The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-26 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

SPECIAL RAILWAY ACTS.—Session 8 and 9

Victoria. 2 Vols.

Wo have here presented to us the railway legislation
which took place in the year 1845, by which no less
than 2.746 miles of railway were authorised to be con-
structed, at an estimated expense of 61,357,3741. 2s. 6(.1.
The technical parts of the Acts, the schedules of land,
Ece., have been omitted ; the merely formal clauses have
been briefly statecl,and all unnecessary repetition appears
to have been avoided, so that the work is reduced to as
moderate a compass as could be consistent with utility.
There also appears to be given a full index, facilitating
a reference to the various provisions. Mr. Bigg, jun.,
has offered some sensible introductory observations,
pointing
out the deficiencies of these statutes in ac-
curacy and uniformity, In the latter respect there ap-
pears to be a variance on almost every important point
in arrangement, in language, and in substance. The
shares appear to vary from 101. to 501. ; the calls, on
these shares, from 21. to 10/., which may be made at
intervals of from one to four months. The remedies given
to per: ens who lend their money, recovering the
sums due to them, by the appointment of a re-
ceiver, is in many of the statutes wholly-
omitted ; but where it is introduced the amount
which must be owing to the creditors by Whom
the application must be made, varies from 3,0001. to no
less than 100,000/., a sum so large as to render very
little facility indeed to creditors, and worse than use-
less, as its introduction may possibly be held to limit
the jurisdiction which the Court of Chancery might
otherwise exercise o'er the company, in the appoint-
ment of a receiver. There is also a considerable variance
in the number and qualification of the directors, of
the number of shareholders, and amount of capital
to be held by those necessary to be present to consti-
tute
a general meeting ; and, also, who shall be en-
titled to call an extraordinary meeting ; the scale of
voting prescribed for the different shareholders, the
qnantity of land authorised to be taken for extraor-
dinary purposes, and the time limited for its compulsory
purchase, which varies from one to five years ; and the
time for the completion of the works. But the point
most interesting to the public at large, and which eer-
taiuly cannot be looked on as merely affecting the in-
terests of the companies, and on which uniformity
should be strictly observed, is the maximumi rate of
charges authorised to be levied. lere we find
that the rate varies per mile d. d.
- -

For horses - 3 to 6
For sheep
For carriages
For goods per ton :
Coals

1 to 4

Corn 1 T to 6
General merchandise
For passengers
.
First-class
Second-class
Third• class

On this great difference we have the following re-
marks :
"The principle of limiting the rates of charges to be made
by railway companies is excellent, but, like many other ex-
eellent theories, is useless for want of a practical application.
For instance, if one hundred sheep be conveyed on a rail-
way for a distance of forty-eight miles, that company is re-
strictedfrom charging more than five pounds ; the utility of
the principle of limitation in this case will ha evident ; but
when another company, by an Act passed the same session,
is, for the conveyance on their railway of the same number of
sheep and the same aistance, authorised to charge the sum
of fifty pounds, the principle (if any) upon which the maxi-
mum charges are based is difficult to be understood, and the
only inference that can be drawn is that the companies are
left to fix as high a rate as they think fit."
There are also some excellent Euggestions as to the
manner in which this uniformity, so much to be desired,
may be secured by the adoption of certain general rules
to be made applicable to every Bill.
There is also a tabular ab:3tract given, presenting at
one view a statement of the various powers granted by
this enormous map of legislation to the several' com-
panies. 'There are in all one hundred and twenty Acts, of
which fifty- eight Acts authorise the incorpora:ion of
companies with power to construct lines of railway.
Forty-seven Acts: authoritr.e the construction of
branches, or extensions of existing railways, by com-
panies previously incorporated ; and fifteen Acts are for
the raising of additional capital, the amalgamation or
leasing of lines, or otherwise amending the provisions of
former Acts, without authorising the construction of any
new railway or branch. On the whole, the work will be
valuable, not merely to persons connected with the
it gal profession, but to all who arc in any way interested
in railways.

A TREATISE on the PRACTICE of COMMIT-
TEES of the HOUSE of COMAIONS, with Refe-
rence Especially to PRIVATE BILLS. By Charles

Frere, Esq.
Mr. Frere, from his profession as a barrister, and his si
tuation as one of the clerks in the office of the Chief Clerk
of the house of Commons, would appear to have pecu-
liar facilities for the execution of the task which he has
imposed on himself, and he has discharged it in such a
manner as to have produced a work much wanted at
the present time. Ile sets forth shortly the course of
proceeding of the Committee, from its first appointment
under the order of reference, through its entire proceed-
ings ; the manner in which the agents nod counsel for
the promoters, and also for the opponents of the Bill,
must appear, in order to be heard thereon ; the manner
and order of the examination and cross-examination of
the witnesses ; and also the extent to which the oppo-
nents, whether competing lines or private individuals,
whose interests may be affected by the proposed Bill,
will be permitted to go in their opposition ; and the
whole of the matter stated is supported by selections
from the standing orders -, and by resolutions adopted
by different Committees before whom questions of inte-
rest have been mooted. The order of arrangement is
good, and the information is conveyed in language suited
to all capacities. It will be found a valuable addition
to the works already before the public on Parliamentary
proceedings.

THE NEWSPAPER PRESS DIRECTORY,
containing full particulars relative to each Journal
published in the United Kingdom and the British Isles,
together with a Coniplct3 Guide to the Newspaper Press
of each County for the year 1846. By Charles
Mitchell.
This book is a marvel; it not only performs all that
is promised in the title page, but it does more. In ad-
dition to the information therein promised it gives us,_
in two introductory chapters, a well-written history of
the newspaper press, its origin and progress, and also a
history of the rise of the railway press. The particulars
given of the various journals, which comprise the date
of their establishment, the politics and particular in-
terest advocated, the names of the publishers, are
written with fairness and impartiality. As a work of
authority on newspaper statistics, the Directory is valu-
able, and as it is intended to continue the work an-
nually ; and, to make it a record of all changes in news-
paper property occurring in each year, it will be a
standard book of reference with respect to the news--
paper press.

COURT CIRCULAR.
Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, accompanied by his
Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince of Saxe Meiningen,
and attended by the Countess of Sheffield, Lady in Waiting,
visited the Queen and Prince Albert yesterday at Bucking-
ham Palace, and remained to luncheon with her Majesty and
his Royal Highness.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited her Ma-
jesty yesterday.
The Queen and Prince Albert took their accustomed early
walk yesterday in the royal garden.
Sir Robert Peel bad an audience of her Majesty yesterday.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince Al-
fred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice were taken
an airing in an open carriage and four yesterday, accompa-
nied by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton.
The royal dinner party yesterday at Buckingham Palace
included her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, the Duke
and Duchess of Buccleuch, the Marquis of Abercorn, Lady
Augusta Bruce, Baroness de Speth, Viscount Jocelyn, Mr.
George Edward and the Eon. Mrs. Anson, and Captain
Francis Seymour.
The band of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, under
the direction of Mr. J. R. 'Litton, was in attendance at the
Palace during dinner, and performed the following pieces :
Overture—" Masaniello"—Auber.
Polonaise—H. Proch.
Selection—" Crusaders"—Benedict.
Waltzes—" Errinerung au Pesth"—Straus.
The Duke of Wellington gave a grand dinner yesterday
evening at Apsley House, to the Noble Directors of the Con-
cert of Ancient Music, his Grace being the Director for the
evening. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge were present, attended by Lady Augusta Cadogan
and Mr. Edmond Mildmay, and afterwards accompanied their
Noble Host to the performance of the Concert. His Royal
Highness Prince Albert, attended by his suite, also honoured
the performance of the Concert with his presence.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent took an airing
in a carriage yesterday:
A deputation, consisting of Mr. J. Gresham, mayor of
Hull, Mr. B. M. Jalland, of Hull, Mr. Thomas Thompson,
town-clerk of Hull, accompanied by Sir J. Hanmer, and Mr.
Hutt, M.P., had an interview with Sir George Clerk, yester-
day, at the office of the Board of Trade.
The Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England had a
general meeting yesterday, at the office in Whitehall-place.
There were present, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Bishops of London, Bangor, Carlisle, Chester, Ely, Oxford,
and Rochester, the Earl of Beseborough, and the Right Hon.
H. Hohhouse.
The Earl of Ripon gave a dinner yesterday evening to the
Cabinet Ministers at his residence in Carlton Gardens.
The Earl of Haddington and the Hon. F. Charteris had
interview with the Earl of Dalhousie yesterday, at the
office of the Board of Trade,
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office,
from the Governor of the Mauritius and the Cape of Good
Hope.
Dispatches for the Governor of Hong-Kong and Ceylon
; were sent off on Tuesday evening from the Colonial •office.
es —....,,,.....,...,.....,...........

At Drury-lane last night every part of the theatre
was crowded as usual, Miss Rainforth and Harrison were en-
cored in their balladP, and the curtain made to reascend for
the exluisite finale in which Miss Rotner surpassed herself.
The ballet of La Tarantule was also received with en-
thusiasm.

HER MAJESTY'S VISIT TO ASTLEY'S.—A number of
persons were charged with attempting to pick pockets In front of
Astley's Theatre, during her Majesty's visit to that theatre on the
preceding evening. Amongst them was a youth, named Alfred
Rolton, who was sworn to as having made several attempts to ease
the spectators of their loose cash. This youth is apprenticed to a
respectable. cigar manufacturer, and his mother is a respectable wo-
man, so that he had not the slightest necessity to resort to dishonest
practices. It seemed, however, that, in December last, he was
committed to prison for a month, for attempting to pick the pocket
of Mr. Evans, the superintendent of the M division of police.
Mr. Henry committed him for two months to Guildford House of
Correction.
CAPITAL PUNISIINENT.—The poor Duke of Norfolk
has been nearly choked to death, but we offer the following as the
last of the jokes upon the curry-powder. According to Gibbon, in
his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (vol. i. ch 6), " The in-
vention of a sauce was liberally rewarded, but if it was not relished
the inventor was compelled to eat of nothing else till he had disco-
vered something more palatable to the imperial palate." We wonder
how the Duke of Norfolk would like being condemned to a diet of
Totijours Quin!—Punch.