he Bank of England, about 1694, the
matter slumbered until 1767, when the Corporation of the City of London
embanked one mile of the river. The question arose spasmodically until
1838, when the Corporation consulted with the Government as to the
advisability of embanking the Thames all the way between London and
Vauxhall Bridges, and, in Jan., 1839, the Government sanctioned surveys
being made and estimates prepared; the whole correspondence concerning
which may be found in the _Times_ of 2 Feb., 1839. But no practical
steps were taken in the matter until 1860, when the Metropolitan Board of
Works memorialised the House of Commons, and a Committee was appointed
which sat for the first time on 30 Ap., 1861. An Act for carrying out
the scheme was passed on 7 Aug., 1862, and the work was commenced in Nov.
of the same year. The northern (Victoria) embankment, which terminated
at Whitehall Stairs, was opened (as far as the footway went) to the
public on 30 July, 1868.

Victoria Park took a shorter time to mature. The first mention of it,
that I can find, is in the _Times_ of March, 1839: "The inhabitants of
St. Mary, Whitechapel, are bestirring themselves to obtain the formation
of a Royal Park in their neighbourhood, and the Vestry of the parish are
about to bring the matter before the public." And they did so with such
good effect that an Act was passed on 21 June, 1841 (4 & 5 Vic., c. 27),
"To enable Her Majesty's Commissioners of Works to complete the Contract
for the Sale of York House, and to purchase certain lands for a Royal
Park." York House was sold to the Duke of Sutherland, and with the
whole, or part, of the purchase money, the Commissioners were to purchase
certain lands or hereditaments containing about 290 acres, which "shall
for ever, thereafter, be taken and be a Royal Park, by the name of
'Victoria Park.'" The Park was completed, and opened to the public, in
1845.

On Monday, 25 March, occurred a most daring robbery of gold dust valued
at 4,600 pounds, which, at the time, created a great sensation. It seems
that two boxes of gold dust were brought to this country from Mexico, in
the Sea Gull Packet, consigned to the Brazilian Mining Co., and were
landed at Falmouth. They were, subsequently, transshipped on board the
City of Limerick steamer, which arrived at Dublin on Sunday afternoon.
The boxes were not landed at the wharf until Monday morning, and, at noon
on that day, the stranger who obtaine