The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-15 00:00:00

LOND ON and GREENWICH RAIL WAY

The opening of this very important work took place yes-
terday, and was honoured with the presence of a vast con-
course of ladies and gentlemen, friends of the promoters of
the railway. The work is one unrivalled in beauty and uti-
lity, and we experienced a warm feeling of national pride
and personal gratification in witnessing the successful com-
pletion of so great a work, the result of skill and enterprise
—a work which adds another to the powerful means by
which the arts of peace arc extending commerce and in-
telligence, and uniting in a close and beneficial pact the
great family of man. Nature herself seemed to smile a
blessing on the undertaking, for the weather was throughout
the day the most auspicious. The arrangements for the
ceremony were good, with the exception that the parties
who were admitted within the railway bounds were not pro-
vided with pass tickets ; the consequence of which was,
that many, and ourselves among the number, who alighted
at the Deptford terminus and went into the town, were
prohibited from re-entering the railway gates at that termi-
nus, and were consequently under the necessity of re-
turning to town by the slow coaches. On reaching town,
however, the convies and conviees were entertained in
a very handsome style at the Bridge-house Hotel, at the
Southwark end of London Bridge, the proprietors of
which deserve every commendation for the satisfactory
manner in which the dejeuner a la fourchette was served up.
The chair was taken by A. R. Dottin, Esq., M.P., the
chairman of the Company, supported on his right by the
Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, and
on his left by Mr. Alderman Lucas, and other distinguished
civic personages. Among the company we observed Messrs.
Humphery and Daniel Whittle Harvey, Members for the
Borough ; Sir Samuel Whalley, M.P. for Marylebone ; the
Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, the Under-Sheriffs, &c.
After dinner the usual loyal toasts were loyally received,
and the healths of " The Lord Mayor," " The Lady
Mayoress and the ladies present," and " The Sheriffs,'
were also most cordially drunk. The success of the under-
taking itself was toasted with enthusiasm, and due recogni-
tion was subsequently made in successive order of the very
great merits of Mr. Landemann, the engineer ; of the
directors ; of Messrs. Mackintosh, the contractors for ;
and of the secretary of the undertaking. The project has
every appearance of being most successful. The rate at
which the carriages travel on the railway is one which pro-
mises the fulness of convenience to all persons who are
called by daily business into the City ; and it appears also
highly probable, from the nature of things, that from the
London and Greenwich Railway will branch out most of
the future railways into the southern parts of England.
Amongst the company present were a party from the
Westminster-bridge, Deptford, and Greenwich Railway,
including William Cash, Esq., the deputy-chairman ; Capt.
Ewbank ; Col. Le Couteur, aide-de-camp to his Majesty ;
Joseph Thompson, Esq. ; Charles Henry Ashley, Esq. ;
H. H. Price, Esq., engineer ; J. D. Paine, Esq., architect ;
Henry Hoppe, Esq., solicitor ; and J. H. Powell, Esq.,
secretary ; and other gentlemen whose names we could not

obtain.
The line of junction of the Westminster and Greenwich
Railway with the London and Greenwich Railway was
marked out by small flags in the vicinity of the Deptford depot.

Yesterday (Thursday) a meeting of the inhabitants
and rate-payers of Braintree was held for the purpose of
taking into consideration the making a rate for the repair of
the church. During the last year no rate was called for
by the churchwarden, but about a ton weight of lead hav-
ing been stolen from the roof of the church, in consequence
of which the water found its way through the ceiling ,to
such an extent, that several of the pews were totally unfit
for the reception of the congregation, Mr. Joslin, who is
at present the only churchwarden, felt it his duty to call for
a rate to enable him to do such repairs as were absolutely
necessary for the preservation of the building. The an-
nouncement created a considerable degree of excitement
amongst the inhabitants. The vestry was not sufficient to
hold the numbers assembled, and the meetinc, adjourned to
the body of the church, where, after much angry discus-
sion, a rate of Is. 6d. in the pound was proposed. An
amendment was moved to adjourn the consideration of a
church-rate for twelve months, and it was carried by a large
majority. We understand it is the intention of the church-
warden to make a rate without the consent of the vestry,
which, it is contended, he can do for the necessary repairs
of the building. The dissenting party are taking steps to
raise the necessary funds to litigate the question in the
Ec-
clesiastical Court, should this course be pursued.—Chelms-
ford Chronicle.
Since the death of the celebrated Abbe Sicard, the
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb at Paris has been un-
der the superintendence of M. Saulnier. The replies of
the pupils to questions put to them by the visitors are often
very curious. One of them being asked to define courage,
wrote down the other day—" Courage is that strength of
the soul which persists in braving the dangers and the evils
of life, even at the expense of our glory." Another said of
poetry—" that it paints all that. it sees, and adorns all that
it paints."
An arrival from St. John's New Brunswick, brings
papers to the 14th ult., four days later than previous ad-
vices. His Majesty has been pleased to allow Miramichi
to be opened as a port of landing and warehousing-, which
has given great satisfaction to the merchants of that place.
These papers contain some further particulars respecting
the loss of the Royal Tar steam boat. It is stated that
had there been an engine on deck instead of below, the
fire might have been easily extinguished—a hint which roaY
be worth attending to.