The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-28 00:00:00

RAILWAY SIGNALS,

An important series of experiments were made on
Thursday on the North-Eastern Railway system, with
a view of testing various methods of communication
between passengers, guards, and drivers, which
have been devised in view of the adoption of one
general system in April next, when a provision
of the kind becomes compulsory on railway companies.
Four experimental trains were run, and the general
managers and other officials of the Great Northern,
South-Eastern, Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire,
Midland, London and North-Western, North-Western,
and other companies were present, and travelled
in the trains. At eleven a.m. a London and
North-Western train of twenty-five carriages, trucks,
&c., was fitted at Malton with a cord apparatus
attached to a whistle on the engine. This line was slender,
and required to be cut or broken at the point of danger,
the severance of the string liberating a spring lever
which blew the whistle. This train ran from Malton
to Scarborough. At Scarborough a South-Eastern train
was entered, and a return journey was made to Malton.
The train was a mixed one, and of the same length,
and was fitted with Preece's electric couplings, as
in use on the South-Eastern. At Malton a North-
Eastern train was taken, fitted with Brown's semaphore
invention, moved by a cord over the window, and signal-
ling the driver and guard, as well as marking the part of
the train whence the alarm is given. This system has
been in use on certain North-Eastern trains for ten
months, and has done good service. At York a short
London and North-Western train was waiting, fitted
with a different electrical communication, which it was
proposed to take to Harrogate. The results of the
observations will lead to a conference with the different

managers, and form the basis of a suggestion to the
Board of Trade for a uniform system of signalling pas-
senger trains.

THE ABERGELE CORONER.—The Lanced con-
gratulates Dr. Evan Pierce on the high estimation in
which he is evidently held at Denbigh, where he has now
been elected mayor for the third year in succession. Re-
membering the adverse criticism of which, as coroner in
the melancholy catastrophe at Abergele, Dr. Pierce was
the subject, it must be peculiarly gratifying to him to
receive so complete a proof from his fellow townsmen of
their satisfaction with his conduct of that most difficult
and painful inquiry—a satisfaction that is now universally
entertained.

REPORTING EXTRAORDINARY.—Before a member
has finished his speech in the House, the greater part of
it is not only written out, but actually in type in more
than one newspaper office. Without the system of "short
turns " in reporting, this would, of course, be impossible.
One peculiarity of the " turn " system is, that great pains
need be taken to avoid mistakes arising from the
" turns" of different men being accidentally transposed.
To prevent this, each man, ere he begins his report,
heads his first slip of transcript with his own name and
that of the reporter who has preceded him, thus : " Jones
follows Brown ;" and he adds similar words to the last
slip, thus : " Smith follows Jones." These words are of
course set up in type for the guidance of the printer ; and
it sometimes happens that they find their way in con-
sequence into the newspaper itself. On one celebrated
occasion, Mr. Disraeli, who was depicting in glowing
words the dangers to society arising from some act of
the Liberal Government, exclaimed, in the midst of his
peroration : " Then, sir, what follows?" This question
was unexpectedly' answered in one morning paper by the
remarkable words, " Green follows Robson." • • There
are many good stories told respecting the Gal-
lery. Many have doubtless heard of the old
reporter who in the midst of a dull debate, suddenly
called out for the Speaker to favour the House with
a song. Another gentleman, engaged in the House
of Lords, having heard one statesman of repute
state that another had introduced a bill "with indecent
haste," headed his report with the words " Charge of
Indecency against Lord So-and-so ;" whilst a third, who
had been told that profane language was on no account to
be admitted into his reports, once destroyed the effect of
one of O'Connell's finest pieces of oratory by printing the
word " damned," when used in its most legitimate sense,
in the form in which it usually appears in our police
reports.—Chambers's Journal,

The Norwich Liberals have decided on petitioning
against the return of Sir-henry Stracey. Mr. Sergeant
Dallantine has been retained-for the prosecution.

The Archbishop designate of Canterbury has in-
vited tho Very Rev. Harvey Goodwin, D.D., Dean of Ely,
to preach the Latin sermon at the opening of Convocation.
Mr. George Lyall, formerly M.P. for Whitehaven,
will be the now Governor of the Bank of England, in the
room of Mr. Sheffield Neave, deceased. A Court for his
formal election will be held on Wednesday next.

A Dublin jury bas awarded £2OO damages to a
man-plaintiff in the caso of breach of promise. This is a
most unusual case, a man being generally solaced by a
shilling.

By an action in the Court of Common Pleas, the
astounding fact is recorded that, at a banquet at the Nov
Moat Market, King's-cross, 180 gentlemen, to use an Ame-
rican phrase, "got outsido of" 521 bottles of wine.
The library of Dr. Longley, the late Archbishop of
Canterbury, is to come under the auctioueer's hammer next
mouth. He had an immense collection of valuable theolo-
gical works, as well as works of gJneral literature, the
former of which are of little use to his family, as none of his
sons took holy orders.

46 A Grateful Curate," writing to the Leicester
Journal says that among the good traits of the late Bishop
of Peterborough's character was the following :—lt was his
custom ovary Christmas-day to send to those curates in his
diocese who were burdened with large families and slender
means a cheque for five or ten pounds, This was onclosod
in a letter expressed in the most courteous And delicate
terms,
To the copra° of a few days the long line of houses
opposite to the General Post-office iu Pt, Martin's-1e-
Grand will be removed? the whole of the property having
been purchased for the Government, On the Bite now
occupied 107 the heusea buildings will be
,precte4 fpr
Post-ofilee purposes, the vat Inereroo of bilMillßSO hP,T*
ing racked word .eitohded acurnmodatin nbsglutoly
4egesary,„