The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-14 00:00:00

some interesting relics of bygone times might have
been brought to light.
One of the prettiest features of the whole Viaduct
is the bridge which will cross Farringdon- street. It is
to be in three spans, and its total length will be 117
feet and its width 80 feet. It is what is called askew
bridge—that is to say it crosses the road diagonally,
the angle being 52 degrees from the straight line.
The three spans are formed thus-66 feetspan is given
to the arch over the Farringdon-street roadway, and
the two side spans are formed by the arches over
the footways, each of which is to be a little more
than the width of the present spacious pavement.
The bridge will consist of six cast-iron orna-
mental ribs, the two outer ones, which will be seen
from either side, being of a most elaborate Gothic
character. Where the spans over the footway meet
the great centre arch, the six ribs are to be sup-
ported on hexagon granite columns, six, of course,
at each side. The iron ribs have not been fixed,
but the granite columns look more stately. They
are five feet in diameter, and are formed at the
lowest face of grey granite, then a moulding of
black granite, polished, then the hexagon column
of red granite, also polished and surmounted with a
polished capital of black granite. The granites are
from Aberdeen, Devon, Guernsey, and the Ross of
Mull. At the four corners of the abutments me four
demi-columns of polished granite of the same kind,
but beyond this the interior columns o f the abutments
on the sideway from the kerb are of richly-carved
Portland-stone. The effect of the whole when com-
pleted will be strikingly beautiful—indeed, there
will be no viaduct of its kind like it in all Eng-
land. Between the 12 main columns which carry
the centre arch are powerful cross-bracing frames
of cast-iron. Little now remains to be done before
the six main ribs are laid, and the bridge in all its
great architectural and engineering features will
be finished before the close of the year. The
pierced iron balustrade which is to bound the

footway on eacb side is of most elaborate design,
and so also aro the lamps with which the
bridge will be lighted. The four outer capitals
of the granite columns which support the side spans
are to be surmounted with bronze statues. Cer-
tainly the city authorities are sparing no expense to
make this bridge—as it well deserves to be —the
great ornamental feature of the whole Viaduct. At
each corner of this bridge four flights of steps,
each about 11 feet wide, will give access from
Farringdon-street to the higher level of the
Viaduct. Each of these stairways is to be en-
closed in stone structures, ample light and ventila-
tion being given to them. There will he four land-
ings on each flight of steps, which are to be formed
of single slabs of Park Spring stone, of such a
size that special trucks must be constructed to
bring them up by rail. The buildings at the four
corners of the Viaduct will rise several stories above

its level. The space beneath the steps will be ap-
propriated for shops or warehouses, and above the
steps the floors are to be utilized as offices and for
general commercial purposes.
The structures which are to adorn the four cor-
ners of this beautiful bridge the City Improve-
ment Committee have most \I isely kept in their
own hands to secure beauty of elevation and uni-
formity of design. They will all be very
stately looking stone edifices, which will vie
in beauty and loftiness of elevation with any
of the best specimens of street architecture in
Paris or New York. For the rest of the line along
each side of the Viaduct, builders are not confined
to any particular design, beyond the very proper
restriction that no design can be adopted without
first being submitted for the approval of the. City
.Improvement Committee. This is to insure that no
small or inadequate structures shall be erected on
what will be soon one of the handsomest thorough-
fares into the city. Uniformity, of course, will
not be insisted on, but fine buildings will ; so that
the very essence of the beauty of street architecture
—stateliness and diversity—will be thus combined.
No less than three new streets are to be made in
connection with the Viaduct. One is to lead from
the circus at the west end of the Viaduct to the
corner of Farringdon-street, near Ludgate-hill.
Another, front the same starting-point, will give
access to the uew Smithfield Market; and the third
will lead up to the Viaduct from the south side.
The widening of Shoe-lane and of Newgate-street
is also intended ; and altogether, as we have said at
the commencement of this notice, it is contemplated
to construct a new district. These improvements,
however, are in some cases only just begun, and are
far too important to be disposed of in a few lines
at the end of a long article.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE AND SOUTH
LONDON JUNCTION R.:MI[7A 3'.

The twelfth half-yearly general meeting of the
shareholders in this company was held yesterday at
the offices of the company, No. 2, Great -Winches-
ter-buildings. Mr. J. E. Leveson Gower, the chair-
man of the board of directors, presided. The report
having been taken as read,
tghe withdrawal of the
its adoption, remarked
thaTtheheCidiAe lellp3lfyAlcregrettedin
i n.

Working Union Bill of the Southern Railways in
the House of Lords, as a clause had been introduced
into it with the consent of the different companies,
which had it been passed into law would have gone
far to get them out of all their difficulties. The
same measure might be introduced next session, but
as to that he could not say. At the same time the
principle of the clause he had alluded to having been
agreed to by all the companies, and by which the
whcle of the circumstances of the case would have
been referred t. arbitration, he did not conceive

_ ----..-
that there could be much difficulty in coming to
au arrangement on the matter. The London, Chat-
ham, and Dover Company, who at present worked
the line, were, no doubt, in difficulties, but he be-
lieved the directors of that company were desirous
of doing what was right ; and, although the present
entanglements had caused great inconvenience to

the shareholders and debenture-holders it might
after all be productive of advantage to both here-
afOr. Although the circumstances under which the

traffic of the line was involved remained unaltered,
he had much satisfaction in stating, on the part of
the directors, that the weekly returns prepared by
the London, Chatham, and Dover Company indi-
cated a very considerable growth in the receipts.
It had been said that this increase was merely tem-
porary, having been caused by the warm weather
and the Handel festival ; but that was not so, for
the mileage proportion of the receipts attributed to
this company for the twenty-six weeks ending 28th
June last was £6,506 against £4,880 for the cor-
responding period of last year, and showing an in-
crease of 33 per cent. It would, therefore, be seen
that the increase in the receipts commenced in the
winter, and not in the summer; and although the
directors did not admit the correctness of the re-
turns, or of the principle on which they were cd-
culated, they showed at least that their property
was increasing in value. He trusted, therefore,
that better times were in store for them. For two
years they had been struggling against bad times,
and he was afraid he must also say bad usage.
(Hear, hear.) But still they felt that their pro-
perty was a valuable one, and they were deter-
mined to stick to it. (Hear, hear.) For two years
they had struggled against many difficulties, but
they were prepared to struggle for two years more,
in the hope that these would be ultimately over-
come, and that their property would become remu-
nerative. The report the directors had submitted
might not be deemed satisfactory by the share-
holders, but he coul I assure them that when the pro-
perty of the company became hopeless, the directors
would tell them and advise them respecting it. He
consilered that it was not so at the present time,
but that they were justified in going on and making
the most of it. He concluded by moving the adop-
tion of the report.

Mr. EDWIN HUMBY having seconded the motion,
Mr. STANDRING repudiated the connection which
existed between this company, and the London,
Chatham, and Dover Company. In fact, that
company fed their own line at the expense of this
one, and he would have the directors cut the con-
nection with them altogether. In place of the
London, Chatham, and Dover, he would recom-
mend an alliance with the East London Railway
Company. A small loop, little over a mile, would