The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-22 00:00:00

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIP,--I as rather surprised to see in your Pper of the
19.11, a letter addressed by Air. Nicholas Wood, to the Direc-
tors of the Great Wcoatrn RE.ilway, unaccompanied by any
intinmoon of its being published with their authority or con-
sent ; but as I presume they have thus made it known for the
benefit of the proprietary, you will, I hope, allow me as one
deeply interested in its contents, to offer a few remarks upon
it. From the great resp-ct entertained of Mr. Wood's
abiliti, s and impartiality, the Proprietors generally are inte-
rested in a correct undemanding of the drift of his letter,
and as some ( t his expressions are li..ble to misapprehension,
Venture, with due di foronce, to point out what appears to
me to he their real boaring-. If the letter involved any dis-
cussicn of profc,;sional or scientific points, it would be quite
irrelevant for me t h in'erfere, but as the question at issue is
simply the inference to be drawn from certain facts, it seems to
Ole to be ore open to the examination of every Proprietor.
To Mr. Wood's charge against the Directors of their
" being led to an erroneous conclusion by contrasting- with
each other entirely dissimilar experiments," I shall not allude
further than to express my surprise that so cautious a man as
Mr. Wood should have surmised for an instant, that the Di-
rectors presented their experiments as similar to those on
which Mr. Wood's own conclusions were foUndel. On ex-
amining the Directors' Report, it appears to me quite clear
that they themselves considered the expr;mcrits as entirely
dissimilar ; and they specifically state Ow eircuo,=t oleos
which caused the difference in their results. On thi, point,
however, the Directors will, no doubt, take a proper oi:por
Utility of making their own reply.
The question of real importance to the Proprietary, and to
which, through your kindness, I would call their attention, is
this:—Howfar does Mr. Wood's letter affec, the important
conclusions in his Repot- i(pp. 34 and 19), •• that a high rate
of velocity can only be attained by a very great sacrifice of
Power," and " that to effect a mean rate of about 40 mil,s an
hour, the load cannot be more than from 15 to 20 tons, with
engines of the power qf the North Star." In the R, port itself Mr.
Wood forcibly draws attention to these " results of his experi.
meats," and in page 35, he adduces an experiment to show,
that whilst the North Star Engine could take a load of 33 tons
at 37 miles an hour, with a consumption l 4 lb. of coke per
ton per mile, as soon as the speed is increased to 41 miles an
hour, the load is reduced to only 16 tons, and the consumption
of coke is increased to 21 lbs. per ton per mile! This was the
conclusion which seems to have startled Mr. Brunel and the
Directors, as well it might ; and they very properly tested it
by other experiments. In making these, a slight alteration
in the engine was effected by Mr. Brunel, and the result of the
new trials was (whether noting to the alteration in the engine
or not, is of slight importance) that a load of 40 tons could
be carried at the rate of 40 miles an hour, with a consumption
of only nine-tenths of a pound of coke per ton per mile, or less
than one-third of the quantity assigned by Mr. Wood for the
rate of 41 miles per hour -with 16 tons only ! This result
certainly seems at variance :with Mr. Wood's conclusions ;
but be now discovers an experiment of his own (or Dr. Lard-
ner'B), which he seems, strangely enough, to have overlooked
when deducing his " results," and by which he shows that
the same engine, before alteration by Mr. Brunel, was capable
of conveying 41i tons at 384 miles an hour, with a consumption
of 1 1.11 lb. of eoke per ton per mile. How was it that the dis-
crepancy between this experiment and that with only 16 tons
did not strike Mr. Wood earlier, and lead him to suspect the
inaccuracy of his conclusion, " that a high rate of velocity can
Only be attained by a very great sacrifice of power ?" It can-
not be his meaning that whilst we can carry a load of 40 tons
at nearly 40 miles an hour, with a consumption of about llb.
Of coke per ton per mile, it will require nearly three times as
much fuel to carry one- half this load at a mean velocity of 41
fmiles an hour? Such a result, I must say, is incredible, un-
'ess it be established by much more numerous and act
rate experiments, whilst one single experime it that
Contradicts it is as good as a thousand. Mr. Wood's
newly selected experiment may show that the alteration
effected in the engine was less important than has been sup.
Vise.d., but it completely upsets his own conclusions, by esta-
,'hing the practicability of carrying a profitable load at a
,ilgo velocity without a sacrifice offuel.
may It
Lreadily be allowed that the limit opposed by atmos-
pheric resistance to the profitable attainment of high velocity
la sooner reached than some engineers of great fame have sup-
r-sed ; but, allowing even that no further improvements could
made in the engines to increase their power and diminish
the consumption of fuel, the Proprietors of the Great Western
'll lailway have every reason to be satisfied with the results csta-
tished by the experiMents of Mr. Wood and the Directors.
here is no diprence between these gentlemen, it now appears,
as to the practicability of carrying a profitable load at nearly
forty miles an hour, without consuming more than llb. of coke
Per ten per mile. Mr. Brunel's experiments give a still more
favourable result ; but if we take the fact as above, it is enough
to justify all reasonable expectations of the working of the
Great Western Railway. The question, we must recollect, is
not how little the engines under unfavourable circumstances
may some sometimes do, but how much, with proper precau-
tions they can do. In mechanics, what has once been done
can be done again, and no failure can negative a result which
has once been clearly attained. From Mr. Wood's report
(p. 30), it appears that the consumption of coke by two en-
gines on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, is very nearly
llb. of coke per ton per mile, with a load of twenty-six

tons, at the rate of tweniy-nine miles an hour. On the Man-
chester and Bolton line, the consumption is stated at about
I 1-61 b. per ton per mile, Kith an average load of
twenty. four tons, at the rate of twenty two milts per hour.
If, therefore, a train of forty tons can be conveyed on the Great
Western Railway (as it has been) at the rate of forty miles an
hour, with a less consumption than 11b. of coke per ton per
1114, it is a sufficient proof of the advantages which both the
Public and the Proprietors will derive from the principles
adopted in the construction of the engines upon this line, and
Vannot but be gratifying to the Proprietors to find that Mr.
(xxl's conclusions, in his report, as to the difficulty of attain-
g high speed (viz. forty miles an hour) with due economy,
,rea letter to the Directors. We may hope that the discus-
itn°4 Which this subject has now undergone, will lead to further
faiProvement in the machinery of locomotives, and that, power-
as as the viewless antagonist of which we have lately heard
attillrauch, our engineers may ultimately succeed in reducing
is opposition (in a practical sense) to " an airy nothing."
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Jan. 21, 1839. VIGIL.

CORN LAWS AND WAGES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sta—Having just run over a report in your Paper of the
17th inst., of a meeting of the Ward of Cripplegate Within,
on the Corn-laws, I am anxious to correct an error which one
of the speakers, Mr. Ambrose Moore, inadvertently fell into
sou that occasion. He alluded in the course of his speech to
ionic remarks made in a lecture of mine, at which he had been
present, on the subject of wages ; and he represents me as
saving affirmed, that "as corn rose in price, the wages of the
ttanufactnrersfell." Now I never made a statement of that
laid as to the money rate of wages; I invariably spoke of the
Corn value of wages. The money rate of wages is determined
°,,Y principles only dependent contingently on the price of corn.
Where is not a single fact connected with the history of in-
dustry in this country which does nut corroborate the position
that the high pri,le of grain, by absorbing a larger proportion
of the money wages of labour, lessens the demand for clothing,
or other articles of consumption not necessary to the actual
Maintenance of life. Other things remaining the same, this
diminished demand, by increasing competition, depreciates
Profits, and ultimately reduces wages.
I have never, however, gone into speculative reasoning in
Illy lectures on this subject ; I have invariably appealed to
tots; and I defy the whole host of Corn-law advocates to
show, from any history of prices and wages, that the money
value of the wages of labour have at any time increased in any
thing like the rates in the increase of the value of agricultural
• produce. A tabular statement of the history of prices and
t);
• wages for the last fifty years, would fully substantiate my
Position. I will, however, adduce only one fact, which is a
sufficient reply to this recklessly vitiated fallacy. The money
Wages of labour in 1835-6, when corn was not more than half
its present price, were higher in most of the staple branches of
industry than they are now, when wheat is 865., in place of
• 405., a quarter. This fact, of itself, is sufficient to knock the
fallacy on the head.
As I am just waiting for the train to Wigan, I have
. 'availed myself of tie few minutes on hand, hastily to correct
the statement made by Mr. Moore, as it is of some importance
• that we should distinguish between the money and the corn
, Value of wages.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A. W. PAULTON.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIK.—My attention has been directed to a letter which ap-
peared in your paper of Saturday last, from Mr. Wood, ad-
dressed to the Directors of the Great Western Railway.

Considering that they may not feel called upon to publish
an answer thereto, prior to the next half-yearly meeting of
the Proprietors, to be held next month, I am induced to be-
lieve that, as an impartial Journalist, you would willingly point
out any material error in Mr. Wood's letter; more especially,
if such, remaining unanswered, might cause some shareholders
in the line to part with their property at reduced rates—to
their own injury—from the consideration that Mr. Wood can-
not see any great improvement that Mr. Brunel has effected
in the North Star engine. Such shareholders might take
Mr. Wood's word for it, without examining for themselves
the data of the several performances of that engine in Sep-
tember and Decembar.

That the performances of the North Star in December far
exceeded what it accomplished in September, is positively the
fact, though Mr. Wood cannot see it. I will clearly prove
this from his own table, to which he also refers, page 17 of
his Report.
In his letter Mr. Wood says :--" In table, page 17, you
will find a set of experiments (the third) by the North Star
engine detailed, showing a load of 41.61 tons, conveyed at
the average rate of 38.8 miles an 11,,ur ; the consumption of
coke being 1.091b5. per ton per mile "
The error I have to point out is that Mr. Wood has quoted
incorrectly from his own table. He has taken the rate of
speed from the wrong column, and placed the full rate of Sep-
tember against the mean rate of December.
That he intended to quote the mean or average rate, is evi-
dent from his remarks as above ; but if he had paid sufli,ient
attention to his table, he would have found that it was 33.9
miles an hour, instead of 35.3.

The trials will really stand thus
Mean speed in

Coke per ton

Tons. miles per hour. per mile.
Mean in December...4l 5 39. .925
Mr. Wood's experi- 41.65
ment's in Sept..
The result is, that Mr. Brunel has increased the speed of the
engine by his improvements, in the proportion of 6 upon 33,
or 18 per cent. ; consuming at the same time less coke in
drawing the same weight.
I have no doubt that Mr. Wood will ere this have perceived
the error he has fallen into.
I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant,
Chester, Jan. 21. A SHAREHOLDER.

THE COAL MONOPOLY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—lt is an undeniable fact, the substance of which you
lately stated, that not only are the inhabitants of the
metropolis at large robbed by the coal monopolists of nearly a
million sterling, but the Corporation, in other words, the in-
habitants of the City, are doubly robbed by the nefarious sys-
tem cherished and protected by the very men appointed by
themselves to watch over their interests. Were the price of
coals reduced one-third, that is to 245. the ton, and fair com-
petition would reduce it still lower, it may be safely calculated
that one-half more would be consumed. I have had opportu-
nities of ascertaining the quantity used by the lower classes in
several districts, and I am convinced that not one in a hundred
of y our readers, and I should trust, for the sake of humanity,
not one of the monopolists, is aware of the fact that, owing to
the high price, thousands of families are limited to one cal.
per week. Many of the abodes of these poor people are built
in the dampest tracts of ground around London. Some that
very lately were stagnant marshes, and even now are imper-
fectly drained, and, with the exception of the room where they
dress their sc•nty meals, no fire is seen or felt in the house
from the beginning to the end of the year. All these people,
and their number is vast, would consume twice the quantity
but for the enormous price, so would the classes a grade or
two ahove them, and what with these and the increase of manu-
factures, which are checked by the high price of fuel, the in-
crease of consumption would to a certainty amount to the
proportion I have stated. The annual consumption of coals
throughout the metropolis is reckoned 2,500,000 tons a year,
which, at the rate of Is. Id. the ton, produces to the Corpo-
ration an annual revenue of 135400/. Were the cruel res-
trictions on the trade removed the coal-tax would be increased
67,7001. a year, and that amount consequently saved on the
City rates. Would things be as they are if the Corporation
was in a healthy state 7 With the exception of the present
Lord Mayor all the City functiOnarics, for years, have only
thought of their own interests—of getting a share of the half
million which is annually spent in keeping up the municipal
mock royalty. Fees have been taken under the very noses of
the Alderman, to which the recipients had no more right than
the thief has to his plunder. The very Courts of Justice
are sold to the highest bidder, and none but per-
sons who have paid the fine are allowed to practice
until a fee is given to each of these by the unfortunate citizen who
has the misfortune to be a client. No wonder that Reform is
hated by the Corporation. But all these are trifles compared
with the hardships which this gross mismanagement inflicts on
some hundred thousands of the helpless poor of the Metropo-
lis. Let any one who doubts enter into their miserable habi
tations, and he will soon be convinced that a vast proportion
of the diseases which prevail in their low neighbourhoods is
brought on by cold and damp—in oilier words, by those sordid
monopolists, who, for their own selfish purposes, keep up one
of the great necessaries of life at a starvation price—" who
oppress the poor to increase their riches."
Jan. 14. A CHRISTIAN.

INFANT EXTINCTION SYSTEM.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Nothing that I ever heard of in the whole course of
my life, has astonishel me so much as the fact—now estab-
lished by yom-authority—that a book really has been published,
in England, of the nature described by the Reverend Mr.
Stephens, in one rf his recent addresses to his congregation.
Though I am not one of those who look upon Mr. Stephens
as a monster or a madman. I was satisfied, from the first, that
he must have been mistaken in ascribing the authorship of
such a book to the Poor-law Commissioners ; and the
denial of the Commissioners, consequently, was not necessary
to set one right on that point. But I would humbly beg leave
to ask, through the medium of your columns, whether the
matter is to be allowed to rest in its present most unsatisfactory
state 9 There can be little difficulty, I should suppose, in dis-
covering, if not the author, at any rate the publisher, or printer,
of the infamous publication ; and the law must be impotent
indeed if it cannot reach the man who has thrown such a fire-
brand into the midst of the country at a season like the pre-
sent. The Government, again, can most effectually, cause the
law to be put in force. And should no steps be speedily
taken by those in power, for the purposes of investigation and
punishment, the people must necessarily have strange mis-
givings on the subject, notwithstanding the fact that no one
of the three Poor-law Commissioners has recently been the
author of any work.
I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,
Annan, Jan. 12. JAMES LI rTLE.