274 Obiervaiiojis on taking down anJ 



and cash to the amount of 112,000/. It was intended that the 

 corporation of London should take up the money, for the pur- 

 poses of the new bridge, on the security of the Bridge House 

 estates; but as they only produce an annual income of about 

 26,000Z., of which 11,000/. are required for management, there 

 only remained 15,000/. per annum to pay the interest of money 

 to be borrowed ; and allowing the appropriation of a part gra- 

 dually to pay off the principal, it became manifest, that the 

 estates would not be security for more than 250,000/., which, 

 added to the 1 12,000/. in hand, afforded from these estates only 

 360,000/.' towards the new bridge ; this sum has wonderfully 

 increased since 1818, so that the corporation are now able to 

 give 200,000/., and raise 400,000/., and reserve for manage- 

 ment, 4"C'> 12,000/. per annum. Government is to give, also, 

 150,000/., divided into annual payments, in seven years ; during 

 which time the public are to submit to the nuisance, both in 

 respect to the navigation, and the thoroughfare over the river. 

 Hence it appears, that there are about 750,000/. in embryo for 

 the new bridge, squaring, of course, with the estimates ; but, upon 

 referring to the bill brought into parliament this session, for 

 rebuilding London Bridge, there seems to have been originally 

 some doubt as to the sufficiency of means *; for it will be found, 

 that the commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury were to be 

 allowed to issue exchequer bills for the approaches, and they 

 were also to be allowed to pay the expenses of the act, and 

 direct taxes were to be levied on the public, on coals and wine 

 imported into the city of London, for liquidating and paying 

 the interests of these Exchequer bills, under the sc/een of what 

 is called the Orphans' Fund, and indirectly, by the introduction 

 of a clause to exempt the corporation '■^ from the payment of any 

 damage to persons, or their houses, estates, vessels, or property, 

 by reason of the increased rise of the tide of the said river above 



• The amended bill makes the doubt ypproach to a certainty ; for it is 

 said to contain a specific clause, that no one shall be entitled to compensa- 

 tion for any nuisance, obstruction, or injury, on account of the bridge re- 

 mainiDi; unfinished, in case the sum or sums of money, to be raised and ad- 

 vanced, prove insufficient to complete the same. 



