The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-18 00:00:00

office to which they are appointed. They do not
ask that the titled or the untitled, but that
ability and industry should have the prefer-
ence. They demand men for every office who
shall conduct the business so well that the
country would as little tolerate their dismissal as
they would that of ROWLAND HILL from the Post-
office, or Sir BILLDWIN Walaza from the Dock-

yards.
At the Norwich Meeting, reported in The SIDI
of Thursday, Mr. WOULLAGEL gave one of the best
possible tests to verify the need of Administrative
Reform. Scanning the composition of a few Cabi-
nets for the last fourteen years, and naming a
grandee in each, he observed, " Now here
we have three dukes and one marquis, and no-
thing to credit on the other side ; and I ask with-
out fear, any man in this room, whatever his po-
litical opinions may be, whether he will say that
any of these four individuals would have been ap-
pointed to office if he had not been a Duke or a
Marquis I" (No, no.) Apply the test through-
out, from the Premier to the Peter Dicks, and it
will prove the case of the Administrative Reform
Association. Let it be asked respecting
each —were he not a titled man, or the

relative of a titled man—or the nominee of a titled
man—or (we must add) the protegee of an im-
portant Member of Parliament—would he fill the
post he is in ? Men of Lord PALMERSTON'S and
Lord DERBY'S ability, or of Mr. DISRAELI'S and
Mr. GLADSTONE'S, would, of course, be found fore-
most in any line of life on which they might have
entered; but in the Administrations to which these
Lords and Gentlemen respectively belonged every
one could point to manyindividuals whose capacity
to fill the offices they encumbered was inferior to
that of hundreds who were never seen or thought

" There were within the realm,
Ten thousand good as they."

They had neither aristocratic titles, nor relation-
ship to them. It is this exclusion of men, of
genius, energy, and talent, as if they had the
taint (in American eyes) of negro blood, that is
compelling the country to , say, with Mr.
M'CuLLAGH, "This is intolerable; we can stand it
:to longer as free and self-respecting men ; and as
tax-paying citizens we cannot afford it."

The vast importance of railway communication
n this country is, nowadays, pretty generally
recognised, and never disputed ; and yet before
the railway system came into operation our means
of internal transit, undeniably the most efficient
in the world, were deemed by many the most perfect
that could be discovered. Lines of railway, how-
eve,r, having been constructed, traffic rapidly, and,
Is it were, naturally, flowed to them ; and it was
-Ten that, comparatively compact as our natural
resources were, they could never have been duly
leveloped under the old system, requiring, as the
raw material or manufactured produce evidently
did, certainty, cheapness, and expedition in being
brought to market. If this has been the case in
Great Britain—if railway communication has
°roved, as it unquestionably has, an inestimable
boon, of how much greater value must it prove to
countries like India and Canada, where no such
communication as we possessed, nor anything ap-
proaching to it, exists—countries endowed with
natural resources rich beyond description—many
of them immediatelyavailable, and capable of being
-urned with the utmost rapidity to account.
.----,,-7,,.?..„—...,,,,41&7 From a pamphlet of reports now lying before
us on the Grand Trunk Railway Company of
Canada, to the London Board of Directors,
by Sir CUSACK P. RONEY, Mr. A. M.
Ross, and Mr. S. P. BIDDER, and which
has suggested our remarks, we gather mat-
ter of a highly satisfactory nature respecting
a country which has long invited the attention of
capitalists as a fine field for profitable investment.
According to the report of Sir CUSACK P. RONEY
on the present condition and future prospects of
the country, made, by order of the Board of
Directors, after a careful inspection of the eastern
and western sections of the province, and likewise
iuch portions of the United States as are to be
commercially connected with them, and who had
every possible assistance in his inquiries, it would
appear that in all probability a continuous line
from St. Thomas, in Eastern Canada, to Brook-
ville, a distance of 325 miles, will be opened for
traffic in the autumn of the current year—a very
satisfactory prospect. Previous to the opening
of the line between Montreal and Portland, in
1853, we are told these cities were as much
separated from one another by ranges of hills and
dense forests as if they bad been 3,000 instead of
300 miles apart. Since that time population has
rapidly filled in along the entire length of the
railway ; and iu the centre, we are told, are now
about 3,000 active contributors to the company's
traffic and revenue. Large clearances of forest
land have taken place, villages are rapidly spring-
Lord PALMERSTON, by his reply to Major REED'S ing up adjacent to the numerous rivers that run
preconcerted motion, after all did but play the part in the vicinity of the line, and twenty-eight saw-
of Dame PARTINGTON. The trick was so trans- mills have been built and a number more planned.
parent that he himself could but join heartily in Those now existing are capable of sawing 500,000
the laughter provoked by Mr. DISRAELI'S sarcasm. feet a day for the greater part of the year.
Still he would not have joined in the merriment Allowing each to cut treble its present amount,
so pleasantly had he not been persuaded that hi: it is calculated it will take seventy years
mop was really the implement for getting rid of to clear the timber lands in the vicinity
the Administrative Reform nuisance. No doubt of the line (1), and with cleared lands it is
intervening houses concealed from worthy Dame •
justly remarked—that is after a rich harvest has
PARTINGTON that she was matching herself with been reaped—will come increased settlement,
the Atlantic ; and our light-hearted War Pre- population, and traffic. The traffic from timber
mier's vision is doubtless bounded also by certain
alone on the Montreal and Portland section, Sir
noble houses, to the nature of the movement which CUSACK thinks, it is riot unreasonable to expect
he sallies forth in such haste to meet. He must will, in the course of next year, be at least 8/.
now begin to see that he has no mere puddle to sterling a-mile per week. Portland, it would
deal with. English merchants and manufacturers, appear, is rapidly becoming the centre of transac-
especially those of London, do not get up meet- tions affecting the railway. Cargoes of sugar des-
ings like the one at the London Tavern on light tined for Canada have already been brought there
grounds. They may be even party men, but direct from Cuba, and conveyed to Montreal by
they are very slow to be moved for such ob- the line, and the speed and regularity with which
jects, and when they are moved, and when, the goods traffic recently commenced between
forgetting party politics and their counting- Boston and Montreal through Portland has been
houses, they think it worth while to conveyed is rapidly securing the whole of this
bestir themselves, it is perfectly certain that very important trade to the company. The
some practical grievance has come home to them' traffic between Portland, via Canada, is already
Lord PALMERSTON'S reception at the Mansion being rapidly developed, and eventually the car-
House Banquet must have satisfied him that his riage of flour will fall exclusively into the hands
feat of Friday night had awakened no fresh en- of the company. The Quebec and Richmond
thusiasm in the most respectable portion of Lon- section, running for nearly 70 miles through
don citizens ; and, look which way he will magnificent forests, in the midst of which are
over the country, he sees the wave gather- innumerable water privileges, small sites on which
ing size a
au strength, and that too everywhere,
' mills are now being constructed, though requiring
amongst a Wealthy,
a connected, and a power- time for the development of its local traffic, will
ful class. The/. will assuredly enlighten him put Quebec in direct railway communication with
as to the virtues of business-like and systematic three
habits, by the extent, Montreal and Portland, and thus unite
the
efficiency, and the
fircities, with a combined population of 120,000
mness of the combination they will organise.
Mr. LINDSAY will have I,i, revenge on the persons, independent of those resident along the
line. The through traffic from Quebec to Rich-
cc Peter Dicks" before he has 'done:
Wherever
he goes
b will find men of large business ram"- .
e
t n3ond, and from Richmond to Montreal, we are
I told, will be very considerable, two first-class mail
tions who have been annoyed by the
supercilious steamers having hitherto started from both places
ignorance of Government servants ; and just nn
smarting, •
find the same men in addition, k .
every evening for seven months in the year, con-
he will
• ,1 dishonour, and the crueliveying, in from thirteen to fifteen hours, nearly
under a sense of national
. 200
ey due to adrainistra- passengers, besides others of inferior speed
waste of life and won awl. accomA
instalment of reform 1 modation at less regular intervals
five incapacity. 4-an , and this mode of communication being
in the War-office will be laughed at by such men . shut
, up for five mouths in the year,
'S Ivillan pored as payincht in full. They have no it is far
from
.
, , improbable indeed it is aluie,-a
-such litnitad notiona; They Fee no renson what- certain, they will be a ,
/•,, •
cable to compels IviL..l ILL(
ever why C...-1,.. 1.. Ministers line. There are, •
f ... .._ _
_,. "Pet ...nisters, as well as 1 t would appear, good ;rounds
' - -.1 u". '''''' 4.awnatimalea-eabinet departments, should ,to believe that the line .
i, e. , 4
\.,
net. 06 Beleated for coat- A - - kof the oi4gable trafdevevitts to the
cid the 'or
will Come in fora con-
shallowaeos of some

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