496 The Channel Tunnel. [October, 
divided as regards its financial prospetts, the president and 
two members attaching more importance to the “‘ utility and 
grandeur of the undertaking,” and three other members 
looking at it from a more strictly economical point of view. 
The General Council of Pont-et-Chaussées, presided over by 
the Minister of Public Works, to whom the matter was after- 
wards referred, were unable, ‘“‘upon the documents submitted 
to them, to decide on the probability of success of the tunnel 
under the Channel,” and considered that ‘‘if from political 
considerations, the undertaking should be considered useful, 
the Government should follow up the investigations at their 
own expense.” 
In reporting on the different projects put forward with a 
view to improving the means of communication between 
England and France, Captain Tyler, referring to the last 
mentioned project, remarked :— 
‘In this scheme it is proposed to commence by driving 
preliminary driftways through the grey chalk, at a great 
depth below the bed of the Channel, between a point near 
Dover and another point near Calais; as it is conceived that 
this material would be easily cut through, and would not be 
likely to present insuperable difficulties from the influx of 
water; whereas Mr. Remington selects the line from Dunge- 
ness to Cape Gris-Nez, in order to avoid the chalk, and the 
fissures which he fears to encounter in it, and to work in the 
Wealden formation, which would, he believes, afford a greater 
chance of success. 
“In the case of M. Boutet’s bridge scheme, an associa- 
tion has been formed for making experiments, two small 
bridges have been built in France, and arrangements are 
made near St. Malo for a third, a mile in length, to be con- 
structed in two spans of half a mile each. The Emperor 
Napoleon visited the works of M. Boutet, on a site granted 
by the French Government, and His Majesty is stated to 
have expressed himself favourably with regard to the project. 
This bridge is intended to cross from Dover to Blancnez, 
and is advocated, in a paper forwarded on the 27th June to 
the Board of Trade as (1) being less costly than a tunnel; 
(2) occupying less time in construction ; (3) giving no trouble 
in ventilation ; (4) avoiding the danger of sudden inundations. 
“‘ Mr. Charles Boyd has forwarded to the Board of Trade 
a pamphlet containing his proposal for a ‘marine viaduct’ 
from Dover to Cape Gris-Nez, constructed with iron girders 
on Igo towers, 500 feet apart, and 500 feet above the sea, 
and he estimates the cost of such a bridge at £30,000,000. 
‘‘Mr. Hawkins Simpson has addressed the Board of 
