The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-01 00:00:00

constant interruption, where boats are scarce, and native
boatmen untrustworthy. To these difficulties may be added
the want severely felt in many districts, and especially in
Bengal, of fuel for lime end brick burning, and of timber
suitable for sleepers, large quantities of which are now
being supplied from England : the effects of Indian climate

upon European constitutions ; the frequent failuresq
contractors, unaccustomed or incompetent to undertake
such extensive works ; and, lastly, the circuitous anti
lengthy correspondence carried on between the railway
boards and their agents on the one band, and with th•
various Government departments, both here and in India,
on the other; all these appear to your committee to fora
sources of delay more or le,s serious, and must be classed
among the main impediments to the rapid progress of raill
way enterprise in India.
" Delays from political causes have been of frequent
occurrence. In Bengal the Santhal rebellion in 1855 is
described as having thrown back the works in the Rajmahat
district for fully 12, months, and the evil influences resultinpi
from it are not even yet at an end. The mutiny subsequently-
suspended railway operations in Upper Bengal and thee
north-west piovhaces from May to December of last year,,
and its disastrous consequences must be felt for some times
to come, although the actual damage done to the works

appears to be less than might have been anticipated. Rail:
way operations in the other Presidencies have hitherto been
happily free front the disturbing influences of iniurrectioa
and war.

"Lastly come the delays arising from the natural features
of the country, such as the bridging of large rivers, and the
surmounting of the ghauts. Mr. Now!, in his evidence,
states that the whole question of the completion of the East
India railway resolves itself into the rapidity with which the
enormous number of its heavy bridges and flood arches cau
be constructed. Along the Ganges Valley line, between
Burdwan and the river Soane, a distance of about 400 miles,
there are described to be no less than 47,000,000 cubic feet
of brickwork, including the substructure of the gigantic
sy.
bridge over the Soane.

"On the Bombay and Baroda line, between Surat and
Ahmedabad, three large and rapid rivers, the Taptee,
huclda, and Mhye, present considerable engineering diffi-
culties, and require co'stly and extensive bridges; on that
important portion of the line between Surat and Bombay
no fewer than 18 rivers have to be crossed, one of which,
known as the Bassein Strait, is described to be 14 mile in
width. On portions of the Madras line, also, the bridging
works are described to be very heavy; but even the great
works thus enumerated appear insignificant in comparison
to the stupendous task undertaken by the Great Indian
Peninsula Company of carrying their railway across the

two mountain passes known as the Thull Ghaut and the
Bhor Ghent, the former on the north-easterly the latter on
the south-easterly portion of this line. On the Thull Ghaut
the ascent is nine miles, the total rise in that distance 972
feet ; the steepest gradient, 1 in 37 for a distance of 11 miles
44 chains ; and the works include 1,962 lineal yards of tun-
nelling, and 614 yards of viaduct, at an estimated test of
£49,988 per mile. On the Bhor Ghaut the steepest
gradient is 1 in 67 for a mile and 38 chains, the total dis-
taace is 15 miles 68 chains, the total rise in that distance
1,831 feet, the tunnelling is 2,535 yards, and the viaduct
888 yards, the estimated cost being £48,188 per mile.
" With the exception of the gbauts and rivers, however,
the general face of the country seems favourable for rail-
way construction, presenting for the most part easy gradi-
ents ; and the very low price of labour keeps down the cost
to an average for the whole country of about £lO,OOO per
mile, while many of the less expensive lines are being con-
structed at a cost of £6,000 per mile.

" Upon an impartial review of the early history of In-
dian railways, there can be no doubt that much valuable

time was lost in the preliminary negotiations for the intro-
duction of railway enterprise into India, and else on ac-
count of the commercial crisis having arisen while these
negotiations were still incomplete; the novelty and mag-
nitude of the undertaking, the remoteness of the scene of
operations, and the nalural difficulties of climate and
country might well have raised doubts and hesitation in the
minds of the Indian authorities at home; but your com-
mittee are decidedly of opinion that had the matter been

taken up at first with the earnestness that its importance,
both political and commercial, deserved, in accordance
with the proposal of the Court of Directors in 1816
to the Board of Control, and had the proposals of the
originators been met with the sane liberality which
has been displayed in the agreements with the different
companies, our Indian possessions might ere this have
been provided with many hundred miles of rapid internal
communication, the value of which would have been felt
in the facilities afforded for military concentration, and the
more speedy development of their resources. But your
committee have no means of judging of the considerations
by which the Government were actuated in these proceed-
ings. With reference to the actual prosecution of the works
Your committee cannot in fairness omit to observe that,
though some cases have been cited in which the Govern-
ment superintendence has been productive of vexation and
annoyance to the railway officials, and has tended to im-
pede that harmonious action between the Government and

the companies which is essential for the rapid completion of
these great works, no very material delay in the construction
of the various lines appears to have resulted therefrom.
From the evidence adduced, your committee are led to he-
Here that the progress of railroads under construction in
India will bear favourable comparison with that of English
lines. Willing testimony has been given by many of the
railway authorities to the value of Government control to
the interests of the companies themselves, when rationally
and temperately exercised.

"Your committee have not thought it necessary to enter
into any comparison of the respective merits of the contract
and departmental systems of construction, the adoption of
which must always materially depend on the circumstances
of the district ; and it appears highly necessary that both
systems should have a fair trial before giving any decided
preference to either.

"In conclusion, your committee are of opinion, first,
that the Government hos acted wisely in committing to
private enterprise the execution of these great public
works; secondly, that a guaranteed interest on the requisite
capital was indispensable to induce the public to invest their
money in undertakings of this magnitude and novelty;
and thirdly, that in order to protect the Indian revenue
from undue expenditure, Government control over the
railway operations is requisite, and even valuable to the
interests of the shareholders themselves. At the same
time, your committee would observe that, under a system
complicated in its character, and necessarily somewhat
cumbrous in its machinery, a system, moreover, the greatest
defect of which is the facility it affords fur the evasion of re-
sponsibility, a clear end distinct definition of the duties, re-
sponsibilities, and extent of jurisdiction of all beads of de-
partments, and those under them, is essentially requisite for
its smooth and succeln'ul working ; always assuming that
due care be taken to entrust discretionary power only to
men who are to be relied on Cs competent to distinguish an
effective general control from too minute on interference in
details. By a judicious adherence to the spirit rather than
the letter of the contract, your committee feel assured that
arrangements may be simplified, united action for one
common object secured, and railway enterprise in India may
before long assume proportions commensurate with the vast
commercial agricultural and mineral resources of that
country.

The COLLISIO N On the OXFOR D,IVORCL'ST_ER,
and WULVERIT A MPTON RA ILWA

The adjourned inquest on the ill-fated persons who came
by their death on Monday week in consequence, of the col-
lision of two excursion trains on the Oxford, Worcester, and
Wolverhampton Railway, near Brettell-lane, will be held to-
day, before the coroner, Mr. T. M. Phillips, and experi—
ments bare been made on the incline where the collision
took place, the results of which will no doubt be give❑ in
evidence.

The Government inspector of railways, Capt. Tyler, has
visited the locality and witnessed the experiments. He has
been occupied two days in making the most minute in-
quiries into the condition of the line, the plant, rolling stock,
&c., and has been attended by the secretary (Mr. Adcock),
the manager (Mr. Sherriff), and the engineer (Mr. Wilson).
Some important evidence will be brought forward to-day.
It is stated that several of the injured parties have already
been liberally compensated by the company.

The points to which the inquiry has now to be mainly
directed are as to the service of the brakes used on the train
and the competency of the guard who was entrusted with
their working. It is certain that when the coupling chains
broke, and the hinder part of the train became detached, its
already acquired momentum caused it to continue on its
journey for a short time until that momentum became ex-
hausted, when the detached portion of the train must for a
moment have come to a stand, after which it began to recede
down the incline. At this point a small pressure of the
brake ought to have stopped the train ; and if the guard
applied the brake, and it acted in a proper manner, the
train would have been kept in a stationary position on the
line, and would not have receded down the incline. The
question, therefore, is, whether the brake was an efficient
one, and whether the guard appliei it as it was clearly. bis
duty to have done. These are the points that ought to be
cleared up, if possible. The van with the brake wasamashed
to pieces by the collision.

THE 1-ficatr.AND SOCIETY'S Snow AT ADETIEEEII.
—The proceediirs connected with the Highland and Agri-
cid tura! Society's show CCEUmenced at Aberdeen on Monday.
Everything gives indication that the meeting r. ill, without
doubt, be the greatest the society ever held, and, in some re-
spects, probably the best ever held in Britain. The number
of entries far exceeds those at any former show, the total
being 2,470. At Glasgow last year the total was 2,032;
while in 1847, when the society's show took place in Aber-
deen, the number was only 950. Of implements there are
802 entries, including 10 reaping machines and 27 thrashing
hi was occupied in the trial of the thrash-
imngacmancelstinelZ,loayannddarranging the implements in the show
yard on the Links. The morning was very wet, and fears
were entertained that the weather might damage the suc-
cess of the meeting considerably. When our despatch left,
however, the day was bright and sunny. A great many
strangers have already arrived in the city, and every train
mop crowds of hob gth'als•