The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-15 00:00:00

is r..asea to V ,elieve that he knew of some intended
attack b, 1)o made in New Zealand ; and indeed
the it fur 7rnation which has been received in
Sydne y It ttely shows the existence of serious dis-
affect ion. imong a certain class iu those islands. As
crime so a •,etimes assume a kind of epidemic form,
and tit( ; notoriety attending one outrage stimulates
I"minds to repeat it in another form, it.is pos-
sible -r hat another attack might have been made on
the Prince had he visited New Zealand, an event
whi ch would have occasioned almost greater regret
to the colonists than to ourselves. The New Zea-
land, TS themselves, while regretting the loss of the
Print: :3 visit, must feel that the risk so incurre3
would be an unwise one, and had the original plan
been ad terel to the anxiety and vigilance insepar-
able fro rn the visit after the alarm at Sydney would
have gr ?.atly interfered with the pleasure of all par-
ties. E'.alf the enjoyment of the PRINCE'S Austra-
lian sok urn, both on the part of hosts and guests,
was dut to the free and unceremonious manner in

which he mixed with the populace. If it were ne-
cessary or advisable to keep to closed carri iges and
guards on every public occasion the visit must
have been a failure, and it is better avoided. As it
is, the PRINCE has returned with a favourable im-
pression of colonial loyalty and hospitality, while
the colonists retain an affectionate recollection of
the frankness and affability of the PRINCE.

The discussion on the proposed amalgamation of
the South Coast Railways on Friday evening in the
House of Lords showed that their lordships have at
all events no desire to slight the subject. The
Marquis of CLANRICARDE, on the motion for the
second reading of the bill, brought forward the
amendment of which he had given notice, and pro-
posed that it should be read that day six months.
After an interesting debate the amendment was
withdrawn, the Lill was read a second time,
and referred to a select committee, with the
understandino that its details were to be subjected
to a searching revision. The Duke of RICHMOND,
who had recently received a deputation on the sub-
ject from Surrey, Sussex, and other districts
affected by the bill, observed that all the objections
taken to it were on points of detail, note-to the prin-
.ciple of amalgamation itself. This was the case in
the Lords on Friday night, where not a single
voice was raised in favour of the objection-
able clauses, but almost all the speakers
expressed their approval of the principle itself.
It was generally thought that the proposed combi-
nation was a wise one, and that if such a system
had been earlier adopted much of the ruinous waste
of money which the public are expected to pay for
might have been avoided. Earl FORTESCUE,
indeed, openly acknowledged that he thought
such matters as gas and water supply and rail-
way accommodation could only be profitably
provided by a monopoly, and he believed the inte-
rests of the public were better consulted by a mono-
poly, carried on under stringent regulations, and
by provisions enforcing adequate service, and limit-
ing the charges to a reasonable amount. Lord
REDESDALE'S suggestion was the best, and we
hope that before long we may see it car-
ried into effect. The noble lord expressed
his anxiety to see an efficient railway
Board established, which should report on schemes
for the guidance of Parliament. Such a Board, if
properly constituted, would be of immense service.
It would bring all the rival schemes and
interested projects to the teat of a thorough
and impartial investigation, giving the pub-
lic the benefit of experienced and inde-
pendent judgment on matters which concern the
comfort of almost all of us, but with which it is at
present no one's exact province to deal. In extreme
cases, like the details of this Amalganiation Bill,
some efforts are made, but generally speaking those
who are most affected have not the time or the
money to spare to press forward their grievances.
Besides, the whole of our railway legisla-
tion of late years has been piecemeal and hap-
hazar 1, and we want a broader and more com-
prehensive spirit. Railways have become so much
a necessity of our daily life, they have assumed so
prominent a position in our metropolitan highways,
and have effected such sweeping changes in our
streets and squares, that they can no longer be
thrust aside or treated with indifference. Their
managers are certainly not too moderate in
their claims or requisitions. They expect every
one's convenience, interest, or pleasure to give way,
and all their past experience has not taught them to
curtail their demands. Lord FORTESCUE did not
scruple to denounce the provisions of the new bill
as t 4 impudent," and said he (did not think the
public should be called upon to pay for
wasteful expenditure upon branches or for
improvident and ruinous contests. Earl GREY de-
clared that " he was the more opposed to sanction-
ing this increase, because it was notorious that the
difficulties and embarrassments of the railway com-
panies were the result of the grossest extravagance
and mismanagement. Ile trusted therefore that
Parliament would not in the slightest degree listen
to any suggestion for permitting the railway com-
panies to increase their fares." So strong was the
feeling on this point that several noble lords, while
approving of the second reading, reserved to them-
selves the right to oppose the bill at the final stage
if the necessary alterations were not made. Lord
REDESDALE characterised the demand for increased
fares as " absolutely novel and objectionable."
" The promoters," he said, " had also made a most
extraordinary reqncst ; they bad absolutely asked for
power to make as unlimited charge—a thing that
had never before been heard of in connection with
railway legislation. If the House sanctioned such
a proposal, it would be opening the door to impo-
sitions on the public of the most dangerous cha-
racter." Such unqualified condemnation from no
less an authority than Lord REDESDALE would
have, we should hope, great weight with the com-
mittea, and Lord GREY'S suggestion that some
officer belonging to the Board of Trade, or other-
wise familiar with tht subject, should be appointed
to assist the members of the committee with his
advice, deserves attention. As Lord CLANRICARDE
remarked, the fares and regulations of these South
Coast Railways affect the whole of Europe, since
they have the command of the communication be-
tween England and the Continent, and it is, there-
fore, a matter of no slight importance that they
should b 3 governed by a liberal and enlightened
spirit. The proposal to introduce a clause subject-
ing the Act to revision "after a certain period of
trial" is a very wise one. Ten years is, however, too
long for an experiment of the kind. Five years
would be quite long enough to test the working of
the Act, and to discover the public feeling on the
matter. B,:fore that time has elapsed we hope that
Lord RED ESDALF2:3 Board of Control over our
whole railway system will be in full working order,
and that the directors and managers of companies
will be a little more careful and scrupulous iu their
devices for making the public pay for their tnisw
management, excessive competition, and extra-

vagance.

The Railways Ireland Commissioners met on
Saturday last at 2, Victoria-street, Westminster. Present
--Sir Alex. Y. Spearman, Bart., John Mulholland, Esq.
John Fowler, Esq., C.E., SPymottr Clayla., En., and Chris-
topher Johnstone, tsq.