The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-12 00:00:00

ADDITIONS TO' THE METRO

POLIS WESTWARD.

It is instructive to observe how rapidly the progress of
centralisation is advancing, and it may be by the aid of
railroads, civilisation also. According to the city records
at Guildhall, it appears that on the 7th of July, 1580, by
a proclamation, dated at Nonsuch, by Queen Elizabeth,
all persons were prohibited from building houses within
three miles of any of the city gates of London, and va-
rious other regulations were ordered to be enforced to
prevent any further resort of the people to the capital
from distant parts of the country.• In the year 1602.
jut one year before Elizabeth expired at Richmond, ac-
cording to the Fm lera, vol. xvi., p. 448, another procla-
mation was made for restraining the increase of buildings
in the metropolis, by which she commands all persons to
desist from any new building of any house or tenement
within three miles of London, only one family to live in
any house ; empty houses erected within seven years not
to be let, and unfinished buildings on new foundations to
be pulled down.t In the following month another pro-
clamation was made for restraining the increase of build-
ings, and for the " voyding of inmates" in the cities of
London and Westminster, and for the space of three
miles distant.t
Immediately after the demise of the Queen, her suc-
cessor, James 1., issued a proclamation, whereby " mul-
titudes of dwellers in straight roomes" were prohibited
and newly erected houses commanded to be pulled
down.§ Several other proclamations were made in this
reign, James remarking that the growth of the capital
resembled the head of a rickety child, in which an ex-
cessive influx of humour drained and impoverished the
extremities, and at the same time generated distemper
in the overloaded part. _ _

Soon after the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot
(1605-6) another proclamation was issued regarding the
increase of new buildings in and about the metropolis ;
and from this time t 3 the accession of the house of
Hanover but little mention is made of Government in-
terference.

The prophecy of old Mother Shipton, whose effigy still
adorns a road-side public house, near Hampstead, has
not yet been consummated. The old Sybil said, that
" when London reached Hampstead, the former would
decline and fall." Notwithstanding this, Somers Town,
Camden Town, Pentonville, Finsbury and Islington,
Hoxton and Holloway, have all, by a persevering spirit
of building, joined Hampstead and Highgate, and it is
impossible to breathe freely until we got still further
north.

Eastward from Aldgate Pump, through Mile-end to
Stratford•at-Bow, there is not a sqnare foot of vantage
ground ; and southward, from the Elephant and Castle,
a goodly ten miles may be traversed from any point of
the compass, without meeting with a single untenanted
spot. To the westward, the overgrown wen of London
bids fair to shake hands with Windsor, from Albert
Gate, where Hudson's mansion stands.
To Hammersmith all is continuation of brick and mor-
tar ; new churches, new hospitals,ll and other public
buildings, Hie up in rapid succession. But there is an-
other gate from which we may diverge, that of Tyburn,
and heavy indeed would be the task of counting the end-
less rows of newly-built mansions ; whether we pro-
gress towards Bayswater, or to Harrow, we may find
about a dozen new churches, and yet another new hos-
pital in the course of ertction, St. Mary's, Paddington,
of which that excellent friend of humanity, the member
for St. Alban., Benjamin Bond Cabbell, Esq., is a warm
advocate and supporter.
The princely manificmce of Westbourne-terrace, Hyde
Park, is almost incredible—each mansion has a splendid
conservatory, stabling for four horses, harness-rooms,
double coach-house, with loft and sleeping rooms. It is
built on a gravelly soil, and is half a mile in length, ter-
minated by the new parish church (St. John's.) Another
church has been recently erected at the north end, near
the contemplated private entrance for her Majesty to the
Great Western Railway. Westbourne-terracelr is forty
feet wider than Portland-place," and seventy feet above
high water mark, the ground floors being on a level with
the attics of Eaton and Belgrave-squares. The ground
owner of this immense estate is William Kingdom, Esq.
The rentals of these princely residences vary, the lowest
being 3501. per annum, and the highest 5501.
Gloucester-terrace, parallel to Westbourne-terrace,
presents another noble range of houses, of which the
rentals each average 1301 Oxford and Cambridge-ter-
races are all of recent construction, as are Sussex-gar-
dens, Sussex-square, Gloucester•terrace, St. Phillip's
Church, Westbourne-street, and Kensington Garden-
terrace, leading into the Uxbridge-road. We have said
nothing of St. John's Wood or Pimlico, and, their exten-
sions; enough has been stated to startle the

tire or reflecting mind. It may be added that there-are
nearly fort) different building societies in London, form-
ing a sort of joint-stock partnership for the erection of
houses in the suburbs of the •netropohs•

* Maitland, i., 264. t Foadera, vol. xvi.
I Howe's Stowe, p. 812. S Howe's Stowe, p. 827.
On the Brompton-road, opposite the York-terrace, arises
the western wing and principal entrance of the new Hospital
for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, which, when
finally completed, will rank among the first of our metropoli-
tan charities. A sum of nearly 14,0001. has already been
expended in its erection. The architect is Frederick J.
Francis, Esq., of Cork-street, Burlington-gardens, and the
builders Messrs. Bird, of Hammersmith. When completed,
accommodation will be afforded to 200 indoor patients.
¶ The ground on which these modern palaces are erected is
church property, and leased for a period of ninety-eight
years, granted by the Bishop of London and trustees. of the
Paddington estate.
" Comparative width of the principal streets of London :
ft. in.
Harley-street, Upper 62 6
Gloucester-place ... 69 0
Baker-street 69 6
Devonshire-place ... 71 9
Oxfbrd-street 72 8
Great Cumberland-pl. 74 3
Pall-mall ... 79 9
St. James's-street ... 85 3
Regent-street 88 0
George-st., Hanov. sq. 112 0
Horse Guards ... ... 118 0
Portland. place ... ... 125 0
Oxford and Cambridge
terrace 157 9
Westbourne-terrace... 165 0

ft. in.
Dover -street 44 0
South Audley-street 45 0
Park-street ... 47 9
Albemarle•street ... 49 5
Wimpole street ... 61 6
Brook-street 1
Bond .street ... 56 6
Upper Grosvenor-st. 57 0
Great George-street... 57 2
Harley-street ... 57 3
Grosvenor-street ... 58 0
Bruton-street 59 3
Nottingham place ... 59 6
Curzon-street 59 9
Gower-street ... 60 0,

MRS. GORE'S NEW-NOVEL, " MEN OF CAPITAL."
--The fashionable novel may be regarded as the nux
vomica of parvenus. The new man may buy his way
into society by capital dinners, or balls to which
Duchesses invite the company, but the clever show up
of a popular novel is able to overthrow in an hour the
gaudy fabric t,f notoriety he has created. The title of
.. men of Capital" leads us to believe that the Ten of
Mrs. Gore has been tilting against certain theories and
dominions which have arisen out of the golden mud of
railway speculation. Great curiosity prevails in the
moneyed world concerning the announced work.
IMPORTATION OF TORACCO.—The revenue autho-
rities having had under their consideration an applica-
tion referring to the 14th section of the Warehousing
Act, 8 and 9 Vic. cap. 91, by which it is enacted, that
" within one month after any tobacco shall have been
warehoused, the proper offi :ors of Customs shall take a
particular account of the same ;" and requesting, as to-
bacco cannot be sampled in warm weather, without, in-
jury to the article, that the weighing thereof may be
deferred to a future period in certain cases ; and being
of opinion that when parties are desirous o deferring
the
a rtk ee
dr
tare,
is no objection to
the weighing of the tobacco, not for an indefinite period,
until it suit their convenience either to sample or
ig
kages of unmanufactured tobacco being weighed gross
if any, or an esti-
mated tare allowed thereon, in the same manner as is
directed to be observed by their order of July, 1826,
with regard to packages of cigars. Orders have been
uponpwaee h
importation, the
same
for
and dhuet he
issued to the principal officers of the several departments,
to permit the same in tuture accordingly. This order
will be a source of great convenience to the importers
and dealers in tobacco, and will be of interest and im-
portance to the trade.
DEATH OF A CONVICT BY DROWNING. —Oll Thurs-
day afternoon, about tao o'clock, a convict of the War-
rior hulk, named Turner, while at work unloading timber
from a London trading vessel, overbalanced himself and
fell into the river. A waterman's boat was promptly on
the spot, and every exertion made to save him, but he
disappeared almost instantaneously at the stern of the
vessel. The same convict fell into the river about
twelvemonth: ago in a nearly similar manner as the pre-
sent, which has proved fatal, and it was with the greatest
difficulty he was saved the first time.