The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-31 00:00:00

I.YDLIN _RAILROAD STATISTICS.

-
During the year 1858 the East Indian Railway
carried 1,172,852 passengers, or 8.952 per mile.
The gross earnings per train mile were 3r. 145. Ip.
and the working expenses lr. 15a. Ip. The' profits
were 49.9 per cent., and the expenses 50.1 per cent.
of the whole earnings. The profit on the capital is
estimated at 6-3 per cent. The increase of goods
traffic is the most striking feature of the returns,
the increase of the passenger traffic having been
but trifling on this line. The Great Indian Penin-
sula Railway was open for 68 miles on the Concan
and 1031 on the Deccan line, or a total of 1711.
As 64 of these miles were open for only a fort-
night, 1351 is assumed as the standard. Unlike
the East Indian line the returns from passenger
traffic are most satisfactory, and the receipts from
goods, though showing an improvement on
previous periods, still disappointing, The expenses
amount'to 43.35 on the receipts, a result which is
creditable to the Great Indian Peninsular Railway
as compared with the East Indian Railway in
working. But the capital expended on the former
is so much greater that the net per tentage i 5
£4 ss. 10d. against £6 ss. on the latter. The
passenger income is 4r. 14a. Op. per train per mile
against 3r. 13a. 4p. in 1857 ; the goods traffic
only 2r. 9a. 11p. The high rates for goods are
alone to blame for this result, and their recent
reduction is still insufficient. When we look at
the revenue of the Madras Railway we cease to
wonder that the men who are the greatest oppo-
nents of railways belong to that presidency. It
is the worst of the three. Open for 96 miles, and
worked as cheaply as the other Indian lines, from
its high rates it has not succeeded in securing much
traffic. Its expenses are accordingly 66.44 per cent.
of the whole revenue, but there is a slight improve-
ment on previous years, which raises the profits to
nearly 3 per cent. When we compare these re-
sults with the figures published by the Board of
Trade on English Railways for 1858, we have rea-
son to congratulate ourselves on the larger returns
of the Indian lines. The average rate of dividend
on the whole of the ordinary share capital in Eng-
land was 3.06, somewhat less than the yield of even
the Madras line. Even the interest on preference
capital and loan was only 4'63, or little more than the
yield of the Great Indian Peninsula line, and 2 per
cent. below the East Indian line. In round numbers,
140,000,000 passengers were conveyed,but in propor-
tion to the mileage, the number of passengers on the
East Indian Railway is greater than in Ireland,
nearly equal to that of Scotland, and about three-
fifths that of England. The average cost of the
construction of the English lines has been per mile
£39,264 ; of the American, £8,275 ; and of the
Great Indian Peninsula Railway, £8,253. The
working expenses on the Indian lines are less than
on any other, and every new extension, every new
reduction of the rates, increases the receipts. These
results, we submit, are encouragng in themselves.
T hey point, also, to a future for Indian railways of
which men do not dream. As yet they are single
lines, without even roads as feeders ; as yet they
et their
have not reached their great termini, but each
ends in a swamp or a village; oods
as y
fares for third-class passengers and for g
are disproportionately high. When the overland
traffic, and the produce of the hills and well-watered
valleys, are borne along between Madras and Bey-
pore ; when Central India and the assigned districts
of Hyderabad pour their vast cotton wealth rat°
Bombay ; when the goods of Manchester are borne
into the interior, and the riches of the doabs the
deltas of the Indus and Ganges, and the tea
of
this,
o,iy.
partially
Calcutta Himalaya ; slopesand
w arehen carriedthedense
owpn
otpo
utut
irorna cohfetehaensde
valleys, ever on the move, is attracted
raby arcs
lower s
lower than those of their own boats, Indian l
sweiclil.etyieml,dhiachlmowstillfaabeucloomuspldisih vidends.
which has
made the East Indian Railway--only The one
aware of it—eclipse the others, and which only one
English line has yet perceived', is cheap fares, cheap
rates.—. Friend of Indz.u.

MINES.—Considering the Christmas holidays, the
Mining Share Market has been pretty active thisswtßuseek,
sell, and
a good amount of business done in Treloweth, Ea
Tamar Consols, Wheal Unity, West Caradon, Stray Park,
Kelly Bray, Great South Tolgue North Roskear, Wheal
Harriett, Trelawny, Mary Ann, Wheal Grenville, and a
few other stocks. The fortnightly settlement took place on
Friday, and, we understand, in East Russell upwards of a
thousand shares were settled for, scarcely without a trane
the
fer passing, thus showing the " gambline." nature of
be said to
business going on. Altogether, the market may
wear a buoyant appearance, and a largo business, as well
as increased prices, aro anticipated in the coming year.
There can be no doubt that a daily increasin
and invesg demand is
springing up for good mines, and speculators
tors, by acting cautiously and, upon sound advice, and bY
eschewing the bubbles of the day, may find sound and
profitable employment for their capital in 13ritish
mines. In the Annual Review of Minim,, published in
the Jeurea/ of to-day, there is so much said of boncePe and
legitimate mines, that we may be excused for being more
than usually brief in this ai tide. Stray Park, on Thurs-
day, became in great demand, and in the thee of a heavy
call rose to 25, and leave off 26 to 261 ; it is supposed same
discovery has been made, but no official intelligence has
been received. North Roskear also in demand', and rose to
33, 35. Alfred Consols, 5t051 ; Bedford United, 71 to 71;
Cargoll, 12 to 13. Tamar Consols have been very largely
dealt in, and advanced to 3A, a;
the sale of the ore, 60
tons, realised £24 Ils. 6d. per ton, and a good profit, and
this caused the demaxd. Treloweth, Bto 81, and a large
business done. East Russell opened this week 12 to 121,
buyers ; the report valued the 77 east at f.lBO per fin. ; the
88 east ,Cl 5. On Wednesday, the public inspecting day, a
telegram was received at the office to the effect that the 88
wasp oor, pre
end 77 also poor ; shares, notwithstanding
this, kept pretty firm, and leave off 111 to 111.—Ninitl
,TWOrned of this d('U•