The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-25 00:00:00

THE ARMY

Yesterday a detachment of the Royal Marine
Light Infantry left head-quarters, Chatham, and
proceeded to Portsmouth to join the artillery com-
panies.
Mr. W. Morris, Deputy Military Storekeeper of
Woolwich Arsenal, after a continuous service of
upwards of 44 years in that department, yesterday
left Woolwich to enter on the duties of his new
appointment, as Principal Military Storekeeper at
Chatham. This tardy act of official justice ren-
dered to Mr. Morris is considered mainly attribut-
able to a viva voce expression made by Mr. Apsley
Turner, on the occasion of Mr. Morris's examina-
tion by the Royal Commissioners in the Arsenal, to
the effect that he would remark on the rank and
pay. of Mr. Morris ; that he could not avoiel cen-
suring: the discernment and policy of the authori-
ties of an establishment who could remunerate his
services of nearly half a century with £450 a-year.
The entire control of the outdoor establishment of
that department, consisting of at times nearly 2,000
men, devolves exclusively on the deputy-storekeeper
—and during the Crimean war the large amount of
extra labour, in which the men were employed over
16 and 18 hours daily, was constantly inspected by
the deputy-storekeeper, who received. no additional
remuneration, but, together with the body of officers
forming the establishment, received the thanks of
the War Department. Mr. Morris has succeeded
Mr. J. Jones, promoted to the Tower, in succession
to Mr. Eaton, invalided.

STEAMBOAT ACCOMMODATION AT

LONDON BRIDGE.

Yesterday a Special Court of Common Council
was held, for the purpose of considering several
letters from Sir John Rennie, delivered in, on the

20th inst., in relation to works in progress at Lon
don-bridge under the direction of the Thames Con
servancy Commissioners. There was a very large
attendance of members of the Court, as well as of
-whaxfingers, lightermen, and others connected with
property on the south-east and south-west sides of
the bridge.
The Deputy Town Clerk read the following
letters :
" Spring-gardens, London, Dec. 23, 1858.
" Sir,—As Controller of the Bridge-house estates
I beg leave to call your immediate attention to the
proceedings which are now taking place, and are,
I hear, contemplated at the south-west and south-
east landing stairs of London-bridge. A steamboat
landing and embarking pier was established here
some years since. It consisted partly of fixed and
partly of floating materials. This pier was indicted
as a nuisance and obstruction to the navigation by
Messrs. Fenning, the proprietors of the wharf im-
mediately below the bridge. The cause was tried at
Kingston nearly four years ago, and the above pier
was declared to be a nuisance and obstruction to
the navigation, and in contravention of the Act of
Parliament under which London-bridge was built,
and nearly the greater portion was directed to be
removed. The pier has since continued chiefly as a
floating landing stage, on the upper or west side of
the bridge; but even in its present state it is the
cause of considerable obstruction to the navigation,
and of injury to the bridge, because the numerous
steamboats plying there frequently lie under the
south or shore arch of the bridge, with the tops of
their funnels within a few inches of the faces and
soffits of the arch stones, and emit large columns of
flame and heated smoke against the stone by which
it is very liable to be splintered off in large pieces,
by which means great injury and detriment, or
even danger, may arise to the bridge. This
nuisance, therefore, ought to be abated immediately
for it is impossible to say how far the injury may
extend. lam now credibly informed that it is in-
tended to construct a permanent fixed landing pier
here, immediately in front of both the south-west
and south-east landing stairs of the bridge, to a
much greater extent than what was declared to be
illegal at the above-mentioned trial at Kingston.
The pier is proposed to extend about 34 feet into
the river, beyond the face of the abutment, so that,
admitting that two steamboats are permitted to
remain alongside the pier at one time, nearly half
of the navigable waterway of the south arch will be
obstructed and rendered unnavigable for the general
navigation of the river ; and, if it be true also, as I
have heard stated, that a similar pier is to be erected
in front of the east and west landing stairs of the
north end of the bridge, the navigation will be de-
prived of a similar extent of waterway, so that the
available waterway for the general navigation of
the river will be reduced to 560 feet, or an abridg-
ment of one fourth nearly, instead of being 690 feet,
as strictly enjoined by the att of Parliament. This
would be a most serious detriment to the navigation,
the more so as the inner portions of the two side or
shore arches are chiefly used for barges and other
vessels going to and coming from the wharves for a
considerable distance, both above and below the
bridge. It is most essential, therefore, that these
arches should be kept clear of every obstruction as
far as practicable. Moreover, the proposed piers
will greatly obstruct the free admission and dis-
charge of the tidal and fresh waters, which are abso-
lutely and indispensably necessary for the conserva-
tion and maintenance of the river Thames, and the
healthy discharge of the drainage of the metropolis
and the adjacent districts, and which was one of the
principal objects of incurring such a large expendi-
ture in removingthe old and in building the present
bridge, and will be in a great measure defeated if
such structures as those proposed are permitted to be
erected. The Waterway of London.bridge, after very
great consideration, was fixed at 690 feet, as the
minimum' gauge under the circumstances for the
admission and discharge of the fresh and tidal
waters, and for the navigation. Any diminution of
this or obstruction will therefore be attendedwith
corresponding injurious effects to the river an d
ge,
navigation both above and below London-brid
and ought upon no account to be permitted. The
great interests at stake are too important to be
trifled with. The dredging and piling operations
of the proposed piers will be injurious in other re-
spects. If it be necessary that steamboat passen-
gers should be accommodated, let this be donebyconstructing landing.piers at such a distance from
the bridge and in such a manner that the serious
evils above contemplated cannot take place, and
there are situations equally, if not mode, conve-
nient in the vicinity where this can be done, and
thus the most important interests of drainage, navi_
gation, and conservancy of the Thames will not be
interfered with, while the public will at the same
time obtain the desired accommodation.
" I shall feel much obliged by your bringing this
letter before the proper authorities as early as pos-
sible, in order that the requisite measures may be
taken to prevent the construction of the proposed
works ; and when the subject is properly explained
and understood I feel confident they will not be
persisted in.—l am, sir, your most humble servant,
"F. Brand, Esq." JOHN RENNIE." •
" Spring-gardens, Dec. 24,.1858.
" Sir,—ln reply to your letter of the 23d inst.,
acknowledging the receipt of mine of the same date,
I beg leave to say that I regret that it was not in
my power to bring the matter referred to in mine
othe 23d before the Common Council earlier, as I
only received the desired information on the 22d
inst.,but I find that the have already begun to dredge
close to the stair
the tendency the south west end of the bridge,
ofswcisvery injurious, and ought
to be stopped
.immediately, together with other
proceedings mentioned in my letter of yesterday,
and I hope that no delay will take place.—l am,
sir your most humble servant,
" F. Brand, Esq."
" JOHN RENNIE.
" Spring-gardens, Jan.
7, 1859.
" Sir,--I beg leave to inform you that I have
again examined the operations carrying on on the
south-west landing stairs of London-bridge,men-
tioned in my letter to you of the 23d ult.,and find
that they are still proceeding, to the detriment of
the bridge. They should be stopped immediately,
and I hope that you will excuse my again drawing
your attention to this important subject.—I ani-
sir, your humble servant, " JOHN RENNIE.
~r. Brand, Esq., Controller of the Bridge-
house Estates, Guildhall."
Mr. JAMES Low presented a petition from whar.
fingers and occupiers of property on the north and
south sides of the Thames against the erection of
the pier and works now in progress under the arch
of London-bridge.
Mr. W, BARNES presented a petition to the same