The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-01 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

110UsE of CoMMONS.—(THIS DAY.)

The Syc took the chair at a (metier past 12 o'clock.
mi. GIZAVES pre,ented a petition, signed by 142,252
I . in favour of the Public Houses Re'ulatiou BiIL
. requested lino to " bring it np," bat
f. *As ro easy 'natter. The petition, which
I pl.iced on the front bench below the gangway,
„•
,`, .t the size of a woolpack, and the hon. member
• „.th gre:tt difficulty, but could not carry it. Ho,
toppled it over on to the pound, and rolled It
the clerk :it the table.

r.tiLwAy (GrA
NIURDS
ATI G AND PASSEN
LGERS) CO3I-
NICN BIL.

Th. If. I:. 'II ERIDAN moved the second reading of this
,:1. Thor, a he stated, already a means of commtinica-
, the guard and the driver by means of a wire
I. 'I. awl the object of the bill was to require that a
~..11" which in the opinion of the
of Trek should be eflicient, should be established
•a-,n tle. p .4sengers and guard. There was no dill!
e,.P% dda firing effected. It was already done on some
fortati railways. and he read an account of an experiment
which lie! Is-en recently made, and which showed that it was
ta effect this object. As showing the necessity for
0. 1.11, he related several instances of fires having oc-
. aired in traina which had gone on for sonie time in some
patting the whole train in peril, the passengers
I. leg analile to draw the attention of the guard to the
onedance.. In other cases a cania,ge had run off the
much damage had been caused and danger in-
cur...l thereby.
rA E said he should offer no objection to the
1.-0,111.1 reading of the bill, reserving to himself the right
of doing so at a future stage, unless amendments were
adopted which he considered requisite. He could not con-
wilt to the bill in its present shape. Experiments to effect
the object were still being carried on, and no plan had
Inuit fixed upon which was unobjectionable. No doubt
accidents did occur from want of such communication.
riptain Tyler had presented a report on the means used
.1 the continent and in this country. The mode commonly
a.lptisl on the continent was the use of the outside step, but
th:.t WAS dangerous' and besides could not be adopted to
English railways because the carriages were too wide and
the tunnels too narrow to allow of the outside step.
Several modes were adopted in this country, but there
were objections of different kinds to all of them.
Ile thought there ought to be a penalty on
any passenger causing needless alarm. The report
of the royal commission on the whole question of
railways would be out this week, and he thought he
ought to reserve his opinion till be had seen that report ;
and he suggested that the committee on the bill should be
put off for some time, in order that members might have
the opportunity of considering the report.
The bill was then read a second time.
TURNPIKE TRUSTS BILL.

On the order of the day for the second reading of this
bill,
Mr. WALPOLE suggested that the bill be referred to a
select committee.

[Left speaking.]

GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY.-(THIS DAY.)

This day a special meeting of proprietors was
held in the London Tavern for the purpose of considering,
and, if thought proper, of approving the following bills:
An act to constitute certain railways authorised to be
nuole by the (beat Eastern Railway Company in and near
the metropolis, and to extend the time hunted for pur-
chase of lands and completion of works with respect to
certain of such railways. An act to extend the powers of the
;nut Eastern Company with respect to the use of steam
revels between Harwich and certain foreign ports: an
act for the better sewering of the city of Norwich and the
applying of the sewage to the irrigation of land and for the
making of the Trowse-road, and for other purposes. Mr.
C. H. TURNER was in the chair.

The CHAIKMAN said he hoped the meeting would listen
patiently and calmly to the statement he was about to
make, when perhaps they might know who were the real
friends of the company. (Hear, hear.) It was im-
possible for him to receive the number of letters he
did daily from shareholders without feeling sympathy with
their position. (Hear, hear.) He was told by the solicitor
that he could not go out of the subjects mentioned in the
notice calling the meeting, but a pamphlet had been issued
to which he felt bound to allude. In the first place he
wished to ask by whom the pamphlet was issued If Mr.
Thomas Wars was in the room he wished to ask whether
be had issued the pan.phlet?
Mr. WARE said it was issued with the sanction of the
committee of associated shareholders.

The CHAIRMAN asked who were present at the meeting.
Mr. Warm —The names are on the back of the pamphlet.
The CHAIRMAN—Who were present?
A PROPRIEToR observed that it was Winnel to begin •
meeting by catechising.
The CHAIRMAN wanted to elicit the truth because if the
statements in the pamphlet were true then the board were
unfit to occupy their present position. He then proceeded
to give a plump denial to the statement that there was
hill for raising capital for steamboats. It was said that
the board did nothing for the IS months they
were in authority. They kept the company out
of Chancery and got rid of fictitious accounts and
dividends, They agreed in the heads of an arrangement
with the Great Northern Railway, by which they would
get into the northern districts at much more satis-
factory terms than under the old arrangement.
Instead of paying to the Great Northern Railway
60,00 W. a year, they would pay the first year 10,000/.
the second year 15,000/. ; third year, 20,000; fourth
year, 25,000/. • and so on to the seventh year; and
when they besame half owners they would pay 60,000!.
(Rear, hear.) He believed that 1,000,00 W. of money had
been saved to the Great Eastern by that arrangement.
Then they would not be bound by the rate of freight and
fares charged by the Great Northern at Don-
carter. The Great Eastern would be entirely free
in that respect. They would not be compelled
to use the Great Northern lines if they wished
to go to Leeds or Halifax. The Great Northern were not
to come into their district, but were to confine themselves
to King's Lynn. The Cambridge traffic was to be divided
between the two companies. This was aomething to have
done in 15 months. He had no doubt whatever of
the success of the Great Eastern property, if in-
termeldlers did not come in to stop what they
were doing. (Hear, hear.) The chairman then proceeded
to give a denial toe statement made in the Daily Tele-
amyl, with respect to the amount of the salaries of the
officers of the company. The general manager had not
3,000/. a year, but half that amount. The secretary had
not 2,500. ; be had little more than half. The resident
engineer had not 1,50 W. a year, but 7501. ; the locomotive
engineer had not 1,500/., but 750/. ; and the chairman had
no private secretary. He hoped he had given a complete
and satisfactory refutation to the charges which had been
nude. (Cheers.)
Mr. BAXTER then read the heads of the first bill, on
which the shareholders were called on to pass an opinion,
which gave rise to a series of questions and a clisensaion,
which had not terminated when we went to press.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.
(THIS DAY.)

The annual meeting of this society was held to-
day at Exeter Hall, the large room of which was filled.
The chair was taken at II by the president of the society,
the Earl of Swirresnuar. Among those on the platform
were—Lord Charles Russell, the Hon. A. Kinnaird, the
Dean of Carlisle, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rev. D. Miller,
Mr. George Moore, kc.
The receipts from ordinary sources for the year ending
March 30, 1867, have reached the sum of 171,9231. 12s. Bd.,
To in
thislo94l. 17s. 54. in advance of the previous year.
must be added 4:41. 14s. 10d. received
for the China fund ; 61t. 9s. 6d. for the special
fund for India; 14,0961. 15e. I Id. further contribu-
tions to the building fund ; and 972 f. 45. ML for the Paris
Exhibition fund ; making a grand total of 187,508/.
17s. 7d. The sum applicable to the general purposes of
the society is 67,760/. 16e., being 7,ZZ/. 4a. 10d. more than was received under thin lama in the preceding year ;
the receipts for bibles and testaments have reached' the
sum of 84,162 f. 16s. Bd., showing an increase of 2,R591.
14s. 3d. The ordinary payments have amounted to
196.2.18/. 13a. 3ii. • and adding the sum paid on amount of theJubiles, China, and India Funds, the total has reached 202,318 f. ss..being 19,91 Cd. Is. 73. in advance of the previous
year. If to this sum be added 14,127/.12a. paid on account of
the moiety's new premises, it will be seen that the total
expenditure of the year has amounted to 216,1451. 17s.
The society is under engagements to the extent of 109,1024 14a. 10,1. The issues of the society for the year are as fol-
hum: —From the dep6t at home, 1,393,976; from demlts
abroad, 9W.0,404-2,3K3,340 copies. The total issues of the
society now amount to 52,660,089 copies.

Pratte EnreartoN.—A parliamentary return,
boned this morning, on the subject of education. given the
sums granted for the building, enlarging, or improving
elementary day schools in Great Britain, in each year,
from 18.19 to 186 ii. The amount in the former year
was 134,1219. Ge. lid., sines which time the grant has
gradually decreased until 11185, when it was 18,882/. 18e. ;
in NO; it was 24,22 V. 2a. The number of schools in 1859
waati.ruiii, and in 1886 they had inereaaed to 8,753 ; the
Dandier of scholars in average attendance in 1859, was
inil.4ol, and in 1886, 1,(09,183.
The New York letters state that the accounts
filen Cuba give an unfavourable description of the condi-
tion of that island. The crops are alleged to have been
MAUy injured by drought, so that the planters do not
expect under the best circumstances more than a two-
third. crop. " A great many wealthy planters and mer-
chants have failed, and, as usual, political discontent
follows social and commercial disaster. Crime is very
rife. and suicides and murders are increasing with frightful