The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-09 00:00:00

NETBO.POLITAX BOARD OF WORKS'.

A meeting of this board was held yesterday, in
the Council Chamber, Guildhall. The president,
J—Thwaites, Esq., took the chair at 12 o'clock.

FINANCE.

The cash statement for the current week showed
a total general balance of £138,218 19s. 3d., which
includes the second instalment of £50,000 of the
loan from the Bank of England, paid to the trea-
surer to the account of the board.
FINSBURY-PARK.

The board received a numerous deputation from
the vestry of Islington, to present a memorial on
the subject of the proposed new park for Finsbury.
The churchwardens of St. Luke, Old-street, also
attended to support the memoriamemorialW. Cox, Esq., M.P.,
addressing the board, said
that the prayer of the memorial
was that the board
should take immediate,action in obtaining the land
necessary for the formation of the park. He com-
plained that a year had now elapsed since the
Royal assent to the bill for this park had been given,
and that nothing whatever had been done towards
carrying the measure out. A very general feeling
had gone abroad that the board did not s....riously
contemplate doing anything immediately, which
had caused very general dissatisfaction to the in-
habitants, which was increasing by the knowledge
that the board had done something in the matter of
the approaches to Victoria-park.
The PRESIDENT explained that the cases differed
very much. Land and funds had been contributed
by individual inhabitants in the latter case and
not in the former.

Mr. Cox said that this explanation would, no
doubt, be satisfactory, and proceeded to urge
strongly that if the land was not immediately
secured it would continue to be built upon, and the
expense of purchasing would be immensely in-
creased.

Mr. SAVAGE moved that the memorial be re•
ceived.

Mr. Hows seconded the motion, which was car.
ried.

The deputation then withdrew.
THE NEW MEMBER FOR. BERMONDSEY.
The President introduced Legg, Esq., the
newly-elected member for the district of Ber-
mondsey.
PARISH OF ST. PANCRAS.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON brought up a report from
the Finance Committee recommending that the
board should sanction, in writing, the borrowing
by the vestry of St. Pancras of a sum or sums not
exceeding in the whole the sum of £B,OOO, for the
purpose of paving or putting into a proper state the
foot and carriage-ways of portions of the said
parish, at a rate of interest not exceeding £5 per
cent. per annum, such loan to be secured upon a
mortgage or mortgages of such of the rates leviable
within the said parish as the said vestry may deem
advisable, and as may by law be applicable thereto,
and to be repayable within a period not exceeding
20 years from the date thereof.
After some discussion the recommendation of the
committee was adopted.

FLEET VALLEY RAILWAY.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON, pursuant to notice, pre-
sented a memorial from Mr. Charles Pearson, at the
instance of the House of Commons' Committee
upon metropolitan communications, in favour of the
Fleet Valley Railway and City Terminus, in con-
junction with the raising of Holborn-valley and
other street improvements, within the jurisdiction
of the Metropolitan Board of Works ; and moved
that Mr. Pearson be heard, to explain the details
of the plan suggested in his memorial, and that it
be referred to the Works, &c., Committee, to
examine and report thereon.
The memorial, which is a lengthy one, was then
read as follows :
"To THE HONOURABLE THE METROPOLITAN
BOARD OF WORKS.

" The respectful memorial of the undersigned,
Charles Pearson, City Solicitor, formerly Common
Councilman for Bishopsgate Ward, and lately
M.P. for Lambeth,
" SHOWETH,—That during the 40 years he has
been connected, as a member or officer, with the Cor-
poration of London, he has taken a" deep interest in
all measures of street improvement proposed within
the City and the metropolis at large.
" When railways had successfully established
themselves in the north of England, and were ap-
proaching the metropolis, with the intention of
fixing their general stations at the outskirts, the
undersigned projected a plan for uniting them, by
means of branch lines at King's-cross, to a trunk
railway leading to a station at Farringdon-street,
so as to place City passengers by the northern
lines within a walking distance of the great City
establishments in a locality bearing about the same
relation in point of distance to the centre point of
business, and giving the same amount of accommo-
dation as the London-bridge and Fenchurch-street
stations afford to the provincial and suburban pas-
sengers by their lines.
" In 1844-5, the merchants and wholesale dealers
of the City petitioned the Common Council to
render assistance to the project, and the Court
having passed a resolution in its favour, the requi-
site capital was subscribed, and the necessary Par-
liamentary notices were given to carry it out," in
conjunction with the raising of Holborn-valley and
other street improvements in the vicinity, which
the Corporation was then able and willing to under-
take. But two or three of the great railway com-
panies, and several other projectors, attracted by
the advantages which a City Terminus would give
to railroads north of the Thames, proposed various
other schemes, which, if carried into execution
would have occupied nearly one quarter of the
City.
" Alarmed by the magnitude and multitude of
these projects, her Majesty's Government issued a
commission to two noblemen, a retired Chancellor
of the Exchequer, a military engineer, and the then
Lord Mayor, to inquire ants these projects.
"The commission was issued at a time when the
world was wild with railway speculation, and
it was obvious that the inquiry was directed
more by financial than engineering considera-
tions. A report was shortly afterwards made,
disapproving of all the plans, and recommending
that no railway should be permitted to approach
nearer to the City than the junction of the Edgware-
road and Oxford-road on the north-west, the New-
road on the north, and the City-road, at the Canal
Basin, on the north-east of the City.
" The undersigned exhibited his maps, sections,
and models, end gave evidence before the commis-
, sion in support of his plans in conjunction with the
requisite street improvements. The commissioners
commended the plan in general terms ; but as it
extended very far within the prohibited limits, it
was placed in the condemned category, and so for
a season it was set at rest. The commissioners,
however, stated in their report that they had been
furnished with but very insufficient materials to
enable them to form a conclusive judgment upon
the important subject submitted to their considera-
tion, and they recommended if, upon further expe-
rience, it should thereafter be deemed expedient to
allow railroads to be extended to the City, that it
should be done under the supervision of the Cor-
poration or other local authority, in connexion with
street improvements, to be made at the joint ex-
pense, in just proportions, of the public and the
railway company.
" In 1855, the undersigned was summoned before
tlite House of Commons, sitting to
consider the N'-"ti *4 the City and metropolitan
thoroughfares. Thy -,zeral maps and models ex-
plaining his project were 'Nzain examined in con-
nexion with the Metropolitan,. ailway, for which
an Act of Parliament had at tl time passed, em-
bracing, with some modification.; considerabis.
portion of his original plan. The repu,t
That wherever, as for example in the cdst..(d the
Metropolitan Railway, works for improving the
communication of the metropolis can be carried out
by private enterprise, that course be adopted ; and
the committee consider that most important results
may be secured in this way. That when the im-
Partake more of the provements contemplated
cha-
racter of a public benefit than a commercial specu-
lation, care be taken by such means as econo-
mising the waste spaces of the river, or opening
new streets through poor neighbourhoods, to di-
Minish the cost of the undertaking to the lowest
possible point ; and that where the fore-
going objects can be more efficiently carried out
by the combined agency of railways and street im-
provements suggested by Mr, Pearson, it may be
desirable to economise expenditure by uniting the
two objects under the superintendence of the
tended Metropolitan Board of Works, as recom-
mended in the Railway Commissioners' Report of
1846, referred to in the evidence of Mr. Pearson.'
" The oral and documentary evidence adduced
before the committee conclusively proved that the
population'of the metropolis had more than doubled
during the preceding 40 years; that the overcrowded
state of the courts and alleys in which the poor re-
sided, and the overcrowded state of the thorough-
fares of the metropolis, and particularly of the
City, had advanced of late years with a constantly
accelerating, rate of increase.
" The number of hackney carriages Plying in the
streets was, in 1821, only 1,000, the same number
as in 1768. Since 1821, the number constantly
plying has increased to upwards of 4,700_,,,m_
buses, which were unknown thirty years ago, make
upwards of 10,000 journeys a day through the
streets of the metropolis. The gigantic vans which
are' now traversing Our streets were like.wise, till
recently, unknown ; and it is a fact observable to
all, that the stoppage in our principal thorough-
fares occasioned by this confluence of traffic, light
and heavy, renders it unsafe for any man who has