The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-10 00:00:00

COURT OF CONSERVANCY.

Yesterday the Lord Mayor held Coarts of Conservancy
of the River Thames for the counties of Surrey and Mid-
dlesex, at the Town Hall, in the Borough, and the Swan
Tavern, Westminster-bridge, for the purpose of receiv-
ing the presentments of the Inquest Juries upon the state
of the river, to which his Lordship had requested their
particular attention on a former occasion. The Lord
Mayor was accompanied by the Recorder, Aldermen
Sir Chapman Marshall, Wilson, Sheriffs Gibbs and Barn-
comb, Mr. Firth, of the Town Clerk's Office ; Mr. Saun-
ders, the Water Bailiff ;Mr. Nelson, the Under Water
Bailiff, &c., &c. _ _ _

The Middlesex presentment stated that the Jury on
proceeding from Westminster-bridge to Blackwall
noticed the barges put together to form temporary piers
for the accommodation of boarding and landing passen-
gers from the steam-boats, and which were carried out
so far as to oblige small boats and craft to go further
into the stream than was consistent with the safety of
those on board of them ; that they thought the small
floating pier at Blackfriars-bridge might be placed in a
far better position so as to admit small craft to the stairs
with greater security ; that on proceeding up the river
and reaching Westminster-bridge they were surprised
to find a very Lrge embankment or projection carried
out at least seventy yards into the bed of the river and
about 300 yards long, and which they were informed
was made by certain parties to make room for the build-
ing of the new Houses of Parliament, but which they
thought was a very great encroachment into the bed of the
river, and caused serious hindrance to the free flowing and
receding of the tides, and likewise forming a large re-
cess or receptacle for the accommodation of mud and
filth ; and they recommended that if the embankment
were to remain it should be carried out further, so as to
do away with the present projection which formed the
stoppage of the mud, and for this they consi-
dered the embankment above Vauxhall Bridge to
be in a dilapidated state, and requiring immediate atten-
tion. They likewise stated that, on a careful examination
of Battersea Bridge, they considered it very dangerous
to the present navigation, both as regarded the forma-
tion of the piers and the narrowness of the arches, and
likewise as to the bend of the river where the bridge is
situated ; and, on proceeding further and examin-
ing Putney Bridge, they considered _it to be in
a much worse state as to the formation of
the piers than Battersea Bridge, both as respected
the narrowness of the arches and the formation,
and they considered it very unsafe for small boats as
well as larger ones, and on their return they perceived
a total deficiency of light. They also had heard great
complaints from three or four fishermen at Stroud-on-
the-Green, as to a serious destruction of fish caused by
the wash from Booth's Distillery at Brentford, which
they considered was owing to lime being used for clean-
ing the coppa.s, and which was sent into the river in
immense quantities, many days together, for the last two
years.
• Sir C. MARSHALL asked whether the Jury had had an v
communication with the parties connected with the
bridges, which were represented to be in so dangerous
a state.
The Jury replied that they took their views without
communicating with any body. They were aware at
the time that considerable loss of life had been the con-
sequence of the condition of the arches of the two
bridges, and they observed that the tide made its
way through them in a transverse way. An accident
had nearly occurred as they reached Putney-bridge, on
account of the narrowness of the arches.
The REcoRDER informed the gentlemen of the in-
quest that the Lord Mayoa, would direct the attention of
the City Solicitor to the statements made in the present-
ment, and would also call the attention of the Naviga-
tion Committee to the obstructions which were described
as existing, immediately. He suggested that some of the
Jury should attend the next Court of Aldermen with a
note of the observations, in order that the object of car-
rving out the removal of the obstructions might be com-
pletely accomplished.
The Surrey presentment complained of several of the
piers for steam-boat passengers, and the Jury begged leave
to suggest that at Blackfriars and Westminster Bridges
floating piers should be erected similar to that at South-
wark Bridge, which was so great an accommodation, with-
out causing the least annoyance in the neighbourhood.
They also complained of Battersea and Putney Bridges,
and of obstruction caused by a barge-builder, near Vaux-
hall Bridge.
It is expected that immediate proceedings will be re-
sorted to in most of the cases to which the presentments
referred.