The Sun. — London, England, 1846-09-01 00:00:00

-. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 1, 1846 , titi --.........- ........am..... L et, for violin and piano, in brilliant style, and the 'lit able r ro acc oropaisied all the vocal music in his usually ve r y t a nner, on a pianoforte of Erard, to which i. that titti t ' P' e asing and ingenious invention, the "iEn la% l ea ehment," gave double zest and piquancy. The band, ta ns y Mr. A. Mellon, from. London, played two . over tb, of Weber and Beethoven with great spirit, and tfr concert passed off NNith the utmost Mut. It was an tetive climax to the week's festivities. 6PORTING INTELLIGENCE. Sir T TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY. tyroptomatton Sykes, wh o a t fi rs t s h owe d unfavourable ran a, came strongly into favour as the afternoon ad- T r Tr itt ,;' and, although nominally at the same price The be c Ocr, left off the better favourite. The Traverser 11 0 ,7, la two or three places at 6 to 1. and lago, Fancy ttea,"l,/draston, and Broc - ardO at 9 and 10 to 1, leaving off Ca at the odds quoted. Pyrrhus the First and Mount l a ir were declared not to start ; and such liberal odds were t 14,1,1101115 t Dolo that we may fairly look upon him as ou pir."l race. The field appears likely to be a small one. 'give the last quotations :.•-• 4 I 0 1 LEAMINGTON STAKES. agst Mr. Mostyn's Camera Obscura—taken 10 to 1 agst Sir J. G erar d' s Pantasa—taken Mongrel quite friendless. ST. LEGER. 6 to 1 agst Mr. W. Scott's Sir Tatton Sykes—taken 6 to 1 agst Mr. O'Brien's The Traverser—t. and aft. off. 9 t o o 1 agst G enera l Sh u b r i c k' s B rocar d o —t a k en 10 1 9 0 t 1 agst Mr. Bleiklam's Fancy Boy to 1 agst Col. Anson' s lago —taken. gto 1 agst Mr• O'Brien's Grimston—taken ; t o 1 agst Meiklam's Poynton 2 t t °l agst Lord Ch es t er fi e ld' s F ree L a nce 40 o agst Lord E. Russell's Sting—taken 6 6 to 1 a gst Mr. Nunn's Joanna colt 600 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Dolo too ev en between Grimston and lago t° 60 0 on Traverser agst Fancy Boy—laid twice. GREAT YORKSHIRE RANDICAP. 8 to 1 east Mr. Wormald's Quadruped—taken to 1 ag 10 t o agat Sir J. Hawle J 's Bravissimo—taken st Mr. L. F ox ' s une—taken. Th e STIRLING RACES.— FRIDAY. 14a ttnn° Cltbllrß Stakes of 20 sovs. each, 10 ft, and 20 St, t or three-y rs o ld co l ts, Bst 71b s, and fillies, Bst 41bs. k i;-'eHer Course. . ll ' r 'ller„„ lle rltsoa's Inglewood walked over. ittr,.."o:bgerutsoSnta,skes of 5 sovs. each, and 25 added. Two miles. Tom Tough, 6 yrs ( W. Parr) 1 kr 14°fuitone's Snake, 3 yrs T he F sa 'a Malcolm, 3 vrs.. .... Stakes of ' 3 sovs. each, 1 ft, and 25 added. Or tor/ Qi Heats, once round. ealyon,-s Ly - curgus, 4 yrs. olkr, ve.e,,aedrs b f by The Doctor, 3 yrs 2 0 2 ir.N; 44° , 11) 8 Lillie A.die, 5 yrs ... ........ 1 0 0 Nien?'l4Cameleopard, 4 vrs -41114 handicap of ssovs. each, and 25 added. One a • l mile. kr Lyur ft - st 10lb ~idl"daon's Mes e rneria, Gst 81b The °Rthian, Eglantine, Claudia, and The Bashaw, also ran. Stakes of 5 sovs. , each were won by Surety, 'll4gsoadinage, Mesmeria, and another. The elirr Y Stakes were won by Precursor. Pl 4, STOCKTON RACES.—FIoinAY. 4 ' 40 (1 Stakes of 10 sovs. each, and 15 added, for two e e . „{ colts, Bst 71b - fillies Bst 31b ; the winner of the kr. colts, albs extra. Seven ' furlongs. kott'i Tim Whiffler 44.'441%11's br c by D'E . 11 e 2 The 6„igreare's Bit . Nibble 1 3 57cepers' Plate of 20 sovs., added to a Handicap of t h ( . S tI SL I N 3 B ,, ) e4OII , 3 ft. Heats, once round and a distance. /14-114°°'s Obscuritv, 5 yrs, Bst 41b (Lye) 3 1 1 gr. spleave's Advice , 5 y 7st 101 b 1 3 2 kr, 4°bings's Bill P e, rs 6st 101 b Ives's ety P urvis, - Y rs 'ist 2 dr c01t 8 , 3. 7 S taltes rg ot e h 3 and 10added; for 2 yrs old ,-4t lb' and fillies ys Bst ac 4 9 1 b • the winner of the 'fees or %14d Stks 3113 , t petiie,t,t_ i tTin) w 1.1 .ffl ex e r r a . T.T.C. (4 Subs.) (Holmes) 1 r 3 Po cket Venus Stebbinges. Brothe . ksaateh , oat ..... 11rrayivir. weights.—Mr. Harding's Zuleika beat Mr. ..-oss Emma. T t , FO RTIFICATIONS OF THE DOCKYARDS. 4 t t : o to; aii-oanrt liv d A ll T e n r His Grace the Duke of Wel -219;5; evening,. and is staying at the hl a j or vio Plymouth. He was immediately waited on or os e -General the Hon. H. Murray, Commander of n the western district. j tuo • 1 ! k b , r ntng, about half-past nine, his Grace appeared 01 the hotel, and was greeted by the hearty I' 4 I: 3f th e few persons assembled. His Grace was 1 1 , 1 14 of Y A the Master-General of the Ordnance, the . Mar j,,!eht A nglesey, who arrived here on Friday in . his ( 1 , -° ttl i p t e - n e ; Pe arl- The Noble Duke and Marquis being - ed by Colonel Rudyard, Royal Artillery, and Oldfiod s'evaeko to the ' o. R yal b Eng h in o - e o e d rs, proceeded at once on (IL gl?e,neigh our of the Blockhouse, at butaiu Stoke, from whence a bird's-eye view can be cl Ytt - e e ,, c1 2 1 most of the fortifications in and surrounding tr o 'a. tr,te r j il t thence his Grace went to Keigham magazine, I.lsPeeting which he proceeded across Hamoaze by I'4• ( 114 4 to Picklecombe Point, Mount Edgcumbe e i ci o , ztil k tl returned to the Royal Hotel, Plymouth, at At KrtYot t his afternoon his Grace entertains a private d• Th e tuner at the Royal Hotel. : l ast official visit of his Grace to Plymouth oc altry,„,l, 4 the year 1819. At that time the Noble Duke tasfi4oti all the d e f e nces, and made some valuable sug• eatensi; which were adopted. At the present moment e s ivin a alterations and improvements ate in progress, At 6e seen by the following statement:— 1 1h, B taddon Poi n t, w hi c h f orms t h e eastern arm of c4' - ,:euth S ou nd, a h a lf- moon b attery i s nearly finished, tti ll tt k e 4l e of mounting eight 56-po un d ers . B eh i nd the cl e ey it is designed to have barracks for accomrno kirg 100 men, and there will be towers erected at each 1 4. ; the S.W. tower to have five stories, and the N.W. = two stories; each story to accommodate 22 men, ftL tts e of a retreat from the barracks. The with falling >r eight to nine feet thick, loopholed, with etiW t °ers, ball proof ; and . under each tower is a tank, c oo` 41 e 0 1 containing sufficient water for four months' ~quiap Con. the Pki r - old battery on Staddon heights has been re. . e d, the pl at f orm rela id , an d guns remo unted. There lieil s e le idea o f construct i ng f o rtifications on these pa, to the cost of 50,0001. Poi (l t ,he west of Plymouth Sound, at Picklecombe ett, s il t ; 'a Mount Edgcumbe Park, a battery is to be 4 t Vetecl similar to the new battery at Staddon Point. 4ttl,'."WeYer, to be more ornamental and in the Gothic hil-h r P i n Maker heights the barracks are repairing, a 1 . h e s:: snot furnace is erected, and traversing guns are ,° ll nted. koutiit- Nicholas, or Drake's Island, which lies under • ', d getinibe considerable alterations are in pro tike ,‘lte „. the left half moon battery is completed; it wil ', 4l tia.. l ',, ut 60- pounders, mounted on traversing plat '' tlk, fiche right half-moon battery will be constructed %in t ; in of similar calibre and principle. It is atreokelY intended to remodel the old battery on the t l%rt e t rin eiPle as the new half moon batteries. New e r e i' s for the officers and new barracks for the men ec o, te df there is also a new hospital and ablution 4 4 % be old canteen is to be converted into barracks, At pr . canteen built. -40 b e -Pn enth citadel the 24-pounders in the lower fort led a -en replaced by 32-pounders and six 68-pounders, L tpk, 1,4d-11ot shot furnace has been erected. In the r e '„, atte rY the 6- pounders used for saluting have t h;' °7 ed and 32-pounders are to be mounte , no t i -141 g - n re ' h tt ' t lo g the southern face. The sa ,,'e to t p„ -114 are now a la n ced in a small battery (betw fo e r en a Vttire . and lower P batteries), originally intended -rep -att rY, but latterly used as a garden frthe a.Q Inc as mall battery at the south-wat sally-po g rts rthe-' Pounders are to be placed. t. 4 fr om Whale number of guns thus pointed towards the 68 1 0 „1 the citadel will be 55 32-pounders and nine for k lati - :ra• Of late years only 23 six-pounders . 1101* I I; 'aye been mounted on the upper batteries i ! iletiv;-e olof the south face will be armed with pe a l ,4l° Pthj: The upper batteries will be furnished with kne d - a - hot shot furnaces. h a ms"" l- ,! t he ra parts considerable alterations have for thaBa time bee m- i p gress. The large store-house i?nt%lll,converitiedlintornbarracks for three hund fa re il d r n e i g er i l . , 4° ling the citadel to accommodate a rac e ' 4 / 1 1 -11:11111.0 v d kitchens have been added with ablution cp:t-couq.The bomb-proofs under f the gy red repatired &c. their brick-arched r b o r o c s ks un to asphalte laid over th© i t ,','n paten !te entrance of water, which formerly saturated 4 vrio r . 4 4:0Pirituai w ants o' the military have been andel %pet,y a reconstruction and enlargement of the citadel f At A , ;(I.llow:ionnt Wise, Devonport, the alteratio ns are as 'et . wo furnaces for heating shot have been `Pe on No. 3 battery, and another on No. 5 bat- Zta e with regard to guns, No. 1 battery remains the h,, 5, V 4l O , eight 24-pounders in the general's garde 6 n : rAlti c j battery has seven 24-pounders, formerly 011 ere. No. 3 battery has now 11 24-pounders, tree 40under guns and on the slope leading to ,Ttide there is new ' saluting battery of sevFri guns. No a . 4 is the mortar battery. On it are L -4 tl• io ree sut3r tars, one 8-inch, one 10-inch, and one 13-inch. Ns I.tioubt are eight 24 -pounder guns ; and 0. 4, lit, - JP which completes the list, mounts eight 9 it,Ne • ci ti e 4g_ u ns ; these guns remain the same, but the car_ e e new and of iron. A battery is building on %veil over Richmond-walk Quarry. It is to mount ,At I,,,2lounders. tO b e " " t ern King Redoubt, Stonehouse Point, there sh ot p n ew embrasures for two heavy guns, and red iA At Eastern King (Old Long Room) uttte`r.ll,,tlPosed to construct a battery similar to the barrack keo„;" Stubborn Point, but with much greater Iti etv e "'Clition to these fortifications, plans . and estimates , tlcr et a ett made for new works at the Kinerbury.pot ofT t c l r th le, to cost 212,000 /., and it is said that in t d e e i tv , - war immense floating batteries would be moore t'ats ao " c e r end of the breakwater, further to defend t h e PLl.,4)Bhis important arsenal.naval , SATURDAY DrENING, 11 O'CLOCK. m outh ' the worshipful the Mayor of Ply to ? °lll leil 11111111 °Red a meeting of the members of the town '4l th e - ,' Who unauirnously resolved to present an address Il qii e „,illke of Wellington provided the same was the ascer tai n Of Lhis Grace. - Messrs. Sultan and Lockyer, 1 4e°1 11sis, 13 L. 1 , t he corporation who waited on the Duke informed `uat h e "'swishes, ware, however, courteously th e , o rau:st decline the proposed compliment, but that lit Yin - v ce r' L ° 4 of an address would have been highly gra- Tbe N.9oolise Grace had time permitted. r, c iar .. h ps iyrao p u u th k ) e en h t e ertained at dinner at the Royal Marquis of Anglesey, Lord 41‘11riltle: -eolPdafigeeldt nel rolonel Rudyard, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and another gentle d Ilia Grace leaves this early to-morrow morning, 717111 sleep at A sl house the same night. 4 '44 gallant Commander-in Chief left London and k HUD "31 rail and post•ehaise 236 miles to Plymouth on Friday, rode on horseback 20 miles on Saturday, and retraced the 236 miles on Sunday. WESTMINSTER BRIDGE. The ;yid, of demolition proceeds rapidly, and there is e( rtainly but little trouble required in taking down the front walls that fill the hollows between the arches and carry the balustrade; the wonder is that the mass of bose sand that is filled in behind these walls to support the footways should not have pushed them into the river. "To what base uses we may return!" Here are the cornices and carved work, and other ornaments of a structure which was at one time (as the Select Com mittee's report states) " the largest bridge in Europe that covered water, all the year round, and was con sidered wonderful, " bundled, without respect or dis tinction, into carts and barges with rubble and rubbish of all kinds. According to the present rate, the piers will in a short time have less to carry, and, should the bridge fall into the river, there will be less to fall—both very sufficient reasons, we think, for the great activity. That the workmen at the sides of the bridge may not be interrupted, the road for foot passengers is now between temporary fences near the middle of what was lately the carriage way. The stoppage of footway communications, and the loss to shopkeepers and tradesmen, as well as the in convenience to the multitude of passengers, would be very great if they were deprived of a foot passage at Westminster. 'The evidence before the Select Com mittee is not yet published. By the report which we gave in our journal there appears to have been an opinion that the present might be used as a temporary bridge while the new one was being built, but that " Mr, Walker urged, in the spring of 1845, the erection of a temporary bridge as at that time desirable, and that he urged it again with increased earnestness before the late Committee." To secure a passage withci!t danger may be presumed the principal reason for this recom mendation ; the objection was probably the expense, and the opinion that the oil bridge might be made to answer the temporary purpose. The water-bailiff has visited .he bridge, and is in communication with the Lord Mayor as to the means of removing the obstruction to navigation that might be caused by any sudden failure. STEAM-BOAT COLLISION IN CANADA. We regret to state that one of those melancholy steamboat accidents, from which our waters have been hitherto most happily exempt, occurred about 1 o'clock this morning, off Three Rivers. We have as yet been able to obtain but a very imperfect statement of this disastrous affhir, but from various sources have gleaned the following details connected with it:—The Rowland Hill had reached Three Rivers on her way to Quebec, and after discharging a portion of her freight and taking on board several passengers, had just left the wharf, and was proceeding into the middle of the stream, when the Quebec, on her upward trip, came into collision wit'a her with such force that the whole of the larboard wing of the Rowland Hill was carried away. The wheel on that side, and the shaft, were borne on to the deck of the Quebec, and lay there at a distance of about t.-n feet from her bow. The Quebec suffered little or no injury. A gentleman who was a passenger in the Rowland Hill stated to us that it appeared to him as if the Quebec would have passed completely over the unfortunate vessel. The shock naturally drove the freight of the unlucky craft to one side, and thus canted her over, and she began to fill. Some barrels of flour, we understand, were pitched through the skylight into the cabin. The alarm and confusion consequent upon the accident may be better imagined than described. Many of the passengers (and we hear there were between 50 and 60 in the cabin) were in their berths. The gentlemen in the upper (deck) berths on the side highest out of the water were unable to force open their doors, and had had to escape by the small windows of the berths. Many of them emerged in their night clothes. The cries of the ladies and children are said to have been heart rending. Fee,' ing death from drowning, they rushed pell-mell from the cabin, with hair, untressed, and half clad ; those excepted who had but a few minutes before embarked at Three Rivers. To add to the general alarm the cry of fire was now given on board the Rowland Hill. The coals and fuel wood near the furnaces had ignited, but were speedily extinguished by the prompt assistance of the parties at hand. There has undoubtedly been loss of life, but to what extent is not yet known. Some accounts represent that two of the crew alone perished ; others that several passengers were victims, some crushed to death, snd ethers drowned. This feet connected with the sad tale cannot be made out for a few days to come. The Quebec checked her speed immediately after the ac cident occurred, and drew alongside the Rowland Hill (which floated down) to take on board her passengers. The latter finally stranded off the Black River, where she now lies. The Lord Sydenham, Captain C. L. Arm strong, arrived at Three Rivers, about five minutes after the collision took place. When nearing the wharf, theper sons on shore called to the captain not to come- to, as there were perso - rs in the water. He immediately laid his vessel alongside the upper wharf, lowered his boat, and went in search of the persons supposed to be immersed. Not finding any near the wharf, he rowed down towards the Black River, until he fell in with the wreck, when he rendered every assistance in his power, and that of his men, in saving the passengers. He finally brought down the Sydenham, and ran in between the Quebec and Rowland Hill, and received on board the travellers coming to Quebec. Captain Armstrong, with the laudable desire of aiding his unfortunate rival, remained by her altogether about three hours. It is difficult, in the absence of fuller information, to account for this melancholy affair. It seems to us, however, and the same opinion is very generally entertained, that great mismanagement or want of attention is attributable to one or both of the chief officers of the boats in question. We trust an ample inquiry into the circumstances will be made, and hope that some proper steps will at once be taken to call to account and punish the guilty party or parties, if any there should prove to be. It is high time that this system of racing should be put an end to; and that steam-boat captains and owners should be made to feel the serious responsibility attaching to them.— Qucbec Mercury, July 30. A VIUTIMISER. On Saturday, at Guildhall, Henry Thompson Perry, alias Alfred William Percy. alias Burgess, alias Smith, a journeyman tailor, who goes about victimising the licensed victuallers, after the fashion of Dando, the oyster-eater, was brought before Mr. Alderman Sidney, charged with defrauding the keeper of a coffea-shop in St. Martin's-court, Ludgate-hill. It appeared that he went into the coffee-room, and, assuming a haughty tone, called for a nice rum-steak and a cup of coffee. He attempted to slip away as soon as he had finished his meal, but the waiter rushed after him and brought him back. He at first impudently asserted that he had already paid his reckoning, and next that he had unfortunately lost the only shilling he happened to have about him through a hole in his trousers' pocket. The landlord thought he was one of the bilkers who go about, and gave him into custody. At the station-house he was re cognised as having bean in custody several times on like charges. He made his first appearance at this office in May, 1844, having bilked the landlord of Dick's coffee house, in Fleet-street. He was then genteelly dressed, and described himself as a provincial actor. In less than a month he was in custody again for having regaled himself with a dinner and et ceteras, to the amount of 4s. 6d. He was committed for a month for assaulting the policeman, and on the day he was released he went to another tavern, and regaled himself to the amount of 6s. 6d., not having a farthing to pay the score. After com mitting several frauds of the same nature, he fell into the clutches of Mr. Jardine, at Bow•street, for bilking a pub lican, aid he was sent to Westminster bridewell for four months, in default of retiesto be of good behaviour during that term. He was liberated on the 15th instant. The prisoner, on being now put to the bar, protested against the jurisdiction of the magistrate. He had protested at the coff,e-house against being given into custody, and at the station against being detained there ; and, in fact, dealt out his protests at every step. He said his deten tion was perfectly illegal. He had contracted a debt, and that was the most that could be made of it. If he had resisted the policeman, and even killed him, it would be in law only justifiable homicide, because he was not in lawful custody, and his detention was an audacious in fringemeut of the liberty of the subject. He had the opinion of Sir T. Wilde and the Recorder of London that his apprehension was unlawful. The inspector knew it was so, and in reply to the protest said, " We don't care about the law—we do as we please." And this seemed to be the fact, for he was detained two hours without any charge, and then the police absolutely insti gated and instructed a fellow (for he overheard it) to make a false charge, that he believed he was in the coffee-house to commit felony. The man could not comprehend it, and bungled the charge after all. The city police had a spite against him, because he had ex posed their turpitude ; and a constable named Butler frankly told him if he came upon his beat he would im mediately lock him up on a pretended charge of assault upon him. He was a victim of conspiracy, and the under clerks hunted up alleged old sta tutes to meet the case, when no such thing could be found. It was said he went about living idly and faring well, and could not give a good account of himself. It was false. He could prove he worked daily at his trade as a tailor, and was unable to fare well. The City was a lawless place, especially the Compter, where he, an unconvicted prisoner, had been absolutely set to work. This was a grossly illegal act, and there was not another prison in the metropolis where it was done. (This admission of a personal knowledge of the matter elicited a roar of laughter.) Mr. Alderman Sidney said he admitted the Giltspur street Compter was badly managed, but it was a mistake to suppose that only persons sentenced to hard labour could be set to any work. The law sanctioned the practice, whatever the custom might be at other prisons. The alderman asked if there was any further evidence against the prisoner, or in his behalf ? Butler, the policeman, said he could yrove the pri soner had played off the same tack at a dozen houses in the City. Michael Harrington, of Dorset-street, Spitalfields, tailor, deposed to the prisoner having worked for him as a tailor, from the day he was discharged till he was taken again. Mr. Alderman Sidney said he did not believe the prisoner had lost the shilling, but that this was a con tinuation of the old series of barefaced fraud, and he should require him to find sureties for his future good behaviour. The prisoner asked his employer to become surety. He said it was only a form, and he would promise that he should have no cause to regret it. The master shook his head and refused. The prisoner called him aside, but could not alter his opinion of thedanger of becoming surety. The prisoner then appealed to the magistrate for mercy, and promised that he would never be seen at the bar again. Mr. Alderman Sidney ultimately took his own recog nizance to be of good behaviour, and discharged him. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. ADMIRALTY, AUG. 27. PROMOTIONS. Cernmqnder Arthur Forbes, to be Captain. Atsibtant-Surgeon John Forbes (c) to be Surgeon. Assistant-urgeon John Findlay, ditto. AUGUST 28. APPOINTMENTS. Commander Hugh Goold, to the Ocean. Lieutenant C. B. Stockdale, ditto. Lieutenant John Dewar, ditto. Lieutenant Charles Haydon, to the Poictiers. Lieutenant Thomas Strover, ditto. PLAN OF RETIREMENT FOR THE NAVY. The following plan of retirement for the officers of the Royal Navy is different from those previously issu-.d : Parliament having thought proper to make provision for the retirement of 200 captains of the Royal Navy, my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty hereby give no tice of the conditions upon which officers may take ad vantage of this grulat. PLAN OF RETIREMEET FOR 200 CAPTAINS. First.—The rank of retired rear-admiral to be given by seniority to such applicants from the 14s. 6d. half-pay list as may be willing to accept it, with the pay of 11. sa. per day, and the corresponding pension to their widows, under the usual restrictions. Second.—An addition of 7s. 6d. per day to be given to applicants by seniority from the 12s. 6d. and 10s. 6d. half-pay lists, being captains of not less than twenty years' standing and 55 years of age. Officers from both lists to be permitted to assume the title of retired rear-admiral at the period when they would have ob tained the flag by seniority had they remaine,l upon the active list. Their widows to be entitled to a pension of 101. per year, and to the pension of rear-admiral's widow when the rank of retiredrear-admiral has been attained. Third.—The vacancies upon the 1/ list to be filled up in turn of seniority by officers now accepting the 18s. per day ; but no new admission to the 1/. list to be made until it is reduced below the number of twenty five, which it is not to exceed afterwards. The perma nent retired list to be reduced tO 100, by making one appointment for every two vacancies—the first 25 offi cers upon the list receiving 1/. ss. per day, and the remaining 75 1/. per day, with the right of assuming the rank of retired rear-admiral, when entitled to it by seniority. Fourth.—The active list of captains not permanently to exceed 500. A proportionate reduction to be made in the 14s. 6d. and 12s. 6d. half-pay lists—the first to consist of 70 captains, and the latter 100. Fifth.—Good service pensions to be retained by cap tains until they reach the rank of rear-admiral or retired rear• admiral. Sixth.—The promotions from the captains' lists to the admirals' list in future to be continuous, reserving always the undoubted right of the Crown to select officers for promotion in the higher as well as the lower ranks, whenever the public interest requires such an exercise of the prerogative. Seventh.—The admirals' list not permanently to exceed 150 in number, and to be thus distributed:-30 admirals, or 10 of each squadron ; 45 vice-admirals, or 15 of each squadron; and 75 rear-admirals, or 25 of each squadron. But there will be a flag promotion in the course of the present year, in which the 20 senior officers upon the captains' list will be included. Eighth.—This plan to come into operation on the Ist of October of the present year, and all letters relating to it to be treated as strictly confidential. Officers not in Europe, who may be desirous of accept ing the retirement, will not e excluded in consequence of their letters not reaching the Admiralty before the Ist of October next, as a reasonable time will be allowed for such applications.—By command of H r WAR Lordships, . Gthei . D. THE SQUADRON OF EVOLUTION. PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY.—Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief of the Channel squadron, put to sea from Lisbon on the 18th inst., in the Hibernia, 100, Captain Richards, with the St. Vincent, and all the other ships of the s.quadron except the Trafalgar and Superb, which are for the present left at Lisbon. It is said the squadron proceeds to Lagos for water, thence to Gibraltar and Tet uan, where Sir W. Parker will part company, and proceed to Malta, when the squadron will return to Cork, and finally to Spithead. The only trial of sailing of any interest since we last mentioned the squadron was, on the 10th inst.. between the St. Vincent and Hibernia, the ships of the Vice- Admiral and Chief Commodore : CLOSE HAULED. Under double reefed topsails and courses, topgallant sails, jib, and spanker. Hibernia no mizen topgallan sail. Wind from N.E. by N. to N.E. Rate of sailing, six to eight knots. Angle of inclination of St. Vincent, 6 to 9i. BEARINGS AND DISTANCES OF HIRERNIA. At 11h Om. A.M. At 3h. 45m. P.M. N. 22 E. S. E. 8,121 yards. To windward of St. Vin- To leeward of St. Vincent, cent, 1,600 yards. 7,162 yards. _ RESULT. St. Vincent, in 4 hours and 45 minutes, weathered Hibernia 4 miles and 662 yards. OFF THE WIND. Under the same sail as above. Wind, N.E. by N. Course, S.E. Distance run, 26 miles. - • BEARINGS AND DISTANCES OF HIBERNIA. At Bh. 50m. P.M. At 6h. 35m. P.M. S. 6E. 0.23. 8,121 yards, S. 79, W. 0.25. 7,471 yards, or a-head of or astern of St. Vincent, 6,312 yards. St. Vincent, 4,178 yards. RESULT. St. Vincent, in 3 hours and 45 minutes, headed Hiber nia, 5 miles and 375 yards. Nautical mile, 2,025 yards. The Queen is improved on a wind, in fine weather ; the St. Vincent is equal with a head sea—on a wind the St. Vincent the best—off the wind the queen has the ad vantage. Both these ships superior on all points to Rodney, which is not improved from what was done to her when in dock. Trafalgar very bad, and the Hiber nia not much better ; the latter has no guns on her quarter-deck or forecastle. Superb, Vanguard, and Canopus much alike. The Cyclops and Polyphemus, no chance, either sailing or steaming, with Rattler—she is quite perfection. Of the steamers the only members of that portion of the squadron remaining at the above date were the Cyclops and Polyphemus, paddle-wheel sloops, and the Rattler, screw propelled, which latter is pronounced by Sir William Parker as the most perfect man-of-war steamer that ever came under his notice. The Fairy royal yacht, Captain Crispin, conveyed her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent from Osborne to Gosport yesterday, en route to London, after visiting her Majesty and Prince Albert, and will to-morrow convey her Majesty the Queen Dowager from Gosport to Cowes, to pay a similar visit, prior to her Majesty the Queen's departure on her next marine excursion, which (weather, 84c., permitting) is fixed for Wednesday next. Various places are rumoured as likely to be honoured with a visit by her Majesty, and first on the list stands the Chateau d'Eu. The royal squadron will be composed, as before, of the two royal yachts, the Black Eagle and Garland packet. The America, 50, Captain the Hon. John Gordon, was officially inspected, and her crew mustered, yester day by the Port Admiral, Sir Charles Ogle, prior t 3 her sailing for Plymouth. She went out of harbour under all plain sail in a most beautiful mariner, and anchored off St. Helen's ; she sailed at nine last night for Ply mouth, but whether to refit for further service or to be paid off is still very problematical. She was fitted out at Plymouth in the most perfect style by Lieutenant Lindsay (the gentleman who was so hardly treated at the late court-martial). and never having had the oppor tunity of refitting whilst on foreign service she requires some few repairs, but which would not take longer than a fortnight to complete, when she would again be un doubtedly the most effective ship of her class afloat. The Hound, 6, Lieutenant• Commander Wood, arrived at Spithead from Sheerness yesterday afternoon. She is a new brig, of the Rapid class, on the design of the sur veyor, and a very pretty model she is. The Lightning steam-vessel arrived this morning from Woolwich, is supposed to be in attendance upon the Lords of the Admiralty during their official visit this week, their own yacht, the Black Eagle, being en gaged to form one of the royal squadron during he , . Majesty's next marine excursion. The Falmouth navy lighter arrived with stores from the Eastern yards this morning. SHEERNESS, AUG. 29.—The livand, 10, Commander G. Wood, hauled out of the basin. on Saturday, and was towed to the Nore on Wednes.day, where she was masted and inspected by the Commander-in-Chief, and on Thursday sailed for Portsmouth to be paid ad vance wages and receive her final orders. The Recruit, 12, Commander Adolphus Slade, hauled out of the basin on Wednesday, and. sailed on Thursday for Greenhithe, to have liar compasses adjusted. The Raven cutter, Lieutenant Stephen, returned yes terday from Portsmouth, with supernumeraries. The Sinbad lighter arrived yesterday from Wool. wich, with stores for the dockyard. ' The following vessels occupy the basin:—Dragon ' steam -frigate, ready for commission; and the Wor ' cester and Chichester, 50-gun frigates, fitting for ad- Vance ships. In Dock—Horatio, 44, fitting for a block ship; Eu ryalus, 44, fitting for a convict hulk at Gibraltar; Birkenhead steam-frigate, for o)nimission ; and the Dart, 3, brigantine, building. In Harbour—Ocean, SO, flag sbdp, pro tern.; Raven, 3; African and Wildfire steamers.. On Sunday morning a sermon on. behalf of the funds of the Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, was preached by the Lord Bishop of Jamaica, before his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, at the parish church of kew. At the conclusion of a very eloquent discourse, a collection was made to the amount of all. 10s. THE CONVICT SMITH.—The Sheriffs of the City of London have, in the case of Smith, fixed the period for his execution at the utmost limit allowed by law, on Monday, Sept. 21. There will be at least four pe:tit►ons presented to the Home Secretary, praying for a commutation of his sen tence—namely, one from Mr. Waite rs, of the Guildhall Coffee-house, signed by himself, family, and servants; a second one, signed by the public in general ; a third one from Norwich, where his family are well known; and a fourth from the members of the Society of Friends. In addition, several affidavits from the late fellow-servants of Smith relative to minor details, will be forwarded to Sir G. Grey. The Sheriffs have put themselves in communication with Mr. Baron Platt, who said that he saw no reason why an application should not be made to the Crown, but declined saying anything further on the subject. CONSIIMPTION.—Died, on Sunday morning, soon after three o'clock, Mr. James Thomas, in the Richmond Ward of the Hospital for Consumption, at Chelsea. Mr. Thomas had for many years attended the Marlborough-street Police court for this journal. It is gratifying; to learn that all that medical science could effect was rendered to him, and his pas sage to the grave was soothed in every kindly manner that could be suggested or effected. It is added, with regret, that his poor widow has not the remotest means of burying him ; his only son is at sea, and probably little dreams of the early fate of his poor father. Mr.. Thomas was highly respected by all who had his acquai,u4anee, and he has died universally regretted. RAILWAY LEGISLATION. . TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,—l ob,erve in the Tinics of to-day, with some suprise, a copy of a draught report which I prepared, as Chairman of the Committee on Railway Legislation, for the consideration of the Committee ; but, on showing it t ) the few members who remained in town, it was not thought possible 'n ts , e short interval that remained be fore the prorogation of Parliament, for members to give it due consideration, or even to get a sufficient number together for that purpoe : it was, therefore, not consi dered by the Committee, bat simply laid before them.— Years obediently, J. MORRISON. Basildon, Aug. 29. SECOND REPORT FROM THE SE LECT COMMITTEE ON RAILWAY ACTS ENACTMENTS. The Select Committee appoined to inquire whether, without discouraging legitimate enterprise, conditions may not be embodied in Railway Acts better fitted than those hitherto inserted in them to promote and secure the interests of the public, and who were em powered to report their observations and opinions thereupon from time to time to the House, have con sidered the several matters to them referred, and have agreed to the following rt port. Your Committee have examined several witnesses, and received documentary evidence on the state of railways, and the legislation respecting them, in this and other countries; and have called for returns from the British railway companies illustrative of their past and present condition : they have also to regret that the delays ex perienced by them in obtaining various returns, on subjects connected with their inquiry, have not allowed them to present these observations at an earlier period. It appears to your Committee that, without discourag ing legitimate enterprise, the railway legislation of this country may be materially improved by the adoption of a better sy stem of control and supervision applicable to all railways at present existing or to be constructed hereaft r, and by changes in the course of procedure ne cessary to obtain railway Bills. The line between public and private legislation has seldom been correctly drawn in this country. Indi viduals and associations have in all times been allowed to assume the exercise of powers which properly belong to the Executive, without being subjected to due respon sibility ; and in a large class of Bills, private in name, but often affecting important public interests, the exist ing mode of procedure before the Legislature supplies no adequate means for obtaining a knowledge of the real merits of measures to other parties than those who promote or oppose them. Without entering on an in quiry into the relative advantages or disadvantages of such a state of things at differant periods in the progress of' a nation, your Committee conceive that the time has arrived when it can no longer be continued with safety, and that a regard to the best interests of the community requires the adoption of a very different system. Among those public objects which hitherto have been the subject of legislation in private Bills must be included the means by which the communications between the dif ferent parts of a country are effected. The roads of a country, from the very nature of things, are public concerns; they are as necessary to a people as the air they breathe. The very nature of society implies that men should have access to each other for the supply of their respective wants, whether they live in towns, or are scattered over the face of a country ; and the common sense of mankind tells them that the roads and streets should be free from obstruc tun. In this country, from the remotest times, the title of the Sovereign, as representing the nation, to the control of its roads, has always been allowed. The designation of King's highways, by which the public roads were known, sufficiently indicates the right which the Crown possessed and exercised over them. The practice of entrustirg to associations locally interested the making and repairing of roads, with the power of levying tolls to repay the outlay required for that pur pose, which first became general towards the middle of the last century, amounted merely to a delegation for a time by the Legislature, on certain conditions, of a por tion of the powers of Government to meet a public ex igency, but never to a permarent transfer of them. The public have always possessed the right to control the trustees, and to withdraw from them the management of the highways included in their trusts ; and there are re peated instances, in our own times, of the exercise o' this right. The period is not remote since an extensive Parlia mentary inquiry was instituted into the state of the turnpike trusts of the country, when the right of the nation to regulate and control the management of its highways was practically vindicated, and, among other results, a number of toll-gates in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, felt as an inconvenience by its inhabi tants, were ordered to be removed. But of all the means of communication between dif ferent parts of a country, that by railways is by far the most important. If it be necessary for the public wel fare that a country should never divest itself in per petuity of its right of property in its ordinary highways, it is still more important that it should not part with the right to control its railways. On an ordinary road there could have been no monopoly of the means of conveyance; a man might travel by it at all hours, and in any manner he pleased ; but on a railway he can only travel et such times and under such arrangements as those who are entrusted with its dii ection may choose to adopt. If one coach on a road charged too much, travelled at too slow or too quick a rate, or failed in other respects to give satisfaction, another might have been started ; but on railways there is no option ; the passenger must either submit to the regulations fixed by its directors or abstain from using it. It has now been ascertained that the hope of relief from the objectionable course pursued on one railroad, by having recourse to a competing line, must in a great measure be abandoned. It is confi dently stated by nearly all the witnesses examined by your Committee that the public cannot count on being relieved by competition from the consequences of an abusive exercise of power on the part of railway com panies. From the very nature of things, therefore, a railway company exercises a complete monopoly ; but a monopoly subject to no responsibility, and under no efficient check or control, is necessarily an intolerable abuse ; and it can only be rendered iunoxious by sub jecting it to rigorous control and supervision. But besides, as a railroad is so supe . rior to all other means of communication that it must necessarily super sede them, and confers the greatest advantages on the localities through which it runs, it becomes of the greater consequence that the lines for railways should be wisely selected, and that railway companies should not be suffered, by an injudicious choice, to inflict in jury either on the public in general, or on the owners of property. That these objects were not at first suffi ciently attended to in this country can hardly be a mat ter of surprise, when we reflect on the ignorance with respect to the nature of the change about to be effected by the new power thus brought into action, which then generally prevailed. The Liverpool and Manchester R.,il we y, executed under the greatest discouragements, first demonstrated the possibility of realising projects which to the minds of most men had before appeared chimerical. But even after the success of this experi ment, the consequences to society which would result from the adoption of this new means of communication, were seldom correctly appreciated, even by men of the best it understandingsis the less and, under such circum stances, be wondered at that extensive to powers should have been given to railway companies, without the accompaniment of such safeguards as sub sequent experience has proved to be necessary for the protection of the public. The foreign Govern ments which profited by our experiment, with one exception, were at first misled by it into an imitation of our practice ; but they soon became aware of the evils that might result to the public from parting in perpetuity with the uncontrolled property in them. Belgium, the configuration of a great part of which, namely, the Western, highly favours the con struction of railroads, is the only country of which the Government from the first laid down a systematic plan respecting its railways, which it afterwards strictly ad hered to ; that plan embraced the whole kingdom, and it had exclusively for its object to communicate, at the cheapest possible rate, the benefit of railways equally to every part of the population. The lines in Belgium were till lately begun and completed by the Govern ment itself, through the means of loans ; and it was en abled to fix the fares at an exceedingly low rate. The original system has been so far departed from of late, that several lines of railway have been conceded to private companies, for terms of years, on conditions ex tremely advantageous to the public, but none of these roads are yet open to the public. France did not proceed so systematically. The first railroads were constructed solely with a view to the conveyance of coals to the places where they were con sumed. The success of the Liverpool and Manchester line suggested the idea of conveying passengers, and the line from Paris to St. Germain was conceded to companies in 1835, the two roads of Ver sailles, and that from Montpelier to Cette, in 1836. Other lines were undertaken by private companies, and some by the Government itself. But at length the in convenience of numerous undertakings without order, without any common plan or general design, began to be felt ; and the Government occupied itself seriously with the formation of a plan in which these means of communication should be created and connected with each other according to a system pre viously adapted. This system is explained at consider able length in the report of the commission charged with examining the Projet de Loi relating to the estabe lishment of the great lines of railway presented to the Chamber of Deputies on the 16th April, 1842. The first general rules was, that the great lines should all run from Paris in the direction of' the frontiers by land and sea ; Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the Mediterranean, Spain, the Ocean and the Channel. In these directions, the points of Lille, Strasbourg, Lyons, Marseilles, Bor deaux, Nantes, were to be touched on. The next object, as France was not a vast plain like Belgium and Prussia, was to select the directest and shortest lines, except where the height o f mountains mi g ht r ender it advisabl to turn them ; and the plan of conceding the lines to private companies on leases was recommended. The law of 1842 is considered the basis of the French system. In the speech of M. Dumon, in the Chamber of Depu ties on the 31st .January, 1846, an account is given of the manner in which the views of the Act of 1842 have been carried into effect. In 1842 there were voted 3,481 kilometres of railway. In 1844 the number of kilometres of railways to be constructed had increased to 4,250. Hitherto extensive assistance by the State had been granted ; but the successful results of the lines to Orleans and Rouen led to offers by private companies to construct some lines at their own expense, and on these terms the Amiens, Boulogne, Montereau, and Troyes lines were conceded. In the session of 1845-6 additional lines were decided on, making a total of 4,998 kilometres, or about 3,100 English miles. Of the new lines, the Lyons, and Lyons and Avignon, were conceded without any State assistance, and the lines of Tours and Nantes, and Stras bourg with assistance, but considerably less than was granted by the law of 1843. At the present time the lines in operation extend to 1,000 kilometres (about 620 miles), and the whole number of kilometres to which the railways will extend i❑ six years is estimated at nearly 4,030 (about 3,760 miles). All the lines of France, with one or two exceptions, before the introduction of this system, are conceded for terms of years varying from 99 to 25. In Germany, divided as it is into a number of inde pendent states, the adoption cf a systematic plan of rail. ways was attended with greater difficulty. The nature the country, however, especially of Prussia, for the most part level, suggested the construction of them at an •aarly period. The choice of lines was at first the work 3f chance, but the different Governments soon became convinced of the necessity of regulating by treaties the direction of their lines, and proceeding according to a systematic plan. In Austria, Prussia, and the other German States, the construction of lines has generally been conceded to pri vate companies. In A ustria the concession is for fifty years, and in Prussia until the capitals of the companies have been extinguished by sinking funds, with a right of purchase, and revision of tolls and fares. The minor German States generally concede the lines on lease. In this country alone were companies allowed the possession of lines in perpetuity, subject to no available conditions. That France should have concluded arrangements for the construction of her railways on so much be' ter terms than have been obtained in England, cannot fail to strike with astonishment those who reflect on the superiority of this country in wealth, industry, density of popula tion, and number of great towns, and OR the readiness which has always been evinced to embark capital in un dertakings promising a fair return, while France has no superiority over England in the means of construction. But not only were our advantages not turned to due account by the Government in the outset, for which some excuse was perhaps to be found in our inexpe rience ; the opportunity for imposing suitable conditions on railway companies was not seized when that excuse no longer existed. Year after year companies obtained Acts for the con struction of lines through the most important districts of the country, characterised by the same disregard for the interest of the public. Companies still obtained lines in perpituity ; the maximums for fares were still fixed at far too hig a rate ; and the conditions imposed were of so vague a character, and so utterly inapplicable to the subjects which they professed to regulate, that they could hardly ever be enforced or made available to the protection of the public. The first material attempt on the part of the Legisla ture to place the public in a more advantageous position with regard to railways was not a very successful one. The 7 and 8 Vic., c. 85, provides that after a lapse of twenty-one years, when the dividends shall equal or ex ceed 10 per cent., the Lords of the Treasury, on giving three months notice, may revise the scale of tolls, fares, and charges. The hope of revision held out by this clause, was, however, quite illusory, for no precautions had been taken to settle the principle on which dividends should be calculated. The capitals on which dividends were declared exceeded in many cases by large sums the actual outlay ; and there existed no efficient system of accountability by which Parliament could obtain any thing like an accurate knowledge of the net profits of railway companies. By the Companies Clauses Conso lidation Act of 8 Victoria, certain rules were laid down with respect to the augmentation of capital by the crea tion of new shares, but your Committee are given to understand that this Act does not prevent companies from allocating shares among the proprietors at par when actually at a premium, in order that they may pocket the premiums. It is established by the most satisfactory evidence, that in the case of many companies large additions have been made to the nominal capitals, beyond what has been required by the actual outlay, through the creation of shares, not at the current market price, but at par. To take one of the most common operations of the suc cessful companies, if fi r instance, shares being at cent. per cent. premium, a million were required for an un dertaking, and to raise that million shares for a million were created in order to enable the proprietors to divide among themselves another million in the shape of pre miums, it is clear that the nominal capital exceeds by 500,0001. that of which the actual outlay required the creation, and, consequently, that a dividend is made on a sum exceeding by so much that outlay. In this way the object of Parliament, in subjecting companies to a revision of fares when the dividends should equal or ex ceed ten per cent., could always be defeated. Mr. Hudson, a Member of your Committee, specified several instances, in companies with which he was connected, b w y h e t h r e e s l e a r a g n e d additions e a w n e s r . e ma For e i n to s t t a he nc e n , o h min es t a a l t capitals t by an arrangement between the Great Northern and he Great North of England Railway, it was stipulated that the latter should receive 10 per cent. on every 501. share till 1851, when they had a claim to be paid cabin our per cent. stock at 250/. a share ; thus creating a new nominal capital of 2501. for every 501. He states also that, to meet a purchase by the Newcastle and Darlington Company, new 25/. shares were issued to the proprietors at par, when they were at a premium of 201. It is obvious that the money required could have been obtained by a much smaller issue of shares, had the.2o/. premiums, as well as the 251. shares, been applied to the purposes of the company, and not divided as a bonus among the proprietors. This practice of swelling the nominal amount of -tocks beyond the actual outlay on the lines, which has extensively prevailed, was recently noticed in reports presented by Mr. Ellice from the Select Committee on Group (58) of Railway Bills, in which it is stated that in the Hull and Selby Purchase Bill the actual outlay and estimates for further works is 955,363/., while the money to be raised by the Bill is two millions, extending the outlay and engagements of the Hull and Selby proprie tors by the large sum of nearly a million, and that in the Great North of England Purchase Bill, the actual outlay and estimate for additional works is 1,496,7961. 18s. 4d., the proposed capital 4,000,0001., exceeding the actual outlay and engagements of the Great North of England proprietors by the sum of 2,503,003/. Is. Bd. The Committee in question add the observation that, in their opinion, " It would be greatly for the public inte rest that some fixed and uniform rule should be clearly laid down by the House for the guidance of their Co u mittees with respect to the whole system of raising ca pital, loans, the conversion of loans into capital, the pay ment of rents and profits on separate lines and branches, not from the actual traffic on such separate branches and lines, but from the surplus receipts of old com panies, in all cases where new powers for raising money are applied for, of extension, purchase, or amalgamation Bills." These illustrations of a system extensively pre valent, which are taken from numerous instances brought before the notice of your Committee, are sufficient to prove that so long as it is suffered to continue, the in tentions of Parliament in passing the 7th and' Bth Vict. must be defeated. This practice of issuing new shares to the present shareholders at par has not been allowed in any other country. Mr. William Reed, a director of the Paris and Rouen Railway, states, that when the exigencies of the company rendered it necessary for them to raise money, they applied to the Government to be allowed to issue to the then shareholders new shares at par, in the propor tion of one new share for every five shares they held. This application was rejected by the Ministry, and they borrowed the money required, for which no authorisa tion was necessary. The French Government contended that the rights of the future proprietor would be com promised by the issue of shares at par when at a pre mium, but it has been maintained by some of the railroad proprietors in this country, that it is immaterial whether the money required by companies be raised by the crea tion of new stock or by loans ; and whether the share holders received increased dividends on smaller capitals, or smaller dividends on larger capitals. But if the rate of dividend is to determine whether the scale of fares shall be subjected to revision by the Government on behalf of the public, it is of the very first consequence that the capitals should correspond with the original outlay. It may be the same thing to proprietors whether they pocket large bonuses, and increase their capitals by sums exceeding the money laid out on the roads by the amount of such bonuses, and receive proportionately smaller dividends ; but it is a very different thing to the public, if the scales of fares are to Le governed by the rate of dividend, whether they pay high fares or low fares. But by another section of this Act, the second, the Lords of the Treasury are empowered, after the expira tion of twenty-five years, to purchase the railways, whatever the rate of divisible profits may be, upon giving three calendar months' notice in writing of their inten tion, on payment of a sum equal to twenty - five y ears' purchase ' of their profits, estimated on the average of the three preceding years. This power to purchase on such extravagant terms, and under such limitations, held out small hopes of relief ; so that, upon the whole, the position of the pub lic with regard to railways was not thereby materially improved. Whilst your Committee thus express their regret that the public interests were so little consulted in the ar rangements with railways for so long a period, they have seen with satisfaction the commencement of a better system. In consequence of sessional orders of the House, both in this and the previous session, clauses have been introduced into all Acts relative to railways, either for the construction of new lines or the extension of' old lines by branches, reserving the power, whenever it should be deemed necessary, to revise and regulate the scales of fares and charges ; and as nearly all the great com panies have either obtained or applied for Acts for the construction of branch lines, and the extension of old lines, they have thereby enabled Parliament to place them under such control or supervision as it may be deemed expedieut to adopt ; and thus the hope may at length be entertained, that means for securing the public against oppressive and extravagant charges will yet be adopted. Your Committee wish here to dwell a little on the im• mense importance to the community of a judicious sys tem of railways, both with reference to the selection of lines, and the rates at which the fares and charges are fixed. It is hardly possible, indeed, to exaggerate the importance of a railway, not only to the great cities which are connected by it, but to the districts through which it runs. It has been generally assumed that rail ways are better suited for the seats of commerce and manufacturing industry than for agricultural districts; but a highly respectable and intelligent witness, Mr. Samuel Morton Peto, who has had considerable experi ence in the construction of railways in manufacturing districts, and is deeply interested in the Norfolk lines as a proprietor, states, as the result of his experience, that, "the people in manufacturing districts do not travel any thing like so much as an agricultural population;" and that "he would rather, if he could get a moderately priced line, have it in an agricultural district than in a manufacturing district, as far as the population of the district is concerned." Mr. Peto adds, that the experi ence of Belgium furnishes a striking corroboration of the soundness of these views, as it has been proved by the report of M. Desert, in whose hands the Belgian Government placed the whole of, its railway statistics, that in a given population the traffic of the small towns and villages along a line is proportion ately greater than the traffic between two large cities at the termini. New branches of industry are everywhere called into existence by the facility and cheapness of communication afforded by railways ; and land previously of little or no value is at once made productive by cheap access to materials by which the soil may be improved, and to markets for disposing of its produce. on the subject of this revolution in the value of land, some important evidence is given by Mr. Miller, and by Mr. Smith, of Deanston. Mr. Miller states that manueactories of sulphuric acid, extensively used for agricultural purposes, have been established in suitable situations by the sides of railways in several districts of Scotland, and that manures arc conveyed on them at charges lower than the mere tolls on turnpike roads. Mr. Smith states that upon those lines which have been in existence for some years, over which he has had occasion to travel, a very great agricultural im provement has taken place, chiefly in consequence of the cheapness and facility of transport ; and by way of illus trating the amount of the benefit, he takes a farm of 200 acres, on a six-course shift, with 15 miles of transport, and shows that by the old mode the charges of carriage would amount to 142/. 6s. 3d , while by railway it would be only 401. Bs. 9d. Mr. Smith states also that land along the Glasgow and Edinburgh Railway, previously not worth 5 an acre, is now worth between 30s. and 40s. By way of illustrating the benefit of railroads, when the charges are sufficiently low, this intelligent witness further states, that " a low rate would very greatly tend to the increased consumption of manures, and to the transport of earth for agricultural purposes ; that this would give increased produce to the land, which would enable the agriculturist to furnish his commodity at a lower rate ; that this cheapness again would increase the consumption in large towns ; and in manufacturing populations it would also create a greater traffic upon the railways, and enable them still further to reduce their rates • and as the heavier articles are more con sumed by the working classes, it would add very much to their comfort ; and there are great tracts of country which would be cultivated to much advantage, if favoured by railway communication, which are now al lowed to lie comparatively barren." With regard to these views of Mr. Smith, as to the important change which railways might effect in agricul ture, by the transportation of manure and earths, your Committee conceive that as the fertility of soils depends on the proportion which certain earths bear to each other in their composition, it is merely a question whether, by any mode of transport, the proportions of earths can be so varied as to create fertility at an expense which would be remunerative. It has been demonstrated by an in telligent gentleman, who has devoted much attention to this subject, that the cost of conveyance diminishes with every increase of quantity. Taking fixed sums for the interest on the capital and working the railway, the charge (which with a traffic of 20,000 tons would only be remunerative at 10i-d.. a mile), with a traffic of 1,000,000 tons, would be remunerative at about a halfpenny a mile. It is impossible, therefore, to over-estimate the import ance of this new instrument placed at the command of the agriculturist. Cheapness of fares may thus create a traffic which otherwise could not possibly exist. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to determine whether fares should be fixed according to a scale, which while it remunerates the railway, would allow of the existence of a valuable traffic, or according to a scale which would prevent it. These considerations ought not to be lost sight of in determining how railways may be made most conducive to the public benefit. The object to be effected by rail ways ou g ht to be, the affording, at the least expense, the utmost facility of communication between different locali ties, and the utmost development of the national re sources. This object, which hitherto has been little attended to in this country, where the interests of the public hare too often been sacrificed to the supposed inte rests ofrailway companies, was much better understood by the Belgian Government. Haring determined to carry lines through the kingdom, on a principle which should im part to every locality the benefit of this improved means of communication, they saw that the railways them selves would aid them in giving effect to their intentions. The excess of receipts beyond the expenditure on some lines, instead of being transferred, as in this country, to the pockets of individuals, was applied towards the con struction of other lines through districts less advan • tageously circumstanced. The Belgian Government traced a general plan of railways, embracing as a net work the whole country. The State lines were com menced on the sth of May, 1835, and completed in Oc tober, 1843. The fares for passengers, extremely low from the first, have been occasionally reduced when in crease of traffic enabled the Government to make the reduction. _ In Prussia, a comprehensive system of lines, em bracing the whole kingdom as with a network, and ex tending to upwards of 3,200 English miles, was traced several years ago. Of these lines nearly 700 miles are completed; about the same number of miles are in the course of construction; upwards of 800 miles finally adopted, and upwards of 900 remain merely as pro jects. Though the undertakings were committed to private companies, the necessity of Government inter ference was soon felt. The fundamental law of the Prussian Government respecting railways is dated the 3d of November, 1838. Three years are allowed to companies to fix definitely, from experience, what rates ought to be charged; but the tariff, at the commence ment, and in case of an increase of fares, six weeks he fore the alteration, must be communicated to the Go vernment. At the end of three years the companies are to receive a concession of the fares and charges in the tariff agreed on between them and the Ministry. In fixing the tariffs, the rates are in no case to exceed what corresponds with the receipts, after deducting the expense of maintaining and working the lines, &c., and a dividend in no case higher than ten per cent. or lower than six per cent. The fares to be subject to re vision after periods of not less than three years, and not exceeding ten years ; but the companies, though they cannot increase. may dimieh the prescribed rates ; and exact accounts of everything relating to the concerns must be submitted yearly to the Ministry. A sinking fund, corresponding with the capitals to be fixed after the second Prussian railway has been opened three years, and the necessary experience has been obtained, to be applied in extinction of the capitals ; and the tolls, on the completion of the extinction, not to exceed the ex pense of maintaining and working the lines. The post and its servants to be conveyed free. Lines may be purchased after thirty years, at twenty-five years of the net profits, on an average of the five preceding years. In this country no comprehensive system has ever been traced. The lines promising the most ample re turns were, as a matter of course, first selected by com panies ; but the best mode of communicating the benefit of railways to the kingdom, considered as a whole, was only incidentally considered by Committees in deciding between rival projects. The Committee of the Board of Trade, in some of its reports, first attempted to lay down principles more worthy of the Legislature of a great country, by which it should be governed in regard to its railways. Your Committee conceive that the advantages of sys tem in determing on railways are sufficiently obvious. The best system is that which, at the least expense, and with the least sacrifice of soil, affords the greatest facili ties to intercourse, and the greatest encouragement to industry. By selecting an injudicious line, the capital of the country may be unnecessarily wasted, and the population of a district may not derive all the benefits from it to which they are entitled. By constructing two lines where one would suffice, there is not only an unne cessary outlay of capital, but a waste of a portion of our territory. Beside., as the cost of conveyance diminishes with every increase of traffic, competing lines, by dividing the traffic, add to the cost of conveyance on the separate lines. In private concerns, no sensible man employs more mechanical power than be conceives necessary for his purpose ; but it is now almost univer sally admitted that not a few of our lines have been inju diciously traced, both with reference to expenditure of capital and local accommodation ; and that, in the fruit less hope of competition, rival lines have been sanctioned where they were not wanted. But the sanction by Parlia ment of injudicious and unnecessary lines is not the only evil. The mere entertainment of wild schemes, which may never go further than Committees of the House of Commons, keeps owners of property in a constant state of alarm, and often subjects them to much trouble and expense in watching and resisting them. It is stated by several of the witnesses as matter of notoriety that more than half the schemes lately brought forward, and which occupied the time of Parliament, were utterly uncalled for. Mr. Robert Stephenson, by way of illustrating the inconvenience of the present system, stated in his evidence that he could "quote a case at 'dishes* where within half a mile of that town, there were actually fourteen different schemes, intersecting the land in every possible direction, hedges cut down, and crops interfered with. Now, all the legal expenses, and the expenses of engineers and surveyors, have been thrown away, be cause only one Act had been obtained. When they come before Parliament it is impossible to convey to the members of this Committee a correct notion of the diffi culties which the Committee must have to wade through in coming to anything like a true decision." It is stated by Mr. Peto that many lines have been very injudiciously laid out; and he gives, among other instances, the Trent Valley line, promoted and purchased by the London and Birmingham, in order to get the most direct course to Manchester; and the lines of the South -Eastern Company, who are obliged to incur great expense in constructing the Mid-Kent line, to remedy the defects of that first adopted. Economy in the outlay of capital, and in the applica tion of the surface of the country to its railways, ought always to be aimed at. In the opinion of nearly all the witnesses practically acquainted with railway affairs examined by your Committee the public can never bene fit by the competition of companies. Mr. Robert Ste phenson, when asked whether the lowering the fares might not be influenced by competing lines and compet ing canals, gave this decided answer:—" I have had so many cases of that kind brought before me, that I have come to the conclusion, that wherever combination is practicable competition is impracticable. Therefore I say, let the Government be as stringent as they like with existing companies, but never excite competition; be cause by exciting competition you increase the capital invested for giving the same convenience which would be otherwise obtained with less capital." Your Committee find in the second report of the Select Committee appointed this session to consider the princi ple of amalgamation, as applied to the Railway and Canal Bills under the consideration of Parliament, and in the report of a Select Committee of the House of Lords, also appointed this session, to take into consider ation the best means of enforcing one uniform system of management on railroads in operation or to be con structed, abundant confirmation of their views as to the hopelessness of looking to competition for the means of securing the public interests. The more powerful com panies have, it appears, not only succeeded to a great extent in obtaining the control of railway lines, from which competition might be apprehended, but also succeeded, by various means in obtaining a control over the canals, which, for a petition with them in the ca, and have thus deprived the pr at one time anticipated from appear from evidence received railways may also be expected the coasting trade of the county a great deal of the produce of St hitherto has been carried by coal veyed to town by railways; and doubt, be cartied hereafter. Norfolk and Suffolk are great counties for malt, much of which, formerly carried by coasters, now teaches town by railway, cheaper and more rapidly than by water ; and Mr. Peto states, also, that as rates will be still further reduced with increase of traffic, they must — take away more and more of the coasting trade, and that the only reason why more pro duce is not now carried, is the inability to procure at once the requisite number of engines. Your Committee, therefore, cono..?ive that experience warrants them in viewing railways in the light of mono polies. As expectations of relief from competition can not possibly be realised, they ought not to be longer entertained. But the very circumstance of railways being monopolies only renders it the more necessary to subject them to proper regulation. The past cannot, of course, be remedied, but the future is more in our power, and an endeavour should be made to discover the best means of securing to the community all the advantages which, under a proper system, may be derived from railways. A monopoly, from its very nature, can only be exer cised with safety to the community under efftctive con trol. One of the abuses of railway management from which the public have most suffered in this country is the fixing the fares and charges at too high rates. By extravagant charges, in some cases imposed with the highly objectionable view of limiting the benefit of railways to particular classes, in others with the view of driving certain descriptions of animals and produce from the lines, the railway companies were long open to severe animadversion. A feature in the English practice which very early attracted the no tice of foreigners, and is severely censured in continental publications on railways, was the absence for a long time of third and fourth-classes on nearly all our lines. And even after third-class carriages were supplied, they were for the most part so constructed as to affect he a lth, and did not proceed with the usual trains, but were dragged at a pace which seemed chosen to disgust those who took places in them. In short, it appeared as if it had been determined to exclude the great body of the nation, un able of course to pay first and second-class fares, from the benefit communicated to the more wealthy orders. When the Belgian Minister proposed his last tariff, he introduced a modification of the third•class fares with the express intention of encouraging third-class pas sengers and inducing them to travel, by which he ex pe3ted to swell the treasury receipts. The offensive conduct of English directors, betrayed, no doubt, an ig norance of their true interest-, but that forms no valid excuse for them. Many intelligent persons who saw how much better the convenience of the public and the encouragement of industry was secured abroad than in this country, where at one time fares, according to Mr. Laing, ranged at 80 per cent. higher than on the conti nent, were in serious apprehension for our trade and com• merce, from the disadvantages t.) which they were thus expk)sed. Your Committee perceive with satisfaction that this evil has of late considerably abated. Several of the railway companies, of their own accord, under the influence of public opinion and more correct views of their interests, have lowered their scales of fares and charges. It is admitted by most of the wit nesses connected with railways, examined by your Com mittee, that in keeping the scale extravagantly high, and in excluding the mass of the people from the benefit of railway conveyance, the companies took a most errone ous view of their own interest ; and with hardly an ex ception it has been found that every reduction of fares has been at:ended with an increase of revenue. Mr. Creed states that the difference between the prices charged originally on the Birmingham Railway and the present price is exactly one-third. The reductions on the first class in the half-year ending 30th of June, 1844, were 171 per cent., and they caused an increase of pas sengers of 19i per cent. ; on the second class the reduc tion in the fares was 264 per cent., and the increase in the number of passengers 61 1-5 per cent. ; on the third class the reductions in the fares was 33 1-3 per cent., and the increase of passengers 259 per cent. ; and the reduc tions have in most cases increased the revenue of the company. But were there to have been no immediate increase of the revenue, still a regard to the welfare and convenience of the community, which ought to be the object of all legislation, would have demanded the reduction. Your Committee wish to observe, in passing, that they regret to perceive in the evidence of this witness an at tempt to justify the limitation of carriages for third-class passengers to four out of sixteen trains, not on sound commercial principles, but by the statement, that if there were third-class passengers with each train, it would be considered objectionable to the other passengers, and he refers iu confirmation to what had taken place on the North Midland line. Your Committee cannot understand how third-class passengers in separate carriages can interfere with the convenience of first-class passengers, where due provi sion is made for the preservation of order at stations. In Belgium, France, and Germany, carriages for all classes proceed with every train ; and it appears, from the evidence of Mr. M`Gregor, the Chairman of the South-Eastern Company, that on their lines the conduct of the third- class passengers has been uniformily inoffen sive, and that first-class passengers have never objected to travel in the same train with them. The fares of the South-Eastern Company have experienced a greater re duction than those on the Birmingham line. The fares by the express train are 2 45-1001 per mile ; and, day tickets, 1.84-100 d. per mile ; by the ordinary trains for the first-class, 2•05 d., and day ticket, 1 53-100 d. per mile; for the second-clasF, I-36d., and day ticket, 1-o2d. ; for the third-class, 82-100ths of a penny, and day ticket, 61 .100ths of a penny. On the Scotch lines the fares from the first have been generally lower than on any of the English lines. On the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, Mr. Miller states, that several trains a day are run, on which fourth-class passengers pay about id. a mile, and third-class passengers Id. ; and he thinks that still lower fares would be more profitable in many dis tricts. The fares far third class passengers on the Glas gow and Greenock line are so low as id. a mile. According to Mr. Peto, the charges on the Norfolk lines are very low. "We have," he says, " paid great atten tion to the fares there. It was a subject of deliberation before we fixed them, and we decided that the lowest scale of fares, lower in fact than upon any other line, would be that which would bring us the largest amount of profit ; that it would bring the greatest number of people, and therefore would be most bene ficial to ourselves." The third-class passengers pay much less on the Norwich and Brandon line than ld. per mile ; from Norwich to Yarmouth, 22 miles, only ls. 6d. Notwithstanding the reductions on several of our lines the fares are almost always higher, and in some cases considerably so, than on the Belgian lines. On the State lines, the first-class fares, which from 1835 to 1838 were 1•13 d. per mile, were, on the 3d of February, 1839, raised to 1 . 37 d. per mile ; on the 10th of April, 1841, lowered to 1.22 d. per mile ; on the 17th of August, 1841, still further lowered to 1-22 d. per mile, at which they remain by the existing tariff. The second class fares were suc cessively at the above periods, o.Bod. 0.90 d., o . Bod. 0.90 d., and 0•93 d. ; the third class fares, 0 . 40 d., 0.64 d., 0.48 d., 0.55 d., and 0.58 d. It will be seen that by the existing tariff first-class passengers are carried for something more than Id. a mile ; second-class passengers for con siderably less than ld. ; and third-class passengers for little more than a halfpenny a mile. The last tariff laid before the Chambers by the Belgian Minister made a reduction of 10 per cent. for third-class passengers, for all distances short of 25 kilometres (151 miles), in order, he said, to attract travellers for short distances, to favour the working population, and at the same time increase the Treasury receipts. It is more difficult to institute any satisfactory com parison between the charges for goods in Belgium and England, from the difference in the mode of rating. In Belgium a distinction is made with respect to coal and pig iron when destined for exportation, and when des tined for home consumption. In the former case the charge is 1 - 127 d. per ton per m ile ; in the latter it is charged like other heavy goods, 1.61 d. per ton. The charges on twelve English railways for iron and coal have been averaged at somewhat less than 21d. a mile, ranging from Id. to sd. On the Hull and Selby line the maximum for coals and coke carried 30 miles and upwards is ld.er ton per mile ; for 20 miles, and less than 30 miles, lid. per ton per mile ; for less than 20 miles lid. In the Great North of England Purchase Bill the maximum for iron for 40 miles and upwards .s lid. per ton per mile; for less than 40 miles 2d. per ton per mile; for coals, upwards of 40 miles, la. per ton per mile; less than 40, but upwards of 30, lid. per ton per mile; for 20 miles, but less than 30, lid. per ton per mile; for 10 miles, and less than 20, lid. per ton per mile; for less than 10 miles, 2d. These maxi mum charges are, according to the distance, higher or lower than the Belgian charges. In Belgium the charge for a horse on all the lines is 6-44 d.; on the Hull and Selby line the maximum is 51 per mile; in the Great North of England Purchase Bill, sd. per mile. In Bel gium on all the lines the charge for five or six oxen, or one waggon of small cattle, is 7 . 25 d.; for three or four oxen, five or ten pigs or calves, or eleven to twenty sheep, it is 6.44 d.; for one or two oxen, or one to five pigs or calves, or one to ten sheep, it is 4•83 d. per mile. On the last-mentioned English line the maximum for horses and other beasts of draught or burden, if con veyed more than fifteen miles, sd. per mile; for less than fifteen miles, ss. the whole distance; for neat cattle, if more than fifteen miles, 3d. per head per mile; if one, at 2d. per mile; if more than one, if conveyed fifteen miles only or less, 2s. for the whole distance. These last instances are taken from one-of the latest Bills, and are much lower than the average rates in this country; but, as has been stated, not only is there the utmost diversity in the charges on different lines, but also in the classification and mode of charging, so that it is almost impossible, in goods traffic, to institute a comparison either between the charges of different com panies, or between the charges of any one company and those in foreign countries. In Belgium the charges for the carriage of goods are it is understood, in many cases below the water carriage rates; and it is stated, in the Compte Rendu by the Minister of Public Works of the service of the year 1844, that the goods traffic of 1844 was about 52,000 tons, while it was only 33,000 tons in 1843, and that it was to the goods and cattle traffic that the very remarkable increase of the revenue for that year, which exceeded the estimates by 630,000 francs, had been chiefly owing. The increase of the passenger traffic of 1844 above that of 1843 was nine per cent., while the increase on horses was 26 per cent., and on heavy goods 56 per cent. It is principally, therefore, to the carriage of heavy goods , which was scarcely thought of a few years ago, that the very considerable increase in the revenue is due. time r , maintain 4. .0.. 0. earrip,ge -of - 4 •.• lub)io•of all - the sr.. n this snui•co l <4,, pl. 11.1 y youi - C - o.!u torendroaelillili • • 3u c a kt. - . •... A • • • I )e a s t t h irtg a l it/V:re' will, . 4- J _ 2 / f`s ~ I \4, 41i --~ I