The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-12 00:00:00

one point, —that of never asking too little. But the
day of d. übt is over. Their own legislation and
the new work of Commissioner 'NI kVSE will throw

light upon the subject. Ecouennic members
may study the document this morning with
a strange mixture of horror of the past and
delightful anticipation of the future. We can pic-
ture the amazement with which these gentlemen 1
will receive the intelligence that a disbursement of 1
sixpence will be in future all the pecuniary sacri-
fice necessary to compen.ate the cabman who drives
them from Palace-yard to Buckingham-gate. If
there is something woeful in the reflection, that
the hundreds of shillings paid in overcharges for this
very distance will never return, it will be balanced by
the pleasant certainty that Sir Ittetimen MAINE has
made it impossible that such extortion should in
future be put in practice. We should not be sur-
prised to find half the members of the Houses travel-
ling this morning between Buckingham-gate and
Westminster, to assure themselves of the almost in-
credible fact that they can perform this feat twice
over for the small charge of one shilling. Few sub-
' jects possess greater features of tragic interest than
the dramatic or pictorial representation of the cab-
man whea he first receives this particular coin fur
the conveyance of the traveller over the distance in
question.
But there is consolation in the change of system
even for "cabby" himself. There is every reason
Ito believe that the increased demand for cabs under
the new plan will lead to changes in the construe-
, tion and furnishing of those vehicles, advan-
tag, ous alike to the public and to the pro-
prietors. In proportion as the chance of ex-
tortion diminishes, the number of riders in cabs will
increase. The greater the need that the cab horses
should be of a better class than at present, the greater
the likelihood that people will ride. Whilst there
was a chance of extracting double fares from the ig-
norance or the timidity of travellers, there was as
reason for the investment of large amounts of capital
in the horsing or construction of cabs. Now, when
the possibility of overcharging is reduced to its
lowest point, proprietors will find it their interest
to build vehicles adapted for speed, and have them
drawn by horses capable of doing an iner,esed quan-
tity of work. The greater the number of riders, the
better will be our cabs. There is reason to be-
lieve also that the alteration in cab fares must put
omnibus proprietors on their mettle, and lead
to the introduction of great improvements is
these carriages. The fp eat inducements held out
to the public to patronise omnibuses were
alsopness and the absence of all uncertainty with
respect to the amount of fares. The new tariff and
the publicity intended to be given to it by the Com-
missioners of Police, will give cab proprietors the
opportunity of holding out the same inducements.
Many hundreds of persons are prevented daily from
riding in cabs by the thorough state of uncer-
tainty in which they are as to the suns which
(will be chimed from them at the end of their
journey. This uncertainty will no longer exist, and
we seem likely to be more than ever a cab-riding
population. The cabmen will doubtless improve in
the same ratio as the horses and the cabs, and our
lucks ‘nd legs be protected as well as our pockets.
It is some satisfaction, however, in case of accident,
that in Mr. MANNE'S new work the fares to all the
hospitals occupy a prominent position in the list, so
that members who are so unfortunate as to be
thrown out of vehicles may be conveyed to the place
where their wounds will be cured at a low and ex-
actly defined rate. We are promised that a similar
list of distances and fares shall be placed at every cab-
stand in the metropolis ; and it is a safe prophecy
that when this is done many a vote of thanks will
be mentally offered to the two Great Cab Reformers
—Mr. FirzaoY and Commissioner MAYNE.