The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-26 00:00:00

TILE NEW PARK AT BATTERSEA.

We are about to take our readers back into those
remote periods of our history when sanguine men
first proposed to beautify the Thames at Batterau3s
—to cross it with a new bridge, and adorn its banks
with a now park. Of these two schemes that
for the formation of a park is, • beyond all
doubt, the oldest,—in fact, its claims upon our
not'ce press upon us with the force of ancient
tradition. There is a proverb which gives pointed
advice with reference to the mouth of a gift horse,
and so with a gift park we presume it would be
equally ungracious to inspect its dates, or in-
quire how long it has been coming . down to us:
To say the truth, the investigation might involve
an amount of antiquarian research which we should
lack the skill to pursue, and certainly our readers
the patience to follow. We will therefore go.
direct to the point, and show how once upon a
time, ou the Surrey side of the Thames; facing
Chelsea, there existed, under the name 0f,8454er7
sea fields, a dreary waste of land and water. It waS _
ahove all other spots that crouched along the river's
margin the most wretched and unfinished-looking,
compared with which the very Isle of Dogs itself
seemed populous and cheerful. It was one large
expanse of dust-heap, ditches, cabbage-gardens,
ponds, piles*" weeds, oyster-shells, and filthy re-
fuse, offensiOtte both sight and smell. Here and.
there, in the centre of the ooze, existed crazy tene-
ments, where bargemen caroused or pigeon-matches
were shot, and where the accomplished backers of
some minor luminary of the ring always retired
with their battered hero after his contest in the ad-
joining marshes. Day by day and year by year
this natural and artificial dilapidation of the place
progressed more and more steadily. The literature
congenial to the spot was posted on the trunks of
stunted trees in "Found Drowned" bills, or pla-
cards offering rewards for the discovery of robbe-
ries; its only inhabitants were lonesome slouching
individuals, whose presence at once accounted for
that of the last-named affichts. Gradually and by
slow degrees, like fungi creeping over some un-
wholesonie spot, wretched dwellings as noisome and
unwholesome as the fields themselVes began to
overspread their surface. Cottages, it was found,
paid better than ditches, and miserable sties were
built and let to struggling families who could find
no homes so cheap elsewhere. It became the sanc-
tuary and abiding-place for all occup .tious too foul
and pesilential to be attempted nearer the metro-
polis. As the whole place lay below Trinity high-
water mark, drainage was out of the question, and
the " fields" soon attained a'gloomy notoriety fur
an amount of death and sickness out of all propor-
tion to its population. These facts, toge hOt with
the degraded condition of the inhabitant., the Sun-
day evening fairs, which outraged every sense of
decency, the poisonous trades carried on in all di-
rections, soon pointed out the fields as the future
moral and physical plague spot of the me•ropolis.
Under these unfavourable auspices it attracted the
notice of several influential gentlemen, who, as the
only mode of dealing with the rapidly-extending
evils of the locality, proposed a plan for the con-
version of the entire fields into a south park. The
plan was submitted to the Metropolitan Improve•
went Commissioners, who forthwith warmly re:om-
mended it to the consideration and support of the
Government. The Government accsrdiugly took
the matter up, and this was the first great danger
which the infant scheme had to struggle against.
Considering that the park is only just finished,
these events, as we have intimated, took place at a
rather remote period of our history. When Govern-
ment adopted the plan the whole thing stuck fast
for a long time.. First, the Government appre-

hervied. difficulties, and could not spare the money ;
next, they were in actual difficulties, and could not
think of money ; and, lastly, the Government
were getting out of difficulties and wanted the •
money mote than ever. • At all events, for long,
long years the money did not come. If the oaks
an I of ms of the . park were only planted when the
Government first supported the idea, what a shade
they would now afford, and what a contrast they
would now present t) the delicate vegetables. that
are struggling for existence on the banks of new
made earth at Chelse t ! The Government wanted
to purchase in all 320 acres of land, u hick was
spatt3red among a numerous proprietary in quanti-
ties varying from three or four acres to half aperch
or even a few cubic yards. Impartial surveyors
were called in, who valued th's 320 acres at
187,4331. But some of the broad principles of free
trade hail evidently penetrated as far as the remo'e
regions of Battersea, since the owners of the land •
modestly claimed no less a sum for it than
532,6241. though after considerable haggling they
consented to take 232,6871., or just 300,0001. less
than they declared was its fair value. . Of
the32oacres thus purchased2oo have been enclosed
and planted for the park, 110 set out for houses,
villas, and wharfs, and 26 acres in public roads.
In 1854 the work of forming the park commenced;
Perhaps, instead of forming, we might with more
propriety have used the word building, for nearly
three-fourths of the park is of made earth. More
than 500,000 cartloads of earth were required to
bring the average level of the park above that of
high water mark. In some.places the made earth
is more than 12 feet thick. Nearly 700,000 cubic
yards of earth have been used in all, for 1 000 cubic
yards were daily lauded at the works for 'Upwards
of two years. The greater part of this earth was
obtained from the new dock making at the London
Thcks, the remainder from all corners of the me-
tropolis. The whole of this area of 200 acres has
been laid out with fair taste and skill, and planted
with a fine collection of trees, shrubs, and ever-
greens of all kinds. There is an unusually fine:selec-
tion of thorns, rhododendrons, azaleas, and ever-
green oaks, with a quantity of hardy American
plants with very long names, but marvellously like
all other trees notwithstanding. In 10 years hence
the park should be a fine and umbrageous enclosure
—and in 20 years it ought to bear comparison with
any of the ornamental grounds round London.
The total cost from first to last -has been
315,0001.—viz , 232,0001. in purchasing the land,
51,3001. in laying it out, making the roads, &c.,
and 33,0001. in contingencies. It has been calcu-
lated by the benevolent promoters of the scheme
that during the summer months the park will be
largely visited by persons who will avail themselves
of the easy means of communication afforded by
the river steamboats. This,. however, is not only
more than problematical, but as faras can be judged
Peoplewill not pay to visit and walk about a
new park at present inferior in every respect to the
parks which are almost at their doors in the metro-
polis. The originators of the idea mu,,t rest content
with havinif, transformed a place which was fast be-
coming a hot-bed of vice and disease into a source
of health and recreation. If not a dozen persons
ever visited the park, this great result would still
remain the same. It was supposed that the rents
derived from the 110 acres of building land which
surround the Park would provide for the repay-
ment of the money advanced for its purchase. This
chance, however, has been diminished to an almost
nominal amount by a toll being levied on passen-
gers over the new bridge, which is the only mule
by which the park caa be approached from the Mid-
dlesex side of the river. Could anything be more
shortsighted or injurious than such an arrangement,
which is certain to render both bridge and park in-
solvent speculations to the country within a twelve-
month 1

NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL—The accounts of this
festival will exhibit a surplus of 430/., but it is recom.
mended that a portion of this surplus should be applied
to the payment of debts on account of the meeting of
1854, when there was a deficiency of 103/.

MUTINY IN THE MERSEY.—LIVEEPOOL,.Friday.--Last
night a mutiny broke out amongst the seamen oti hoard
the emigrant ship 3. J. Boyd, lying in the river, bound
for New York. The alarm was given to the police-office
by some of the passengers who escaped in a tug-boat,
and on Inspector Horner arriving he found all the crew
armed (27 in number), and r, fusing
to put to sea.
were all arrested, according to the instructions
of
feftore
master (Captain Thornao, and will be
b
They
brought
the magistrates to-morrow. The cause of the mutiny
is said to be bad provisions
[ADVERTISEMENT ]—nolloway'd
on consen o t f mankind at
have been placed by the comm
O°
They save thousands
Ointment and Pills
the head of internal reme.dfice:i,
annually from fallings siiivoerr'
tested by
diarbcea, constipation,_
scorbutic affection
from them.
111Cnitors of
healthy action
systemby . .
thisl complaints, &c., a fact at-
to dyspepsia, dysentery,
f witnesses. No sufferer from
eral weakness and debility, the pre.
ever failed to experience relief
Geladecay, are replaced with vigour and
vital
every organ throughout the entire
vegetable preparation.—Sold by all
the restorative and exhiliratitig influence of
life-sustainingid p
' Establishments, 244, Strand, London ;
myriadshaso
Holloway s ,
Medicine vendors throughout the wor ,at rofe3sor
Stamps,
and 80, Maiden-lane, New York; by A.
Con-
stantinople ;A, Guidicy, Smyrna ; and E. Muir,
Malta.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminater-road.—
OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The follow-
I ig company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of
s.lections from all the popular OPERAS, MADRIGALS,
CHORUSES, GLEES, DUETS, &c., viz. :—Miss Russell,
Mrs. Badzey, Madlle. Marietta, Mrs. Palmyra, Miss Bru-
sell, and Madame Marietta; Herr F. Jonghmans, Mr.
Renshaw, B. Grover, T. Farrant, S. Jones, J. Barker,
W. Melling, Senor Antonio, E. L. Rime, and Mr. St.
Albyn; Messrs. S. Collins, W. 1. Critehield, and E. Mack-
ney. Pianoforte, Mr. Cecil Hicks; harmonium, Master
Williams ; Director, Herr F. Jonghmans. Commence at
153ven o'clock precisely. Sappers, die., until twelve o'clock.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
T nos DAT—Morn. 52 min. aft. B—Even., 23 min. aft. 9
T -Kowtow —Morn., 58 min. aft. 9—Even. 34 min aft. 15