The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-11 00:00:00

HAY.

out.

S MITIIFIELD —.Meadow hay, £3 Os to Xi 6s; clover.
£1 Os to 4;5 lOs Od; and straw, £2 to £2 cs per load.
Prices drooping.
C U MBERLAND —Meadow hay, £3 Os to
£4 ss; clover,
£4 Os to £5 lOs Od ; and straw, £2 to £2 6s per load.'
Trade dull.
WHITECIIAPEL—Meadow hay, £3 to £1 101 ; clover
£4 Os to £5 lOs ; and straw, £2 to £2 6s per load:
Supply moderate.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, April 29.—The Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs has received from the Acting
British Consul-General in Costa Rica a despatch, of which
the following is a copy : —"British Legation, San Jose,
Costa Rica, March 20.-1 have the honour to report that
by- a Docree of the Legislature of Nicaragua, dated the
18th of January last, the importation into that Republic of
spirituous liquors is prohibited at the expiration of four
nmatlui tr9ra that clatQ."

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HER MAJESTY, &c•

OSBORNE, May 10.

The Queen drove out yesterday afternoon, ac-
companied by Princess Louise ; and her Majesty
and Prince Leopold rode on ponies in the grounds
this morning.
Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice walked

Lady Churchill left Osborne to-day.

The christening of the infant Princess, third child
of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales, took place yesterday at Marlborough

The infant PrinceEs received the names of Louise
Victoria Alexandra Dagniar.

THE PRINCE OF WALES.—His Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales left London for Paris last night. Ho
departed by the 8.30 p.m. mail train for Dover, and was
accompanied by Major Teesdale and other gentlemen of
his suite. His Royal Highness visits Paris for the purpose
of seeing the French Exhibition, and will be the guest of
Earl Cowley, at the British Embassy.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
honoured the Marquis and Marchioness of Donegall with
his company at dinner, on Thursday, at their residence in
Grosvenor-square.

THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON RAILWAYS.

--~ -

The Royal Commissioners on Railways have at
length made their report, which has been anticipated
with considerable anxiety by those concerned in the
railway interest. The document sums up in great
detail the results arrived at from the mass of evi-
dence adduced before the commission, and gives
judgment against the proposition that the railway
system should ba taken under the control of the
State. The general conclusion of the commissioners
is, in short, that no comprehensive plan shall be
undertaken, and that the dealing with the railway
system shall be confined to modifications in private
bill legislation, and in the management by the com-
panies. The report says :
We are of opinion that it is inexpedient at present
to subvert the policy which has hitherto been
adopted of leaving the construction and management
of railways to the free enterprise of the people, under
such conditions as Parliament may think fit to im-
pose for the general welfare of the public.
We consider that there is not sufficient reason for
excepting Ireland from this general conclusion ; but
as it has been the established policy to assist rail-
ways and other public works in Ireland, we recom-
mend that, when Parliament thinks fit to make ad-
vances to Irish railway companies, the money should
be lent for a fixed period of considerable length, so
as to enable the company to develope its resources
before it is called on for repayment. We are, how-
ever, of opinion that advances should not be made
to the Irish railway companies as a condition of re-
ducing their rates glad fares; but that as the railway
companies have the best opportunities of judging
whether rates can be reduced so as to be recupera-
tive within a reasonable time, they should be left to
carry out such experiments at their own risk.
We recommend that Parliament should relieve
itself from all interference with the incorporation
and the financial affairs of railway companies, leav-
ing such matters to be dealt with under the Joint
Stock Companies Act, and should limit its own ac-
tion to regulating the construction of the line, and
the relations between the public and joint stock
companies so incorporated ; requiring such guaran-.
tees as may be necessary for the purpose of securing
the due performanceof the conditions upon the faith
of which the parliamentary powers of the company
have been granted.
We do not consider that it would be expedient,
even if it were practicable, to adopt any legislation
which would abolish the freedom railway companies
enjoy of charging what sum they deem expedient
within their maximum rates, when properly defined,
limited as that freedom is by the conditions of the
Traffic Act ; but we are of opinion that railway
companies should be required to give a reasonable no-

ice of their intention to raise their rates of charge.

We are unable to see any method of ensuring
punctuality in passenger trains by means of legisla-
tive enactments, except that proposed by the com-
mittee of the House of Commons in 1858, viz., that
punctuality should be guaranteed, and that passen-
gers injured by delay should be enabled to recover
summarily a fixed sum ; but we have already refer-
red to the objections to this proposal.
We are of opinion the railway companies should
be bound, under adequate penalties, to give at least
a week's notice of any alterations of time of their
regular passenger trains.
We do not consider that any direct legislative en-
actments would cause greater economy in the work-
ing of railways ; but we are of opinion that with the
object of affording a more accurate view of the
operations of the railway companies, and of making
any undue extravagance apparent, and thus stimu-
lating economy, it is desirable that the several rail-
way companies should render their accounts to the
Board of Trade, showing receipts from traffic and
the detailed cost of working the line upon a uniform
plan ; and that, after consultation with the railway
companies, the Board of Trade should not only pre-
scribe the form of such returns and accounts, but lay
down the basis on which they are to be computed.
Parliament has relied, for the safe working of rail-
ways, upon the efficiency of the common law and of
Lord Campbell's Act, which gave persons injured
and near relatives of persons killed a right to com-
pensation. We consider that this course has been
more conducive to the protection of the public than
if the Board of Trade had been empowered to in-
terfere in the detailed arrangements for working the
traffic.

THE LAST OF THE RAILWAY STRIKE. —On Thurs-
day on the Malton division of the North-Eastern Railway
the last trace of the late strike was effaced. From and
after May 9 the whole of the trains running before the
strike are replaced, and there is now full service on all the
lines of this district. The excursion traffic is likely to be
introduced in a week or two. The result of the strike has
been to encourage the river navigation to Malton, and
during the past week more vessels have come up the Der-
wont than have been seen at once since the opening of the
railway. It is also stated that following the example of
the London and Brighton specuhttion, the experiment of a
stage-coach between York, Melton, and Scarborough will
be tried during the Summer.
THE GREAT EASTERN.—The merits of the case
affecting this ship are still rather confused. On Thursday
400 of the men who had been employed on board determined,
by advice of their solicitor, to apply to the Court of Ad-
miralty for powers to seize the ship. They demand three
months' wages, on the ground that they signed articles for
not less than three months, or longer than nine months. The
owners have offered them payment for the voyage, which
they have declined to accept. The owners are waiting to
ascertain what claim they have against the French char-
terers. Yesterday at the Liverpool Police-court a seama3
applied for and obtained a summons against Sir James
Anderson for the recovery of the wages due for the voyage'
We understand, however, that, so far, the owners are ready
to pay the men.
SINGULAR CASE OF POISONING.—Great excite-
ment prevails in the neighbourhood of Shirlaud, near
Alfreton, with reference to the death of two children,
named Martha, aged two years, and Joseph, aged 00
month, the son and daughter of Mr. Tomlinson, farmer, of
Shirland Delves, near Alfreton. The girl was seized 011
the 22d April with violent pains in the bowels, and vomit-
ing, and died on the following day with all the syniptolns
of arsenical poisoning. The boy died on the 9th of .April,
but had been disinterred by order of the coroner, and 0°
stomach, &e., of both children by his direction sent to Pro-
fessor Taylor for analysis. The inquest has been aa-
journed to await the learned professor's opinion:
SIR WILLIAM LAWRENCE.- —This venerable gal"
tletnan, now in his 85th year, and who a few weeks sine,"
e
was created a baronet, has been seized with paralysis. Ird
was struck down in the College of Surgeons while swan t
ing the stairs to enter the counsel-room, and take his s°3
asexatniuer. He tottered and would have fallen but for the
timely aid of a student standing near him. Even then 104
indomitable courage and determination did not fail ; I)?
feebly resisted the intention to place him on a couch, ?tua_.
grasped at the examiner's chair, in which he vainly eladbat
voured to seat himself. He has since been spcecbless, b"
not altogether unconscious.
walsk-henildeoenti
cross. Present :—Duke of Richmond, R.G., Sir „re6t.
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ASduepi tCe
ror nc ics Shiaorjniir,AS..
Thwaites, Sir B. Phillips, Col. Hatness, R.E., Mr. 3%
wick, F.R.S., r. T. Harrison, C.E., and Mr. A. Lea"
M
secretary of al() CQIIIIIIiSSiOII.