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

THIS EVENING, 0cr.,.10,

And during the week, will be presented (the
,25th time) the New
Classical Burlesque, entitled JUPITER'S DECREE, AND THE
FALL OF PH.ETON; or, TilE FIERY COURSERS OF THE SUN,
Supported by the entire strength of the Company,
New and original Scenes in the Circle, introducing Signor CAR-
LO and Signor FfiA.NCOIS.
Concluding with (100th time) THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.
Boi.offlee open from Eleven till Fear. Stage Manager, Mr. W.
West-

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tuts Der —Morning 0 min.after 7 Evening 37 min.aft. 7
Toa I
doseow—Morning 22 min.after 8 Evening 11 min.aft. 9

THE WEATHER.—Sum Corms, OCT. 9.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
58—highest since noon yesterday.
49—lowest this morning and during the night.
61—this day at noon.

BAROMETER, 29'60—rising.
WIND, S.W. Light airs, with fine weather. There
was a heavy thunderstorm and rain on Saturday afternoon.
OCTOBER 10.
61— highest since noon yesterday.
47—lowest this morning and during the night.
58—this day, at noon.
BAROMETER, 29.85—rising rapidly.
WIND, N.E.—Light breeze, and fine, sunshiny weather.
Fog in the morning.

‘, )
A-samo

LONDON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1853.

Immediately a resolute attitude has been
assumed towards Russia, the AUTOCRAT has given
signs of his readiness to consent to a pacification.
Directly the SULTAN has resolved upon a declara-
tion of war, and has betrayed a disposition to
concentrate his forces upon the Danube, the CZAR
reveals a willingness to recross the Pruth and to
withdraw the savage bands of his marauding
Cossacks from the Moldo-Wallachian Principali-
ties. No sooner has the Divan at Constantinople
evinced a determination to be no longer trifled
with, but to adventure at last upon a bold and
resolute enterprise of retaliation—no sooner have
the Cabinets of St. James's and the Tuileries
resolved, after many lamentable delays and much
pernicious hesitation, to support with arms, both
military and maritime, the rightful cause of the
Sublime Porte, as opposed to the lawless aggres-
sion of the Russian Government—than the Em-
peror NICHOLAS betrays his reluctance to stake
the triumph or failure of his ambitious de- A more fearful catastrophe than that which
signs upon the hazard of a struggle against the occurred on the Great Southern and Western Rail-
fanatical patriotism of the Turks, aided by the way of Ireland, a report of which appeared in our
mighty powers of France and England combined,
impression of Friday, has never occurred in con-
England nection with the new and improved system of and France—after the lapse of so many locomotion. Fourteen persons killed almost in-
deplorable years of estrangement—being at length stantaneously, and perhaps thirty more seriously
(for the very purpose of affording that assistance) injured, of whom eleven are reported to be still in
united, closely and cordially united, in the a very precarious condition ! No previous rail-
council-chamber and on the battle-field, in vindi-
way accident ever produced such lamentable re-
cation of the outraged laws of Christendom and
suits, and the transaction itself is as strange and
unaccountable as its consequences have been de-
of the imperilled interests of civilisation.
plorable. None of the dangerous elements existed
The coincidence is significant. The coincidence that had led to previous casualties in this country.
of these conciliatory rumours from Olmiltz and There was no sharp curve concealing the stationary
Warsaw coming to us at the precise time when all train from that which followed in its track. The
the more generous hearts in Europe are stirred by line was perfectly straight, and no interruption
the warlike news arriving from Constanti- occurred to impede the view for more than two
nople. It is significant, we say—that glaringmiles. The time that it occurred, too, was about
sunset. The train was due in Dublin at six o'clock
coincidence of the pacific and moderate tone
adopted by the AUTOCRAT becoming only first in the afternoon, and the occurrence took place
nearly fourteen miles from the terminus. The
audible when the SULTAN is at last assured, in witnesses, too, state it to have been about six
plain terms, of the certainty of his being ener- o'clock at the time of the collision. There was
getically supported if necessary by the British nothing in the hour, then, to induce the supposition
and Gallic Governments. Significant ! Why, that the persons in charge of the luggage train might
the deductions from all these facts must have fallen asleep on their posts, or that even if
no warning had been given, or signal exhibited,
be obvious. The meaning of all this
they would have rushed recklessly on without no-
is perfectly transparent. It signifies, we take it, tice or observation of the carriages standing in their
that had the course pursued now at the eleventh way. But every possible precaution was adopted.
hour been adventured upon bravely and promptly Mr. CROKER BARRINGTON, the solicitor of the corn-
at the first, we should have had none of these pany, whose father, Sir MATTHEW BARRINGTON,
and whose wife were passengers, had immediately
disastrously protracted negotiations—we should
not have had the funds down to 90 and a fraction on the stoppage dispatched the guard and stoker
down the line with instructions to display danger-
-we should not have had the Exchequer of the signals, and warn the approaching train, whose
unfortunate Moslem drained by a series of gigantic position was accurately known, of the impediment.
armaments—we should not have had the public Under all the circumstances not the slightest
mind disturbed by the panic of a ruinous uncer- danger was apprehended. Many of the passengers
tainty—neither should we have had the whole of who had left the carriages in the first instance
the complicated machinery of commerce disordered resumed their seats. Mr. JOLLY, one of the suf-
ferers, got in after he saw the luggage-train ap-
by the errors of a bungling diplomacy, or the
proaching, and remained standing in the doorway,
timidity of a vacillating Government. Nothing
looking at the fatal machine from which he was
of all this would have occurred, we maintain, speedily to meet his death. And Mr. KNAPP, an
but for the blundering interposition and the ma- English gentleman, whose wife and cousin also
lign influence of the Marplot of the entire pro- perished, would have returned to his place but for
ceeding. If the CZAR consents at last to bow be- Mr. JOLLY preventing his entry. He also a few
fore the peremptory decision of the French and seconds before the dreadful event dissuaded
English Governments, he would have done precisely his wife, to whom he was apparently greatly
attached, and her cousin, from leaving the fated
the same had the same resolution been displayed carriage. The unfortunate gentleman declares that
at the commencement, he saw " the lights of the train approaching at ap-
What, in reality, has effected this happy change parently so slow a speed that every one said it is
in the policy of the AUTOCRAT ? Let us ask that all safe, and entreated the ladies to keep their
seats ; that he saw the approaching train pass the
What has effected this wonderful transforma-
auard who had gone down the line to meet it a
Lion ? Why, the circumstance of Turkey backed distance'' of a quarter of a mile, or thereabouts ;
by France and England having at length revealed and saw the guard wave his light for the whole
something like determination ! What has meta- time the train was approaching, which made him
morphosed the blustering despot, whose representa- think it was a signal all was right." He also gave
tives were appropriately the insolent MENSCHIKOFF, it as his impression, " that shortly after the train
all at once increased its speed, he then called to and the arrogant GORTZCHAROFF, and the inflexible
h
.NESSELRODE—what, we say, ha s thussuddenly meta-
is friends to jump out, but in an instant the
approaching train dashed into the stationary
morphosed the blustering intimidator of the Hespo_
train."
dars of Moldo-Wallachia into the amiable potentate We shall not pursue the heartrending narra-
" fraternising," tre;4l, V
~..,L FRANCIS JOSEPH at Ohniitz, tive ; our only object at present is to see, so far
and with FREDERICK WILLIAM at Warsaw, into the as it can be ascertained, what were the exciting
meek-hearted conciliator from both places of the causes of the awful occurrence not to enter
French and English Governments ? What ? Why ' into its sickening details. The primary cause
was, undoubtedly, the stoppage of the express
the fluttering of the union jack and the tri-colour train a little way—something more than half a
over the forbidden waters of the Bosphorus—the ' mile—from the Stratton Station. That stoage, it
recommendation of a warlike Policy by the Na- appears, was occasioned by the breaking ofpp the pis-
tional Council assembled by order of his MAJESTY ton-rod of the engine. It will, of course, be ascer-
the SULTAN at Constantinople—the complete ac- tamed whether the managers had suffered an express
cord at length prevailing between the rulers at train to proceed on its journey with a faulty en-
R, ' the defects of which could previously have
orie Rd t London—the friendly intercourse cal gine'
,il' k , • P been ascertained. If such were the case, a heavy
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ordinary caution been exhibited by the persons in
charge of the luggage train. But if the defect of
the rod was one, not patent so that it could have
been discovered on a close examination, then, of
course, the company would be exonerated from
all blame up to the time of the unfortunate delay.
The next point to be considered in connexion
with the express train will be, whether, on the
unexpected delay, suitable steps were taken to
warn the conductors of that which was known to
be but a short distance behind. On this part of
the case we find that Mr. BARRINGTON immedi-
ately dispatched the guard and stoker to give the
necessary notice, and Mr. KNAPP saw them meet
the approaching train waving lights, which made
him think it was a signal " everything was right."
Mr. BARRINGTON himself returned into the car-
riage, in which his father and wife were also seated.
It appears, therefore, that he was so satisfied that
what he had done was sufficient to avert any
danger, that lie risked his own life and the lives
of those nearest and dearest to him on the result.
There appears to be some doubt as to whether
there were lights at the end of the train, but this
is not so very important, inasmuch, as if the light
waved by the guard was not seen, neither would
those at the back of the train have been dis-
covered.

We now come to the luggage train. If there
had been a careful look-out kept on that, the acci-
dent would have been altogether averted. The
Company is unquestionably prim facie civilly re-
sponsible for the acts of its servants, but if it can
be shown that reasonable care was taken to place
the train in the care of a man of approved so-
briety, and steady and careful character, it will be
manifest that the Directors adopted every reason-
able precaution to protect the lives and property
entrusted to their care. It is not our desire to
prejudge or anticipate the result of the stringent
and searching inquiries that must be instituted
into the most minute details of the melancholy
event. We have merely indicated the nature of
that investigation, and shown the points that
must chiefly be looked to. If any blame be at-
tachable to the managers of the line, they will
suffer deeply in purse and character. But if, on
the other hand, they have done all that could be
required from men of ordinary prudence, we must
not let the fearful amount of injury inflicted on
innocent individuals prejudice our minds, or bias
our judgments, so as to regard with too much
acerbity that which no degree of caution on the
part of the Directors could have prevented.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.-(THIS DAY.)

(Before Mr. Sergeant Adams, at Westminster.)
IMPUDENT ROBBERIES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE.

Geo. Booth, 28, a respectable-looking man, was in-
dicted for having stolen a quantity of lead, the property
of our Sovereign Lady the Queen.
Mr. Parry prosecuted.

It appeared that, on Tuesday last, the prisoner pre-
sented himself at the mews of Buckingham Palace, and
stating that he was one of the workmen engaged upon
the alterations now going on, was permitted to enter.
Shortly afterwards a man named Brown, a horse-washer
in the Royal stables, saw the prisoner running along
the western gutter leading from the roofing of the mews
in the direction from the skylights, carrying about half a
cwt. of lead. The alarm was given and prisoner secured,
when, upon search being made, it was found that the
lead had been deliberately cut from the roof of the mews.
The jury found the prisoner guilty.
Mr. Parry said that, on behalf of the Crown, he was
instructed to state that the Palace had been plundered
in this way to a great extent ; and though it could not
.be traced to the prisoner, there was no doubt but that
he was the man, and the extremely impudent way in
which it had been done was the reason he had escaped
detection. He was not engaged upon the works.
Mr. Sergeant Adams sentenced him to six months'
imprisonment with hard labour.