The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-27 00:00:00

THE DEAN AND THE RAILWAY.

The committee on public petitions print in the
appendix to the fourth report, boned to-day, the follow-
ing petition from the Dean of Carlisle, presented by Mr.
Childers :—" The humble petition of the undersigned the
Very Rev. Francis Close, Doctor in Divinity, Dean of
Carlisle, sheweth, that on coming into residence in Decem-
ber, 1856, at his Deanery House in the Abbey, which
is in the centre of the city of Carlisle and on the
west walla, he found • nuisance of great magnitude
created by the Lancaster and Carlisle, the Cale-
donian, Glasgow and South Western, and other
railway companies. That his predecessor, the present
Right Rev. Bishop of London, had experienced the same
nuisance, and vainly tried to get it abated. That, owing
to the vastly increased traffic on their railways, the nut.
sance is becoming daily more intolerable. That the said
railway companies have erected engine-houses immediately
beneath and parallel to the whole range of the deanery
buildings within • distance of only fifty-two yards, and
about 25ft. below, bringing the chimneys of the engines
nearly on a level with the deanery drawing-room windows
and those of the chief bed-rooms. That there is also a tall
chimney on the same spot, and two low chimneys, and
two sheds :MOB. long open at the top to let out the smoke.
That here two, four, and six engines have bees constantly
seen lighting their flees with coal or shutting off steam,
emptying others, extinguishing fires, and generally pro-
ducing such • stifling smoke, smell, and nuisance as
to make the Deanery-house uninhabitab/a. That during
a great part of the day, and nearly all through the night
time, there is such constant and very loud, and as it seems
to your petitioner, unnecessary whistling going on from
a large number of the engines shunting goods trains, Lie.,
as to render study in the daytime or rest during the night
almost impossible. That your petitioner, at the Carlisle
Summer Arises, 1859, preferred bills of indictment against
the said Caledonian and Glasgowand South Western Railway
companies, in respect of the before mentioned nuisances,
and that the grand jury found • true bill against each of
the said railway companies, but that your petitioner, fear-
ing the great expense of litigation with such large and
wealthy companies, was afraid to prosecute the matter
any further. That your petitioner by the statute
under which be holds his office as Dean of Car-
lisle is obliged to keep his residence at the deanery
house, a building of great antiquity, during eight months
in each year. Your petitioner therefore humbly prays
your honourable house will be pleased to place the said
railway companies under such restrictions as will prevent
the nuisance complained of or to compel them to provide
a suitable residence for the dean elsewhere. And your
petitioner, as in duty bound, will ever pray."

On the 26th of next month Colonel Barttelot
will move fora select committee to inquire into the oper-
ation of the malt tax.

Mr. Beresford Hope intends to move on Friday
week that, as the customs revenue is now derived from an
exceedingly small number of articles, the prices of most
of which in London and Paris are equal, this house con-
siders that no appreciable injury would be inflicted upon
the income of the country were the present practice of the
search of the baggage of travellers at Dover, Folkestone,
Newhaven, and in London suspended during the period of
the French Exhibition of 1867.

In presenting a minute connected with the code
of regulations of the Committee of Privy Council on Edu.
cation to-morrow, Mr. Corry will make an explanatory
statement to the house.

To-morrow Mr. Kinnaird will ask the Secretary
of State for India what is the present state of the ques-
tion about a contract law for India; whether any legal
opinion in Engl►nd has been taken as to the principle of
enforcing indigo and other agricultural contracts by penal
enactments ; and if so, whether he has any objection to
lay that opinion upon the table of the house.

FOREIGN-OF/ICE, FEB. 25. —The Queen has been
pleased to approve of Don Jorge B. Kerferd ae consul at
Liverpool for the Republic of Guatersali.--Garctic.