The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-24 00:00:00

j18.1a9.1
I 44.8.0.1

NEW RAILWAY BILLS IN PARLIAMENT.

Yesterday the examiners declared the standing
orders of both Houses of Parliament complied with in the
following cases :
Micriourouvin RAILWAY.—For improvements in what in
called the Great ruderground Railway, in their commuai.
cation with the Great Northern and Metropolitan Meat
Market, at Smithfield; to authorise the purchase of addi-
tional lands and arrangements with the Corporation of Lea-
-1 don and certain rearms ; extending time fur completion of
line by one year' and for power to nose a further capital of
300,000/., and to burrow 100,0001.
COCKERMOUTH, KEAUICK, AND PENIUTH RAILWAY.—For
• railway between these points, at a cost of 200,000/.,
and power to borrow (6,000'.
OSWIXTRY AND NEWToWN RAILWAY. —For divers branch
railways at a east of 140.000/.
DOWNPATRICR AND NEWRY RAILWAY.—For • railway
between these points. at a cost of 200,0001., and power to
borrow ICO,OOO/., with power to other railways to subscribe.
lIID•DEYON AND CORNWALL RAILWAY.—For lines from
the North Devoe at Coleford to Launceston and Tavisteek
at • cost of 430,000/., power to borrow tr,ooor., and for
other railways to subscribe.
KINOMTON-ON-HULI. RAILWAY DOCID4.- Foi new docks
in connexion with the railways at Hull.
KILRORII AND KILMER RAILWAY AND POULNAoIIERRY
RECLAMATION ACT.
ROBS AND MONMOUTH RAILWAY.—For a line between
these points.
The standing orders were declared not complied with in
the can of the,Cowes and Newport Railway Lxtensions (in
'coed of er"r is levels), and in the vase of the rolne
Valley and Halstead Railway, for extension to Cam-
bridge, (Tars, arid Colchester. at an estimated cost of
220,00.3 a, in some technical partizttlars.

THE ELacx Rivas CND= ittres.cs.rok —The
bed of a London thoroughfare may be compared to the
human body—for it is full of veins and arteries which it is
death to cut. There at: the water-mains, with their con-
necting pipes ; the main or branch sewers, with their coo-
necting drains ; the gas mains. with their connecting pipes ;
and very often the tubes containing long lines of telegraph
wire. If the gravel asd clay be opens l at any time, a
few yards under our feet. we catch a glimpse of these
tubular channels, lyine nearly as close together as the pipes
of a choral organ. The engineers of the Metropo-
litan Railway have hail to remove all these old channels to
the sides of the roadway. steering their tunnel in between,
with the delicacy of a surgical operation. At King's-cross a
greater ditkulty presented itself in the shape
of the old Fleet IHtch- a stream of sewage-water flowing
from Highgate to the Thames, out of fifty thousand
houses. This black Styx of Loudon will often rime
siz feet in an hour, in money weather, nod its force is
particularly felt atKing'a-cro is, which lies at the bottom of
the Highgate slope. It was found necessary to divert the
course of this unruly stream, and to luck up that portion of
Its current which flowed through the line tho rail-
way was compelled to take 'This was done under
the persona! direction of the able superintendent of
the works, Mr. Houeelander ; but not without many men
hvng kept up nearly a fortnight in wet and mud,
114,ht and day, until at last their sewer-boots had to be cut
off their legs. The slightest mistake would have flooded
the works, and would have cost Mr. Jay. the contractor.
some 30,000 f. The black river is now safely caged, and a
large boiler-looking tube, running across the roof at one
part of the railway tunnel, carries the Fleet Ditch over the
heads of the workmen--and will carry it over the heads of
the passengers.-Dickens's "AP the Year Round."
Seville Wtsress.—The Nordgive.4 the following
details on the subject of rigorous winters 1709 the
oold was exceisive throughout the whole of Europe ; the
Adriatic was completely f roma over; a general am! destruc-
tive famine prevailed ; food of the first necessity was at
exorbitant prices ; at Paris bread made of oaten flour was
served at the tables of the rich and of primes. rattle pe-
rished front cold and hunger. The crops in the year fol-
lowing were very abundant.. In 1746 the thermometer
at St. Petersburg fell to 30 deli. below zero centigrade (22
below zero Fahrenheit). On the 20111 December the glans
fell to 18Z below zero likeitumur (9 below zero Fahrenheit).
and the ice at Brussels tin,s 121 inches thick. In 1794 the
cold was excessive, and the army of General Pichegrn
invaded Holland by giro-sing the' Walial on the ice. Is
IM2, a winter rendered memorable from the disasters of
the French twiny in Russia, the thermometer on the 26th
November niarlied 16 ile,iteee below zero Itestunur (8 50
below zero Fahrenheit). In 1420 the cold in Europe was
eery rigorous. On the 10th January the thermometer at
Berlin fell to 20 dee.ree. s below zero C. (4 below zero 7.4
and at Basel' to 12 below zero C. (950 above zero F.) it
WAY in this year that the Palace of the Prince of Orange was
destroyed by fire. On th.. With January, 1823, the ther-
mometer at Brussels fell to 17) below zero Beautpur (0 2:1,
below zero Fahrenheit). In 1845 the winter was long and
severe. The thermometer at Berlin fell to 19 below zero
C. (2 50 below zero F.) ;,Strasburg, 14 C. (8 above zero F.) :
Paris, 12 C. (9 50 F.); and at Brussels it stood at 12 degrees
below sera Minimax (5 below ono F.)
CRYSTAL PALACE.--ONE SWUM: DAY.,—WED.
IeISDAY, JAN. `23.—Admission on payment, 11'0 ; ditto lit
sawn tickets, 638 ; total visitors, I,:ds.