The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-09 00:00:00

THE CAB QUESTION.

_
PORTSMOUTH, AUG. 8.
Rear-Admiral Corry struck his flag on board the
Prince Regent, 90, at a quarter past 8 o'clock this
morning, and hoisted it on board the Agamemnon,
screw, 91. The steamers of the fleet had steam up by
8 o'clock, and by half-past the Prince Regent was taken
in tow by the Valorous to the Knab Light, where she
anchored, and was shortly followed by the London, in
tow of the Vulture. Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane
hoisted his flag on board the Duke of Wellington at
10.40, and shortly afterwards the fleet weighed and
steamed out to the south-east, where they ranged in line,
broadside on, apparently as if trying the intended pro-
ceedings for the review. At the moment of dispatching
this they appear through the haze (which is very thick)
to be returning to Spithead. The Queen, 116, Prince
Regent, 90, London, 90, Magicienne, 16, Valorous, 16,
Tribune, 30, and Vulture, 6, appear to have taken up
their anchorage off the Knab Light. The Terrible, 21,
paddle-frigate, arrived this afternoon to join the others,
and saluted the Port Admiral.
Rear-Admiral Berkeley returned from Chichester last
evening, and took up his quarters with Captain Chads
at the Royal Naval College, and continued the arrange-
ments for the review to-day with the senior officer. It
is considered somewhat remiss, that, considering the
Admiral of the Fleet of Great Britain (Admiral Sir
Thomas Byam Martin, G.C.8., Vice-Admiral of the
United Kingdom) is sojourning at this port, the compli-
ment of commissioning him to hoist his flag (union at
the main) and take the command• in-chief on Thursday
next, has not been paid him. The gallant officer's
energies are quite equal to the task, and, being at
the head of the entire navy, his selection for such
au office for the day would have been most apropos,
and highly appreciated by the service. The Bulldog.
and Gorgon steamsloops will be commissioned by Cap-
tain Chads of the Excellent and Captain Shepherd of
the Victory, to carry some hundreds of the Legis-
lature and the Government friends on the occa-
sion of the review ; and the Stromboli will also
be commissioned by Commander Sir Wm. Wiseman,
Bart., for similar service. A steam-vessel is also placed
at the disposal of the Imperial Royal Family of Russia,
now sojourning in this country. One part of the grand
spectacle of Thursday will be, we believe, an attack on
one or more of the great line-of-battle ships by the gun-
boats of the fleet. The First Lord of the Admiralty,
Sir James Graham, M.P., arrived on Saturday evening
at Southampton, and embarked in the Fire Queen for
Cowes, whence he proceeded yesterday to Portsmouth,
and consulted the Port-Admiral. He returned to
Cowes, and left Southampton by the first express train
for London this morning, accompanied by Lady Graham
and a small party of friends.
The Admiralty have issued tickets of invitation to
2,000 of their friends, and first-class accommodation hay
ing been required for them, and the South-Western Rai
way Company not being willing to provide it at the ex-
pense of the public convenience, the company has had to
provide first-class carriages to meet the engagement by
borrowing from another company. The South-Western
Railway Company also will start steam-boats from
Southampton for the accommodation of the public.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company will also appear
afloat in one or more of their noble steamers, accom-
panied by a brilliant party. The Tagus has been se-
lected to accommodate the general officers and others
from the Camp at Chobham to the number' of one or two
hundreds, who may be off duty that day, with two mili-
tary bands.
General Viscount Hardinge, G.C.B" Commander-in-
Chief of the Army, will be the guest of Major-General
Simpson, the Governor of Portsmouth, on the occasion,
and will have suitable accommodation afloat provided for
himself, staff, and party ; as also will Baron Raglan,
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Admiralty barge will be in charge of Lieutenant
Mason, of the Victory, the senior lieutenant of the fleet

REHEARSAL OF THE REVIEW.
10.30 P.m.
The fleet has returned, and we have gleaned the foi
lowing particulars of its proceedings :
This morning the captains of the fleet were signalled
to repair on board the Duke of Wellington, to meet the
Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Coch-
rane, and receive instruction for the day's movements.
Sir Thomas was attended by Rear-Admiral Berkeley,
Rear-Admiral Corry, Captain Sir Baldwin Walker.
Lord Leven (Lieutenant R. N.) was present as a visitor.
Having received the order of the day, the captains re-
turned to their ships, which had steam up, and then got
under weigh in the following order, forming columns
thus :
Starboard Line.—Duke of Wellington, Blenheim,_.
Edinburgh, Imp4rieuse, Amphion, Highflyer, Odin,
and Leopard.
Port Line.—Agamemnon, Hogue, Ajax, Arrogant,
and Vesuvius.
Tribune, Desperate, Sidon, Encounter,
The sailing ships Prince Rndegvenutlturaned, Lanodndwoenrewmereet
towed out by the Valorous a
when half way out by the Quweeenn,tinrotuonwdotfo tshte. MHealgeincl-s
enne. These latter then i4l
was so slow that she could
and anchored. The A.rnph
not keep her station,
Vile in consequence. She afterd-
andnwn as ordered to shift to the
stern of the weather
toined company,
wards returned to S Helen's. The Terrible then tahae
signalled
from from Falmouth and
to return into port. j The whole fleet then changed their

( From the Morning Chronicle.)
We can now approach the discussion of the cab ques-
tion in a more dispassionate tone than was possible ten
impatient of argument
days ago. Indignation is
.and neither we nor our readers were then in a position
to take a very cool or deliberate view of our future rela-
tions with the proprietors of hackney carriages. All diat
we cared to know was, that a substantial abatement of
the alleged rigour of the recent act had been offered to
the cab trade before the strike--that the owners and
drivers struck in spite of this concession, making other
and preposterous demands, which they did not get—
and that they returned to work exactly as they had
quitted it, without succeeding in their preposterous de-
mands. What they struck for, but did not get, was the
appeal, and a shilling instead of sixpence for the shortest
hiring. What they had been offered by way of abate-
ment of the act is now embodied in clauses 13 and 14
of the Hackney Carriage Duties Bill, which, having
passed through committee, now awaits a final discussion
in the House of Commons.

We have all along contended that the entire abolition
of back fares constituted a substantial grievance. It
was a hardship to hire a cab, say at Cumberland-
gate, at any hour of the night, for a six miles fare into
the country. To the reasonableness of the relaxation
of the law, as at first propounded by Mr. Fitzroy,
giving a shilling a mile for every mile beyond the first
four, we assented, though aware that it was a double
boon to the cabman, as curtailing the distance and in-
troducing shilling fares. But we were soon convinced
that the clause giving this shilling a mile for every
mile after the first four beyond Charing-cross or Temple-
bar, is an injustice. London is far too large for a
single centre. We neither have, nor ought to have, a
milliariunt aureunt. The old heart of London was
the Standard at Cornhill ; but this is extinct. If
any place can claim to be the central sun of the Lon-
don nebula, it is the Post-office. But for locomotive
purposes, the metropolis ought to be divided into sepa-
rate departments. Bow is as much within the Lon-
don limits as Brompton ; and so is Upper Holloway.
The streets teem with population the whole way.
A complete London native may find himself in want of
a cab eastward or northward when he is already four
miles from Temple-bar. We see no reason why there
should not be many starting points from which the
compulsory four miles may be taken—c. g., the Angel
at Islington —Shoreditch Church—Aldgate Pump—
London-bridge—Hyde-park Corner—all the railway sta-
tions—King's-cross—and the like. It is the vice of the
Legislature to regard the Houses of Parliament as the
centre, material as well as political, of the British uni-
verse ; and to fix upon either Temple-bar—or, still
worse, as was at first proposed, Charing-cross—is a boon
to the aristocratic West, at the expense of the poorer
and more populous East of London. As to the other
clause, which, when more than two persons are con-
veyed in a cab, gives sixpence for every passenger above
two, whilst the existing act gives only a single sixpence
for any number of passengers above two—the objection
to it is; that it is perfectly superfluous, and only entails
inconvenience on the hirer, without any gain to the driver.
For example, if it is required to take a family party of five
to a theatre within a mile, it. will be actually cheaper
to hire three cabs than one. Three cabs will cost
eighteen-pence—a single cab will cost two shillings.
Again, two cabs, for four persons, will cost one shilling
—one cab, for four persons, will cost eighteen-penoe.
Perhaps Mr. Fitzroy has an eye to the pictorial effect of
processions. A family party, settled in a succession of
cabs, will give some grand combinations and novel.
street attractions ; and an ordinary Bloomsbury soiree
will afford occupation and amusement to a string of a
hundred vehicles. The change has surely only its own
cumbrousness to recommend it.
From much that we hear, we can only look forward
to a single solid remedy for the present, and perhaps
unavoidable, defects of any legislative measure. The
cab trade still sulkily obstructs, to say the least, the new
act. Their clamours for the appeal are deep, if not loud,
and another srtike is by no means impossible. But mat-
ters have come to that pitch that the very slightest re-
laxation in this direction is impossible. Summary juris-
diction before the police-courts has secured the decency of
the drivers. This single provision is vital. London may at
last take its drives in security—the moral tyranny is at
an end, and for ever. If, however, the cab and omnibus
trade will not submit to this most excellent provision,
we must find those who will. Yet we must remark that,
in the countless difficulties about the number of per-
sons to be carried, the fares, and so forth, an entirely
free trade alone will adjust all hitches. We see
enough of acts of Parliament, present and prospective,
to feel convinced that no measure can be devised
which shall secure entire fairness, and prevent all in-
equalities. Nothing but free trade will do it. We see
no reason why there should not be on the stands cabs of
various qualities and prices. We should hail shilling-a-
mile vehicles complacently as we should welcome four-
pence-a-mile cabs—the one class would be found to
answer just as well as the other. And if the present
cab-owners will not accept a monopoly, with its neces-
sary accompaniment of restrictions, they may depend
upon it that the public will be benefited by the total
abolition of the monopoly.
Meanwhile, a stimulant may be usefully administered
to the parties entrusted with the publication of the
lists of fares. The public are very reasonably com-
plaining of the tardy and inefficient way in which the
provisions of the new Act are carried out. The fares
are not measured. The regulation requiring the faire
i
and the number of persons carried, to be painted inside
and outside the carriage, is not complied with. Adequate
supervision as to the character of horses and vehicles is
not exercised. That the act has already done so much
in civilising Cabby, only proves its latent capabilities for
achieving further good. The good temper and public
spirit with which the inhabitants of the metropolis met
the inconveniences and losses of the late unprincipled
strike, require an exercise of corresponding energy on
the part of officials. And, till the book of fares makes
its appearance, half the benefits of the improved system
are in complete abeyance.
,i -

WESTMINSTER-BRlDGE.—Yesterday the new act, passed
on Thursday, to transfer Westminster-bridge and the
estates to the Commissioners of Public Works and Pub-
lic Buildings, and to enable the commissioners to re-
move the present bridge and to build a new bridge on
or near the same site, was printed. All former acts are
repealed, and the Commissioners of Public Works are
constituted a corporation, for the purposes of this act,
and the former corporation is dissolved. The rent-roll
of the houses belonging to the bridge amount to 7,4061.
ls. 6d. a year. General powers are given to the newly-
, appointed commissioners of the bridge, and they are
authorised to construct a new bridge with proper ap-
proaches, according to the plan deposited in their office,
which plan may be inspected on the payment of is.
There are several clauses to provide against damage to
the new bridge, and penalties may be enforced. Until
the new bridge is completed and thrown open to the
public, the commissioners are to keep up a communize:
tion between the Middlesex and Surrey shores. Coin
pensation is to be given to the officers of the old bridge,
by reason of the abolition of their offices.
convenient, the old bridge is to be taken down,
the
the
materials sold. S An/
THE NEW ACT, OR SAVINGS BANK
vinyl banks an.
Yesterday the new act just passed on se
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he °other provisions in re•
of savings banks, and to Tens
nlpalluwirtcsih€BaasnwedaostfopGovernment Anntut
spect thereof. Some I.
Debtlo
Commissioners;
of the acarentisadtairemliaetntoidng to
and from that day
1.110111
depositors, &c., for the pur-
such matters are to be rePe
may receive money
of.
.any one person,
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of two live P-oNerala:idon°s,nl
tfor the benefit
chase of Governinents Atnonaunityieas,moonunstinngolte or joint con-
tinuanceno more than 30
to receive payment for Immediate Life Annuities in
andone sum, or for Deferred Life Annuities, either in one
sum
suchannuities are to be granted to or for the benefit of
any person under the age of ten years.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE THAMES.—As Mr. Pea-
cock the late holder of the champion sculls, is not irt a
condition to row, there will be no race on Wednesday
for the championship, Mr. James Payne becoming the
holder.
FULHAM REGATTA.—The Fulham regatta was rowed
yesterday, but was chequered by a variety of misadven-
tures, none of which, however, were of a serious nature.
After rowing three heats John Phelps was declared the
winner, Kelly being second.