The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-20 00:00:00

FRENCH RAILWAY NEWS.

The change of Ministry in England is looked to here with
great interest. There is no doubt that it exercises much in-
fluence on the lines of the French railways ; for as nearly
half the subscribers in some of the lines are English, any-
thing affecting the amicable relations between the two coun-
tries would very materially lower the prices of such lines.
Hitherto the effect has not been exceedingly important.
HALF PAST Foutt.—Everything has been buoyant to-day,
and the tendency has been decidedly upwards. The Northern
opened nearly 20f. higher than yesterday, and drew every-
thing up with them. The report is, that M. de Rothschild
is likely to coma to an arrangement with both the Fampoux
and St. Quentin lines, and that the whole three will be under
his management. This news, if true, would, no doubt, send
up the prices of the three lines considerably.

MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMP-
TON RAILWAY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
San,—The Directors of this Company have read with
great surprise a statement in your paper of yesterday,
to the following effect :
" One of the most energetically urged projects of the late
railway mania season, was the line purporting to be from
Manchester to Southampton. Five and six pounds premium
were freely given ; and when Mr. Hudson joined the direc-
tory, and had 25,000 shares allotted to him, it was thought
to be without limit to the value of its shares, and was to
carry all before it. The impracticability of getting over the
Cotteswold hills was overlooked, and plans and sections were
deposited with full confidence of success, and yet circulars are
now issued abandoning the line from Swindon to Cheltenham,
and disconnecting altogether Manchester and Southampton.
The shareholders are now asked to sign a new deed, and
agree to new stipulations."
The Directors sire at a loss to conjecture upon what
authority a statement so extraordinary can have been
propagated, and they instruct me to give it the mo!t
direct and positive contradiction.
They have not issued any such circular as you allege,
nor have they abandoned, or for one moment entertained
the slightest notion of abandoning, that part of their line
between Cheltenham and Swindon, or any other portion
of it; on the contrary, the deputy-chairman and the so-
licitor are now upon the line, prosecuting the usual ar-
rangements consequent on the deposit of the Company's
plans for the entire scheme.

Equally unfounded is it that " the shareholders are
Olow asked to sign a new deed and agree to new stipula-
tions ;" no " new deed" or " new stipulations" have
been either required, or are intended.
The statement that when Mr. Hudson joined the di-
rection he " had 25,000 shares allotted to him," is also
utterly at variance with the fact ; the arrangement in
question being simply this, that the Midlands Company,
and not Mr. Hudson, in his individual capacity, take a
certain amount of capital in the Manchester and South-
ampton line.

It is to be regretted that statements tending to mis-
lead the public and the shareholders should be put forth
without due inquiry, which, if made in this or any other
instance where explanation is desired, would be cheer-
fully and frankly responded to by, Sir, your obedient
servant, JOHN WHEELER, Secretary.
19, Great George-street, Westminster,
Thuzsday, Dec. 18, 1845.
[The statement alluded to came to us from authority
upon which we have always placed full reliance. We,
however, insert Mr. Wheeler's contradiction.—ED. Sun.]

NO COMPROMISE-NO SUR-
RENDER
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

CIA,-Tho enclosed vim issued, I believe, yesterday.
I have taken the liberty to intrude the nonsen-e upon
your consideration,
believing, as you do, that such par-
ties are doing good to the popular cause. Should you
think it worth commenting upon, an article upon
the subject, in your paper by Friday will oblige many
of your readers. —Your obedient servant,
Bath, Dec. 17. A.
To the Landowners, Clergy, Yeomanry, Tradesmen, and other
Inhabitants of the county of Somerset.
The Committee of the Wincanton and Yeovil Society for
the Protection and Defence of Agriculture and Native In-
dustry, as the representatives of the First District of the
County Association, feel it to be their duty to call your im-
mediate attention at this eventful crisis. The enemies of
our cause say that protection can no longer be defended, and
that we have no leaders. This is a weak invention of the
enemy—don't believe it.
Sir John Tyrrell has proclaimed to the farmers-of Essex
that a base attempt at a further betrayal of yoar interest
hai been made in the Cabinet by Sir Robert Peel, but that
he has been opposed and defeated by that illustrious hero,
the Duke of Wellington, aided by Lord Stanley, Lord Wham-
cliffe, Lord Granville Somerset, Mr. Sidney Herbert, and
others his late colleagues. The attack will now bo made on
you by a united body of Revolutionists, Radicals, Free-
traders, and Whigs, headed by friend Bright, Richard Cob-
den, and by Lord John Russell—.by that man who has just
had the audacious impudence to proclaim to the citizens of
London, that we are bordering on famine, and on the strength
of that unwarrantable falsehood has demanded of her Ma-
-
jesty that the ports be immediately opened for the admission
of all kinds of foreign grain, and that for the future corn,
meat, butter, cheese, and all other foreign agricultural pro-
duce shall be admitted duty free.
. Brother farmers of Somerset—yeomen of England—will
you submit to the ruin of your properties, and the starvation
of your labourers, on the lying _ pretence of impending famine,
at tire bidding of Cobden, Bright, and Russell? Never.
Then let your rallying cry be—long life to the hero of
Waterloo—success to the illustrious Duke of Wellington, his
Grace the Duke of Richmond, William Miles, Esq., and the
united body of British yeomen.
Gentry of Somerset, we call upon you at once to stand for-
ward and take that part in the approaching struggle which
public duty demands. You have too long. been restrained
by a treacherous leader, but the spell is now broken.
Yeomen of Somerset, we
success of your cause and the safety of the country, to be
firm—to be resolute--to be determined. But at the same
time be steady—wait events—act with judgment, caution,
and discretion. Look well to your leaders, and be not de-
ceived by disguised call upon you as you value the
enemies or doubtful friends. Beware
of those who talk of compromise. Our watchword is—no
compromise—no surrender. Pledge
yourselves to no man ;
rest on your arms well prepared until our illustrious Com-
mander-in-Chief again gives the word—" Up boys and at
them."—By order of the Committee,
Rimpten, near H. G. ANDREWS, Hon. Sec.
Sherbome.

N ATTEMPT TO MURDER A POLICEMAN.—.POLICEMAN.—.POLICEMAN.—.Abouteleven o'clock on Wednesday night, as " Policeman Turner,
210, was going
down White Hart-lane, Tottenham, and
while passing a field, the property of Mr. Robinson, Clay
Wall, farmer, he heard two men in conversation. He looked
throe& the ledge, when he observed that thelyhpaeddaosvheerepa
in the the corner of the field, which was being pressed down
by one of the men, who waskneeling upon it, and who appeared
in the act of tying its legs. Turner instantly ea
gate and proceeded towards the men, who, upon seeing him,
ran away. Turner pursued them and overtook one, when
after a struggle he overpowered him. His companion hear-
ing from him that he was seized returned to his assistance,
when' taking a knife out of his pocket, exclaimed, ~ -
him, I'll do for him," and, at the same time, Plunged it
into the leftside of the policeman. The blow caused to
fall. While on the ground one of them forced the staff out
po
of his hands, and with it struekviheiitmingseateber;el vanistaltehnattblows
on his head, from the effects of which he was rendered in-
sensible. About an hour afterwards it was reported at the
Tottenham station-house by the
Tur-
ner was nowhere to be seen. Sergeant Butcher, in conse-
quence, sent Frith, N 217, and Davies, N 801, in search for
him.m n' s r Aboutatt rattle in h
one o'clock h
eainrdwhtiheehspring lice-
of a
the
e
fieeyi
d h,
they found Turner
trying to raise himself, being almost senseless, and his hat
was by his side, completely broken in. They conveyed him
to the station-house, when it was discovered that the knife
with which Turner had been stabbed had passed through his
thick leather belt, his two coats and waistcoat, and pene-
trated a rib. The incision in the belt was about an inch
wide, and seemed as if it bad been done with a pig slaugh-
terer's knife. Dr. Hall was immediately called in, who
stated, that but for the protection of the belt, the knife must
hay e inflicted a deadly wound.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT WANDSWORTY/....Thurs.
d ay morning, shortly before one o'clock, a fire, which for the
'space of three hours caused great alarm in the neighbourhood,
broke out upon the extensive premises belonging to Mr. R.
Bell, saw-mill proprietor and lucifer-match manufacturer,
situate in Garrett-lane, Wandsworth. It originated in the
saw-mill department, a building seventy feet long by fifty
feet wide. This contained a large quantity of timber, pre-
pared for making into matches. Owing to the combustible
nature of the stock, the progress et the lire was inconceivably
rapid, and in less than half an hour after the first discovery
the flames could be seen from the different metropolitan
bridges. Four engines belonging to the town were quickly
at the scene, and were followed by the Southwark-bridge-
road brigade engine, with another from Chandos-street, and
also those belonging to the County and West of England
Companies. The river Wandle was immediately in the rear,
from which direction the firemen set to work most vigorousl but it was nearly five o'clock before they had succeeded in
extinguishing the flames. By that period the contents of the
place in which the fire began were destroyed, and the build-
ing nearly consumed. Several of the adjoining premises are
also severely damaged. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Mr. Bell was uninsured for stock, but the buildings were in.
Mad ill 'Ole County Fire-office, 1

(From the Railway Express.)
Paws, TUESDAY, DEC. I6.—The adjudication of the
Lyons and St. Quentin lines were the great topic of inter-
est, until the Ministerial crisis in England took place, when
every other consideration gave way before it. Prices were
steady, though rather tending downwards, its hen the startling
intelligence from your side of the water gave an impulse to
their descent, which has since continued. The set-
tlement of the account is expected to pass off
favourably, and if so, I consider a rise must
inevitably take place. The Paris Bourse is rarely all down
or all up for more than three days consecutively, and there-
fore I look for an improvement. still, however, consider
the market, though getting stronger, far from settled, and
think that before Christmas the quotations will again decline.
Trade is exceedingly bad here, and the givers of etrennes
(New Year's gifts) will this year, it is said, be found but few
in number compared with former years : and still it is
from this custom of giving handsome presents on the
fair de l'an, that many of the fancy trades of
Paris derive a considerable portion of their profits. The
quantity of goods sent to the provinces for this period of the
year, is really astonishing. With trade low, and money
scarce, bond fide purchases cannot be expected in railway
shares, and without real investment the market must go
down. Let it be remembered that the Strasburg, Nantes,
and Lyons shares are yet to be placed, and that will take
some little time.
I mentioned in a former letter the embarrassments of 31
Lot, the agent de change, and his being obliged to resign his
situation. He has since fled from Paris, and, melancholy to
say, his brother has blown out his brains. Both were highly
honourable men, but got involved in difficulties from M.
Falcon's failure. This afflicting affair caused a very general
feeling of regret in this city.
The St.. Quentin Companies are in great consternation here.
They feel that they have acted most foolishly in not entering
into terms with Rothschild, as whatever one of them obtains
the line, is certain to see its shares go below par immediately.
Rothschild declares openly that he will send in a tender lower
than 38 years (how much below that period is of course a se-
cret), and defies any company not to lose money if opposed to
his Northern line ; the several companies ere now endeavouring
to make some arrangement, but the matter is most difficult,
as the law here is most severe in such cases. Before the
books and lists were deposed, everything was fair and allow-
able, now it is almost impossible. The directors could, it is
true, make terms for themselves, but that would be to throw
their subscribers overboard and cover them with dishonour.
By some ingenious turn, however, the matter may be ar-
ranged.