The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-16 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
PROPOSED NEW RAILWAYS.
It appears from the notices of intended applica-
tion to Parliament in the ensuing session that Bills
for several new railways and branches will be ap-
plied for, and judging from the produce of lines and
branches of a similar character already constructed
in various parts of the kingdom, it is very doubtful
whether many of the new schemes, if sanctioned, will
return any dividend for the outlay. Unfortunately,
too many railways and branches which are now in
operation were originally projected more with the
view to profit certain individuals than for public
benefit or to remunerate the shareholders, who were
induced by all sorts of representations, and in many
instances compelled to find the money. The lawyers,
engineers, contractors, directors, landowners, parties
who purchased land on the speculation of the lines
being made, and thus obtaining three or four times
its value from the company, other parties who have
an interest in letting the contracts for the works
by private agreement, form together an almost ir-
resistible influence to obtain Bills every session for
lines and branches, whether requisite or not.
There can be no doubt that there is plenty of
room for improvement on the present system of rail-
way legislation, and it is believed the appointment of
a Parliamentary Committee to investigate and report
on the effects of past legislation on railways, with a
view to establishing an improved system of legislation
with regard to them, may lead to some practical ad-
vantages, and in some measure tend to protect the
public and railway shareholders from the gross impo-
sitions and severe losses to which they are continually
exposed by the present loose system. In dealing
with the new Bills next session, it is believed that Par-
liament might do a great deal of good to railway
property by adopting some arrangement which should
have the effect of making responsible before some tri-
bunal the engineer in every case for the amount of
his estimate, the contractor that the amount of his
contract should not be exceeded, the directors for
exceeding the powers of the Acts of Parliament, the
lawyers for negligence in drawing up the clauses of
the Bills, and thus place some check on the continual
amendment of acts. The practice of sanctioning,
session after sessioe, the illegal acts of railway di-
rectors, should, if possible, be abolished, and men so of-
fending should in future be held individually respon-
sible for their conduct, in every case where it can be
proved that the Acts of Parliament have been vio-
lated. With respect to one of the companies intend-
ing to make application next session for a new Act,
it has been stated by a committee of inquiry into the
company's affairs that the directors had conducted the
affairs of the company as if the Acts of Parliament
were so much " waste paper." Another of the com-
panies making application raised years ago 700,0001.
without any legal authority, and last session obtained
the sanction of Parliament to rectify that illegal act.
Some simple regulation, which should have for its
object to make all the acting parties in the manage-
ment of railway companies personally liable for
the illegal acts of the company, and the misapplica-
tion of the funds intrusted to their charge, would
put a stop to a great deal. of misconduct in the ma-
nagement of railway property. There is a very
strong opinion among respectable railway men that
Parliament should in the ensuing session, be-
fore proceeding wi h any of the new Rail-
way Bills, pass a short Act with regard to
the falsification of railway accounts, the punish-
ment to be fine and imprisonment. It is believed
that until the Legislature declares it by Act of Par-
liament to be a crime to falsify railway accounts the
ability to falsify accounts will be regarded by certain
unprincipled railway speculators as a valuable ac-
quirement, worthy of the highest reward they can
bestow. The passing of an Act declaring the falsifi-
cation of accounts to be illegal and a crime deserving
of severe punishment would tend greatly to enhance
the value of railway property. In one company
alone the public have been defrauded in the price of
the shares to the extent of nearly 2,000,0001. by means
of false accounts, which showed a fictitious net re-
venue in one year of 108,8451. over and above the
actual net revenue of the company; and the total
falsification of the accounts in this company, so far as
could be discovered, amounted to 328,0001. in the
course of four years. Notwithstanding this exposure
certain railway shareholders have lately been endea-
vouring to reinstate the man in power under whose
management, or rather mismanagement, the prices
sf the shares were thus raised so much above their
value.

Among the proposed new railways are lines from
the Furness Railway to the Kendal and Windermere
Railway, from the Furness Railway at Ulcerstone to
the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Cornforth,
from Lowestoft to Haleswortb, from Bungay to Hales-
wortb, from the Eastern Counties at Forest-gate to
Tilbury Fort, from the North Kent Railway at
Strood to Dover, from the Croydon Railway near
New-cross to Dover (the Mid-Kent line), from the
Holyhead Railway at Bangor to Carnarvon, from
Gloucester to Ross and Hereford, from Blackwall to
Tilbury Fort, from the Royston and Hitchin at
Sbepreth to Cambridge, from the South Staffordshire
at Wicknor to Burton-on-Trent, from the Altrincham
Junction Railway to Warrington. The Stockton and
Darlington to make branches to Coundon and
Westerton ; the South Wales, branches to the Forest
of Dean, to Newport, Cardiff, Bute Dock, and to
the Taff Vale Railway; the Sheffield and Goole,
branch to Kimberworth ; the North Staffordshire,
branches to Litchurch and to the Midland Railway ;
the Chester and Holyhead, a branch to Holyhead har-
bour; the Lancashire and Yorkshire, branch to Mid-
dleton ; the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire,
extension to Salford ; from the Ulster Railway at
A.rmagh to the canal at Caledon ; Waveney Valley,
branch to Bungay ; a line from Buckhurst to the
South-Eastern Railway at Tonbridge-wells ; from
the Glastonbury to the Bristol and Exeter near High-
bridge ; the Great Northern Railway, branch to
Miston ; a line from the Birmingham and Oxford to
the London and North-Western Railway at Birming-
ham; a line from the Briton Ferry to the South
Wales Railway ; a line from the Thames to the
North Kent Railway. There are several other Bills
for railway purposes, such as for altering the exist-
ing terms of guarantees and leases, for authorising
companies to run engines and carriages over other
companies' railways, to extend time for the construc-
tion of works, and to amend Acts.

TATTERSALL'S-THIS EVENING
Six O'CLOCK.

CHESTER CUP.
66 to 1 agst The Black Doctor
66 to 1 agst Langton
66 to 1 agst Damask
66 to I agst Wont-you•comc-out•to•night
66 to 1 agst Raby
100 to 1 agst Glauca
100 to 1 agst Cyprus

DERBY.
12 to 1 agst Mountain Sylph colt
35 to 1 agst Storm
40 to 1 agst Lightfoot
50 to 1 agat Balsamo

ROYAL COLLEGE Or SURGEONS.—The following
gentlemen, having undergone the necessary examinations
for diploma, were admitted members of the College, at the
meeting of the Court of Examiners on the 13th instant :
Messrs. Alexander Myall Robinson, Newbury, Berkshire;
Edmund Lord Hudson, Bacup, Rochdale, Lancashire ;
Francis Henry Plumptre, Queen's-square, Bloomsbusy ; John
Phillipson Longhorn, her Majesty's Forest of Dean, Glou-
cestershire; Robert Rygate, Colet-place, Commercial-road;
Henry Mound, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire ; John Davies
Weaver, Chester; John Craven, York ; James Charles
Dickinson, London ; George Webster, Dulwich, Surrey ;
Ashby Greenough Osborn, Northampton; and Joseph Earle,
Grosvenor-street West. At the same meeting of the Court
Messrs. George Everest, Michael Walling, and David Lloyd
Morgan, passed their examinations for naval surgeons.
Those gentlemen had previously been admitted members of
the College, their diplomas bearing date respectively April
29, 1812 ; April 25, 1843 ; and April 17, 1846.

SUICIDE AT THE CHURCH OF ST. BOTOLPH,
ALDSATE.—On Saturday night, at eight o'clock, an inquest
was held before Mr. William Payne, jun., and a respectable
jury, in the Committee-room, Fountain-court, ?dinories, on
view of the body of John Smith, aged sixty, for many
years sexton of Aldgate Church, who, on Saturday forenoon
shot himself through the head with a pistol, in a vault at-
tached to the church.—Verdict, " Temporary Insonity."

APPOINTMENTS.—Mr. W. Garry LettSOID, now
Paid Attaché to the Mission at Washington, has been ap-
pointed, in the same capacity, to the Mission at Madrid.
Mr. J. Carter, Puisne Judge of the Supfeme Court of New
Brunswick, is appointed Chief Justice of that Court. Mr.
R. Godlouton is appointed a member of the Legislative
Council of the Cape of Good Hope.

On 'Wednesday a retired tradesman, named Porter,
was killed, while walking in the streets of Preston, by a skip
from the upper story of a warehouse falling upon his head;
the rope being unsound.

BRISTOL, DEC. 14.—Wind W.S.W.—Arrd. Barbara,
Lovell, Africa; Mary Ann Peters, Brown, New York.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, Dec. 14.

ELAM V. THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY

COMPANY.
(Continued from our Third Edition of Saturday. )
Joseph Paul, a servant in the employ of Messrs.
Chaplin and Horne, proved the delivery of the goods
in question on the 21st of August, consisting of eight
packages, at 75, Castle-street East.

Mr. T. Thompson, a clerk at the railway station,
proved the entry of the goods in the railway-bill, but
admitted, on cross-examination, that he had been keep-
ing out of the way to avoid being subpoenaed fur the
plaintiff.
Mr. Pollard, a clerk in the employ of the Railway
Company, said he went to inquire for the plaintiff at 75,
Castle-street, and at 386, Oxford-street, in Decemher
last. At the latter place he saw Mr. Alfred Elam, the
plaintiff, and asked him if he had any goods at the Cam-
den-town station. He said he had, and wanted them
very much. Witness asked him on what day they left
Liverpool ; plaintiff said his letter would tell that. Wit-
ness then asked if he ever resided at 75, Castle-street
East, Oxford-street. He started, and asked why witness
put that question. Witness said he had a reason for asking