their irregularity and aptness of decay, offend the eye, at the same time that they occasion an expence which might be entirely saved by raising the footway a little higher.

7. That several of the foot ways are encumbered with goods and packages, and others of them straightened by the unwarrantable projection of shop windows, bulks, and shew boards, or the more dangerous encroachments of vaults and cellar doors.

"8. That the daily increasing rivalship in the size and projection of signs in a great measure defeats the purpose of them, obstructs the free circulation of the air (so desireable in a large and populous city) in times of high wind often proves dangerous; and in rain, always an annoyance to foot passengers; and at night, more or less intercepts the light of the lamps.

"9. That foot passengers are likewise greatly annoyed in rainy weather, by the water conveyed from the tops of old houses through spouts projecting into the streets.

"10. That for want of the streets and courts being properly marked and distinguished, and the houses regularly numbered, strangers are often put to great trouble and difficulty to find their way to places and persons they have occasion to resort to.

"From this view of the many nuisances and defects which lessen the beauty, neatness, and convenience of this great and famous metropolis, we humbly conceive that every person (not bigotted to ancient forms and customs, or biassed by narrow considerations of immediate interest) must be convinced of the necessity of a speedy reformation, without which the little of our retail trade that remains will be in time totally lost, our wards and parishes depopulated, and the burthen of our offices and taxes proportionably increased.

"To obviate the objection which, in the minds of some, may arise from a dread of the expence attending the proposed regulations, and which can only be defrayed by a new tax, we beg leave humbly to offer it as our opinion, that a very moderate tax, little exceeding the average of

the

the present ordinary repairs, might, by borrowing a sum of money upon the credit of it, be sufficient to answer the expence, not only of the first outset, but of all necessary reparations for many years to come; that the difference (if any) would be more than amply compensated by the preservation, not to say recovery, of our retail trade; and that every ground of complaint of oppression or partiality might be effectually removed, if the proposed reformation was limited to streets, the major part of whose inhabitants should apply for and request it.

"To enable ourselves to form this conjecture, as well as others to judge of its probability, we have enquired the prices contracted for by the commissioners for the new pavement at Westminster, have caused the streets from Temple Bar to Aldgate church to be surveyed and measured, and different estimates to be made of the proposed improvements within that distance (copies of which estimates are set forth in the margin *) and have had returns

made

The ESTIMATES referred to by the annexed Representation: An ESTIMATE of the Expence of altering all the Paving from Temple Bar, proceeding Eastward up Fleet Street, Ludgate Hill, Ludgate Street, all round the south Side of St. Paul's, along Cheapside, the Poultry, Cornhill, Leadenhall Street, and home to Aldgate Church.

16,461 feet running of Moor stone curb, at 2s. 9d. per foot 115,414 feet superficial of squaring and laying of old and new Purbeck paving in the foot-way, at 11⁄2d. per foot 77,200 feet superficial of new Purbeck paving, at 7d. per foot

32,428 yards of paving with Scotch stones in the coachway, at 7s. 8d. per yard

For digging and removing rubbish, being 32,428 yards superficial, at 4d. per yard

For removing posts and levelling ground, being 16,461 feet running, at 3d. per foot

For fitting curbs round areas and windows, altering water-spouts, iron grates, &c. being 16,461 feet running, at 10d. per foot

£. s. d.

s. d.

made to us of the number and rents of the front houses; on all which data we have formed the following computation: "A tax of twelve pence in the pound upon £. the rents of the front houses, which we find to amount to the sum of 47,8007. and upwards, would raise the yearly sum of

"And, as it seems reasonable that the neighbouring inhabitants, whose houses do not front the high streets, ought to contribute towards the expence of improvements of which they will equally enjoy the benefit, we think the proposed tax should extend to all houses in the adjoining yards, courts, and alleys, but with a power of mitigation in favour of the inferior and poorer sort of housholders; which discretionary tax we estimate at the yearly

sum of

Total of the tax per annum

2390

Deduct for 32,428 yards of old pebbles, at 1s. 6d.

per yard

2,432 2 0

16,860 10 0

An ESTIMATE of the Expence of re-laying the old Guernsey Pebbles, and using Purbeck Step for the Curb, throughout all the aforesaid Streets, from Temple Bar to Aldgate Church, as follows, viz.

16,461 feet run of Purbeck step for the curb, at 1s. 10d.

per foot

Purbeck paving in the foot-way

32,428 yards of old pebbles in the coach-way relayed, including digging, levelling, and removing rubbish, at 9d. per yard

3,243 tons of new pebbles, at 20s. per ton

3,243 loads of gravel, at 3s. per load

Fitting curbs round areas, &c. being 16,461 feet run

per

foot

205 15 3

10,512 8 9

GEORGE DANCE.

On

On the other hand, the interest of 17000l. (which is more than the larger estimate requires) at 41. per cent. would amount to the yearly sum of

We estimate the future annual repairs at And the proportionable share of the additional salaries of offices, surveyors, &c. at

£. s. d.

680 0 0 400 0

200 0 0

1280 0 0

Total of the annual charge "Which total charge being deducted from the amount of the tax, will leave a surplus of 1260l. per annum, applicable to a gradual discharge of the principal money borrowed, which it would compleat in about eleven years; and, if parliament (who have been so liberal in their encouragement to the improvements at Westminster) should be prevailed on to grant us the benefit of a Sunday's toll, the whole debt might be paid off, and the tax reduced, in a much shorter time.

"It remains only to be considered what further powers will be requisite for the execution of the plan in question, in case it should meet with the approbation of this honourable court; for which purpose we humbly conceive that we cannot better inform or direct their judgment than by a faithful enumeration of the many defects we have experienced in the exercise of our present authority: we therefore beg leave to represent,

"1. That, whatever might have been the original intention and legal construction of our authority as to pavements, at the time of its creation, we are advised, that the constant and uniform method in which it has been exercised for near a century, as well as the implied interpretation of it by some late statutes, restrain it wholly to the ordering, designing, and regulating, the manner of the paving; so that (except in two cases, viz. that of untenanted houses, or where a defect complained of continues unreformed) we have no power to interfere with the paving itself, or (the former of those cases only excepted) to assess or levy any tax for the doing of it.

"2. That

"2. That we have no authority to try or punish even the most petty offenders in a summary way; the paviors and rakers, who are by law enjoined to obey our orders, and who we may fine for disobedience, having it in their election whether they will submit to such fine or not; so that, in fact, we have no other way to enforce our orders, or to remove nuisances of any kind, but by indictment at the sessions, which, as it generally proves a very tedious and expensive (and sometimes a fruitless remedy,) without any fund appropriated to support the charge of it, is seldom pursued.

"3. That we have no particular controul over the water companies, to compel them to repair, in a proper and sufficient manner, or within a reasonable time, the several breaches which their workmen are daily making in the pavement of some or other of our most frequented streets.

"4. That we have no authority to pull up or remove any posts, though found to be ever so inconvenient to the public.

"5. That we have no kind of jurisdiction over signs, nor authority to fix any marks to houses, whereby to distinguish them or the streets they stand in.

"Having presumed to trouble this honourable court with our sentiments upon a subject with which the duty of our office seems in some sort connected, and in which the honour of this city, and the interest of its inhabitants, appears to us to be greatly concerned, we humbly submit it to their superior wisdom, how far they will think proper to adopt a plan so successfully pursued in the city of Westminster, and what measures it may be expedient to take for carrying the same into execution. Dated at Guildhall, the 15th day of November 1765.

By order of Court,

JOHN SMITH,
Clerk to the Commissioners."

An act also passed "for empowering the commissioners for putting in execution the several acts passed for paving, cleansing, and lighting the squares, streets and lanes within

the