The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-20 00:00:00

NEW WESTMINSTER BRIDGE.

On Friday the select committee of the House of Com
mons of which Sir William Molesworth was chairman
concluded its inquiry on the preamble of this (Govern-
ment) bill, the important object proposed by it being to
remove the present dilapidated structure, dating from the
reign of King George IL, to build a new bridge on or
near the site thereof, and to transfer Westminster-bridge
and the estates of "the commissioners of Westminster-
bridge" to the Commissioners of her Majesty's Works
and Public Buildings, under whose superintendence
the new bridge is to be constructed. Mr. Thomas Page,
civil engineer, was then examined, and stated that the
new bridge would be formed of seven flat iron arches
upon stone piers. The width of the centre arch would
be 125 feet, of the two next on either side 115 feet, of
the two next 105 feet, and of the land arches 95 feet,
giving a total water way of 755 feet. The height of the
headway of the proposed bridge would be 20 feet, and
its width 80 feet, which he was of opinion was sufficient
for the navigation of the river. In drawing out his
plans he regarded the accommodation of the land traffic
as paramount, and his attention had been chiefly directed
to the levels of the leading streets, and there in con-,
nection with the approaches to the bridge, either on the
Belgravia or Surrey side, would be very good and conve-
nient. The steepest gradient on the bridge would be 1 in
54 on the Surrey side, and 1 in 57 on the Middlesex side,
while towards the centre of the bridge it was 1 in 63.
This would be an immense improvement on the existing
gradients of the gresent bridge, which were 1 in 56,
lin 37, lin 23, and 1 in 22, and the proposed levels
would admit of the tout ensemble of the new bridge
being so arranged as to harmonise well with the facade
of the new B ouses of Parliament. With reference to
the traffic over Westminster-bridge, the average number
of horses drawing public carriages, omnibuses, cars, and
carts, but excluding carriage and saddle horses, was
9,600 horses passing over in 12 hours, and, allowing
each horse a ton, it would give 48,000 tons drawn over
Westminster-bridge in five days, and consequent on the
proposed improvements and difference in the ascent, the
resistance now offered by the actual gradient of West-
minster-bridge to that traffic wpuld be offered by the
gradient of the new bridge to a traffic of 120,000 tons.
From a return of the land and river traffic on the Bth
June last, it appeared that there passed over the bridge
2,305 cabs, 638 carriages, 3,065 carts, 341 horses, and
731 omnibuses. The nnmber of steamers passing
through the bridge was 157, barges 130, railway barges
and billy boys 12. The estimated cost of the pro-
posed new bridge was 150,0001., and the cost of removing
the foundations of the old bridge 15,0001. The new
bridge would be in a line and almost parallel with the
existing one, and at right angles with the Houses of
Parliament ; and it was desirable that this should be so,
both on account of the navigation of the river, and the
architectural appearance of the bridge itself. There
would be no necessity for altering Bridge-street in raising
the road, but a part of thellevel of Bridge-street would
have to be altered.—Other witnesses having been ex-
amined, the committee declared the preamble of the bill
proved.

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COURT OI.RCULA Ctl-';-.:-.1
. •::: -
The Queen held a chapter of the most ept and
,outmost noble order of the Thistle, at three -\q,l ock o i i_
Saturday afternoon, at Buckingham Palace. Mc kni Its
Ari .--ee
brethren of the order assembled in the Garter . A ii:
4g,
where they were robed in their mantles of green vlvet,
wearing also the collar of the order. There were pre-
sent the Earl of Aberdeen, the Duke of Roxburghe, the
Earl of Rosebery, the Earl of Mansfield, the Duke of
Montrose, and the Earl of Camperdown. The officers
of the order wore their mantles of green satin, and car-
ried their badges of office. There were present Sir John
Stewart Richardson, Bart., secretary ; Frederic Peel
Round, Esq., gentleman usher of the green rod. Albert
William Woods, Esq. (Lancaster Herald), deputy secre-
tary, was present, and assisted at the ceremony.
Her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince Albert '
were conducted to the Throne-room by the Lord Cham-
berlain. Her Majesty and his Royal Highness each
wore the mantle and collar of the order. The Queen
took her seat in a chair of state, and the Prince (senior
knight of the order) in a seat at the top of the table on
her Majesty's right. The Lord Chamberlain (the Mar-
quis of Breadalbane, K. T.) wore the collar of the order,
and remained in attendance on the Sovereign.
Tho knights brethern were called over by the secre-
tary, and passed to the presence of the Queen in the
Throne-room, the senior knights first, and having re-
ceived her Majesty's permission, took seats at the
table.
The Sovereign signified her royal pleasure touching the
election of a knight into the order, and the knights
having proceeded to the election, the suffrages were col-
lected by the secretary, commencing with the junior
knights, and presented to the Queen, who were pleased
to declare that Archibald William Earl of Eglinton had
been duly elected a knight of the most ancient and most
noble order of the Thistle.

The Earl of Eglinton (late Lord Lieutenant of Ireland)
was received at the door of the Chapter-room by the Earl
of Camperdown and the Duke of Montrose, the two
junior knights brethren present, and was conducted be-
tween them to the Queen, preceded by the secretary
(carrying the ensigns on a cushion) and the gentleman
usher of the green rod.

The sword of state was delivered to the Sovereign, and
the Earl of Eglinton, kneeling, was knighted by the
Queen. His lordship kissed her Majesty's hand, and the
usual oath was administered to the noble earl by the
secretary. The Lord Chamberlain received the sword
of state from her Majesty.
The Earl of Eglinton again knelt near the Sovereign,
' and the secretary, kneeling, presented to the Queen the
riband and jewel of the Order. Her Majesty, assisted
by Prince Albert, placed the same over his lordship's left
shoulder. The noble earl had again the honour of kiss-
ing her Majesty's hand, and, having received the congra-
tulations of each of the knights brethren, retired.
. .

The chapter being ended-, the secretary, by command
of the Queen, again called over the knights, who, with
the officers of the order, retired from the Royal presence.
The Court was attended by the Duchess of Norfolk
and the Countess of Desart, ladies in waiting ; the Mar-
quis of Breadalbane, lord chamberlain ; the Duke of
Wellington, master of the horse ; Lord Foley, captain
of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms ; Vis-
count Sydney, captain of the Yeomen of the Guard ; the
Marquis of Anglesey, K.G., gold stick in waiting ; the
Earl of Mulgrave, treasurer of the household ; Lord
Ernest Bruce, vice-chamberlain ; Lord Drumlanrig,
comptroller of the household ; Lord Rivers, lord in wait-
ing ; Lord George Lennox, lord in waiting to Prince
Albert ; Mr. R. Ormsby Gore, groom in waiting ;
Colonel Wylde, groom in waiting to Prince Albert ; Sir
George Lee, lieutenant of the Yeomen of the Guard ;
Colonel Williams, silver stick in waiting ; Lord Charles
Fitzroy, equerry in waiting ; Captain the Hon. Dudley
de Ros, equerry in waiting to Prince Albert ; Sir
Wil-
liam Martins, gentleman usher to the Sword of State ;
Colonel William Fludyer (Grenadier Guards), field offi-
cer in brigade waiting ; Captain Bradfoot, adjutant in
brigade waiting ; Colonel Fitzmaurice, adjutant of the
Yeomen of the Guard ; and Messrs. George Gordon
Macpherson and Charles Edmund Phipps, pages of
honour in waiting.
The Royal Body Guard was on duty in the Palace,
under the command of Captain Sir John Kincaid, exon
in waiting.
A guard of honour of the 2d battalion of the Scots
Fusilier Guards, with the band of the regiment, was on
duty in front of the Palace.
The Earl of Aberdeen had an audience of the Queen
on Saturday.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horse-
back on Saturday morning, attended by Captain the
Hon. Dudley de Ros.
Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales,
Prince Alfred, and the Duke of Saxe Cobourg Gotha,
went at five o'clock on Saturday afternoon to inspect
Messrs. Barclay and Perkins's brewery, in the borough
of Southwark. The Royal party were attended by Cap-
tain the Hon. Dudley de Ros, Baron Seebach, Baron
Treskow, and Mr. Gibbs.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Saxe Cobourg
Gotha, attended by Baroness de Wangenheim, visited
her Majesty the Queen of Hanover on Saturday morn-
ing, at the residence of the Legation in Grosvenor-place.
The Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied by the
Duke and Duchess of Saxe Cobourg Gotha, and at-
tended by the Countess of Desart, the Baroness Wan-
genheim, Lord Rivers, Lord Charles Fitzroy, Captain
the Hon. Dudley de Ros, and Baron de Treskow,
honoured the Princess's Theatre with their presence on
Saturday evening.
The Queen and Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales,
the Princess Royal, the Princess Alice, the Duchess of
Kent, and the Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe, attended
Divine service yesterday morning in the private chapel
of Buckingham Palace.
The King of Hanover, attended by Lord Elphinstone,
Baron Issendorff, and Major-General Buckley, arrived
at the Palace shortly before eleven o'clock, and was
also present at service. The Hon. and Rev. Gerald Wel-
lesley officiated.
The ladies and gentlemen-in-waiting and the domestic
household also attended the service.
The Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Anna Maria
Dawson, went to Claremont on Saturday, and visited
the Countess de Neuilly and the French Royal family.
In the evening her Royal Highness, accompanied by the
Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe, and attended by Lady
A. M. Dawson and Lord James Murray, honoured the
Royal Italian Opera with her presence.
The Duchess of Kent visited the Queen of Hanover
yesterday.
A deputation, headed by the Duke of Montrose, Col.
Mure, M.P., and Mr. J. M'Gregor, M.P., had an inter-
view with the Earl of Aberdeen, on Saturday, at his
official residence, in Downing-street.
The Cathedral Commission had a meeting on Saturday
at the office, Whitehall. There were present—The
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York,
the Bishops of London and Oxford, Sir J. Dodson, Sir J.
Patteson, Sir \V. Wood, the Rev. Dr. Hook, the Rev.
Canon Selwyn, and the Rev. R. Jones, secretary.
A deputation on the subject of the advertisement duty
had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer
on Saturday, at his official residence, in Downing-street.
The deputation included Mr. George P. Bacon, Mr. La-
timer, and Mr. John Duncan, and was headed by Mr.
Moffatt, M.P.