The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-29 00:00:00

PEDESTRIANISM.

JOHN SMITH AND AN AMATEUR.--A smart contest
of 100 yards, for a dozen sovereigns, between mine host
of the White Hart, Drury-lane, and a gentleman
amateur, who fancied himself somewhat fleet of foot,
came off yesterday at Child's-hill, Hampstead. By the
conditions it was stipulated that Smith should give the
novice 12 yards' start, and, as the event proved, the Re-
gent-street Pet had his work cut out in regaining the
advantage he thus allowed. After a pretty fair start the
amateur ran well and spiritedly, so much so that in the
first forty paces Smith had scarcely lessened the interval
by three yards ; after this, however, he gradually gained
on his opponent, caught him within five yards of the goal,
and ran in first by a bare half-yard. Some of the spec-
tators declared it a dead heat, but the referee decided
otherwise, and Smith pocketed the stakes accordingly.
SEWARD AND WESTHALL.—The stakeholder in the
match of George Seward and Charles Westhall, for 501.
aside, has given up the stakes to the former, on the
ground that Westhall was not at the appointed place be-
tween the hours specified in the conditions.
EAST AND POWELL.--It is understood that the corn
petitors in this much-disputed walking match, have
assented to the proposition to walk again. The day,
however, is not yet fixed. For the creait and prosperity
of a manly and heathful sport, let us hope "a clear stage,
no favour," and a desire to do right will mark the next
meeting.

REFORMS IN THE PAPAL STATES.—The commis-
sion appointed by the Pope to examine into the questions
connected with a revision of the civil and criminal lasts
has made its first report, at which it passes in review
what it considers as the most urgent reforms, the fore-
Most of which is the institution of the jury. According
to the plan proposed by the commission, the jurymen
would be divided into two classes. The first would in-
clude rich landowners, members of the nobility, and
commercial notabilities. The second would be composed
of literary men, such as doctors of law and medicine, the
upper employes of the Government, members of the
academies, and professors of the universities. One mem-
ber of the commission proposed that the judicial discus-
sions should be public, but this reform was considered
by others as premature.
INCREASE IN THE VALUE OF LAND IN SHROP-
SHIRE.--At the recent sale of waste lands, under the
Clun Forest In_ closure Act, out of twenty-eight lots
offered, twenty• seven were sold under the hammer, and
one by private treaty. Some of the above lots, upon the
open common, fetched the high price of 26/. per statute
acre ; and the average price of all the land sold was 1.5/.
per acre. About five years ago, under the restrictive
corn-laws, similar land, sold in the same way, and at the
same place, did not produce a greater average than 7t.
Per acre. On this occasion, the whole was bought by
people in the immediate neighbourhood.
THE WEATHER.—Yesterday a very marked alte-
ration in the weather took place, notwithstanding that
the wind had during the evening of Sunday again veered
from S.W. to N.N.W., accompanied by a sharp frost at
an early hour in the morning, the wind was due north,
the temperature of the atmosphere at the Royal Hu-
mane Society's Receiving House, in Hyde-park, being
24 Fahrenheit, but as the day advanced the thermometer
rose ; near four o'clock it was at 33, with every indica-
tion of rapidly rising, the wind having veered from N.
to S.W., at which point it appeared to be stationary,
accompanied by a thick, heavy mist and fog, which be-
came so dense at the west end of the town as to cause
much confusion and danger to pedestrians, from the im-
mense number of carriages and omnibuses, particularly
in Oxford-street and Regent-street, delayed by the
from the fear of collision and the streets being crowded
with a great influx of passengers owing to the holidays.
The train from Carlisle, due in this town at nine
o'clock on Thursday morning, did not arrive till eleven,
having been delayed by the breaking of the axle of the
engine near to Fourstones station. The mail train from
the south, due at ten o'clock the same morning, was also
delayed till three in the afternoon, in consequence, it is
said, of a luggage train having got off the line near to
Rugby. The north mail, due at three P.M. on the same
day, only arrived at six o'clock on Thursday night, in
consequence of the slippery state of the roads. The
south mail, due yesterday morning, was upwards of an
hour behind its time; and the express train due last
night was also delayed beyond its usual time, owing to
the state of the weather.—Newcastle Journal.