The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-07 00:00:00

NOTES ON AMERICAN LINES.

Railways in America are still running up the incline
of popular favour, not at a pace so precipitate and peril-
ous as was witnessed in England last autumn, but
slowly, unexcitedly, and at easy going grades. The
promoters of the Oregon line have been enterprising
among the people of the west, and Baltimore, Wheeling,
Columbus, Cincinnati, and Louisville, have given voice
in favour of the measure, with a view to its advance-
ment before Congress next session.
From the proceedings of the commissioners of the
central line it appears, that formal canvasses throughout
the country are becoming common to secure subscrip-
tions of stock. All classes are encouraged to subscribe.
The stock is not sought to be established in the hands
of a favoured few to the exclusion of the many. Cora-
mittees call upon individuals throughout the city and
country to solicit each to subscribe, from a single share
and upwards, commensurately with their means, thus
popularising while they plan their railway scheme.
DISCONTINUANCE OF FREE PASSES TO MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.—Jonathan has determined to discontinue the
free passages heretofore enjoyed by members of the Le-
gislature, and further to discontinue the Sunday morn-
ing train between New York and Philadelphia, on and
after the new year. This has long been contemplated,
but various obstacles have hitherto prevented the ditcon-

t►nuance.
There is a more friendly disposition at Pittsburg in
favour of the Great Pennsylvanian line, the people
having determined on a connexion with one or other of
the Atlantic bays. A union of circumstances had in-
duced them to prefer that of the Chesapeake at Balti-
more. But the Baltimore and Ohio Company hesitate
to accept the terms involved in the Connellsville scheme.
It is estimated that by making use of the Partage line
the route might be completed from Harrisburg for
6,000,000 dolls.

Arrangemen'a have been made by which a direct line
will be established between Boston and New York, via
Springfield, Hartford, and New Haven. The trains will

leave Boston daily (Sundays excepted) at 71 A.M.;
Springfield at 1 P.M., and New Haven at 4 P.M., in either
the steam-boat Traveller, Champion, or New York, and
arrive at New York city early the same evening. Re-
turning, the passengers will leave New York at 61 A.M.,
New haven at 111 A.m., Springfield at 3 r. DI., and arrive
in Boston the same evening at 7.
BALTIMORE AND Onio.—At a meeting of the board
of directors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the
president (Mr. M'Lane) read an elaborate paper, giving
his views at great length on the all-engrossing subject
of the advancement of this work to the west. It closed
with resolutions for a call to the stockholders, early in
February next, and proposing a subscription to the Pitts-
burg and Connellsville Rail of 600,000 dolls.
SAMPLES OF ACCIDENTS.—On Thursday evening an
Irishman, named Denis M‘Mahon, was killed on the rail-
road, opposite the depOt, in the borough of Pottsville.
It seems that the unfortunate man, with an Irish corn-

panion, had just arrived from Vermont, and were on
their way to Pottsville, after work. To btain a cheap
passage over the road, they secreted themselves in the
bottom of an empty coal car, at Richmond, or one of
the stations along the road, and kept such close quarters
that the hands on the train were entirely unaware of
their presence. As the cars were passing the depot,
after nightfall, the deceased, in attempting to jump off,
is supposed to have struck the water-pipe between the
tracks, which threw him under the wheels, where his
body was caught and twisted, and most dreadfully
mangled, and finally completely severed in the
middle, by the train passing over it. A man by
the name of Adam Grim was run over by a
coal train on the Reading Railroad, on Satur-
day evening week, a short distance above Phmnixville.
His head and arms were dreadfully mangled, the left
arm so bad as to require immediate amputation. As a
Long Island train of cars from Worcester for Norwich
was passing the depot at Pomfret, Connecticut, under
full speed, a young man, belonging to that town, named
Benjamin Wheeler, attempted to cross over the track,
directly in front of the engine, and was immediately
caught upon the " cow catcher," attached to the
ti e, e, and dreadfully mangled, and it was feared fatally
injured.
GREAT WESTERN OF CANADA.--A meeting was held
at Hamilton on the 4th ult., for the purpose of consider-
ing and adopting an agreement entered into between

The snow has been fifteen inches deep at Albany, ren-
dering even the rairimpassable.
COMPLIMENTARY TO THE PRESS.—The Long Island
train was detained 25 minutes in order that the mail bags
for New York city and papers for the New York press
might be forwarded. For this favour the New Yorkers
were indebted to Mr. Parker, superintendent of the
Boston and Worcester Rail.
Subsetibers to the new stock of the New York and
Erie have been notified, that interest will be paid accord-
ing to the terms of subscription, on application at their
office, on and after the Ist of January next. The transfer
books of the new stuck will be closed from the 12th of
December to the Ist of January.
The Nashua and Lowell have declared a semi-annual
dividend of 5 per cent. for the past six months.
PHILADELPHIA AND READING.—The receipts of the
Philadelphia and Reading Rail appear to be rapidly de •
clining. The weekly receipts are now not only small
compared with what they have been this year, but the
increase compared with corresponding weeks last year is
much less than in previous weeks. Annexed are returns
showing the receipts for the last week in November in
each of the past three years :

1844.
Travel
Freight on goods 1,045 10
Ditto coal 7,976 87

1845.

$1,809 14
1,332 99
22,932 87

1846.
$2 294 03
2,077 14
30,200 77

$10,595 57 $26,125 00 $34,574 94
Coal transported-tons 7,003 18,319 21,927
One day's work was lost by a suspension of business
on Thanksgiving. The amount of coal transported for
the above weeks in 1846 shows an increase of but little
more than 3,500 tons. At this rate, the estimate for the
year will hardly be realised.
PHILADELPHIA AND COLUMBIA.--A statement of the
receipts at the collector's office of the Philadelphia and
Columbia, at Philadelphia, for the year terminating the
30th of November, 1846, and those of the previous year,
exhibits the annexed comparative results :-
Motive.
Months. Railway. Power. Total
1845--Decernber 4,436 90 7,429 50 11,866 40
1846-January 3,302 19 7,667 92 10,970 11
February
March
April 22,240 88 16.385 98 38,626 87
May
June
July 9,957 47 11,206 74 21,164 21
August . 16,664 43 11,389 90 28,054 33
September.., 19,419 03 10,757 45 30,176 48
October. 20,840 84 15,601 93 36,442 77
November 11,968 90 9,503 47 21,472 46

Total .....150,402 46 125,760 24 276,162 70
Amt. recd. last year 121,641 63 114,087 47 236,629 10

Excs.lB46 ovr. 184.5 28,760 83

10,772 77

30,533 60

MOHAWK AND HunsoN.—The receipts for the last
week in November, this year, compared with the corres-
ponding week in the previous five years, were as an-
nexed

Passengers 52,269 12
Freight

82,578 31
During the same period in 1845

Increase over 22 per cent. being
The earnings of the road during the same week for the
last five years have been as follows :-
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
Contracts are being taken for the superstructure of the
Montreal and Lachnie line for eight miles.
ST. LAWRENCE AND ATLANTIC.—A first instalmenf
of 41. 16s. has been called for to commence the works.
The amount of the stock of the New York and New
Haven Rail subscribed in the Commercial Emporium, is
about 1,500,000 dolls., and about 500,000 or 600,000
dolls. additional have been subscribed in Boston. The
whole amount required is 2,500,000 dolls.
A case of considerable interest is now progressing in
the Baltimore County Court. It is an action brought by
the city corporation against the Baltimore and Ohio
sßeasislmweanyt
on theCompan capitaly,torec osvteorektheoaf mtohuen tcrop
ofo tax or
company—not
os
decided.
The capital of the Boston and Providence line has been
increased by 3,000 new shares.
The effect of the loss of the Atlantic on the traffic of
the Norwich and Worcester is likely to be serious,
though much less than anticipated, the Atlantic being
insured for nearly her full value. The earnings of the
road will, for the remainder of the season, be materially
reduced by this accident, as travellers will take the most
inland routes, for the purpose of avoiding, as much as
possible, the navigation of the Sound.
The tendency of prices in the New York market is
dull and downward, and very little is expected to be
done until Congress is convened.
The lines about Albany have commenced carrying
freight, by the law authorising them, under the stop-
page of canal navigation.

SCOTTISH HOSPITAL.
The quarterly meeting of the members of this corpo-
ration was held yesterday at the offices of the society,
Crane court, Fleet-street. The chair was taken at one
o'clock by Sir Walter Stirling. The minutes of the
annual meeting having been read over and confirmed,
the meeting proceeded to take into consideration a re-
commendation of the committee to suspend one of the
bye laws of the society, and to sell out 500/. of the stock
in order to meet the pressing emergency of the large
amount of claims made upon the funds of the charity.
Dr. WEBSTER, in proposing the suspension of the bye-
law,
ye-
law, said that he feared an erroneous impression had
gone abroad that this society was very rich, and did not
stand in need of the assistance of its friends, and this
would probably account for the present deficiency in the
funds of this charity. Sooner, however, than the opera-
tions of the charity should be brought to a stand-still,
he would move the suspension of the bye-law as recom-
mended by the committee.
The resolution having been seconded,
Mr. MORRIS said he thought that some explanation of
the reasons of the present deficiency in the funds should
be given. He disapproved of the recent increase in the
salary of the secretary.
W. LINE, Esq., thought that the late grant to the
Caledonian Asylum was highly improper, and that at
least that society should pay something to the funds of
this society, for the use of the rooms and offices.
The Rev. Dr. CUMMING thought that the circumstance
should not be lost sight of, that there had been a larger
number of applicants during the last year, and also that
the allowances made to them had been larger than for-
merly.
In answer to a question put by Dr. WEBSTER,
The SECRETARY said that the amount of subscriptions
to the society was, for the years-1844, 2,36r1. ;
2,691/. ; 1846, 2,761/. ; and that the number of indivi-
duals relieved out of the funds of the society hadincreased
since from 2,802 in the year 1837, to 4,611 in the present

year.
The resolution was then agreed to unanimously.
The SECRETARY then said that a matter personal to
himself had been obtruded upon the meeting by one of
the speakers, containing an insinuation that he ha
totall d acted
improperly with the funds of the society. Ile y
denied the charge, and hoped the committee would not
separate without appointing a committee to inquire into
the subject.
A warm discussion ensued between several of the
members, but, upon the suggestion of the Rev.. Dr.
Cumming, the subject was dropped, it being finally
arranged that the Hon. Gentlemen (Mr. Morris) should
go over the accounts with the Secretary lii.mself, and
report upn the übject at the next meeting of the GouFt.
Several others matters of business having been dis-

posed of,
The CHAIRMAN, having Tacated the chair, then moved
a resolution, embodying the sentiments of the society on
the occasion of the sudden demise of their respected
treasurer, the late Patrick Maxwell Stewart, Esq., M.P.
He was a scholar, a statesman, and a man of business,
whose energy of mind was equalled only by the amenity
of his manners and the kindness of his heart, and who
was ever ready to do all that in him lay to promote the
interests of this society and of his fellow-creatures.
W. DALLAS, Esq., having seconded the resolution, it
was agreed to nein. con., and the resolution in question
ordered to be forwarded to the Dowager Lady Shaw
the signature of the secretary.
Stewart, and bearing
Mr. LAING then brought forward the motion of which respect to a grant made
he had given notice with to one
of the applicants. The circumstance has been brought
before the committee upon various occasions. The
grant complained of was, it appeared, recommended bsocilety, but in-) '
Mr. Nisbet, one of the governors of the
pl
consequence of some irregularity in the a
grant was reduced from the sum of 101, to 31..
the
Nisbet having been taxed with the irregularity, 3
all knowledge of the subject, and a committee
ac-
pointed to inquire into this subject, Which reported NI" 210-
cordingly. The object of the present resolution was to set
aside the report of the committee, as not founded in fact,
the subject.
and to appoint a committee to inquire into
impugned,
Mr. NISBET, whose conduct had been
stated that neither directly nor indirectly dldnhe know any-
grant, and challenged
thing at all of the aian or the
any person to say hatchet had ever been guilty of a
dereliction of his duty as a dispenser of the funds of the
charity.
After a few remarks from Mr. Gill
Cumming, to the effect that no possible good
and Rev. Dr.
-pgood could arise
from re-opening the case, and much
might en detriment to the
interests of the charity sue
h
y Opening the
question, -
A warm discussion ensued, but, upon
j e et v i dropped,n
been ( l
tihse.
Mr. Gillespie and Mr. Dallas, the subject
the motion of
original motion having been withdrawn.
The
of oth
the thankser business
of the of the meeting
posed h a
Cour
Chairman, and the meeting broke t were given to the
up.

INFAMOUS TRAFFIC. —Last week eighteen poor
Italian boys were landed at Folkestone, from Boulogne,
per Queen of the French steamer, in the most distressing
and pitiable condition, having scarcely a rag to cover
them at this inclement season, and some of them without
shoes. One poor boy, about twelve years of age, was
observed to have his feet and uncles covered with chil-
blains and sores, being carried from the fore-cabin upon
the back of one of those inhuman traffickers in white
slaves, his master. These poor boys are destined for
exciting the pity of the English, for the aggrandisement
of their inhuman master. The circumstance of their
miserable condition and occupation was the general sub-
ject of conversation by all the passengers.— Sussex
EXWeSe.