The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-07-15 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGEACE.

On Saturday week a fireman on the Manchester and
Bolton Railway was killed through jumping from the
engine whilst in motion.

The disagreeable revelations contained in the report of
the committee appointed to consider the petition of the
South-Eastern Railway, have rendered it imperative on
Captain Boldero and Mr. Bonham to resign the offices
held by them in the Board of Ordnance.

EXPRESS TRAINS.—The guards who ride outside on
the express trains between Liverpool and London have
some difficulty in preserving their sitting, so strong is the
rush of air they experience. Last Tuesday several of the
guards complained of the danger they were in from the
side wind.

EUSTON AND SOUTHPORT RAILWAY.—On Wednes-
day the chairman of this committee stated that in conse-
quence of the resolution of the House of Commons of the
7th instant, they were compelled to report the preamble
not proved ; though, in order to save expense, they had
been at first willing to come to a contrary decision.
GOOLE AND DONCASTER RAILWAY.—The Commit-
tee on this line decided on Monday that as it was to a
certain extent a competing one with the London and
York, and as the committee on that line had come to no
decision upon it, they considered it better that the bill for
the Doncaster and Goole line should be postponed
until next session.

PROPOSED TUNNELS UNDER LONDON.—A project
has been formed for uniting the Great Western Railway
with the Eastern Counties line, by a tunnel from Pad-
dington to Shoreditch, under the new road to Finsbury-
square, and then turning off. By means of branch tun-
nels Tottenham-coutt-road, Somers-town, King's-cross,
Islington, and other districts, are to be benefitted.
COMMISSION ON THE GAUGES.—Sir Frederick Smith,
Professor Barlow, and Lieutenant Harness are the Com-
missioners appointed to consider the question of the
gauges. T.ie question submitted to them is that of
dis ision, not of conversion, of the gauges ; that is, where
the breaks between the gauges ought to be, not whether
one gauge should be converted into the other.
THE RAILWAY NAPOLEON.—In the Newcastle and
Berwick Railway, Mr. George Hudson is returned to the
House of Commons as the holder of no fewer than 8,000
shares. Upon each of those shares a deposit of 30s. has
been paid, msking thus a sum of £12,000 actually ex-
pended. They are now, however, at a high premium,
Mr. Hudson being able to procure in the market at least
£l7 tier share premium. Thus he could obtain £lB 10s.,
or more, for every share for which he paid only £1 10s. ;
the profit upon this one transaction, consequently, being
£136,000 upon an outlay of only £l'',,ooo.

OFFICIAL TRAFFICKING IN RAILWAY SHARES.—The
report of the Select Committee appointed to investigate
the charges brought against Captain Boldero and Mr.
Bonham, of the Ordnance Department, and Mr. Hig-
nett, solicitor to that Board, in the petition of the South
Eastern Railway Company, has been printed. Captain
Boldero has incurred the animadversion of the Com-
mittee for having trafficked largely in railway shares,
through Mr. Hignett, solicitor to the Board of Ordnance,
who, it is stated, had no authority whatever to act on
behalf of the Board, as represented by him in his letters
to the railway authorities. The committee also report
that it had come to their knowledge that Mr. Bonham, in
1836, being then a member of the House of Commons,
had 100 South Eastern Railway shares allotted to him,
which he sold at £3 per share premium. The Commit-
tee lastly reprobate the conduct of Mr. Wray, of the
South Eastern Railway, in connection with some of the
transactions impugned, and strongly condemn the system
of canvassing members and public boards practised by
railway companies.
PROGRESS OF RAILWAY BILLS.—The committees of
the lords and commons are heavily dragging along their
lengthy remainders of business. The contests of the
lords are a little more than a repetition of the proceed-
ings in the commons ; but the gauge question is being
fought over again on new ground. The bills now in the
commons cannot pass the lords this year. and it is there-
fore of little importance whether they are negatived or
affirmed, as they will assuredly find it prudent to com-
mence de novo next year. The preambles of the follow-
ing bills have been proved in the lords :--Bristol and Ex-
eter Branches; Clydesdale Junction ; Dublin and Bel-
fast Junction ; North Wales Mineral ; Liverpool and
Manchester Extension ; Richmond. The preambles of

the following bills have been proved in the commons this
week :—Ashford and Hastings (Brighton, Lewes, and
Hastings line) ; Gravesend and Rochester; Monmouth
and Hereford; Llunceston and South Devon; South
Devon and Tavistc.,ck ; and Epping. The Doncaster and
Goole has been postponed • the Southport and Euxton
has been negatived ; and the Rye and Tenterden declared

not proved

RAILWAY TRAFFIC.—We have now made up from our
officill returns the amount of the railway traffic for the
past six months. It appears that on thirty-nine railways,
amounting to nearly eighteen hundred miles, the segre-
gate traffic is, in round numbers, £2,850,000, being
£550,000 more than for the corre,ponding six months of
last year. This increase of revenue amounts to. twenty
per cent. on the total receipts of the half-year; and if we
take the value of the money at four per cent. per annum,
this will give above £27,000,000, as the increase in the
real value of the railway property of the country since last
July. Of this increase of half-yearly revenue, we find
that the Lo don and Birmingham Company has £52,000
on the half-year, being an increase of exactly £2OOO a
week. The Great Western has an increase of £41,000;
the Grand Junction of £30,000; the Midlands of £57,000;
the Brighton £14,000; and the South-Western £BOOO.
Some of these lines have made extensions ; but the greater
part of the traffic is due to the increasing prosperity of
the country, and the increase of revenue has been in some
eases in spite of large reductions in the rate of the fares.--
Railway Chronicle.

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN
RAILWAY.—Major-General Pasley's report on the recent
accident on the Great Western railway, has just been laid
before parliament. He a3cribes the accident, by which
the lives of 145 passengers were placed in the most
imminent peril, to the lightness of the luggage van, which
had only four wheels, combined with the extraordinary
velocity of the express trains, and the elasticity of the
light rails and sleepers aggravated by the " hog-trough
rails." The obvious remedies he states to be, first, to
replace all the light sleepers and heavier sleepers and rails
of Mr. Brunel's hog-trough rails, 11 the stronger and
heavier sleepers and rails of Mr. Brunel's last approved
pattern ; secondly, experience having proved the impro-
priety of mixing light four-wheeled and heavy six-wheeled
carriages in the same swift train, the use of the former
should be discontinued. But, as it is desirable to have a
carriage without passengers next to the tender, in order
to receive the first shock in case of any accident to the
engine or tender, the General suggests that it be a six-
wheeled carriage of the same weight as the passenger
carriages, which may be used also for luggage.
CAUTION TO DIRECTORS OF COMPANIES.—IR the
House of Lords on Monday the Marquis of Clanricarde
moved the adoption of a standing order relative to the
appointment of directors of railway and other companies.
--The Marquis of Landsowne said their lordships would
be surprised when he stated that the Hon. Mr. Berkeley,
M.P. for Cheltenham, was placed in this extraordinary
position. About seven years ago, Mr. Berkeley was in-
vited to become a subscriber to and director of a com-
pany about to be instituted, called a company for effect-
ing steam navigation to India and the Cape of Good
Hope. He however declined, and dismissed the subject
altogether from his mind. The name of that gentleman
was inserted in the bill without his knowledge, and five
years afterwards he was subjected t a demand for the
whole of the outgoings of the committee, the other parties
having been mere men of straw. He was and be bad
been held to be legally liable. This was not a solitary
case. He trusted their lordships would pass a standing
order providing that when the names of the parties were
inserted in a bill, proof should be given of the consent of
these parties.—Lord Brougham said this was another
proof of the necessity of greater caution being used in the
passing of these railway acs.—Lord Fitzhardinge said,
his brother, Mr. Berkeley, took no part whatever in the
proceedings of the company; and was not aware that his
name had been used, until he received notice that an ac-
tion had been brought by the ship-builder for £35,000.
The legal expenses already incurred amounted to about
£4OO.