The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-14 00:00:00

BRITISH PROTESTANTS ABROAD.

A MEMORIAL respecting the liberty of British subjects
in foreign countries with regard to the exercise of
their religion was presented on Monday to the
Foreign Secretary. Several members of the Pro-
testant Alliance, headed by the Earl of Shaftesbury,
placed the document in Lord Clarendon's hands, the
memorial having been proposed and adopted at the
public meeting on the subject lately held under the
auspices of that society, and of which we have already
given some account. The memorial was of con-
siderable length, and recapitulated various incidents
that have attracted public attention during the past
few months. It concluded by entreating the Foreign
Secretary

"to bring these considerations under the serious attention of
her MAjesty's Ministers, with a view to the establishment of •
better understanding with the Government• of Tuscany,
Portugal, and Spain on the points referred to, and also to the
prevention of intolerant enactments in the island of Malta."

In reply Lord CLARENDON said :
" He could assure the deputation that the very im-
portant memorial just read would receive his best atten-
tion, and that he would communicate with his colleagues
respecting it. The deputation could not expect him at the
present moment to discuss the several particulars therein
alluded to ; hut he would say one word with respect to
Portugal, as he had thought it a matter of justice to the
Government of that country to make inquiries after what
had been stated. When the meeting of the l'rotestant
Alliance was held lately in Freemasons'-hall, he
(Lord Clarendon) was of course not inattentive to what
took place. The answer to his inquiries was one we all,
he thought, should be pleased with—namely, that although
there were severe enactments in Portugal on the subject
of religion, they were not now put in practice. He
referred to a despatch lately received from Sir Richard
Pakenham, in which it was stated that British Protestants
were not in the least interfered with in the freest exercise
of their religion, although it must be confessed that, the
Roman Catholic religion being the religion of the State,
any dissent from it was regarded with disapproval ; nor
could the people view with friendly eyes any active
system of proselytism. As to Tuscany, what was said in
the memorial was perfectly true and just. lie (Lord
Clarendon) did not think we should have any cause to
complain again ; there had been that manifold and earnest
expression of Protestant opinion which could not but
produce the best effects; on the part of the Government
nothing.fthould be left undone in those matters with respect
to whL•h the prevailing and proper opinion had been ex-
pressed."

The Earl of SnarrEssmY remarked, that the
deputation could not possibly expect his lordship to
sk wore.

The Earl of CLARENDON observed, that even in our
own statute books there wi•; e laws upon the subject
of religion without doubt severe, but happily quite
obsolete. He believed that there were equally severe
laws in the Portuguese code, and, if such were put in
practice, there would at once be good grounds to
Justify our remonstrances.

Tax orphan child of one the oldest of the Irish
baronets WM admitted a t. w days since into the
W4llstead /ant Orphan A-

THE PRESS.

THE RAILWAY TRAFFIC OF 1k53.

RAILWAY accounts being made up somewhat more
speedily than those of the Board of Trade and other
public departments, we have already before us full
returns respecting the receipts, expenditure, mileage,
and other locomotive statistics, as regards the rail-
way system of Great Britain and Ireland during the
whole course of the year just concluded. These re-
turns contain much that is interesting and encou-
raging. It appears that the gross receipts for the
twelve months amounted to 17,920,5301. on 7,774
miles of railway against 15,543,610/. on 7,337 miles
of railway in 1852, showing an increase in the re-
ceipts of 2,376,920/. on railways in the United King-
dom during the year 1853. The cost of constructing
the 7,774 miles of railway, however, amounted, up to
July last, to 263,036,3201., being at the rate of
33,0121. per mile. Thus the whole of the traffic for
the year 1853, great as it has been, only amounts to
014 per cent. of the cost of construction, and, de-
ducting 48 per cent., which is about the average, for
working expenses, rates, taxes, and Government
duty, leaves only 9,318,676/., or 3.53 per cent., on the
gross capital expended ; but as about 100,000,000/.
of this is composed of borrowed and preference capi-
tal, which cannot be set down at less than 4 per
cent., there remains but 4,800,000/. for dividend on
the 16:1,636,3201., or something less than 3 per cent.
The annnal increase of traffic ou railways has been
very considerable, partly arising from the further
development of traffic on the trunk lines, and partly
from the opening of new lines and branches. The
increase of traffic in the year 1843 over that of the
preceding year amounted to 500,8741.; in all proba-
bility in 1844, to 768,3371. ; in 1845, to 1,058,3421.;
in 1846, to 1,020,6501. ; in 1847, to 1,285,7071. ; in
1848, to 1,100,3351.; in 1849, to 980,8081.; in 1850,
to 1,744,161/. ; in 1851, to 1,809,023/. ; in 1852, to
520,402/. ; and in 1863, to 2,040,220/. The increase
of traffic in the year 1850 is due in a great measure
to the encouragement given by railway companies to
excursion traffic ; the increase in 1851 chiefly arose
from that cause in connection with the Great Exhi-
bition and the general improvement in trade. It
would appear that the efforts made to increase the
tratlic in 1850 and 1851 bad reacted on the natural
increase of traffic in 1852, and reduced its amount
by 682,4.(X)/. as compared with the average increase of
ten preceding years. The great increase of trade
with Australia and America consequent on the gold
discoveries has had the effect of raising the traffic in
1853 to a point which had never been reached before,
showing an increase of 2,040,220/. over the preceding
year. The total increase at the end of ten years was
12,337,5301., and, should the traffic increase only at
the same rate during the next ten years, it will
amount in 1863 to about 30,000,0001.

The average traffic receipts '
per mile per annum
were as follows :-For 1842, 3,118/. ; for 1843, 3,085/. ;
for 1844, 3,2781. ; for 1845, 3,409/. ; for 1840, 3,3051.;
for 1847, 2,870/. ; for 1848, 2,5561. ; for 1849, 2,3021.;
for 1850, 2,2271.; for 1851, 2,283/. ; for 1852, 2,2381.;
and for 1853, 2,4711.
The amount of capital expended on the railwaTs
referred to up to July, 1842, was 52,880,100/.;
1843, 57,035,1001.; in 1844, 03,482,1001.; in 1645,
71,040,1001. ; in 14440, 83,105,1001.; in 1847,
109,528,0001. ; in 1848, 148,200,000/. ; in 1849,
181,000,000/. ; in 1850, 219,702,730/. ; in 1851,
229,175,2351. ; m 1852, 239,407,453/. ; and in 1853,
252,802,3201.
The average cost of railways in operation per mile
would appear to be-in 181/, 34,09//.; m 1843,
30,360/. ; in 1844, 35,670/. ; in 1845, 35,070/. ; in
1840, 31,8001. ; in 1847, 31,7001.; in 1848, 34,2311.;
in 1849, 35,2141. ; in 1850, 35,229/. ; in 1851, 35,0581.;
in 1852, 34,6301. ; and in 1853, 35,101/. This shows
a most unsatisfactory indication in railway expendi-
ture, the cost per mile remaining nearly stationary
since 1842, although several comparatively cheap
lines have been recently constructed. The system
of management adopted during the past ten years in
Great Britain has reduced the dividends on the
great trunk lines above 50 per cent., and the value
of railway stock to one-half, and in some cases to
one-fourth and one-eighth. No doubt the traffic re-
ceipts have increased during this period from
4,843,000/. to 17,180,5301., or above 12} millions
during the ten years ; but the capital has also in-
creased from 58,000,000/. to 253,000,0001. during the
same time, or 195,000,000/., and there is nothing to
prevent the increase of expenditure during the next
ten years from 253,000,01 Ml. to 450,000,000/., parti-
cularly as not much more than one-half the rail-
ways for which acts have already been obtained are
as yet constructed. About 0,000 additional miles of
railway will also require the sanction of Parliament
in order to accommodate the traffic in various dis
tricts of the United Kingdom, so that a great deal
yet remains to be done both by the Legislature and
by the projectors of railways. Great expectations
have meanwhile been held out respecting the pre
sumed advantages likely to arise from the establish-
ment of a standing committee of the House of Com-
mons who will have to determine on the mode of
dealing with railway bills and pi,jects in future.

29.

JOURNALISM IN SPAIN.
THE long-continued ill-treatment to which the edi-
tors of the Oppoeition press of Madrid have been
subjected has at last compelled the unfortunate
journalists to break silence, though at no small
risk, and publish a protest or manifesto to their
subscribers end the public generally. This flocu-
ment, which of course apl*ared in a separate form
unattached to any particular paler, WWI issued on
the last day of 1553, as a broadside, entitled " The
Witten of the Independent Periodical Press to their
Readers and the Public." The topics adverted tq in
it are, the impossibility of fulfilling their contracts
alai their subscribers in consequence of the con-
tinual seizure of their numbers ; their being taunted
by the Ministerial journals that their silence pro-
ceeds from their having nothing to allege against
the Government, whereas they show that they are
not allowed to write on numerous subjects of geperal
and political interest ; the abuse of the powers con-
ferred on the Government by the present decree on
the press, which limits the right of seizure to certein,
points, whereas they declare that not a day paws
without one or more of their editions being seig
though they have never touched on the subjects -4
Whited by the decree on the press ; their not bit
allowed to announce to their readers the facecifea
number being seized; the suppression and mails-
tion of their articles, by which the sense is lutes-
tionally altered ; and finally, they say that they have
received a positive order not to treat at all oe, lira
following subjects, under pain of seizure :—" The
railroad questi n ; the last debate and vote in • the
Senate ; the statistics and classification of the sena-
tors who voted against the Ministry ; in defence of
the conduct of the same senators, and of the Opposi-
tion in general against the injurious attacks of certain
national and foreign journals ; news respecting dis-
missals and resignations of public functionaries ;
and the contract with the firm of Clave, Girona, mid
Co., for the construction of the port of Barcelona.'
To which catalogue they state there has latterly been
added a prohibition to write upon " all the questions
or news which have relation proximately or remotely
with the existing Administration, and with the idea
of the union of Spain and Portugal, even under the
point of view from which the Spanish press has con-
sidered it up to this day " (i. e., by some matrimonial
alliance). This document is signed by five editors
of the Clamor Public°, one of the Epoca, three of
the Nacion, three of the Noredades, two of the Mario
Espanol, four of the Tribune, and two of the Oriente.
It is dated the 211th December. The step was de-
liberately taken, and in the face of warnings that
heavy displeasure would fall upon all the parties
concerned in it. The Madrid Gazette of the 4th
inst. contains a notification from the Minister of the
interior forbidding the circulation of this manifest*,
under severe penalties.