The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-21 00:00:00

The New Victoria Bridge.

It is expected that the new Victoria-bridge over
the Thames at Battersea will be opened for public
traffic before the close of the present month. It has
passed the inspection of Captain Rich repre-
senting the Board of Trade, and has stood the test
to which it has been subjected in such a manner as
to satisfy those most interested in its ultimate suc-
cess. Eight of the heaviest engines belonging to
the London, Chatham, and Dover Company were
driven over it during the trial, with the result that
the greatest deflection of the loaded rib-175ft. span
—was seven-eighths of an inch,while the simultane-
ous rise of the corresponding ribs of the next span
was only one-seventh of that amount. This great
structure, which is 912 ft. long and 132 ft. wide—
being the widest railway bridge in the world—con-
sists of four river spans of 175 ft. in the clear and
two land spans of 65ft. and 70ft. respectively. The
spans and rise arc the same as those of the original
bridge, hitherto used jointly by the two bodies for
which the present work has been undertaken—the
London, Chatham, and Dover, and the London,
Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company—but
the foundations and ironworks are perfectly distinct,
The great additions made to the capabalities of the
two companies will be easily understood when it is
stated that the bridge will hold two mixed gauge
and two narrow gauge lines for the London, Chat-
ham, and Dover, and one of the London, Brighton,
and South Coast. Besides, the space of 33ft. bin.
by the up and down • platforms is at present so
arranged that it will be available by a small addi-
tional expenditure for three more narrow-gauge
lines ; so that altogether, with those already existing
on the old bridge, there will be ten separate means
of access to the Victoria station, each having a
distinct and independent approach. The bridge
forms the key to the intricate net-work of high-level
lines at Battersea, which is now nearly completed,
and will doubtless obviate the difficulties which have
now for some time impeded the working of the
traffic of the companies by whom it has been built.
The details of the structure are so numerous that it
is impossible to notice them one by one, but there
are some peculiar features connected with it which
deserve special mention. For instance, the 32-arch
ribs in the four spans are so arranged as to act as
cantilevers, while the horizontal girder connected
with them by spandrils is riveted up, and thus forms
one continuous girder from end to end of the bridge,
which, as has been stated, is 912 ft. in length. Again,
the ribs abut on cast-iron skewbacks, from which,
on the piers, cast-iron standards are carried up to
support the horizontal girder ; so that the bridge is,
in fact, an uninterrupted structure of iron, without
intervention of masonry or brickwork of any kind.
The cylinders beneath have been filled with concrete
in cement and brickwork, loaded with pig iron, so
as to equal the weight of the superstructure when
occupied with locomotives—being in the case of the
cylinders next the old bridge as much as 1,260,
while in the remaining ones it was 1,000 tons. It
may be added that the greatest settlement in any
part of this section of the great structure was not
more thane of an inch. The works connected with
the bridge on the south side of the river are chiefly
lofty viaducts and represent a total length of ten
miles of double lines. It has been decided that there
will be four new stations—namely, Grosvenor-road,
York-road, Battersea-road, and Queen's-road, thus
opening up a new and important district which will
doubtless add a large contingent to the pas-
sengers :travelling by the lines upon which
these stations are situated. Altogether this
new medium of uniting the southern and south-
western districts of London cannot fail to afford
largely increased facilities for the immense traffic
which the Victoria Station daily receives. The
work has been completed in a very short time con-
sidering its magnitude and intricacy, the foundation
stone having been laid in February, 1865, and the
Government inspection having taken place in August,
1866. The Chatham Company's and the South-
Western Company's portions of the work have been
constructed by Messrs. Peto and Betts; the Brighton
Company's branches by Messrs. Pickering and
Heywood; Sir C. Fox and sons being engineers and
superintendents of the whole.
•

tlittlYars

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Aug. 20.
The Queen walked in the grounds this morning
with Princess Louise and Prince Arthur.
Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice -went out
also.

Messrs. London and Ryder have had the honour
of submitting to her Majesty the race cups moll'
factured by them for the Royal Victoria Yacht
Club.

Despatches were received yesterday at the Colo-
nial-office from the Governors of South Australia,
Tasmania, Malta, and Canada.

THE QUEEN'S JOURNEY TO SCOTLAND'

Her Majesty, the Queen, accompanied by
their
Royal Highnesses Prince Louise and Beatrice and
Prince Leopold, and attended by Major-Gen. S!
T. M. Biddulph, Lord Charles Fitzroy, 1431
Churchill, the Hon. Miss Cathcart, Mr. Legg, )11."
Sahl, and Dr. Jenner, will, according to present ar-
rangements, leave Windsor Castle at 10 minutes t°
7 o'clock on Thursday evening, en route for 139.1"
moral. Her Majesty, with her Royal Highne
sa_l Prince Louise, will occupy the Queen's oonl
which will be placed in the centre of the special
train, provided as usual by the directors of the Lon'
don and North-Western Railway. Prince Leopold'
with Mr. Legg, and Princess Beatrice, with her
governess and maid, will have the saloons adjoining
the Queen reserved for their use ; while the other
carriages will be set apart for the Royal household
and her Majesty's dressers, pages, and domes--rico.f
The special train will quit the Windsor station °
the Great 'Western Railway at 6 50 p.m., and Pr°'
ceed by the latter line to Leamington, which will be
reached at 9 18 p.m., when the Royal party will
take refreshments. Bushbury junction, where the
London and North-Western system commencescl
will be made at 10 40 p.m., and Boar's 11°3,
junction, where the engine will take water,
12 50 a.m. on Friday morning. At Kendal Pine;
tion the engine will again pause to take water a
227 a.m. The journey will be resumed to Dr-
lisle, where her Majesty will arrive at 4 2
From Carlisle the route will be over the Cale;
donian Railway, the Queen arriving at Suns At
at 5 27, Greenhill 78, and Perth 825 a.m. it,,t
the latter city the Queen and Royal family will all!,
and partake of breakfast, 55 minutes being allowed
for refreshments. The special train will then pro-
ceed;
northwards, reaching the Bridge of Dun a
10.36 a.m., and Aberdeen at 11.51 a.m. Fr°;
Aberdeen her Majesty will travel by the Deesi'
Railway to Aboyne, where the royal party will sr;
rive at 1 o'clock on Friday afternoon, and post th
remainder of the distance to Balmoral. The railway
arrangements are under the control of Mr. Calvl-
well, of the North-Western, and Mr. J. Griers°l3l
of the Great Western lines.

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES.--1h
Prince and Princess of Wales and suite arrived at perch
general station, by special train, at 8.50 a.m. MS IWY3
Highness the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at the station ~.4
the London mail train due at 9.5 a.m. The royal PriZ
breakfasted in the station refreshment rooms, and left at
a.m., via the Scottish North-Eastern Railway, en route I°-
Abergeldie Castle. Their Royal Highnesses appeared tolo
in the enjoyment of excellent health. Among the por6clsa
on the platform at their arrival and departure were L 0
Provost Kemp, Si David Ross, &c. Our Aberdeen corli
spondent writes :—.‘ The royal train arrived at peril
Junction at 12.50, being about 15 minutes behind its e''',l
;
petted time. The Duke of Edinburgh occupied the o'll%
carriage with the Prince and Princess, and in an adic'in:j:r
carriage were General Knollys and Major Teesdale. 11-"'",,
a stay of about 10 minutes the train proceeded to AboYo';
Sheriff Thomson, who received their Royal Ilighne6s,°,o
within the railway enclosure, accompanied the train to
destination, whence the royal travellers were conveyed
bh
diligence to Abergeldie."— Scotsman.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales a-A
tha Duke of Cambridge closed their visit to General 11%
on Friday afternoon, after several days' capital sport o'
the Yorkshire moors. Major Teesdale and Colonel il°l3ci
James Macdonald, together with Lord Huntingfield,
Colville, and Hon. Thomas de Grey, were among Genet,,
Hall's guests during the week. Although the accept-
"ariod as to the prospects of grouse shooting on the
shire moors, we are assured the royal party had no ress°
to complain of a scarcity of birds.
ANOTHER PROPOSED DEPUTATION TO T 1
QUEEN.—A meeting convened by the Clerkenwe
branch of the Reform League was held last evening, °,
Clerkenwell-green, and presided over by Mr. Coffeitir
member of the branch. Mr. Brighty moved and gr. 1":!,g
lan seconded the first resolution :—" That this niee:',l-I,t
pledges itself to claim, demand, and insist upon the 11' 9
of every person who is expected to defend the country, 1)1401
taxes, and obey the laws, to a share in the government
r,
the State." This resolution, which was supported by
George Brooke (of ,Newport-market), was carried.
to
second resolution, proposed by Mr. Mackay, and sec°, the
by Mr. Campbell, was to the following effect :—" T11';'doo
working men and others composing this meeting Pe the
themselves to support the objects and principles a
:1
Reform League by enrolling themselves members, an j.
all other legitimate means." The resolution was Pas u,
Mr. Whitford moved, Mr. Longmead seconded, and it big
agreed, " "That a petition, signed by the• chairman of t
meeting, be presented to her Majesty the Queen by
deputation from the Clerkenwell branch of the Be'°,,
League requesting her to dismiss her present Ministers'.,, ,
lettor was read from Mr. Cousens, chief clerk, City l'°,llol.eo
office, stating ho was directed by the Commissioner °f yet
City Police to acknowledge and express his gratifiesti°,o,
the letter of the secretary of the branch enclosing re,s°;ed
tions thanking the City Police for the assistance rondo
the Reform League on the occasion of the Ciuildhall
form meeting.
TIIE REFORM LEAGUE.—On Saturday C.-- 1 :00
special meeting of the councilof the Reform Le3l'opd
was held at the offices, Adelphi-terrace ; Mr. VArlitiot
Beales, president, in the chair. Mr. Wooltorton said
Colonel Dickson and he attended by invitation, on 11`.'cierti
day, at a dinner of the Shipwrights' National ProVlico
Union, at which some 500 or GOO skilled artisans—cjl
employed in her Majesty's dockyards—assembled' 1;60
cording to the rule of the Union, the subject of 11°1;01
was not introduced ; but it was intimated that a ge ito
meeting of the shipwrights for political purposes n
immediately take place, at which delegates from DO bject
Greenwich, and Woolwich would attend, with the °, of
of considering the propriety of adopting the prineil'ie.oted
the Reform League. A report of a committee aPP°l,,,'
to consider a proposition for raising £l,OOO for tb° ftopi
poses of the League was brought up by Mr. Wooltoi
and sent to the finance committee for consideration'ttoa
proposition that the history of the recent demonst°
eta'
should bo written and published by the League Wao
tived. It was stated that an eminent publishing f°,l4 the
about to undertake the compilation and publication
history of the League, bringing it down to the IfYde-dYtfot
Agricultural-hall, and Guildhall demonstrations, tin t.tioll
a well-known author would undertake the literal Pc)g-tplo
of the work. A resolution that a medalincioi:lnpie:::..,rze-ititl:ol
of the recent triumphs of the League in vindic3t.l3:lloal'
right of public meeting, and asserting its
be struck, having on one side a medallion of DR.
the president, was carried. At.a tilt°
EXECUTION AT MANCHESTER.—For the tiop.
since Manchester was made an assize town an Oecils, coer
arranged to take place there. The effort to obtain
.faajeo,
mutation of the sentence recently passed uPOIIO .041.`
Burrows, for murder at Hopwood, has failed, and
therefore be executed on Saturday at the New
Salford. p,sl't
FINDING OF THE BODY OF SIR GILI3EII;S oaf
BART.—RYDE, Monday.—The rumours, dollhe jato°,l
uncertainties which have so long prevailed as t°,t,,veare_.,
Sir Gilbert East, Bart., who so mysteriously d''ho soet
early on the morning of the 12th inst., and ich°,„ sot 6_,
struggling in the water off Ryde-pier, were this.faid, pes
rest. As some men were in a boat off the Lands saw
_
Sturbridge Buoy, a few miles below this place, tfal of
body floating in the water, which proved to ore,tv`,...ra6
lamented Sir Gilbert East. It was taken ash Preps
a -001
tory to the holding of an inquest. Two sums
any
£25 had been offered as rewards for his bedl o!'s cansedb
great whit
of ll is
sdeenastahti
nr_la`ltiethfeea
irtfon;arle
he was an esteemed member, and ho paid fora 11, f;
value of £35, to be sailed for on Friday lasst_,.ber Jity
hours before he was seen in the water. ni
kindness made him respected by all who kno7_
FEMALE BEAUTY.—The plainest face 1.-oot poilr_
Vi cf yt
oorifahsd Yachtea t Ch
by a lovely skin and colour; the m•st beautifuln_sl_srdtO t.e:
feet without it. Paints and powders are
6b.sit lofty
eyes of beholders, and deceive none but thoonllain'Y
of raerlcl,
of those ruinous applications. A gentlewinw_rt to evoYe
from philanthropic motives, is anxious ta f
l'Oetirils
one of her sex, rich or poor, the means o Ps_e
most beautiful natural complexion by whole I' 'direct L:
Send stamped ~,bt
effective, and inexpensive means.—A, Gonna"
envelope for particulars to Mrs. GRANTLEI
terrace, Hyde-park, London, W.—(PVT')