The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-31 00:00:00

RAILWAY comirtirrEEs.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP VI.
WILTS, SOMERSET. AND VIEYMOUTIX
AMENDMENT (NO. IL)
The cross-examination of Mr. Bide, of Yeovil, was resume
this morning, his evidence was entirely confined to
details of local feeling of the inhabitants of Yeovil, fwd.:::
mode in which signatures to the petitions of the 0111305'"•
companies had been obtained in that town.

GROUP XVIII.
CHELTENHAM AND OX.rODD.
LONDON, OXFORD, AND CHELTENHAM('
DECISION.
The Committee on this group assembled this morning t
twelve o'clock; the Earl of Lincoln in the chair, with Dir•
M. J. O'Connell, Sir W. James, Mr. G. Smythe, and captain
Jones.
The Earl of LiNcor.N said that they would proceed•to
con
skier the two great competing lines before them, so that the
room must be cleared. stated
On the re-admission of the parties, the CHAIRMAN
that the Committee had decided that the preamble of the
Cheltenham and Oxford Railway Bill was proved—(tbis 13
gauge line)
dthoen,bcrohaeditgenauhgaem,lianned)—aoxnfodrdthßailt
I—th(ethperenaarromblwe a the
Long
—was not proved. said that

IMEANGOTSPIELD AND DAVI'
The Committee then resumed the consideration of
~ht
Bill, which, it will be recollected, is a short line of etc;
miles in length, to complete the narrow gauge onlintul
tion between Bristol and Gloucr.
Lord W llia n Powlett, and several other witnesses, dePOceaci
to the advantage of the completion of this route betlve
Bath and Gloucester, and thence towards the north. •

GROUP XLV.
The Committee met at twelve o'clock.,
EDINItURGH AND Now:ram:RN
PROVEMENTS).
civil
Mr. Grainger, civil engineer, and Mr. Jardine, cl
giueer, were examined in favour of the improvements- •

•
MARYLEBONE VESTRY..
nf • •
On Saturday an unusually crowded meeting Dr.
Vestry of St. Marylebone took place. The Bev'
Spry occupied the chair.
Irestg
a magistrate, was desirous of ascertaining what
b i
Sir PETER LAURIE, as a member of that
e baen
of
done with reference to the enormous overcbarg felt
Marylebone to the conty ad police r ate
assured that the parishu weren entitled to a redo:To:tea
10 per cent. on their rack rents, and if that walai n us'
out there would necessarily e a large, dirain'c-cnne,
their assessment to the county and police rams'
"1'
which subject they had so much right to coraplamiu" tif•
Mr. C. ELLIOT, another magistrate, aeusid,e,r-ta it
aupmuopsotnimtphoertharnotadmagtuteesrt.ionTohfe
why
ystry ought I'l --lola
be subject to a higher assessment than
in the county.
Mr. H. C. Wn.soN said the principle of reducing -a;
assessment was being every week partially carried_,..,nr-
by the assess board, where any rate-payer aPPI,P'"
who was ed at his rack rent, was immediate'Y
duced 10 per cent. • est
Maryleboneanyother oplio iot
Sir P. LAURIE said the Vestry-clerk had, he behev f
a report of what transpired before the consmitte, eoi°,
county magistrates upon this subject, and he woula
that it be read for their information. red
Mr. FLOOD then read the report, by which it app ea hie
the opinion of the committee was, " that the rateable after
to be assessed to the poor-rate meant the rack•rent,of
deducting therefrom the probable average annual co
repairs and insurance. That is to say,
a rent of 1001. per year, and therobable average annual
cost of insurance being 101., he should be assessed urn
rental of 90/." d insane-
Mr. HUME, M.P., hoped that the Vest*:
a person aill
woul
ere
diately set about a remedy for this glaring e_viLEll,.,,
especially for the interests of the poor rate-rig
(Hear, hear.) The Vestry had no doubt the power, LL.
every case where there was a rack rental, to reduce
assessment 10 per cent , and he hoped in doing so Aia:
re-assessment of the parish would be general.
vestry might depend upon it, if they went about so im-
portant a subject in a partial manner, great dissatisfac-
tion would arise. He held it, therefore, to be their duty
at once to go into a general assessment.—(Hear.)
After some further discussion, it was resolved
lmm -
diately to call the committee together, with a view to Aa
entire revision of the assessment of the parish.

ASCOT RACES.—WINDSOR, SUNDAY EVENING.—
From the extensive preparations which have been made
throughout the town and neighbourhood for the accommo%
dation of expected visitors, the forthcoming races are anti.
cipated to be far more numerously attended than upon ail
former occasion. The circumstances of her Majesty, the
Prince Consort, and the Royal Family, accompanied by g
host of royal and illustrious guests, to the number of 1)"
tween 60 and 70, taking up their residence at the Castle dun.
ing the week, add, as may well be imagined, most materiall9
to the usual attractions of an Ascot gathering. The privl
lodgings in the town and its vicinity are all engaged, as we`
as the apartments at the principal hotels. Prince LOWS
Napoleon, the Marquis and Marchioness of Londonderry
the Earl of Chesterfield, and other distinguished fashionabieft
will be, during the week, at the Royal Hotel at Slough'
Her Majesty and the Prince Consort, with their illnstrinits,
visitors (who will arrive at the Castle to-morrow afternoolll
will honour the course with their presence on Tuesday'
Thursday. A military review, upon a grand scale, to ":
Great Park, before her Majesty and the visitors at
Castle, is confidently spoken of; to take place on Wed
next. •
NARROW ESCAPE OF BISHOP PHILLPOTTB:—.
Saturday at a quarter to ten Bishop Phillpotts left Paddil
ton by express train for Exeter. When they had proceeded
as far as Maidenhead some of the passengers were alarmed
by a smell of fire. At first it was thought that an axle was
a
overheated, but as the smell increased, the apprehensions y_!
the passengers became greatly heightened, for the train
would not stop till it got to Didcot, and the rapid pace
which the express train travels would cause any fire to Di.uf.
with great rapidity. They contrived to arouse the attention
..
of the guard, who, at the risk of his life, got along the care
riage to the engine, which was immediately stopped. Th,,
train was examined, and it was discovered that an axle had
broken, and that the friction of one of the broken par,„
against the bottom of the carriage had set fire to it.
parties were thankful for their preservation, and after a
short detention the train proceeded. Sydney mith used to
say when the Great Western Company pertinaciously con:
tinned to lock their carriage doors, that there never world
be any rational system of proteacttiotnheadporepsteendt umnteiml
a bishop
had been burnt inth
ea estimablea tt railwayento nc
patrrorei
iqtaght
eee
of
fu Webtjheei s t
diocese, hiompenitehdiatawthelothf,
escapenarroslife sand ce:suop e i particularly
aw
avaluable
companies
om p
anies to adopt means by whicf, •
c:
a ofr
passengers may communicate with the guard, and the gusto
with the engine-driver. We are assured that in this case the
train had a very narrow escape of a terrible calamity—One'
which might have equalled the memorable catastrophe at
annual
meeting
COLONIAL
tAlivnLhge roe so many personsimes. were burned alive s'
Western
railway carriage.—
fu
tuhnec II in
emSbeoCrlrofT.t—hisOsnocieStayturwasdahyddthset
'sineotnhcoercthai.
EthflieeQghueeemn Rooms,rrh
e Hanover-squatsecretary
ree td
he Earlrep report:
which deplored the spiritual destitution which prevailed in
the colonies and dependencies of the British Crown, as com-
pared with the pressing wants, for it appeared that
during
the years 1835 to 1843 the number of individuals who left
our shores for the colonies amounted to 850,590, being at the
rate of 84,987 per annum. During the year grants had been
made and missionaries sent out to the West ladies, the Cape
of Good Hope, Australia, and numerous places in continental
Europe. An anonymous donor had presented the society
with 1,0001. so that, after discharging all liabilities, there re.-
mained in the hands of the treasurer the sum of 7081. Tcbl
report was adopted, and several gentlemen having addressed
the meeting, the proceedings terminated.
By a memorandum of this month the shabraques
of heavy cavalry are discontinued, and the hussar saddle and
sheep skin are to be used. We hear the epaulette is to be
done away with fur officers, and the scale worn in marching
order, and an auguilette and shoulder-knot in ball rooms and
reviews. The helmets at the new issue are also to be
changed, and made somewhat similar to the Life and Horse
Guards.—United Service Gazette.

THE LONDON LIBRARY.—OH Saturday the sixth .
annual meeting of the subscribers and donors of the above
institution was held in the rooms of the Statistical Society.
St. James's-square, Lord Lvttelton in the chair. The report •
of the committee congratulated the subscribers on the arced'
sion of members to the institution during the year just closed, .
112 new names having been added to the list., being an ill;
crease of seven in number, and of income of upwards 01
AOO/. beyond those of the previous year. The aggregate
ria2tohearnnhueaa‘lialynddrlal:rnlife. ftuhnedsexopfenthseesyeoafrrehavavoeirvabbioeeito:
cumber of members on the Ist of the present month Wes
upon Thh;
the present premises in St. James's-square; but the
including an advance of 300/. made by the society's banker!,
have been paid off. Very considerable and important addi-
tions have been made to the library, which at present own'
hers more than 30,000 volumes. The circulation of books
during the year was 33,643, an increase of about 6,000 over
the previous. The receipts were 2,9111. 19s. 10d., and the,
expenditure 2,7901. 19s. 9d., leaving a balance in hand of
121/. 06. Id. The report was adopted, and thanks voted to
the noble chairman.
MUTILATION OF THE ISODY OF A CHILD.--. 011
Saturday an inquest was held by Mr. Bedford, at thc Wind-
c'or Castle, Charles-street, St. Margaret's, on the remains of
a female child, whose head had been cut off from the body-
The utmost excitement has prevailed in the neighbourhood
ever since the discovery of the trunk of the child and its
head in a bundle near it. The evidence was to the fol-
lowing effect :--On Friday evening a fishmonger, of the
name of Fox, was called by the children to No. 10, Dean-
street, Westminster, where he was informed a child was lying
in the water-closet. With assistance he got it UP, "u •
fund it to be a headless trunk. He saw a bundle'
in the same place, which he also got out, and there tied
up was left all the remains of the child's head. Tbey were
both taken to the workhouse, and Dr. Wright, of Storey's..
gate, sent for. His opinion was, that the child was about
eight or nine months old. The bead had been entire',"
severed, and was tied up in a bundle. There was no scalP
or other covering on the head, and the brains were entirely
gene; the trunk, too, was much decomposed. In answer
to the coroner, Dr.' right said he had no doubt the head
had been separated from the body, but the whole was in such
ate that it would be almost impossible to give accurately
• • death, Al,2r e:;::tnicing the i:uliccinan ag. to
,here was a chance of obtaining evidence which
would bring home the crime to the guilty parties, thejur);
returr ed a verdict of "Found dead, but they had no evidenc
to show by what means.", , •

In giving this intimation the NOBLE CrIAIBMAN
the Committe, in coming to this decision, had r_ers't;
that in the event of a narrow gauge line being be mild
allow the North-Western Company to
sanctioned to Oxford, that the Broad Gauge ComPaur!'
the Railway Commissioners should intimate that 1,1 b
necessary, after the question of the mixed gauges ha that
decided by experience. His Lordship also stated
the Committee required the insertion of a very :Lrlt,
sent clause to protect the inhabitants of Chelte luith";
from the inconvenience which was apprehended from
alteration of the level of the water in that town.
It was intimated, on behalf of the Great Conl-
lay down a
.bno _
pany, that they were quite ready to accede to such are cliturs..
and it was agreed that time should be given for its Pi.
tion, and that the clauses should be proceeded with on
nesday morning. Western
_,