The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-25 00:00:00

something bhouid be dune atence. The idea of
running cheap trains night and morning is en ad-
mirable one, end must in a gnat measure mitigate
the evil, and prove a vast advantage to all who now
suffer so dreadfully from the effects of over crowd-
ing and its attendant miseries, Lord DERBY has
besides the merit of having been the first to
bring this question of the rsilvvays affecting the
comfort of the working classes before Parliament
some years ago. It was tlunpaid very little atten-
tion to, and many, indeed, averred that the noble
earl was making a great deal of unnecessary fuss
about the matter. These wiseacres must ere this,
however, have disproved their assertions, and seen
reason to modify their expressions. Time and
experience have more than borne out the declara-
tions, and verified the prophecies of the noble earl,
and where units complained, teas of hundreds now
murmur loudly against the grievous infraction cf
their social rights, and the cruel addition to their
inevitable troubles that have been brought about by
the development and spread of science in every
department. To the rich, the busy, the idle, the
, eted many others, all these
foreigner,increased
meansr traveller, eclol emr
communication serve to increase
their wealth, add to their amusement, extend their
employments, accelerate their arrangements, and
impart increased excitement to their progress. To
the poor they have added another burden to the
load under which they had before nearly sunk. it
would never do to let it be said, that while the
fame of our mechanical exploits excited the wonder
of the world, the first result was that our toiling
artisans and our striving poor in all directions
should drnop and wither away under the inflictions
imposed upon them. Vain will be our boast that
our capital is the emporium of the world, and affords
more speedy and numerous means of intercommuni-
cation than any other city, if these means of transit
have brought in their progress the means of spread-
ing disease end death among the lives of industry,
and the results of poverty . TIiCS3 hapless victims
who would inevitably suceumb to the insidious
attacks of fever and pestilence, "by the wayside
fall and perish, weary of the march of life," would
be the accusers who would rise up in judgment
against the selfishness and supineness of modern
reformers and regenerators, and blight all the
glory of their enterprise at its outset. Of
course, there will be many difficulties in
,he way of carrying out all the details
of this, or any other similar measure of such
an aggregate:extent ; but it is always something
very important to have mede a start b the right
direction, and the French proved) ce West que le
premier pas qui route is true in this as in many
minor instances. It must be a great relief to all
the more intelligent and mole right feeling of the
classes referred to to know that they stand a
chance of possessing room to mote in, and that
their families may grow up in the habits of order
and prosperitywhich cannot be obtained in cramped
localities, also they will enjoy a larger share of the
crowning gift of health, which is of more value
than wealth to the rich, but is to the poor a
sheet anchcr of security. The Earl of SIIAFTRS.
BURY suggested that two trains should be run
every morning and evening to obviate inconve-
nience and ensure security in case of hindrance or
accident. It is seldom that a proposal affecting
entirely the interests of the working classes comes
before Parliament, and it is a matter of rejoicing
that it should have been met in a right spirit and
accorded that attention which all things that con-
cern the welfare of the great body of the people
should receive at the hands of the Legislature.

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA,

Verdi's favourite opera, " Ua Ballo in Maschera,"
after a two years' abeence from the boards of
.ambOitairourse,mtahrokusghurn the present cast of
Covent-garden, was performed anew there on
t6haitsu
lredaasyt
in some respects, most
charming, among Verdi's popular 'yrical dramas,
must to-day be unavoidably postponed. To morrow
the same opera will be repeated. To-night the repeti-
tion of Rossini's "Guglielmo Tell" is the attraction.
Another repetition, that of Donizetti's " La
Favorita," is the attraction to the Royal Italian
set apart for Thursday. While, for Saturday, Mr.
Gye announces on his programme the performance,.
for the first time this season, of Meyer beer's Grand
opera of " Le Prdphete," with Madlle. Destinn as
Fides, and Signor Wachtel as Jean of Leyden.
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, at-
tenth d by Major Elphinstone and Captain
Donaliy, honoured the performances with
his presence on Tuesday last. Their Royal High-
nesses the Grand Duke and Duchess of Mecklen-
burg Strelitz and the Princess Mary, attended by
the Countess of Westmoreland, Colonel Clifton, and
the Baton Piasson, were present on Thursday.
Amongst the fashionable company attending the
performances during the week have been the Prince
Louis (Bonaparte, his Excellency the Anibasbador
of France, his Excellency
the Austrian Am
bassador, and the Countess Appanyi, his Excellency
the Italian Minister, the Duke and Duchess of Wel-
lington, the Duke of Granada, the Duke and Duchess
of Sutherland, the Hanoverian Charge d'Affaires
and the Baroness Biome, the Marquis of Har-
tington,
Madame Van de Weyer, the Marquis
of Hastings,
the Marchioness of Dawnshire and
Lady Alice Hill, the Marquis and Marchioness of
Bath, the Marquis of Sligo, the Marchioness of
Ely and Lady Marian Loftus, the Countess of
Bradford, the Countess of Harrington and Lady
Geraldine Stanhope, the Earl and Countess of West-
morland and Lady Emily KiDgSCOtC, the Earl of
Dudley, the Earl Granville, the Earl of Uxbridge,
the Countess of Fife and Lady Anne Duff, the
Countess of Mount Charles, the Earl and Countess
of Bective, Viscountess Newry and Miss Needham,
Viscount and Viscountess Holnaesdale, Viscount
Crantourne, Viscount Sudley, Viscount and Vis-
countess Sidney, Viscount Ranelagh, the Lord Chief
Justice of England, Lady Annaly and the Hon.
Miss White, Lady de Blaquiere, Lord E. Thynne,
Lady Agnes Murray, Lady Chirgee, Lady Alfred
Churchill, Lord E. St. Maur, Lord and Lady Blan-
tyre, Lady E. Hastings, Mr, and Lady Gwendoline
Petre, Lady A. Wentworth and Miss Wentworth,
Lady Panmure and Mr. Power, Captain and Lady
Anne Shereon, Hon. Captain Edwardes, Hon. Mr.
and Mrs. Beat, Hon. Henry Edot, Colonel the Hon.
James Macdonald and Mrs. Macdonald and the
lion. Miss Blake, Hon. otway Toler, Hon. Richard
Bothell and Miss Bethel',
1100. Mrs. Claughton,
Major the Hon. J. and Mrs. Anson, Hon. Frederick
M 17
Leveson Gower, .P., ~..o.onel Loyd Lindsay and
the Hon. Mrs. Loy! Lindsay, Hon. Mr. Spring
Rice, lion. R. Meade,
Hon, Aire. Murray, Hon.
Charles Barrington, Sir James and Lidy Colville,
Sir John and Lady Simeou, Sir James and Lady
Montgomery, Sir William Jolliffe and the Misses
Jolliffe, Sir William Scott and Miss Scott, Sir Henry
Cotterell, Sir John and Lady Fisher, Sir Claud
Mackenzie,ockn,enczQielo,
nSdirGFr.arl,tt.,
sScaontdtfoarndd, .AAlidsainSircaoliti_tiSdirer.J
Colonel Farq-aharzo a of Invereauld, Colonol Airey,
Captainmioe in ,
Captain
and B'a idj es° Si° turcalc
a
Ber-
keley, Captain nudyer, Captain Buckley, Colonel
and ,hiss e, Maclean,
Captain Colonel
and Mrs. Mac George, Captain Womb welt, Major
Gage, &e.

MR. ALFRED WIGAN has been playing Hamlet
at Liverpool.
MR. CHARLES KEAN'S HEALTH, according to the
latest accounts, is re-established, but he will not imme-
diately return to England, as had been announced.
ME THREE-ACT PLAY, " MOI," in which M.
Regnier is greatly commended by those who should know,
is having a certain vogue at the Theatre Frans cis.

M. FREDERIC LEMAITRE, whom we Imqgined to
have quitted the stage, has reappeared at L'Arnbigu
Comique in a five-act play, by M, Plouvier, "Le Comte
de Saullea.",