The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-28 00:00:00

BOULOGNE AND AMIENS RAIL-

ROAD.

Many persons have applied to us for information
relative to the railroad from hence to Amiens, what
i our opinion of it is, as a source of speculation, or a
sure mode of investment, and particularly what inte-
rest it is likely to give. These are questions which,
at the present time, in the present unsettled state of
the differences between the two countries, every wise
man would approach with great diffidence. Every-
thing in France is conducted also on principles so
different to what we see and are accustomed to in
England ; the people themselves are such a living ex-
ample of their own Champagne, pop to-day, when some
unprincipled journalist touches them on the raw of
their honour and military renown, flat to-morrow
when the effervescence of the moment is gone off; that
no certainty is to be placed in the future, unless,
indeed, the railway companies would combine to
buy up all the war organs, or break the necks of
their editors the first time they travel by them.
Peace might then continue, for it is necessary, in
order that every railroad should pay, particularly
French railroads. Every person, then, thinking of
an investment in foreign railroads, should calculate
upon the probability of peace, if the interest of the
money invested be necessary for his support, unless
he intends to remain in the country where the in-
vestment is made, be there peace, or be there war.
Should peace continue between the two countries,
in our opinion, there is no question as to the
13oulogne and Amiens Railroad returning a good in-
terest. In our numbers of November and December
1842 and 1843, we entered largely upon the question,
giving the returns of what might be expected. Since
then, certainly, circumstances have somewhat changed.
The company will not be aided by Government one
sous; it was then thought it would make all embank-
ments, bridges, &c., in fine, prepare everything for
laying down the rails, and thus save a company nearly
three-fifths of the ordinary expenses. This is not now
the case. The company must do all ; but then, instead
of a lease of 30 years, they will have one of upwards of
90, but not exceeding 99. This is a material difference in
every point of view. It changes of course the calcula-
tions, but he who examines well the data upon which
our calculations were made, for we took great pains on
the subject, and entered largely into the minutm, will
see at once, though there will not be annually the
same amount of interest realised, there will be a com-
pensation afforded by the tripling of the period during
which it will be received. All this, of course, must
greatly depend upon the friendly relations of the two
countries ; let that continue, the lines from Mar-
seilles to Paris, and from Bordeaux to Orleans be
completed, and such will be the traffic from Amiens
to Boulogne, that none will be dissatisfied with the
result. But add to this the possibility of French
statesmen considering the true interests of the coun-
try, legislating for the good of the nation, and not to
enrich individuals, and imagine a rational, treaty of
commerce passed, by which the produce of England
and pass, at reasonable
duties,
indeed, would the
streams of all
the Boulognerailroads
'
Railroad,frt roofreciprocally
be
e:o pour
ho3rtur,thest unitedn
such
ce
h a quantity of goods
to the coast, that interest, to content even a miser,
would be realised by all who embarked in it. This,
Francef ro m
one
would
o
however, must not be expected so long as needy men
are seeking for places, that the country is sacrified to
selfish opposition, and an unprincipled press leads the
mind of the country astray from its true interests to
be revenged on perfidious England, that only laughs
at their folly anti pities their ignorance. What the
company are doing, or what is their true prospectus,
or what are the conditions, we cannot inform our
readers, for we have never been able to obtain any cer•
tain knowledge respecting them.—Boulogne Gazette.
SAVINGS' BANKS.—After the Ist November next
the new Act applicable to Savings' Banks will come into
operation. The trustees, according to their discretion,
may fix one of the following rates of interest to be paid
to depositors after that day, viz., 3/. Os. 10d., 2/. 18s. 4d.,
21. 15s. It is to be hoped the higher rate will be fixed.
TILE HOUSE OF COMMONS' LITERARY.—The pre-
sent library is wholly unworthy of the first assembly in
the empire. It consists of little more than 4,000 volumes,
and is in many respects imperfect for the purposes of ge-
neral reference. It contains no collection of cases heard
by the Lords or Privy Council ; nor is there a complete
series of private Acts of Parliament, nor yet of the mul-
tifarious official papers printed lay order of the House.
But it is in other particulars defective. Small as the col-
lection is, the arrangement, or rather the want of ar-
rangement, has been found to create much inconve-
nience, whenever it has been necessary to search for
precedents. This difficulty was remarked particularly
during the discussion of the memorable question of
" privilege" raised by the arrest of the Sheriffs, when
the librarian and three assistants were occupied nearly a
whole week in searching for a particular case supposed
to bear upon the subject. The contents of some of the
presses are not known to the oldest officers of the House ;
in one is deposited a very mysterious green bag, which
again encloses a Post-office bag of letters, unopened, of
the year 1690. During the session there are generally
from sixty to eighty Membora consulting the musty
archives. Strangers aro admitted to the library on the
Speaker's warrant, but the privilege does not appear to be
held of much value, for it is very rarely solicited. It was
admitted, when the state of the library was referred to a
Select Committee, that a complete set of the printed
Papers of the House of Commons is not in existence ;
though it is believed that detached portions are preserved
by private individuals, the possession of which by the
House is an object of much anxiety: It is understood
that the collection will be greatly increased before the
opening of the new Houses of Parliament, several impor-
tant addttions having been recently made by the pur-
chase of private libraries.
INGENIOUS EXPEDIENT.—On Saturday one of the
most ingenious expedients which the endeavours of cab-
men and omnibus drivers devise to elude the vigilance
of the police was discovered by
the Bow-street Police-court. It is the custom, on the
conviction of a cabman of any offence, for-the clerk of
the Court to write on the back of his license the descrip-
tion of offence he is convicted of, the date of the convic-
tion, and the penalty inflicted, which is signed h,..; the
convicting magistrate, and the number of convictions
guides the registrar of licenses as to '‘'ne propriety of
issuing fresh licenses to the sap''. drivers, three convic-
tions in one yea r incapacir e from holding a
-bang a driver
license for thee r Yeat., On
Saturday a well-known
in his licene
cabman having beell ()On' edby Mr* w T
yford, handed
e, have
it marked. Some surprise was
evinced by the magistrate and clerk, who knew him well,
that ho had been allowed his license amain this year, as
he was a well-known offender, but still greater surprise
was caused by Mr. Bowste d second clerk, declaring
that as fast as he wrote a , the
on the license, his writing be-
come dim, and when dry he could rub it out with ease.
Mr. Twyford expressed his surprise, when, in holding
the license between the
light and the
of the same magistrate was dimly traced to a previous
conviction six weeks before, but so very dimly as for the
signature alone to bo visible. The driver was questioned
about it, but he, Of course, knew nothing, and it was not
until one of the summoning officers proved that he had
boon oanvicted in the same Court six weeks before, that
ho gave in. The fact was, that a chemical process had
been used so as to eradicate except to the most prying
eye, the fact that the defendant had been convicted, so
that for several yearsoneof themost refractory of
t
drivers had been bearing with the registrar the most
unexceptionable character, b • • •
besides incurring only small
fines from magistrates on account of first offences. Mr.
Twyford detained the license, and declared he should
make a representation in the proper quarter, so as to
put a atop to such underhand proceedings.
SINGULAR CAR ACCIDENT
OnMonday afternoon
a singular accident occurred.the cab -stand in St.,
Clement's-churchyard. The driveronof caaca-hstan .
tl
sitting on his box waiting fora
whenwathsequhlerse
fare, horse
suddenly took fright, and by its plunging overturned
the cab, throwing the man with some force into the
road. Attempts were made to quiet the animal, but
without success, until
at length the cab was so much
knocked about that the body fell off. The horse then
galloped off towards Temple-bar, and was not stopped
until it came in contact with the shaft of a large waggon,
and suffered such injury that it was soon after killed.
Though the streets were much crowded no one was hurt.
NON-IMPRISONMENT ACT.—The recent Act, free-
ing debtors under 20/. from imprisonment, is already
producing dissatisfaction, It certainly is a
great injus-
tice to plaintiffs who had obtained Judgments against
debtors, and especially where they had been at the cost
of imprisoning. The
Act ought not to have effected
judgments obtained (whether they had been executed or
not) before the Act was passed. The Act came into ope-
ration, too, the veryday after it was passed. This is
sharp practice" with a vengeance! The all-principles
nt allowed the Bill to go
omethrough both Houses
at railroad
of Parliament Pace, just at the end of the
session, and when those members who are lawyers (and
the most likely to understand the Bill) were on the
Assize Circuits. Sir Robert and his friends may depend
't they wilcal find this Act passing has put another
uon ,
nail into their poutRAILWAY TRAINS.
MONSTEROn no occasion
have the inhabitants of the populous districts which the
Manchester and Leeds Railway traverses availed them-
selves of the ma
so extensiv d
opportunities which
this Well•roanaged an spirited neerepan__
y has afforded
them as on Friday last. A gigantic train, composed of
no less than 94 carriages, comprising first, second, and
third classes, containing 3,120 persons, from Hebden-
bridge and its neighbourhood within 20 miles, started
from that station on the morning of Friday for Hull, a
distance of 74 miles, and by the efficient power of three
first-class engines, performed the journey in four hours.
It returned the same evening, in an equally short space
of time, without the occurrence of a single accident of
any
. when the parties were most unanimous in
their expression
of thanks for the excellent accommoda-
tion provided for them, as well as for the usual liberality
of the company, the charge for the trip having been
lar fare. It has been often stated that
only half the regu _
Leeds Company the Manchester and was the first to
eater for the thousands in this manner, and much satis-
faction has been expressed at many other companies fol-
lowing such an excellent example. The above instance
is sufficient proof of the popular appreciation of the li-
berality of the Manchester and Leeds Company. Great
credit has been given to the clerks in charge at the re-
spective stations, for the strict attention paid to the
comforts and safety of each individual who joined the
giant train in the excursion trip,
.M the Perk August meeting just concluded, Mr.
Dixon's. Jamie Forrest, aged, did honour to his patro-
nymic, for he came in the fourth and last horse in the
`race
for the Great Ebor Handicap.—. Edinburgh paper.