The Express.
London, England, 1863-04-06 00:00:00

TO O.O3.I.IBPORDINTL

iivielieneurb binOW for ..71;e1;;;;;;" Teltdow &Ws!
wad be at the aka 10, Bouvertewtreet, by Two
ea the day of publication.

HA YMAPirr.

THM ZYMMIo, MUCirIDO ABOi."1 NOTHING. Messrs.
Howe, Oseepten, Yarrow: Heolsmes Angel sod Terry.
BUCKSTONS AT HOKL—And BORROWING A HUSBAND.
Yearn Howe and Compton ; Miss Marls Hurls.

PRINCOMIL

TRosEemrma, AURORA FLOYD. imam Rozbyand Salmon ;
Miss A. Sedwwick and MIM Henderson. - KILLING TIMM. Mr.
George Vining and Miss Amy Dodged& —Aud BRAUTINUL
MAJORS. Hisses Oliver, Howard, Hudspeth, and Murray.

LYCEUM.

Tuts ET S. A SUT4EiAIikCE. Meows. Mom and
Mk:Wool:0 ; Was Hounds and Era. Laa.—Aml THE DUKES
MOTTO. Masan ladder, Shore, Brongtank. and Raymond
Illasea C. Leclerc% K. Tam, and worthy.

BRITANNIA.,

THIS Enna, FAITB, HOPE, AND CHARITY. with
Professor Penne. GAR I.T SPICrItAL ILLUSION —JRANNIZ
DIAN& Mr. Rlgwood sad Mr.. & lesss.—Aad THE CIRCUIT
OF HOLD. Mr. Isynolds sad Miss Mos.

MOH WATER AT LONDON MEM.
Ms DAT -•-itandeit, Se 15m......A0i1Me5. A. 35..
TO4aoaliow—hlcenths, Eh. 5601.....A.ffire5. U. lka

LONDON, MONDAY, APRIL 6.

THE publication of Colonel TOLLAND'S " Report
"to the Board of Trade on the Metropolitan Rail-
" way Schemes of the present Session " is o:
much value at this particular period. It tells little
that has not been said before in letters, speeches,
and newspapers ; but written as it is without any
feeling of opposition to the multiplication of rail-
ways, it brings into distinct prominence the evils
incident to the existing practice of railway legisla-
tion, while at the same time it suggests the special
difficulties which have to be met in regard to
metropolitan convenience.
It is unanimously admitted that the internal
modes of communication in a country are ma:-
ters of important public interest, and erect
not merely the districts over which they extend,
but also the entire community. When these
roads are formed by private enterprise, and not at
the expense of the State, it becomes again a point
of general interest that they should be made with
economy, so that the success of one undertaking
may foster and encourage another. Yet not
only have these obvious principles been disregarded,
but the very opposite results have been, as it
were, forced upon those who have been the bone-
lectors of their country. Some allowance must
doubtless be made for the alarm originally felt at
the first introduction of a novel mode of transit,
and the present generation should not bear the
blame of the errors of that which has well-
nigh passed. Those who went before us made
mistakes under the influence of prejudice, but in
proportion to oar light it may be doubted whether
we ourselves have not more to answer for. While
railways are an admitted necessity, and the land-
owner now seeks as a boon that which a few years
since he deprecated as a nuisance ; while special
officers have been appointed to exercise supervision
over these works so soon as the railway has
been constructed, and act efficiently in the
performance of this duty, still the tribunal by
which the powers to create a railway are con-
ferred remains sadly inadequate to the duty. We
do not mean to urge that the tribunal should
itself be altered ; for we doubt whether, with all
its faults, it would be possible to confer the
same powers upon any body of men who would be
equally free from the suspicion of unworthy mo-
tives ; but the system of procedure should, and
might with ease be advantageously amended. At
present a line is twice submitted to the considera-
tion of five gentlemen, who, to avoid par-
tiality, are selected specially because they
have no particular knowledge of the district
affected ; and no one is allowed to be heard in op-
position to the application except parties who have
land or houses which are required for the line,
and then only to the extent of their griev-
ance. Unless there be competing lines there is
no evidence brought before the Committee as to
the relative advantage of the line, whether it is that
which is most required, or will promote the general
Interests of the district, or whether in an engineer-
ing, and therefore an economical, point of view
it is that which should be adopted. In fact, in
the great majority of instances the Committees of
either House have to decide upon ec parte evi-
dence upon a particular scheme regarded simply
by itself, and not in connexion with the general
plan, with which, notwithstanding, it must of
necessity be connected. The result is, piecemeal
legislation ; and every ill-considered line which
thus obtains Parliamentary sanction is at the same
Sine costly to the undertakers, by reason of the
alterations which are needed or the ,undue com-
petition established, and injurious to the public,
by whom, in the end, the cost of its construction is
borne. Much of this evil might be got rid of by
the very simple plan of having attached to each
Committee a representative of the public. Where
there is a representative body such as the Metro-
politan Board of Works in London, the duty
should be thrown on it. Where there is not, then
the Board of Trade might undertake it. All
that would be necessary would be that the Bills
should be grouped at some early period, and at the
same time some Body or person might be appointed
in respect to each gfoup to act on behalf of the
public. The duty of the representative or Board
would be to report on the schemes and their general
effect to Parliament at its opening : the report
would be open to the parties interested, and if
there were objections to any of the Bills, owing
to their being from •any cause at variance with
the interest of the public+, then such objections
should be sustained by evidence before the Com-
mittee, where the defender of public interests
would be represented by one counseL An en-
larged power might also with advantage be
conferred upon Oommittees, permitting them to
allow, under certain restrictions, more extensive
modifications in the course and gradients of pro-
posed lines ; and thus they would be enabled often
to aid most materially the promoter", by adopting
the suggestions which would be offered to them on
behalf of the public.

Now if some such course of procedure had ex-
isted, the present state of difficulty in respect to
the metropolis would have been prevented. The
proper mode of dealing with railways in the metropolis
is not a new question, but was actually referred in
1848 to a Royal Commission, and was again re-

ported on to some extent by a Select 'Committee
of the House of Commons in 1856. The general
conclusions of the Commimian in 1846 were
adverse to the introduction of railways into the
metropolis north of the Thames, but they recom-
mended that, if railways were to be admitted,
conformity with some general plan should be
enforced. Those conclusions, so sensible, so ad-
vantageous to the public, and so important to the
railway interest itself, have been set aside, and
very greatly in consequence doubtless of the ab-
sence before the Metropolitan Committee of
anyone charged with the duty of repre-
senting the public. It might be a very
proper subject for discussion whether it were
important for paasenger traffic that it should ap-
proach the metropolis more closely than the points
occupied by the termini of the several lines exist-
ing in 1846 ; but if London were to be traversed
by lines of railway, it is obvious that common
sense dictates such an arrangement of the various
lines as to allow the through, unbroken traffic of
goods. So far as Committees have decided, they
have acted in direct contravention of these natural
principles. They have sanctioned one underground
railway, but so "constructed as to be probably
" injurious in preventing the construction of
" new lines of railway that would connect some
" of the metropolitan termini with each other ; "
and also one terminal station in Farringdon-street,

which, though intended to be used as a through
line from the north to south, is at such a level
as to be at least vet/ difficult, if not impossible, of
use. It is in reaching this station that the bridge
over Ludgatehill, which has caused such a loud
and justifiable outcry, becomes necessary. It so
happens, however, that the evil which the exist-
ence of this station might have caused can be
avoided, for the London, Chatham, and Dover are
desirous to relinqu;sh their powers (which would
otherwise to a great extent expire in three or four
months), and they propose to establish the:-
connexion with the northern lines by means of a
new and independent Company which will effect
an union between the London, Chatham, and
Dover and the Metropolitan Railways.
ne moment is, therefore, especially auspicious
for the adoption of the recommendation of Colonel
YOLLAND, that " the consideration of all railway
1" schemes which propose to establish new lines
" littering, approaching within narrow limits of,
" or pealing across the metropolis proper, be poet-
" pored until a future session." Such • recom-
mendation is, we are satisfied, consistent with the
true interests both of the public and of the rail-
way companies ; but if it be adopted, action
should be taken by Parliament, either through a
joint Committee of both Houses or by independent
Committees acting in harmony and concert, to
lay down those principles which may be beat
adapted to assist in future Sessions the solution
of the problem involved in the construction of

railways in London.
In an area so limited, and amidst a population
so dense, the object should be to cause as little
disturbance of existing thoroughfares and resi-
dences as possible, for every removal of the
dwellings of the poor inflicts on them a very
serious injury, and adds to the difficulty of
living near their occupations, and to the density
of occupation in the undisturbed adjacent
neighbourhood. Al the great object of above-
ground railways must be the interchange of
goods traffic between the various large termini, it
might probably be found that that result can be
attained by very little addition to existing means
1 of
communication.

But into the mode of working out such arrange-
ments as may be thought desirable we do not now
propose to enter. It will be matter of congratu-
lation if we escape this year from the threatened
invasion of the metropolis, and we are as-
sured that the consideration by Parlia-
ment of the metropolis as • whole will
eventuate in the establishment of some method of
procedure before Committees which will provide for
other district• a similar protection. If this ahonld
be the case, we feel that • step will have been
made in the tight direction towards framing a kind
of code of practice, and railway compact es and the
public will alike reap the advantage which will
spring from the establishment of a certain system
of procedure and harmony of deciaion. Firm and
consistent legislation will not check the progress of
sound railway enterprise, but will tend to give to
it • more healthful and more remunerative
character.