The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-12 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE

SEVERN VALLEY.—A deputation from the direc-
tors, consisting of Mr. J. Thorpe and Mr. W. Reed,
attended public meetings during the last week at the
various towns in the districts of the proposed line.
The meetings were numerously and influentially at-
tended, and resolutions were passed to the effect that
the construction of the S,,vern Valley Railway would
be a great public convenience, and afford increased
facilities for the development of the agricultural,
manufacturing, mineral, and other resources of the
districts, and pledging the meetings to cordially sup-
port the undertaking. The line as proposed termi-
nates at Coalbrookdale ; but, from the opinions ex-
pressed at the meeting in favour of continuing it to
Shrewsbury, it is expected the company will decide
on going there.
SOUTH WALES.—Yesterday the 30 miles of addi-

tional railway from Swansea to Carmarthen were
opened for public traffic. It will be remembered that
a formal opening of this portion of the line took place
more than three weeks ago, but, in consequence of
certain requirements of the Government Railway In-
spector being unfulfilled, the opening for traffic was
deferred. The inspector has given his sanction to
the use of the line for public traffic. Five trains run
daily to and fro on the extended line, and a person
may now breakfast in London at 9 A.M., and dine in
Carmarthen at half- past four. The new stations are
Loughor, Llanelly, Pembrey, Ferryside, and Car-
marthen.

FORTH AND CLYDE JllNCTlON.—Preliminary
measures are now being taken to promote a Bill in
the ensuing session of Parliament for the construction
of the above line. Oa a former occasion a Mil waa
promoted with a view to obtain the sanction of Par-

liament for the construction of the line at a cost of
400,0001., but now it is proposed to construct it for
about one-third of that amount. It is stated that a
most responsible contractor is ready to undertake
the work and complete it for something less than
140,0001., and to take in part payment above 40,0001.
of that sum in shares in the undertaking.

RAILWAY EXCURSIONS TO IRELAND.—It is stated
that upwards of 250,000 persons have visited Ireland
during the last year through the cheap excursions by
rail way.

ULSTER.—This company's extension line is to
proceed via Glasslough, Monaghan, Clones, and
Belturbet, to Cavan and Mullingar, at a cost of
350,0001.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,
MARYLE HONE.
Yesterday the Rev. John Berrington was placed at
the bar before Mr. Broughton fur re-examination,
charged with having carried on an extensive system
of swindling, principally through the medium of ad-
vertisements in the newspapers.
The particulars of what previously transpired have
already appeared, and it will be remembered that the
" rev. gentleman" (the prisoner) had obtained from
Miss Anne Richardson the halves of tour 51. Bank of
England notes, upon an understanding that she was
to go out to Australia with him and his family as
governess, at a salary of 1201. per annum. He told
her that he was fitting up a ship, and that he would
give her good interest for any money she might ad-
vance ; but upon her making inquiry she found that
the ship Diligence, which he had named, was not
known.

Mr. Clarke, solicitor, attended for Miss Richardson ;
and Mr. Cooper for the prisoner.
Mr. 13MOUGHTON (to Lock ber y, 180 S)—Have you
any other case connected with this district to bring
for ward ? Lockerby—Not at present, your Worship;
but there are parties here who are ready to give evi-
dence in some swindling affairs.
Other evidence was gone into, showing that the
prisoner had, by artful representations, obtained
money from parties under false pretences; and nu-
merous papers found upon him were produced. One
of them was from the Bishop of Oxford, inhibiting
him from preaching within his diocese. The said in-
hibition was dated in 1849. Three years prior
thereto the Bishop of London had issued a document
to a similar effect.
Some other cases against the prisoner were gone
into, and he was remanded for a week.
SOUTHWARK.
CABS AT RAILWAY STATIONS.—MY. ATECICETT
on Friday gave his judgment in a case of great im-
portance to all the railway companies within the me-
tropolitan police district, as well as to the public
using the various stations.
On Tuesday last a cabman was summoned by Mr.
Welsh, a barrister, for refusing to carry him as a fare
from the cab stand or rank inside the Brighton
Railway terminus, London-bridge, when Mr. Lewis
attended for the defendant, but mostly to argue the
question on behalf of the railway company. He
contended that the defendant did not become amen-
able to the Act of Parliament, inasmuch as the rail-
way station was not a public place, and therefore,
defendant could not be liable to punishment for re-
fusing to take a fare when plying for hire. After
some considerable discussion, at the request of Mr.
Lewis, the Magistrate suspended his judgment until
yesterday, when the court was crowded by railway
officials and cab owners, who were anxious to ascer-
tain the decision on this very important case, espe-
cially as it is final, and cannot be taken to a higher
court.
Mr. Lewis and all the parties being in attendance.
His Wortsnir proceeded to deliver his judgment as
follows :—This is a summons against the defendant,
as the driver of a hackney carriage within the metro-
politan police district, for refusing to go with the
complainant who was desirous of hiring the said car-
riage for the legal and proper fare. It has been
argued on the defendant's behalf—first, that a cab
within a railway terminus is not k hackney carriage
within the meaning of the Act; secondly, that the de-
fendant was not plying for hire ; and lastly, that the
railway terminus is not a place contemplated by the
Act of Parliament. The first point may be briefly
disposed of by reference to the Act of the 6th and
the second section of which de-
7th Victoria, cap 86,
fines a railway carriage to be " every carriage except
a stage carriage which shall stand on hire or ply for pas-
sengers for hire, at any place within the limits of the city
of London and the liberties thereof, and the metropolitan
police district." That is a much clearer definition than
that given by the Ist and 24 William IV., c. 22, the
fourth section of which limits the definition to a car-
riage with two or more wheels standing or plying
for hire in any public street or road, and any
place, whereas, from the more recent Act, the
words "any public street or road" are omitted. The
second point raised on behalf of the defendant is that
he was not plying for hire. Now, the words of the
Act Ist and 21 William IV., c. 22, and sec. 35, have
stated clearly " that every hackney carriage which
shall be found standing in any street or place, and
having therein any of the numbered plates required
by this Act to be fixed in the hackney carriages,
shall, unless actually hired, be deemed to be plying
for hire, and the onus of proving the previous hiring
is thrown on the party complained against. The
second point being thus disposed of, I come to the
last, upon which most stress has been laid,—namely,
that a railway terminus is not a place within the
meaning of the statute. Now this argument is
clearly untenable, even if a railway terminus were
not a public place of resort, and, in my opinion, to be
within the Act; but there is no doubt that the ter-
minus, though the property of the railway company,
is a place of public resort, and a place which, by Act
of Parliament, the public have a right of resorting
to. An opposite view of the case would be most in-
convenient to the railway company themselves, as
well as the public, for many offences committed at a
terminus were punishable by being committed at a
place of public resort. If a cabman could not be punished
for refusing to taking a fare at a terminus, neither
could he be punished for abusive language, extortion,
or other misconduct at a railway station. The rail-
way officials have no right to assume an authority
over hackney carriages, or to lay down regulations
inconsistent with the law, and those drivers who act
under this improperly assumed authority must take
the consequences of the illegality of their actions.
There has been put into my hands by the solicitor of
the defendant a printed copy of rules and regale-
' tions for the government of owners and drivers of
cabs standing for hire at the station of the London,
Brighton, and South Coast Railway. These regu-
lations confirm what I have said as to the illegal as-
sumption of authority by the railway companies over
hackney carriages. Among other things I find that
the public are expected to pay certain rates for lug-
gage in addition to the ordinary fares ; and the public
are told that otherwise the charge is discretionary
with the cab-driver. Now, this is an error of which
the public mind cannot be too speedily disabused, as
the cab-drivers can make no charge at all ; and the
only discretion they have in the matter is that they
may refuse to overload their cabs with an un-
reasonable amount of luggage. They are bound to
carry any reasonable amount without any charge,
and it is time that the railway companies should
understand that they are not authorised in fixing
cab-fares, and that they are very improperly mis-
leading the public by issuing such regulations as
those just placed before me. This is not a new case,
and the complainant in the present instance has been
the complainant on previous occasions, when, some-
times on account of a promise that the illegal re-
striction on the public convenience should be abolished
much forbearance has been shown, and a Brasil or no-
, minia penalty inflicted, ha there as been Plll4 °b"-
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