The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-24 00:00:00

RAILWAYS.

In Mr. Laing's paper appended to the evidence
taken before the Select Committee on Railways, there
is a curious table, showing the rate of different items
of expenditure per mile of railway upon some of the
principal British and' Foreign lines.
- From this table it appears that the Parliamentary
expenses of the London and Birmingham and London
and South-Western Companies have been about 6501.
per mile ; and of the Great Western and Manchester
and Leeds, 1,0001. per mile ; while the London and
Brighton cost, under this head, 3,0001. per mile.
There appears to be no corresponding item in the ac-
counts of the Belgian and French railways.
The " Law Charges, Engineering, Direction, &c."
have varied on English lines ; but on all of them
they have been enormously large. Thus, the Lon-
don and South-Western Company have had to pay,
under this item, 9001. per mile; the Grand Junction,
1,2001.; the Birmingham, 1,500/. ; the Manchester
and Leeds, 1,600/. ; the Brighton,' 1,800/ ; and the
Great Western no less an aamount than 2,5001.1 It
seems that the average per mile on the Belgian Rail-
ways, under this head, is 430/. ; and on the Paris
and Rouen Railway, 8001.
Under " Land and Compensation," the difference is
equally remarkable. Thus the Newcastle and Car-
lisle Company paid, per mile, 2,2001.; the Grand
Junction, 3,000/. ; the South-Western, 4,000/. ; the
Manchester and Leeds, 6,1501.; and the Birmingham
and the Great Western precisely the same—namely,
6,300/. ; while the Brighton paid no less than 8,0001.
per mie. The average of the Paris and Rouen
Railway was 2,3001.; and of the Belgian Railways,
2,750/.
In " Railway Works and Stations," the difference
is greater still. For example, the Newcastle and
Carlisle cost 12,0001. per mile ; the Grand Junction,
15,000/. ; the South-Western, 18,4501.; the Birming-
ham, 38,280/. ; the Brighton, 38,001.; the Great
Weslern, 40,000/. ; and, beyond all the rest, the Man-
chester and Leeds, 41,400/.1 The average of the Bel-
gian railways is 10,6001. per mile; and of the Paris
and Rouen, 17,0001.

The " Carrying Establishment per mile" has been,
on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, 1,3001.;
Grand Junction, 2,000/. ; South-Western, 2,350/.;
Birmingham and Brighton, 3,000/. ' • Manchester and
Leeds, 3,600/. ; while the Great Western has, 'in
this item, far out-topped all—being 4,800/. The
average of the Belgian Railways is precisely the same
as the cost, in this respect, of the South-Western—
namely, 2,3501.; and of the Paris and Rouen Rail-
way, 2,4001.

POST-OFFICE ESPIONAGE.—A most disgraceful
transaction was brought to light in the House of Com-
mons on Friday night last, and was also the subject of
discussion in the Lords on Monday night. A petition
was presented from three individuals complaining that
their letters had been detained and opened at the Post-
Office. Sir James Graham unblushingly avowed that
letters had been detained and opened, and that it was
by his orders it was done 1 He had the power, he
said, as Home Secretary, to do this, and he had exer-
cised it, but why or wherefore he refused to state. That
such a power is possessed by the Home Secretary was
not disputed, but that it was exercised was never before
dreamed of by any one. The public at large had certainly
no knowledge of the existence of such a power, and they
will hear of it with as much surprise as indignation. It
was believed that correspondence in this country could be
carried on with perfeCt freedom, and withontthe slightest
danger of a violation of the trust; Sir James Graham has
destroyed the delusion ; and we not* find that the Eng-
lish Post-office is merely the head-quarters of her Ma-
jesty's principal Spy, Sir James Graham, whose ambi-
tion it is to rival the fame of Fouche, when he held a
similar appointment under Buonaparte.— Carlisle Journal.
AN UNLUCKY EXPOSE.—On one occasion, Bartley,
whose business it was to play in the tragedy at Drury-
lane, had to begin also the farce at Covent-garden.
The play on this evening at the latter house had been
short, and was brought even earlier than usual to a
conclusion, by no encore of the songs having taken
place. After a lapse of some ten minutes, the audi-
ence became impatient—(" unruly," as Elliston would
have said)—and messengers were accordingly dis-
patched, demanding Bartley's instant attendance.—
Bartley, considering that a per tentage on his tragedy
might Easily be spared, or more readily be supplied by
another, than the absence of his merry face in the farce
of " My Is: eighbour's Wife," kicked off his buskins at
Drury, and running to Covent-garden, was speedily in
his dressing-room, where he instantly began pulling on
his, well-remembered pantaloons. But being somewhat
!glutted by the importunity of the prompter's boy, and
in a considerable state of perspiration, he had more
than usual difficulty, so that the pantaloons gave way
in the struggle, presenting the most graceless rent in
arrear that ever freeholder experienced. This, of course
augmented the delay, and the delay had the same effect
on the patience of the auditory; they were, however,
pacified by some timely explanation, and within ano-
ther quarter of an hour Bartley appeared in his own re-
spectable grey trousers, and went comfortably through
his part.—Amsworth for June.