The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-31 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR or THE rxrar.m.

Sae.,—As one of the public travelling on the South
Western Railway, allow me to raise my protest
apimit the nvklrenunei of the Legislature in allow-
ml Another railway to CrOKS the lines of permanent
rel at such a place as that on which the late mu-
tto:holy accident took place. It is on a lofty em-
buttkinent, I..tween two station*, about midway, at
Tot where about seventy train. pass daily at MI
+,5..1. I know that this was permitted by Perlin-
tweet against the .uxitmows oppeuition of the Com-
piny (whoue permanent way i. thus interferes) with),
and who con...Wens' it highly danger...ll4 ; yet, in
*pile of this remonstrance, the bill was granted,
sal the Company COlurrelled to cut each rail in four
...lan& pieces, leaving a space of two inches be-
tween each, and this after they haul been
to a considerable expense in relaying the line
sith a permanuunt longitudinal bearing to make the
hue .4 rails continuous, as all railways ought to be,
ha. %atty. This and all similar accidents might be
as. :11.41 if Companies were all conipellesl to bring
branch lines up to main dations, and were never
*fleeted to open the main rails fur forming a junc-
hurl et any part where trains are running at speed.
Alt.uuute4ll thi, uniolut cause a little extra repute*,
aud a few minutes' delay to the branch lines, it
w.saut be mere than made up by the increased eon-
tenieme and safety of those travelling on the main
who are generally ten times the number.-1
art, ke., A DAILY TRAVELLER.
elan. ;tot

To nir rorron or TIM r[PRE*O.
had w friend going to Franco by the
K'°64lllP c. awl Havre packet -but night. and I war
at S..ntlianipton t o see hint off. The noo.ket 'hook' have
atart,..l it but it could not leave before the ar-
-6`..1.4 tt in,il train duo at baffles( 11. The Channel
I.Lads taail t whet e nail not have SOUthilinp4oo before
the arrival 4 OM SOHO train. That train also had the
s Olt for the whole of the swath of England awl the Isle of
W:. Now thoi train did not arrive at Southampton
two hours after lea proper time. At half.past
' considerable anxiety was felt at the delay.
It. fears were entertained that an accident had
kto it. lapiriee were wale of the
en.l postal authorities ae to the cause of the
v• and they applied to the telegraph oitlre. Menages
".• wit to every station up the line, but not the slightest
could be obtained, and it was not until the mail
• 3.1 f :,,Triv,4l .it half puat one in the morning that it
• a.aau 01.4 it lief been delayed by a terrible aceident

that had hap:aut.-3 to a l'ort,unath train, by which one
panne WAS Itiiled and a number of uthen were aenuusly, if
Dot fatally, wounded.—l am, &c.,
A CONSTANT READER.
of Wight, Jan, 2'.

We take the following letters from the ribleS
"Sir, I have just mem this evening's Expruo, containing
a letter front the secretary of the company, attributin4 the
death of the gentleman who travelled in the adjoining com-
partment of the same first-class carrier as myself to his
attemptin4 to got out before the tram came to a stand-
still. I feel it me duty to state that I believe
it was totally impossible for the deceamed gentleman to
have made any such attempt, as the time, from the
first notice led anything tieing wrong to the stoppage of
the carriage, wan too brief to admit of his so doing.
I nu} take this opportunity of expressin^ toy surprise at
the unfeeling manner in which the injure/aid terrified
wagers were treated by the officials of the cocupteny. the
great:r number of the travellers being kept on the scene of
the accident from half-punt 5 till tl o'clock --and this, too,
within eight miles .4 the metropolia, with their wounds un-
dreased, and without receivin4 attention of any kind. I may
add that the unfortunate gentleman alluded to was not dia-
-1 under the ',angle and only carriage which obstructed
j the line, until at least all hair mid a half after the accident
occurred. I enclose my card, which is at your disposal, and
remain, sir. yours oliediently. A SurrEILINo Sr.uoll
Tit liXT.HOLDClL—Guiltlforol,

" Sir, The battered corpse which one of your today's
covrespwelents saw • dragged from the wreck' of the
South Westera Railway train, sod laid bleeding and
:mingled in the midst 11 strangers; was that of Dr. Body,
who., wb. n he trusktl liinio If an hoar before to the ton-
ve...iiice of the South Wedern Railway Company, wait
aiming the first of living physicians. Unrecopuned,
* (riven,' with dust and blood,' it was indeed as your
rowels aelent's kindly instinct snegented to him,
the beloved form of one for whom his family were
at that aiewuent waiting in joyful expectation.' And
uut iuly among his family was Dr. Italy loved and
lionorre.l. Scores of us. his associates, would have com-
peted with one another to watch eight and dalibindide that
crushed :,eel disfigured frame. if there had but in it
any spark of the life which lately was so fruit( of good.
For I /111 sure that I speak the sense of all who are best
qualified to pi.l4,s, when I say that Dr. Ilaly's 100. N to the
medical profession is almost the licavicat it could have
sustaioist (ideas might, iielceil, have died, fuller of
honours, because fuller of years. lint, in his twee, those
yearn were iipparently still to run. Though your tor-
renpondent thinks of hint as ' elderly,' he was to
us, unife.nionally s(peaking, hut a young man. A
physician's career with the public scaroely begins till
he is rod d 0; and Dr. Italy was, I think, nut
4s. We were still thinking how hopeful a thing it was for
our profession that be, having risen in early to its highest,
rank, would very long continue to hold the station of which,
by emmoon consent, he was Orient singularly worthy, that
he would very long continue to adorn it, very long continue
to make it ineuential, net eerily by his great intellectual
gifts awl attainments, hat by his fine sense of honour and
of humanity, by the truthful, unassuming gentle, dead-
fast nature which showed itself in all his life, and which
with his contaminate technieal skill had brought him
pedlars. as closely as one MO hope to COMA to the ideal
perfection of a physician. For LS) Years and more (we
thought) the students of his lament hospital will have he.
fore them that example of success, due solely to merit, and
will bo moved by the contagion of that generous character.
Ina niNient this hope is swept away. Not all the railway
company con pay in compoeettion. not any shame or re-
morse which the directors may feel, if they have been in
fault, will alter the fact that an invaluable life is
taken from us. Are these things, sir, to last for
ever' I do not pretend to judge the railway com-
pany. Their responsibility for this particular death will be
tested by proper tribunals ; and I will merely observe, in
puling, that so term I can inelemtind the hitherto pub-
lished accounts it appears to have been almost by accident
that collision after collision did not occur at the scene of
the disaster, and did not aggravate to an extent hardly
iinagineil in this country the mischief which actually
occurred. I trust that what might have happened, as well
as what slid happen, will be inquired into by com-
petent auth-unties. Rot meanwhile surely it is time
for us to emisitkr whether the public safety it decently
rural for in the present general system of railway govern.
meet. Let any reasonable 1113'1 think over the manalties
of even the last few weeks, and the statements which have
been tussle respecting their causes. Let him observe the
railway lie travels on, let him sou how closely train follows
train, let him see bow lalour is stinted, let him see how the
men on whose vigilance his life depends are overworked till
they sleep at their loots, and let hint ask himself whether
it is not inevitable that if these things am left solely to the
discretion of directors life rater life, or hecatomb after heca-
tomb, most be /sacrificed before our national Juggernaut of
commercial cupidity. I 11111, Sir, your very obedient servant,
F. It. 8. --Imuloo,Jaa.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr. Comuni.t,ioner Rekord.)
IS RE R. V. .Ivvcios.

The bankrupt was ► COMMISMOCI nierchant of New Bread•
street. trellis; ureter the lira of "Jackson anti Co." This
was the seljounital examination useetinT. The liabilities
are abuut 20.0911/., against assets returned at 13,000/.
Mr. itushlguoke, for the ►ssignees, stated that the bank-
rupt was at present undergoing a prosecution on the chaNe
of defrseliog his creditors. 'rho assignees therefor,) pro-
pose' to take an adjournment siuu
A.ljournel accuesbngly.