages to the
public, such as bearing a due portion of the expense
of improvement of the public streets, as would be the
case if the termini were formed near Farringdon-street.' "
He (Deputy Harrison) believed the project to be one of
the greatest measures that had occupied the attention
of that court for many years, and he hoped that that
court would have the honour and glory of carrying it
out. (Hear.) Deputy Harrison then proceeded at
great length to show the several steps taken in the
matter by the improvement committee during the pre-
sent year, upon which he hoped that as the court had
been uniformly consistent in the matter, the motion he
had proposed would be carried. With respect to the sig-
natures to the petitions in favour, presented on Friday
last, he remarked that he never recollected such a show
of names as shown upon these petitions. There were
upon the last municipal list published, 5,450 voters ; of
these, there were the signatures of 3,417. The pro-
ceedings of that day would be looked for with much
interest in every one of the City wards, as there was a
majority of voters who had signed in the whole of the
wards over those who had not signed of not less than
1,382 names. (Loud cries of " hear.") He would ask the
court, then, to agree to raise Holborn-hill, and make all
the projected improvements the scheme provided, for
386,0001., and in doing so he asked for no more than
had been agreed to upon a former day. He hoped they
would pass the resolution, and thus immortalise the Cor-
poration of London. (Loud cheering.)
Mr. ABRAHAM seconded the motion. He thought it
impossible either to overrate or to overstate the advan-
tages comprehended in the plan. London during the
last 20 years had stretched into the country, and the
country had come to London. (Laughter.) It was so;
thousands of houses had been built, and where the in-
crease would find its limit it was not possible to say.
He should advocate it on the grounds of morality and
humanity, as well as its being necessary for the facilita-
of the traffic of the city.
The question having been read by Mr. FIRTH, and
put, was nearly being summarily disposed of, but
Mr. H. J. TAYLOR rose, and said that he did not feel
disposed to permit what he considered a great injustice
to be done to members of that court. It was well
known that Mr. Hall, himself, and others, had an ap-
pointment at twelve o'clock that day with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer upon the question before the court ;
and, therefore, it was not possible for them to be in
their places when the deputy's opening speech was
made. (Hear, hear.) He did not wish to be drawn
into any remarks of a personal character, but he rose
to say that he thought the opponents of the scheme
ought to have had the opportunity of hearing the
deputy's speech. He wished to see his way clear in the
matter before them—to take care that they were not led
into a dilemma ; and he would, therefore, ask them in
reason to pause before they passed the motion. The im-
provement committee had been instructed on this matter
to confer with the Government. At the present time their
conferences were not complete. It was true that at half-
past 12 o'clock that day they had had a conference with
Mr. Cardwell, and he (Mr. Taylor) would say that such
conference had been of the most satisfactory kind, for he
could assure the court that no man ever appeared more
desirous of understanding the whole subject than Mr.
Cardwell had proved himself that day. (Cheers.) Now
he (Mr. Taylor) was anxious that every member of the
Government should understand the matter. They had

conferred with Sir William Molesworth, the Chief Com-
missioner of Woods and Works, but the most important

member of the Government they had to see was the
Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer. (Hear.)
He (Mr. Taylor) did not wish to propose an amendment,
but he would rather suggegt the withdrawal of the mo-
tion. (Laughter, and no.) He would appeal to the
judgment of the court, would it not be better for them
to wait until they could report on their interview with
the Chancellor of the Exchequer 1 (No.) He did not
wish to go into the subject that day ' • he thought it
would be unwise for them to do so. (Hear, and no.)
He would not move any amendment, but he hoped they
would not proceed until the conferences were complete.
Mr. BLAKE differed from Mr. Taylor. He (Mr.
Blake) thought it was 'mist desirable that they should
proceed. Mr. Cardwell had not only expressed that
day the utmost desire to learn the particulars of the
scheme, but he had done more—he had expressed a
desire to know the result of that day's proceedings.
(Loud cheers.) It was, therefore, in his (Mr. Blake's)

opinion, very important that they should fortify them.-
selves by a large and powerful majority. (Hear, hear.).
Mr. Deputy BOWER was of opinion that the corpora-
tion in this case had hardly been fairly done by. It had
been agreed by some of them that it would be a good
thing to have a termini ; but it had never been stated that
a certain company were to have all the profits. Yes,
and that the corporation should have all the loss. (Hear.)
Why it was a pounds, shillings; and pence project
altogether. He thought the matter should stand over ;
it was not the only thing iii abeyance for want of
funds. (Hear.) The fact was that they could not do
it, they had not got the money. (Hear, hear, and
laughter.) They ought to pause before they proceeded
further. It was said that the parties only wanted
386,0001. ; but if that amount was spent and the work
was not finished, and instead of 386,0001., 1,000,0001.
was required, who would have to furnish the money ?
(Hear, and laughter.) With reference to the petition-
ers, had any meetings been held ? Nothing of the sort.
All of them knew how petitions were got up. Men were
paid so much a day to collect names, and so it had been
in that case. A petition had, he was surprised to find,
been presented from his ward ; but he had heard nothing
of any meeting, though he had been called upon by three
or four parties to sign. (Laughter.) He thought they
had better wait until they could see the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, when they would know better how to
proceed. (Hear, and no.)
Mr. DAKIN considered that the court was perfectly
justified in passing the modified resolution proposed
by Deputy Harrison. Attempts might be made, but
it would be found too late to shirk the question then.
Whatever was done, they must carry the measure out.
They had had several of the petitioners, of great in-
fluence, at their bar, and they could not escape from
the truly pointed answers elicited in favour of the
scheme. (Hear.) The facts could not be evaded, and
the measure, as modified in the deputy's motion,
would be carried out by that court. (Hear.) The mo-
tion did not pledge them to find the money, it only gave
them the power of inquiring how and when it could be
obtained. Of course, if the means could be procured,
then they would report and deal with the case ; if not,
of course the matter would fall to the ground. (Hear,
hear.) The question was whether it was desirable
to have railway termini in lithe City. The public
had said so, and so had a large number of the im-
provement committee belonging to that court. The
Secretary of State for the Home Department had mani-
fested much interest in the proposal, and so had Sir
William Molesworth. (Hear.) The traffic of the City
was increasing daily, through the wise and liberal policy
adopted by our rulers during the last nine years, that
the necessity for something being done was becoming
daily more imperative. (Hear.) And, indeed, it was
his opinion that unless they adopted some mode of
counteracting the evil, this metropolis would lose caste
in the eyes of the world, and thus the commerce of the
City would be injured and impeded. He hoped the
court would give the project a most willing support;
that they would give a further—a humane support of
the plan. He had presented a petition the day before in
favour of it, by 3,400 inhabitants of Clerkenwell, who
had memorialised the court to enable them to get to the
projected Finsbury Park, by the proposed railway.
That was the time for action or never, and, therefore, he
hoped the motion would be agreed to. (Cheers.)
Mr. DE JERSEY considered that the subject was not
fairly before the court. He objected to the way in which
the petitions had been got up, and introduced as peti-
tions from several wards to the town clerk's office.
(Hear and laughter.) He believed the introduction of a
railway into the City would prove to be madnesi, and a
positive curse to the trade and commerce of the metro-
polis. (Oh, oh.) If the matter was confined to the
northern side of the City he should have no particular
objection, but he was averse to its being brought into
the City, or to the corporation in any way mixing itself
up with any railway scheme whatever. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BENNOCH could not agree with Mr. De Jersey.
For the life of him he (Mr. Bennoch) could not conceive
how the erection of a railway terminus in Farringdon-
street could be either "madness" or "positive curse."
(Laughter.) "What evidence was there of the curse ?
But Mr. De Jersey had changed his mind upon the sub-
ject, for when the project was first broached he was in
high favour of it. It was their duty to take a broad
view of the question, and decide for the public good.
(Hear.) They had sufficient credit to raise any amount
of money within reason that might be required, and the
least they could do was to make the necessary inquiries
in the proper quarters, as proposed by the motion.
(Hear.) In Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Notting-
ham, Birmingham, and other influential cities and bo-
roughs they had made railways what they ought to be—
the handmaids of commerce ; and so ought they to do.
Looking at the matter in this light, his -opinion was
that it was their duty, even if the cost was nine or ten
times as much, to do all they could to promote the in-
quiry to a successful termination. (Hear.)
Deputy LOTT protested against the doctrine that they
ought to be influenced as representatives by the whole-
sale houses. He stated there boldly that he did not
like that court to be made the arena of schemers. (A.