The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-24 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

LAW OF RAILWAY AMALGAMATION.—The law, as it
at present stands, and as laid down :'or observanct by
the orders of Loth Houses of Parliament, on the subject
of railway amalgamations, is as follows:—Parliament
reqaires that in every railway Bill containing powars of
purchase, sale, lease, or amalgamation, a spacial clause
shall be inserted prohibiting any company from exer-
cising such powers until they shall have proved to the
satisfaction of the Railway Commissioners and of Par-
liament, that they have respectively paid up one-half of
the capital authorised by their Acts, by means of shares,
and expended for the purposes of their Acts a awe
equal thereto. It is also provided that in any measure
for the amalgamation of railway companies, in any future
session, the amount of capital created by such amal-
gamation should in no case exceed the sum of the capi-
tals of the companies so amalgamated. Evidence of
the facts necessary to be proved prior to permission to
amalgamate must be adduced before the Railway Com-
tnisAtners, and upon such evidence they have granted
certificates in each of the following cases:—Bristol and
Exeter (Glastonbury Navigation), London and South-
Western and Southampton anti Dorchester Amalgama-
tion; Aberdare (Lease of It:sff Vale), York, Newcastle.
and Berwick, and Great North of England Amalgama-
tion ; London and South-Wt stern, Exeter and Cretli-
ton, and Taw Vale Amalarmatien, Dundee and Perth,
and Dundee and Arbroath ; Caledonian and Wisher*.
and Coltness ; Caledonia and Scottish Central. The
law, though it applies of course, had not; when it
was originally framed, in contemplation such gigantic
fusions as the amalgamation of tile London and North-
Westerr, Great Western and South-Western Cora
parties ; and we understand, that in the ensuing ses-
sion the entire question will be reconsidered in all its
bearings.
RAILWAY LAW FOR THE CONVEYANCE 07 TROOPS.
—The taibject of the conveyance of troops by railway
has recently, at the instance of the Board of Ordnance
and the authorities of the War-office, received the con-
sideration of the law officers of the Crown, who have
adjudicated on several cases arising under the provisions
of the sth and 6th and 7th and Bth of Victoria. In one
of these cases an officer proceeding on duty by route,
unaccompanied by troops, was refused conveyance by
one of the express trains on the London and South-
Western Railway, at the rate of 2d. per mile, on the
ground that the company were bound only to provide
such conveyance by the ordinary trains; and upon the
question being referred to the Attorney and Solicitor-
Generals, the' have, upon looking at the bearing of the
statute on these cases, given it as their opinion that
railway companies are bound to provide conveyance for
troops at the fares and upon the conditions mentioned in
the statute by all trains starting at times fixed by the
company's time tables, by whatever name or description
such trains are known. According to this opinion, the
obligation to provide conveyance by the express trains
extends to the conveyance of troops generally, includ-
ing private soldiers as well as officers. Since, how-
ever, the accommodation by express trains is limited,
the military authorities do not think it expedient to en-
forcethis right, unless in the case of officers proceeding
on duty unaccompanied by troops. The charge for the
conveyance of soldiers is at the rate of Id. per mile per
man, but upon some lines the ordinary fares for third-
class passengers are less than at that rate ; and the
question on the representation of the Right Hon. Secre-
tary at War arose as to whether, under such circum-
stances, the companies could demand fares at the rate of
Id. per mile for the conveyance of soldiers travelling
under railway warrants. On the consideration of the
case, it was determined that the companies, when called
on to convey troops under an official order, would be en-
titled to charge the maximum fare of Id. per mile, al-
though it might be higher than the rate charged by
them to some ordinary class of passengers, and that It
might probably depend upon circumstances whether the
military anthorities should avail themselves of the low
fare by sending the soldiers as ordinary passengers, or
of the greater convenience and expedition insured in the
case of conveyance under an official order; but the au-
thorities have come to the conclusion that, consistently
with the conditions of the Act, both these advantages
could not be claimed at the same time.
AMALGAMATION OF THE EASTERN COUNTIES AND
EASTERN UNION.—This event is not likely to take place
until the latter company shall have completed its line to
Norwich.

PORTUGUESE EGGS —A large parcel of this article
has been received by Messrs. Keeling and Hunt, by the
Jupiter steamer, from Vigo. The parcel in question
being chargeable, by the new tariff, with a duty of 10d.
upon every 120 eggs, was cleared at Southampton, to
admit of their being Bent up by railway, to save the
channel voyage, by which deterioration of so perishable
an article is prevented.

The mercantile advices from -Vienna, of the 17th
inst., mention the destruction by fire of the large cotton
manufactory of Liebeg and Co., at Reichenberg, in Bo-
hemia. At these dates there was not much alteration in
the stock-market, but considerable uneasiness prevailed,
and prices had a downward tendency. The Five per
Cents. were 77i to and Northern Railroad shares 97}
to The premium on silver was 64 to 7, and on gold
15f to Between, the 6th and the 11th of November
the withdrawals from the savings•hank were by 1,433
pers,us, the amount being 147,774 florins; while of ete-
pos.ts the number was 429, and the amount 26,F38
florins. A notification had been issued suspending the
postal communication with Hungary, and troops were
coil( cting at all points to prevent intercourse with that
country. For this rt ason pri duce of cv.ry description,
'uch as wool, corn, cattle, Ste., was becoming dear at
Vik le, un the other hand, the In p.d-lor re vival
01 manufactures, which would have been sent in return
w,ts altogether pre vetoed.
PA RIM OF t',T. MARTIN'S- IN. TriE• FIELDS.—A
ti.ee tit% of the it haLitanta of this parish was held yeater-
day, Mr. Palmer, one of the churchwardens, in the
chair, for the inrpese of re ceiving a communication
rest ecting the elosirig of the burial-ground in liu,se 11-
court, 1), ury-lane, which for some years has been a
nui,arice to the inte-hrtants of that neighbourhood. The
hurchwardenv had, it appeared, in conjunction with a
lec .1 committee, obtained an interview with the Lord
Bishop of London on Wednesday last, and upon their re-
pie!entations, supported as they were by unquesticn-
able evidence, the Right Reverend Prelate consented to
issue a monition to the parochial authorities of St. Mary-
le-Strand to discontinue interments there. The meeting
expressel their unanimous satisfaction with this result,
and the churchwardens were cordially thanked for their
attention to the subject.
CITY OF LONDON SCROOLS.—Yesterday evening
the annual examination of the pupils of the City of
London Schools took place at the School-rooms, Harp-
alley, FArringdon-street, before the Right Hon. the Lord
Ma) or and several members of the Court of Common
Council. His Lordship's appearance was greeted with
much applause. The proceedings were opened with a
hymn, end after an examination in writing, spelling, &c.,
several excellent specimens of drawing executed by the
boys were exhibited and much admired. After singing
hymns and duets in very good style, the boys were exa-
mined in geography, arithmetic, Scripture reading,
English history, and grammar, and the Irish Commis-
sioners' Sequel to the Second Book. The ready and
intelligent replies given afforded much satisfaction to
numerous and respectable assemblage and called forth
the warmest approbation of his Lordship. At the close
of the evening the National Anthem was sung with
much taste and effe,ct by the whole school, and three
cheers were given to the Lord Mayor on his leaving the
school rooms.

The decline in Mexican stook yesterday was oc-
casioned by the understanding that the West India
mail had brought no remittance in specie on account of
dividends. It will be recollected that by this packet a
sum of 60,000 dolls. to 80,000 dolls. was expected from
Messrs. Manning and Mackintosh, 60,000 dolls. having
at the last dates been advised by them as being actually
in their possession. It now appears, however, that in
specie this packet has only brought the 22,000 dolls.
which Messrs Manning and Co. were then known to
have forwarded to Tampico, and 5,000 dolls. from their
house at Vera Cruz. We have yet to learn whether
the remainder has been transmitted in bills of ex..hange,
or it any explanation has been given for its non-
appearance.
JEWS AND GENERAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC
INSTITUTIoN.—Last evening a lecture was delivered be-
fore the members of this institution, at Sussex flail,
Leadenhall-street, by Barnard Vial Oven, Esq., M. 1).,
en the Genius and Poetry of the German poet Schiller,
and on the Principles of Poetical Translation. The
lecturer's chief object was to excite the attention of the
English reader to the talented productions of the cele-
brated German bard, and with this laudable view a de-
livered some excellent criticisms on Schiller's writings,
as a historian, novelist, dramatist, balladist, &c. He
also drew with just discrimination some admirable paral-
lels between the genius of Schiller and that of Shake
spere, Sheridan Knowles, and Barry Cornwall, and in-
terspersed his remarks with copious selections from the
German poet's works, which had been translated by the
lecturer himself, and in a manner that happily and very
creditably gave the spirit of the anther in an Eieglish
dress. In discussing the question, " How poetry should
be translated into poetry," the lecturer gave a decided
preference to what are termed free translations compared
with the more strict and literal ones; and illustrated his
views upon this point by introducing various specimens
of both. The lecture, which was altogether a very en-
tertaining one, was listened to with much interest by a
numerous and highly respectable audience, who warmly
applauded the lecturer at the close.
LEICESTER-SQUARE.--The appearance of' this area,
which has been so long a disgrace to the locality, is now
more wretched than ever. Very recently a person
having, as he imagined, bought the right to build upon
it, began staking out the ground plea of a bazaar; but
this hopeful speculation is, it seems, now in abeyance,
owing to the fact of a gentleman at Manchester, who is
a householder in the square, having obtained an injune-
tion, on the ground that there was in the old title-deeds
sn express provision that the space should never be built
upon, but kept open for the use, in common, of the resi-
dents in the square. At present, therefore, in addition
t) the verdureiess soil, the stunted bushes, and the rusty
railing, a number of rough-hewn pests confer an extra
feature of ugliness over this remarkable specimen of the
London picturesque.
All right-minded persons will be pleased to learn
that Thomas Littledyko, the old man whom the Marquis
of Exeter personally discharged from his employment
for accidentally voting against one of his nominees at
the Parliamentary election in 1847, has been appointed
an inmate of Truesdale's Hospital, in Stamford. The
nomination has been made by persons who aro generally
friendly to the Marquis' political movements, but who
undoubtedly felt that, in the case of Littledyke, revenge
kad been too cruelly and meanly carried out. The ap-
pointment has released All Saints' parish from the
burthen of supporting the poor old man.—Stamford
Mercury.
On Friday last the Mayor of Liverpool fined more
than 100 persons for having short weights, &o.