The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-17 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—.Tack Cade did not knock louder on old London
stone than you are knocking at dear old Temple-bar.
But why? 1. It is in the way. 2. It is ugly. 3. It is
not a piece of antiquity.

But cannot Temple-bar be taken out of the way with-
out sending it to keep Gerard's-hall crypt company at
the Crystal Palace at Sydenham ? Pull down Child's
banking-house— let Child's go to the Devil, as the Devil
Tavern give way to Child's (I have no account there)—
pull down the houses on the south side as far as Middle
Temple-gate—and then, when these are to the ground,
cross over and pull down those abominations east and
west of the bar—Shire-lane and Ship-yard. Make a
wide carriageway on each side of the bar (far wider than
that round St. Clement Danes), but let the old bar stand,
telling its story of civilisation as the last landmark of the
city—as the last place in Great Britain in which human
heads were set. What a story might be told before it,
and will be told, if we only allow it to remain !

In answer to your second charge—its ugliness—that,
I reply, is matter of taste. I think it very far from
ugly. It is not the arch of Constantine, I confess ; but
Wren did nothing bad—nothing that any city architect
will improve. Pray, sir, raise your omnipotent voice,
"Far as loud Bow's stupendous bells resound,"

against beautifying it, making, I suppose, a small cas-
tellated Holloway prison ; rather let it go where Guild-
hall Chapel, and the nave of St. Saviour's, and Holbein's
Gateway went—those exquisite pieces of instructive old
London, over the ignorant demolition of which real an-
tiquaries continue to lament. Believe me, sir, ignorance
has destroyed more than accident.
Then, you allege, and truly, that it is not a, piece of
antiquity. That defect, however, will cure itself, if you
will only allow it to stand. Let it stand, and unborn
ages will thank you. Destroy it, and unborn ages will
lament the ignorance of the times.

Shakspere's tomb at Stratford-upon-Avon blocks up
a window, and, what is more, is not in keeping with the
beautiful architecture of the church. There is conse-
quently a talk about taking it down, and putting it in a
vestry. Think of that ! If this is done, how I should
like to thrash the vicar for consenting till his tithes
jingled in his pocket. But, worse still, not one tomb
in Poets'-corner assimilates with the surrounding archi-
tecture. We are (so I hear) about to pack Chaucer, and
Spenser, and Cowley, and Dryden into a little outhouse,
or Grub-street, or Mint of their own. When they are
removed I, for one, will never set foot again in West-
minster Abbey.

May I point out a part of London in which great im-
provement is required, and with your help may soon
be effected ? We want (I speak for other people than
Messrs. Smith and Son) a street from Bridge-street,
Blaekfriars, to the Times office. When lam asked, as I
too often am, by strangers to do the honours of a part
of London, I always take my friends to Breakneck-stairs,
off the Old Bailey, and to the Times newspaper-office. I
am invariably thanked by faces of mute surprise. At
Breakneck-stairs you see better than at any other place
how strong London must have been on that side, and in
making your way from Bridge-street to the Times office
you encounter a series of footway-turnings and in-and-in
corners infinitely more puzzling than the Maze at
Hampton-court. I know nothing like it in London.
Fair Rosamond, I am sure, was not placed in a more
intricate labyrinth.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
PETER CUNNINGHAM.
Kensington, Oct. 15.

The Princess Nicholas, and the Prince Esterhazy's
family and suite, having arrived at St. Leonard's-on-
Sea, where they are expected to make a brief sojourn,
the sea-side having been prescribed for her Highness.
Her Royal. Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended
by Lord James Murray, Sir George Couper, and Lady
Augusta Bruce, is expected to leave Edinburgh this
morning by special train for York, where the duchess
will remain for the night, and to-morrow resume her
journey to Frogmore Lodge.
oSidney
the
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building Mb P andirr
Deane,,
a M rn(l
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gulletd Hotnhr.
Herbert visited the Dublin Exhibition on tu da y .
weTrehecoßndi tesecretary. Mr. Herbert and suite arriyved a't Mount
Merrion on Thursday evening.
The Viscountess Stratford de Radcliffe and the Hon.
Misses Canning, who arrived in London early in the.
preceding week from a tour in Wales, have since left
Grosvenor-square, on a visit to Sir William and Lady
Genre, at Oxenheath, Kent.
RESIDENCY OF BARODA.—The friends of the gallant
Colonel Outram will be glad to hear that he has been re-
appointed as Resident at Baroda.
LORD CARDIGAN'S SCREW-YACHT STEAMER.—We hear
that his lordship intends to build a screw-yacht for the
the Kingston sailing next year. The cost is to be 10,0001.
—United Service Gazette.
THE NEW RECEIPT STAMP.—Considerable inconve-
nience appears to have occurred in the provinces in
consequence of the deficient supply of the new receipt
stamps. At Newcastle-on-Tyne the Stamp-office have
been without stamps, which could
not be procured else-
where. The trading community are under the impres-
sion that they are at the mercy of common informers,
and liable to a penalty upon all unstamped receipts for
sums amounting to 21., although they have been unable
to procure the necessary stamps. At Southampton, on
Monday, the sub-distributors had a small supply of the
stamps upon white paper, -which were absorbed in a few
hours, and ever since, no stamps of any kind have been
procurable. Applications have been made to the head
distributor of stamps for the county, who resides at Win-
chester, but he appears to be equally unprovided. As
to the adhesive stamp, it has not yet been seen. As
the Government have had nearly three months to pre-
pare the new stamps, the tradesmen in these and other
towns ask whether the authorities ought not to have
been enabled to supply every town in the kingdom with
the quantity required.