in Samuel Ireland's 'Picturesque Views of the River Thames,' London, 1792, 8vo, vol. ii. pl. 24, p. 221: but etchings of an infinitely superior class, by William Bernard Cooke, are in his beautiful work of The Thames,' London, 1811, 8vo, vol. ii. plates 16 and 18. Two of the most recent views of this edifice were published in Charles Heath's 'Views of London,' 1825, 8vo, both taken on the Eastern side, by W. Westall and P. Dewint. A perspective elevation of the Bridge, showing the obliquity of its arches, and a curious section of the River bed, also on the Eastern side, surveyed by Mr. Ralph Dodd, is inserted in the folio volume of Plans, &c. belonging to the Third Report of the Port of London Committee,' Plate vii.; and the same Engineer has likewise given a large and interesting print of the 'South Pier of the Great Arch of London Bridge,' exhibiting the two chasms in it, the iron clamps which hold it together, and a section of the water-way. See Plate vi. of the same volume, and the Report itself, Appendix, в. 1, p. 52*. A similar representation was furnished by Mr. Mylne, and is marked, Drawing, c.' on Plate i. of the same Illustrations: it consists of a profile through the middle of the Great Arch, taken at still low water in 1767, and shows the excavations above and below Bridge, made by the rushing of the current. The remainder of this Plate is occupied by Tables of Soundings, Measurements, &c., at various points of the River near this place; and 'A Section of the Locks and Construction of the Piers of London Bridge, as ascertained in taking up of the Pier under the Great Arch in 1762.' See Drawing A. Of this I have already given several particulars, and in Mr. Mylne's paper belonging to it, printed in the Third Report,' Appendix, a. 1, p. 26, he has a curious account of taking up the Piers, and its consequent effects. He was at that time occupied in erecting Blackfriars' Bridge; and a hterman, named Parsons, employed under him, having "acted for removing the Pier, consulted him as to the

6

best means of doing so. Having examined the building, he advised his procuring some powerful screws, used in raising the heavy wheels of the Water-works, which were fastened to the heads of the soundest and securest piles. They first drew out a few from the outer row, and then some of the original in the interior, when all the stone-work which was worth preserving being removed, and the remainder thrown into the River, the cross-ties of timber and iron were loosened, and the whole Pier soonfell into ruins. It was immediately carried away by the impetuosity of the fall; for the other piles being removed, the middle of the work was borne off so suddenly as scarcely to allow of its construction being examined and measured. The Arch being thus opened, the danger at first anticipated by Mr. Milne soon followed; for the accumulated volume of water drawn from all the other arches acted so violently upon the River bed, as greatly to increase the depth and force of the tide; whilst the corrosion spreading to the old Piers of the new Arch, attacked the stability of the Sterlings beneath them: these defences being only six feet broad under the haunches of the Arch, and so close to the Piers, that there was neither room to make any substantial repairs, nor sufficient space for a pile-engine to act. It was in this difficulty that Mr. Smeaton advised the City-Gates to be thrown into the River, for transferring the deep water to the lower side of the Bridge; an idea which he seems to have taken from Henri Gautier's statement concerning the Bridge of St. Esprit. Mr. Mylne remarks, however, that the whole of this advice not being followed, a farther quantity of 2000 tons of rubble-stone was recommended for the construction of a new bed. And now, to come back to my starting-place, and conclude my notices of views of this edifice, let me remark, that if you would see it with all its interest, with the water rushing through its Locks, and the building itself surmounted and bounded by the Monument and the Spire of St.

G G

Magnus' Church, then the very spot for such a prospect is the EASTERN SIDE OF LONDON BRIDGE (see opposite page).

You

"I come next to perform my promise of giving some account of the other modern Bridges of London, and shall begin by reminding you that the proposal for those at Westminster and Blackfriars was met by a steady and violent opposition. This objection to new Bridges appears, however, to have existed so early as the year 1671, when it was first designed to build one over the Thames at Putney; upon the argument of loss to the Thames watermen, to the tolls of London Bridge, and to the City of London, as natural consequences. will find all the particulars of this subject contained in the Hon. Anchitell Grey's 'Debates of the House of Commons, from the year 1667 to the year 1694,' London, 1763, 8vo, vol. i. pp. 416, 417: and it is singular, that in this discussion the very places at which Bridges are now erected, are mentioned as the most improper for such edifices. The kind of prophetic objection which runs through the whole debate has rendered it a very amusing article for modern reading; and an ingenious, but amplified, paraphrase of it was inserted in the European Magazine' for September, 1825, New Series, pp. 20-27. But even in the notes to the Debates themselves, it is stated that Experience has at length convinced us of the weakness and fallacy of the objections raised against another Bridge, though private interest, it may be presumed, was the principal motive: since, not to mention the many Bridges that have been raised higher up the River, this Metropolis now boasts,'-1763

6

6 without any of the inconveniences, not only a Bridge at Putney, but one at Westminster, where use and magnificence go hand in hand; to which is adding a third at Blackfriars.' The first of these modern structures was the VAUXHALL BRIDGE, which was remarkable for having had, in consequence of disputes, four Archi

tects, Mr. Ralph Dodd, Sir Samuel Bentham, Mr. Rennie, and lastly, Mr. James Walker, who carried the design into effect. It consists of nine arches of castiron, of 78 feet span, nd 26 above high-water at springtides; the first stone was laid by Lord Dundas, as proxy for the Prince Regent, about 3 o'clock, on Thursday, May 9th, 1811; it was opened in July, 1816; and its cost amounted to upwards of 300,000. The Strand, or WATERLOO BRIDGE, was partly projected by Mr. George Dodd, but wholly brought to perfection by Mr. Rennie : it has 9 elliptical arches of 120 feet span, and 36 feet above high-water at spring-tides; the first stone was laid on the Surrey side of the River close to Cuper's Bridge, by the Chairman, Henry Swann, Esq., and the Directors of the Company, about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, of Friday, October 11th, 1811; the building amounted to about 400,0007.; and it was opened with great splendour by a procession of the Prince Regent, and the Dukes of York and Wellington, about 3 o'clock on Wednesday, June 18th, 1817, the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, when it received its name. The last was the SOUTHWARK BRIDGE, of which the first stone was laid by the late Admiral Lord Keith, at 12 o'clock on Tuesday, May 23rd, 1815, the Bill for erecting it having passed May 5th, 1811. It consists of three immense Arches of cast-iron, the centre being 240 feet in span, and those at the sides 210, and about 42 feet above the highest spring-tides: the whole work was estimated at 400,000.; the Architect was the late Mr. Rennie; and the edifice was opened by lamp-light on Wednesday, March 24th, 1819, as the clock of St. Paul's Cathedral tolled midnight.

"I come now, Mr. Barbican, to speak of the last Fair held on the River Thames, by London Bridge, in the beginning of 1814. The Frost commenced with a thick fog, on the evening of the preceding December 27th, which lasted for several days; followed by heavier falls