The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-26 00:00:00

Ar broath and Forfar ••••• •• • •

Chester and Birkenhead. •• •• • • •• •• •
0 üblin and Drogheda. • •• •• ••• •• •• •
Dublin and Kingstown •• •• • • • • • • •
Dundee and Arbr0ath..............
Durham and Sunderland .•• ..
Edinburgh and G1a5g0w...........
Eastern Counties and North Eastern.
East Laneasihre •• •• ........ • •- .
Eastern Union •• •• •• •• •• .. •• •••• •

Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr -• • •
Glasgow and Greenock •• • • . • • • • • .
•

Gravesend and R0che5ter............
Great Southern and Western
Great Western, &c .. • ....... ........
' Hartlepool .........................
London and North Western, &c..— • .
London and 81ackwa11..............
London and 8right0n......•........
Londoa and Croydon ... .....
Londod and South Western
Manchester, Bolton, and Bury ......
Manchester, Leeds, and Hull Assoc•.
Maryport and Carlisle • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Midland, Bristol, and Birmingham.. •.
Newcastle and Carlisle • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Newcastle and North Shields....
Newcastle and Berwick • • • • • .......
North British • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Paris, Corbeil, and Orleans.. •••• ••••
Pads and Rouen. •• •• •• •••• •• ••••

Preston and Wyre•• •• •• •• • .

Sheffield and Manche5ter............
South Eastern and Branches .... •...
South Devon• • ...... . •• • ...........

Tatl' Vale • ..... • • • •

meter . ........

York and Newcastle . .. •......

York and North Midland... ....

A DIATRIBE ON BOXING-DAY.
The denizens of this great leviathan—London—the
Babylon of the nineteenth century—were never blessed
'ph a finer day than this—bright, clear, bracing—a
Yto knit the human frame with iron threads, and to
utt
-ghten and warm the heart—a day, coupled with the
101,1nory of yesterday, to win men from the sin and woe
shjthe past to gentler aspirations—kindness, good-fellow-
,,Pt charity I
London seems mad on such a day as this ! quite mad !
ere's not a nook, or frowzy court or alley, whose
`ltid vapours, in the warmer seasons, load the air with
Pf,Ltagion and death, with direst fevers, but pours
frus to-day its myriads, anywhere, everywhere.
Cie crime-stained, the virtuous—for virtueis not wholly
risked from the dirtiest nooks—and the sickly, leave
tb the nonce their plodding way of life, and hurry into
tZt !ride streets and mix with the throng. 'The well-
-0 lea Maid of all work—too often the harshly ruled
er British slave—the apprentice, the errand boy, and
rest of the domestic fraternity, find at least, after
rtelr useful toils, a day without alloy, a respite from the
zours of the kitchen and household affairs, from the
412 and the street—and sally forth, decorated to the
bl.`,of their ability, to make the best of it, and
I°e, to " spend their hard won penny fee."
ih
er °se of other trades and occupations, from the small
.
ave-Reper to the veriest costermonger, take ease to-day,
litsLlell the streets and public-houses, or—for the public
11 , is turning another way—take advantage of the
sea:vl"al exhibitions—those which, being free, truly.d.e-
tali: the appellation—and with their wives and families
their refining influence. We passed by many
$ itYi and, measured by those who passed in the brief
th pa_ ee of a minute, how many would visit them in
;course of the day!
the Thames was alive, too ; the "silent highway "
is- no small number trona the crowded arteries of the
`rowded city, for the cheap boats along the whole
t°ll,rse they run were liberally patronised.
its'reenvvich, London's nearest " watering place," had
sprinkling of visitors, and the suburbs, which do
In ;ear a very inviting aspect at this time of the year,
:°_!( d charmingly to day, for troops of young and old,
"Ichildren released from school, made them merry.
Truly this is a national holiday—a supplemen-
-7
"11 day of rest, which, like yesterday, brings kin-
used together—lets the anvil cool, in order that
-"No who toil at it from year to year may
make-merry and holiday indeed ! which sets the toil-
Worn by unanimous content and approbation free, and
Who, by boisterous mirth, provokingly uneven gaits,
tied communion too frequently with their " mother
earth," testify their respect for such occasions, which
, unhappily, too raro.

LITERATURE.
IenEATISE ON THE STAMP LAWS. By
4h Tilsley, Assi,tant Solicitor of Stamps and Tales.
our a have much pleasure in calling the attention of
tle4lrteressional readers to this publication, by a gen-
and an Peculiarly qualified, by his official position
to p,,exPerience, to render a work of the kind valuable
pra-le° of business. The almost endless points of
limetiee. which arise daily in the offices of solicitors,
co,. which are generally the subjects of inquiry and
ts_usultation at Somerset House, evince the necessity
fol' such a work by a competent hand.
Theb book before us appears to embrace the whole
Y of the law of stamps, comprising statutes whose
lame is Legion, and a review, very full and elaborate,
Where any importance or difficult seems to re-
quire it, of all the
have from
time to time occupiedcases which
the attention of the
different Courts. The constantiv recurring subject
of probate and legacy duties •"
copiously, the present state of the law
treated somewhat
be developed by legal
ralating to it,
8° far as it may be said to
decisions, being lucidly deduced and orphaned-.
The
generally, by its classification and arrangement,
llPeeuliarly adapted for facility of referenc, a eir_
'llnutance in no slight degree enhancing its value
and utility to practical men. The tables collate the
meal 11°Ie of the present duties payable in the United Ring.
I embodying in the most convenient form, partica-
illira both as to duties and exemptions, collected, and
reretcrtfre to be sought out from a host of Acts of Par.
lotoient to which references are made. The care and
*hour bestowed upon the work can have been of no
(Chi ar amount, and the result cannot fail to be
acceptable to the profession generally.

tito ItIIA.IMOUGHT SEAMEN'S HOSPITAL.— The soli-
of r?f this noble charity has recovered a legacy of 600/.,
whtch the society had no information until three years
after the demise of the benefactor, a captain of a mer-
e it ship, —Nautical Standard.
to GREAT BRITAIN STEAMER.—We are enabled
announce that the directors have finally abandoned all
ic,o'll aeon
of attempting to raise.this ill-fated vessel, hay
ell a letter to that effect, addressed to our talentedof
bi—unn, Mr. Matthew Stead, in which the ingenuity
lain' Plan Was acknowledged, Captain Claxton, at the
e tune stating it to be the 412th received by them,—
ea Town
buMessenger.
anti
Rl:Mix AND HOLYHEAD PACKETS.—The Dublin
Ate °lYhead Railway Company are about to build four
wltahr°,',llackets to run to and from Dublin, in conjunction
" l
toe railway. They are to be of first-rate designs,
vessellls order to encourage competition, and secure good
Prenii„'2 11e1 have most liberally determined to offer a
the ,071,. 13f 1.0004 to the builder of the boat which, in
with the-sieZi,;welve months, makes the quickest passage
Will be 'Eilleat amount of repairs. Of course the boats
W°f ir°ll
e r --Nautical Standard.
We have ed in
oitlyertofiorrets a .letter from Rome of the 11th :
just passed a dreadful night. The rain fell
, with lightning and thunder. The Tiber
Parts. "Pi its banks, and inundated the city in manyde
atro„ In the vicinity large quantities of corn are
arc "eu, whole flocks have perished, and several persons
said to have lost their lives. The waters of the
Tiber are now returning to their bed."
tin,keren acres of land, in Hermiston, sold on Friday
night last for 95/. and a second lot of ten acres
t'r 84/ per acre,
le • Per acre. The North Wood at Ingilby, contain-
einllinety acres, was sold the same evening for 4,000/
cola Mercury.
stel'°ltElGN CATTLE.—The Sir William Wallace
to alter, arrived at Blackwell from Boulogne, has brought
colther entire cargo of live cattle comprising forty-two
'lB and 600 sheep, the produce of France.
'MCC
Do. inENT.—An aged man (name unknown), sup-
to be a resident in Maiden-lane, Battle-bridge,
tilaran.l.,ast night run over by a cab, the driver of which
wm, 'LI out t.O he asleep at the time. The injured man
ec—e,„Pftasing along Maiden-lane, and the horse was pro-
No"`ng at the moment of the accident at an uncontroled
eof 12 miles an hour. Mr. Benjamin Gardener, of
ticTaington Gravel-pits, happening to be passing at the
andel to company
with his wife, witnessed the accident,
co P.ursued and bvertook the cabman, who seemed un-
hrlalous of what had occurred. The injured man, from
cab mouth blood gushed profusely, was placed in the
„,,_! and conveyed in a speechless state to the nearest
-"‘'.,glent hospital. There was no policeman near.
an,T ALL INTO A SEWER.—On Christmas-eve as a
A
namEd John Phelps, living in Lant-street, South-
• *was returning home through the Borough Mint,
With a
din_ goose that he had provided for his Christmas
Pole beine• the worse for liquor, he reeled against a
ri;'.le placed Co guard an opening into the sewer, and fell
He was extricated with difficulty.
a_Petitions are being-numerously signed in Lincoln,
v,,Lord Palmerston, praying that the Government will
or 01:apt to negociate with France for justice to the Queen
Wileite and her subjects.--Lincoln Mercury.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
TIMES.—The political and commercial interests con-
necteri with the establishment of the principal lines of
railway on the continent of Europe are of such imoort-
ance to the independence, security, and prosperity of the
states through whose territories these lines may pass,
that the subject deserves more notice than it has hitherto
received in this point of view. The effect of railroads in
England has been to concentrate the resources of the
kingdom, and to give a greater energy to our naticnal
unity; but the system is interrupted by our coasts, and
our insular position relieves us from the necessity of
closely investigating the consequences of rivalry or con-
nexion with the railroads of adjacent states. On the
continent, on the contrary, it is obvious that the position
of railways with reference to the population and the go
vernment of foreign states is a matter of the greatest
moment. A common interest has suddenly commenced
between countri• s which view. d one another a few 3 ears
ago with jealousy or indifference; and, again, a new
source of rivalry has sprung up between other commu-
nities, hitherto united by the closest intimacy, which is
already leading to political consequences. In central
Europe the construction of railways involves
not only questions of domestie, interest, but of
foreign policy. Russia and France may, from their
territorial position, construct their most important
lines without much reference to ths policy
of other states ; but almost all the other lines of Europe
are parts of a great whole, not subject to the same pelt-
tical authority, and the real termini of all these lines
may be said to lie in some foreign territory, since they
are incomplete until they are prolonged to the sea.
Three great longitudinal lines of railway are now partly
opened and in course of construction between the coasts
of the Atlantic Ocean or the North Sea and that of the
Mediterranean. The first lies entirely within the terri-
tory of France, and will pass, when it is completed,
from the ports of Havre and Calais, through Paris and
the centre of the kingdom, to Marseilles. The second
line, and that which is by far the most advanced at the
present moment, extends from Hamburgh to Trieste;
and some of our readers will perhaps be surprised to
learn that, with the exception of about 160 English
miles, this line is already open to the public. From
Hamburgh to Berlin the line is now completed, which
unites the capital of Prussia with the principal port of
Northern Europe. From Berlin it proceeds to Leipzig
and Dresden, where it is interrupted by the unfinished
portion of the road between Dresden and Prague ;
but, passing more to the east, another line now
open extends through Breslau to Ratibor to Olmutz,
a distance of about forty English miles, the
line is as yet interrupted. But both from Prague and
from Olmutz the great Northern line of Austria takes
up the traffic, and conveys it through Vienna, and
thence by the Styrian line as far as Cilly, in Carinthia.
Cilly is about 120 miles from Trieste, and at no distant
period the whole of this line will be completed. These
two great trunk lines are wholly under the control, the
one of France, the other of Austria, Prussia, and the
North German states. But in the meanwhile a third
line of the greatest importance to centtal Europe has
been formed, and in great part opened to traffic, starting
from Ostend, Antwerp, and the Dutch ports, and pro-
ceeding (though at present with several interruptions)
to Basle. There it stops for the present, but it is pro-
posed to connect these Rhenish railroads by a branch
through Bavaria and Wirtembere• with another line which
would pass:along the valley of the Middle Rhine from Lan-
dau on the Lake of Constance, through the cantons of St.
Gall and the Grisons, to I)issentis. In the vicinity of that
place a passage of the Alps, said to be practicable by a
tunnel of two miles and a half long, has been sur-
veyed, by which the road would emerge in the Val
Blegno, and descend to Lugano, where it would unite
with the railroads of Piedmont, and proceed either to
Genoa or to the branches which may hereafter be
formed in connexion with southern Italy. The physical
obstacles to this lino are probably not greater than those
which have been surmounted by the boldness and skill
of the Austrian engineers in carrying their line through
the valleys of the Styrian Alps. The more serious im-
pediments which may retard the execution of the scheme
are of a political nature, and it may not be without
interest or utility to point them out. It is
a matter of vital interest to southern Germany to
open a line of railway communication with the Me-
diterranean coast, and it is no less important to Pied-
mont to have this line connect Genoa with the
north of Europe. Both the states of the Zollverein
and the Court of Turin have everything to appre-
hend, and nothing to gain, from the competition of
the great lines of France and Austria, shackled as they
are by the duties and formalities of the prohibitive
system now in force in those countries. But, on the other
hand, France and Austria are naturally disposed to view
with no little jealousy and alarm the project of a railway
connecting so many of the freest commercial states of
the continent, and establishing a direct communication
between the whole of Italy and the Rhine. The minor
Powers which are especially interested in the promotion
of the scheme, namely, Piedmont, the Swiss Cantons,
and the southern kingdoms of Germany, are, perhaps,
deficient in financial resources and political vigour to
carry it into full execution; but it concerns their inde-
pendence and their future prosperity not to allow it to
be sacrificed to the rivalry of their more powerful neigh-
bours, and especially of Austria. The Austrian Go-
vernment are resolved that, if they can prevent it,
northern Italy shall not be opened by a line of traffic
passing on the western side of the Lago Maggiore, and
through the Cantons of Tessin and the Grisons; and
hey have, not unnaturally, fixed upon Switzerland as
:he weakest link in the chain, and the one least able
to resist their hostile interference. The Austrian
Charki d'Affaires at Berne has recently been detached
on a special mission to the Grisons—a canton in
'Aid' Austria has at times exercised a peculiar in-
fluence ; the Austrian forces in the Vorarlberg have
been augmented ; and if the course of political events
should give any colour to the intervention in Swiss
affairs which Austria meditates, she will not forget to
place herself in such a position as effectually to break
the line of communication across the Alps outside her
own frontiers. No doubt the Jesuits, and the Radicals,
and the convents, and the free- corps will be the osten-
sible grounds of such a measure ; but we suspect the
desire of thwarting the plan of this railroad will prove a
great aggravation of the political misdemeanours of
Switzerland in the eyes of the Austrian Ministers.
Nlennvrhile the open hostility of Austria to the scheme,
and the various intrigues she has resorted to in order to
defeat it, have irritated the Court of Turin, and roused
the indignation of that portion of the Italian people who
are not Austrian subjects. The time is come when the
[-louse of Savoy, if we may judge from the incidents of
the last few months, refuses to acknowledge the control
of Austria in the affairs of Piedmont and the other states
of Italy. Not long ago Austria requested that two of
the most eminent literary men in Italy, who are known
by their adherence to the cause of moderate liberty and
national independence, should be sent away from
Turin, although they were natives of the country ;
Ind we regret to add, that the French Minister at Turin
did not blush to support that impolitic and ungenerous
demand. The Piedmontese Government refused to
withdraw its protection, and even its favour, from the
gentlemen in question ; and on several other occasions
it has given proofs of a strong determination to perse-
verein a vigorous and independent line of policy, which
may effect in northern Italy changes as great as those
which Pius IX. has commenced in the south. Amongst
these reforms and improvements the construction of rail-
roads is not the least important, not merely for their
practical convenience, but because they are at once the
means and the object of national union and international
combination. The internal power and prosperity of Italy,
and her internal relations with the rest of Europe, can-
not be more effectually promoted at this time than by
the extensive introduction of railroads. Austria has
shown the immense importance she attaches to the sub-
ject by the rapid execution of her own great undertak-
ings of
soothe kinld, which would do honour to any nation ;
but uss
who may seek rill
heir ad t ein following her example.
van ag
CHRONICLE.— to surmount. her jealousy of States
Town Council ontrains of
the Edinburgh
yesterday, and stoppage of the Sunday
the The discussion of the Edinburgh
Glasgow -Railway, which we pub-
lishedfree agency of the public
that very monstrous and with the
is a tolerably significant proof that
will
interference
Scotland. The motion of Me
Council should oppose any not long be endured in
liament by the Edinburgh and Glasgow
31111 brought into Par-
• C. B. Tait, that the Town
Com-
pany until the old facilities oe Sunday
Railway
restored, was evidently looked poennxatar Lye: conveyance are
proved of his main object as an some who ap-
was, however, affirmed by the council bygraomajority of
twenty to seven ; and upon very good
formerof the
enormous
Bill,
speueenidis it will
be thought by any one who reads the
mover. The company, in obtaining its
which upon public grounds gave it a right of
interference with the property of others, made a virtual
if not a legal compact to leave the public no worse off
in respect to the means of conveyance than it was before.
But before the railway was made there were coaches, by.
which the poor man who had no vehicle Of
his own could travel upon the Sunday. The
coaches have been put down by the railway
as effectually as if they were prohibited by
law, and it is a clear violation of an understood agree•
ment to deprive the public of their only substitute. The
Edinburgh Town Council, as knowing and representing
the local interests of the city, is bound to submit this
breach of faith to Parliament as a reason against grant-
ing any new privileges to those who have been guilty of
it. In looking through the discussion everybody must
be struck with the contrast between the facility with
which Mr. Tait and his friends were able to adduce
practical arguments in support of their views, and the
extreme difficulty which there appeared to be in finding
anything deserving the name of a reason on the other
side. That the prohibition was a pharasaic imposition
of burthens upon the shoulders of the poor was made
sufficiently obvious. On the first day on which the Sun-
day trains were stopped, 241 carriages of a private kind
drove up to the various places of worship in Edinburgh.
The day was not wet, or the number would have been
much greater. Here then were three or four hundred
servants ministering on the Sabbath to the convenience
of the wealthy iu a manner essentially the same in
principle with that which is prohibited as irreligious in
reference to the poor. It is Dives, as usual, looking
sharply after the morality of Lazarus, while he is very
easy about his own. Even so, however, if ultra-Sabha-
tartan directors, who roll to church in softly cushioned
carriages, could understand how much better the sub-
stance of abrality is than the form, they might have
startled with a piece of evidence produced by Mr.
Robertson, in the shape of a letter from Mr. List, the
superintendent of the county police of Mid-Lothian.
Mr. List, perpetually conversant as he must be with
the hard and stern realities of working-class life, finds
that drunkenness, the master vice which stands in the
way of the improvement of that class, is diminished
under the operation of Sunday trains. After the con-
stant toil of the week in the unwholesome atmosphere of
a town, excitement and relaxation will be sought on the
Sunday. The dram-shop was of old the resource. Of