The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVistiNG, DECEMBER, l7, 184&

OUTLINE of a PLAN for IMPROV-
ING the FISHERIES of GREAT BRITAIN and
IRELAND. By John Jagoe, Esq.

FRENCH AND BULGIAN RAIL-
WAYS.

The following are interesting extracts from the ap-
pendix to the report from the select committee on Rail-
way Acts Enactments just issued, pursuant to order of
the House of Commons ; they are quoted from the
" Abstracts of the Regulations of the French and Belgian
Railways :"
FRENCH RAILWAYS.

this proportion is the lower scale of charges in Fra• Ace,
producing for the same number of passengers or Nl', sight
of goods conveyed a smaller gross return.

BELGIAN RAILWAYS.

Belgium is the only country which at once 'traced
general network of railways. In 1833, Malimes being
taken as a central point. lines were projected to extend
east, west, north, and south; and this plan has since been
pursued under all the disadvantages of political and
commercial difficulties, with a perseverance deserving of
all praise.
The guiding principle of the Government in designing
the first railways was to make the Belgian lines the
great means of transit from the Rhine to the sea. Hence
the choice of Malines as a central point. But the
arrangement was purely artificial, and Brussels practi-
cally remains the principal point from whence all the
trains start, Malincs being of no more importance than
an ordinary station.

The Belgian Government lines now completed consist
of 559 kilometres, divided into sections, as follows:

Kilometres.
1. The Northern Line. From Brussels to
Malines and Malines to Antwerp, with
two branches
2. The Western Lines—Malines to Termonde,
Termondo to Ghent, Ghent -to Bruges,
Bruges to Ostend, Ghent to Courtray,
Courtray to Tormeny and the frontier
3. Eastern Lines—Malines to Louvain, Lou-
vain to Tirlemont, Tirlemont to Waremme,
Waremme to Ans, Ans to Liege, Liege to
Cheni:?, Chenee to- the frontier, Landen
to St. Trond
4. Southern Line—Brussels to Tubise, Tubise
to Soignies, Soignies to Mons, Mons to tho
frontier, Brain-le. Compte to Naun
The above network commenced on the sth of May,
1835, and was completed in October, 1843.
It consists of 235 kilometres of double way.
324 single way.

200

Making a total of 559 kilometres.
The gauge of all the lines is 1 metre 50 = 4 feet
inches. The space between the double line is 2 metres
-- 6 feet. The weight of the rails is 50Ibs. English to
the yard.
Klls. Miles. Francs. X.
23.5 = 145 of double line, cost 59,161,724 = 2,366,469
324 „ 202 of single line, cost 89,466,969 „ 3,578,679

559 „ 317 148,628,693 „ 5,945,148
The capital necessary for the construction of these
lines was raised as follows :

Effective 'Nominal
Capital. Capital.
June 18, 1836; Loan at 4 per cent. 24,524,164 f. —26,886,439 f.
May 25, 1838 ; Loan at 3 per cent. 32,267,256 ..45,857,439
June 26, 1840; Loan at 5 per cent. 69,472,643 ..73,557,947
June 29, 1842 ; Loa❑ at 5 per cent. 24,040,000 —23,484,487

130,264,063 f. 169,886,312 f.
The mean rate of interest being 4 86 per cent. per
annum.

The average cost of the whole series of 550 kilo-
metres, or 347 miles, was 265,883 francs per kilometre,
or 17;1321. per mile, which is thus divided .

per mile.
Frenes.
Land and compensation ............ 45,332 per kil. = 2,919
Earthwork, bridges, tunnels, &c. .. 111.227 „ „ 7,163
Permanent way ..... .......... 48,857 „ „ 3,146
Stations and buildings ........ . 17,905 ~ ~ 1,153
Working stock . • • • • 34,119 „ „ 2,207
Miscellaneous expenses.-- ....... 8,403 „ „ 550

Revenue, for the year ending the 21st of December,
1845, are as follows:
Passengers, first class 397,608
Ditto, second class
Ditto, third class 2 074.796
Soldiers, &c 27,612

Total passengers 3,470,678 producing £255,732
Luggage, 11,041,782 kilog = 10,867 tons,
17 cwt. 3 qrs., producing
Parcels, 241, 661 single packages, at 60 cen-1
times each. 45,061,340 kilog. =-- 41,354 tons,
14 cwt. 1 qr, large parcels
Goods of • all classes, 645,501,654 kilog.
635,336 tons 5 cwt. 2 qrs.
Specie, 32,848 parceli of money
Carriages, 3,552 in number .
Horses, 2,499 do.
Oxen and cows, 7,597 do.
Sheep and pigs. 30,005 do.

16,861

.}- 3,224

496,128

The working expenses, detailed as under, for
1845, amounted to 481 per cent. of gross re-
ceipts

240,437

Nett profits for 1845 0255,691
Yielding an interest on an expenditure of 145,628,693 F.,
or 5,945,148/, at;the rate of 4 1-3. per cent. per annuli.
The gross receipts for 1845 present an augmentation
over those of 1844, of 1,154,056 f. = 46,162/., notwith-
standing which, the produce of canal traffic in Belgium
for 1545 also exceeds that for 1844 by 473,640 r,
18,9451. The working expences for the year 1844
amounted to 51 2-10ths of the gross receipts ; and fcr
1843, to 61 9-10ths of ditto.

The working expenses are thus divided :
Administration, superior officers, clerks, print•-
ing-ofice expenses, and petty charges
Maintenance of road, workmen's wages, and
works executed, renewal of rails, chairs, and
sleepers
Locomotive engines, wages, coals, oil, &c,,
tools, and materials, repairs of engines and
carriages
Carrying expenses, guards, porters, clerks, in-
spectors, delivering goods in towns, &c.
Money department, clerks at ticket office, end
goods warehouses, rent of stations, light-
ing, &c.

632165

38,060

8,252

Total as above ~.... £240,473
The working stock at the end of 1845 consisted of
149 locomotive engines, of which 106 Belgian, 42 Eng•
lish, 1 American, 143 tenders, 654 passengers' carriages,
2,150 goods waggons, 394 trucks, for the service of the
lines ; and there were, in construction 1 passenger car-
riage of eighty-four places, on an American model, and
on eight wheels ; 118 passenger carriages ; 4 Post-office
ditto ; 375 goods waggons, various kinds.
The total mileage travelled was 1,702,832 miles, of
which 56 per cent. was for passengers' trains, and 44 per
cent. was for goods trains.
For the last five years the consumption of coke has
been— Kilogs. per League.
1840
1841

RAIL WAY INTELLIGENCE.

BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.—SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE
JUNCTION CON TR ACTS.—Con tracts for rails for a portion
of this company's line were taken to-day at prices that
indicate another advance on the price of iron.
BIRMINGHAM, WOLVERHAMPTON, AND DUDLEY.
The Directors of this company held a meeting at their
offices at Birmingham yesterday, for the purpose or re-
ceiving contracts for the wollts on that portion of the
line between Birnanghana and Great Bridge, the dis-
tance being a little more than six miles. The number of
estimates sent in was thirteen ; the one accepted was
from Messrs. Hood, Hill, and Hill. of Ramsay, Hants, it
being considerably under the parliarner,tary estimates.
The works, are to be completed with n eighteen months,
and it is understood to be the purp!so of this company
and of tha Biran-gliam and Oxford Junction to expedite
matters so far that the whole hoe from Fenny Compton
to Wolverhampton shall be opened in two years.
BIRMINGHAM AND` OXFORD JUNCTION. —The certifi-
cates of the sha-cs in this company ware issued at Bir-
mingham yesterday, and with the view to convenience.
shareholders,' they were supplied to the brokers in all
the large towns.

The EASTERN COUNTIES and the GREAT NORTHERN
are about conjointly to erect two immense docks at Wis•
bech, in connexion with their lines there. One of the
docks will cover an area of thirteen acres.
DISCHARGE OF
,MASONS ON THE CORK AND BANDON.
—On Tuesday last between sixty and seventy masons
were, by directions of the company's engineer, discoarged
from the work between Innishannon and Bandon, many
of them being from remote districts of the ceuntr, , and
who must by this step be subjected to sufferings rind pri-
vations too obvious to need being mentioned. We are
also in a position to state that, in consequence of this
proceeding on the part of the company, the contractor
will be compelled to discharge this evening two hundrkd
poor people, employed on labour work collateral with
the masonry, who have for some time past drawn their
only means of subsistence from the extensive employ-
ment afforded on the line. We are requested to correct
a report which appears in a contemporary-stating that
over sixty masons had been discharged from the work-
at Innishannon, and that no expectation of re-engage-
ment had been given them—the fact b.ing that arrange-
ments were contemplated for affording increased employ-
ment on the earth- works adjacent—which resulted in the
"temporary" removal of a much less number of masons
than above stated ; and we are credibly informed that
the number of men, including masons, will be consider
ably augmented on the Works near Bandon, in the course
of next week. The same paragraph states that the com-
pany cannot avail themselves of the sessional grants
lately made in favour of the railway, in consequence of
the non-possession of the land in the two baronies for
which the presentments were made. Such is not the
fact, the company being in actual possession of the land
required' in one barony, and three-fourths of the required
in the other, and would be in possession of the remain-
der before the grant could be fisted by the Treasury ;
but we understand that this company, as well as the
other railway companies, decline accepting the amounts
voted, in consequence of the very stringent conditions
insisted on by the Board of Works, which almost totally
prohibit railway companies from availing themselves
of the Treasury minute on this subject. —Cork Consti
tat ion.

.....—. --
it as" only a righteous expiation. They may learn,
to the
although too late, that he who owes everything
people may not play ,the people false ; and that it is
impossible for him to maintain his ground for any l
length of time, except by the same principes
as those which were . invok(d for the purpose of
securing his elevation. An hour must arrive when those
who have taken so much pains to stifle public enthusiasm
—in which those wlio have dried up almost all heartal
s,
by instilling into them the narcotic poison of politic
indifference, will draw back with horror before their cwt
work, and seek in vain aii7nnrt the people for the pa-
triotic ardour of other d.ls. They will only encounter
selfishness ; they will only find the deadly results of that
venom inoculated with all the mem-bers, and penetrating
the very marrow of- the body politic. What will it be
when the people who have been chastised for their lore
of liberty, shall hear the cry ot liberty raised by the very
individuals that considered it as a crime,
shall not reply ? words
But no ! we hope, at all events that the sacred
and the pee
of liberty" and " countr ," will find some echo in the
)
generous hearts that. fornierly palpitated for such d.es,r.
objects, and that the rattling of the chains, which itc.ll
intended to unite to those .that are already borne, ‘_„ls`.
rouse the people from their lethargic slumbers t u'..
pute the victory on which Absidutisin, confidently tr;sto
int.; to the general apathy, has presumed to rely- 1 0
cherish hopes, at all events, that constitutional Bor°..Po _
will notsuccumb to the y.,ke which is being prepared for
her, if she be liberated from that which she 211..eei
hears, if those who are at the heed of the CO
.r.t,
nations of Europe strive to re-animate the public syecle_
by handling other instruments, surrounding thet'thleir
with more popular itileisfe..:, and banishing from
sphere of action all liberticide influences. The defla,lic..e,,
Is'
othteaidlo,lnyaA,tileli,ane,;hi:
Anobtso,inalt)i,stosffered to libertY9.e.u.:
also
themselves too strong to think it wel:ti"'
heir while'
..—..... „,,,,. 6
WORK by ROBERT .T. CULVER WELL.
One Shilling each. by Dost ()nn awl gixPen,',*
deny it not ; 1-7-7
L 011
0 N SINGLE andMARRIE—
(An Original Medical Histor.r.,
t ectlons Early
- . CONTErth:
Analysis of the A T '
direction—M • mita] Anticipations and Realities—Lav,inl
telicitol.l.4 v
Maternal I
Infertile Untinenee—l'he7otneaa of Gestation-01?rriaes °
ons—lncongthotis Alliances - Late %,, ispefeac
Matches—Cni
te.sce. ariosities of Twenty-three Years' Med'
2.
~,,- 'ZINOBMENTS
Conventional Itestir,ate;sy!:,
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