486 Sir Frederick Bramicell [Feb. 22, 



there is a minimum thickness of 30 feet of rock between its roof 

 and the bed of the river. The tunnel will afiord accommodation 

 to two lines of railway, and there will be passenger stations close to 

 the river bank, fitted with hydraulic hoists. 



When on the 8th of January, 1884, the two parties who had 

 advanced from the opposite shores, made the junction of their respective 

 works, it was found that the error horizontally was covered by the 

 width of the ranging pole, and vertically was only one-eighth of an 

 inch. 



But there are two towns nearer home that appear to appreciate 

 the advantages of other communication, than that which can be afforded 

 by ferries, or than can be obtained by a journey of several miles to a 

 single bridge at one of their extremities. The tou'ns to which I told 

 you I should have to revert — those which lie north and south of the 

 Thames to the west of London Bridge. One hundred and thirty years 

 ago, when, from the best information I can obtain, the population 

 west of London Bridge did not exceed, if indeed it amounted to, 

 600,000, including both north and south, this population found out that 

 it was not convenient when it was desired to cross the river to be obliged 

 to go eastward to London Bridge for that purpose, and thereupon were 

 built, Westminster, opened in 1750, and Blackfriars, completed in 1770. 

 These were public bridges free of toll. As London grew, companies 

 were formed, who built successively Yauxhall Bridge, opened in 1816 ; 

 Waterloo (originally called the Strand Bridge), opened in 1817 ; and 

 South wark in 1819 ; while the Lambeth Bridge, the Albert Bridge, 

 and the Wandsworth Bridge, also provided by companies, and the 

 Chelsea Bridge, built by the Government, have all been erected within 

 the last few years, as have been the various railway bridges. I 

 have omitted mention in this chronological list, of Battersea, and 

 of Putney Bridges, because at the time they were biiilt they were in 

 fact rural, and not Metropolitan Bridges ; but the growth of London 

 has embraced them within its bounds. Both these bridges were the 

 result of private enterprise. Putney Bridge, the really operative Act 

 for which was not passed till 1728, deserves notice, because it is an 

 instance of delay in giving sanction for a communication the need of 

 which was felt more than half a century before the Act was passed : 

 the XDroposition to build the bridge having been successfully resisted 

 on absurd grounds (notably in 1671), that the erection of this Bridge 

 would stop the growth of the prosperity of London, as the North 

 and South Traffic would pass the Thames at Putney, and would no 

 longer come through the Metropolis. 



It is not so long ago since I had the honour of lecturing in this 

 room, not upon the means of communication from side to side of the 

 Thames, but upon those from side to side of the English Channel. 

 The arguments which were used before the Committee of last year, 

 which sat upon the Channel Tunnel, must, I think (judging from a 

 pamphlet I hold in my hand, but for the authenticity of which I do 

 not vouch), have been taken from those used in reference to this 



