CHAP. II. OLD LONDON BRIDGE. 261 



It was long before any second bridge was built over 

 tin- Thames m-ar London. The advantages derived from 

 the current of traffic passing through the City from a dis- 

 trict extending for fifty or sixty miles on either side the 

 river, were felt to be of such importance that the citizens 

 would not lightly part with them. Bridges were regarded 

 as the best feeders of towns and cities, and wherever one 

 was erected, all the avenues by which it was approached 

 became speedily converted into streets of valuable houses. 

 At the two ends of the Thames Bridge were London and 

 Southwark ; at Tyne Bridge, Newcastle and Gateshead ; 

 and at the Medway Bridge, Rochester and Strood. But 

 London was extending westward with such rapid strides, 

 and the population of Westminster as well as Lambeth 

 had so much increased, that the provision of an addi- 

 tional bridge for those districts, in course of time came 

 to be regarded as a matter of absolute necessity. 



A movement with this object seems to have been 

 commenced in the reign of Charles II., but the project 

 was vigorously resisted by the citizens of London. They 

 waited upon his Majesty in state, and implored him to 

 oppose the measure ; and, on his compliance with their 

 petition, their expression of gratitude towards him was 

 as great as if he had delivered the City from a famine, 

 or a plague, or a great fire, or some such overwhelming 

 calamity. It is not improbable that the citizens secured 

 his Majesty's support by the offer of money, which he 

 very much wanted at the time ; for we find from the 

 records of the Common Council, of date the 25th October, 

 HUM, that upon advancing, by way of loan, the sum of 

 100,000. to Charles II., the citizens took occasion to 

 thank his Majesty in the following terms for preventing 

 the erection of the new bridge at Westminster : 



" And withal to represent unto his Majesty the 

 City's great sense and apprehension of, and most humble 

 thanks for, the great instance of his Majesty's good and 

 favour towards them expressed in preventing of the new 



