The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-10 00:00:00

11' MARLBOROUGH CLUB COMPANY
for th© anxious watchers exhausted with the pro.
(Li.natted.)
13. Grattan-s creet, Piccadilly. tracted struggle. The officials at one of the stations
NOTICE IS 1114,REBY CIVEN, that in conseqnencetn!
i; which they passed perceived that something was
the Alterations not bAng completed, the Opening of
weong, and put up the danger signals. The train
of
be postponed until WEDNESDAY, the r7th day
t-ul3u,%ii;t, le6l.
slackened its speed, but only for a time, and no
danger appearing, away it went again. If it were
possible to assassinate Mr. BRIGGS between
the two stations of Bow and Hackney, cer-
tainly a dozen murders could be perpetrated
between London and Peterborough. Happily,
however, thanks to the number of passengers
present in the carriage—not to the arrangements of
the line—no fatal injury was inflicted, and the
luckless party, after passing, we should imagine,
the longest hour and a half of their lives, reached
Peterborough in safety, and deposited their charge
in the hands of the unwilling officials of that sta-
tion. This is by no means the first or second time
that a madman has been encountered on a railway
line, the excitement or the commotion attending
such a mode of locomotion being apparently iestru.
mental in developing the disease to a dangerous
pitch. On the very line on which Mr. BRIGGS
met his death there was last year an occurrence of
this sort. Had there then been one instead of two
gentlemen present there would certainly have been
a fatal catastrophe instead of a dangerous aecident.
Had there been two persons instead of five present
in the carriage on Thursday night, or had two or
three of those present been women or children
there would with equal certainty have been another
disaster added to the list of railway horrors. It is
quite bad enough for railway passengers to be
liable to all the risks to life cod limb incurred by
the carelessness of officials, the recklessness of the
men employed, or the short-sighted economy of the
companies, but it is really too much, in addition to
the chance of callisions or summersaults of trains
racing three minutes after each other, of engines
going backwards, and danger signals sus-
pended, to have the possibility of having
to take charge of a dangerous lunatic at
very short notice. How much longer is this
state of things to go on ? We do not wonder
that one of the passengers on Thursday night
wished that a director of the company had been in
the carriage, on SYDNEY SMITH'S principle; but in
truth directors, shareholders, and Other officials are
as much concerned in this matter as the general
public, since they must certainly travel sometimes
on their own lines, and are no more secure from the
intrusion of a maniac, a thief, or an assassin than
anybody else. Besides we can hardly suppose these
gentlemen to be indifferent to the safety of their
passengers, and cannot therefore doubt that they
will busy themselves in introducing some immediate
reform by means of which passengers can commu-
nicate with the guard, and the guard with the driver,
without necessarily waiting for a station eighty
miles off. The objection raised in some quarters
that mischievous or nervous people would be con.
stantly stopping trains would fall to the ground if
the guard could pass along the carriages while the
train was in motion, as is done abroad, and so
ascertain what was amiss. Bis dat quo cito dat, and
it will be a more gracious and popular part for our
railway directors to play, and more in accordance
with their general regard for the public convenis
ence, If they comply with the request of the Board
of Trade, and turn their immediate attention to the
subject, than if they put off any alteration until the
general dissatisfaction and uneasiness has extorted
From the Legislature some compulsory enactment.

By Order,
S. 0. RA rT ENBURY, Hon. See.
Registered Office, 6, John-srreet, Bedford-Row, W.C.

3,IARYLEBON-(TEImiTCELD)UB COMPANY
iNuTICE IS }EMERY GIVEN, That the Dir ctors
procied to the ski.,LaT of MEMBERS on TUESDAY
next, and all applications of parties wishing to join must be
forwarded to the Secretary on or before Twelve o'Ciock on
Monday, the 15th day of Au?;ust, 1861.
By order.
S, 0. RAT I ETBURY, Iron. Sec.
Rezistered Office, 6, John-street, Bedf,rd-row,

3/1
VEARLI i:tv._
~DN •
atE TCAE Lt.S
EN
UYLII.A, COVANT-GARDI
Aldlie. Carlotta Patti, Mdl, e. Marie Krebs ; Mr, Levy, Mr.
C,rr.,dus, and Ali Lea Sou-a Ile. Grand tielection trop IL
TIWVATORE, &c.
BAND OF ONE LIUN DBED PERFORMERS.
Conductor, Mr, A.L.FRE 0 MEL LON.
Promenade, .Amphitheatre :Stalls, and Amphitheatre, One
On Thursday (To-morrow,

11th), a Mozart Night.

ROYAL it IN CE S' THEATE.E.—
Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining.
THIS EVENING, BORN TO GOOD LUCK. Paddy
O'Rafferiy, Mr. Dominick Murray.
Atter which, THE STREETS OF LONDON. Messrs.
Vining, J. W. Ray, D. Fi her. D. Murray, J. Nelson,
Fore-ter. H. Mellon ; Mrs. Henry blarston, Miss Emma
Barnett, and Miss F.nny Gwynne.

NTHEATRE-ROYAL, ADELpm._
6010 Pronrlotor and Manazer, M. B. Webster.
THIS EVENING, TIIE FLOWERS OF THE FOREST.
Messrs. J. L. Toole, P. Bedford,.Billlngton, Stuart, Stephen-
n ,Bonicr; Miss Woolg-ar, Ixelly. and Mrs. Bit-
!' ingion.
At 10, ONE TOIJCIT OF NATURE. Penholder, Mr.
Benjamin Webster ; Constance, Miss H. Simths.
To conclude with a new Farce, called MY WIFE'S MAID.
R. Phillips, and Mr.. Alfred
Messrs. J. L. Toole, P. Bedford,
Mellon.

The Sixth Report of the Workhouse Visiting
Society, which has just been published in the last
number of its journal, will be found to be very in-
teresting, and the information contained in it can-
not but be conducive to the interests of the large
class to which they refer. That there has been a
marked improvement in the interest taken in
workhouses generally is an undoubted fact, and it
cannot be supposed that a corresponding benefit
will not ensue in consequence of it. It was cer-
tainly time that the subject was taken up, sad
great credit is due to those who have endeavoured
to inaugurate a change in the extensive system
which prevailed in too many of those places.
Where so many unhappy and unfortunate persons
are collected it is absolutely essential that the
details and management of the institution shou's
be open to the public for investigation and am_
meat, or else the result will inevitably pr'eve that
great misery and dissatisfaction will 'prevail. It
is a mistaken notion that has led
• the managers
and guardians to shut out all c'enamunication with
the outer world, as the consequence of visitors hav-
ing access to these places is not prejudicial to the
working of the establishment, and, indeed, in
general conduces to order and good feeling pre-
vailing. It is, not probable that a large number of
persons will work more steadily, suffer more
patiently, or sustain their spirits more
equah4, if they are shut out from all communion
those of another sphere to their own. On the
contrary, it has been proved that the beet and hap-
piest results have often occurred from the visits
made to these refuges for the distressed and suffer-
ing, in the mind as in body. Unless personal in-
vestigation is made, it is impossible to form an
adequate idea of the state of matters, and many
who would very likely turn away from the dry
details of published reports and the irksome perusal
of classified information would be interested by the
sight of the sad array before them. In the report
here before us it is stated that ten years ago there
was a great indifference manifested as to the con.
dition of workhouses, the moral and physical state
of their inmates was in a manner totally disregarded,
and but lately a happier state of things has super-
vened, and many have volunteered their services to
aid and assist in the efforts made to improve the
condition and solace the afflictions of their unfortu-
nate brethren. The association lately formed in
the Bishop of LONDON'S diocese for'ladies' work in
charitable affairs has been productive of great good
in this respect, for many visitors from workhouses
have been supplied from this source. The inten-
tions are the same in all cases, but it stands to
reason that the higher the station of the visitor the
greater the services that may be rendered. In
these pages we find some instances mentioned of the
valuable succour bestowed upon some poor unfortu-
nate individuals through the kindly aid and happy
instrumentality of some of the visitors. This proves
that it is of the greatest possible benefit to all parties
concerned that some communication be established
between those well-favoured by the gifts of fortune
and thaw, for come wise purpose, shut out from
those gifts entirely. There is a rule which prevents
the Guardians from contributing any estrus towards
the removal of inmates. The sooner this regulation
is altered the better, and in many cases it would be
a decided saving to the establishment, eince the out-
lay could be made up in a short time, and, then, the
burden would be removed from its expenses at a
trifling cost to the visitors who humanely inter-

posed. A German woman and her children and an
American sailor have been sent to their several des-
tinations. The services thus rendered have been of
incalculable value, and yet they won!d never have
taken place had visitors been precluded from enter-
ing the workhouses in question. The more class
cnd &ass mingle in a befitting manner the greater
the interchange of friendly feelings; and the more
extensive the knowledge diffused among the higher
ranks of society respecting the condition and Wants