The Press.
London, England, 1856-08-09 00:00:00

alttrapalitan.

A RAHWAY DIRECTOR, writing to the Times this
week upon the subject of railway accidents, insists
upon the superiority of the " affirmative over the
"negative" system of signals. For instance, he would
have the clearness and safety of the toads affirmed at
every station as the train passed, and not negatived,
as it is now, in case of danger. The superiority of
this simple change is apparent, because the then
permanent condition of the self acting semaphore
day and night would be " Danger," and in case of
neglect on the part of the signalman an arriving
train would of course be stopped ; whereas under the
existing system the permanent signal on the sema-
phore is "All safe," and the slightest neglect or
forgetfulness on the part of the signalman in cases
of danger or obstruction is followed, as at Church
Fenton last week, with the most disastrous conse-
quences. The mechanical alteration in the sem_
phorea could be effected at a mere cost of five
shillings each ; and the system appears so simple
and efficacious that it is surprising railway com-
panies have not adopted it.
FORTY-FOUR LETTERS OF THE POET COWPER, of
which number twenty one were unpublished, being
part of the correspondence of the poet with his
cherished friend Mr. Samuel Rose, were sold by
auction last week by Messrs. Puttick and Simpson.
These interesting letters were sold singly at prices
ranging from two guineas to ten pounds fifteen
shillings, at which latter price the letter (published)
mentioning Cowper having written some verses to
assist the anti-slavery cause, was knocked down.
A MIDDLE AGED MAN, last Saturday morning,
walked into a barber's shop—Mr. Rose, SL Andrew's-
bill, City—and asked to be shaved. The barber was
busy. The stranger said it did not matter—he
would shave himself ; and, taking up a razor, went
to a corner of the room where there was a stand con-
taining a basin, and with one desperate cut nearly
severed his head from his body. The corpse was
Iremoved to the dead-house, Holliday-yard, to await a
coroner's inquest.

751

Two PERSONS have been drowned in the Serpen-
tine this week while bathing—one Jones, a grocer of
Westminster, and Foy, a marble polisher. An
inquest was held on Wednesday, and a verditt
returned accordingly. Owing to the great danger to
persons bathing from the north bank, Sir Richard
Mayne and the police and park-keepers have received
orders to prevent any one from entering the water on
that side of the Serpentine.
THE ODD FELLOWS appear to have behaved at the
Crystal Palace, on Monday, in a manner quite appro-
priate to their name. An " Eye Witness," writing to
the Times, gives the following description of their
proceedings " after " dinner--
Soon after five the band began, as usual, to play, and
played for about half an hour, when it was stopped, and
an orator put forth on the part of the society made a long
and tedious speech. After this had continued half an
hour the band very properly began to play again, when they
were assailed with yells and groans and biases, and at
length attacked by several of the office-bearers of the
society,their conductor being pushed or knocked down.
A regular row ensued, several chairs were smashed ; and
it is a wonder that none of the valuable instruments were
destroyed. Of course no police were to be found; and
when one did at length appear ere was evidently afraid to
seize any of the guilty persons. Later in the evening
several small dancing parties were made up on the grass
we are so rigidly forbidden to cross. and one large circ'e,
familiarly known to the frequenters of Greenwich Fair by
the name of " kiss in the green," continued to wands ise
decent ladies till nearly nine o'clock. The scenes in the
railway station and carriages to London were perfectly in
harmony with the rest of the day's amusements.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE NIGHTINGALE FUND have
received the sum of 1,000 mejidie (9151. 12s. Bd.)
from his Imperial Majesty the Sultan, being the
contribution of his Imperial Majesty to the fund.
THE PATRIOTIC FUND has just received from the
Legislative Council of Victoria a further sum of
20,0001.
THE STATUE OF THE LATE LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR C.
NAPIER is about to be placed in Trafalgar-square.
The site originally fixed upon was the open space
between the Athenaeum and the Senior United Ser-
vice Clubs, but Sir Benjamin Hall has decided in
favour of the south-west angle of Trafalgar-square.
MR. W. MATINS chairman of the Railway Reform
Association, has addressed a letter to the chairman
of the Great Western Railway Company, earnestly
recommending the adoption of the mixed narrow
gauge for the last thirty-six miles up to Padding-
ton : _ _ _

You have (observes Mr. Mains) 228 miles of mixed
gauge, 87 of pure narrow, and 33 miles running powers
over the Birkenhead, and the whole traffic over these 848
miles of narrow gauge lines cannot be brought to the main
point of all your aspirations—viz., the metropolis—without
a fatal break of gauge. It is obvious that as you now stand
when the narrow gauge traffic is brought to Reading it will
be taken off your line, and carried by those on the narrow
gauge south of the Thames to the metropolis, thereby
inflicting a ruinous loss upon the holders of Great Western
stock. But, on the contrary, if you continue the mixed
pages to your final terminus, when such prodigious prepa-
rations have been and are still being wade at great cost,
no difficulty existing, as your engineers and officers confi-
dently aver, in working the mixed gauges, you will be in
the advantageous potation of accommodating the stream of
traffic brought by your broad gauge system from South
Wales and the South• Western, and the narrow guage from
the North-Western. All the narrow guage lines joining
your system would immediately become tributaries, which
is now impossible, and your North Wales coal, on which
you rely so mach, would be brought by one plant instead
of two to the metropolis. In its present position it is im-
possible for the Great Western to prosper. Either the
broad gauge:roust be comple►e over all the lines which you
own, lease, or guarantee, or all the traffic on the narrow
must be brought to the terminus to which of all others you
aim, and desire to bring it—viz., the metropolis—without
break of gauge, since that break of gauge renders absolutely
necessary a double plant and staff, loss of time, loss of
money, and all those incidental disadvantages which render
commercial prosperity impossible.
The cost of the alteration Mr. "klalins estimates at
100,0001.
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S CIVIL SERVICE Ex-
AMINATION, for July, 1856, includes the following
names as successful candidates :—Mr. Sweeting, St.
John's College, Cambridge, 2,845 marks ; Mr. Bou't,
London University, 2,670 marks ; Mr. Young, London
University, 2,511 marks; Mr. Quinton, Trinity Col-
lege, Dublin, 2,272 marks; Mr. Charles Robertson,
Marischal College, Aberdeen, 2,213 marks ; Mr. Wal-
ton, Pembroke College, Cambridge, 2,191 marks ;
Mr. Oldham, Trinity College, Dublin, 2,162 marks;
Mr. Terrell, Emanuel College, Cambridge, 2,135
marks; Mr. Edward S. Robertson, Trinity College,
Dublin, 2,077 marks ; Mr. Newnham, Balliol Col-
lege, Oxford, 2.065 marks ; Mr. Wyllie, Trinity Col-
lege, Oxford, 2,055 marks ; Mr. Wcrthington, St. John's
College. Cambridge, 2,005 marks ; Mr. Worgan,
Cheltenham College, 1,998 marks; Mr. Elliott, Tri-
nity College, Cambridge, 1,967 marks ; Mr. Wall,
Queen's College, Cork, 1,955 marks; Mr. Falcon,
Queen's College, Oxford, 1,882 marks ; Mr. Smith,
Marischal College, Aberdeen, 1,860 marks ; Mr. Tay-
lor, Magdalen College, Cambridge, 1,835 marks;
Mr. Richey, Exeter College, Oxford, 1,796 marks ;
Mr. Carson, Trinity College, Dublin, 1,736 marks.

752

THE Limn MAYOR on Tuesday laid the corner-
stone of a new asylum for fatherless children at
Coniston. near Croydon. The ceremony was, as
usual, followed by a dejeuner. Subscriptions to the
amount of 3,500/. were announced. His lordship
this week has also paid his usual conservancy visit
down the river.
THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL'S RETURNS TOR THE
WEEK show 1,025 deaths against 1,739 births. Six-
teen deaths occurred from English cholera, and 125
from diarrhoea.

Vrobintial.