There are also sixteen burgesses and their assistants, whose office in all respects resembles that of the Aldermen’s deputies of the city of London, each having his proper ward under his jurisdiction; and out of these are elected two head burgesses, one for the city, and the other for the liberties, who take place in the court leet, next to the head bailiff.
There is also a High Constable, who is also chosen by the court leet, and has all the other constables under his direction.
Thus the government of Westminster has but little resemblance to that of an opulent and noble city; it being much more like that of a little country borough, since its representatives are chosen by its householders, and it has not the power of making freemen; has no trading companies; nor any other courts, besides those of the leet, the sessions, and a court of requests lately erected, and yet, according to Maitland, it contains 15,445 houses; many of which are laid out in handsome streets and squares, and pays annually 11,870l. 8s. 9d. on account of the church; and 20,723l. 17s. 3d. on account of the poor.
Besides the above officers, there are in Westminster, and its liberties, 52 inquestmen, 12 surveyors of the highways, 55 constables, 31 beadles, 236 watch-men, and 80 scavengers, who pay to the rakers 4127l. per annum for cleaning the streets.
Westminster Bridge. The horse-ferry at Westminster was perhaps one of the most frequented passages over the river of Thames, ever since the building of London Bridge, and laying aside the ancient ferry there. From the multitude of coaches, carriages and horses continually passing and repassing at all hours, times, and seasons, many inconveniences and accidents unavoidably happened, and in a course of time many lives were lost. To prevent these inconveniences and dangers the Archbishop of Canterbury and several other noblemen, in the year 1736, procured an act of parliament for building a bridge across the Thames, from New Palace yard, to the opposite shore in the county of Surry: but this act was not obtained without great opposition from the people of London and Southwark, and some fainter efforts used by the bargemen and watermen of the Thames; but private interest was obliged to give way to the public advantage, and preparations were made for carrying on this great work under the sanction of the legislature.
At length the ballastmen of Trinity house were employed to open a large hole for the foundation of the first pier to the depth of five feet under the bed of the river, and this being finished and levelled at the bottom, it was kept to a level by a proper inclosure of strong piles. Mean while, a strong case of oak, secured and strengthened with large beams, was prepared of the form and dimensions of the intended pier in the clear; this was made water proof and being brought over the place, was secured within the piles.
In this wooden case the first stone was laid on the 29th of January, 1738–9, by the late Earl of Pembroke; the case of boards was above the high-water mark, and it sinking gradually by the weight of the prodigious blocks of stone strongly cemented to its bottom, the men continued to work as on dry ground, though at a great depth under water. Thus the western middle pier was first formed, and in the same manner were all the other piers erected, and when finished, the planks on the sides being taken off, the stone work appeared entire. The superstructure was added in the common method, and the whole finished in the most neat and elegant manner, and with such simplicity and grandeur, that whether viewed from the water, or more closely examined by the passenger who goes over it, it fills the mind with an agreeable surprise.
This bridge is universally allowed to be one of the finest in the world. It is adorned and secured on each side by a very lofty and noble balustrade, there are recesses over every pier, which is a semioctogan. Twelve of them are covered with half domes, viz., four at each end, and four in the middle. Between these in the middle are pedestals on which was intended a group of figures; this would greatly add to the magnificence by making the centre more principal (which it ought to be) and giving it an air of magnificence and grandeur suitable to the city to which it belongs; a great number of lamps are so agreeably disposed on the top of the recesses as at once to contribute to the purposes of use and beauty. This magnificent structure is 1223 feet in length, and above three hundred feet longer than London Bridge. The ascent at the top is extremely well managed, and the room allowed for passengers, consists of a commodious foot way seven feet broad on each side, paved with broad Moor stone, and raised above the road allowed for carriages. This last is thirty feet wide, and is sufficient to admit the passage of three carriages and two horses on a breast, without the least danger.
The construction and distance of the piers from each other are so managed, that the vacancies under the arches allowed for the water-way, are four times as much as at London Bridge, and in consequence of this, there is no fall, nor can the least danger arrive to boats in passing through the arches. The piers, which are fourteen, have thirteen large and two small arches, all semicircular. These with two abutments constitute the bridge, whose strength is not inferior to its elegance.
The length of every pier is seventy feet, and each end is terminated with a saliant angle against either stream. The breadth of the two middle piers is seventeen feet at the springing of the arches, and contain three thousand cubic feet, or near two hundred tons of solid stone; and the others on each side, regularly decrease one foot in breadth, so that the two next to the largest are each sixteen feet, and so on to the two least next the sides, which are no more than twelve feet wide at the springing of the arches.