The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-19 00:00:00

INTRIIMOENCE,

NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAY,

The southernmost portion of this important line pf rail-
way, extending from Derby to Masbro', near Rotherham, a
distance of forty miles, was opened for the use of the public
yesterday week. Half-past five o'clock, a.m., was the time
appointed for the starting of the first train from Sheffield,
but it was within five minutes of six before they got off. In
little more than five minutes they reached the Masbro' sta-
tion, travelling along the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway ;
and, after a stoppage of a few minutes, proceeded on to
Derby. Their progress was, however, very slow, owing to
the heavy rain that tell, which caused the rails to be very
slippery, and to the newness of the engines. Instead of
arriving about eight o'clock, the train did not reach Derby
till some time past nine. The directors left Derby at a
quarter-past nin,, and reached the Masbro' station by half-
past eleven. After staying a short time they proceeded on
to Sheffield, and lunched at the Tontine Hotel. At two
o'clock the greater number of them returned again to Derby,
which place they reached in less than two hours, and they
afterwards dined together in a spacious building connected
with the station.

The company's station at Derby is of vast extent and ca-
pacity. The building for offices measures not less than
1,050 feet in extent, and the platform for.passengers is co-
vered in with a very lofty skylight roof. In the centre of
the area within the station, which is several acres in extent,
stands the spacious engine-house. It is capable of holding
at least thirty-two engines and tenders, and all the various
lines of railway connected with it radiate towards its centre,
where is placed a moveable turrf.plate, by means of which
an engine can be turned upon any given line at a moment's
notice. Tbe.whole is expected to be completed before the
opening of the entire line takes place in June or July next.

RAILWAY COMMUNICATION WITH THE SOUTH.
The North Midland line of railway from Derby to Rother •
ham, which, with the Branch Railway from thence to
Sheffield, brings down a line unbroken from London to the
latter town, was opened to the public on Monday last. The
distance from London to Sheffield by this route is one hundred
and sixty-five miles, which will now be performed in about
nine hours and a half, instead of twenty as formerly. The
York and North Midland Railway was further opened on
the same day, from York to Burton Salmond, near Ferry-
bridge, a distance of twenty-five miles ; from whence to
Rotherham (twenty-five miles) coaches are started so as to
make good the communication between York and Rotherham
in four hours, and between York and London in little more
than twelve hours, including time for refreshment, &c. The
trains leave York at half-past seven in the morning, and
half-past one at mid-day ; and from Sheffield or Rotherham
there are trains five times a-day, direct to London and
Birmingham, viz. at half-past five, and a quarter past nine
in the -morning, twelve at noon, and at two and at six in
the afternoon. The railway not being as yet available to
serve the town of Leeds, coaches are appointed in connexion
with it four times a day, viz. at five in the morning, suiting
the nine o'clock train ; at a quarter to eight, suiting the twelve
o'clock train ; at eight and at ten, suiting the two o'clock
train. Passengers from this part of the country have there-
fore two points to run to, viz. York and Leeds ; and the
advantage of the York line seems to be, that there is but
twenty-five miles of road conveyance. The conveyances from
this town with seem to suit best for direct communication,
are the mail to York at half-past nine, p. m., and the Hero to
Leeds at eight, p. m. which establish the route from Newcastle
to London per the mail in twenty-four hours, and per Hero
in twenty-five hours. Parties, however, who do not choose
to run direct, can have the advantage of a night's rest, taking
the day coaches from this town either to York or to Leeds.
The trains from London to York reach the latter city at
twelve o'clock at noon, and at eight at night ; and coaches
leave York for Newcastle at two in the afternoon, and eight
o'clock in the morning. The above communication is merely
temporary, until the whole line is opened out to York as well
as Leeds, which will be in the early part of July, when the
time from either point to London will not exceed ten hours
and a half. The opening of the Great North of England
Railway from York to the Tees, in the latter part of the
present year, will reduce the communication between Lon-
don and Darlington to little more than a twelve hours' jour-
ney. There is one thing in connexion with the opening out
of these railways, changing as they will most completely the
mode of travelling to which the public have been accustomed
for years, to which it is necessary that some attention should
be paid. The fares are, in our opinion, much too high, and,
as compared with those charged upon the railways in this
district, exorbitantly so. The expense of travelling by rai1.....
.....

way to London is even greater th;in by coach. The charges
upon the Newcastle and Carlisle line are extremely moderate,
and the same may be said of the Brandling Junction and
North Shields lines ; whilst the directors of these several
companies, in their conduct towards the public generally,
have in every instance acted with extreme liberality. The

same cannot be affirmed of the directors of lines commun

eating with the South, and more especially those of the Mid-
land Counties. The charges are not only high, but the
accommodation is very inadequate ; and the public, we fear,
will be compelled at no distant day to appeal to the legisla-
ture for a law to defend them from the extortions of mono-
polising speculators, and secure to them that accommoda-
tion which, in abandoning the old mode oc conveyance, they
are so fully entitled to expect.—Newcastle Journal.

LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY—OPENING
THROUGHOUT.—The line of communication between London
and Southampton is completed. and was opened to the public
yesterday, This affords another, and beyond all doubt, a
finer and more delightful outlet from the metropolis than
any that modern ingenuity and enterprise have yet afforded.
Journeying by railway we measure distance not by miles,
but minutes; and adopting this scale it may be safely said
that Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and the charming
neighbourhood of the New Forest, are now little more distant
than Gravesend, and considerably more within our reach
than Ramsgate and Margate. The traveller, urged by busi-
ness, or the tourist seeking change, taking his seat at Nine
Elms at eight o'clock in the morning, is addened by the
smiling beauties of " the island," or plunged in the depths
of the New Forest, before the chimes of the town or village
steeples in this far off and delicious regions, ring out the hour
of noon. Three hours of easy travelling bring him half way
down the channel, place him in the midst of the most charm-
ing scenery in England, or set him well on his route to Paris.
Henceforth the relations between Southampton and London
are changed, nor can the time be distant when the magnitude
and national importance of the change will be as fully appre-
ciated as they are manifestly apparent.—Morning Chronicle
of Tuesday.

LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAILWAY—OPENING OR THE
SHOREHAM BRANCH.—On Monday the Shoreham Branch
of the London and Brighton Railway was opened by the
Directors, and on Tuesday morning the line was regularly
opened to the public, the first train starting from Shoreham
at 8 o'clOck, and returning from Brighton at nine. The
trains continued running the whole day ; and no less than
1750 persons paid the fare. A great number of these pas-
sengers were visitors at the Swiss Gardens where a fete had
been got up by Mr. Bailey, the spirited proprietor, to cele-
brate the opening of the railway. The trains continue to
start alternately from Shoreham and Brighton several times
every day. The prices are—for third class carriages, 6d. ;
second class, 9d. ; first class, ls. ; coupe of the first class,
ls. 4d.—Brighton Gazette of Thursday.

CHESTER AND CREWE AND GRAND JUNCTION RAIL-
WAYS CONSOLIDATION.—We are now enabled to inform our
railway readers, that this important and desirable arrange-
ment has received the sanction of both Houses of Parlia-
ment, the bill having been read a third time and passed, in
the Lords, last Friday. As the two lines are now, for all
purposes, one undertaking, the difference in the comparative
prices of the shares in the two will, of course, at once disap-
pear, as all doubt of the success of the application to Parlia-
ment is now removed.

(From the Railway Times.)
Among the railways now on the eve of completion is that
portion of the Birmingham and Gloucester line between
Tewksbury and Spetchley. It is understood that the open-
ing will take place early in the ensuing month.

The Essex Mercury, which may be looked upon as the
semi-official organ of the Eastern Counties' Railway Direc-
tors, states that the opening of the line to the Brentwood
station will take place on the Ist of July, the day previous to
Fairlop fair. The same authority says the works at Shore-
ditch terminus are proceeding with great rapidity.

It is expected that a portion of the Bristol and Exeter
Railway, as far as Bridgewater, will be opened in the course
of the present year. We understand that the works are pro-
ceeding with great activity.

A correspondent informs us that the opening of the first
portion of the Northern and Eastern Railway will take place
at least two months sooner than was anticipated—namely,
in August next. We learn from other quarters, that the
greatest energy is displayed in the prosecution of the works.

The directors of the G teat Western Railway have issued
an official notice, intimating that the line will be opened to
Steventon (within teu miles of Oxford) on the Ist of next
mcnth. We understand that since the opening to Reading
the traffic has greatly increased.

WEEKLY RETU
(Prop

RN OF'
nz the Rai,
IP.assen.
gers.

rRAF
Tway
Cash.

FTC OD
rayazini
P.mile
pr.wk.

4 RAILWAYS

NAME.

P.mile Passeng.
p. day. per day.

Birmingham
Grand Junction
Liverp. and Manch
Great Western ..

South-Western..
Newcast. & Carlisle'
Greenwich

Birmg. & Derby
Manchester &Leeds
Croydon
_ _ _

12652
11888
2073
47011
3120
6488

York & N. Midland!
Midland Counties..
Glasgow & Ayr....
Eastern Counties..

THE " ROYAL GEORGE."—Colonel Pasley began his pro-
ceedings for the removal of the wreck of the Royal George
on the Ist of this month, hut up to this day (Monday) no-
thing very remarkable was effected. Two guns, the rudder,
and a considerable quantity of timber were recovered ; but
as these were merely those fragments of last year's work
which the inclemency of the season prevented the engineers
from picking up, no serious measures were deemed necessary
till yesterday. At eight o'clock in the morning, the red flags
at Spithead announced that a great explosion was to be at-
tempted ; and at eleven o'clock one of those huge cylinders,
which have already been described, and filled with 2,116 th of
gunpowder,,a, was lowered to the bottom. One of Colonel
who has acquired great ex-
pertness
of h dicers
e
in these operations, descended his rope ladder a little
in advance
one
es
of the cylinder, and succeeded in fixing it securely
Ito o
gudgeons 1-1 al
l)
'
braces
within six or on the rudder-post,
or eight feet of the keel. The diver
having re-
mounted, and the vessels being
withdrawn
to a safe distance,
the enormous charge was 'm • „,ntited by means of the voltaic ap-
paratus. Within less than'
spot
tot seconds after the shock was
felt, the sea rose over the s
or not quite half so high asp it eclicir height of about 15 feet,
explosions last year ; a difference on occasion of the great
ascribable, probably, to
the cylinder on the present occasion having
der the hull instead of alongside it.
The been placed nn
-
commotion in the
water, however, was so great, as to ca use the lumps and
lighters to pitch and roll at a great rate. The I lAc e surface
of the sea for several hundred yards round was '
presently co-
iered with dead fish, and small fragments of the cylinder.
Amongst these were innumerable tallow candles, and a mass
of butter a foot and a halt' in length, evidently driven up
from the purser's store room. As soon as the vast commo-
tion in the water had subsided, and the boats had returned
from.the universal scramble for the candles and dead fish, the
diver proceeded again to the bottom, and soon reported that
the whole stern of the ship had been driven to pieces ; and
that, so far as he could ascertain, there was now a free and
wide channel directly fore and aft the ship, from stem to
stern, through which both the flood and ebb tides will rush;
and thus the mud with which the hull of the Royal George
has been silted for half a century will be washed out, and the
way cleared for Colonel Pasley's further operations. From
the auspicious manner, indeed, in which he has commenced,
we may safely predict his final success ; and we confidently
trust that, before the season closes, spithead will be cleared
of this grievous and long-standing drawback to its efficiency
as a roadstead for line-of-battle ships.--Lomfon Times.