The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-02 00:00:00

EVEN

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF MR. BIDDULPII.
" DUBLIN CASTLE, SEPT. 29, 1840.--Whereas it
has been represented to the Lord Lieutenant, that on
the morning of the 24th instant, about the hour of ten
o'clock, a.m., F. M. Biddulph, Esq., J.P., while riding
towards Frankford, and within about 200 yards of his
own gate, in the townland of Rathrobbin, parish of Kil-
loughey, and King's County, was fired at and wounded
by some person, aided by two others, unknown : his
Excellency, for the better apprehending and bringing
to justice the perpetrators of this outrage, is pleased
hereby to offer a reward of 200/. to any person or per-
sons (except the person or persons who actually fired
the shot) who shall, within six months from the date
hereof, give such information as shall lead to the appre-
hension and convictionisof.allor
Excellency's a n ymtrpunrdsons eon.
ofcernAc
theD ON .
eTdhtel3ab
ereoivne.—rie3wd will be paid by
h
arEsq., the resident Magistrate at Tullaneal Browne,
a Noore, to those
who may become entitled to it under the conditions of
this proclamation."
AsaNyKsrso, an
eot,hiTn
gU EhSaDs
AY . A Correspondent of the
command,
N. H. i‘
s ALD
occurred since I last wrote you,
to throw any light upon the recent attack on Mr. Bid-
dulph, or to lead one to suppose that evidence will be
forthcoming to bring the deed home to the men who are
at present in custody."

---
THE HAGUE, SEPT. 28.—Yesterday being
the fifty-ninth anniversary of the birth-day of his; Majesty
the King of Wurternhurg, who happened to he here, the
day was kept with great festivity by the Royal family.

Sei-I,:iiieTrplay of illaster ,Clarke continues t 6
attract crowded audiences at this tfi-etTtie. It is a--

drama which improves upon acquaintance, and
should be seen twice to be properly appreciated.
It possesses beauties of a high order, and although
somewhat heavy, is a sterling good play. It was
followed last night by a new farce, entitled, as if
the spirit of prophecy, The Unfbrtanale Foul .
Never was more summary justice executed upon
any piece, and never was summary execution more
richly deserved. Witless, pomtlers, and plot-
less, not even the rich and unctuous humour
of Rees, the excellent acting of Strickland,
or the light gaiety of Mrs. F. Matthews could
make the thing tolerable. The actors did their
best, hut the material they had to work upon was
so wretched, that a very good humoured audience
became first impatient and then angry, and at length
in answer to repeated calls for the manager, Strick.
land stepped forward, and said—" Ladies and
gentlemen, I am deputed by Mr. Webster, to an-
nounce that as the farce has met with your disap-
probation it shall be withdrawn."

THE OPENING OF BLACKFRIARS

BRIDGE.

Yesterday the ceremony of opening Blackfriars-
bridge which, from the immense improvements and
alterations made in the structure, may be called a new
bridge, took place between four and five o'clock, in the
presence of a great multitude.
At four o'clock the Lord Mayor, Sir James Shaw,
the City Chamberlain, and several of the Aldermen,
Mr. Prior, the Chairman of the Blackfriars-bridge
Committee, Mr. Walker, the engineer of the new re-
pairs, Mr. Montague, the surveyor of the Bridge, the
City Solicitor, Mr. Secondary James, Mr. Secondary
Potter, the City Remembrancer, the Comptroller, Mr.
Firth, of the Town-clerk's office, and the members of
the Blackfriars-bridge Committee., left the Guildhall in
tbeir carriages, and proceeded at a slow pace to the
Bridge, at the foot of which; on the City side, they
alighted. A large body of the police were in attend-
ance to keep off the crowd. Having walked over the
Bridge, his Lordship, the Committee, and civic officers
got into their carriages and returned, and thus ended
the simple ceremony. To the Chairman and Committee
the most grateful thanks of the public are due for the
unwearied exertions which they have been making to
render the alterations worthy of the high character to
which the Corporation entitled itself by the erection of
London-bridge. The Lord Mayor, as the organ of the
Corporation, congratulated the Committee upon the
termination of labours so productive of benefit to the
community of this vast metropolis, and so creditable to
the taste and skill of those who projected and superin-
tended a work which appeared to be made " not for an
age, but for all time."
The efficient proceedings of the present Committee
are strongly contrasted by the coutemptible patchwork
of former experiments to procrastinate the expected fall
of Blackfriars-blidge. Before the noble structure of
London-bridge was raised, endless were the attempts
made to stop up the gaps which exhibited themselves
to the trembling boatmen, but when that admirable
piece of architecture was completed, the Corporation
saw that it was impossible to check the march of im-
proveroent, and they naturally turned their eyes to
Blackfriais-bridge as an object which required their
immediate consideration. Still the hand of art was slow
in its operations there, although the subject formed a
standing dish in the Court of Common Council, and it
was not until Mr. Prior was, upon the motion of Mr.
C.'Pearson,constituted Chairman of the Committee, that
the plan was adopted, to the accomplishment of which the
public owe the present most admirable accommodation.
In the prosecution of their labours the engineers, Messrs.
Walker and Burges, had to contend with no ordinary
difficulties. Tney naturally expected to be furnished
with some plans or other information as to the construc-
tion of the bridge. 'rimy were disappointed in that
expectation. The bridge was built under the direction
of the city of London, but there did not appear to be
any plans or documents in the possession of the Corpo.
ration that gave the smallest assistance in any of the
objects of the inquiry. An engraved elevation was pub-
lished in 1 7(16, the year the bridge was opened, and some
of the engravings of the caissons and machinery used iu
the building, were published in 1787 ; these were ob-
tained, but their authority was too questionable to be
depended upon. A thorough survey was therefore made
of the foundation and seperstructure by Messrs. Welker
and Borges, and a specification was drawn by them,
which formed the basis of the beautiful repairs which
have been just completed.
The timber which formed the foundation of the piers
was in a sound and perfect state. The specimens when
first cut, appeared as bright and fresh coloured as new
timber. Leery part of the bridge, so far as could be as-
certaiiied, was built of Portland stone, which is of e soft
c ticarenus nature, and subject to decay from exposure
to the weather ; but the stone-work from the foundation
up to low-water mark was as good as it could have been
on the day it was laid ; the mortar was entire in the
joints, and the tool marks were reniaining on the faces
of the stones.
As respected the state of the bridgestill more
miiot itself,
removal
etil:foldedn,
damaged,
mtf‘.oi,ia might
10l igtitigenilgi
absolutely
protect
of
the
et
be safely affirmed that up to low water mark it was
perfect, and that the imperfections of die stone work
began from that level. From the level of low water,
before the renewal of London-bridge, to nearly the high
water mark, the whole of the stone work, forming the
front of the piers and abutments, was in so very
dilapidated a condition, as to make new facing with
better stone the only prudent and safe plan of repair.
The ends or cutwaters of the piers being more exposed
at o
shakenronmec
eabargesssnecessary.
to render
a
andi
Previouslyc e, were
renewaltsot
London-bridge, the low water market was seldom under
the
greattopproportion ofp
otrhtieo
no ffosiettiies coursesstil ol
hfigtile
ia7r,piseorsa, and
the first course above the footings, which was in a
much hatter condition than those above it. The result
of the removal of the old bridge had been to reduce the
level of low water about twenty-two inches at Black-
friars-bridge. From the very dilapidated state of the
cutwaters of the piers, the columns which rested upon
them were endangered, particularly towards their bases,
which the high tides had reached and decayed
the stone. Some of them had besides been struck
by barges which had displaced the lower stones of
the shafts, so that the columns were in a dan-
gerous condition. A heavy blow on the disturbed
stones might have been the means of throwing
down the column altogether, and the recess over it
would have followed ; the consequences of which might
have been very serious, both with reference to the lives
of the persons in the barge and of those in the recess at
the time, who would probably have been precipitated
faith the falling column into the river. The finish of the
cutwater, which formed the foundation on which the
columns stood, have been raised two feet eight inches,
the low level having been the cause of the decay near
the bases referred to. This was the more necessary
when the addition to the rise of the tides is con-
sidered. The columns, no doubt, originally stood level
with the 'high water of spring tides, and they were so
shown in the engraved elevations ; but the standard of
ordinary spring tides, as fixed by the Trinity House in
1800, was ten inches, on the average, above the foot
of the columns, so that the London-bridge dam being
removed, the bases were generally covered with water
at spring tides. The alteration improves the appear-
aace of the columns, and this is the only point in which
Mr. Walker has interfered with the architecture of the
bridge.
The broken and defective arch stones were measured
one by one, and all taken out and replaced with new
arch stones. 'File whole of the facings and soffits of the
arches were thoroughly cleaned, the joints pointed with
pino
ozzesotl
streets
tpisna
upon
ele sketch n mortar
r ; and generally, in addition to what
has been stated, every part of the bridge has been
thoroughly repaired. The foot paving on both sides
has been made good with new granite, and the steps of
the watermen's stairs are of new granite. We have al-
ready stated that the bridge has been lowered in the
centre, and gradually raised at each end, to the great
accommodation of all persons engaged in traffic, and to
those who ride and drive, and we have spoken of other
advantages to the public from the completion of the
work ; but the improvements in the bridge are much
whencreditei
t e
or f vieweddus
ewhat has s
ed
o.
e ideaab above fromtho the%‘ b,
he
oeop r,done,oj. e
cti willheadn s
uf
give
from
t he r
re.
some oi.
intended, and aided in the operations.
The estimate of Messrs. Walker and Burges was os
follows :
Tile cost of the repairs above low water
The piling and otherwise securing the founda-
tions, done in cofferdams

Making together 90,000
Mr. David Mackintosh took the contract included in
the specification as above at .................. £6.1,000
And for making solid parapet, and lowering
10
foot and carriage-ways ..................... ,035

Making together 74,035
By which it is calculated that the contractor must have
been a loser.
The 'Accession, after having finished the ceremony,
went off at a very quick pace to celebrate the occasion
with a dinner.

. ,--- ----- ,
SUICIDE IN THE REGENTS PA RIC—On
Wednesday morning, at an early hour, some workmen _
gaged in the Regent's Park, discovered the body `''"
gentleman lying in one of the plantations, near the villa
of a
e of
the Marquis of Hertford. They immediately conveyed the
body to the Marylebonc Infirmary. On searching the de-
ceased's pockets a phial which contained la
laudanum was
found; also papers which proved the deceased to be
st
gentleman of the name of Darby, 17, j
reseet, Man.
a
cheater-square, and who quitted his ames.r
last. The body lies to await a idence on Monday
Coroner's Inquest.