The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-04 00:00:00

THE QUEENS VISI7 70 THE ME

The preparations, which have already been described in
detail, from the plan and the rudimentary work of car-
penters and decorative artists, are making rapid progress
on the Viaduct and Blalkfriars Bridge; and if the weather
—now unsettled- should make good its proverbial suita-
bility to the public, appearance of the Queen, next Satur-
day will be a day to be marked in the City annals with
the whitest of white stones. Yesterday the members
of the Common Council were invited to inspect the whole
of the works on and beneath the Holborn Viaduct ; and it
was the unanimously expressed opinion that her Majesty
should be shown some part at least of the wonderful sub-
ways, which afford even greater evidence of engineering
skill than is perceptible in an outward view of Mr. Hay-
wood's magnificent work. The perfect arrangements of gas
and water, ready to the hand without removal or dis-
organisation of any surface covering ; the accessible and
yet secure position of telegraphic wires ; the ventilation of
the underground passages; the complete drainage of the
Viaduct into the sewers which are beneath the subways;
the space of the cellarage from end to end—all these ad-
vantages of the new high-level road above the Holborn
Valley constitute the most admirable character which can
be assigned to any similar work in the world. Owing
to her Majesty's absence from town approval of the
programme submitted by the civic aurhorities had
not been given. No doubt, however, seems to be felt of
her Majesty's acceptance of it. The continuance of the
preparations indicates a conclusion that the route to be
followed on Saturday will be that which the committee
has laid down, subject to the Royal sanction. In addi-
tion to the Volunteer force which we have already named
as being selected to form the guard of honour, the 49th
Middlesex (Post Office) Volunteers will also take part in
that duty, and are expected to muster 700 strong, under
Colonel Duplat Taylor.

The opening of the Holborn Viaduct will invite back
again to one direct channel, running east and west, and
connecting the populous suburbs at either end of an
overgrown town, that traffic which has been diverted
into tortuous ways during the progress of the great
work. We have now, therefore, the question of
" ample room and verge enough" still more forcibly im-
pressed on our attention. Widened throughout its
whole length, Holborn continues the broad thorough-
fare of Oxford-street, by means of the new Viaduct,
far into the City. The first awkward block occurs in the
very heart of the commercial turmoil, close to the Man-
sion House. Many letters complaining of that impediment
to traffic, "the obstructive Poultry," have appeared in
the journals; and the topic is rife among City men, whose
business takes them to and fro in that central neighbour-
hood. The new street which now leads from the Mansion
House to Blackfriars is the main south-western communica-
tion, just as the long line of thoroughfare now opened up
by the completion of the Holborn Viaduct is the artery
from east to west ; and at their constructive conver-
gence these two important channels should be made
as open as possible. A deplorable narrowing of space
provokingly occurs at the very point of juncture.
The block of houses with miserably ruinous backs
turned towards the new Mansion House-street must
be removed before the full benefit, either of that
wide avenue, or of the improved westerly approach,
can be felt ; and no better opportunity could be wished
than that which now presents itself. A plan proposed by
Mr. John Belcher, a skilled and able architect, shows in
what manner and at what cost the improvement could be
made; and it seems likely, from the large area of ground
coloured on the chart as belonging to the Metropolitan
Board, that that body, rather than the civio corporation,
must be looked to for the generally desired boon.
Estimates of compensations for property which must be
removed, and of the value, on the other hand, of property
accruing from the change, accompany Mr. Belcher's
plan, and they are worth consideration. Nine houses of
the isolated block on the south side of the Poultry—the
remainder is already in the possession of the Board
of Works—could, according to this estimate, be pur-
chased for £412,000. The houses on the north
side cf Bucklersbury are, with the exception of two,
included in the Poultry ; and those two houses, with seven
on the opposite side of Bucklersbury, would cost £210,00U.
Two houses in Cheapside and three in' L'ancras•lane would
have to come down, the estimated cost being together
£BO,OOO. Here, then, is a total of .C 702,000 ; and the cal-
culation of what would be gained by ground rents at
25 years' purchase exceeds the outlay by £115,500. It
need hardly be urged, that if the estimates show a pe-
cuniary loss instead of gain, on a work of such great pub-
lic utility, the undertaking would still bo desirable. Four
years ago Mr. Haywood, in his report to the Commis-
sioners of Sewers, said :—" Of the desirability of widen-
ing the Poultry there can be no doubt, even although
it may be relieved by the new street of some of its
traffic ; for at the present time, if the whole of its car-
riage way was flagged over, it would give no superfluous
convenience to the vast numbers of pedestrians who daily
pass through it." At the date of his report, and we believe
i nce it was written, Mr. Haywood inclined to the belief
that the improvement would be best effected by widen-
ing the Poultry. on the north side. The construction
of the new Mansion House-street materially invali-
dates any argument which could have been maintained in
favour of that view. There can hardly be a difference of
opinion, among those who survey the spot, as to the expe-
diency of pulling down the block on the south side of the
Poultry and setting the houses back, with double fronts
fscing to the new street us well as to the thoroughfare
ou which their doors have opened for many generations.

A class, composed of officers of the Royal Artil-
lery, arrived at Woolwich yesterday to go through
a short course of instruction in the manufacturing
departments of the Royal Arsenal,

Ensigns Hickson and Grey, of the Ist Battalion
3d Buffs, stationed with the depot at Chatham,
have received leave till the 30th of December, when
they will embark to join the servica companies in
Bengal.