The Sun.
London, England, 1829-07-01 00:00:00

to the extent of 300 feet, if it should be re.

quired_

Salaries for three years
Shaft at Wapping
The descents
Purchase of premises at Wapping

200,000
The Noble Lord said, that if he brought it for-
ward be should feel it necessary to move for a Com-
mittee of the House, to examine the estimates, and,
in order to have rather above than under what might
be required, he made some alterations in some of
the items. For instance, the estimate of 90,000/.
for carrying the tunnel quite across, he raised to
110,0001. 'The estimate of the purchase of houses
on the north side, he raised from 15,0001. to 40,00 Q/.;
thus making the whole 250,000/.; and in his corn,
munication with the Duke of Wellington on the
matter, he told him that if Government should con-
sent to advance the money, (in what he did note
sly), it might lay its account to being called upon
for 50,0001. more, making in the whole 300,000/.
The Duke of Wellington consulted with the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer on the subject, who, as faras
he was concerned, put a negative on the advance of
any money at the present moment at least. Under;
these circumstances, it was clear that if Government
should consent to advance any money next year.
the less that might be required, the greater would
be their chance of obtaining it. Various means
were suggested of raising the sum necessary, and
amongst others a lottery, but as Government had
already abandoned a lottery, that idea was given
up. The calculation of income that had been made„
out of which the principal and interest were to be
repaid, was 15,0001.; and supposing that Govern-
ment were to lend 300,0001. at 4 per cent. that
would take 12,000/. a-year to pay the interest, leav-
ing only about 3,0001. a-year as a sinking fund to
pay off the principal, and until _that was done the
Proprietors could not expect to receive a penny prin..
cipal or interest of 170,0001. they had paid. Under
these circumstances, the Directors felt it of the ut-
most importance that the expense of completing the
work should be as low as possible. It was the only
prospect of their ever being able to realise any thirq,-
for the Proprietors. Even if they had the money
now, they would be justified in the course they were
takings and it must be clear that they could have
no other object in view than the interest of the Pro-
prietors at large. The Honourable Gentleman then
read the resolution which it was intended to move
to accomplish the object which the Directors had in
view :

Resolved, therefore, that it is expedient to empower
the Directors, and they are hereby empowered, to adopt•
any other mode of carrying on the work, preserving the
same dimensions anti internal appearance, which shall ap-
pear to them likely to ensure its completion, and to treat
with, and engage with any party or parties who may be
willing to contrast fur the same, on such terms as shall ap-
pear to the Directors to warrant the expectation of ob-
taining asum sufficient for the accomplishment, either for the
tunnel alone, or with the necessary approaches thereto, and
who shall produce security for the performance of such
contract or contracts.

The authority which the Directors would thus ob-
tain (if the Proprietors. should agree to the resolu-
tion) would not bind them to accept the proposal of
Mr. Vignoles, or of any other person, unless they
saw it was one which would be for the interest of
the great body, and until they had the opinions of
scientific men as to its practicability, and obtained
proper security for its accomplishment.
Mr. J. MARTIN then moved the resolution which
the Chairman had read.
On its being put from the Chair,

Mr. ADAM' rose to object to it. • The question
which the meeting had now to decide was, whether
they would give a power to the Directors to defeat
all that had hitherto been done. They had sufficient
experience of Mr. Brunell's abilities : of those of
Mr. Vignoles they knew very little. He would ask
the Directors, whether they had fully examined his
plan ?—had they obtained the opinion of scientific.
men upon it ?—and were they prepared, then, to
recommend it for the adoption of the meeting? If
not, how could they ask them to abandon a plan
which had been tried, arid had succeeded as far as
funds allowed its progress. It was true that the
outlay had been greater than was at first contem-
plated; but in such a work it was no imputation
upon the character of an engineer that he could not
at once .anticipate all the difficulties that might arise:
As far as the work had gone on, every scientific man
who saw it gave it as his opinion that it could not
be better done. Mr. Adams then. went on to
suggest that they should proceed no farther until
they knew whether Government would advance 'the
money. In the course of his speech, Mr. Adams
read extracts from the report of the Directors in
1827, in which they strongly deprecated the per
formance of any part of the tunnel by contract. He
concluded by moving an amendment to this effect :

Resolved, that the practicability of making the tunnel
being established by the fact of 600 feet out of 1,300 feet
having been safely and securely effected, and this meeting
entertaining a hope that Government, sanctioned by.. Pa-
rliament, will be induced to consider it a national work of
great public utility, and lend a sufficient sum to coMplete
the undertaking, that the Directors do continue their ex-
ertions to obtain a loan from Government.

Mr. WOLLASTON, jun., seconded the amendment.
Mr. W. SMITII, jUti., opposed the amendment,
the object of which, he contended, was only delay.
The real question, he admitted, which was involved
in the motions before them was, whether Mr. Bri-
nell was the proper person to be intrusted with the
completion of the work. He admitted that Air.
~l3runell was a man of great talent, but it could not
:be denied that he had been most extravagant in the
application of the funds. The speaker here entered
into a variety of detail to show that Mr. Brunell
had been both negligent and extravagant. In proof
of the former, he adduced his own admission, that
from the frequent descent of pieces of brickbat and
other matters into the shield, it was clear that the
earth above was very loose, and yet he took no suf-
ficient precaution to guard against the irruption
which soon followed. In support of his other
charge, of extravagant expenditure, he dwelt much
on Mr. Brunell having, in doing half the work, so

much exceeded his first estimate for the whole. He
was proceeding to. compare( Mr. Vignoles's plan
with that of Mr. Brunel!, Olen he was called to
order, and reminded that the plans were not then
matters for the consideration- of the meeting.
Mr. flawEs, jun. warmly defended the conduct
of Mr. Brtmell from the imputations which he said
had been so unjustly cast upon it.
The speeches of Mr. Smith, jun. and. Mr. Hawes,
contained much personal allusion and recrimination,
and gave rise to much language in the same spirit
from several other Proprietors, by which the busi-
ness of the meeting was protracted to five o'clock.
Mr. J. MARTIN supported the original motion.
Mr. A. FLETCHER also supported the original
motion.

Mr. GOLDSCIIMIDT (we believe) supported the
original motion, and said, that if Mr. Brunell could
conclude the work on terms as low as any other man,
there could be no doubt the Proprietors would prefer
him to any one else.
Admiral Sir E. CODRINGTON defended the Direc-
tors from imputations which had been most unjustly
and falsely cast upon them at the last meeting.
Mr. WOLLASTON (the Deputy Chairman of the
Company) denied that any greater security for com-
pleting the work would be afforded by the proposed
change of engineer. He had seen the model of Mr.
Vignoleq, and he believed his plan to be utterly im-
practicable.
The Marquis of SALISBURY said, that the situa-
tion in which the company was now placed left them
no alternative but to accede to the proposition of
the Court of Directors, who, he was quite satisfied,
would use the powers which they asked only for the
general interest of the Proprietors.
Mr. BRAMAII, referring to what had fallen from
the Deputy Chairman as to the alleged impractica-
bility of Mr. Vignoles' plan, said that he also had
seen his model, and that after giving it his best con-
sideration, he came to a conclusion directly the op-
posite of that to which the Hon. Director had
come.

After some further observations from Mr. Adams
and one or two other Proprietors,
The CHAIRMAN, in putting the question, ob-
served, that without going into what the Duke of
Wellington had said on the subject of the applica-
tion made to him, he would say this much—that
whether the Government would grant assistance or
not, would not depend upon Mr. Brunell being the
engineer. High as Mr. Brunell stood in the opi-
nion of the Duke, he was sure that if another en-
gineer proposed to complete the work in the same
strong manner in which it was executed hitherto,
and for 50,0001. less, he would be preferred by
his Grace.

In the course of the discussion ,it was admitted
by all the Directors that there was no wish to dis-
place Mr. Brunell, but their great object was to get
the work completed as cheaply as they could, con.
sistently with solidity and perfect security.
The question was now put to the vote, and the
amendment negatived by 33 to 23.-1 he original
motion was then carried by 36 to 23.

Thanks were afterwards voted to Lord Althorp
and to the Chairman; after which the meeting

adjourned.

MAGAZINE DAY.

BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

There is less variety—at least of an entertain-
ing nature—than usual in this number. It is
filled with political diatribes, strongly written as
politics always are in this Magazine, but heavy,
and perfectly superfluous. " Das Bild," a tra-
gedy in five acts, from the German of Ernest
Houwald, is a flattering analysis of a drama that
has recently made some noise in Germany. It
is, however, too long. " Bishop of Chester's
Letter to the Clergy of his Diocese" is a severe
attack on his Lordship's late Address to his
Clergy. The Reviewer's great object is to prove
that Protestant ascendancy alone is the essence
of real Christianity. Religious liberty, he seems
to think, is a spectre frightful enough to scare
away all true devotion from the country. The
article, though spirited, is written in a strain of
the most vulgar and ungracious exclusiveness.
" Songs of the Affections," by Mrs. Hemans,
are, as usual, sweetly, feelingly, and gracefully
written. 44 All for Love" and the " Pilgrim to
Compostella" are two laudatory notices of the
Laureate's latest productions. " Sketches of the
Road in Ireland" are vigorous and characteristic,
and the " Noctes Ambrosiante" replete with
boisterous humour and conviviality. In search-
ing for extracts we can find none more interest-
ing than the following, which we have selected
from an article entitled " Poetical and Devo-
tional Superstitions of Italy" :
" The dread of storm-raisers is universally prevalent
amongst the country people, and especially in mountainous
districts. A Danish botanist, journeying alone upon an
ass through the mountains of Abruzzi, was involved in
several perilous adventures by this superstitious terror of
the peasantry. They had for some time seen him collect-
ing plants amongst the unfrequented cliffs and ravines, and
watched his proceedings with suspicious curiosity. A few
days later their district was ravaged by a succession of
storms, their suspicions grew into certainty, and assem-
bling in considerable numbers, they attacked the uncon-
scious botanist with a volley of stones, and cursed him as a
storm-raising enchanter. He made vehement protestations
of his innocence, but the enraged peasants took forcible
possession of his collection, which they minutely examined.
Finding only some harmless leaves and blossoms, and no
roots, their fury abated, and, although it was suggested by
some that he had probably used the roots in his incanta-
tions, the unfortunate herbalist was at length dismissed
with fierce menaces, that if he dared to take a single root
from the ground, it would cost him his life. In the moun-
tains near Rome the peasants regard with suspicion a sin-
gular costume, a stern cast of countenance, or any striking
personal formation, in the strangers who arrive there. All
travellers, thus peculiarly marked, are supposed to be en-
chanters find treasure-seekers, and the young Germans, in
their black dresses, untrimmed beards, and long hair, are
especial objects of suspicion."