The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-12 00:00:00

Opening of the Charing-cross Railway,

This, the first great link in the proposed new system of
metropolitan communication by rail, was opened in a quiet
businesslike way yesterday, and at once got into work with
an amount of passenger, traffic which gave a goad idea of
the immense public convenience the line will prove when it
is complete to Cannon-street. The fact of the opening
seemed far from being generally known, yet even the earliest
trains were filled. The first that left the station was the
7.10 for Greenwich—one of the 70 which will now run daily
between Charing-cress and Greenwich at intervals of a
quarter of an hour from 7 in the morning till (from London)
12.25 at night. The fares ate, if anything, below the usual
Parliamentary standard, second. ease to Greenwich being
only 61. Mid Kent trains also start frequently from° a.m.
till 10.30 at night. The trains, however, are mere beginners,
and meant to get the whole line at all its points and sta-
tions into thorough working order before the through traffic
to the great southern lines is organised. As yet the ter-
minal station is a temporary one, the splendid station build •
ing requiring at least two months more for Its completions
when the hoardings will be removed and disclose a square
with a facsimile of old Charing. cross in the *entre, backed
by a noble pile of edifices worthy of the situation the COW.
pane, has been so fortunate as to secures It is nearly fent
years since this line was commenced; It is to 6 hoped that
another two years more will sea it templeted, as it ought
to be, with its line to Carinete,atreet, and its subway under
the Strand, heeding into the cutting which will give access
to the Great Northern, the Euston, and the Midland sta-
tions. When that great part of the plan is completed `ere
shall have done a great deal towards vanquishing the
obstacles of this city of inconvenient distances. It is,
perhaps, hopeless to speak of relieving the traffic of
our overcrowded streets. Only the Thames Embank-
ment and new thoroughfares can do that. But if the me-
tropolitan railways do not reduce the traffic in the streets,
theynt least check the alarming tendency it shows to in•
crease each year, and open out new routes by which the se-
called thoroughfares may be avoided. The Charing-cross
line, though scarcely two miles long from end to end, has,
as we have said, been nearly four years in construction, it
being in some parts the most difficult line, and in all parts
what is termed the heaviest, that, for its length) has ever
been built. It runs entirely on bridges er etches, there be-
ing no less than 17 bridges and 190 etches, of which latter
16 are taken over streets and thtee over courts. Of the 18
bridges one crosses the Thames, the others cross great main
thoroaghtares. Oi the Thames bridge it is ttnnetessary
now to speak, beyond saying that as a Spocitaen of iron
work it has no superior in the world, and yeeterele.le it
proved as rigid as the earth itself under its geeing traffic.
Those over the streets are among the 4engest single street
spans ever built, and are beyond doubt the ugliest ever yet
putig h ut:
byany engineer. When a merely nominal oatlay
m
have mide them ornamental, Londoners will hold
sausdbelemts,onsulye,hgalisilttyhe southern approach
of cruelly disfiguring
siNolmr,e} h
olafwtkhseirmbve,t streets,
to London-bridge, which has been honoured by the ugliest
viaduct of all. The quantity of wrought-iron in the
Charing-cress-bridge is 5,000 tons and of cast-item 2,000
tons. The bridges over the streets contain 3,2.50 tons of
wrought-iron and 250 tons of cast-iron ; 151,000 yards of
brickwork with 41,000 yards of concrete were required to
complete the arches, and 9J,000 cubic yards of earthwort
have been made. From Charing-cross in a short time ac-
cess will be given to almost every part of the south of Evg-
land, and it is to be hoped that before long it will offer the
same facilities for the great lines running north,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

LREUTER'S TELEGRAM.]

AMERICA.

The Hamburg and American Company's steamer
Bavaria, from New York on the 30th ult., has
arrived off Cowes. She brings 47 passengers,
105,000 dole. in specie for England, and 1,950 do's.
for Hambuog. Her news has been anticipated.

LIVERPOOL, lAN. 12.
The Cunard screw steamer Heels from New York
on the 30th ult. arrived here this morning.
Her news has been anticipated.

SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.

ALTONA, JAN. 11 (Evening).

According to advices received here the families
of subaltern officers and others inhabiting the Castle
of Gottorp have been ordered to evacuate it within
24 hours, as the Government of Schleswig will be
transfarred thither. It is said that the King and
Queen may possibly take up their residence in
the Castle.

The party in Schleswig favourable to the claims
of the Augustenburg family are reported to have
sent an address to Kiel expressing their devotion
to the Prince of Augustenburg.

VIENNA, lAN. 12.

It is stated that the Danish Minister for Foreig❑
Affairs has addressed a note to the Austrian Cabinet
indirectly admitting that Denmark had not fulfilled
her engagements, and requesting that the negocia-
tions between Denmark and Germany might be
continued from the point at which they ceased in
1851-52.

SPAIN.
NE tir ELECTORAL LAW.

MADRID, JAN. 12.

In the sitting of the Congress to-day the Minister
of the Interior read a bill for a new Electoral Law.
Opinions upon the measure are divided.
It is thought that a Ministerial crisis will now
soon take place.

THE HOSTILITIES IN INDIA.
The following te.egram has been received at the

India-office :

"BOMBAY, DEC. 29.

" An official telegram from Lahore, dated Decem-
ber 24, states that the Guide Corps and a con-
tingent of the B)nair tribe, which were detached
for the purpose of destroying Mulka, have returned
to Umbey h. The original object of the expedition
has thus been accomplished, in the destruction of
the seat of Hindustanee fanatics. The force, there-
fore, will return to the plains, and, after the exac-
tion of hostages from the Judoon and Othmanzye
tribes will go into quarters.
"The Peshawur district and border are quiet.
" The Punjab's perfectly trAnquil.
Funds at Bombay.—Fours, at 9 per cent. dis-
count ; Fives, at par ; Five-and-a-Halfs at 6i pre-
mium."