The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-20 00:00:00

- -
MR. BANNERMAN, M.P.

If our City Member wish to retain the good opinion
of the majority of his Liberal supporters, he Tonic' re-
quire to adopt some method of putting a stop to the
praises that are lavished upon him by a very disreput-
able and uninfluential portion of the community. He has
nothing to fear from Hoo-hea•mee, and the factious at-
tacks of the Constitutional can do him little harm ; but
there is real danger to be apprehended from the support
given him by the Non intrusionists. We need hardly
tell Mr. Bannerman that three-fourths, at least, of his
constituents are Moderates, and that, if the Church
question run as high at the next election as it does now,
no person who favours the highflyers will have the
slightest chance of being returned. This he knows as
well as we do. Why, then, should he irritate his
warmest friends by unnecessarily giving his countenance
to the leaders of the wild party ?
It may be quite true that he did not commit him-
self to the Non-intrusion side by attending the Non-
intrusion meeting in this city, and waiting upon the Non-
intrusion Deputation in London ; but, as we asked be-
fore, would he have done as much in either way, had the
men whom he was countenancing been Chartists, instead
of clerical, contemners of the law? It may be true also
that giving a dinner to Dr. Chalmers and the Moderator
of the late Assembly was a mere act of courtesy ; but was
not the noble friend right who said he took care so to act
that such persons had very little chance of paying him a
visit ? We say nothing here of the subscription of Mr.
N. Smith's requisition—the requisition of a man avowedly
put forward on Non-intrusion principles—because we be.
lieve Mr. Bannerman will, when required, subscribe the
requisition of the other Liberal candidate for the same
ward, and thus show that it is not as a Non-intrusion-
ist that he supports Mr. Smith ; but we ask Mr. Ban-
nerman, and we ask him in earnest, to take some
means of letting the public know that his other acts
which have been construed into a leaning in favour of
Non intrusion were not so, but merely the countenance
due from a Member to a portion of his constituents,
and from a gentleman to his friends.
Is Mr. Bannerman aware that he is claimed by the
Non-intrusionists? If he is, does he countenance this
claim ? These arc questions which, we trust, for the
satisfaction of his stanchest friends, he will speedily
answer in the negative.—Aberdeen Herald.

COMPARATIVE DANGERS OE
RAILWAY AND ROAD TRAVELLING.

The question of the comparative safety of railway
and of common road travelling has lately been mooted
iu the daily papers, with some unfairness on the one
side, and with much interested zeal on the other. There
can be no doubt that, taking the number of passengers
carried, and the distances travelled, the accidents by
railway have been fewer than those, on the same
number and distance, conveyed by coach. But this
is not the point to be considered ; for it is no
answer to a charge of neglect and want of care on
railway managers, to assert that more accidents have
happened by coach travelling. The object to be attained
is the greatest amount of safety that each mode
of conveyance affords, by taking proper care, and by
rendering available, to the fullest extent, the means
which the present state of knowledge presents.
In railway travelling, the principal sources of danger
that arise from travelling on common roads are avoided.
The accidents, from the uncertain nature of animal
power, and from coming into collision with other carriages
or obstacles, are those of most frequent occurrence on
common roads. These are, to a certain extent, almost
inevitable from the circumstances of the case. It may
a:so be stated, that the comparatively small number of
persons conveyed in each stage-coach, makes it impos-
sible to appoint men of a superior grade as coachmen
to those usually employed ; and the smallness of the
number also diminishes, to the same degree, the import-
ance of the trust. From these dangers, travelling by
railway is exempt. The accidents arising from sudden
jerks and strains, produced by roughness in the road,
are also avoided by railways, and the lowering of the
centre of gravity, which is easily attainable in railway
carriages, also contributes mainly to their safety.
Against all these advantages are to be placed the
danger from the possible bursting of the boilers, and
that arising, necessarily, from the greater rapidity of
the motion. The first additional source of danger is
almost nominal ; for, since the introduction of tubular
boilers, very few accidents have occurred from explo-
sion. It is the rapidity of the motion •ahich occasions
the chief additional risk in railway travelling. This
cause operates in two ways ; by increasing the liability
to accident—and, secondly, by magnifying the calami y
when accidents occur. These sources of danger, exelu•
sively incident to railway travelling are, however, greatly
counterbalanced by the advantages we have enumerated.
They are dangers also that in a great measure may be
guarded against by proper care, and by improvements in
the machinery emploped.
This should not be viewed as a question merely be-
tween stage coach travelling and conveyance by rail-
way ; the question is, have the managers of railways
taken sufficient advantage of the additional means of
security which railway ccnveyance, if properly con-
ducted, affords ? If they have not done this, they
are chargeable with shameful neglect of duty, even
though the lucky chance has been theirs not to experi-
ence a single accident on their particular line. Any
day such an accident may occur. The greatest possible
extent of destruction of human life, by accident to a
train of railway carriages, naturally causes more anxiety
and awakens more public interest to the system of con-
ducting this mode of conveyance, than to the appoint-
ments of isolated stage coaches, in which the numbers
perilled are so few. _ _

The anxiety to see this important means of internal
communication placed on the basis of greatest security,
may perhaps assume the appearance of hostility to rail-
way managers, and to the system generally. We be-
lieve, however, that the hostility is confined entirely to
the defects of the system, and not to the system itself.
For ourselves, we can say, that though we have never
hesitated to condemn, and strongly, the abuses which
exist in railway management, to point out defects and
urge improvement, we view the establishment of rail-
ways as a great national gain. We only rogret that the
advantages hitherto derived from theta, and the security
they are adapted to afford, have not been equal to their
capabilities, nor to the well-founded expectations of the
public.—lnventors' Advocate.

THE LATE FIRE AT THE EARL OF Li-
vErtroocs, NEAR KINGSTON.—On Saturday a special
meeting of Magistrates took piece at the Court-house.
Kingston, for the purpose of instituting an inquiry into
the circumstances connected with the late destructive fire
at Park Farm, Kingston, the property of the Earl of Li-
' verpool, when property to the amount of 2,0001. was
.des-
troyed. In consequence of the susp"cions that were cre-
ated, that the fire was the work of an incendiary, the po-
lice of the district have used every exertion to ascertain
the origin of the fire, and in consequence of what they dis-
covered they were induced to apprehend two men named
James Peters and William Howard, who had been working
at the farm, and they were on Saturday brought before the
bench. The Magistrates present were Sir Richard Fre-
derick, T. W. Spicer, Esq., and Richard Sharpe, Esq.
After a lengthened inquiry the Magistrates consulted for
some time, when the Chairman said that the Bench did not
think that at present there was sufficient evidence to cri-
minate the prisoners, and they must therefore be discharged.
The inquiry occupied several hours.
WILLIAMS, TILE MISSIONARY.—The sum
already subscribed for the widow and family of this deeply
lamented individual amounts to 1.6581. 183 10d. Amongst
the subscriptions we notice 321. from the Wesleyan chapel
at Adelaide, South Australia.