The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-06 00:00:00

THAMES.

A long report was brought up from the Main
Drainage Committee, detailing the steps the com-
mittee had taken in reference to this question, and
stating that as Mr. Ellis found himself unable to
proceed to Parliament in the ensuing session for
powers to carry out his plan for the utilisation of
the sewage on the south side of the river, in their
opinion it was inexpedient to grant a concession of

the sewage. A long letter by Mr. Ellis, combating
objections urged by Mr. Bazalgette, the chief en-
gineer to the Board, was also read.

Mr. SHORE said, by the arrangements which had
already taken place, if a concession had not been
granted to Mr. Ellis he knew not what a concession
was. He thought that the time for Mr. Ellis to carry
out his plan should be extended, as he felt assured
they would not get a better one.
The CHAIRMAN said they would first have to con-
sider whether the report and the letter of Mr. Ellis
should be inserted on the minutes.

Mr. COLLINSON was opposed to entering attacks
on the members of the Board and on their officers on
the minutes, for were they to do so he thought it
would be setting a bad precedent, as it would be an
encouragement to any one who was disposed to at-
tack a member or throw stones at the Board to do so
when he knew that such documents would be en-
tered on the minutes.

Mr. RICHARDSON was in favour of those docu-
ments going on the minutes.

Major LYON said Mr. Ellis's letter cast an impu-
tation and assigned motives to Mr. Newton, a mem-
ber of the Board, and but for that he would have
voted for the insertion of the letter on the minutes.

Mr. FREEMAN said he hoped that the letter would
merely lie upon the table, and be there treated with
all the contempt it deserved.

Mr. PECKETT was also opposed to the insertion of
the letter on the minutes, as it would be setting a
bad precedent. '

Mr. SAUNDERS hoped the letter would be received
and kept for reference in the future as to this ques-
tion, but he objected to its being inserted on the
minutes.

The motion that the letter of Mr. Ellis be entered
in extenso on the minutes was then put, and nega-
tived by a majority of 22 to 3.

METROPOLIS SEWAGE, &C., COMPANY.

A report was brought up from the Main Drainage
CO:nmittee, recommending that the application of
the Metropolitan Sewage, &c., Company, for
permission to enter upon the land belonging to
the Board at Barking Creek, for the purpose of
depositing materials, be granted on condition
that the question of the amount for the temporary
ocCupation and the ultimate price to be paid for land
to be purchased be left to a referee to be agreed
upon between the board and the company, and that
the company be also permitted, during the pleasure
of
.the Board, to carry the waste water from their
land by the main outfall in an open drain through
the Board's land, for delivery into the creek.
Mr. ROCHE thought, before the Board agreed to
sell their land to the Metropolis Sewage Company,
they ought to bring up a plan on which the amount
of land required should be clearly defined, and he
moved an amendment to that effect.
Mr. LEGG seconded the amendment, which was
put and carried.

THE PROGRESS OF THE EMBANKMENT WORKS.
The engineer presented his monthly report on the
progress and cost of the Thames Embankment, &c.,
works. It was as follows :

" North Side of the Thames.—Thames Embank-
ment (Contract No. 1), between Westminster and
Waterloo Bridges.—The works that have been car-
ried out in connexion with this contract comprise
about 3,238 ft. in length of timber, coffer, and iron
caisson dams, either completed or in various stages
of progress. Structural works of concreting, brick-
work, granite, and other masonry, and works of
excavation have been and are now proceeding within
-the various completed dams for a length in the ag-
greiate of about 1,568 ft. The completed works
comprise about I,oloft. in length of the low-level
sewer, 284 ft. of the flushing sewer, 1,604 ft. of the
4ft. sewer for intercepting smaller drains, and 916 it.
of the subway. 408,627 cubic yards of material
obtained from the land or river have been tilled in
behind the embankment works. The approximate
cost of the work done, materials on the ground, and
plant is £251,370 ; £6,841 representing the progress
made by Mr. Furness in thepast month. Of the total
amount, the Sum of £137,404 represents the works,
£59,337 the materials, and £54,629 the plant. By
the strict terms of the contract the works should
be completed by the 16th of August next, but there
was so much delay at the outset, first from want of
possession of the wharves necessary for the deposit
of materials- and plant, next from the various expe-
riments, on the caissons and timber dams to be
adopted, then with respect to whether the Board
would construct a steamboat pier at Hungerford,
and now from the works, of the Waterloo and
Whitehall Railway near that point, that I fear the
actual time of completion may be extended many
months beyond that date.

" Thames Embankment (Contract No. 2) be-
tween Waterloo-bridge and :Temple-gardens.—
Within the western dam the excavations for the
foundations of the river wall, sewer, and subway
have been completed, and the brickwork of the
footings got in for the whole length of 796 ft. Of
this length about 500 ft. of the brick and stonework
of the river wall and sewer are completed to a level
equal to Trinity high-water mark. For the re-
maining length, 296 ft., these works are brought up
to a height of 4ft. above low water. The whole of
the piles inthe eastern darn, a length of 450 ft., have
now been driven, and the clay puddle is being fast
filled in. The Temple steamboat pier is in a for-
ward state, the greater portion of it being com-
pleted to within a few feet of high-water mark.
During the month 88 cubic yards of excavation
have been got out and 2,326 yards of Portland
cement concrete shot in, 170 rods of brickwork laid,
and 9,476 cubic feet of granite bedded. The ap-
proximate value of the works completed and of the
materials and plant upon the ground is £163,882,
£6,339 being due to the progress made by Mr. Rit-
son in the past month. Of the total amount the
proportionate sum of £119,967 is for work,£lB,B9B
for materials, and £25,017 for plant. Strictly by
the terms of this contract the works should be com-
pleted by March 9 next, but, as in No. 1 contract,
delay was experienced in obtaining possession of the
requisite wharf accommodation, and there were other
minor causes of delay, equally beyond the contrac-
tor's control, and which will probably retard the
actual completion of the works for a period of about
six months beyond that date.

" Low-levei Sewer—The length of main line of
sewer completed in the past month is 288 ft., and of
the Old Ford braich 234 ft., making the total com-
pleted length of sewer under the contract nearly