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GLASGOW BRIDGE.

Copy of a REPORT delivered at Glafgow by Mr. Smeaton , in Octo-ber, 1760, from a copy thereof received from Mr. Murdock in aletter, dated April 20, 1768.

“ Report concerning the fituation of the intended new bridge over the river

Clyde at Glafgow

H AYING carefully examined the river at feverr different places,, viz. ift, oppofiteJamaica Street ; 2d, at the middle of the ifland, commonly called Ducat Green ; 3d,in a line palling behind the Gorbal church * 4th, in a line agreeing, with the ftreet thatruns before the Gorbal church; 5th, at the prefent bridge; 6th, at the flaughter-houfe,in a line with the new ftreet; and 7th, at the Green of Glafgow , almoft oppofite to thegate leading from the bottom of the Salt-Market,, of which a particular account is con-tained in the paper annexed, from whence it appears to me that the fituation of the pre-fent bridge is not the molt eligible, for the following reafons : ift, On account of thegreatnefs of the length which will increafe the expence; 2d, by the ftreet anfweringthereto on die Gorbal fide being too narrow, and en.barraffed for the main avenue to abridge of 30 feet wide; that ftreet being not above 22 feet at a medium, and in feveralplaces not 18 feet; 3d, becaufe it would not be fafe to build a new bridge in the fame;place, except conformable with the old foundations, which would-fubjedt the new bridgeto great irregularities; for as die prefent bridge appears to be founded upon the iurfaceof a cruft of gravel, covering mud or fleech to an unknown depth, was the new founda-tion upon the interftiees, and the old ones removed for die fake of giving a free paflageto the water, as this cruft is undoubtedly broke through in many places by piles, &e.it would be dangerous to remove them, left, by giving advantage to the Ipeats to gullaway the ground from thenee, a free paflage is given to the mud to efcape, and therebyto render the new pier liable to fettlements, 4th, The difadvantage of wanting a bridgeduring the time of building a. new one, or the charge of a temporary bridge balancedao-ainft the fmall value of the old materials, are too obvious to need infilling upon;2d, The pofition agreeing with, the front of the Gorbal church is not the moft eligible onaccount of the great length between* the' top of the bank on each fide, fo that it would*require the extent of the bridge to be greater than its prefent fituation ; and as the north,end would abut upon the workhoufe dyke, would be too near, and too confined, with-out an opportunity of forming any new ftreet in any good direction from thence, nor is

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