The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-23 00:00:00

bee

.n discovered that fraudulent overcharges were
made, the prisoner was given into custody.
Messrs. Noble and Co., seedsmen, Fleet-street,
suffered to some extent by the prisoner's delinquen-
cies. First, for goods received by the company':.
train .Messrs. Noble were charged 11s., whereas they
had been debited to the company Bs. 33. only ; in th(
second case, for goods received by the train Messrs.
Noble were charged 35., but debited to the company
2s. 3d.; in the third case, for goods so received Messrs
Noble were charged 145., but debited to the company
12s. 9d.; and in the fourth case Messrs. Noble were
charged 21s. 11d., whilst they had been charged to
the company 19s. Bd—the prisoner thus pocketing,
by one firm only, in the short space of two days,
6s. 3d., or 18s. 9d. per week, independent of his
salary.

Mr. Fearn, the clerk, produced a book, in which
the proper amount was entered, and said that Messrs.
Noble had been greatly overcharged, and that the
prisoner had paid him the correct value of the freight-
age and delivery only.
Several other charges of a like nature were proved
against the prisoner, and a number of others were
ready to be gone into, but
Mr. Hurlstone, the second clerk, said that the
company would confine themselves to three charges,
which had been brought forward and proved before
the magistrate, and if other individuals were re-
quired they would be subpeeaned upon the.trial at the
Old Bailey.
Mr. Hurlstone then read over the depositions, and
the witnesses having been bound over in the sum of
401. each to appear at the next session of the Central
Criminal Court, the prisoner was fully committed
for trial.

THE STAGE COACHES OF BY-
GONE DAYS.
About 50 years ago, the:Holyhead mail left London
at eight at night, and arrived at Shrewsbury between
ten and eleven the following night, taking 27 hours
to run 162 miles. This distance, however, before the
establishment of railways was done without diffi-
culty in 16i hours. At the time when this rate of
travelling was considered all that was required, there
Was a coach on the road between Shrewsbury
and Chester, called the " Shrewsbury and
Cheater Ilighflyer." This coact stinted from
Shrewsbury at eight o'clock in the morn-
ing, and arrived at Chester about the same time
in the evening, the distance being 40 miles.
This was a good hard road for wheels, and rather
a favourable one for draught. "But how," inquires
a writer in the Quarterly Review for 1832, "can all
these hours be accounted for ?" Why, if a " com-
mercial gentleman" had a little business at Elles-
mere, there was plenty of time for that ; if a
" real gentlemen" wanted to pay a morning visit
on the road, there could be no objection to that. In
the pork-pie season, half-an-hour was generally
consumed in consuming one of them, for Mr.
Williams, the coachman, was a wonderful favourite
with the farmer's wives and daughters all along
the road. The coach dined at Wrexham, for
Coaches lived well in those days—they now live upon
air; and Wrexham Church was to be seen—a fine
specimen of the florid Gothic, and one of the wonders
of Wales ! Then Wrexham was also famous for its
ale; there were no public breweries in those days in
Wales ; and, above all, the inn belonged to Sir %Vat-
kin. About two hours were allowed for dinner; but
Billy Williams, one of the best-tempered fellows on
earth, as honest as Aristides, was never particular to
half an hour or so. " The coach is ready, gentlemen,"
he would say, "but don't let me disturb you if you wish
for another bottle." This was the plan adopted in the
good old times, when every affair of life moved on at
a quiet jog trot pace, not at all adapted to the pre:,ent
mode of carrying on business. Competition of the
most eager kind has been for some years the order of
the day, and most certainly it cannot be said that
stage coaches stood still. Leaving out of the ques-
tion the light coaches, which travelled at an ex-.
tremely rapid rate, we may notice the speed main-
tained by the mails, which had to travel long dis-
tances before their employment was superseded by
railways. The Edinburgh mail ran 400 miles in
forty hours, stoppages included. This was nearly
eleven miles an hour. A coach to Exeter, the Herald,
went over its ground, 173 miles, in twenty hours,
and that is a very uneven country ; and the
Devonport mail performed its journey, 227 miles,
in twenty-two hours. The increase of speed was
alarming to those who had been accustomed to the
old-fashioned slow coaches, and at the rate at which
the new vehicles travelled was considered reckless
risking of human life. Nevertheless, the thing went
on, and it began to be whispered, in spite of the mer-
ciless ridicule of the Quarterly Review, that if steam
were to be employed on a railroad, it would
be even possible to attain a speed of some
twenty miles an hour. In reference to a pro-
posed London and Woolwich railroad, the Quarterly.
not only backed " Old Father Thames agah st it
for any sum," but assured its readers that the people
vf Woolwich "would' as soon suffer themselves to be
Jared off upon one of the Congreve's richocet '
rockets as trust themselves to the mercy of such a
machine (a high pressure engine), sind going at such
a rate (eighteen or twenty miles an hour)." And the
reviewer expresses his trust that " Parliament will, in
all railroads it may sanction, limit the speed to eight
or nine miles an hour, which is as great as can be
ventured upon with safety." The experiment has,
however, been tried, and we all know with what
success.—The Rail; its Origin and Progress.

THE FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH COAST TARING
SOUNDINGS.—A correspondent of the Brighton Gazette
saga—": There is at this present moment lying in Har-
wich harbour a whacking French corvette for the pro-
tection of the fishing trade. Her complement of officers
is extraordinary; and every fine day, when they can
spare time from their piscatorial occupation, they im-
prove the shining hour by surveying and sounding the
harbour!_ Verbum sapienti."

THE NEW RAILWAY ACT.—The Act to give fur-
ther time for making certain Railways came into opera-.
tion on Monday, when it received the royal assent. It
was yesterday issued, containing 11 clauses. Various
alterations have been made in the measure since its in-
troduction. By the Act, as passed, railway companies
may " within two months," apply to the Commissioners
of Railways for an extension of time for the purchase of
&c. The commissioners may require a company
so applying to give notice, and may appoint a day for
hearing objtctions. The Commissioners may extend the
time to a period not exceeding two years, from the ex-
piration of the time originally ;.,(lowed. Existing on-
tracts and notices to take lands are to be continued as if
.this Act had not been passed; and in cases where parties
are agrieved by an extension of time, compensatien may
be awarded. The important part of the Act is embraced
in the seventh, eighth, and ninth clauses. Contracts for
new works are not to be entered into for twelve months,
unless it shall be determined otherwige at a general
meeting of the shareholders. Within six weeks after
the passing of the Act, the opinion of a company may
be ascertained as to the commencement of new works.
A form has been provided (set forth in the scheiule an-
nexed to the Act), in which the shareholders may ex-
press their assent or dissent to the commencement of
new works. The chairman is publicly to announce
whether three fifths of the shareholders assent or dis-
sent. At such meeting, no shareholder is to vote who
has not paid up all " calls." A certificate of the meeting
is to be filed with the Railway Commissioners, and a
sealed copy to be received as evidence in all courts.
HERRING TRADE.—Wick, Dec. 16.—The con-
tinuance of unfavourable weather, preventing all ingress
and egress at Pulteneytown harbour, has considerably
retarded shipments of our staple commodity, since our
last notice, so that the number of barrels remaining
unshipped at this place is not materially diminished
from the quantity then represented as being still on
hand. There are two vessels in the harbour, taking
on board cargoes, one for an Irish port, and the
other for Leith. On their departure, there will
remain about 7.000 barrels unshipped here. In
our local market we hear of no purchases of cured fish,
nor of any inquiries being made, the principal sales of
the past season being, as usual, intended for the conti-
nent. Irish markets give no indications of reviving
trade. From Stettin, last accounts were to the effect,
that the market continued steady. Prices still stood at
a shade above eight dollars. With respect to the trade
in general, it is in a much more lively state than in De-
cember, 1846. At that time almost every cooper was
out of employment. At present, however, there are few,
if any, entirely out of work at :their own trade.—John
or Groat Journal.
FORETHOUGHT AND SAGACITY OF RATS.—In cut-
ting through an embankment in a field adjoining the
river Lune, the other day, for the formation of one of
the culverts rendered necessary for the passing of the
North-Western Railway in that direction, the labourers
met with between fifteen and twenty pounds weight of
eels, some quite fresh, and others in the last stage of
putrefaction. They varied from a quarter to half a
pound in weight, and consisted of the common silver-
bellied, or river eel, and Lilliputian specimens of the
conger, or sea eel. The latter, of course, had come
up with the tide. As teeth-marks were visible on the
heads of most of them, it was conjectured they had
been destroyed in that way, and stored for winter pro-
vision, by some animal whose retreat was not far dis-
tant. This proved to be the case.. On digging a little
further, out bounced a matronly rat, with seven half.
grown young ones at her heels. The workmen gave
chase, and ultimately succeeded in killing both motaer
and progeny, with a solitary exception, the trunk of a
neighbouring tree affording an asylum to one of the
family. The embankment is about 100 yards from the
Water's edge, so that it must have required considerable
time and labaur on the part of the old rat to have
dragged the eels thither.—Lancaster Guardian.
Lord Nugent Kennedy left the Bluekwall Pier
Yesterday morning by the General Steam Navigation
Company's mail steam ship Ocean for Rotterdam, en
route to the Hague.
We have just received, but are unable to publish,
a. Solemn protest against the opposition to Dr. Hampden,
signed by upwards of 300 members of the Convocation of
Oxford.—Cambridge Advertiser.
The Journal de Constantinople of the 6th says,—
" Since the publication of our last number several cases
of cholera have been reported by the board of health,
but tho malady is not =kin ranch progtess."