The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-25 00:00:00

OPENING OF THE CHELTENHAM

AND GLOUCESTER RAILWAY.
THE MIXED GAUGES.
On Saturday the ceremony of opening this line of
railway, which has been looked forward to with so
much interest by the inhabitants of the two great
towns which it connects, took place pursuant to the
announcement in the public journals. At ten o'clock
in the morning a special train started from Padding-
ton station, with the gentlemen who had been fa-
voured with invitations to be present by the Great
Western Railway Company. The train performed
the journey in gallant style, having reached Chelten-
ham a little before one o'clock. In a considerable
part of the journey the train travelled at the rate of
seventy miles an hour, and yet there was not the
slightest sense of apprehension, and scarcely any
conscious oscillation—a feature which is assuredly
peculiar to express travelling by the broad gauge.
On arriving at Cheltenham the party were invited
to a splendid dejeuner in the Plough Inn. They sat
down to the repast at half-past one, Viscount Bar-
rington presiding on the occasion, and C. A. Saunders,
Esq.' of the Great Western, filling the vice-chair.
The Noble Chairman, in adverting to the circum-
stances under which they had that day met, expressed
his regret that they were unavoidably deprived of the
presence of the chairman of the Great Western Rail-
way Company, who would have presided much more
efficiently than he could expect to do. The public of
Gloucester and Cheltenham had now the benefit of a
railway communication between these two towns, and
he had no doubt they would duly appreciate the ac-
commodation provided for them. The gentlemen
present had that day assisted at the inauguration of
this railway, and the public would now witness the
workings of the mixed gauges. The Noble Lord,
after some further observations of a general nature,
resumed his seat, and immediately afterwards rose
and proposed the " Healths of Mr. Saunders, the se-
cretary, and Mr. Brunel, the engineer of the Great
Western Railway Company," and, in doing so, took
occasion to pay a high compliment to the great ser-
vices and distinguished talents of both gentlemen.
Mr. Saunders and Mr. Brunel severally returned
thanks.

After some other observations from other gentle-
men, the company proceeded to examine the point of
junction between the broad and narrow gauges. Mr.
Brunel courteously explained the way in which the
junction between the gauges is effected, without any
stoppage, inconvenience, or danger whatever. So ex-
ceedingly simple does the question of the mixed
gauges appear, now that the perfect practicability of
running trains in the two together has been esta-
blished by experience, that every one wonders how
any doubts could ever have been entertained on the point,
and especially that men of Mr. Steve.son's reputation
should not only have considered the practicability of
working the two gauges together a doubtful point,
but pronounced it absolutely imposssible. As this is
the first instance in which the question of the mixed
gauges has been reduced to the test of experiment,
the matter, as might be expected, excited very great
interest. The question is now for ever set at rest.
No one will hereafter pronounce an opinion adverse
to the principle of mixed gauges.
The Cheltenham and Gloucester Railway is now
open to the public, and while it must prove a very
great accommodation to the inhabitants of these two
towns, it cannot fail to prove an important feeder to
the Great Western Railway Company, and augment
considerably
,the constantly-increasing stream of
traffic which daily flows through that great channel of
communication.

SMALL OFFENCES AND EXPEN-
SIVE JUSTICE.

At the Woodbury petty sessions, (Woodbury is
near Exeter,) held on Monday last, before T. Garrett,
Esq , " who," says the Western Times, "did not arrive
until an hour after the expiration of the time ap-
pointed for commencing the business of the court."
Samuel Bond, an old man, with furrowed cheeks,
and tottering gait, was charged with stealing from an
orchard belonging to Mr. Chick, of Otterton, three
appples ! on Sunday, Sept. 21. The prosecutor stated
that he had lost a great many apples from this orchard
before, and had detected the prisoner plucking them
from a tree. The prisoner, in his defence, admitted
being in the orchard, but denied having taken any
apples, and vehemently protested that the prosecutor
had sworn false, having said before the " Archdeacon"
that the number of apples stolen were but two! The
prosecutor said he could not say what the apples were
worth, but he should think one penny. The prisoner
was fined sixpence and the costs, which amounted to
nine shillings ! He petitioned the court to allow him
a fortnight to pay the money, which the hon. magis-
trate said the law did not sanction, adding that if not
paid within half an hour, he should commit him to
prison for a week. A person in court immediately
lent the money, and the fine and costs were paid.
A similar charge was preferred against an elderly
labouring man, named Robert Hall ; who had been
detected in an orchard, belonging to Mr. Blake, of
IVithycombe Raleigh ; the prosecutor stated that he
did not wish to press the case against the prisoner, as the
apples were of very trifling value, and he had evinced
contrition. The value of the apples—one penny—and
a fine of twopence was inflicted, including costs, which
amounted to thirteen shillings !
Speaking of these cases the authority from which
we have taken this report states :
"The proceedings at Woodbury on Monday last
exhibit the defects of the present system of gratuitous
and volunteer jasticing. The business did not com-
mence till one hour after the time appointed, by
which all the suitors were delayed, and as no second
magistrate made his appearance, those cases which
required two magistrates to adjudicate thereon, were
necessarily postponed, and the suitors, after having
been brought a long distance, not unattended with
expence, after being kept hanging about the whole
day, were dismissed with the consoling reflection that
they were robbed of a precious day's time, and the.
sundry expences incidental to hanging about the inn
—because two magistrates could not be found zealous
enough to discharge the deities which they had volun-
tarily undertaken to perform. It is worthy of remark,
that the only magistrate who attended was the junior
Mr. Garratt. This gentleman's father was a trader in
London, saved money,came into Devonshire, and bought
a large estate. By virtue of possessing this estate, he was
made a justice of the peace, and by virtue of his son
standing before the world as his heir, he also has been
made a magistrate—there being a mysterious con-
nexion between the possession of acres and a know-
ledge of the principles of the law. We have nothing
to say against Mr. Garratt, who, we have no doubt, is
as worthy to administer the laws as other gentlemen
selected in the same way. But we doubt whether the
public will be satisfied much longer with this system
of magistrate•making. If gentlemen of landed for-
tune require the office for the completion of their dig-
nity, the least they can do when honoured with it is
to attempt to understand its duties, and to "sacrifice"
so much of their time as may be necessary to discharge
them.

We would also draw attention to the heavy costs
which these courts entail upon tho root. Here are
two old men detected in stealing apples. The cases
were considered so very trivial, that fines of sixpence
in one case, and twopence in the other, were deemed
sufficient to satisfy the ends of justice; but the cor-
morant law required larger satisfaction—the costs
attached to the sixpenny fine amounted to nine shil-
lings ; whilst the costs attached to the twopenny fine
amounted to thirteen shillings. Without remarking
on the enormous disparity between fine and costs, and
the cruel injustice which these costs inflict on the
poor, we would ask on what principle of justice can
we account ,for the higher amount of costs being
attached to the lower fine ?