The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGEACE.

Lord Francis Egerton has no interest whatever in the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway, as has been stated,
by mistake, in some of the public prints.
TEE BLACKBURN AND PRESTON RAILWAY.--We un-
derstand that a deputation from the committee of ma-
nagement of the projected railway between Blackburn
and Preston had an interview with the directors of the
North Union Railway, at Preston, on Saturday week last,
and we are glad to learn that a basis of a satisfactory ar-
rangernent of the terms on which passengers and goods
will be conveyed on the North Union line from the Fa-
rington station, should the proposed railway thither be
formed, was then agreed upon.
A project, called the Middlesex and Surrey Grand
Junction Railway, is now occupying some attention in
the railway world ; and as it is proposed by the parties
connected with the plan to commence their operations
from the Harrow station, on the Birmingham line, through
Epsom to Merstham, on the Brighton line, crossing the
Great Western and South-Western railways, it is likely
to come in strong competition with the other projects now
in the field claiming privileges for these points. This
line, it i 3 said; will form a connecting link of all the rail-
ways from Scotland to the west and south of England,
and this would effect a union of all the great railways now
in existence.

From the Ist August to the 2d November, 1843, the
number of trains run on the Glasgow and Greenock rail-
way has been 1206. Of these only two have been more
than 20 minutes late in arrival—arising, in both cases.
from unavoidable delay in starting. For the same period
the steam-boats of the Railway Steam-packet Company
plied between Greenock and Rothesay, Gareloch-head,
&c., in connection with 843 trains, and only in three cases
have these boats, from storms or any other cause, failed
to meet their appointed trains at Greenock. When it is
considered that a distance of 21,000 miles on• water, and
18,967 miles on land, is included in the above working,l
in which two modes of conveyance are employed, both
subject to those casualties to which at tificial constructions,
as steam-engines, ships, and railways, must always be
liable, as well as to other causes of delay, as storms and
Rinds, the regularity is remarkable.— Greenock Adver-
tiser.
CENTRAL LINE OF RAILWAY INTO SCOTLAND.—A
report on a central line of railway to Scotland, by Messrs.
Johnson and Wood, has been addressed to the directors
of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company. The
line proposed is to take a central route, commencing at
the Rose Hill station of the above-named line, and pro-
ceed by near Gilsland, Askerton Castle, Cumcrook, New
Castletown, Shields, Hawick, Melrose, and Galashields
to Edinburgh at about an equal distance from the proposed
Caledonian line on the west, and the Great North British
on the east. The proposal of this line appears to be
brought forward, not from any spirit of opposition, but
to endeavour to show that the central line will prove of
equal accommodation to the public at less than half the
expense of the other two lines, and in the working an an-
nual saving of £227,333 will be effected, paying 5 per
cent. on the capital expended, and opening a line of com-
munication through a mineral, manufacturing, and agri-
cultural country, whose resources have never yet been de-
veloped.
VALUE OF RAILWAY PROPERTY.—A general idea of
the extent of fluctuation which has occurred in the value
of railway property during the present year may be
gathered from the circular published a few days back by
Mr. Greaves, of Liverpool. The rise appears to have
been very considerable, as will be perceived from the
prices quoted ; and it may be remarked that the highest
now currently rule in the market. We have not given
the particulars of fluctuation in half and quarter shares,
but only as affecting original stock, because the state-
ment is not put forward with the view of fixing extreme
accuracy, but as one furnishing a tolerably correct ac-
count of the late variations in this description of money
securities. Taking the various lines alphabetically, we
find Chester and Birkenhead have been as high as 26, and
as low as 16 ; Eastern Counties as high as 104, and as low
as 74; Edinburgh and Glasgow as high as 554, and as low
as 454 ; Glasgow and Greenock as high as 154, and as low
as 10; Grand Junction as high as 219, and as low as 192;
Great Western as-high as Ttn, and as low as 851; Lan-
caster and. Preston as high as 334, and as low as 29 ; Li-
verpool and Manchestet as high as 244, and as low as
190; Birmingham as high as 226, and as low as 202;
South Western as high as 704, and as low as 62 ; Brighton
as high as 421, aod as low as 32; Manchester, Bolton,
and Bury, as high as 864, and as low as 20; Manchester
and' Leeds as high as 974, and as low as 60; Midland
Counties as high as 86, and as low as 60; North Midland
ns high as 90, and as low as 634; North Union as high
as 842, and as low as 70 ; Paris and Rouen as high as 324,
and as low as 221; Rouen and Havre as high as 10A, and
as low as 54; South-Eastern as high as high as 344. and
as low as 221; Sheffield and Manchester as high as 60, and
as low as 434; and York and North Midland as high as
1324, and as low as 93.

A FACT.—A manufacturer of this town, who attended
the League meeting on Monday evening with his son, an
intelligent youth, inquired of him what he thought of the
arguments adduced by the different speakers, to which
his son appeared to Lave paid attention. " Why, father,"
replied he, " I consider it altogether a treacle and bread'
affair, for those two articles, with sugar, are all they
appear to talk about ; for my part I prefer the bread with
butter, and I think, under the present system, we have
not much to grumble about, having buttered our bread
pretty well." " Tut, tut," said the wary father, "we
must lay our shoulders to the wheel to agitate this matter,
to distract the attention of our workmen from the real
cause of present low wages, and then depend upon it, my
boy, we shall ' butter our bread on both sides.' "—Not-
tingham Journal. •
INSTINCT IN A CAT.—A family in this town had a
favourite cat, but in consequence of its thieving propen-
sities, they were determined to part with it. Poor Tom
therefore was given to the care of a captain of a vessel,
who was about to sail for Cuba. After a voyage of four
to five months, the vessel returned to this port about a
month since. In a few days after the arrival of the ship
Tom decamped, and the vessel was obliged to go to sea
without him. About three weeks since a cat was heard
by the members of the above family about their premises,
mewing most pitifully, and could not be kept away, despite
the threatenings of the servants ; when, lo ! to the aston-
ishment of his old mistress, her old friend came up to her,
rubbing against her with all the affection imaginable.
What is most extraordinary, the cat had to cross the
river and pass though the most dense part of the town, to
find its old habitation, after a voyage to Cuba and an ab-
sence of five to six months.—Cambrian (Swansea journal.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL NEWS.