The Press. — London, England, 1855-10-13 00:00:00

WO OCTOBER 13, 1855• Is told to fire steady; But the Times can " pot" At a random shot, For its game has fallen already. Oh, the Leader, The self•elected Leader, The vilest cause Wins your applause, And finds in you a pleader! It never spares— Yet only dares When cowards may be hardy; But if it make A slight mistake Repentance is not tardy, For every day 'Twill mouth away Some dictum of the past day, Nor ever stint New lies to print, Nor keep from wrong a Fast Day. Oh, the Leader, The self-elected Leader, The vilest cause Wins your applause, And finds in you a pleader ! It told us once Peel was a dunce, And fools were all his party; But, Peel in place, - - Thought no disgrace To give him aid most hearty. It aye decried The losing side, And called old Pam a traitor ; But to pow'r he's raised, And so he's praised By his old calumniator. Oh, the Leader, The self-elected Leader, The vilest cause Wins your applause, And finds in you a pleader! Disraeli, It used to cry, Was the greatest of financiers Till Lord Derby fell, When it 'gan to tell Of his " gross extravagance," sirs. High Church and Low, War's friend and foe, A Protestant and Papist— With Peel a prig, With Lord John a Whig, And with Gladstone a red-tapist. Oh, the Leader, The self-elected Leader, There's not a cause But's had your applause, And found in you a pleader ! SINGULAR EVIDENCE. Tim Blue Book containing the proceedings and Report of the Select Committee on Metropolitan Communications has been published during the past week. It comprises a great deal of interesting matter to which we may hereafter have occasion to revert. At present we would call attention to some of the evidence given before the Com mittee, and especially to the following :- 146. (Lord PALMERSTON examined.) Do you think London re quires any new communications ? Well, I don't know that it does. I find no difficulty in getting about. _ _ . 147. But your Lordship's route is usually through aristocratic streets, not crowded by commerce. It seems to me that there is a practical remedy for practical men. If they are likely to be delayed in their way to an appointment, why let 'em start half an hour earlier. If a bird wants to catch worms, he must be an early bird, you know. I don't like pulling down. I like stare super vial antiquas—to stare at the old streets. 148. Then your Lordship has no particular cut to recommend? No, except the cut which I always recommended to the late Chief Commissioner of Works. 140. And what was that ? Two-thirds of all his speeches. (Great laughter.) 270. (The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.) Have you formed any opinion upon the subject before the Committee? I have considered the history of communications, ancient and !MAIM with some care ) and with the permission of the Committee I THE PRESS. will first recur to the former. We need not, perhaps, go back to the time of the Carthaginians, who first paved roads, but begin with their imitators, the Romans. Their first paved road was to Capua, after wards continued to Brundusium, which is about 350 miles. It was called Regina Viarum, which may, I think, be fairly translated, Queen Street. The Paving Commissioners should be aware that this road was ordinarily about fourteen feet wide, and contained a stratum of rough stones cemented with mortar, and over that another of gravel. The stones for foot-passengers were called margines. 271. This is very interesting, but its bearing upon the question is not so evident. All facts connected with a topic should be carefully considered. I deem it desirable, therefore, to remind the Committee that among the Romans the charge of the roads and streets was intrusted to men of the highest rank, who were attended by lictors. I need not do more than mention that the Roman streets were called vim, and the cross streets vie transverse; and I proceed to the bridges, which form an important part of our subject, because I understand that a bridge over the Thames from a street at the east end of St. Paul's is contem plated. There were eight bridges in Rome—the pons sublicius, the pons Fabricius, the pons Cestius, the pons (The witness was removed in custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, to whom he explained that the "pone lifilvius" was outside the city). 309. (Sir GEORGE GREY.) Do you think that additional facilities for traffic ought to be afforded? Certainly not. People pester me quite enough already, without your making it easier for them to come to my office. I wish, on the contrary, that anybody who wanted to call at the Home-office had to go ten miles round. (The witness left hastily and in displeasure.) 516. (Mr. FREDERIC PEEL.) Would you widen the streets, and make new communications? Without committing myself to a reply to that question, I am of opinion that the preservation of the existing condition of things may be defended very satisfactorily. In the first place, carts and carriages have been built with reference to the present state of your streets, and their size will be disproportioned to a changed! arrangement. Next, I think, if you widen the street, it will be more difficult for the time keepers of the omnibuses to read the number of each vehicle as it passes. Again, you will have more accidents, if you increase the distance a foot-passenger has to run in order to get out of the way of the carriages. Fourthly, I think that the vested interest of the dossing-sweeper, who undertook the business of sweeping twenty yards, ought to be considered before you increase his work to thirty yards. In regard to new streets, they are an innovation, but I think that if you would appoint a salaried commission to examine and report upon the subject, it might, at some future time, be brought under the consideration of Government. 613. (Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH.) Will you favour the Com mittee with any opinions you may have on the points before them ? I think that the subject may be regarded in various lights, the social, the financial, and the constitutional being the three of most importance. In a social point of view, there can be no doubt that the more you enable a man to communicate with his fellows, the more opportunity you afford him of exchanging assistance and succour with them, and thus of fulfilling the implied compact under which society is held together. In a financial point of view, I think not only that it is wise to promote commerce, but that a special tax—which will certainly become necessary as we proceed with the war, and which I propose to suggest to my Right Hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer—namely, a tax upon every revolution of every wheel of every vehicle in the kingdom, will be rendered more productive by every additional facility to locomotion. In a constitutional point of view, I think it may be held that, as the contract between a constitutional monarch and his or her subjects provides for reasonable liberty of action on the part of both, such provision is defeated if the sovereign in his carriage, or the mechanic in his cart, is prevented from easy and speedy ingress, egress, and regress throughout the scene of their respective avocations 740. (Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE.) In what way would you facilitate communication in the City? I'd silence the church-bells. 741. Pray why, sir ? Because that would be getting rid of the tolls. 742. Would you suggest anything else ? Yes. I'd have a road from the top of the Monument into the middle of next week. 743. Anything further? (The witness was ransacking his memory for another joke, when it was announced that the Speaker was at prayers. TO " THE PRESS." You fully calculate, no doubt, That if the Premier be well shaken, He must eventually go out — But you're decidedly mistaken. For, mark, his power can scarcely cease If, when he's in, he rolls war's thunder; And, if he's out, the Palm of peace The glad land would live smiling under. I.N•immonsmomoillMMOl a 977