The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-13 00:00:00

£77,488 for ordinary admissions, £13,141 for exhi-
bition rents, and £19,132 for refreshment contracts.
The expenditure amounted to £78,109, leaving a
balance of £48,599.

GRAND TRUNK OF CANADA.

Th© traffic receipts on this company's line for the
week ending the 23d of November amounted to
17,398 dole. for local passengers, to 3,874 for foreign
passengers, to 3,343 dole. for mails, &c., to 48,148
dole. for local freight and live stock, to 2,436 dole for
timber and lumber, to 1,435 dole. for firewood,
and to 13,476 for foreign freight and live stock ;
total, 90,110 doll., against 78,424 in the correspond-
ing week of 1860, showing an increase of 11,687
dole. The total traffic receipts from the Ist of July
to the above date amounted to 1,506,866 dole., and
for the same period of last year to 1,450,622, show-
ing an increase of 56,244 dole.

courr or COIIMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday, at twelve o'clock, a Court of Common
Council was held at Guildhall for the despatch of
business ; the Lord Mayor in the chair.

NEW BRIDGE AT BLACKFRIARS.

Mr. Wellington Valiance, chairman of the Bridge-
house estates committee, presented an elaborate
report from that body upon the reference to them
to obtain designs and estimates for the construction
of a new bridge at Blackfriars, and making tem-
porary provision for the traffic. Of this document
the material portions are subjoined. It appeared
to the committee, after mature deliberation, that the
best mode of satisfactorily answering the reference
was to request the most eminent civil engineers to
send in designs and estimates for the proposed new
bridge, and accordingly they sent invitations for
that purpose to Mr. P. W. Barlow, Mr. G. I'.
Bidder, Mr. Joseph Cubitt, Mr. John Fowler, Mr.
John lawkshaw, Mr. Thomas Page, Sir John
Rennie, and Messrs. Walker, Burgess, and Cooper.
The invitation was accompanied by an intimation
that having regard to the Royal commission then
sitting for embanking the Thames, and to the pro-
bability of an embankment being carried out to some
extent, it was essential that provision should be
made for that contingency in the designs for the
new bridge. They were also reminded that the
London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company
had submitted to the corporation of London a plan
for the construction of a railway bridge across the
Thames to the eastward of Blackfriars Bridge.
Subsequently applications were received and com-
plied with for permission to send in designs from
Mr. R. P. Brereton, Mr. James Brunlees, Mr. Thos.
Greenhill, and Mr. R. W. Mylne. The committee
considered it prudent to leave the judgment and
taste of the scientific gentlemen invited wholly un-
controlled and unfettered, so as to obtain the most
original suggestions, and leave each competitor the
opportunity of explaining the reasons which had
guided him in the preparation of the design. Their
anticipations had been fully justified by the results ;
for in every instance the engineers had satisfacto-
rily shown they had carefully considered the most
impoi tent requisites in connection with the subject
of the inquiry—namely, the approaches to the pro-
posed new bridge, the roadway and footways over
it, the provisions for the navigation of the river in
the headway and waterway under the various
arches, and otherwise in providing for the obviously
important requirements of the progressive increase
of traffic in the locality of the bridge and the pro-
visions for temporary traffic. The designs submitted
were 20 in number, and comprised four designs for
a stone bridge, five for a wrought iron arched bridge,
one for a wrought iron girder bridge, nine for a cast
iron arched bridge, and ono for an iron bridge, not
clearly indicating whether of wrought iron or cast.
The designs so sent in had been exhibited for several
months at Guildhall. The designs for a granite
structure were those submitted by Sir John Rennie,
of three arches, the centre span being 236 ft. 10 in. ;
Mr. George Rennie, of five arches, the centre span
being 150 ft. ; Mr. George Rennie, another of five
arches, each span being 125 ft. ; and Mr. R. W.
Mylne, of five arches, the centre span being 150
feet 6 inches. The designs for a wrought
iron arched bridge were those submitted by Mr.
John Fowler, of three arches, with a span of
275 ft. ; the same gentleman, one of five arches, the
centre t.eing 185 ft.; Mr. John Hawkshaw, of three
arches, the centre and other spans being 200 ft.
each; the same gentleman, of five arches, the centre
and others being 145 ft. each; Mr. P. W. Barlow,
of three arches, the centre being 250 ft. The design
for a wrought iron girder bridge was submitted by
Mr. R. P. Brereton, of 5 openings,the centre being
220 feet. Those for a cast arota arched bridge were
sent in by Mr. T. Page, of three arches, having a
centre span of 250 ft. ; the same gentleman, of five
arches, with a centre span of 156 ft. Messrs. G. P.
Bidder and Edwin Clark, of five arches, each being
172 ft.; Mr. G. Rennie, of five arches, with a een tre
of 160 ft.; the same gentleman, of five arches, with
a centre of 175 ft. ; another of five arches, having a
centre span of 180 ft. Mr. R. W. Mylne, of five
arches, with a centre of 163 ft. 6 in. Mr. J. Cubitt,
of five arches, having a centre span of 150 ft. • and
Mr. J. Brunlees, of five arches, with a centre of 172
ft. The remaining design for an iron bridge was
submitted by Mr. T. Greenhill, of seven arches,
having a centre span of 120 ft. ; with a tube for a
railway, and he mentioned that it might be con-
verted into a five-arched bridge. During the con-
sideration of the several designs the committee hav-
ing regard to the length of time that would be
necessarily occupied in the construction of a bridge
of stone more than of a bridge with iron arches and
to the facts that the depth required at the crown of
the arches of a stone bridge would prejudicially affect
the gradient of approaches and roadway of the bridge
and the cost of a stone bridge was in all cases so much
more than that of iron, came to the conclusion that
it was not desirable to adopt a design for a stone
bridge. They held it essential to preserve the pre-
sent lines of approach to the proposed bridge on
the north and south sides of the river, and that the
centre line of the new bridge should correspond
with the centre line of the present approaches.
They were fully impressed with the facts that
London, the chief city in England, had become
augmented in population and extent exceeding that
of any other European capital. Its wealth had
increased in farm more than a proportionate rate;
it was the seat of government and legislation, all
classes of the vast empire being there represented,
commercial, professional, and municipal. In the
exact locality and vicinity of Blackfriars, were being
constructed the termini of the most important rail-
ways that could be brought into London, which
would produce (as the present results of the proxi-
mity of railway stations and termini in the metro-
lis abundantly proved) an increase of traffic, the
amount of which could not be over estimated. The
committee were of opinion that great urgency
existed for all municipal and local authority to be
energetically exerted to provide for the obviously
certain and enormous requirements that would
shortly arise for traffic accommodation ; nor should
the contemplated vast alterations and improve-
ments in the corporation markets he disregarded, as
affording further evidence that in the locality in
question the demand for roadways and footways
would be additionally increased. Actuated by the
foregoing considerations, and desiring that the City
of London should hold its place, deservedly eminent
as it was, for the useful exercise of its ancient
municipal rights in the promotion of the com-
fort and convenience of the public, which were to be
partially secured by the provision of proper means
of intercommunication from one part of the metro-
polis to the other, as well for the purposes of social
as commercial and manufacturing pursuits, they
thought that the present opportunity should not be
lost of maintaining this great city's well-earned
reputation in contributing extensively to the archi-
tectural decoration and beauty of the metropolis, of
which even at this day so many exquisite and per-
fect examples were to be found in the City of Lon-
don. They were also fully impressed with the actual
necessity which existed for providing abundant
facilities for the navigation of the river, for the
transit of merchandise, and for
.passengers by road
and footways. They had likewise had due regard
to the time within which the proposed structurf
might be erected, its desirability and proportionate
cost of construction. The committee had resolved
to submit for the approbation of the court an iron-
arched
bridge, being governed by the important
considerations glanced at in their report, and having
so fully considered the different designs for a bridge
of that character, it appeared to them that the design
of Mr. Thomas Page for a bridge of three iron arches
on granite piers combined the desiderata they had
adverted to, and was the best calculated to meet
the requirements of the public. No disturbance of
the traffic would arise during the construction,
provision for such being made without a temporary
bridge; and Mr. Page had estimated the expense of
executing the whole of the requisite works at the
sum of £245,000. They could not but acknow-
ledge the manifest grandeur of style and beauty
of the proposed structure, which they. deemed
worthy in all respects of this great municipality.
They, therefore, recommended the design of Mr.
Page for adoption, omitting, however, the sculptured
ornamental groups on the piers, such being merely
suggestive, that the corporation might, at some
future time, if so minded, in so conspicuous and
suitable position, have the opportunity of comme-
morating any event or circumstance of national
importance. They recommended that in the event
of the court adopting his design, Mr. Page should ,
be retained as the engineer to superintend the re-
quisite works connected with the erection of the
new bridge and making temporary provision for