The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-10 00:00:00

number of miles open for traffic at that date was 7,512,
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per mile in 1852, and 101 per mile in 1853.
The total number of passengers conveyed on railways
in the United Kingdom in •the year 1853 amounted to
102,286,660 ; the number in 1852 had been 89,135,729.
The total receipts from all sources of traffic amounted in
1853 to 18,335,1791., and in 1852 to 15,710,5541.
In England the mean length of line open during the
year has been increased from 4,355'5 miles in 1849 to
5,730.5 miles in 1853, and the total number of passen-
gers conveyeyed has increased from 49,879,362 in 1849
to 84,212,961 in 1853, being an increase of from 11,450
per mile in 1849 to 14,695 per mile in 1853. The num-
bers conveyed of each class bear very nearly the same
relative proportion to each ether in each year. In 1853
the number of first-class passengers ,was 1216 per cent.,
the number of second-class passengers was 37.8 per
cent., and the number of third-class 49'42 per cent. of
the whole number carried. The receipts from passen-
gers have increased from 5,446,5181. in 1849 to
7,326,1061. in 1853, being an increase of from 1,2551.
per mile (the amount received during 1851 having
amounted to 1,3301. per mile). The receipts per mile
' from each class in 1849 were—first class, 4061. ; second
class, 518/. ; third class, 3311. In 1853 the receipts per
mile had diminished on the first and second class to
4031. and 4741. respectively, and had increased on the
third class to 378/.
But the most important feature is the steady progress
made by the goods traffic of the country, and the apparent
r probability that in the course of a few years it will form
a more important item in the income of railway com-
panies than the passenger traffic.
The receipts from goods have increased from
4,750,5041. in 1849, to 8,112,4771. in 1853, being an in-
crease of from 1,0901. per mile in 1849 to 1,4151. per
mile in 1853 ; and whilst the receipts from passengers
in 1819 were larger than the receipts from goods in the
proportion of 53'42 to 46.58, in 1853 the contrary was
the case, viz., the per-tentage of the passenger traffic
was 47'45, and of the goods traffic 52.55.
In Scotland the progress of traffic on railways has
been similar. The mean length of railway open during
the year has increased from 795.5 miles, open in 1849,
to 987 miles open in 1853. The number of passengers
conveyed in 1849 amounted to 7,902,228, and in
1853 to 10,999,2241., which represents 9,9931. per
mile' in 1849, against 11,2461. per mile in 1853.
The relative number-of paSsengers of each class
conveyed would appear to have slightly varied, the
number of first and third class passengers having in-
creased, and the number of second-class passengers
having diminished, the number,in 1849 being. 729 first-
class passengers per mile, 2,035 second-class passengers
per mile, and 6,997 third-class passengers per mile,
against 1,107 first-class, 1,971 second-class, 8,165 third-
class passene.ers • per mile in 1853. The receipts from
passengers having increased from 540,7701. to 697,712/. ;
or from 6801. per mile in 1849 to 7131. per mile in 1853 ;
and the proportion of receipts from each class conveyed
having been, in 1849, 1491. per mile for first-class, 1961.
per mile for second-class, and 3311. per mile from third-
class passengers, against 1811. per mile from first-class,
1791. per mile from second-class, and 3451. per mile
from third-class passengers in 1853.
It would, therefore appear that in Scotland the third-
class traffic preponderates considerably both as regards
numbers and receipts. There is also in the Scotch lines
a preponderance in the receipts from goods traffic over
the receipts from passenger traffic.
The amount received from goods in 1849 was 650,6401.,
and in 1853 it was 1,068,0161., representing 8181. per
mile in 1849, against 1,0751. per mile in 1853. The re-
lative proportions of the two descriptions of traffic were,
in 1849, passenger traffic, 45.38, and goods traffic,s4.62,
and in 1853 the receipts from goods traffic amounted to
60.48 per cent. of the whole traffic.
In Ireland the progress has also been marked, but a
considerable increase has taken place in the number of
miles open for traffic, which increase (as was the case in
this country a few years ago) has been at a greater rate
than the increase of the traffic, and hence the receipts
per mile do not exhibit a similar progress.
The mean length of rail waynpenecl in the year 1849
was 428 miles, and in the year 1853 it was 771 miles.
The total number of passengers conveyed in 1849
amounted to 6,059.947, or 14,142 per mite ; and in 1853
it amounted to 7,074,475, or 9,175 per mile. The increase
in the number of passengers has taken place chiefly in
the first and third classses, the number of second-class
passengers having diminished. The number of passengers
of different class per mile was in 1849—First class, 1,226 ;
second class, 7,135, and third class, 5,776 ; and in 1853
—First class, 1,044 ; second class, 3,691, and third
class, 4,436. The receipts from passengers have in-
creased from 290,6041. in 1849, to 537,2591. in 1853;
the receipts per mile having been 6781. in 1849, and
6961. in 1853, divided between the different classes in

the following proportion in 1849—First class, 1501. per
mile ; second class, 2731., and third class, 255/. ; and in
1853, first class, 1681. ; second class, 2641., and third
class, 2511. The receipts for goods amounted, in 1849,
to 127,4621., and in 1853, to 294,3101., equivalent to
2971. per mile in 1849, and 3871. per mile in 1853. The
relative proportion of receipts from the two classes of
traffic was, in 1849, 69.61 from passengers, and 30.49
from goods, and in 1853 it was 64.62 from passengers,
and 35.38 rom goods.
The general summary of the result is that, since the
year 1849, whilst the number of miles over which the
traffic is conveyed has increased 34 per cent., the num-
ber of passengers have increased 60 per cent., the re-
ceipts from passengers 36 per cent., or from 1,1251. per
mile in 1849, to 1,1431. per mile in 1853 ; the receipts
from goods have increased 71 per cent., or from 9001 per
mile in 1849, to 1,2651. per mile in 1853, and the total
receipts have increased nearly 53 per cent., or from
2,115/. per mile in 1849, to 2,4081. per mile in 1853; and
the proportionate increase of the traffic of 1853 over that
of 1852 was greater than that of 1850 over 1849.
It is worthy of remark, that, as regards the passenger
traffic, the proportionate increase in the number of the

. --
lower class of passengers conveyed by railway is greater
than that of other classes, and the proportion which the
receipts from that class bear to the receipts from other
classes is greater for 1853 than it was for 1849.
With respect to accidents, it appears that in 1852, 216
persons were killed and 486 injured on the railways in
the United Kingdom out of a gross total of 89,135,729
passengers ; of these persons 181 were killed and 413
were injured in England ; 24 were killed and 71 injured
in Scotland; and 11 were killed and 2 injured in Ireland.
In the year 1853, out of a gross total of 102,286,660
passengers conveyed by the railways of the United King.
dom, 305 were killed and 449 injured; of these 243 were
killed and 369 injured in England ; 37 were killed and
68 injured in Scotland ; and 25 were killed and 12 in-
jured in Ireland.

It would appear that, in the year 1852, the proportion
of the number of passengers killed and injured from
causes beyond their own control to the total number of
passengers carried on railways, reduced for the purposes
of comparison to the standard of 1,000,000 was, in
England 14 killed and 4.3 injured per million passengers
conveyed ; in Scotland, none killed, but 5.8 injured per
million ' • in Ireland none killed, 3.2 injured per million ;
and for the United Kingdom, the proportion of killed
was 11, and of injured about 4.2 per one million of pas-
sengers conveyed.
But in the year 1853 the proportion of the number of
accidents to the number persons conveyed by railway
was greater. For reducing the numbers to the same
comparative standard of 1,000,000, the proportion of
the number of passengers killed and injured from causes
beyond their own control to the total number of pas-
sengers carried on railways in that year was, in Eng-
land, 23 killed and 2.6 injured per million of passengers
conveyed ; in Scotland, .09 killed and 4.5 injured per
million ; and in Ireland, 2.4 killed and 1.6 injured in
every 1,000,000 ; whilst in the United Kingdom there
would appear to have been .35 killed and 2.8 injured in
every 1,000,000 of passengers conveyed by railway.