The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-01 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

A special meeting of the Metropolitan Board of
Works was held yesterday in the Council-chamber,
Guildhall, for the transaction of various matters of emer-
gency ; Mr. J. Thwaites in the chair.

MINUTES OF THE BOARD.
The CLERK (Mr. Won'sYou) read the minutes of the
proceedings of the last board-day.
Mr. LESLIE (in pursuance of notice) asked whether
the minutes were true copies of the proceedings ?
The CLERK —lf the question of the hon. member
moans whether the minutes are a faithful record of the
proceedings, I answer, "Yes ;" but if he means to ask
whether the minutes embody copies of all the documents
that were handed in, I say they do not, and that that is
never done.

Mr. LESLIE—The minutes state that I banded in a,
protest, but it does not state that I read it in open court.
The CHAIRNA.N—The board have a very distinct recol•
lection of your reading it. (Laughter.)
The CLERK—The fact of the protest being given in was
entered on the minutes, but the protest itself was not
considered as one of the acta monumenta of the board.
Mr. LESLIE said, it was the custom of Parliament to
enter protests in ext ens°.
The CLERK said the protest would be bound up with
the other papers.

The minutes were then confirmed.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNT.

Balance in hands of treasurer, Oct. 27,
1856 £7,131 1 10
Checks drawn, but not presented 4Bl 6 1

Available balance 6,649 15 9
Amount of deposit account

Total general balance £114,171 17 11

GRAND JUNCTION AND GROSVENOR CANAL COMPANIES.
The report of the engineer on the failure of these coin.
Fanies t) give three clear days notice of their intention to
run off water from their works into the metropolitan
sewers, by which great risk to the lives of the men em.
ployed in the sewers was incurred, being read, it was
ordered that the engineer should communicate with the
companies and make the necessary arrangements with
them.

APPLICATIONS FOR LEAVE TO ALTER PREMISES, &c.
The board was engaged a considerable portion of the
day in deciding upon applications made by persons for
the consent of the board to various alterations being
made in the construction of their premises.

Mr. W. P. Kuck applied for leave to construct an iron
bridge from his sugar-house to his warehouse in Thomas-
street, St. George's-in-the-East.
Several members of the board strongly objected to the
application being acceded to, on the ground that the for-
mation of bridges across the streets would obstruct both
light and air, which it was one of the duties of the board
to promote in every practicable way, more especially in
the thickly populated districts of the metropolis.
After a full discussion, the application was refused.
Consent was given to several applicants for leave to
build shops on what were formerly called the gardens,
but which are now technicaly designated the forecourts
of their houses.

Some very forcible remarks were however made by Mr.
Deputy Harrison as to the prejudicial tendency of the
practice of erecting buildings on these open spaces, which
at present distinguished the long lines of streets in the
suburbs from the close pent•up avenues of the metropolis
itself. If the practice were to be fully carried out, the
present fine open roads would be converted into so many
tunnels.

A. letter from Mr. G. 'W. F. Cook, vestry clerk of St.
Pancras, requesting that copies of the printed minutes of
the board might be supplied to the vestry, was read.
Mr. WILKINSON moved that the request be granted.
➢Zr. WRIGRT, who had given notice of a motion that
copies of the minutes be sent to all the local boards,
seconded the motion.

After some discussion, chiefly on the question whether
the vestry of St. Pancras should be required to make
special application to the 11Ietr ipolitan Board for copies
of the minutes on each and every occasion, or whether
suck copies should be sent to the vestry by the Board,
Mr. LESLIE moved as an amendment —" That all the
district boards and vestries should be supplied with a
c)py of the minutes on the day of publication."
The amendment, on being seconded, was carried with-
out a division ; and it was generally understood that it
would not at all compromise the dignity of the Metro-
pol►tan Board if the courtesy of forwarding copies to the
different district boards were to be observed.

PLACES OF PUBLIC RECREATION.
Mr. Hows brought forward a motion to vary the order
of the board of the 4th of June: 1856. The order was in
these terms :

" That this board acknowledge the importance of re-
taining open spaces in the metropolis, and the great
permanent advantage which would accrue to the northern
suburb by the preservation of Hampstead•heath, and its
appropriation as a place of recreation for the public, but
is of opinion that improvements of much greater neces-
sity and advantage to the general public are more urgent
and desirable, and therefore resolve not to entertain
the question of the purchase of land for the purpose
of that work; and, moreover, it is the opinion of this
board that the powers conferred by the Metropolis Local
Management Act do not authorise them to tax the rate-
payers for such objects."
Since the passing of this resolution an act of Parliament
had enlarged the powers of the board, and he was of
opinion that it was necessary to rescind the latter portion
of the resolution before the board could take any steps
in furtherance of the object which they all must be
anxious to promote—namely, the formation of parks in
the vicinity of this vast metropolis for the healthy re-
creation of the people. He therefore begged to move
that all the words in the resolution atter the words
" place of recreation for the public" be omitted.
Mr. SEELEY seconded the motion.

Mr. TURNER also supported it ; and
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR was not opposed to the formatio❑
of parks in and near the metropolis, but the expense
ought not to be borne by the ratepayers. It was a
most legitimate charge on the Consolidated Fund.
Mr. DOULTON said the whole question appeared to
him to be, not whether the board had the power to direct
the formation of parks, but whether they ought to vote
away the money of the people living in the metropolis
for such objects. He did not think it was desirable at
the present time to carry out such works.
Mr. HAWKER also was of opinion that there were many
objects of far more importance to the public that ought
first to engage the attention of the board.
Mr. COLLINSoN said there had been an immense agi-
tation among the people on the subject of places being
'appropriated for public recreation. He believed it was
the intention of the Legislature that the board should
make due provision to meet this popular demand, and
not merely confine its labours to the drainage ques-
tion. Great things were expected from them, not only
in regard to the sanitary but the social position of the
metropolis, and much in respect to the promotion of
both depended on the activity with which the board
exerted itself in carrying out great public improvements.
He believed it to be a fact, and one most important to
be borne in mind, that crime and misery were fostered
by the want of proper means of recreation among the
people.
Mr. LESLIE opposed the motion, and doubted the
competency of the present Court to rescind the former
resolution of the 4th of June last. They had been told
that there was no place of recreation on the north side of
the metropolis, but was there not Hampstead•heath
Mr. D'IFFANGEB thought the vote of the 4th of June
ought to be rescinded. It was true there were other
important works to carry out, hut they were not of a
pressing nature ; whereas the question of securing
Hampstead-heath was most pressing and urgent. The
heath itself, it was true, might be preserved, but without
the surrounding land the beauty of it would be entirely
annihilated, and they knew not how soon that land
might be built upon. It would be to the eternal disgrace
of the board if they were to suffer that spot to escape
from their hands. Parliament had given them the
power, and now was the time for action.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON considered it a very irregular
course to bring forward the subject of -Hampstead-heath
on such a motion as the present. He should oppose
rescinding the resolution of the 4th of June. There was
no necessity for doing so. The board was perfectly right
at the time the resolution was passed. Parliament had
since given them additional powers, which it was quite
competent for them to carry out, notwithstanding any
resolution they might under another state of circum-
stances have adopted.
After some further discussion the motion was put and
negatived, there being on a division 11 for and 12
against it.
The board adjourned at 5 o'clock.

The King of Sardinia left Genoa on the mornin,
of the 26th for the royal villa of Polonzo.
The departure from Genoa of the Empress
Dowager of Russia is thus described by the
On the
2Csotrirl
,i craet isifixercian,n f: i
the oefvetnbi:ititg., tt7hwen :_c
Czarina
em.
barked on board the Carlo Alberto, which bad
been magnificently decorated for the occasion
with a profusion of flowers, &c. At ten o'clock
left the
fireworks,
port amidst
andidst a display of
arrived at
th e
illuminationssteain er
and
Villafranca at 9.30 in the morning. Here she
was received by the military and civil authorities
of the place. At ten o'clock the Empress made her
entry into Nice in an open carriage. Prince
Eugenie do Carignan accompanied her Majesty to
the Villa Avigdor, and then proceeded to the Go-
vernment palace. An irateu.se crowd fined the
OrtoW."