The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-07 00:00:00

avoided by the commonest prudence is an outrageous
calumny on the management of railways on which collisions
of this awful kind do not occur. A percentage of accidents
in using mechanical power we must always expect under the
best management. Rut this accident cannot be placed in
that c.us of misfortunes. It arises not from the contingen-
cies of mechanical power, but from defective human ar-
rangements abusing mechanical power. It was not only
avoidable, but by the exercise of ordinary care and common
precaution, would and must have been avoided.
Whet, then, is the remedy ? Ina &seem of directorial
(not subordinate) management, which shall be devoted to
the details, and net to that injurious delusion celled
, the policy of railway companies ; which shall apply
to their details those principles of supervision and
imthority that merchants and traders apply to their
I private businesses ; which shall cancentrato and fix the
supreme tcs;xmoibility of these corporations on their do-
mestic concerns. Directors who, with such calamities
arising out of their present system, can persevere in it, can
continue to devote themselves to parliamentary contests,
and can resign themselves to the excitement of competition
as if it were a rubber of whist or a race at Newmarket, aro
wholly unfit Lir the positicns they occupy ; and if share-
holders will not remove, Parliament must deprive, them of
the power they abuse, to the slaughter of their servants
and the loss Si life and limb to their customers.
A RAILWAY TRAVELLER.

PRESERVATION OF LIFE FRONI SiIIP-
W RECK.

'Yesterday a meeting of the General Committee of
the Satiety for 'Le Preservation of Life from Shipwreck,
was held at the codices in John-street, Adelph. 3.1 r.
rALMEIt. late M.P. for South Essex, in the chair, We

also observed present Admiral Sir Thrimas Herbert, M.P.
Colonel Colquhoun, R.A.; Captain Jerningham. ,
Captain l'errott; Captain M'Hardy : Captain Washington,
R.N. ; Mr. Edward flurry; Captain NVard, R.N.; Captain
Ommanney, R.N.; Major Palmer, &c.
The minutes of the previous meeting having been read by
the Secretary, the following rewards were ordered to be
granted :
A reward of 91. was granted tt the crew of one of the
Anglesea hk boats, in consideration of their laudable and
persevering exertions in sating the crew, consisting of four-
teen persons of the brig Athena, from Alexandria to Liver-
pool, which was wrecked near Llaudilwyn, on the 20th ult.
The /slur fellows were found to bu in a state of complete ex-
haustion u hen they were rescued front their perilous silna-
; shortly after leaving the wreck, she went to pieces.
A reward of 31. 17s. was also voted to a Shetland boat's
crew, for services rendered by them to the crew of the
,chcoit r, Janet Gibson, front Atchangel to London,
wrecked near Lt ruck a short time ago, during a dense fog
and a strong easterly 1. well.
The silver medal of the institution and tw t sovereigns
were voted to Mr. Christopher Day, master of tile steam
tug Contractor, of Middle,ham-on-Tees, ter his promptitude
and gallantry in going off in his steamer, during a strong
gale trent the eastward, to reeaue the crew of the L:uisa,
of Stettin, which was wrecked near the entrance of the '
i River 'leis, on the 29th Octolxr last, and s i m afterwards
went to pieces. This was stated to be a most gallant act on
the part of Mr. Day. Ilia crew received also a reward oil
1101. each for their services on the occasion.
A reward of 11. each was granted to Vie crew of the 11
Aberdeen lifeboat, in consideration of their humane, though
unsuccessful, efforts to resaue tae crew el the brig Venus,
wrecked oatside of the harbour of that place a Faint time
since. The gallant men made s:x un ucceisful attempts
to reach the wreck, but on the seventh they approached
sufficiently near to rescue one poor fellow, six others having
perished in the interval.
A reward of at. 10r. was granted to a boat's crew of '
Thoepn-ss, Suffolk, for rescuing the master and crew of
the Mary Ann of Sunderland, which was wrecked near that
place on the 19th ult. To the peomptitaae and gallantry
of the boatman, named Chard, and his craw, the two men
who were found on pieces of the wreck owel, under Pro-
vidence, their lives. Chard had on a previous occasion re-
ceived the medal of the institution.
A reward of 21. 106. was voted to a number of poor
fishermen on the coast of Donegal for their services to the
crews of two boats which had been capsised it. the sea.
The silver medal of the institution was granted to Lieut.
Parsons, R.N., chief °nicer of liourna Bottom Coast-guard
Station, Dorset; and a reward of 41. to kis boat's crew of
tour men, for their gallant services to some of the crew of
the barque, William Glen Anderson, of , timber
laden. The ship being observed, during the late hurricane,
to part from her anchors, the °Cour and his min without
delay hired horses and two timber trucks, to convey his
boat abreast of the wreck. Having launched his boat, she

iustantly titled with water, and ha crew wahe"d

shore ' • but on the second attempt they succeeded in reach-
ing the wreck, and in rescuing the eight persons ma board.
Another boat, belonging to the yacht of Sir Percy Shelly,
had also put off to the wreck, manned by flee persons, but
she immediately filled and terned bottom up, keeping two
of her crew under her. The Coast-guard boat was again
launched, manned by the same gallant men, and succeeded
in sewing four out of five of her crew—one poor man hav-
ing hcen to 3 long immersed in the watr for animation to
be restored.
A grant of 201. was made to the widows and orphans of
the tarec men who unfortunately p3risheil in their humane
attempts to ao to the assistance of the crew and passengers
of the emigrant ship, Heroine,which was wrecked off Lyme
Regis during the late disastrous hurricane ; and the thanks
or the committee, on vellum, was ordered to be presented
severally to Captain Willoughby, R.N., Inspecting-Com-
ntauder of the Coss: Clutrd at Lyme 1L,66 ; Lieut. -Irvine,
R.N., chief officer of the Bournruouth Coast Guard &talon ;
and to Mr. IL Harvey, commanding IL.M.R.C. Francis, in
appreciation of their meritorious and arduous exertions on
I the occasion of the wrecks of the sloop* Adel and Sarah,
uud the barque Heroine; and a reward of 10s. each was
voted to their respective crews. It was stated that it was
the intention of the institution to place a lite-haat at Lyme
Regis forthwith.
A reward of 51. was granted t 3 the crew of the Madill)
life-boat, Angles' a, for valuable services in saving the crew
of the schooner Emma, of —, wrecked near that place on
the night of the 10th November last. The night was un-
usually dark, and the life-boat was engaged foe five hours
rescuing the shipwrecked crew. This is the second service
this boat has rendered to shipwrecked crews within the
list few wei•ks. It was stated that several of the earlier
life boats of the institution, which are en the plan of Mr.
George Palmer, of :lazing Park, are now on service in An-
glesea, and that since their first establishment there, about
25 years ago, they have been instrumental in paving some
hundreds of lives of shipwrecked persons. It was also
stated that during the last:two months between 300 and
400 wrecks had taken place on various parts of the coast of
the United Kingdom, and the consequent destruction to
life was very great.
With these facts before them, the apathy of the public
respecting the institution is very extraordinary. The prin-
cipal object which it seeks to carry is the provision of
means to lessen the annual havoc among our hardy sea-
men, yet it meets with less support than any other charit-
able society of like importance in the kingdom.

METROPOLITAN TRAVELLERS' AND WARE-
HOUSEMEN'S ASSOCIATION.

The sixth annual dinner of this association took
place yesterday at the London tavern. About 100 gentle- ,
men sat down. Dir. Alderman WIRE presided.
After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts had been duly
honoured,
The Cuatrossf: propelled " Success to Trade," and next
" buccess to the Travelers and Warehousemen's Associa
ties."
Mr, LEIGH, the secretary, then read the annual report,
as follows:—" The committee, in presenting their sixth
annual report, have much pleasure in congratulating the
members upon the prosperous state of the society. Au in-
crease of sickness and mortality during the past year leaves
the balance less than on former years, but the society being
self-supporting, it is encouraging to he able to announce the
satisfactory balance is the bankers' hands of 725!. lls. 61.,
being an increase oval last year of 1001. 10s. 101. It is ne-
cessary to observe that it has been decided at a special
general meeting to extend the operations of the society to
parties employed in the retail drapery trade ; the committee
have much confidence in recommending the society to those
who have not already joined, and believe it only requires to
be made known among that extensive body to induce many
to avail themselves of its benefits."
MOWAT proposed the " Health of the Chairman,"
and
Mr. LEIGH, the secretary, announced several donations.
Tue following toasts were also given in the course of the
evening :—" fhe Trustees," " The Treasurer," " The Se-
cretary," " The Auditors and Committee," The retiring
Chairman of the Institution," and "The Visitors."
The dinner was served up in Mr. !lathe's well-known
style of elegance. The musical portion of the ente.rtain-
, meat was under the ;direction of Mr. llohnes, and Mr.
Harker discharged the duties of toast-master with his usual
I a'sility.

FATAL CAlf COLLISION.—Last evening, Mr. Bed-
ford conclude d the inquiry into the cireumstahces attending
the death of Arthur Groombridge, a cabdriver, aged 411
Thomas Blakemore, a brewksman to a horsedealer, deposed
that about half-past see o'clwek on Fr:day last, he was out- I
side his eua,ter's premises, No. 13, /Cline:Lk-street, when
ho saw the cab coming towards him and the gentleman's
brougham was coming in the opposite direction, and just
after the latter had passed the break with which witness
had returned the collision took place. There was ample
room for the vehicles to have passed each other. The cab
was not so close to the kerb as it might have been, I
and the brougham was in the middle of the road.
Dr. Samuel Ashwell, of IG, Grafton-street, Bond.ftreet,
deposed that lie was riding in his brougham at the time in
question, and heard his coachman call out to a cabman who
was approaching them. Ile looked out of one of the win-
dows, but providentially instantly withdrew his head, as
his brougham was immediately struck by the cab. Imme-
diately after the colliden had taken place he jumped out of
his brougham and went to the assistance of the cabman, who
hail fallen off his boa into the roadway. He appear«l to
have had a sufficient fall to fracture his skull; but it seemed
impossible that he could have so injured himself, as en the
policeman taking him in charge for being drunk and in-
capable of managing his cab, he walked to the station-
house. Some conversation here took place as to the treat-
ment deceased bad received at the station-house. and it
appeared that Inspector llickerston had scut for Mr. Fearer,
the surgeon, when it was discovered that deceased was ill,
but neither that gentleman or Mr. Morgan, who had seen
him preview:ly, hat the least idea his skull was fractured.
The coroner haling summed up, the jury consulted, and
after some Law the foreman reported that they could not
c one to a unnni.nous verdict, but 12 out of 16 returned that
of " Accidental Death."

ADNIIS6ION OF THE PUBLIC TO VIEW

APSLEY HOUSE.

liberality, has thrown open the doors of the
The present Duke of Welling,ton, with a wise
paternal man-
se:pc, and announced that, for a sufficient period, all the
costly plate, pictures, marbles. and relics of his:sole in-
terest may be inspected, subject only to such regulatioes as
may be neon sorry for their protection, and for the preserva-
tion of good order. The whole will be open t o the public
next week, but yesterday a private view was permitted,
which enables us to furnish the visitors with fuller inform-
ation than is afforded by the very meagre catalogue. 'hum
the entrance hall, whichrxhibits noti ing very remarkable
either iu its proportions or decorations, the visitors pass
along between strong wooden barriers into the small room
wed us the waiting room, in which, in addition to a few
good bronzes, are busts of the Duke himself, by Steele, of
Edinburgh (an excellent likeness); of the late Lord Cas-
tlereagh, of Mr. Pereeval, Colonel Ourwood (the compiler
of the Duke's depatches), and of the bravo Colonel Pon-
eonby, whose adventures on the field of Waterloo are a
truth " granger than fiction." On approaching the stair-
case, which is by no means impesing, th.• eye is caught by
the colossal statue of Napoleon, executed by Canova,
and presented by Cie allied sovereigns to his Grace
after the Battle of Waterloo. The majestic effect of this
fis;ure is increased by the cemrerative gloom in which it
stauds.The ogaro is full et' race and power, and must not be
pissed hastily by the visitor, in his anxiety to get to the
rooms above. The Piccadilly drawing room is a niederite-
sized, but cheerful, apartment, rich in valuable 'saluting.,
among which the portrait of another cf England's military
heroes, the Great Duke of hlarlborough, has prominent
place. The spectator who may have read Mr. Thackez ay's
masterly summary of that remarkable man's character, will
hardly be able to reconcile so many unamiablo traits with
the fine presence and handsome ceuntenauce of the hero of
Blenheim and Hamilies. Here arc also Wilkie's chef
a' ranee, the "Cheleealetineioners," and Burnet's companion,
the " til reenwich Pensioners." It were to be wished that
these two pictures,so full of local interest, were placed a little
more within the range of sight than they stand at present.
One of the features of this room, which will, eo doubt,
an ract much curiosity, is Sir E. Landseer's large picture
of Van Amburgh ir, the cage with wild beasts, painted by
the Duke's express order, and remarkable for its fidelity of
animal portraiture. The figure of the lion tam. r will not
add much to the painter's reputation, but the fierce animals
which crouch at his feet ere admirably depicted. There are
also some good Dutch cabinet pictures in this room, from
whence the crowd win pass into the drawing-room enriched
by fine portraits of Marshal Sault and Popo Pius VII.,
placed in rather odd companienship over the entrance. The
original of the famous " Melton limit," the ornauieet of
every 'sportsman's drawing-Teem, and copies by Borate-
tnais en of four of lleffatila's most etteiorated works, are
also is this room. A reference to the catalogue, which is
ven gratuitously to eeeh visitor on entering, will
tell these partieslar subjects, and we shell there-
fre leave this room with a ;aging mention
of the Sevres Vases, the gift of lames Le Desie%
which, although very probably wonders of the period. will
excite very little admiration In those who saw the SZ VMS
vases at the Great Exhibition of 1831. We arc now entering
the great centre of attraction, the Waterloo banquetting-
hail, or picture gallery, as it is called in the catalogue, in
which the great anniversary- was celebrated, and the walls
of which are enriched with same priceless gems of art. But
on first entering the visit o• thinks nothing of the Mentes
or the decorations ; he remembers only " The Duke" and
his gallant guests, and fancy soon fills the long vista with
veteran countenances an brilliant uniforms, and loots.
anxiously to the large central fire-place opposite which it
was the host's custom to sit, and where he stood up to give
the charter toast, " The loth of June." It was curious to
remark that among the visitors yesterday the first question
wee not " Where is the Correggio 1" but " Where did the
Duke sit ?" and • crowded circle constantly sur-
roended the new farnous locality. The roam itself
is of fair and ample proportions, lighted of course
from the top, and decorated in a rather whim-
sical admixture of the clerical, rennistance, Lodis
Quatoize, and what the French call the Rococo ryleo.
The drawings were, we understand, made in a hurry, and
at a time when these things were not qnite so well under-
good as they are at present. The elaborate gilding, however,
makes the FLocral ellect sufficiently gorgeous, and the eye
is soon carried away to the fine pictures with which the
walls era almost entirely cevered. Here arc some genuiae
e•rtraids by Velasquez, pert, we believe, se` the 'roils of
Talavera, and the unrivalled Correggio, " Christ in the gar-
den," of which the picture in the Nation il Gallery is only
a copy. Full length portraits of Philip and Mary orna-
ment the mentelolleets at each end of the room, and
along the welts are the rich creations of Titian,
the quaint an I homely pictures of the Dutch
school, and the wild fancies of &hitter Rosa.
The visitor must by no means forget the marvellous
Dutch village by Beekhuyeen, with its draw-bridge, canal,
and " Trekschuyts" looming through the mist; nor the
female portraits by Titian, all undoubted specimens of the
respective masters. There are also several first-rate pictures
to which the practised eye would soon appropriate a muter;
but the Duke, with characteristic conscientiousness, has
left them unnamed, because he had not received satisfac-
tory warranty for their genuineness. Front the rictur e
gallery the, promenade proceeds through the small drawing
room, enriched by portraits, Se:tea china, and some speci-
mens of porphyry and malachite, to the room known as
" the striped drawing roam," remarkable as containing Sir
\V. Allen's " Battle of Waterless," painted to the Duke's
order. Of Chic picture his passe said, with his usual
brevity, "Very good; not too much smoke." This room is
also enriched with portraits, among which that of
Blucher will soonest eat est the eye of the visitor.
Descending to the china roam, we have the
various services, the gifts of crowned heads, and
the famous Portuguese platenn, the annual centre piece of
the dinner table. The toast remarkable feature in this
room is the Wellington Shield, the gift of the London mer-
chants. a masterpiece of the time, but which would hardly
bear now to stand side by side with the works of Vechte or
Frorneut Meurice. It is cerfenly more remarkable for the
pervading nationality of its sentiment than for the chaste-
ness of its design. There are bronzes here which will hear
looking at more than once; and then the visitor pages from
the attractions of costly plate and rare pictures to those
apartments whose interest is concentrated in their personal
associations. The secretary's room looks plain and business-
like, and the duke's private room is seen precisely as when
his grace last used It. It is surrounded by a librery of
reference, and the table is covered with blue books, bundles
of documents, and stations other indications of the mental
activity of the late illustrious occupant. Over the mantel-
piece are medallion portraits of the present Duchess of
Wellington and Jenny Lied; and a lithograph of
Lieutenant Waghorn testifies, by its prominent position,
the Duke's sympathy with an energy almost as great,
though not so wisely or greatly directed as his own. Tlin
last visit is paid to the Duke's bedroom, plain even to
homeliness, with a few chairs, its modest carpet, and its
little French bedstead and horsehair mattras, upon which
a hard cushion covered with leather supplies the place of
down pillows, and upon which the Duke invariably slept
when in town. A glass door opens loom this room into the
garden, and within the cast of a pebble is all the noise and
bustle of Picead.lly, one of the most populous thoroughfares
in London.
We are requested to state that Apsley UMW will not be
opened to the public before Tuesday next. Tickets of ad-
mission will be forwarded, in answer to written applicaticas,
addressed to Mr. Mitchell, 33, Ohl Bond-greet.

A STATUE TO SIR JOHN RENNIE.

TO THE EDITOU OF THE EXPRESS.
Sin,—Tho eulogiums recently passed on Mr.
Eai:y's statue of Stephenson, about to be placed in the
great room of the East m-square railway station, suggest
a thought that has struck mo mare than once while ap-
proaching London-bridge from the great railway station
situated on the Surrey side of it. At the foot cf London-
bridge, opposite the entrance to this station, there is a wide
space, the central point of which is now occupied by lamps:
here should bee statue of a man who has accomplished
great works during his life, and who built the brilge which
this spat commands, after the designs of his futher—l
allude of course to Sir John Rennie. I feel that the sug-
gestion has only to be made public to command the support
of a powerful committee.-1 am, &c.,
W. BLANCHARD JERROLD.
Erechtheum Club. Jan. O.