The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-23 00:00:00

CHESTER RAIL WAY STATION.

With much regret we find that the dissensions
amongst the directors of the Chester General Railway
Station have not terminated. Our readers are aware
that the origin of this quarrel has arisen in conse-
quence of the opening of the line from. Shrewsbury
to Birmingham, which now offers two routes between
Liverpool and the latter place, viz., one to the east
of the Mersey by the London and North-Western,
the other on the west, by the Chester and Birken-
head, Shrewsbury and Chester, and Shrewsbury and
Birmingham Railways, both roads being as nearly as
possible of equal length. The traffic hitherto has
been confined exclusively to the eastern direction.
The Chester station was built at the joint expense of
the London and North-Western, the Chester and
Holyhead, the Shrewsbury and Chester, and the
Chester and Birkenhead Railway Companies, for the
mutual and equal accommodation of those parties.
The western line now being complete throughout has
consequently become a rival to the London and North-
Western Company, and it is, therefore, the interest of
the latter company to impede in every way the traffic
of the rival line ; hence have arisen these dissensions.
To facilitate the trade to the west, the Shrewsbury
and Chester and Shrewsbury and Birmingham Com-
panies proposed to the Birkenhead Company an equal
mileage rate for the through traffic, which the latter
company declined to accept, and refused to alter
either their fares or trains. It therefore became in-
cumbent upon the two former companies to forward
their peseengers by omnibus from Chester to Tran-
mere Ferry. To frustrate this step, the General
Station Committee forbad the omnibuses entering the
station, and a forcible entrance having been made by
one of them, the driver was put in charge of a police-
officer, and brought before the magistrates, under Lord
Seymour's Act, for wilful obstruction. The case
being heard, the magistrates decided that the road to
the station was a public thoroughfare for railway pur-
poses, and open to all persons, whether they approached
it on foot, in private carriages, or hired vehicles, and
discharged the complaint, as no wilful obstruction
could be proved against the driver. At a
meeting of the united committee, a few days
after this decision, they again ordered their
station -master, Mr. Jones, to erect barricades,
and adopt such other measures as he might think fit,
to exclude the omnibuses from the station ; they also
directed their booking clerks not to issue tickets on
any portion of the line between Shrewsbury and Bir-
mingham. The Shrewsbury and Chester Company,
in consequence of this, placed a clerk in their sole
employment within the station, to deliver their tickets
to such as might apply for them. The manager, con-
sidering this an interference with his duties, expelled
him by force. During the enactment of these scenes,
an impression arose upon the minds of the public that
a riot would probably take place : and an allegation to
that effect having been mule on oath to the mayor,
he summoned the magistrates to meet him at the sta-
tion, at eight o'clock in the morning of Friday, the
16th instant, when they again took these matters
into consideration. They confirmed their former
decision respecting the omnibuses, and directed
Mr. Jones to remove the barricades; and on
that gentleman refusing to do so, they were taken
down under the direction of Mr. Roy, secretary
to the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway. This being
done, an omnibus was driven towards the
station, but before proceeding many yards a locomo-
tive engine with waggons attached came up by one
of the lines to arrest its progress, to the imminent
risk of the driver and of the bystanders, who had now
assembled to the number of several hundreds. Fcr
this unwarranted act, Mr. Jones, the station• master,
was severely reprimanded by the mayor before the
magistrates, at a subsequent part of their proceed-
ings. With respect to the clerk employed by the
Shrewsbury and Chester Company to book their
through passengers, the magistrates ordered that he
might distribute the tickets within the booking-office,
but outside the counter, where they would protect
him from assault. It further appears that the united
committee had passed a resolution prohibiting any of
the companies from booking passengers on any line
except its own, in order to prevent the Shrewsbury
and Chester Company booking places on the Shrews-
bury and Birmingham line, although the several
companies had up to that moment exercised that
right on all the lines in connexion with them. In
vain the Shrewsbury and Chester portion of the
committee protested against these acts. We under-
stand that an application will immediately be made
on behalf of the latter company to the Vice-Chan-
cellor for the injunction in their behalf.—Chester
Courant.

The members of the Home Circuit have invited
Mr. Sergeant Dowling to an entertainment in honour
of his promotion to the (County) judicial bench. The
dinner is fixed to take place on Saturday, the Ist of
December, at the Rainbow-tavern, Fleet-street.
THIS MARQUIS OF EXETER IN ANOTHER DILEMMA.
—On Sunday lest, his Lordship attended the afternoon
service in Easton church, upon the occasion of the open-
ing of the new organ; having, previously to leaving
Burghley, carefully placed a sovereign in his pocket for
the purpose of contributing to the collection atter the
sermon. In due course the dish was banded round; but
when it was presented to his Lordship, he found himself
minus the sovereign. He naturally looked around at the
parties near him, but could not conjecture that his
pocket had been picked by them, although his loss
seemed very strange: lie looked unutterable things, and
was overwhelmed with perplexity. After come little
delay, the plate was withdrawn; and cn the Noble
Marquis' return home, he sent for one of his game-
keepers and gave him a minute description of the route
he took to church, ordering him to search the ground
over at the break of day on the following morning for
the missing treasure. AccordinietthootbowjrcoOcetlrao,bfsoelulairsrich
nstg 7wirts,
Igwichaidenneg. tthoeOywnoatrtlikoe, keeper'sni'Cee declared stated
into et
theyhtenmg had juit pu±ed up a
sovereign. They were then desired to give it up,
which they readily did; and as a reward for their
honesty, they were rewarded with a "horn of Burghley
ale." At present the reward hath "this extent—no
more :''—Stamford Mercury.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.--LIVERPOOL, Nov. 22.
—The promoters of a Chamber of Commerce at Liver-
pool held a preliminary meeting to-day, at the fown-
hull, the Mayor presiding. Addresses in favour of the
project were delivered by Mr. Edward Heath, Mr.
Charles Holland, and Ti!r. Robertson. After which it
was unanimously agreed to call a public meeting on an
early day.
WFLL PLACED.—The President of the Republic
has presented the Army and Navy Club with a piece of
tapestry. The question is, -ahem to put it. Sibthorp
suggests that, " As it is Gobblin, it ought to be put in
the dining room, which might then ,be called the ' Salle
de Gobblin.' "—:Funeh.
VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.—Hobart-town journals to
August 4 have teen received. Like most of the Aus-
tralian papers, much of their space is occupied with Cali-
fornian details, the colonists being mad to start for the
diggins." Hundreds had departed, and many more
were on the eve of quitting for the same destination. On
July 31 Sir Wilnaea Denison opened the Legislative
Council.
When the bitterness of malignity is absent, cheer-
fulness has full play; and candour, ever opsn and bene-
volent, is the exponent of mirth and goodwill.—. Eliza
Cook's Journal.