The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-04 00:00:00

raEW RAILWAY BILLS.

6

The notices of intended application to Parliament
for railway purposes in the Session of 1866 are very
numerous, exceeding in number those of any pre-
ceding session since 1846. The number of notices
issued is about 450 for 1866, as against 415 for
1865, 360 for 1864, and 280 for 1863. Plans and
sections for new railways and works have just been
deposited with the Board of Trade for 340 bills.
The powers sought in many of the notices for ex-
tensions of time to purchase land and complete
works, for deviations from authorised lines, increase
of capital, and entire abandonment of certain lines
authorised in the two preceding sessions, testify to
the hasty mode in which many of them were de-
signed, and the unsatisfactory nature of the inquiry
adopted by Parliamentary committees. The enor-
mous costs incurred by those annual inquiries, and
the uncertainty of their results, instead of tending
to diminish the number of those applications, it is
feared that they form the great inducement to law-
yers, engineers, and others to endeavour to swell
the number every session. Bills for extensions of
railways not yet commenced, and for others in
course of construction, are comparatively very
numerous, and ought to attract attention in the new
Parliament. The Metropolitan Railway Company
seek for additional powers to substitute an open
cutting for a tunnel on the Notting-hill and Bromp-
ton extension of their line ; to purchase lands and
houses at Paddington, Marylebone-road, in St.
Pancras, in the Euston-road, near King's-cross, in
Ely-place, Holborn, in Bishopsgate-street, in Ald-
gate, and the Minories. They also propose to con-
struct on the Pneumatic Despatch system " collect-
ing lines" from Baker-street station to Oxford-
street, from the Portland-road station to Marlbo-
rough-mews, from Gower-station to New Oxford-
street, from Aldgate to Mile-end-old-town ; and a
line from Kensington to Westminster. It is also
proposed, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Dis-
trict Company, to construct a Pneumatic Despatch
branch from Brompton to Cheyne-walk, Chelsea.
The Mid-London Company propose to make a rail-
way from the West London at Shepherd's-bush to
the London, Chatham, and Dover and Metropolitan
Railways, near Smithfield, and to make new streets
from New Bond-street to Hanover-square; from
Tottenham-court-road to Lincoln's-inn-fields, and
from thence to Holborn. The Metropolitan Tram-
ways Company propose to lay down rails upon the
streets for the conveyance of passengers from Upper
Holloway to Shoreditch, and from Seven Sisters-
road to Tottenham-court-road. The Waterloo and
Whitehall Company propose to extend their railway
from Waterloo Station to Newington-butts. The
Clapham and London-bridge Company propose to
form junctions with the latter line at Newington-
butts, and to make a railway from Clapham-com-
mon to the Elephant and Castle, and thence to
London-bridge. The City and London-bridge Com-
pany propose to make a railway from the corner of
St. Thomas's Hospital, passing under the Thames to
Leadenhall-market, and from thence to the East
Indian Railway-house, Alderman's-walk, and in its
course to appropriate the under surface of streets
and squares. The London, Chatham, and Dover
Company intend to make new streets in St. Ann's,
Blackfriars, the main one being from Earl-street to
Ludgate-hill opposite the Old Bailey ; and railway
curves at Peckham, Denmark-hill, and Knight's-
hill. The Thames Subway Company propose to
make subways from Deptford under the Thames to
the Isle of Dogs, with approaches. The Bricklayers'
Arms and Elephant and Castle Junction Company
propose to construct a railway between those sta-
tions. The East London Extension Company pro-
pose to make a railway froth the authorised main
line of the East London at Whitechapel to West
Ham, and to Galleons Reach, near the Victoria Dock,
and a branch to Mile-end-old-town. The East. Lo-
ndon Company propose to make a railway from
Deptford to Vauxhall station of the South Western
Railway, and junctions with it at South Lambeth-
road; and with the Chatham and Dover at Camber-
well. They also propose to make an up-junction
with the Great Eastern Railway at Bethnal-green ;
and also a junction at the Brick-lane goods station.
The London, Chatham, and Dover and the South
Eastern Companies jointly propose to make new
railways from Blackfriars-road station to Clapham,
Kennington, and Brixton. The Regent's Canal
Company propose to make a railway from the King's-
cross station of the Metropolitan Railway, to Isling-
ton and Limehouse, with branches. The Pneumatic
Despatch Company propose to purchase vaults and
cellars under the streets, without purchasing the
houses to which they are attached. The Metropolitan
District Company propose to purchase lands and
houses at Kensington, Westminster, Holy Trinity
the Less (City), Garlick-hill, Queen-street, King
William-street, Love-lane, St. Mary-at-Hill, St.
Dunstan's-hill (near Great Tower-street), Redcross-
square, Seething-lane, Trinity-square, and Bark-
ing-churchyard, with power to underpin buildings
in its route.

SEARCH FOR THE FENIAN LEADER AT AYR.—On
Thursday a telegram was received in Troon from
the police authorities in Belfast, ordering a search of the
steamer Black Diamond, which trades between Troon and
the Irish ports, and was on her voyage from Belfast. The
object.of search was Stephens, the leader of the Fenian
movement, who it was supposed might be on board of the
steamer. The police authorities in Ayr were immediately
communicated with, and a posse of constables were de-
spatched to Troon to institute a thorough search for the
missing Head Centre. The Black Diamond, however, had
arrived in Troon about two hours before the telegram was
received, and ample time had thus been given for the escape
of Stephens. The steamer was minutely searched, and the
captain and crew were examined on the matter, all to no
purpose. Various vessels lying in the port, and about to
sail for America, were also searched, but in vain.
SECRETARY M'CULLOCH ON THE NEGRO AND THE
PUBLIC DEBT.—The Mobile Times publishes an account of
an interview between Judge John L--- of New Orleans
and Secretary M'Culloch, the two being old school-mates,
and the interview frank and cordial, in which the Secre-
tary, it is alleged, expressed himself on two interesting
topics as follows : Secretary M'Culloch, knowing well the
influence which our friend possessed in Louisiana, told
him in substance that so far as the pretended equality of
races was concerned there could be but one opinion among
all good men, North and South, and this was that wher-
ever the Anglo-Saxon race had come in contact with an
inferior one, the history of fifteen centuries had proven that
the Anglo-Saxon race must dominate or exterminate. That
the Indian race, far superior to the black, had been utterly
annihilated before the advance of the whites, and this, al-
though the Indian race, was morally and intellectually
vastly superior to the black race. That no sane man, no
American, could dream for a moment of making this
country, where God had showered so many blessings on
the race made after his own image, the inheritance of any
but those he had endowed with an intelligence all but
divine. The question of labor sinks into insignificance
before that of races, and the march of human progress is
not to be suspended by the idle theories of dreamers. The
next question which that intelligent and sagacious states-
man touched was that of our public debt. Large as it may
be, it has nothing calculated to strike terror or create dis-
couragement in our people. England, however great her
credit abroad, could never have stood the brunt of her
public debt, small as is its interest, had not nearly the
whole of the evidences of that debt been held at home in-
stead of abroad. By a judicious exercise of the supreme
powers of Congress, combined with the patriotism of our
people, Secretary M'Culloch expects, and very justly too,
to be able not only to keep the debt at home, but to re-
duce the interest most materially. The rash, crude, and
undigested measures of Secretary Chase have overflown
the country with evidences of debt at a rate of interest and
short maturities as never before were witnessed in the
world ; but his successor very truly expects to convince
the people that the longer the term and the lower the in-
terest the safer becomes the investment. By such intelli-
gent process as a man of high financial capacities can de-
vise, the interest of the debt., which now exceeds six and
a half per cent., must be easily reduced to five, and even
lower, as even that rate would give it a preference over
any European investment. Then patriotism and self-in-
terest combined would induce the people to monopolise
the whole of the public securities, and thus, in case of
need, leave open to us the market of the world."
POLITICS OF THE NEXT CONGRESS.—The Congress
of the United States at its next session will stand politi-
cally divided as follows, without the Senators and members
elected from the States lately in rebellion :—ln the Senate
there are thirty-eight Union or Republican Senators and
eleven Democrats. Eleven Southern States are at present
unrepresented in the Senate, and these will be entitled to
twenty-two Senators, who will, in all probability, vote
with the Democrats. In the house (exclusive of the newly-
elected Southern members) there are one hundred and
forty-three Union or Republic members, and forty-one
Democrats. The Southern States now unrepresented are
entitled to fifty-eight members, most of whom will pro-
bably Tote with the Democratic side.