Improvement Of The Thames...
The Times, 1824-07-20T00:00:00

On saturdiy ami 8 nirdnil6friL5froTfthe ty mtd the .Fest ndoDf ihtowen, met on board.-thestare beige of the Merdtiat mTailors~ Companty, for thepiirpiioe of tal.sg uto ronsi- deration a plan for .fring a.quay-o extend fromi Lndtei dburdge to ScstIadyard, -pdlamoung the coinpanyo.nnboad. rhe-the .Puke an&Dac1beissofRlatd, Wt1e.:Earl df Rosilkbithe t::hanplorof the Exchequer, Lord P"erston,the rtoar?slort the Pon. Apr. Ellis, the Heor. Tioiiiaa usson, the-Lo.u Mayor, lirAlder. roan Wood, Air. Alderman Garratt, Mr. Aldermint Lucas, Mr. Favell, Mr. Shade, Sir Jatnes Mlantosh a tbe rquls eOf ndon- derry, S. Lushingion, Etq., AL P, J. rvig Elsq, - Grant, Esq., IDL P., Wm. Lsske,--Esq.,1- P. P. 31 Blden, :Esq, *nd-,Vrm. Saunders,..msq. -j * About three o'lokele is Royal llighneas the Dake of ontr came on boardl and took th~chaie.- Lieutetnant.Cnon .TaEmeE,' Mlember -for Cambtridge, then ad_ dressed the meeng, and sid, that the gen'eral'outline of the ro. ject toas t akc.as ,ificent quay: of comnmihtctionfror lew Ltmdon.hridge.toScadand-7ard, cbu?eonnectinUharingtc2s and *Whitehall with thc bearto the cky,and SFfordin g.to thefibabititits ofnboth &xtremtisi at-well as tho3e along the wlioleline, a bealthful 'and beautifuLpromenade and-carriage-road-o the bgnka of the river, The quay to be 80 feet wide,-with dfootpatksn eaeh jide,-to be sep,, rated by rowsof trees and lamps fronithearriage-rord in the centre; and in eases wherecotmercidi covemience required the accommo. datin of wbarfage, a proper portion Of the ftace to be railed off for-tat-purposu, securingnaccess for -uiloading s*ithoat in(5f erin With the commnUrricationt. 'Though':80 feet were stated g&etAlIy at ,a breadlth. desirab' for s.o magniicent a terrAce, ye -bbath the breadth aned' heig'hth rnight varyaccordi~W tOat rrances - it being above nil things desirable, that iDCn-cas-ng d)uio grest wvork ittO efetpublic ndvanthe thould interfere as {ittle as possiblesith pri-. vat coverews. Xe wole of the quay to be Xupported upoa arches with a bold projecting cornice and aimole beustiade In pursuing this plan of explanation, Colonel Trench thought it best to refer in the. first place to thatpart of:it-whichwarat tnsamonent under the observation of the meeng. (The-bage-Wsmrored half way between Scodand-yard and Waterloo-bridge.) lie -proposed to project a pier into the river from Sct1Fand-var, and from its ex tremity to carry a terrace on arches to the extremity of Water loo-bridge, where there were now three arches of a store be. longing to the Duchy of Lancaster. This terrace would stand on arches 25 feet high, and be 110 feet broad, for the pur oe of erecting houses, to combine -profit with. amusemenelt. [n fact, it would be a snew rtteet, of 2,000 feet in length, 70 feet in breadth in front of-houses, which would be 40 feet, end of any extent of front that mitht sUit the individuals PrOpOsiig to build, The faosde to'oe divided into three buildirns, witb twro intervals, on each ef which might be placed abandsome-ourta; antiby using tide-mills to command a supply of 17ater, they might be firdjed into j6is d'cau, to-the height of5U or 0 feet. In tius and many,Vatijbite suggestions Colonel Trench was indebted to a distinguihed laady who sat on his Royal Highuess's right haid (the Duchess of Rutz land). fle proposed to place in. the centre an equestrian statue of the -ing; be3t he wts -ware- tu-at these orwnental cirennrstances were of smior importance, end he would hasten to state his views witb regard te the first divsion of 'the projc-ted uremiure. `lkis ter- race-would be a fiat crescent. In executing Colonel Trenchafl dilre. tiQns, Mr. Philip Wyatt had a little exeeded th'en, and ;-s but just and fair to point out the extremte importance of thatA.Xatioa which he,ColonelTrench, had at firitbeen di%pleAs.d with, asinvolv- ing an Interference with private rights and therefore likely tbahrow obstacles in the way of a project which he had to auch at hedit. Mr. Wyatt took the Coburg heatre as a centre, and with a radiat of a thousand yards described an arch iif a drde, which coincides generally with the banks of the river aspropo3ed,butaccuratelywilh that pat of It which is nosr under consideration1-namely, the front of the proposed terrace cretiscnt. This terrace *ould form one sidc of a basin or wet dock, containing eight or nine acres of water; and if the mud wvere dredged ou-, and where gravel was not now 'found, a good bottomn should be made. The benefit conferred on the inhabi. tants of the present barnk of the river was, that they might have any depth ef vater most convenient t o them ; at all timea their preperty would be protected from river plunderers, and the barges be lways at their own doors ; -they would get rid of fietid unwbolseine mud which anBnoyed them nine hours out of twelve, and by a simple police regu. lation, directing ernptyybarges to move outside, three times the nurt. her of full ones nignt be accommodated. Theeurve established by t.his terrace would make the tide in this part of the river what Mr. Rennie called a perfect scouring machine. Colonel Trench then en- tered into farthes-explanations'of the nature of theplan. A Gentleman wished to know from whom consent was necessary ? Colonel Taxwcw replied, that they had togain the consent of two important authoritier-namely, ofthe Lord Mayor and Co ration of the City of London, as conservators of the navigatin of the river on the one side; and the Admiralty, as the representativesof the Crown, on the-other. But the first object was, that the plan should be investigated bv a cornmittee, and obtain their sanction. 'l'he LoRiD iAYoit snggested that a printe4statement, cxplain- ing the nature of the plas, and statintg the expense, should be cir- culated amo gst the owners of premises on the water side, and others who were practicay acquainted with the navigation of the river. -The-Dakeof YoRx highly approved of the-*0suestion of the Lord Mayor, that an explanatIon of the plan should be printed and circulated. The statehierntappearod to him perfectly sattsfactory. The Duke of RUTYLAXD rose, and said, that in-common with evcry-person present, he felt highly gratlfied by t?e project vhiehl had been so ably stated to them by Colonel Trench; and feeling convinced that if it should be foand practicable, it would at once rive to this city the character for splendout and mainHifcence, to which, as the metropolis of this great-empire,-.she wasjustly entitled among the capitals -of the world. le would not further detain the meeting, but as an earnest of khis opinion he now moved the first resolution, which expressed the approval uf the plan by the meeting, sad their confidence, that if thedifficulties attending it could be surmounted, it would add to the beauty and convenience of the capital. 'The CwANCELLo: of -the EXCREQUER seconded the motion, whiclr was carried unanimously. Lord RossLYS movedthe resolution for theappointmentcfa com. ritte, consistingof the following members, to investigate its Tprae. ticabity :-ls coyaig?14ahness the Duke of York, _he Duke of Rutland; His Ro'l Highness the Prince L eoold the Duke of Wellingon; Sir Ei. Lang; the Right Hon. T.Wa Hae; H. Bankes, Esq.; Rifht Hon. W. Huskisson ; Sir James 'Macintosh- Sir Rfi Ingiis; ,T. Irving, Esq.; Alex. Baring, Esq., the E;arl of Carysfort; the Earl of Rosslyn; -Lord Pitlmerston; the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer-; the Hon. Gf. Agar Ellis; Ridley Colborne, .E>sq., A?.- P.; Hlon. G; Cocbura; R. Gfordon, E;sq., Md. P.;; StirL .Hadinge, hI. P., Lord Lowtber- Lord Li. verpool Right Hon. R Peel; the Earl of -Harrowby; Lord Bex. ley; E. Qttt Esq. M. P.; the Lword Mayor ; Aldesmari WYood; Alderman Garratt; Alderman Thompson; R. Slade Esq. ; J. F.'a vell, Esq.; L Ledger, Esq.; Routh, Esq.; _ Griffith, Es-4.; H. Ben, Esq. Lord PArxMMUSTON seconded the motion. The LoRD AtAYOR in a loW tone objected to his own name being p laced on the list, and it was the wish of his brother aldermen to have their names withdrawn. Msr-.AGAS4 ELLIS said, that as a mark of respect- the names of the-Lord Mlayor anti the other mvembhes of the Corporation who had attended the meeting, should be retained in the list. The LoaD MAYOR begged co be understood, that himself and the other Miembers of the Corporation in their official capadity gave no opinion rwhatever on the rmeasure. Golonel Trench had submitted lie plan to him as conservator of the river, and he had called to hear it a number of gentlemen whom he conceived -were best acquainted with the navigation and trade of the river, and -they came now to h1arafurtherekplanation, Theconservancy of it wasvested in tbe Lord Ma;yor fcr the time being, arldin the- Corporation. As mem_- bers of that body to whom the plan must hereafer be necessarily sdbmitted, in order that their consent mnight be obtained, it would be inconsistent tos act on the commi-.tee, which would have to mlemo.. rialize the Lord Mayor and the Corpotation. Aliermanl WOOD and MUr. FAVELL concurred in this epinion. Their namies were therefore withdrawn, said the resolution was -agred.in wa ralteredform. - The barge was then t;nmoored, and rowed as far as the South- wark-bridge.. The company wen t out on the roof, and inspected the sate of tbe tended work as they passed. At about 5 o'clock thecy landed. IMPROYE.MENT OC THE TITA,.