1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



.351 



drain wliicli cannot be charged upon any particular owner of lands and tene- 

 ments, and of widening or deepening any coninion sewer or couinion drain 

 already existing, and of repairing and cleansing each common sewer and com- 

 mon drain when made, shall he borne by the owners of all lands and tene- 

 ments within the level, valley, or district, or part thereof, for which such 

 separate rates are made, wherein such common sewer or common drain is 

 situated. 



29. That, subject to the provisions herein contained, the instalments pay- 

 able for making any common sewer or common drain, and all rates which the 

 commissioners are empowered to assess and shall assess upon any lands or 

 ments within their jurisdiction, shall be recoverable, if not paid, by distress, 

 &c. either of the owner or of the then present or any future occupier of such 

 lands and tenements. 



30. No occupier of any land or tenement for a less term than from year to 

 year shall be required to pay, more than the whole amount of rent which was 

 due and payable from him at the time when the notice herein-before men- 

 tioned in each case shall have been delivered to him, or left upon the pre- 

 mises as aforesaid, or which shall thenceforth from time to time accrue and 

 become payable by him. unless he shall neglect or refuse, upon application 

 made to him for that purpose by or on behalf of the commissioners, truly to 

 disclose the amount of his rent, and the name and address of the person to 

 ■whom such rent is payable ; but the burden of proof that the sum demanded 

 of any such occupier is greater than the rent which was due by him at the 

 time of such notice, or which shall have since accrued, shall lie upon such 

 occupier. 



31. In every case in which any tenant or occupier shall have paid any sum 

 for making, repairing, or cleansing any common sewer, &c., or for making or 

 repairing any branch drain, or any cesspool or privy, in respect of his occu- 

 pation of such lands or tenements, he shall he entitled to deduct from hi 

 rent such part of the amount so paid by him as is herein-after specified ; (that 

 is to say,) if at the time of such payment he is a tenant for an uncxjured 

 term of 7 years, or any less term, he may deduct the whole amount paid by 

 him ; if for more than " years and not more than 14 years, he may deduct 

 4 thereof; if for more than 14 years and not more than 21 years, he may de- 

 duct f thereof; if for more than 21 years and not more than 28 years, he 

 may deduct § thereof; if for more than 2S years and not more than 3j years, 

 he may deduct ^ thereof; but if for more than 35 years, he shall not be en- 

 titled to deduct any part thereof : provided always, that any tenant under a 

 lease containing a covenant for renewal thereof shall be deemed a tenant for 

 the full term to which his holding may be extended under such covenant ; 

 and that every tenant for a term depending upon a life or lives shall be deemed 

 a tenant for such absolute term of years as shall be of the same value as such 

 contingent term, according to the government tables for the purchase of life 

 annuities ; and every lessor, being himself also a tenant or lessee of any lands 

 or tenements, from whose rent any part of the amount so paid to commis- 

 sioners shall have been deducted, shall be entitled in like manner to deduct 

 from the rent payable by him to his lessor such part thereof as according to 

 the provisions herein-before contained he would have been entitled to deduct 

 from his rent had he paid to the commissioners as aforesaid the sum so de- 

 ducted from the rent payable to him ; and the receipt of the commissioners, 

 or of their treasurer or clerk, duly authorized in that behalf, shall be in each 

 case a sufficient discharge for so much of the rent as is hereby authorized to 

 bededucted : provided always, that nothing herein contained shall he taken 

 to aftect any special contract between any lessor and tenant or occupier of 

 any lands or tenements, whereby it is agreed that the tenant or occupier shall 

 defray the charges of making, repairing, or cleansing all or any sewers, drains, 

 cesspools, and privies belonging thereunto. 



40. .\nd be it enacted, that the limits of this act in England shall be the 

 city of London ; every place within six miles in a straight line from St. Paul, 

 and also within the jurisdiction of any commission of sewers now in force for 

 any part of the counties of Middlesex or Surrey, during the continuance of 

 such commission ; and also every place in England within the jurisdiction of 

 any commission of sewers w hich shall be duly issued after the passing of this 

 act, by letters patent, wherein it shall be expressly declared that such com- 

 mission is issued in furtherance of the provisions of this act. 



41. .\fter the passing of this act it shall be lawful for her Majesty, &c., to 

 issue commissions of sewers in furtherance of this act for any part of Ireland. 



42. .\nd be it enacted, that this act shall extend to Scotland, and shall in- 

 clude all royal and parliamentary burghs, burghs of barony and regality, and 

 also all towns and villages in Scotland which her Majesty with the advice of 

 her privy council shall from time to time order to be within the provisions of 

 this act. 



IMPROVEMENT OF BOROUGHS. 



There is a Bill now before the House of Commons intituled " an Act for 

 the improvement of certain Boroughs, "which act is to grant powers for open- 

 ing and widening close and narrow streets, alleys, passages and places therein, 

 and for otherwise improving the town, such powers to be vested in the coun- 

 cils of such boroughs, under certain restrictions. The follow ing clause is the 

 most important, and explains when the council is empowered to take lands 

 compulse rj-. 



4. And be it enacted, that in any of the following cases the council shall 

 be empowered, if they think fit, to take any lands which they shall require 

 for the purposes of this act, with or without the consent of the several 

 owners and other persons interested therein, subject nevertheless to the pro- 



visions for ascertaining and giving compensation for the value of such lands, 

 and for the other purposes herein-after contained ; (that is to say,) 



1. When any such lands are needed for the purpose of opening a thorough- 

 fare through any court or alley which is closed at either end : 



2. When any such lands are needed for the purpose of widening any 

 thoroughfare which is narrower than 20 feet : 



3. Wlwn any such lands project 10 feet or more beyond the general line 

 of the street : 



4. When the council shall have agreed with the owners thereof for the ab- 

 solute purchase of the lands on each side of the lands so required to be 

 taken, the value of those already agreed for being at least 10 times the 

 value of those not agreed for : 



5. When any such messuages or tenements built before the passing of this 

 act are contrary to the provisions of an act passed in this session of par- 

 liament, intituled " an Act for regulating Buildings in large Towns and 

 Villages," and are not amended according to the provisions of the said 

 act within six calendar months after notice thereof given by the coimcil 

 to the owner or occupier thereof; 



Provided always, that it shall not be lawful for the conncil to take any such 

 messuages, lands, or tenements, without the consent of the owners and other 

 persons interested therein, unless with the approval of the commissioners of 

 her Majesty's woods, forests, land revenues, works, and buildings. 



NEW HOUSES OF P.\RLIAMENT.— VENTILATION, &c. 



The following is a copy of the correspondence for the warming and venti,- 

 ^.ation of the two Houses of Parliament, laid before Parliament. 



Office of Woods, Ang. 27, 1841. 

 Sir — The progress of the works at the new Houses of Parliament, and the 

 necessity of laying down the foundations on which the flues for warming and 

 ventilating the houses are constructed, induced me to desire Mr. Barry and 

 Dr. Reid to make a joint report on these subjects, by which it appears that a 

 sum of 86,000/. will be required for warming, ventilating, and securing the 

 buildings from fire, according to the following statement : — 



Ventilating tower £20,000 



Air and chimney flues iu the walls 12,320 



Apparatus 12,000 



£44,320 

 For securing the buildings from fire — 



Fire-proof floors under the roof £20,680 



Brick floor on iron beams between the 



principal and upper stories 21,000 



41,680 



£86,000 

 I must observe, that in this sum Mr. Barry has included the sum of 20,000^. 

 for a centre tower, not intended in the original plan, but which will be sa 

 constructed as to suit Dr. Reid's new system of ventilation, which he con- 

 siders will be a great addition to the beauty of the structure. I am unwilling 

 to recommend so large a sum to the Treasury without the sanction of Parlia- 

 ment, although a considerable part will be necessary under any circumstances, 

 if the houses are to be warmed and ventilated on the system adopted by Dr. 

 Reid in the present temporary houses, and which appears to me to give gene- 

 ral satisfaction. 



From the prices at which contracts have been taken for the works already 

 in progress, there can be no doubt, with care and attention, that a consider- 

 able saving will take place on the original estimate that was sanctioned by 

 the committee of the two houses ; and 1 therefore request you to bring the 

 subject before the House of Commons, as the state of the woiks makes it ne- 

 cessary that some decision should be come to without delay ; I wUl only add, 

 that no unnecessary delay has taken place in bringing this subject forward, 

 and that Dr. Reid has delivered in his estimate as soon as the state of the 

 works allowed him to do so. 



I have, &c., 



DlXCANNO.V. 



The Right Hon. F. T. Baring, &c. 



Westminster. Aug. 21. 1841. 



Mv Lord — I beg to submit for your Lordship's consideration, a drawing 

 of the river front of the new Houses of Parliament, showing the eftect of a 

 central tower of the height and diameter required by Dr. Reid for the purpose 

 of ventilation, according to bis first suggestion ; and 1 have no hesitation in 

 expressing my opinion, that the adoption of such a feature in the design 

 would considerably improve the general eflfect and importance of the intended 

 building. 



I have, &c.. 



The Viscount Duncanuon. Charles Barrv. 



Whitehall Treasury Chambers, 

 Sept. 14, 1841. 



T. F. Freemantle. 



