The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-05 00:00:00

VESSELS SPOKEN WITH.

.. -----
The Maria Catherina. (Dutch barque), bound S., Aug.
24, lat. 11 N., long. 26 W.
The Syrian, of Sunderland, Moulmein to Falmouth,
Sept. 16, lat. 40 N., long. 33 W.
A barque, showing No. 6,851, Sept. 1, lat. 35 N., long.
69 W.
The Coronet (ship), Sept. 17, lat 46 N., long. 44 W.
The New Ze.Jander, Liverpool to Australia, Aug. 28,
lat. 47 N., long. 8 W.
The Echo (Danish brig), Sept. 16, lat. 49 N., long. 10 W.
The Mars, from Greenock, out 49 days.
The Juno, Lisbon to Newfoundland, lat. 47 N., long.
31 W.
The Arabia, Quebec to Liverpool, Aug. 20, lat. 45 N.,
long. 48 W.
Tho William Money, lat. 22 N., long. 37 W.
The Sharley, Batavia to Boston, Sept. 9, lat. 41 N.,
long. 67 W.
The James Carmichael, bound S., Aug. 24, lat. 11. N.,
long. 26 W.
The Olivia, same day.
The Dahlia, from Sunderland. to Ceylon, Aug. 25, lat.
11 N., long. 25 W.
Tho Alice Maria, from Liverpool to Valparaiso, with
loss of maintopmast and forotopsail-yard, Aug. 25, 1at..13
N., long. 26 W.
The Custan, from Hamburg, bound south, Aug. 27, lat.
14 N., long 28 W.

The Franklin (American vessel), for Australia, Sept. 17,
lat. 33 N., long. 38 W.
The Kirman, Finlay, Aug. 22, lat. 41 N., long. 27 W.
The Harriet, from Newport to Alicante, and Brothers,
from Oran to Queenstown and Falmouth, Aug. 17, off
Cape St. Vincent.

the Lisbon, from Now Orleans to Liverpool, Sept. 4,
lat. 24 N., long. 82 W.
The Helena, from New York to Australia, Aug. 25, lat.
36 N., long. 44 W.
The Native, to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, bound E.,
Sept. 10, lat. 44 N., long. 62 W.
The Star of Empire, from Boston to Liverpool, Sept.ll,
lat. 42 N., long. 66 W.
The Westmoreland ship, Sept. 12, lat. 41 N., long. 59
W.

The Medernsch, from New Orleans to Vigo, Sept. 7, CO
miles W.S.W. of Tortugas.
The Menado, from Rotterdam to Batavia, Aug. 25, lat.
14 N., long. 27 W.
The Siam, from Cardiff to City Point, Sept. 2, lat. 44
N., long. 48 W.

The Richard Thornton, from Batavia to London, Sepi
22, lat. 42 N., long. 24 W.

RAILWAY COMPETITION.-132 MILES FOR A SHILLING.
--However extraordinary it may appear that a person
may be conveyed by railway in England at this rate,
where travelling is generally understood to be so
much more expensive than on the continent, the
fact is, nevertheless, placed beyond dispute. On
Tuesday last two German tourists were proceeding
on the London and North-Western line to Stafford, when
the conversation turned upon the high prices charged
in this land of liberty, as compared with, in this respect,
less favoured countries, for everything the traveller
either on business or pleasure has occasion for, more
especially for hotel accommodation and the ordinary
modes of conveyance. A commercial man, who un-
derstood [German, joined in the talk, and, taking up
the cudgels in defence of his own country, challenged
the Austrians—for such they were—to name any ,
German railway whereon the charge for travelling
by the ordinary trains will be as low as is. f0r132 miles,
offering, on his part, to mention an instance of an Eng-
lish line where that was the usual rate of fare. The fact
was, of course, doubted and disputed, and, after some par-
leying, the usual mode of settling such questions in this
country was resorted to—viz., a bet. The bagman hav-
ing thus secured his customers, at once stated the case
of the Shropshire Union line—a branch in connexion with
the North-Western—whereon the third class fare
charged for the distance between Shrewsbury and
Wellington-11 miles—is one penny, and added, that by
going backwards and forward between those two places
12 times, the traveller would have accomplished the 132
miles by I railway for twelvepence. The statement
was confirmed by other persons in the carriage, the fo-
reigners, without raising any cavil at the somewhat ques-
tionable manner in which the wager had been won, ad-
mitted the loss, and paid the penalty—a bottle of wine
—at the Stafford refreshment rooms. During the last
three years, in consequence of the competition between
the North-Western and the Great Western Companies,
the inhabitants of Staffordshire and Shropshire have been
enjoying advantages in the shape of low railway fares
which the people of other districts must regard as
almost fabulous. Wheresoever the lines of these two great
rival companies run in the same direction, or between
the same towns, a rate of charge has been adopted by
but gratifyingstissatisfactory
ryth
ien
ts travel.re
both
ng public,wh ch , t
musthe though gbhe extremelyanything
trainshe instanceru n eve
every
quotedhour by
t sourult
friendre-
sults to
tbe shareholders.
bagman,"
the penny fare, anethere are two trains run daily by
Ine t
each company betweenShrewsbury,Wolverhampton,
and Birmingham, the fares both ways being, ; the one
case 6d. for a distance of 60 miles, and in the other is.
6d. for 90 miles.
THE NEW CAB AND OMNIBUS ACT.—Yesterday, a
part of the new act (16 & 17 Vict. cap. 33) came into
operation. It is provided that after the Ist of October
i stagengaliceenrsehtioakmeeep,euasre
nevuedryletpetresonbidreesairuoyums oeftioboptoaiinitai
i riage, must apply in writing to the commissionersy
of
police, in order that they may cause an inspection to be
made, and if the same is found to be in a fit and proper
condition they shall grant a certificate to that effect, and
upon its production at the office of the Inland Revenue
Board, a license is to be granted. No license is to be
granted without such certificate. Henceforth cabs,
omnibuses, and horses must be in a proper condition, or
the police commissioners will give notice to the owners,
and if worked after such notice a penalty is to be im-
posed, and in default of payment a commitment to be,
ordered for any time not exceeding a month. On the
10th inst. the licenses will expire and new licenses will
be granted on the reduced scale.