The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-14 00:00:00

Australian Agricultural shares fell 2/. this morn-
ing, but at 4 o'clock bad rallied to 67 to 69. Peel
River and South Australian Land were also lower,
and other land shares generally, fiat. British Ame-
rican closed 66 to 68, and Van Dieman's Land, 16 to
17. Crystal Palace shares appear to be steadily
taken up by late buyers, on the settling, and are firm
at 21 to 3 prem. The new issue is quoted If, to 11
prem. Australian Bank shares were rather flat, but
a decline of 10s. in Bank of Australasia appears to
be the only actual change in prices.

During the last few weeks great interest hu been
felt by parties connected with India to learn the sub-
stance of the report of Lord Dalhousie on the railway
system of that great dependency; and now that the
recommendations of that report have oozed out, addi-
tional attention is bestowed on the subject, especially
at the.present moment, when the question as to the
future government of India excites such prolonged
debates in the legislature. Viewing the subject of
Indian railways on its merits it is impossible not to
be struck, as Sir Charles Wood expressed himself,
in his speech of the 4th June last, with the want of
due consideration shown when the existing
Indian lines were commenced; owing to which
so many delays and changes of route have
been rendered requisite. The only real progress
that has beefs made towards supplying India
with railways, is in Bengal—the line of
the East Indian Railway Company—and even in
this case grave errors have been committed, and an'
utilitarian result almost indefinitely put off. Al-
though at first proposed to be carried direct from
Calcutta to Nlirzapore—a gigantic and difficult un-
dertaking—it was found after a time that such a
line would never answer, as the cost, from the na-
ture of the country, would have been enormous,
whilst the real producing districts lying along the
valley of the Ganges would have retnained deprived
of benefit. The credit of having energetically pointed
this out rests with Mr. W. P. Andrew, whose work
on Indian Railways, under the signature of " An
Old Indian Postmaster," and whose " Report,"
addressed to Sir Archibald Galloway in 1849,
are still the most practical documents pub-
lished on the subject. It has since been
determined, in accordance with his recommenda-
tion, that the East Indian Railway Company's
line, which commences at Hoterab, opposite Calcutta,
shall be carried to Rajmahal, on the Ganges, at
which point the river is navigable for 500 miles up-
wards, or in a north-westerly direction. By connect-
ing in this way the two great channels of commerce,
the Hoogly and Ganges, five hundred and twenty
eight miles of a circuitous route, large portions of
which are extremely dangerous and intricate,
through the labyrinth of the Soonderbunds, would
be saved for eight months in the year; and the rail-
way train would, with certainty, perform within ten
or twelve hours a distance which now takes the
steam vessel, on the average, as many days,
End which is only precariously accomplished by
the 'heavily laden country boat in a month.
There can be no doubt of the urgent importance of
' this line, and it continues a source of real regret that
I its construction is being so tardily proceeded with.
11The construction of a portion of the line is useless,
the Quin• that ought to be attained as quickly as
possible being the actual striking of the Ganges,
where all the upriver traffic, amountirg to more
than 2,000,000 tone annually, might be at once di-
verted to Calcutta, the shipping port.