The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-27 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANnARD.

BIRMINGHAM AND LONDON AND GRAND
JUNCTION RAILWAYS.

When these two leviathan companies, after their
recent disagreement, became friends again, we were
given to understand that such arrangements were about
being made between them—in the regulation of their
trains, &c.—that they would for the future work together
as one concern. With respect to the companies them-
selves, no doubt such is now the case. There is no con-
flict of interests in the management ; but each board, in
any regulation made, does its best to advance the profit,
first of its own line, and afterwards of that of its ally:
We must see, however, that in these arrangements the
interests and convenience of the public receive their due
share of attention. These companies, with others, pro-
test against any government interference with their con-
cerns, and especially deprecate any compulsory regulation
of their trains, times of starting, &c. ; they have been
relieved from the fear of any such interference, upon
something very like a pledge of good behaviour ; and,
since government authority is not to be wielded for in-
suring the fulfilment of that pledge, a faithful press must
stand between any misuse of their uncontrolled power and
the public who may be its victims.

We have before us the regulations of these two con-
cerns, as they came into operation on the 15th instant ;
and we must confess there are some parts of them in
which the convenience of the public does not appear to
have been much consulted. For example, (and we begin
with a case in which the poorest class of travellers are
principally concerned,) a third-class train leaves London
at 7 a.m., a.id arrives at Birmingham at 3 p.m. only, al-
though the second-class, which leaves at eight o'clock, an
hour later, reaches Birmingham at a quarter-past one
o'clock, an hour and three quarters earlier. Certainly
the former train calls at a greater number of stations,
(four more,) which may, in part, account for its slower
progress ; but the suspicion will arise that it is delayed in
order to induce a preference of the second-class, which
travels more quickly. On its arrival at Birmingham,
however, the passengers find that they cannot proceed
until six p.m., and must kick their heels in Birmingham
until that hour, and finally be landed in Liverpool, at the
untimeous hour of eleven p.m., having thus accomplished
the journey by railway (I) in sixteen hours ! The old
coaches did it in little more.

The eight a.m. train, we have said, arrives at Birming-
ham at a quarter-past one o'clock. There, however, they
find that they must stop until six p.m., (four hours and
three quarters,) unless they can afford and choose to come
forward by a first-class train, which, of course, is very
frequently the case. Does this manifest a desire to do
justice, and to afford the greatest amount of convenience
to the public. It almost inclines us to suspect the possi-
bility of two such companies as the London and Birming-
ham and Grand Junction so managing matters as, between
them, to leave the public no resource but to submit to any
arrangement which they choose to impose. If these com-
panies, allied as they are, wish to act in good faith with
the public, the trains should be so arranged that a passen-
ger leaving London by any train, whether first, second, or
third, should be able to proceed to Liverpool by a train of
the same class, without any attempt to coerce him into a
superior train, or the infliction upon him of any needless
additional expense.
The most glaring instance, however, of the—we fear we
must call it studied—inconvenience of these regulations,
is the arrangement of the 1 o'clock p.m. second class train
from London. A passenger booking himself to Birming-
ham by this train, and knowing that a Grand Junction
second class train arrives in Liverpool at 11 at night,
would naturally conclude that the two would be in con-
junction; that on his arrival in Birmingham he could
come forward, and be in Liverpool the same day. But
no—this is not the way railway directors manage things.
It would be too convenient to the public; too considerate
towards people of limited means, or those " shabby" peo-
ple, so much complained of, who prefer second class car-
riages, at a cheap rate, to first class carriages at a dear
one. Accordingly, on his arrival in Birmingham at five
minutes past six o'clock, he finds that the train to Liver-
pool has left just five minutes previously ! Yes—though
it is scarcely credible—the time of the train from Lon-
don, to arrive at Birmingham, is five minutes past six
o'clock, and that of the train to Liverpool to start is six
o'clock! Passengers must not go forward that day; par-
cels must not go forward. The directors won't let them.
They must wait for the mail train, or until a cheaper train
next day.
We really think that there is here matter of serious
complaint, and an inconvenience which ought to be done
away with. A train coming through from London in the
middle of the day would be a great convenience to the
public. A traveller, or a merchant might, for instance,
be summoned to Liverpool instantly ; and after he gets
his letters, if residing any way out of the city, there is no
train to bring him. Nothing can be sent through in the
day from London to Liverpool, after 11 o'clock in the
morning. If we have important news in London, in the
middle of the day, it cannot be forwarded, because the
railway companies do not wish second class passengers to
come forward except in first class trains. We are mocked
by the semblance of a middle train, which the directors
take care to render only a semblance by cutting out its
middle link, and thus separating the two ends. Surely
this could be remedied, and must be remedied, if the pub-
lic are not to be tempted to call for government supervi-
sion of all railways as loudly as those monopolizing com-
panies deprecate interference.
We are bound to confess, and it is with no slight shame
that we do so, that the source of the evils of which we
have above complained appears to be in Liverpool, with
the directors of the Grand Junction Railway. The Lon-
don and Birmingham provide for the public an ample suc-
cession of second class trains throughout the day. The
Grand Junction, on the contrary, do not provide a single
conveyance for second class travellers between six o'clock
in the morning and six in the evening. Passengers who
choose, or aro compelled, to economize on the road be-
tween Liverpool and Birmingham, mina rise with the lark
or arrive at their journey's end at midnight
May we hope for a correction of these evils from the
good sense and justice of the Grand Junction board, or
are we to agitate for their removal ?

The royal mail steam-ship Caledonia, Captain Lott,
which would leave Boston on the 16th, and Halifax on
the 18th instant, may be expected to arrive here about
Thursday next.
THE JUDGES.—Shortly after the rising of the courts,
on Saturday afternoon, the Chief Baron and Mr. Justice
Cresswell, accompanied by the High Sheriff, proceeded to
the llazles, the seat of Sir Thomas Bernard Birch, Bart.
They left the Hazies yesterday morning, and opened their
respective courts at nine o'clock.
LATEST FROM THE UNITED STATES.—The packet-
ship Europe, Captain Furber, arrived here, on Saturday,
bringing New York papers one day later than received by
the steamer. They do not contain a single item of news
worth extracting. The Europe brought eight cabin passen-
gers, together with a very large number in the steerage.
THEATRE ROYAL.—Our space is quite inadequate this
week to allow us even a glance at the performances at
this theatre. During the week, we have had some of our
best stock pieces got up in admirable style, aided by the
members of the Haymarket Company, who have paid us
a visit. In particular we may notice an admirable cast of
the " Gamester, " in which the services of Mr. Stuart, as
Slukely, were a great acquisition to the piece. The part
of Beverly was well sustained by Mr. C. Pitt, except in
the dying scene, which was spoiled by the clap-trap exhi-
bition of the effect of poison in blackening the mouth.
Dying scenes are little enough to our taste, without their
repulsive effect being heightened by art. Mr. Pitt can
afford to dispense with such expedients. The perfor-
mances have concluded with " Martin Chuzzlewit" of
which all that we can say that the characters were gene-
rally well sustained, but that the story is not fit for
dramatizing.

GRAND EUPHONICON SOIREES.—During the past
week tour of these concerts have been given by Mr. H.
Hayward, the first of which took place last evening week.
We do not remember any exhibition of the powers of
piano-like instruments to go off with greater eclat than
the performances of M. lie Meyer on the euphonicon, a
description of which instrument appeared in our paper
some weeks back. The programme was well selected, in
the vocal as well as in the instrumental compositions, the
latter being calculated to display the rich and powerful
tones of the instrument, after which the concert was
named. The Misses Williams (whose names had previ-
ously been before a Liverpool public) opened the enter-
tainment with the duet " Quis est Homo," which was well
received, and was followed by Le Meyer's performance on
the euphonicon. We never saw any instrument handled
in a more masterly manner. Amidst the powerful notes
that echoed through the room at every touch—in the exe-
cution of which the performers hands flew over the keys
with a rapidity truly astonishing—there was to be traced
a swelling air, in sweet and sonorous tones, that defies de-
scription. The greater part of the pieces Le Meyer
played are of his own composition, and the loud and con-
tinued plaudits of the audiences gave ample testimony to
his talents. The Misses Williams sang many very pretty
ballads and duets, in all of which they were loudly ap-
plauded, and in many of them enchored. Amongst the
most successful we may enumerate "By the Sad Sea
Waves"—" The Two Merry Gipsies"—" We come from
Savoy," and the favourite ballad " I dream't that I dwelt
in Marble Halls," from Balfe's new opera of Bohemian
Girl, the truly poetical words of which we need offer no
apology for here inserting :
I dream'd that I dwelt in-marble halls
With vassals and serfs at my side,
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and pride.
I had riches too great to count—could boast
Of a high ancestral name
And I also dream'd, which charmed me most
That you loved me still the same.
I dream'd that suitors sought my hand,
That knights upon bended knee
And with vows no maiden heart could withstand,
That they pledged their faith to me.
And I dreamed that one of this noble host
Came forih my hand to claim ;
Yet I also dreamed, which charmed me most
That you loved me still the same.
Mr. H. Hayward's performances on the violin are al-
ready well known, and it will suffice to say that he fully
sustained the high name he has already achieved as a first-
rate performer.

SHOCKING DEATH.—On Thursday last as the River
Queen steamer was proceeding on a pleasure trip from
Walton-on-the-Naze to Ipswich, one of the passengers,
Captain Beaker, of the Zephyr brig, belonging to the
latter port, was seated on the hatches over the engine-
room, when owing probably to a sudden attack of vertigo,
he fell backwards on the engine, which was immediately
stopped by the engineer, but when extricated from the
works life was wholly extinct. The body was so com-
pletely jammed in between the shaft and the frame-work,
that it was found necessary to draw it through the engine.
It presented a most frightful spectacle. The neck was
dislocated, both arms were fractured, there were several
bruises on the lower extremities, and the face was terribly
lacerated. The deceased's wife and several friends were
on board.