The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-12 00:00:00

The Metropolitan Board of Works.

Yesterday the usual meeting of the members of
this board was held.

Sir JOHN THWAITES, who was in the chair, al-
luded to the meeting of the Marylebone Vestry, on
Thursday, at which several members expressed their
indignation at what they alleged had been his con-
duct with respect to the negotiations between the
Metropolitan Board of Works and Sir Thomas M.
Wilson, Bart., about Hampstead-heath, and at which
a resolution was passed to the effect that the vestry
regretted that the chairman of the Metropolitan
Board of Works had not carried out the resolution
of that board, in seeking an interview with Sir
Thomas Wilson, who was willing to receive him,
relative to the preservation of Hampstead-heath.
He said, in reference to the proceedings, that he
had been requested to communicate with Sir Thos.
'Wilson on the subject of his right over Hampstead-
heath. When the question was discussed, he sug-
gested the propriety of adjourning it until the mat-
ter before the Master of the Rolls had been deter-
mined. The board, however, passed the resolution,
and on Friday last two or three members of the
body intimated that Sir Thomas Wilson expected a
communication from him, and he replied that he did
not feel himself at liberty to open the question until
the matter before the court was decided ; but as he
was willing to act courteously towards Sir T. Wilson,
he was willing at once to open a negotiation if it
were desired, On finding. that Sir T. Wilson had-
no town residence, he wrote to him, asking him the
next time that he was in London to call on him with
reference to Hampstead-heath. He was surprised to
find that during the discussion at the Marylebone
Vestry the following letter, addressed by Sir T. Wil-
son to one of the members, was read—" I have a letter
from Thwaites stating that he wishes to see me on
the subject of Hampstead-heath, and that I may
call on him any morning in the week, between 10
and 11, a privilege I am not likely to avail himself
of." Upon that letter being read the vestry passed
a resolution condemning his (the chairman's) con-
duct. He could have hoped that when speaking of
his conduct the vestry would have adopted the more
open and English course of ascertaining all the
facts before they pronounced an opinion. He had
received a letter from Sir Thomas Wilson, which
contained the following passage :—" Hearing it is
the wish of the Metropolitan Board of Works that
you should have an interview with me, I remained
at Charlton, at considerable inconvenience to
myself to receive you. lam willing to do so, but
I must decline the privilege you have accorded to
me to wait upon you at your office." He (the chair-
man) wrote a reply to Sir Thomas Wilson, stating
that he was not aware that he had been putting
him to any inconvenience, and that he had
been induced to make the request on learning
that he had no London residence, and added that
lie feared his arrangements would prevent him meet-
ing Sir Thomas Wilson before Monday, the 17th,
or the following Saturday.
Mr. SHAW thought that Sir Thomas Wilson had
been baclly treated ; but it was owing to a misun-
derstanding. The chairman was not liable to any
imputation.

Mr. NrcnoLAY said that when the letter was
read at the vestry, he had expressed his opinion that
they should allow the matter to stand over in order
that the chairman might make an explanation.
After some discussion, in the course of which
several members condemned the conduct of the
Marylebone Vestry in framing the resolution, the
matter dropped.
11r. ROCHE brought forward his motion, pur-
suant to notice---" That in granting permission to
the engineer to be consulted in cases of difficulty by
the engineer carrying out certain sewerage works
and street improvements at Brussels, the board did
not grant permission to the engineer to become con-
sulting engineer to a public company, or to autho-
rise or sanction the publishing of tho name of the
cnginLer in Lite prospectus of the Belgian Public
Works Company." In doing so, he said that he
did not believe Mr. Bazalgette knew that his name
was to be placed to the prospectus, and was there-
fore free from blame. The board, in framing that
resolution, never for a moment intended thAt he
should become consulting engineer to a public com-
pany; for nothing could be more damaging to the
board and to the engineer himself, in the eye of the
public, than allowing his name to appear in the
prospectus of a speculative public company.
Mr. flows seconded the motion.

Mr. BIDGOOD moved, as an amendment, " That
in granting permission to the engineer to be con-
sulted in cases of difficulty by the engineer carrying
out certain sewerage works and street improvements
at Brussels, the board did not authorise or sanction
the publishing of the name of the engineer in the
prospectus of the Belgian Public Works Company,
and disapprove of their officer's name having been
made use of in such matter."

The CHAIRMAN said that it appeared to him that,
advisedly or unadvisedly, the board had sanctioned
the appointment of their engineer as consulting en-
gineer to the Belgian Public Works Company. He,
however, thought it improper and inexpedient that
he should stand in the position of consulting en-
gineer to a public company.
Mr. ELT seconded the amendment of Mr. Richard-
son.

Some further discussion ensued, in the course of
which the general opinion expressed was that Mr.
Bazalgette at the time permission was granted to
him to become consulting engineer to the works in
Belgium had no more idea than the members of the
board that his name was to be put forward in the
prospectus of the company.
Mr. ROCIIE having replied,
The CHAIRMAN then put the amendment, which
was carried by 12 to 10.

Mr. HorE, on the motion being put, moved as an
amendment that the engineer should withdraw his
name from the Brussels Company.
The CHAI.II3IAN said the effect of that would be
the rescinding of their own permission to the
engineer.

Mr. SAUNDERS then moved another amendment,
which was seconded iv Mr. SAVAGE, and carried.
It deprecated the use of Mr. Bazalgette's name is
the prospectus of a public company. Another
amendment was afterwards proposed and lost. Mr.
Saunders's amendment then became the original
motion, and after several other amendments had
been proposed and negatived, all being of a similar
character, the board divided, when there appeared
12 for the motion and 12 against. The chairman
gave his casting vote in favour of the motion, winch
being carried, the board adjourned.

SLEDGING IN PARIS.—Two sledges appeared in
the Bois do Boulogne during two successive days last
week, and were greatly admired. The one belonging to
Russian nobleman was essentially Russian in all its details,
horse and coachman being natives, the former entirely
black, of the race known under the name of Orloff, cele-
brated for being good trotters, while the latter wore 110
beard long, and a complete Russian driver's costum°'
Should another spell of frost visit us we shall probahl9
have sundry imitations of these eccentric equipages.—rar4
Correspowlent of The 04“71.