The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-17 00:00:00

I'.HE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVEING, OCTOBER 17, 1865.

—This Day.

RAILW,

.ENCE.

The Parks of London.

CARLISLE AND SILLOTH.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held
at Carlisle ; Mr. P. J. Dixon in the chair.
An abstract of the report has appeared in The
Sun.

--e --

The CHAIRMAN, in moving its adoption, and the
declaration of a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent.
per annum on the preference stock, and of 1 per
cent. per annum oil the ordinary stock, said that on
former occasions he had had to keep up the spirits
of the shareholders and to ask them to look to the
future. On this occasion he had to congratulate
them on the receipt of the first dividend. Ten
years ago Silloth was a barren waste ; now it was
a port of considerable importance, at which mer-
chant vessels of the largest size were able to dis-
charge cargoes ; and first-class steamers were con-
tinually plying between that port and the Irish
coast. They would have had a dividend before this
if the North-Eastern had given them fair play ; but
now, by means of the North British, he had confi-
dence that the expectations of this company would
be realized. He urged the merchants present to
give all the traffic they could to the North British,
who deserved the support of the people for the way
in which they were endeavouring to break up cer-
tain monopolies.

Mr. InviNG seconded the motion, which was
agreed to.

Mr. J. Hope was re-elected director, Mr. R. S.
Dixon was elected in the place of Mr. Parker, who
retired ; and Mr. J. Forster was appointed auditor.
The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.

MANCHESTER SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLN-

SHIRE.
The total expenses of this company's railways
and canals, including rent, tolls, duty, &c., from
July 1 to October 8, amounted to £123,930, as
against £116,673 for the corresponding period of
1864. The proportion of the South Junction re-
ceipts accruing to this company from July 1 to
October 8 amounted to £11,624, as against £11,287
for the corresponding period of 1864, and the ex-
penses to £5,332, as against £5,393.
In the table of traffic receipts which appeared in
The Sun of Saturday, it was stated that the receipts
on the above line for the past week amounted to
£30,357, it should have been £20,357.

The Broad-walk is now beginning to present a
grand appearance, from its length, and the height and
beauty which the trees on either side have attained.
From a point on the rising ground, south of the
pretty fountain that was erected some time since,
the most favourable view of the hotel at the end of
Portland-place can be obtained ; as, seen from the
place indicated, it looks as if it was built expressly
as a splendid termination to this fine walk.
On Primrose-hill, which is under the same man-
agement as Regent's Park—namely, that of Mr.
Edward's—a new walk has been finished within the
last few weeks, from near the Waterworks reservoir,
in a south-easterly direction, to Albert-terrace, Al-
bert-road. It is about 700 or 800 yards in length.
A couple of those iron works that one sees occa-
sionally near cab-stands in the streets would not be
out of place on Primrose-hill. On the south side
of the hill there is a fine open air gymnasium, which
is more frequented than any other in London. It
is a great pity that some attempt is not made, be-
fore it is too late, to connect Regent's Park with
Hampstead-heath, by means of a carriage drive
which might be brought round the lower parts of
Primrose-hill, through the handsome piece of road,
with the fine old trees on either side of it—from
Belsize Park to Haverstock-hill, and so on to Hamp-
stead. A rather novel suggestion has been made as
to Primrose-hill, which is neither more nor less than
a donkey Rotten-row, with model asses and equip-
ments, and well-dressed, respectable attendants
should be established there. And there is little
doubt that if women and chlidren only were allowed
to ride, the innovation would be highly appreciated
by the majority of the frequenters of Primrose-hill.
In concluding this notice of the two elder parks
and their adjuncts, it may not be out of place to
direct attention to the fact that each of these groups
of park lands is completely surrounded by houses,
so that in one case we have 1,000, and in another
nearly 500 acres of trees, grass, and flowers in the
interior of our immense metropolis, just as are the
squares in other cities and towns. Like the Bois
de Boulogne, the Phoenix-park, of which 1,300
acres are open to the public, is outside the town,
and, as a rule, can only be reached in a carriage, or
on horseback.

Reductions in the United S tates Arm.

The Army and Navy Journal of New York con-
jains the following :--" The relics of our once mag-
nificent volunteer armies are still growing fewer and
fewer by daily substructions, and soon the day will
come when a soldier will be as much an object of
curiosity for bystanders, in the streets he traverses,
as in the year 1860. To some of the faster of our
people the diminution of the national forces appears
the slowest thing on record, and they are exces-
sively irritated at the snail's pace at which it pro-
ceeds. Bat to ordinary mortals reduction of the
army and navy is going on at an astonishing rate,
and the departments take prodigious strides. We
can now all appreciate the extraordinary rapidity
with which, at the fall of Sumter, North and
South rushed to arms. In a night, the nation
was girded for the contest. Every. gun, cutlass,
and pistol was taken down from its resting place.
Every man was alive to the emergency, every
woman was helping to equip the volunteers who
were alread afield. Tedious as the raising of troops
then seemed, the speed was really something
miraculous. And so now, nothing is stranger than
the sudden and noiseless melting back into ordinary
life of our vast armies. In some future historian's
view of this great contest, no small part of astonish-
will be expended on the quiet, orderly, and almost
instantaneous dispersion of our troops, when the
object which convoked them had been attained.
Secretary Stanton has returned to the War De-
partment, and, accordingly, increased activity may
be expected in that quarter. Orders wore issued
last week for dismantling all the fortifications
around Washington, except Battery Rogers and
Fort Foote, both of which are on the Virginia side
of the Potomac. This will complete the process of
dismantling commenced some time ago. The officers
of General Haskin's staff have been mustered out.
Undoubtedly congress will early provide for an
increase of the regular army. It is stated that its
present maximum force, if fully recruited, would
be about 43,000, of all arms, and that General
Grant is understood to favour a large increase of
the infantry force.

ST. MAIIT'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.—The restoration
of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Broughton-street,
having been lately completed, it was formally reopened on
Sunday morning by the Right Rev. Dr. Strain. There was
a large attendance, and a handsome sum was realised by a
special collection made for the purpose of defraying the
expenses of repair. Pontifical high mass was celebrated
by Bishop Strain. The musical portion of the service was
very effective, the music selected being Mozart's No. 12 ;
and "Ave Maria," by Cherubini ; and the "Hallelujah
Chorus," from the "Messiah." The choir was consider-
ably augmented for the occasion, and numbered upwards of
30 voices. The solo in the "Ave Maria," and the "Et
incarnatus," from the " Credo," were tastefully sung, the
former by the leading soprano of the choir, the latter by a
distinguished amateur. The quartet " Quoniam to Solus"
also deserves to be mentioned as a careful and effective
performance. The choral part of the service, as well as
the grand chorus from the "Messiah," went, on the whole,
Tery steadily. Mr. P. W. Bridgman presided at the organ
with his usual ability. The sermon was preached by the
Rev. John Nobl'. O MJ. of
discourse the rov. gentleman referred to the decorations
which had been made in the church, and alluded in a feel-
ing manner to the accident by which the repairs on the
building became necessary. He also directed attention to
the efforts which were made at the time of the accident by
the bishop and the clergymen of the Church to save life.
They could not forget, too, those who met their death by
accident on that fatal day, and ho exhorted the congrega-
tion to "pray to God for the repose of their souls."-
Bcotsman.

Regent's Park, which derives its name from its
having been made during the regency of George IV.,
contains upwards of 400 acres. It and Primrose-hill
—the area of which is 63 acres—are under the care
of Mr. Edwards, chief superintendent. The ground
now occupied by this park was originally known as
" Marylebone Farm and Fields." It was laid out as
a public park in 1812, from designs by Mr. Nash, the
architect, who also built most of the fine terraces by
which it is surrounded. Unlike the other parks, this
contains within its boundaries several handsome
private residences, surrounded by picturesque plea-
sure grounds. Owing to the nature of the soil, and
there being less traffic over it, the grass here gene-
rally looks greener than it does in Hyde Park. It is
let to one person, who takes in sheep from the but-
chers in the neighbourhood. There are 18 or 20 acres
of water on which boats are to be had for hire,
and where angling from the banks is permitted at all
times while the gates arc open.
Within the last two or three years, this park has
been greatly improved and embellished by the con-
struction of what are known as the Avenue-gardens
—from the south end of the Broad-walk to Chester-
road, which is opposite Chester-terrace, and leads to
the Botanical Gardens—which have been completed
to the extent of four acres on each side of the walk.
The portion of the park which is bounded by Park-
square Gardens, Chester-road, Chester-terrace, and
the Broad-walk, is now being laid out in ornamental
grounds, with kept turf, clumps of evergreens, and
flower beds. There are about six acres in this piece
of park land. Should the weather prove favourable
the whole will be completed by next spring.
Some years since, it was proposed to make an
equestrian ride from Park-square West, alongside
the Broad-walk, passing Holford-house, and coming
out near what was formerly the Marquis of Hert-
ford's villa. Some of the neighbours_ and inhabi-
tants of the adjacent and surrounding terraces were
for, and some against, this proposal. Eventually
the authorities decided against it, and properly ; for
it would have seriously detracted from the appear-
ance of the park, as well as from its fitness for pedes-
trian exercise and recreation. The want, however,
of a Rotten-row in Regent's Park is felt throughout
a district of considerable extent, and there is a por-
tion of the park which would be improved by being
converted into one. From Glocester-gate, round
St. Catherine's-villa, to Park-square, a gently curved
ride of nearly a mile in extent could easily be de-
signed. It might be made a great improvement on
the present continuous wooden railed circle round
the park, if clumps of shrubs were judiciouslyplanted
at each side.