The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-26 00:00:00

THE CHRISTMAS RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

The recurrence of Christman-day brought with it
an extraordinary amount of railway traffic, teeming in aid
out of the chief metropolitan termini. Yesterday the
Eaten station of the London and North Western Railway
was the scene of the same Incessant occupation that it has
been either more or less gins Saturday. Special arrange.
merits were made by Captain Heigh, the general manager.
and Mr. Brooke, the traffic superintendent, in conjunction
with the delivery agents Messrs. Chaplin and Horne,
whereby the greatest expedition la delivery was obtained,
and as the means by which it was accomplished are not ge-
luridly known,. it may be interesting to describe the
arrangements adopted, so that no one consignmeat of
the immense mass was allowed, if possible, to be
lost or miscarry. On the arrival side of the sta-
tion was a large terrponry tent, supplied with
halls dogro fires, its dimensions 20 feet high by 00 wide,
being lit up with gas laid on for the purpose, and into which,
as the various mail and merchandigs trains hove up along-
side, their contents were bided out and temporarily stowed.
Here during yesterday morning, andsiace Saturday, between
fifty and sixty of the railway porters were engaged day and
eight hauling the hampers, &c., out of the goods vans, and
naudeg them across the rails to a numb :r of men employed
by the company's carrying apeuts in the tent, who, with
the "sorters," arranged them into their particular comp art-
names in feint of the station well, on which was written the
different districts or destinations, 'spaniel compartments
fog assigned for " the City, Strand, the squares, over the
water, Islington, East-end, Finsbury, West-and, Hingsland,
Clukenweil, ' &c., at each of which poiets, between two
and three omnibuses and vans steed in the process of being
leaded, and the various c.asignmenm were checked by
the company's clerks at their desks; and this haviog been
doue, as non as filled the 30 or 40 conveyances drove
off without delay with their deliveries, consisting of barrels
of oysters, baskets of fish, fruit, game, and ether Christmas
presents. The immense contents of the mail and other
mins arriving yesterday and on Monday at half past 4 a.m.,
were dispcsed of in this =sneer by 10 o'clock, at which time
the station was cleared. On Sunday morning the men re-
mained at work, and the conveyance vans were in all parts
of town by 9 u'elo.ik. Every care was taken to prevent t •
labels falling off. The various omnibuses and vans, as they
erect out, attracted no small attention, some of them being
so piled with packages as to rem & up to the second floor
windows of the homes. On some there were 200 packages.
Great ears was required in building them up securely, sad
mie was effected, not only by laying the packages acres, bat ,
by suspending tuskeys and pigs outside, which enabled an
enormous number to be token. Police were about to prevent
pilfering. On the departure side of the station elan auks I
sonso wen employed day and night with the maim's
by the trains te the various menufasturing towns,
and it is calculated that the number of packages and con-
signments of all descripti amounted " down the lire could
out for the four days have to leas than 20,000, and
those coming in to less than 15,000. There were also several
hued: ed waggons of live and dead stock, and a great influx
of passengers to and fro sou occasioned, the company having
issued double you.ney tickets, available Irom Saturday to
Wednesday.
On t e Great Western, Eastern C. unties, and South
Weaken the same expeditious wrens of delivery was adopted,
Vie carrying agents being the same. The number of con.
tignmeau over the Great Western during tho four days is
computed at 18,000 " down" and some 8,000 " up." On
S iturday the using on this line are said to have been tree
mendous with people going in and out of town—the luggage
such as had never Men seen before, and as though the stay
of the parties was intended till next Christmas. Extra ear-
riages had to be put on to the express and ordinary trains,the
arrangemehts of which were under the superintendence of
Mr. S,ymcur Clark-, the manager, and Mr. Palmer, the
traffic superintendent.
On the Eastern C Antics an i mmense tent was consructed
for the purpose the arrangements ands taff, under Mr.t Snow-
beieg of a similar perfect description with these at Euston,
square, with this addition, that on the arrival aide of the
hoe the shoals of packages wire backed out of the trains
into the tent by means of a huge sliding platform; while
upon the " down" side was a sort of dock, into which the
railway. carriages were run, and conveniently loaded on the
line with their cargoes. The consignments by this line,
taking in as it does the great game and agricultural districts,
were immense, more porlioulaely in Lire and dead stock,
which, during the preceding week, were enormous.
The South. Western, South-Eastern and Brighton, each
had their proportionate amount of truffle, more particularly
in passengers, owing to the facilities given for extending the
return journey to Wednesday, which was the cam on many
of the provincial railways.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIENCE TO THE BAR—It wee stated
in the Eapreas • few days since that Mr. Serjeant
Dowling, the judge of the York County Court, had
:pros el his intention of submitting to the Attorney-
General the question whether, in insolvency cases, the bar
should have exclusive audience in County C sorts, and that
attorneys should not plead before them? On Friday last the
learned judge informed the bar that he intended to have the
pont argued before him, and fixed the 26th of January for
the discussion. Mr. 'Renaud will appear for the barristers
practising in the district, and an intimation has been given
that • barrister would appear for the attorneys on the
" special oecasi,m." The decision will settle the question in
other county courts.
TUE LAST OF TUE PALACE COURT.—Friday next
is the hut regular confide, of the Palace Court. Probably it
will sit by adjournment on Monday, according to the terms
of the 12 and 13 Vie., cap. 101, and then It will cease and
determine. Connected with this court is the Idershalsea
Court; and both will pass away in the same day. A cor-
respondent says: " This Court of the Marshabesi at one time
held a high place in rank and dignity, and, as the old
writers declare, ' there was no court superior to it.' It was
coeval with the common law, and followed the King's per-
son. Even in the reign of Edward VI. it was de-
scribed as one of the • ancientast courts within the
realm.' The court was established to administer
tie
-
tice between persons belonging to the royal household ;
and the Esrl Marshal was the officer to execute
the rocess when notice was performed by the lord steward
of the Palace. In modern days very little brininess was trans
acted in the court. With the Palace Court, created by
letters patent of the 16 Charles 11., it was very different.
The juriadictiou of the Palace Court extended to all persons
not of the household, and abiding or coming within
12 miles of the palace at Westminster. This court
was designated ' the court of the king of the
of the king at Westminster.' According to the restitiecres
patent the lord steward had power to nominate and
admit ' four counsellors to be counsel, and six persons
so be attorneys in the court for the term of the life of each
person, to prosecute and defend the actions,The
places were obtained bhp urchase, and the last barrister ad-
mitted was Kr. Best, the present Member of Parliament for
Kidderminster, who has made his claim for compensation,
as well as the attorneys and other officers belonging to the
court. Compensation was granted to the officers when arrest
on mane process was abolished, and further compeneation
has now been claimed, which claims an at the present time
under the consideration of the Lords of the Treasury. No
writs have been issued since the Ist of August last, but a good
deal of business has been transacted under the Small Debts
Act. There is not one person connected with the court paid
by salary—all, including the judge himself, are remunerated
by fees. Singe the County Courts Act was passed, the busi-
ness of the court greatly increased, and in estimating the
coaneusation to be awarded, the Lords of the Treasury
are nut to consider the increased emoluments. Such is a
brief outline of the rise and fall of the Palace Court. Events
have hastened its dissolution. It will soon become one of the
things that were, and its records transferred to the custody
of the Master of the Bola as Record Keeper, probably
to be buried in some compartment of the New Houses of
Parliament.
TUE BRIOUTON PAVILION.—A vestry meeting was
held at Brightoo on Thursday for the purpose of having
submitted to it the draught bill conferring powers on the
commissioners to complete the purchase. The Rev. H. M.
Wagner (vicar), presided on the occasion, and the meeting,
which lasted seven hours, was of a boisterous character. A
motion approvirg of the bill was proposed by Mr. Georg.
Faithitill, who once represented Brighton is parliament.
This was met by three amendments, one of which, moved by
Mr. A H. Cox, one of the minority et the vestry committee,
was, " that the bill now presented is disapproved of. and
that a memorial be presented to the Commissioners of Woods
and Forests, expressing the desire of the vestry that no
thither step be taken in the matter." This amendment,
on a show of hands, was carried by about four to three, I
and a poll was then demanded by Mr. James ,
Curdy, ono of the churchwardens. On Friday, the
vows stood as follows:—For the bill, 408- for Mr. Cox's
amendment, 656. The excitement was nearly equal to that
which generally prevails during a coatest for the repreethte-
tion of the borough; and this was increased on Saturday,
when the poll wee resumed. During Saturday morning it
seas discovered that at the time Mr. Faithfull proposed his
motion he Ind not paid his poor rates (which was probably
the case with hall the persons present), and Mr. Cos there-
upon heeded to the chairman a protest against the reception
of more votes for the motiou, on the ground that, under the
circumstances, it was illegal. The chairman having con-
501'ed the vestry clerk, decided on receiving the votes, sub-
pet to the protest. The polling continued till Saturday
night, when the final esult was declared to be as follows :
For the bill, 1,313; for the amendment, 1,307. Majority
fur the bill for completing the purchase, 36. The chair,
amidst the rimes: confusion, declared the motion ed,
subsequent g
to the protest of Mr. Cox.. So the matter scarritands.