The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-16 00:00:00

FRENCH RAILWAYS AND THE i
FRENCH GOVERNMENT. '
The Minister of the Interior, M. de Morny, invited
the managing directors of the principal railways to
a conference on Sunday. There was a full attendance.
The Minister commenced by stating that he had
solicited the present conference with the representa-
tives of the railway companies, seeing that the rail-
way system had now assumed an extent and im-
portance in France second only to the administrative
functions of the Government itself. It might, he
said, be a powerful arm in aid, not only
of the cause of order and public safety,
but of the salvation of the social fabric itself,
threatened with dissolution by wild beasts (betel
fauves) in human shape, whose outrages in the pro-
vinces are a disgrace not merely to France, but to
the civilization of the 19th century. The President
of the Republic and his Government, he said, were
determined, at all hazards, and at whatever sacrifice,
to cut out this rotten part from the body politic, and
to save society from dissolution into its very elements.
They counted, and he hoped they might
safely count, upon the cordial co-operation of all
well-disposed citizens in general, and more especially
upon that of influential public bodies like the directors
of railways, who disposed of a numerous manufac•
turing and working population. The Government in
every department, and in none more than that over
which he had the honour to preside, had been inexor-
able in dismissing all those functionaries, superior or
subordinate, who were knownlto entertain Socialist
opinions, and to be active in the promulgation of
them. That painful duty had devolved upon himself
personally, in more than one instance in his own de-
partment; and he entreated the gentlemen present not
to allow favour or affection to stand in the way of a
similar sacrifice of feeling upon the altar of duty.
The Minister said he was happy to state, for the in-
formation of those gentlemen, that the President of
the Republic and his Government do not at all par-
ticipate in that insane jealousy of the railway com-
panies and the great and industrial establishments of
the country generally which, unfortunately, charac-
terized preceding administrations. The President, he
said, had narrowly watched, and carefully studied
the results of the great commercial enter-
prises of England, both before and during his residence
in that country. He is desirous that France should
follow in the same track, and thus gradually arrive
at the development of the great natural and industrial
resources of the country. They might depend upon
it that so far from being jealous of the gains and the
prosperity of the companies, the Pr,esident heartily
and sincerely wished all honest and industrious
men might double their gains by using legiti-
mate means ; and that there is nothing which the
commerce and industry of the country can ask, as
conducive to its prosperity, that the President will not
be ready to grant. Of this, he observed, some indi-
cations might be seen already. (The Minister was
here understood to allude to the decree just issued,
authorizing the construction of the Circular Railroad
to connect the various termini in Paris, at the joint
cost of the companies and the State ; and to the other
public works now in hand with a view of affording
employment to the people.)
M. Juyer, a director of the Strasbourg Railway
(formerly Minister of Public Works), assured the
Minister, on the part of the gentlemen present, that
the Government should always find the most cordial
support from the railway authorities, not only to the
extent of the material obligations imposed on them
by their respective laws of concession, but also the
moral support which it was the imperative duty of
every well-disposed citizen to give under existing
circumstances.
The Minister expressed his great satisfaction at re-
ceiving that assurance, and the conference then
terminated.
The representatives of the Strasbourg Railway
remained with the Minister after the other gentlemen
left the audience chamber. It was understood they
were to demand the concession of a branch from St.
Dizier to Gray, an important " feeder " to that line,
and that it would be granted. The present would
seem to be the moment for the shareholders in the
Cette and Avignon Railways to push for the restitu-
tion of their caution money.

EAST INDIA COLLEGE,
HAILEYBURY.

Yesterday the half-yearly examination of the stu-
dents at Haileybury College was held before the Hon.
the Chairman and Directors of the East India Com-
pany. Among the company present were Mr. Shep-
herd, chairman, Sir J. W. Hogg, Bart., M.P.,
deputy-chairman, and the following directors :—Mr.
William Wigram, Lieutenant-General Sir James L.
Lushington, G.C.8., Sir Henry Willock, K.L.S., Mr.
W. H. C. Plowden, M.P., Mr. E. Macnaghten, Mr.
J. C. Whiteman, Mr. W. J. Eastwick, Major-General
Caulfeild, C. 8., Mr. William Dent, Mr. J. H. Astell,
Sir Richard Jenkins, G.C.8., and Major J. A.
Moore.

Visitors—Sir John Herschel, Bart., Lieutenant-
General Barr, Right Hon. Dr. Lushington, Reverend
Charles Lane, Mr. George Palmer, Rev. Moore
Brabazon, Mr. T. N. Waterfield, Mr. J. A. Craw.
ford, Colonel Sim, Major Chase, Lieutenant- Colonel
Abbott, C 8., Rev. W. Lockwood, Rev. William
Baxter, Peer Ibraheem Khan, Syed Abdoollah ;
Lieutenant Cook, R.A., senior professor of fortifi-
cation, Addiscombe, and Mr. T. R. Clarke, of the
cadet department, East India House, who was
warmly congratulated by his numerous friends upon
the success achieved by his 8011, Mr. H. R. Clarke;
Sir John Herschel also received many congratula-
tions upon the brilliant success attained by his son,
now in his second terni at the college.
The following civilians at home were also pre-
sent :—Mr. R. N. Cust, Mr. C. T. Le Bas, Mr. A. F.
Bellasis, Mr. George Couper, and Mr. Bransby
Cooper.
Upon the arrival of the directors at the college they
wereept we ece iPrincipal Melvin, whose
r
" The Principal has much satisfaction in being able
to report to the Hon. the Finance and Home or received
subjoin by
:_
the Rev.
Com-
mittee that all the 20 students constituting the fourth
term have been found duly qualified for quitting the
college. 19 of these have displayed an amount of pro-
ficiency exceeding that which is demanded by the
statutes, and many of the number deserve very high
commendation for the attainments shown in various
departments.
" At an early stage of the examination two students,
having been detected in unfairness, were immediately
punished with loss of the term, so that only 64 are to
to be considered as having gone through the examina-
tion ; of these only two have failed to present the
amount of proficiency required for keeping the term.
The remaining sixty-two have passed with various
degrees of merit, but a very large proportion have
displayed a greater than the necessary proficiency,
forty-three being returned as highly distinguished,
and fourteen as having passed with great credit.
it It is satisfactory to observe that, though some
students have laden themselves with prizes, there has
been a great amount of competition for these rewards,
no fewer than nineteen having obtained the honour-
able distinction of priz!men.

" t T
iessubject of English composition
con marked attention. Forty-
eight
receive
a
essays were sent in by competitors for the prize,
so that more than two-thirds of the students volunta-
rily undertook a great additional labour. Many of
continues importantto
these exercises were highly creditable to the authors,
and evinced both ability and industry.
" With regard more particularly to the Oriental
classes, the visitor remarks that they do not call for
any special notice on the present occasion. The two
senior terms have maintained the character which
they have hitherto deserved ; and the two junior, al-
though not distinguished by many instances of more
than usual ability, have exhibited a very creditable
amount of steady application. The fourth term
offers, in all the languages studied, a few cases of
great proficiency ; and it may be observed that, of the
five students who have that mark in Sanscrit, four
have the same mark in two other languages also ; one
has the medal awarded to him for Sanscrit and Te-
loogoo, another for Hindustani.
" In the third term there is a similar accumulation
of honours. Of the five students who stand first in
Sanscrit, four have also the mark of great proficiency
in Persian and Hindustani. All the senior students
of this term have distinguished themselves by the
very great amount of their extra reading, voluntarily
added to the amount required for passing the statu-
tory examination; two have also added to their
studies very respectable proficiency in Hindi; and
one of these has further added to his acquirements a
creditable knowledge of Bengali.;
"At the same time it cannot be denied that both
the senior terms have a considerable proportion of
students whose attainments only just secure them
against absolute failure.

" With at least two exceptions the students of the
second term have not displayed any great aptitude
for the acquirement of languages, there being but one
instance of great proficiency in Sanacrit and two in
Persian. The student who is at the bead of both
these classes has added to his attainments a knowledge
of a third language, Arabic, very respectable for the
time during which he has been able to prosecute the
study.
" The students of the first term have all made
considerable progress in the elements of Sanscrit,
their only subject of Oriental study_
" The Principal has great satisfaction in being able
to report to the committee that the term has, on the
whole, been passed in remarkable quietness and good
order. The great body of the students have con-
formed themselves, in a most praiseworthy manner, to
the rules and regulations of the place ; and no occa-
sion has arisen which has called for any severe exer-
cise of authority. (Signed),
" Dec. 15. " HENRY MELTILL, P.C."

The directors, having received the reports of the
professors and principals, adjourned to the ball of the
college, where the students wero gtseernbled,