The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-23 00:00:00

SPEECH OF SIR JOHN LAWRENCE.
The first sod of the Punjaub Railway was turned
by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir John Lawrence,
amidst a scene of great pomp. About 200 native
chiefs and gentry were present, and many thniic.
of other natives. The ground chosen was in,
Nowlucka.
The native chiefs were met by Mr. Temple, the
commissioner. Vernacular copies of the Hindos-
tanee translation of the prayer, and the selection
of texts from Scripture, were then distributed to
them. The translation was read out to them. And
the object of this reading was explained to them,
namely, that they should understand the meaning
of the ceremony and of the prayer which the clergy.
man would read to the European officers and
residents. They appeared very glad to hear and
to know the substance and meaning of the whole.
Then at nine, leaving their horses, elephants, and
equipages on the ground, they proceeded on foot
with Mr. Temple to the appointed place, and were
seated on chairs within the Durbar. Beyond the
barriers were many thousands of natives from the
city. The ground was completely kept by the
police. Large tents were erected on the high ground,
and an avenue to them was staked off from the main
road. The line of railway was indicated as far as
the eye could reach by flags of different hueF-; in-
deed, everything was arranged in ,1'
manner. The time fixed for the ceren. j- was nine
o'clock; and the Lieut.-Governor was ‘, the g •
fully half an hour before that tim( In the
were assembled a large concourse of - ty az
fashion of the station, besides many ) airitsur,
Gogaira, and other adjacent stations. Or. he arrival
of the Lieut.-Governor in the midst of the assembly,
the Rev. Chas. Sloggett, assisted by the Rev.
Henry Murray, read the services specially arranged
for the occasion.
Sir John Lawrence was then addressed by
Mr. Raeburn, the representative in India of the
Punjaub Railway Company, and in the course
of replying his Excellency said—" The con-
struction of railroads will form quite an era in
the history of the Punjaub. Their effect will be to
give a vast stimulus to its industry, and to benefit
all classes of the people. It would be difficult in
particular to over-estimate the value of this rail-
road, extending over full 240 miles from Umritsur
to Mooltan. In connexion with improved steam-
boats on the Indus, and the railway from Kotreelto
Kurrachee, it will bring us English people nearer
to our native land than at present by a good fort-
night. The gain, in a political and military point
of view, to the State, will be immense ; the true
basis for our military operations, the best security
for this frontier, being an easy and certain commu-
nication with the sea. To the people of this great
province the advantages of the railroad will be
equally important. It will go far to ensure good
prices and a certain market for their produce to the
landholders of a country which produces more than
it consumes, and which to a considerable extent has
hitherto been land-locked. The railroad will prove
equally beneficial to the manufacturer and the
trader ; while it will, for a considerable time, en-
sure abundance of labour, to the poorer classes of
the community."
Mr. Brunton, the chief engineer, then brought
forward a very handsome wheelbarrow of Sissoo
wood, French polished, and a silver shovel, richly
ornamented, having a locomotive engraved on it,
named " Lawrence," and bearinf, the following
inscription :—" Presented to the Hon'bler Sir John
Lawrence, Bart., G.C.8., on his commencing the
construction of the Punjaub Railway." Above the
locomotive, in a neat scroll, was the following very
happily conceived motto—Tarn Bello quarn Pace.
After a few appropriate words from Mr. Brun:
ton, Sir John Lawrence proceeded to wheel the
barrow to the spot appointed for the performance
of the interesting ceremony of the day. The ladies
leaving the tent, took up a position in another,
which had been pitched for their accommodation in
a site commanding a view of the spot, the gentle-
men standing around. With a few vigorous strokes
the Lieutenant-Governor cut the sod, and turned
it into the barrow. The company then adjourned
to the tents pitched close to the Lieutenant-
Governor's office, where a sumptuous entertainment
was provided, to which nearly 200 ladies and got-
tlemen sat down. As soon as the good things had
taken off the sharp edge of the appetite which the
keen morning air had created, toasts were given
and duly responded to by the chief actors in the
scene which had lately terminated. One of the
most noticeable of these compliments was that
paid by Sir John Lawrence to Lord Canning. His
Honour said,:—" Ladies and Gentlemen—l beg to
propose the health of the Viceroy and Governor-
General Viscount Canning, a gallant nobleman,
who, in political storms of extreme severity, has
steered the vessel of state into the haven of security
and who has always done his duty to his Queen
and country."
To the toast of the day, namely, " The health of
the Lieutenant-Governor," proposed by Mr. Rae
burn,

His Honour replied in a most feeling manner as
follows :—" I thank you all very heartily for the
handsome manner in which my health has been pro-
posed and responded to. This is perhaps the last time
I shall have the opportunity of meeting so many of
my friends. lam now about to give up my steward-
ship and return to England. I feel that I have been
singularly favoured, much, indeed, beyond my
deserts, since I was first employed in the Punjaub,
now very nearly 13 years ago. When I first crossed
the Sutledge, there was not a trace of a road in the
country, Now we have several thousand miles of
roads, and are commencing a railroad of 240 miles
in length. In those days we had lately defeated the
Sikhs in four severely-contested actions. The people
as a race were our enemies. One class in the coun-
try preyed on the other. Crimes of violence, dacoity,
and thuggee, were of common occurrence. Now all
this has changed ; no part of her Majesty's domi-
nions is more peaceable, in few parts are the people
better disposed. This has been proved beyond ques-
tion in the crisis of 1857, when, but for the general
contentment of the people, it would not have been
possible to maintain the public in tranquillity, still
less to have assisted in the reconquest of Hindoo-
stan. For all these advantages I acknowledge
myself indebted to the great Author of all good.
Without His guiding and protecting hand what
would indeed have become of us all P"
The festive portion of the ceremony was closed
by one of the most successful balls of the season.

THE PROPOSED RAILWAY ACROSS
THE THAMES TO RUNGERFORD.

Yesterday morning a committee appointed by the
House of Commons, consisting of Mr. Ingham
(chairman), Mr. Hassard, and other gentlemen,
assembled in Committee-room No. 1, for the pur-
pose of taking into consideration the scheme for
constructing a line of railway along the south bank
of the Thames, and across the river near Hunger-
ford-bridge, with a station near Hungerford-market.
Mr. Alexander, Q.C., who appeared for the pro-
moters of the scheme, called
Mr. Hammond, a gentleman connected with the
Foreign-office, who said that it was of the greatest
possible importance, with regard to their despatches
by the night trains, that they should have as much
time as possible to prepare them ; and a question of
a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes at night
was sometimes of great national importance. They
were obliged to allow their messengers half an hour
to reach the station at London-bridge. If the sta-
tion were at Hungerford, it would be within five
minutes' reach of the Foreign-office and the other
Government departments ; and much time therefore
would be saved in the transmission of despatches.
It was proposed to call a gentleman from the
War Department to prove the same facts, but Mr.
Ingham, having consulted with the other members
of the committee, said that they had come to the
conclusion that the proposed Charing - cross or
Hungerford railway station would be a great public
convenience, and they would not require any more
evidence on the subject.
Mr. Moore, inspector of the M division of police,
described the property through which the proposed
line would pass. Much of it was of a very low
character, " morally and architecturally." River-
street and its neighbourhood, for example, were so
thoroughly bad, harboured theives and other despe-
rate characters to such an extent, that it was not con-
sidered safe to send a policeman singly into that
district. From six years' experience he be-
lieved that the proposed line joining the South-
Eastern and South-Western railways, of which
the line to Charing-cross would be a branch, would
be of immense advantage to the neighbourhood ;
and he did not think that an arch across Welling.
ton-street (Southwark) would at all impede the
traffic from London-bridge----indeed, he believed
that the new line would greatly relieve it, as the
principal obstructions were now caused by cabs
and omnibuses, which were called to and from the
station.

Evidence was then received as to the value of the
property to be taken for the purposes of the line.