The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-28 00:00:00

CITY IM MOVEMENTS.

Several.letters having appeared in print drawing atten-
tion to the ,nhject, much notice has been taken in the
city of the intrus:on of the plan upon which the Sun
Fire-office i., proposed to bo built upon the general design
laid down for the public improvements in that quarter
of the, City, and which appears the more unaccount-
able the more it is inquired into. The improvement
of Bartholomew-lane, winch the Sun Fire-office seems
determined to render of as li,tie value as possible, was
designed as early as the year 1800, when a Hill was passed
for taking away the swops at the nor: e- of Threadie edle-
street, aed making a road through the tower of the
church. This project would have been carried into
effect bad not the Act male it dependent on the consent
of Bishop Porteus, whose name namentioned, and had
not that Prelate died before his consent could be ob-
tained. It seems that had the Act mentioned the "
shop el London" generally, the improvement then pro-
jected would have leen carried out long age. The Act
authorising this project was granted to the Baek of
England, and consequently, when the Royal Exchange
was burned down, the Cay Corporation, after obtain-
ing their own Act, sought to induce the Bank of Eng-
land to carry out that pert of the' undertaking that re-
lated to the improvements in Bartholomew-lane. It should
be observed that the Act granted to the Corporation pro..
tided that the Church should be p ufled down irltnge-
thcr. According to the plan, of the improvement which
the Corporation arranged with the Treasury, and which
was, it scenic, signed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
and deposited in the Town-Clerk's office, a line was to he
drawn from the north-west corner of Messrs. Grote's bank-
ing-house to the south-west corner of the Bank of England,
and this plan being so arranged, the Bank undertook this
part of the improvement. The Sun Fire-office occupies
a lerge pat tof Bank-buildings, which are to be pulled
down to make an area in front of the new Ex-
change, where, it is said, the statue cf. the Duke of Wel-
lington is to stand, and the Company, for the site of their
new office, have relect.: d part of the inc of the church,
intending thus to occupy the corner. The Bank of
England, which had undertaken the improvements in
Bartholomew-lane, transferred that undertaking to
the Sun-office, who commenced operations accordingly,
and had rcareely begun, when the Exchange Committee
were informed that the south part of the new office would
project ti feet beyond the proposed line, in contravention
of every understanding on the subject. The Exchange
Committee, alarmed at this, at once sent a notice to the
Bank of England, and also to the Sun, of the encroach.
meat that the latter were making ; but the Sun, far from
retarding their proceeding, pursued their work, it is said,
with increased activity, and it may now be observed, that
the wall which stands on the questionable aide has
been run up higher than the others. The Chairman
of the Exchange Committee attended a meeting of
the Governor of the Bank and the Governor of the
Sun Fire-office, at which, after aerie discussion, an
appeal to the Chancellor of the Exchequer was pro.
pored. A meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer
took place on Saturday, and on this occasion Sir Robert
Smirke's opinion was produced, that the improvements
would be greatly disfigured by the projection of the Sun
Fire-office. The Chancellor of the Exchequer expressed
his regret that he had no legal power to interfere, and pre-
posed a reference cf the question to the Board of Works,
which the Bank said they would consider. This is the pre-
sent state of the case, as far as we can learn front inquiries
made on the subject.
These particulars only place in a still worse light than
before the conduct of the parties concerned in this Vandal..
like aggression upon good taste and propriety. So little
clue is there to this matter, that people are driven to the
supposition that it may have arisen out of a spirit c f rivalry
between two architects who have lately maintained too
eager a contest to be very good friends towards each other.
We, are far, however, from entertaining any such belief,
and must wait till some one better informed can enlighten
the public. What renders the case peculiarly anomalous
is, that at the very tine the City is threatened with this
or igureniert in one ut the greatest public undertakings,
they are expending money for the removal of the French
Church, because in its present situation it has an unsightly
highly
projection, which is of far less consequence than the one
the Sue-office. Whatever the. motives of
contemplated by
may be, one thing seems certain, namely,
;th that duty, could not
that the tCh(ene'leianidluct of the Bank of England hasbceii
ret:reliensible in this affair. They were intrusted with the
per utile - Exchange Corn-
ievnheeen ot
ht.
eay
girnetartu
sitieudbltilciedmuttcyi
mittee,f
have had a notion that any but themselves were to perform
it ; and yet, no sooner is the authority in their hands than
they transfer it to the Company, who have abused it. This
conduct of the Bank of England cannot be characterized
other., i3e than as a gross dereliction of a public duty.--
Times.

LORD CARDIGAN AND SUNDAY FLOG.
erne.—Lord Cardigan seems to be cite of these unfortu-
nate ildividuals who cannot for their lives keeP
water. lie scrape has scarcely got out of one out of hot
ere he is
right into the heart of another. Miscofficers and whipping hief seems to be the
very element he lii es in. He alternates his amusements
by his privates—shoot.
;ng Tucket.s with 1114-triggers, and plying the eat-o'-
nine tails on the backs of his men. How long will this
madman be allowed to disgrace the ranks of the army, and
thus to sf t humanity. decency. religion, and morale, alike
at defilLee ? The man himself has no sense of slianie
about Prim; but those to idiom be is officially responsible
are ;rawly to blame ia having so long tolerated such a
nuisance iu ;he public service. —Leeds 7 i:nes.
FORCE OF HABlT.—Alderman Newman, who
had scraped together out of the grocery line six hundred
thousand pounds, enjoyed no greater luxury the last three
sears (
f his life than to repair daily to the shop, and, prc..
eisely as the clock struck two (the good old fashioned
hour of city dining), eat his mutton wilh his successors.
The-late Thomas Rippon, chief cashier of the Bank of
England, was a similar oddity. Once only, is a service o f
fifty years, did he venture to ask for a fortnight's holiday.
lie left town, but after a three day's
unhappy ramble
through beautiful green fields', he grew moping, and pre-
maturely returned to the blissful regions of Threadneedle-
street to die at his desk.