The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-29 00:00:00

intelligence from abroad quicker than by the
packets. But now our ambassadors, consuls, and
admirals send home political information and notices
of the movements of foreign fleets by telegraph.
The packets, however, though no longer absolutely
necessary politically to the Government, arc of
very great commercial importance in carrying
letters, and in enabling merchants to visit distant
markets. They have unquestionably caused a
vast increase of our foreign and colonial com-
merce. The time, however, has arrived for a re
vision of our mail packet service, and when our
colonies and foreign Governments should be
made to contribute to its support. In reviewing
the service can any rearrangement be made under
which the aggregate amount of subsidies now
paid would prove sufficient for that extension of it
which British enterprise has rendered necessary ?
One of the greatest difficulties in connection with
the mail-packet service has always been its exten-
sion to Australia, and the service to that part is
still objectionable. It is only monthly—it does
not extend further north than Sydney. A mail is
55 days in reaching New South Wales, when ac-
cording to the time taken for a mail to reach New
York, it ought to be only 45 days. Australian
mails are twice transhipped on the voyage, and
the mail is sent by way of India, while the
gold colonies of Australia border on the
Pacific. The Peninsular and Oriental Company,
which alone carried the Australian mails with
anything like satisfaction, has twice thrown up the
contract, and it has never been able to tempt Aus-
tralian passengers or gold on board its packets.
The West India packet service is the most expen-
sive we have, costing as it does £250,000 a-year.
Commercially, the West India colonies are not
worth such a sum being bestowed on them, But
though the Royal Mail Company gets such a
large amount, it is, or was, the poorest of our
mail packet companies, partly from the wear
and tear of their ships, the poverty of the West
India Islands, and the perpetually troubled
state of Mexico, which prevented that development
of the trade of a rich country which would have
greatly benefited the company. The company's
prospects are, however, improving. The trade of
South Western and Central America has greatly
increased, owing to the Panama railway, and British
Columbia has sprung into importance, to the com-
pany's advantage. If the Australian mails were
sent by way of Panama, the Indian route, which
costs £135,000a year, could be abandoned; tho West
India subsidy need not be anything like so large as
it is, and a mail communication could be established
to British Columbia without any additional expense
to the country. The West India line would have
three great feeding branches, from Valparaiso, Aus-
tralia, and British Columbia to Panama, and the
Royal Mail Company would be one of the richest
mail packet companies. If the Australian
mails were sent by way of America, they
could be carried to Colon without any expanse,
and they would reach their destination about ten
days quicker than at present. Besides this, New
Zealand and many of the island groups in the Pa-
cific now becoming of importance lie between Aus-
tralia and Panama, Western Australia would suffer
if the present mail route were done away with, bat
that would not be of much consequence, and if the
Australian colonists wanted a steam packet com-
munication with India and China, they could esta-
blish it themselves.

Politically and commercially the development of
the resources of British Columbia, and the diversion
of Australian traffic through America 'would be or
immense importance. The Panama Railway is an
American enterprise, and is one of .the best paying
lines in the world. Already the line is overbur-
dened with traffic. If this were increased English
capital would be employed in opening up another
route from the Atlantic to the Pacific by making a
railroad between the Mosquito coast and the Nica-
ragua lake, about 60 miles in length, not much
longer than the Panama Railway ; and in digging
a shallow canal, about 12 miles in length, between
the lake" and the Pacific. This scheme would no
doubt pay. The Australian, and the central and
north and south-western American traffic would
supply both the Nicaraguan and Panama routes.
The Pacific has not yet been bridged by steam, but
a line of steamers will shortly ply between San
Francisco and Japan and China. Everything tends
to show that in a few years the Pacific will be
reached by several avenues through the American
continent. The rebellion in the United States has
induced Congress, in order to preserve the Pacific
States in the Union, to hurry on the Pacific rail-
road from the Western States to California. The
gold discoveries of Fraser's River and Cariboo
have already drawn attention to a communication
between Canada and British Columbia. Between
those territories there will be first the bridle path,
then the waggon road, and then the iron railway.
Thus war and the thirst for gold will accelerate the
march of civilisation. When avenues through Ame-
rica are opened up, then the Pacific will be crossed
in many tracks by steam. Before many years
have elapsed mails and passengers from Europe will
most probably reach Jeddo, Pekin, Sydney, Mel-
bourne, and Otago through America, as the quickest
route. The British postal subsidy system wisely
adapted and regulated may do much towards im-
-1 proving the communication to our great markets in
North Eastern Asia and at the antipodes.
Let us ask again, why should the over-taxedpeo-
ple of England pay for carrying wealthy colonists
and foreigners and their mails? Why should this
country carry French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,
and Danish mails respectively to the West Indies,
the United States, Brazil, Goa, Macao, Manilla, and
Java, for a mere song ? It was originally done,
doubtless, to prevent those nations from running
rival packets to our own. But it has at all events
not prevented France from establishing mail steam
packets to the West Indies, the United States, India,
and China. And let her succeed. She will put
English steam-packet companies on their mettle,
and prevent the evils of a monopoly. England's
mercantile sailing navy has far more than held its
own against the competition of the world, and why
should not her mercantile steam navy do the same ?
ivitivilill be long before foreign steam merchant fleets
Ori
"'Para with those formed of the ships of the
andental, se
of those at India, Pacific, and Cape Companies,
for Europe the
fir 8: man s, &c.
of Vilna d' I ' It is as safe
for
of
theghting men of France to battle
with the storms
the China seas, as .
to
Atlantic and the cyclones of
Champs de Mars. Let
I be chafing from inaction in the
Prance have her mail packets
and her colonies, let her invade
simple enough to do so, and Mexico, if she is
valpu_r_sue her conquests
in Cochin China. With
aithle and defenceless
mail packets on the high seas and dependencies se-
parated from her by the ocean, atm
Wouldbe bound
over more tightly to keep the peace than she has
ever been yet.—Daily News.

S USPENSE.—I believe that, to the young, sus-
pense is the most intolerable suffering, Active misary
always brings with it it 3 own power of endurance. What
a common expression it is to hear, "'Well, if I had known.
what I had to go through beforehand, I never should have
believed it possible that I could have done it." But it is a
dreadful thing to be left alone with your imagination, to have
to fancy the worst, and yet not know what the worst may
he; and this in early youth has a degree of acute anguish
that after years cannot know. As we advance in life we
find all things here too utterly worthless to grieve over
gtre!hvase;tening has entered into our
ve grow cold and careless ;
:tthheenidasastwtoe couldhwe a
Riarts.

`4Lr. 3u t)

(Sittings in Banco, before Lord Chief Justice Cock-
burn, Justice Wightman, Crompton, and Black-
burn.)
THE QUEEN V. TRAIN AND OTHERS.—THE WEST-
MINSTER TRAMWAY.
Mr. M. Chambers said that since the last term the
prosecutor, who was desirous of acquiescing in their
lordships' suggestion relative to entering a nolle
prosequi against the vestry, had applied to them to
give Mr. Train the required three months' notice
under the contract to take up those dangerous rails,
but they persistently refused to do so, and they
still, as they always had done, resisted the law, and
in a discussion of the matter by the vestry at their
meeting some of them stated that it had not been
decided that this tramway was a nuisance, so that
the prosecutor had to ask the court to hear the rule
relative to the vestry's liability when Mr. Train
was again called up for judgment.
The Lord Chief Justice asked if Mr. Train's secu-
rity for costs was good, why the prosecutor did not
enter a nolle prose qui against the other defendants?
Mr. Chambers said the difficulty was that if the
prosecutor let the vestry off Mr. Train might say
that he could not meddle with the highway to take
up the tramway, the highway being under the con-
trol of the vestry. The vestry insisted that the
tramway should not be removed.
The Lord Chief Justice—What is the prosecu-
tor's object in persevering against the vestrymen ?
Mr. Chambers said that prosecution was insti-
tuted by Mr. Greig, the clerk of the peace in his
private character. He was substantially indiffer-
ent to the costs, and what he wanted was to secure
the removal of this dangerous nuisance, but with
regard to the latter the vestrymen threw every im-
pediment in the way, and held the prosecutor at
arm's length. He had no doubt Mr. Greig would
enter a nolle prosequi against the vestrymen if he
could secure thereby the removal of the tramway.
Every day accidents were happening, and yester-
day (Tuesday), a man was thrown out of his cart
and seriously injured.
The Lord Chief Justice—Have you an affidavit
from Mr. Train that he can't take up the tramway.
Mr. Chambers—No. He wanted the Court to be
stringent in having the tramway taken up. An
offer was made to the vestrymen last term, when
the rule was moved, but they had made no approach
towards the prosecutor.
Mr. Justice Blackburn said that by entering a
nolle prosequi against the vestry, and bringing up
Mr. Train for judgment, would be a speedy way of
abating the nuisance. He could understand the
desire for obtaining a local triumph over the vestry-
men, and making them eat humble pie.
Mr. Chambers said that was not the prosecutor's
object.
The Lord Chief Justice said he should have
thought if Mr. Train had power to put down the
tramway he had power to remove it.
Mr. Chambers said Mr. Train had no control over
it. A company had been established, and if he was
to interfere he would be meddling with their rails.
This was a public nuisance, and in fact the sheriff
ought to take it up.
Mr. Justice Wightman said he saw no objection
to Mr. Train taking it up.
The Lord Chief Justice said that if a 'wile prose-
qui was entered the Court would be prepared to
assist the prosecutor in putting down this nuisance.
Mr. Chambers said he would communicate with
his client upon the suggestion.
THE QUEEN Y. BLUNDELL.
Mr. Sumner obtained yesterday a rule calling
upon the defendant to show cause why an attach.
ment should not issue against him for the non-pay-
ment of costs, and also why his recognisances
should not be estreated. The defendant was an
attorney, and had been convicted upon an indict-
ment for a libel, and the Master had taxed the costs,
£lBl 12s. 11d., which the defendant had refused to
pay. The court granted a rule absolute in the first
instance for the attachment, and a rule nisi to
estreat the recognisances.
To-day Mr. Blundell appeared in court, in the
custody of the officer of the Queen's Bench Prison,
and Mr. Sumner's application was granted by the
Court.
THE MANCHESTER AND LONDON LIFE ASSURANCE
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION V. lIALLIWELL.
Mr. R. G. Williams said this was an action tried
at the last Guildhall sittings before Mr. Justice
Wightman, when a verdict was found for the
plaintiff. He moved to set the verdict aside, and
to enter a nonsuit or the verdict for the defendant,
on leave reserved, or why a new trial should not
be had on the ground of the misdirection of the
learned judge. It was an action on a promissory
note at the foot of which was written the defendant's
mark, and the words " surety for Thos. Brabin."
The learned counsel contended that this was not an
actual promise to pay, but conditionally to do so on
Thomas Brabiu's failure. The question on this
point was, whether the word "surety" was a de-
scription of the person only or a modification of the
liability. The second point was, that the only con-
sideration for the note was that it was given for a
loan----an antecedent debt of a third person—and
that there was no forbearance.
The Court refused the rule.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
Sittings in Banco.—(Before Lord Chief Justice
Erle, and Justices Williams, Willes, and Byles,)

WHITE V. STEELE AND ANOTHER.
This was a demurrer to a declaration and to cer-
tain pleas in prohibition, in which it was sought to
prohibit the judge of the Court of Arches from pro-
ceeding in a certain suit for subtraction of church
rates against a parishioner of the parish of Plum-
stead. The rate in question was made under the 3d
George IV., cap. 72, sec. 75 (one of the Church
Building Acts), for the purpose of paying for the
purchase of an additional burial-ground for the
parish. The commissioners had made their order
for the purchase of this ground in pursuance of cer-
tain resolutions of the vestry, which it was alleged
in answer had been improperly passed, a poll having
been demanded and refused. This was admitted for
the purpose of argument only in the court below,
and the judge of the Consistory Court, and of the
Court of Arches, on appeal, held that the order of
the commissioners being regular they could not in-
quire into the previous proceedings. This the
plaintiff in prohibition contended was a wrong con-
struction of the act, and that the refusal of a poll if
properly demanded was a good answer to the claim
for the rate.

The case was argued last term, and to-day Mr.
Justice Wiles delivered judgment, and after enter-
ing fully into the reasons of the case, said they were
of opinion that the prohibition ought to go.
Rule accordingly.
BARNES V. PHILLIPS.
_

This was an action tried before Mr. Justice Wil-
liams, at Westminster, when a verdict was returned
for the plaintiff, damages £2O.
Subsequently a rule was obtained for a new trial,
or to enter the verdict for the defendant, on the
ground that the verdict was against the evidence.
It was an action for false imprisonment, to which
the defendant pleaded first not guilty, and:secondly,
a justification, on the ground that some person bad
feloniously stolen some of his property, and that he
had reasonable ground of suspicion that the plaintiff
was the thief, and had therefore given him into cus-
tody. The plaintiff was a rag picker, and the de-
fendant a rag merchant. A person named Goodall,
one morning at six o'clock, looking out of his win-
dow, which overlooked the defendant's premises,
saw a person running away from them, and two
sacks lying in the street. He gave information to
the defendant, who found that some of his property
had been stolen, and also gave a description of the
person he saw running away. The defendant saw
the police ; and on investigation an opinion was ex-
pressed that it was some one who knew the premises.
who had done it, and who had been in his service.
On looking over the names of the persons in his ser-
vice, the defendant came upon the plaintiff's name,
who had been discharged by him from his service
in the early part of last year, and he then recol-
lected that he answered the description given by
Goodall, who subsequently identified him at a pub-
lichouse. He was, therefore, given into custody,
but discharged, and the action was then brought.
The Court made the rule absolute, withoit call-
ing upon the defendant to support it.
.I.lule absolute accordingly.
(Sittings at Nisi Prius, before Mr. Justice Keating
and a Common Jury.)
TOWNE V. DANIEL.-LIBEL.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff, an
attorney, practising in the City, against the defend-
ant, a clergyman at Ramsgate, to recover compen-
sation in damages for a libel. The defendant
pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Edward James, Q.C. and Mr. Prentice were
counsel for the plaintiff; Mr. Hawkins, Q.C., for
the defendant. _ _ _

thaltt _ _...
person named Vaulk-
haepipmedarheedenfernomgagtheedie)vyiadence of the plaintiff
man to recover a sum of £2 16s. Bd. from the de-
fendant, and after writing several letterstohim,
and receiving no answer to them, at last the plain-
tiff served him with a writ. That seemed to give
offence to the defendant, who wrote to Mr. Vaulk-
eetr e,,. histh a:hyaro:e had
for not sent for your small account.
man a letter which, it was now contended, was
libellous, and which was as follows :
"Dear Sir,--I find from my son in New Bond-
shtreet, who came last Friday to spend Christmas
I. therefore sent it with ss. to Mr. Towne, the law
y
any acknowledgment, and not
the civility to send any to me. He has not had

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