The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-07 00:00:00

but misguided philanthropists who take mar-
derers under their special protection, and are up
in arms if the extreme penalty of the law is
announced to be imminent. The details of this
railway crime are of so flagrant a character that
all must agree in denouncing the perpetrator of
such a deed. MULLER has just put himself
out of the pale of commiseration, horror
and indignation are the prevailing senti-
ments of all the minds that have dwelt
upon his infamy. Through the length and breadth
of the land there arose a feeling of horror when first
the intelligence of the murder was dissemin aced, and
they who then mourned over the catastrophe now
rejoice at the tidings of the capture at New York.
Events of this character startle the generally sna
pine, and must make the obtuse and hardened think.
It is not likely that MiLtdi sunk in crime and
thoughts buried in guilt will comprehend the fall
significance of this affair, but if MuLLER be
brought back to England and there pay the penalty
of his crimes, it must be a warning that will speak
to those like him immersed in deeds of darkness.
The teachings of experience are better than advice,
however good, or the most strenuous efforts
to show the guilty the error of their ways.
It is startling to contemplate the feelings with
which MULLER must have beheld the men who
were to seal his doom, to proclaim his guilt before
his fellowmen, and finally to know the agents in
the course of the proceedings which would send
him into the presence of his Maker, from earthly
to eternal judges. It is an awful subject for con-
templation, and painful in all its details. Human
nature is disgraced by the existence of such men,
and it seems difficult for those possessed of con-
science to comprehend the possibility of such ac-
tions. It is, however, a great advantage to be pos-
sessed of the means of proving this affair, and ex-
hibiting to the eyes of the scoffing unbelievers of
right that a doom will infallibly overtake the Ruilty,
that the dark places of earth will disclose their
secrets, and the sea become a pathway for the foot-
steps of those who track their crimes.

The engineering wonders of our age have become
almost a matter of course. We have grown 20
much accustomed to hearing of obstacles being
overcome that when any new scheme is proposed
very little thought is given to its accompanying
difficulties. The days are long past when the
Thames Tunnel or the line over Chat Moss ranked
as the wonders of the world. Occasionally, how-
ever, some special achievement arrests public attene
tion, and reminds us of the fact that the distill.
gaishing feature of this age is its extraordinary
engineering skill. The feat just accomplished is
Brazil under
.the management of Mr. BAITNLEES
is certainly one of those that are altogether out of
the.beaten track, and that even in days when we
are accustomed to miracles of skill and enterprize
exhibit a degree of daring and of perseverance that
excite the deepest interest. We have, it is true,
spanned rivers and tunnelled vast cities, but to
climb vast mountain ranges seems too great and
difficult an undertaking even for modern science to
attempt. Mr. BRUNLEES, however, has just brought
such an undertaking through its first and most
difficult stages, so that by the common consent of
all who have witnessed or taken part in his pre-
liminary experiments, the vast;undertaking is an
unmistakable success. Starting from the little sea-
port of Santos on the Brazilian coast, the new
line crosses the vast mountain chain which runs
along that part, and thence goes on to a village
called Jundiaby, a distance altogether of eighty-
eight miles. It is proposed, indeed, to carry it still
further into the interior of the coffee growing
country, for it is one of the great objects proposed in
the construction of this line to enable the commerce
of the country to find a ready outlet, Hitherto the
gram front or the Serro del Mar has stood resolutely
in the way of trade and export, and thanks to
English skill, English capital, and English energy,
this obstacle is now being surmounted, so that
the rich produce of the fertile interior may
find its way to the sea without danger or diffi-
culty. Some idea of the formidable nature of
the experiment may be gained from the fact, that
at one spot the railway, in the course of five
miles, attains an elevation of 2,600 feet. Thera
is only one point at which the province of San
Paulo can be entered from the sea, and it is at
this spot that the railway is to lee carried over
the mountain ridge which has hitherto formed
such an impassable barrier. So much importance
does the Imperial Government attach to the under-
taking, that it has pledged itself a guarantee of 7
per cent. upon capital advanced, and the progress
of the works is watched by authorities and people
with the greatest interest. The line, as we have
said, starts from Santos, where it runs over a
swampy country for a distance of about eight miles,
when, after crossing the Catatao River, the ascent
commences by a defile in the rocks. After reaching
the stupendous altitude of 2,600 feet, it passes out
through an opening in the heights on to the "Cam-
pos," over which it runs on into the interior.
Torrents, chasms, and rocks impede its progress, and
it is no great wonder that hitherto the prospect
has been ridiculed as hopeless. Now that suc-
cess has been proved to be possible, all classes
are alike enthusiastic at the prospect thus opened
out to the Brazilian trade and industry. So far has
the work already advanced, that a short time Since
the President of the province, his staff, and others,
were taken on a trial trip up that part of the ascent
which is already concluded. The whole ascent is
divided into four inclines of a mile and a quarter,
each running at a gradient of 1 in 10. A level
platform is at the summit of each incline, and here
is a stationary engine, with double cylinders of
26 in. diameter, calculated to haul up 50 tons at the
rate of lt) miles an hour. The trains are raised
on the traction system, and a steel wire rope
one inch and an eighth in diameter pulls up the
ascending trains. This rope, which has necessarily
to be severely tested before use, passes over friction
wheels, and is attached to the flyewhcel shaft. The
inclines are partially self-acting, as one train passes
down to the foot of the mountain at the same time
that another is drawn up to the higher level. On
the third division there is another difficulty to en-
counter, for there is a terrible ravine 900 feet in
span. This is crossed by a viaduct resting on iron
columns, which, in their turn, spring from stone
piers 200 ft. below the line. Such an undertaking
might well excite first ridicule and then wonder;
but the first part of the incline is actually con-
quered and the engines at work. Such an achieve-
ment is one which even our energetic nineteenth
century has not witnessed before, and will certainly
crown its projectors with fame, as we trust it will
reward them with profit.

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.—The anticipations of
sport put forth in this paper last week have been pretty well
borne out by the experience of the past few days of the
siwoting season. In the Midland Counties, where game
preserving is the rule, birds are found very plentiful—from
9to 18 in a covey—but also very strong on the wing. For
want of cover, turnips and mangolds being very scarce and
thin, and the practice of cutting the stubble down to the
ground (" bagging," it is called) increasing every year,
partridges are found extremely wild and hard to get at, so
that no large bags have been made. The price in the game
shops varies from 3s Gd to 4s Gd the brace. Birds and hares
were to be seen in most of the game-dealers' shops early on
the Ist September, the great part having, no doubt, been
the booty of the poacher. Hares and rabbits are plentifu
—too numerous in some places for the tena mar,