The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-13 00:00:00

We trust that M. MAGNE may be fully justified in
his estimates by the result, although we fear that
it may be " too good news to be true."

Nearly a year has elapsed since the announce-
ment-27th January, 's7—of the plan prepared by
IL J. YEATMAN, C.E., for the junction of the
various metropolitan railways. The concentration
at one convenient site of all the different lines of
railroad branching from the capital to the different
extremities of England has long been recognised
as one of the most desirable, and sooner or later a
perfectly inevitable metropolitan improvement. It
is an improvement that must obviously come even-
tually: The only problems now remaining to be
solved in its regard, indeed, are—when and where
the projected change is to be accomplished.
According to the suggestions recently thrown
out by Mr. CHARLES PEARSON, City soli-
citor, the project might readily enough be
rendered subservient, in a peculiar way, to the
interests of the labouring population—to the best
workmen in the world, the workmen of London
and Westminster. Upon the possibility of this
humane enterprise we have ourselves descanted at
some length, and that too pretty frequently. The
chief difficulty yet to be vanquished appears still
to be the selection of the spot most suitable for
being the core of all the complicated network of
our railway system, the centre of all the marvel-
lous web of the iron roads of England.
The favourite site of all, with the majority of
speculators upon this great project, is the one to
which we have frequently before now pointed, as
precisely the locality best suited in every respect
for this central terminus—the vacant site of the
old Fleet prison in Farringdon-street, one of the
widest of our London thoroughfares. There, at
that particular spot, there is no necessity for a
clearance ; the clearance is made already. The
ground waits only for the builders, the old encum-
brance having long since been removed. Thither,
towards that central point, all the great leading
highways of London tend—Oxford-street and
Holborn—Piccadilly, Long Acre, and Drury-lane—
the Strand and Fleet-street, Gray's-Inn-lane
—St. John's-road—Blackfriar's-road—Hackney •
road—Mile-end-road : from the north, from the
south, from the east, from the west, all the great
highways lead directly to that one great point of
convergence. And it is about the most central
point upon the map of London in relation to the
existing termini of the different metropolitan rail-
ways. Continue the line of those railways to one
common focus, and the site naturally pointed
out would be this very site of the old
Fleet Prison. Draw a line as the Crow
flies from the Great Northern Station at King'-cross
to the London-bridge Station, and another line as
the crow flies from the latter station to the North-
Western Terminus at Euston-square! Afterwards
draw another line, at right angles to these, from
the Eastern Counties Station to the Waterloo-
bridge Station—bending this new junction line
slightly so as to cut through the two previous ima-
ginary lines of junction midway ! Cross these
again (with the same regard to a central point)
'with another crow-flight line connecting the ter•
minus of the Great Eastern with the terminus
of the railway to Blackwall—and the one central
point will be found to be precisely that very
spot—the site of the old Fleet Prison. Added to
this, it is about the nearest point that could well
be chosen to the General Post-office in St. Martin's-
le-Grand. Nay, the two localities are so contigu-
ous to each other that it would certainly not be
very extravagant to count upon some direct
communication being contrived between the two
—if by no other means by sßbterranean engineer-
ing.

But, while all these combined advantages, (the
vacant site, the central position, the contiguity to
the General Post-office, &c.), point directly to that
tempting plot of ground in Farringdon-street—
Mr. YEATMAN'S plan certainly has in its way also
a very extraordinary attractiveness. The allure-
ments here are comparative cheapness and sim-
plicity. Less engineering difficulties would require
to be vanquished according to Mr. YEATMAN'S
proposal—and altogether much less expense would
have to be incurred. The projector of this remark-
able plan proposes that Lincoln's-inn-Fields, and not
Farringdon-street should be the site of the Central
Terminus. He suggests that by the one simple
device of constructing, in a line of two or three
miles' length, connecting the South-Western and
the Great Northern Railways, everything would be
accomplished. The intended junction railway
along the channel of the Grand Surrey Canal -would
connect the South-Western with the South-Eastern
and all its branches. The North London railway could
absorb the traffic of the Eastern Counties. The Great
Western and South-Western would remain
united at present, at Brentford. And thus,
according to Mr. YEATMAN'S ingenious proposition
by means simply of the junction of the three miles
of railroad having its terminus in Lincoln's-inn-
fields, the metropolitan railroads would be at once
united. The suggestion, to say the very least of it,
is startling by . reason of its simplicity, its feasi-
bility, and its economy. It is certainly entitled to
serious and deliberate consideration.

MINISTERIAL AND POLITICAL

MOVEMENTS.:

The Earl of Derby, accompanied by the Countess and
Lady Emma Stanley, left town on Friday for Knowsley-
park, near Prescott, to receive a succession of distinguished
friends during the Christmas holidays.
The Earl of Malmesbury will leave town early this week
on a tour of visits. The Countess will go to Heron Court
near Christchurch, for the Christmas.
The Right Hon. the First Lord of the Admiralty and
Lady Pakington left the Admiralty on Saturday for West-
wood-park, near Droitwich, where the right hon. baronet
will remain until the second week in the ensuing month.
The Marquis of Salisbury hits gone to his seat, Hatfield-
house, Herts, where the noble Lord President and the
Marchioness of Salisbury will receive a large party during
the week.

The Earl and Countess of Hardwick() and the Ladies
Yorke have arrived at Wimpole-hall, Cambridgeshire, from
town, and are about to have a succession of visitors.
The Right Hon. J. W. Henley left town on Friday.
The Right Hon. Sir Buiwer Lytton will leave town to-
day for his seat, Knebworth-hall, Herts.
The Right Hon. Spencer Walpole, the Lord Chancellor,
and Lord Stanley, remain in town.
Major-General the Right Hon. J. Peel has left town.

Lord John Manners has left town for a few weeks.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs. Disraeli leNve
own this day for the right hon. gentleman's 'seat in Bucks.

It is stated in political circles that Sir John Pakington,
the First Lord of the Admiralty, will be selected to fill the
vacant place in the Trinity Corporation, by the death of
the Earl of Haddington.

FUNERAL OF THE LATE LADY
CLE3IENTINA VILLIERS.

The funeral of this much-esteemed lady took place on
Saturday afternoon, at Middleton-park, the seat of the Earl
of Jersey, in the presence of a large number of relations
and friends. The mournful cortege left the hall shortly
after one o'clock, and proceeded slowly to the village
church, situate in the park, where several hundreds of per-
sons were assembled to pay the last tribute of respect to the
deceased lady. Among those present were—Lord Villiers,
the Hon. F. Villiers, Mr. IN m. Russell, Mr. Hedworth
Lambton, Mr. Charles Bayley, Captain H. Bagot, Lord
Burghersh, the Hon. Gerald Ponsonby, Mr. W Augi:srt.
the Rev. Lord riothesley Russell, Lord Enfield, ford
Templemore, the Earl of March, Lord Alexander Lennox,
the Hon. Edward Russell, Mr. George Russell, Henry
Lambton, the Hon. George Byng, Lord Churchill, Mr. W.
11. I'. Cavendish, Dr. Wadhani, Dr. Acland, the Rev.
,Crhaneennev Clifton,3 Mr.
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