The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-24 00:00:00

RAILWAY TRAVELLING IN CANADA.

His Excellency the Governor-General, on the
arrival of the Indian in port, having expressed a
wish to proceed from Quebec to Montreal, and
thence to Toronto, by (Gaud Trunk Railway, ar-
rangements were immediately made by Mr. Bidder,
general manager of the company, to place at the
disposal of His Excellency a special train to convey
him and suite frAn Quebec to Toronto. The
journey, a distance of 500 miles, was performed in
15 hours, but as two hours and a half must be de-
ducted for stoppages, including an hour for dinner
at Kingston, the running time is thereby is luced
to twelve and a half hours,—making the rate of
speed 40 miles an hour for twelve consecutive hours.
Such running being managed on a single line of
rails, and without, as we are informed, interfering
in any way with the ordinary trains, reflects not
only the greatest cre'lit on the officers generally
and their efficient management, but also affords
very conclusive proof that the construction of the
road must be of first rate character to warrant such
high speed for a cont.nuous journey of 500 miles.
Comparing this journey of His Excellency with
the locomotion of only a few years back, by which
at least a fortnight would have been occupied in
the transit between Quebec and TOIOntO, the Pro-
vince has tuiason to be proud of their great national
railroad, "a noble enterprise," as the Hon. Mr.
Cayley has characterised it, "so internally blended
with the hopes of Canada, that it grows with its
growth and strengthens with its strength, and is
destined yet to achieve the proudest success with
the increasing prosperity of the province."
His Excellency was pleased to express his grati-
fication at the very expeditious manner in which
the journey had been perfornael—Canadiam Rail,-
1 ton Guide.

SIAGULAR NEWSPAPER EXPERIMENT.

The editor of the Hertfordshire County Press, in
taking leave of his readers upon the fusion of that
journal with the Hertford Mercury, makes the fol-
lowing instructive and interesting statement
"Tile County Press first made its appearance in
1832, and took part in the fiery discussions which
agitated the publicinind at that period, as the cham-
pion of Toryism. As a commercial speculation it
was never successful : fortune declared against it
at the first ; and eluting the years it continued to
advocate Tory and Conservative men and measures
it probably was indebted for the means of existence
rather to the political needs of wealthypatrons, than
to the favour with which it was regarded by this
general public. Certain it is that, so soon as it was
released from the bondage of leading strings, and
came into the hands of proprietors who had only
the profits arising from the sale of the paper,.and
from ttte advertisements inserted in it, to depend
upon—it was discovered to he a failure. The public
would not support it. Four different proprietors,
some of whom expended considerable sums of money
in improving it, successively retired from its man-
agement wiser and sadder' men. It was clear that
s conservative newspaper would not pay. Th.,
loaders of the conservative party refused to receive
it into leading strings again ; and it was in the
.market—a most unmarketable commodity.
" At the time referred to—the year 1851—it oc-
curred to the proprietor of the Hertford Mercury
that, if the county would not accept the County
Press as the advocate of conservatism, it might
perhaps accept it in the new character of a neutral
paper,.whose colums should be open for the discus-
si ua of political questions, but which should not
itself have any political bias. This-project was cer=
tainly feasible. All the resources of the Hertford
Mercury, in the shape of reporters and writers,
would be available in the County Press, without
any great increase of expenditure ; and it
therefore was reasonable to expect that, thotigh
the County Press was a failure whilst conserva-
tive, and whilst requiring a separate establishment
for its production,—it would be successful as an in-
dependent, or neutral, paper, issuing from the office
of a well known and thoroughly successful journal.
Full and accurate reports of local meeting, and the
earliest intelligence on subjects of general impor-
tance, would at once be secured to the public ;and
those who did not like to read these things in the
columns of a liberal newspaper would have the op-
portunity of reading them in a newspaper which
would contain nothing to offend their political pre-
judices.
" It was with these views that the proprietor of
the Hertford Mercury became the proprietor of the
County Press. The change of proprietorship took
place iu July, 1851, and was announced in a
leading article, in which it which it was stated
that particular attention would henceforth be
directed to agriculture, and that the fullest and
most elaborate reports of the London and pro-
vincial markets would be published. Arrangements
were made to this end, and the County Press be-
came one of the best market newspapers in the coun-
try. We confidently appeal to our readers whether
we did not faithfully fulfil the other promise which
we made, that we would be severely impartial and
loftily just. Communicat one on political subjects
were freely admit,ed to these columns, without re-
fereoce to the views they advocated, the only con-
dition of insertion being that they should contain
nothing personally offensive and discourteous. In
the leading articles party politics were eschewed ;
but our readers will remember that, though we took
no part in these tempting discussions, we rendered
some service to the public by our advocacy of mea-
sures of social amelioration, in reference to which
the best men of all parties are now agreed. There
was that in the County Press which might interest
men, whatever their political views, and there wiz
nothing that ought to have offended any. The con-
servative party certainly owed a debt of gratitude
to us; for, though we did not undertake'to espouse
their party views, or defend their party projects,
we offered them an organ in which they might de-
fend themselves without risking those editorial cri-
ticisms and replies, the dread of which often pre-
vents men from writing in the fairest and best con-
ducted newspapers of opposite. politics.
• " But the conservative party did not appreciate
the boon we offered them. They certainly did not
support the County Press to the extent to which,
under • the circumstances, might have been ex-
pected. The bond between us was therefore dis-
solved. The County Press as a tory newspaper,
and as a neutral newspaper, hal failed. The majo-
rity of its supporters, while it sthtained the later
character, were lilwr ds, and we therefore felt
bound, in justice to our subscribers, and in• justice
to ourselv,s, to make the County Press a liberal
newspaper.
"It is now our duty to announce that this last
experiment has failed. There is no transformation of
which the County Press seems susceptible from which
its success as a comtnt rcial speculation can be hoped.
We have shown that the public would not have it
as a tory newspaper—we have learned that they
nevertheless prefer a political to a neutral news-
paper, for politics they will have—and we have
also learned that there is not room and scope
enoudi in the county for two liberal newspapers—
even -though one be published on Saturday, and the
other on Tuesday. One after another the subscribers
to the County Press have transferred their favours
to the Hertford Mercury, until the number of sup-
porters has been so reduced that we do not feel jus-
tified in continuing our journalistic labours.
" In taking leave of our readers we have only to
regret that hencefbrth our-channel of usefulness is
closed to us. We may, however, without being
arrogant, hope that, since there are some who will
probably regret the sudden discontinuance of a
journal which has for years past supplied them
with metetiale for thinking and for discussion on
many subjects of interest, they will not be unwill-
ing to renew the acquaintance which can l e no
longer kept up through the medivm of these co-
lumns, in those of the Hertford Mecury, in which
the County Press beconats henceforth merged."