The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-24 00:00:00

striven to mature the system—who had brought
it to such a degree of perfection that a gentleman
paying his money at Euston-square might travel
to Montrose without leaving his carriage--was
it fir that they should be involved in the
indiscriminate alined Y In all these arrangements
the executive bodies of the railway company
had never to thank the Government for the slightest
assistance—Government had only thought of taxing
them. They had not to thank Parliament for the
slightest aid—Parliament had only thought of re-
ducing their rates and fares as fast as they could.
But they had to thank the working men present for
the co operation they had given them ; they had to
thank them in every step they had taken ; from first
to last, they had received the most untiring co-opera-
ti mof their servants—so that whether they looked
to Wolverton, or to that class who probably were not
able to be present--the railway guards and others—
from first to last, they had received the most un
flinching and untiring co-operation; and through
their means he belieed a system had been laid down
which Government interference might mar, but
which Government interference could not improve.
—(Loud applause.) He could not sit down without
doing justice to one individual, whose absence on
this occasion he deeply lamented —he alluded
to the Rev. Mr. Weight. He desired to express thus
publicly the obligations due to him for the mode in
which he had carried out the views of the directors.
He was a minister of the Church of England, but in
administering the school he believed he had fully
carried out the wishes of the directors, in making the
school open to the children of all denominations.—
(Cheers.) He had now had the honour of presiding
over this comp-any for many years. He knew not
what course events might take in future, or how
they might affect railway interests; but whatever
those events might be, he should always feel it to be,
an honour to have been connected with this com-
pany, in which the employers and the employed
could meet together in the way they did this evening.
Mr. BARROW, one of the directors, proposed " The
speedy opening of the Buckinghamshire Railway."
Sir HARRY VERNEY, Bart., M.P., returned thanks,
and urged the members present to cultivate all de-
partments of knowledge, and not to forget the most
valuable of all, the knowledge of the Bible.
Mr. Lucy, the Mayor of Birmingham, proposed
"The Working Staff of the London and North-
Western Railway."—(Cheers.)
Captain Hursx returned thanks, and alluded to the
safety which prevailed on the railway. He did not
arrogate to this railway superior management to other
lines, but still it was matter of gratification that acci
dents had been so rare. The railway interest was of
modern growth : a few years ago there was nothing
but the slow coach and the sluggish canal boat; and
at once—not by a gradual process, but at a bound—
the railway interest sprung forth, like Minerva, fully
armed and complete.—Cheers.) In this single rail-
way rather more than 10,000 men were constantly
employed-140,000 passengers were carried along the
line every week, carrying with them about half a
million of portmanteaus and band>boxes—(Laughter)
—and when he reminded them that a great portion
of these were ladies, who almost invariably left every-
thing behind them, and that not once in three months
were the board called to pay for lost luggage, they
would see how much the company were indebted to
these 10,000 men for their care and attention. He
might further remind them that since the opening of
the Liverpool and Manchester Railway one hundred
million of passengers had been carried over the London
and North-Western line, and with the exception of a
melancholy accident which happened only a few paces
from where he was standing, he might say there had
scarcely been an accident on the company's line. This
was the more remarkable, as there were no fewer than
900 policemen employed, carelessness on the part of
any one of whom might produce a fatal accident.—
(Cheers.) He then referred to the value of the
Mechanics' Institute, and reminded the members that,
valuable as all knowledge might be, the foundation of
all wisdom was the Bible.—(Cheers.) He concluded
by proposing the health of a gentleman present, whose
moral pencil would be known to every one of them—
Mr. George Cruikshank—the Hugarth of the nine-
teenth century —(Cheers.) He proposed the health
of the guests who had honoure I them with their com-
pany, and particularly Mr. Cruik:hank and the Rev.
Mr. Fremantle.—(Cheers
Mr. CRUIKSIIAN K was received with loud applause.
He took an interest in these institutions, because he
was a working man himself. He had wwked, from
boyhood up to this time, as hard as any man in this
world.—(Applause.) It was the greatest, bh•sbing in
the world to he able to wo.k, and to work for good
maters. If there was anything that would ruin
England it was the cheap system.—(Loud applause.)
His maxim was, " A fair day's wages for a fair day's
work " (Applause)—and he knew that the directors
responded to this sentiment, which gave him the
greater pleasure.—(Cheers.) As an artist, he was
fond of pictures, but he never saw a more beautiful
picture than he saw to-night.—(Cheers.) He not
only saw the surface, but he could see the back of the
canvas, and he was satisfied, from what he saw, that
they were anxiously bent on their own improvement
and the education of their children.—(Cheers.) Ile
concluded by wishing their institution every success.
The Rev. Mr. FREMANTLE also returned thanks.
Dr. MACKAY was then introduced by Mr. Cruik-
shank as the author of the song, " There's a got d
time coining, boys," and was received with applause.
His speech, however, was inaudible.
Captain Heim again rose, awl in a humorous
speech proposed " The Press," and stated that the
press was the great threat which every dissatisfied
passenger held over the heads of railway officials.
The complaints of those parties were often sufficiently
unreasonable. It was only three days ago, a gentle-
man going down into the country to enjoy his
Christmas holidays, took down a sucking pig with
him, which he had stowed safely away, as he thought,
in a hamper. The sharp eyes of one of the ten
thousand officials to whom he formerly alluded de-
tected this, and told him there was 6d. to pay for the
sucking pig; on which the gentleman wrote him
(Captain Huish) a letter, stating that he did not see
why the company should charge for sucking pigs,
wnen they allowed children in arms to go free—
(Laughter.) Now he (Captain Huish) could not
understand that there was any analogy between chil-
dren and sucking pigs—(Laughter)—and therefore
he was afraid the answer he returned would not
satisfy the gentleman, and he had no doubt he would
rush to the press with his grievance. However, the
press was most useful to the railway companies, and
therefore he had great pleasure in proposing its pro-
sperity.—(Applause.)
Several other speeches were afterwards delivered
and about ten o'clock the company adjourned to
another of the company's workshops, which had been
fitted up as a ball room, where dancing was kept up
till a late hour.

the
arrangements of the soiree, which wertf under
the management of Mrs. Hibbert, of the Wolverton
Refreshment Rooms, gave great satisfaction to the
company assembled.

SMUGGLING ON TIE THAMES.—At the county
magistrates'-office, Rochester, on Friday, William
Wuolf, John Stanley,;William Warren, and two boys
named French at.d Howe, were brought up in custody
of Bines, at the instance of the Board of Customs,
having o❑ the lath instant been found at Cliffs on
board a certain vessel, liablo to forfeiture, having on
board 14,402 lbs. of contraband tobacco. From the
evidence of Captain Gowlland, commander of the Vigi-
lant revenue cutter, and James Clarke, the gunner, it
appeared that about nine o'clock on the night of the
13th instant, whilst cruising of Sea Reach, in the
Lower Hope, near Gravesend, they observed a vessel
coming up the river on the Kent side, and on hailing
her, were told she was the Charlotte, of Maldon,
from the Burnham river. On boarding her th y
found straw loosely laid about abaft the mast,
and on removing it and opening the hatches, they
discovered in the hold of the vessel twenty casks con-
taining no less than 278 bales of tobacco packed in
canvass and slung with cords ready for running,
averaging about 501bs. weight each. The crew were
then made prisoners, and put on board the cutter for
safety, and with the vessel and cargo were afterwards
brought to Rochester. The Court convicted the whole
of them in the penalty of 1001. each, recommending the
two b ye to the mercy of the Crown, but the penalties
were not paid, and the prisoners were accordingly com-
mitted to Dltidstone Gaol.

NOTICE.—MISS PARDOE'S "FLIES IN AMIIER.''•—•
Now ready at all the libraries, in 3 vols., post Bvo.,
Flies in Amber, by Miss Pardoe, authoress of " The
City of the Sultan," &c. 2. Scenes of the Civil War
in Hungary, in 1848-49, price 73. 61., bound. 3. Just
ready, the Countess of Blessington's Country Quarters,
a novel, 3 vols., with portrait, and M. moir by her Niece,
Miss Power. 4. Now ready, Napier's Southern Africa,
2 vols., small Bvd., plates—" The fullest, clearest, and
mot satisfactory account of everything relating to or
connected with the Capo of Good Hope that we have
yet seen—written, too, in the true Napier style—inde-
pendent, energetic, and fearless."—Naval and Military
Gazelle.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL
IN FOREIGN PARTS —`l he munificmt sum of 30,000 Z
has lately accrued to this soelety, being a legacy some
time ago bequeathed to it, by a citiz?n of London, depen-
dent upon two or tree lives which have now dropped.
With the exception of some annuities Chargeahle upon
the above sum the whole of it is siavalli‘ble fur the pur-
poses of the society.