The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-01 00:00:00

fourtblZbition

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'C7,ock.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.--(THIS EVENING.)

Their lordships assembled at 5 o'clock.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from the
Mayor and Town Courcil of 03,:o-d in fm our of opening
the University of Oxford to all classes of the people.
Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the
Trade Protection Society, at Edinburgh, against the '
bill for the Assimilation of the English and Scotch
bankruptcy law.
Lord BROUGHAM said he had received petitions
from all parts of Scotland in favour of the bill, and
Edinburgh was the only place from which any petition
against it had come.
The LORD CHANCELLOR had believed from the
communications he had received that the proposed assi-
milation would be tasteful to a great portion of the
people of Scotland. The noble and learned lord inti-
mated that to-day for the first time he had seen the re-
port of the Bankruptcy Commissioners, and it, together
with a large mass of evidence, was now on the table
of the house.
TICKETS OF LEAVE TO CONVICTS.

Lord ST. LEONARDS inquired what course the Go-
vernment intended to pursue with regard to tickets of
leave to convicts in this country. He alluded to a
case in which a convict in Dartmoor jail, who was
sentenced to seven years' transportation, had, after a
few months' good conduct, been furnished with a ticket-
of leave, but this required his return to Edinburgh, where
his offence had been committed, and it appeared that
shortly after his return he was taken into custody for
some minor offence. He thought that before prisoners
were liberated the Government ought to see that they
had an opportunity of getting an honest livelihood, in
order that they might not be compelled to return to their
old practices.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said he would make in-
quiries of the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
ment as to the case mentioned by the noble and learned
lord. He could scarcely, however, believe that the
facts were as had been stated.
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.

, Lord LYNDHURST inquired whether the Govern-
ment intended to introduce into the University of Cam-
bridge a legislative body corresponding with that
contained in the bill for the University of Ox-
ford ; whether they intended to establish in the
University of Cambridge a class of members now
connected with any of the colleges ; and, lastly, when
it was intended to introduce any of those restrictions
with respect to fellowships which were contained in the
Oxford Bill.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said, as he had already
stated, it was not the intention of the Government to
bring forward any measure for the University of Cam-
bridge this session. It was unnecessary now to enter
into the points mentioned by the noble and learned lord.
His (the noble earl's) declaration on a former occasion,
was not that a similar measure to .that of Oxford would
be introduced with regard to Cambridge, but that it was
the intention of the Government to ask Parliament to
legislate on the subject, and not to allow the university
to legislate for itself.

[LEFT SPEAKING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS-(THIS EVENING.)

The Set:LK-ER took the chair at four o'clock.
LOUTH ELECTION.
The SPEAKER announced that he had received a letter
from the agents to the petition against the last return for
the county of Louth, stating it was not the intention of
the petitioners to proceed further in the matter.
THAMES EMBANKMENT BILL.
On the motion for the second reading of the Thames
Embankment and Railway (London and West London)
Bill,
Sir W. MOLESWORTH moved that the bill be read a
second time this day six months.
Mr. MACARTNEY, after such a decided expression of
opinion against the bill, begged leave to withdraw it.
The bill was then by leave withdrawn.

PETITIONS.
Petitions were presented—by Mr. HADFIELD, from the
Corporation of Sheffield, in favour of secular education and
the admission of dissenters to the universities ; by Mr.
BRADT, from Leitrim against any interference with nun-
neries ; and three petitions in favour of the medical Regis-
tration Bill ; by Mr. T. DUNCOMBE, from Blackburn,
praying for inquiry into the condition of the working
classes.

TESTAMENTARY JURISDICTION BILL.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL brought up the above
bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a
second time on Friday next.
CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION COMMISSION.

In reply to Sir B. HALL,
Mr. LABOUCHERE stated that the commissioners ap-
pointed to inquire into the state of the Corporation of the
City of London had made their report, and it was now in
the hands of the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
ment. (Hear, hear.)

MONEY ORDERS.
Mr. BLAND wished to ask the Secretary to the Trea-
sury why a charge of one halfpenny has, since the Ist day
of April, been made at the Money Order-office for printed
forms of application heretofore furnished gratis.
Mr. HAYTER said five forms of orders were supplied
for a halfpenny, and it had been found that the arrange-
ment was for the advantage of the public.
TROOPS FOR THE EAST.
Lord LOVAINE asked if the steamers engaged for con-
veying troops to the East were employed for the use of the
troops alone.
Mr. B. OSBORNE believed they were exclusively so.
Lord LOVAINE—How came it to pass, then, that the
reporter to the Times obtained a passage out of board one
of these vessels ?
Mr. B. OSBORNE was not aware that the reporter of
the Times did obtain a passage on board ore of the
steamers, but he ought to have had notice of the question.
Lord LOVAINE gave notice that he would repeat the
question.
MORE ESTIMATES AND ANOTHER BUDGET.
Col. BLAIR observed that the Education (Scotland)
Bill stood for second reading on Friday, and he should be
glad to know if it was intended to bring it on then ?
Lord J. RUSSELL replied in the negative, as the Go-
vernment on that night proposed to ask for additional esti-
mates both for the navy and army, and the house would be
asked to go into supply for that purpose on Friday. On Mon-
day next (this day week) the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would make another financial statement to the house.
INNS OF COURT.
Mr. BOWIL,7R asked Lord John Russell when the com-
mission to inquire into the inns of court will be appointed,
and whether the commissioners will be empowered to in-
quire into the property of the inns of court, and the pur-
poses to which such property is now applied, and its
management.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the terms had been settled by
the Lord Charcellor, but ho could not state what the powers
of the commissioners would be.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY BILL.
The house then went into committee on the Oxford
University Bill.
amendment that
On clause
the clause
should be postponed,
with a view to leaving out the names
of the Bishop
H oitslmA, whNich movedappoit an s
of Ripon, Lord Ellesmere, Mr Justice Cole-
ridge, and Sir J. Audrey.
Lord J. RUSSELL objected to this course, contending
that those gentlemen were in all respects qualified to act
as commissioners.
11ORSMAN repeated his objection, more especially
Ripon, to the Bishop of as ho con tended a bishop had
ample duties to attend to in his own diocese.
Sir J. p.A_KINGTON said no two individuals were more
entitled to respect than the Bishop of Ripon
and Judge
Coleridge, but the question was, Were they able to devote
their time to such an inquiry as this ?
Mr. SOTHERON thought the attempt to ersc,from
the bill the first clause, which appointed the
seemed like taking off the head and leaving commissioners,
nothing but the
trunk. He hoped the house would on no account consent
to postpone the clause.
After some remarks from Mr. Heywood, Mr. Blackett,
and Mr. Wigram,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose, and
was

LEFT SPEAKING.

RETURN OF THE GREAT BRITAIN.

The screw steam-ship Great Britain, which took her
departure hence for Melbourne on Saturday, at noon,
under the most favourable circumstances, was obliged
to put back, when off Holyhead, owing to a mishap to
some new description of piping connected with her ma-
chinery. Although the accident was not of a serious
nature, Captain Gray, after consulting with the engineer,
considered it his duty, at the commencement of a long
voyage, to return to port, and thus prevent the possibi-
lity of further accident taking place. As the Great
Britain will have to go into the graving-dock, and to
discharge a considerable portion of her cargo, she
will
be detained for some days. Though the report caused
by the bursting of the pipe was loud, it vfas unheard or

unheeded by the passengers, who were not aware of the
cause of the return until informed by the officers of the
ship. This is one of those accidents against which pro-
vision cannot be made ; and no blame, consequently, is
attached to the owners, or those who have superintended
her arrangements and fittings.—Liverpool Albion, of this
day.

NOTES ON THE PRACTICAL WORKING
OF MR. CARD WELL'S BILL.

Under the powers contained in this bill, " any person
who complains of any Company, with respect to the
arrangements for receiving, forwarding, or delivering
traffic ;" or, " with respect to the times of starting, stop-
ping, or arriving of trains ;" or, "with respect to the tolls,
rates, or charges exacted by any company;" or " in any
other respect ;" may petition the Court of Chancery for an
order referring the case to the Board of Trade, and the
Board are empowered to report to the Court their opinion
on the same, and "on any arrangements WI to the traffic,
or any regulations for conducting the same; or any adjust-
ment of the tolls, rates, and charges which appear to the
Board fitted to remedy the grievance complained of," or,
" to be just and reasonable ;" and the court may make such
order on the report as the Court thinks fit. _ _

These provisions would invest the Court of Chancery,
and, practically, the Board of Trade, with absolute power
to interfere with the profits of railway companies by the
alteration of tolls. To govern the whole management of
the line and its branches, by settling the starting and ar-
riving of trains, thereby fixing th speeds of running.
To order any number of carriages or waggons to be sent
through, without regard to expense, in any direction, or
to any distance where there is a continuous line, and to
enforce * compulsory partnership between competing com-
panies Mixing directly hostile interests, thereby rendering
one party responsible for all the acts and defaults of ita
rival in trade, and without any of the control and check
which the companies now possess of absolving themselves
from liability by ceasing to book through.
At the same time, the bill leaves with the directors of
railway companies all the responsibilities to life and pro-
perty which are involved in the conduct of the daily traffic,
in addition to those whhich might be produced by the
orders of the Court of Chancery.
Passing by the subject of tolls, which is simply one of
confiscating the rights of parties who have laid out their
capital on the faith of their acts of Parliament, the practi-
cal questions involved in the compulsory through booking
kingdom,
eartt on.
E wty the
system, the regulation of trains, and the sending through
carriages,fpaorrarofdethde wherever
er
deserve
ev entiharmonions action of friendly companies, through
booking has extended of late years throughout the greater
bhAnasst
been theis, arrangements
aean stuenormousp on and
have
througis.h
sufficient
ts
toarewarThgenenrtalilty,
the
traffic
it
avoeuntm oaeemspfnsailerasibou l.ycertaino
booking expense limits.
the
its.
the en
a through on the London and North Western rail-
way has already produced more than 33,000 different
rates in the merchandise traffic on that line, and if the
booking were confined to all stations on that ine alone, the
number of different rates and classes of tickets would be
530,160. Now, there are on the lines associated with the
clearing-house (omitting all lines south of the Thames),
2,342 stations, and if all these were compelled to book with
each other, the number ofdifferent fares and classes of tickets
would amount to seventy-eight millions, eight hundred
and forty-four thousand, seven hundred and thirty-five.
The largest station on any line could not even hold the
tickets, say nothing of the enormous staff required to
manipulate them. Again, if the London and North-
Western Company were compelled to send through car-
riages to all the lines with which they now exchange
through booking, their trains, averaging less than 15 car-
riages, would extend to 72 carriages on each train. Of
course this number could not be conveyed, and the num-
ber of trains must consequently be quadrupled.
But this is by no means the measure of the work which
might be created should the Court of Chancery think fit.
Had the clauses been limited to compulsory through book-
ing, by the most direct route between two points, the
principle, though equally objectionable, would have been
intelligible ; but Mr. Cardwell's avowed object is to secure
through accommodation wherever, and by as many routes,
as there are continuous lines.

The particular instance selected by Mr. Cardwell, as an
illustration of the ground for Legislation in regard to pas-
sengers' was the Aberdeen line to London ; and he com-
plained that although a passenger could book through by
the direct and shortest route, he could not take a through
ticket to diverge at a particular point on his journey, and
proceed thence by a circuitous line.
It may be useful, therefore, to examine this particular
case.

There are thirty-four different and continuous railway
routes between Aberdeen and London, by which carriages
could be sent through, and no less than nineteen of them
are actually shorter than the one upon which Mr. Cardwell
rested his grievance.
Almost all large termini would exhibit as many roads to
any given place, and some of them a far greater number.
Now, the Court of Chancery might " think fit" to order
through booking, and the sending of through carriages by
all of them, in order to avoid the charge of partiality ; and
in that case, the classes of tickets numbering 77,844,735
most be indefinitely multiplied. The state of helpless con-
fusion into which the railways would be thrown if booking
through wore ordered by various routes may be imagined ;
the delays at stations—the irregularities—the mistakes—
and the claims arising from them—would bring the whole
system to a dead lock within twenty-four hours. The
number of portmanteaus and other articles of passengers'.
luggage conveyed upon the London and North-Western
alone exceed twenty millions annually. How many of
these would reach their destination if a variety of routes
were open to send them astray ?
But to insure the thorough booking, the Court of Chan-
cery must deal with the times of starting and arriving of
the trains. On the London and North-Western Railway
and its branches there are now running, daily, 705 trains.
The arrangement of this mass of work requires the nicest
adjustment, and the continual attention of the directors
and a large staff of officers. An alteration of some of the
trains would involve extensive changes throughout the
system, and probably on a dozen contiguous railways.
The Court of Chancery, on the report of a military
engineer of the Board of Trade, might by a single change,
throw their entire time table into a state of dangerous en-
tanglement, and, what with booking everywhere, sending
through carriages for the convenience of everybody in
every direction, render it pretty nearly impossible to en-

sure going anywhere in reasonable time.
But it may be replied that the Court of Chancery would
not insist on applying their powers so extensively, but
would select particular routes in each direction.

Exactly soLand this fact illustrates the injustice of the
power. The court may " think fit" to choose a few certain
routes (probably circuitous as suggested by Mr. Cardwell,
because the direct routes rarely require adjustment), in
order to produce and regulate the amount of competition
as it pleased. It could thus check or let loose competition
in any particular direction, or to any extent it might think
fit ; in fact, it could crush any particular railway which
became obnoxious to the Board of Trade.
But what principles are to guide the court in its deci-
sion?
Is the public interest exclusively, or the interest of the
proprietors of the line under consideration, or the advan-
tage of some hostile company, seeking to earn a dividend,
which it has failed to secure on its own line, out of the
revenues of its richer neighbour, to determine the pcint.
Is a short middle link in a chain to be made entirely
obedient to the longer line? Is a trunk line to have its

trains fitted to the numerous and important branches in
its vicinity, which again interlace with other trunk lines?
or are the small companies to be made subservient to the
large ones'? Are the tolls to be adjusted (reduced) on the
principle of assisting the circuitous railway to compete
with the direct one ?
It would appear from the bill that there is absolutely no
rule ter the court but its "discretion under the special
circumstances of the ease ;" and thus, there being no ap-
peal, no legal rights (for all would be swept away), the
greatest injustice might be inflicted under the guise of
public advantage.
But a very serious question arises also on the question of
responsibility.
Juries and public opinion are increasingly severe on rail-
way directors and officials—personal responsibility is de-
manded, and a bill is, or was, in contemplation to define
it. Thus the Board of Trade is to regulate the manage-
ment, and the whole consequences of their orders (neces-
sarily issued on the report of parties who have only a theo-
retic knowledge of the subject) is to be visited on the un-
happy instruments of their will. Would any one submit
to penal consequences under such a system ?
The practical results of this bill would be to check that
grawing tendency to self-adjustment which in spite of the
numerous difficulties interposed by complexity of interests
complainedcreated
f
y Parliament,through communication by continuous lines ; would increase
jarrings and jealousies between the companies themselves
, and has already cured many of the evils
largely extended the benefit of
has
and between the companies and the Government ; would
incalculably increase litigation and expense by perpetual
application to Chancery ; would swell the working ex-
penses of railways ; delay the trains ; introduce uncer-
tainty iu transit ; and, in fine, render the safe working
of the railway system, which is already somewhat diffi-
cult, pretty nearly impossible.

DREADFUL COLLISION AND Loss OF 180 LIVI4B
sailed IN
T
c ta Tp St 10.1
nOHUt
oTh
el le g Saturday.—na,23dit.
fr
Tom
Imr Ts
eloSn barkn
)0C board,
dIA Na
which
eO.- an, with 180
ptahsEes e Bremen
BRITISH
Bremen for Baltimore, came into collision yesterday
morning, at two o'clock, off the Start, with the Ameri-
can bark Hesper, of Newburyport, Capt. Jones, from
Charleston for Antwerp. The Favourite was struck on
the starboard bow, and cut down to the water's edge,
her foremost at the same time going by the board. The
captain, mate, and four of the crew got on board the
American during the collision, leaving the unfortunate
passengers to their sad and untimely fate. The Fa-
vourite is supposed to have gone down instantly, with
180 human beings, as nothing could be seen of her at
daylight. Some of the crew were supposed to have got
into a boat, but nothing has been seen or heard of them.
The American sustained some damage, but proceeded on
her voyage. The captain, mate, and men that escaped
were brought on shore by the Agenora, pilot-boat, and
placed under the direction of Mr. Vandenbergh, the
Bremen consul at this port.
JUSTICE TO WOMEN.—Surely there is work wanting
to be done in the marital code of England ! Surely
there are wrongs to be redressed and reforms to be made
that have gone too long unmade ! Surely we have here
a righteous quarrel with the laws—more righteous than
many that have excited louder cries. Justice to women.
No fanciful rights, no unreal advantages, no prepos-
terogs escape from womanly duty for the restless,
loud, and vain ; no mingling of women with the
• to them of careers
broils of political life, nor opening
which nature herself has pronounced them incapable
of following ; no high-flown assertion of equality hi
kind but simple justice. The recognition of their indi-
viduality as wives, the recognition of their natural right
as mothers, the peimiss
• ' ion to them to live by their own
honourable industry, untaxed h the legal right and
moral wrong of any man to claim as his own that for
which he has not wrought—reaping where he has not
sown, and gathering where he has not strewn. Justice
to women. This is what the phrase means ; this is
where the thing is truly wanted ; here is an example of
the great injustice done to them, and of their maltreat-
ment under the eyes of a whole nation, by the law.—
Dickens's Household JVords.
CHOLERA. IN LEEDS.—This terrible epidemic is now
disappearing from Leeds. During the past week there
have been only 4 cases and 2 deaths. Diarrhoea is also
on the decrease, and it is gratifying to add that there has
not been a single death for 8 or 9 days.