The southern press., 1851-04-05

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the language--the impossibility of ascertaining
whether or no the cab-driver has taken the short
est road from point to point--entirely precluSe,
as far as they are concerned, any such precau-
tons for their security. We should add that
their natural reluctance to have recourse TO the
police tribunals of the country, crowns their
difficulties and places them entirely at the mercy
Of the cab drivers.
1t would be impossible to devise any com
pete remedy for this grievance. One or two
suggestions, however, are evident enough, which
would 90 far TO bring it within more tolerable
measure. In the first place, mile stones and half
mile stones night readily be erected along the
course of the principal thoroughfares, which
would serve to regulate the judgment OF the
passenger, and to moderate the cxtorton Of the
driver. The arrangement, of course, labors
under two obvious defects. In the first place,
the distance posts must Of necessity be confined
to the chief thoroughfares and it is not always
that mans business lies OF the great parallels
Of the town. Still foreigners would derive a
certain degree OF assistance from such an ar
rangement; for they, more probably than Lon
doners, would travel mainly on the principal
thoroughfares. 1t might, too, be cab-driver's
good pleasure to crafty his fare" with more
extensive crcuit Of the town than would be abb
solutely necessary in accomplishing the distance
from point to point. In this case, the distance
posts would only serve to establish the exact
amount Of rascaity. Again, the legitimate fare
Of Sd. per mile is not only exhorbitant in itself,
but is a handle for additional imposition. Does
that man live who ever yet paid eight pence to
cab driver in satisfaction for all demands p
The Sd. becomes Is. and the Is. an inevitable
l81 Sixpence mile, and no more, should be
the limit Of the tariff. As far the cab drivers
and cab proprietors themselves are concerned,
the change would be most beneficial to their in
terests. Half a dozen persons would willingly
avail themselves Of their vehiclesin such case,
where only one person does 80, and that re-
luctantly, under the present regulations. Let
us say, in conclusion, that something like sys-
tenn Of inspection should be introduced to i'm
prove the condition of our public carriages in
point Of cleanliness and arrangement. With
the honorable exception of the Hanson cabs,
they are comparably the filtlest and worst ap-
pointed public vehicles to be found in any Eu-
ropean capital.
THE PROCESS OF THE GREAT EXHIBITION.
From the Exhibition Express
The boardings and plain fittings on the east
ern side of the building are now nearly COM
pete and an opportunity is afforded of forming
an approximate estimate of the amount of the
contributions received from foreign countries.
Many of the compartments are, as yet, quite
empty. No arrivals from the United Stat,s
have taken place up to the present time and
Brazil Mexico, and Greece, seem equally dila-
tory. From Norway and Sweden some small
consignments have been forwarded, and Russia
has already contributed about $50 PACKAGES
The quantity of goods which have reached the
h,,,l 81, -, IL
the bulk of the products of that country being
retained in the dock warehouses until the space
set apart for their display is fitted up A num-
Der of German carpenters are at present busily
employed, and nearly the whole of the counters
and cases in that portion of the Austrian CON-
partmeni which is on the north side Of the CEN
trail avenue, will be constructed by them. The
most copious contributors hitherto are the Zoll-
verein, Belgium, and Switzerland and in the
Chinese compartment there is already respect
nble assemblage of cases. France, however,
strange to say, is very much behndhand. The
number Of packages received from that country
up to yesterday, did not much exceed 100
This unusual inactivity on the part of our Gallo
neighbors does not, however, arise fiom indif
ference to the res lit of the friendly contest in
which they have engaged. On the contrary
they are deeply impressed with the Importance
Of the advantages which will be obtained BY
those who are victorious in the struggle, but
certain misapprehensions respecting the amount
of space placed under the control of their com
mssioners have effectualy retarded the trans
mission to this country of their contributions
The space assigned to France is exceedingly
ample, embracing in the whole about a hundred
thousand square feet and constituting little less
than tenth of the whole exhibiting space of
the building. Out Of this one hundred thousand
feet, it was most distinctly intimated by the
executive committee, during their correspond
ence with the French commission, that 10000
feet should be deducted for walks and pas
sages. II would seem, however, that the French
local committees dealt with their contributors as
if the whole 100000 feet were available for the
display of their productions. Notice was given
to persons who had obtained gold medals in
their own expostions, that an unlimited guam
tity of goods would be received from them, and
silver medallsts were led to believe that
their treatment would be little less LIBERAL The
natural consequence of these inconsderate pro-
ceedings was an influx of contributions, for the
accommodation Of which the very ample space
accorded was totally inadequate Upon the dis
covery of this unpalatab,e fact, various devices
were put in reH,sition by the French authori-
spaces, or curtailment of the extent of the
passages by which they are traversed. The
executive committee, however, were inexorable.
They pointed to the fact that the original number
of British contr butors was 5000, who, by the ex
ercise of judicous wedding and selection by our
local committees, have been reduced to 5000 !;
and they called on the French commissioners to
exercise similar system of vigorous compress
sion, and to reject everything not stamped with
iudisputable excellence of some kind. They are
at present employed, we believe, in this work Of
pruning, and when the vast mass of contribu-
tons with which they have to deal, shall have
been reduced within the requisite dimensions,
the arrivals of French productions at the build
ing will no doubt be large and frequent
Among the most interesting of the foreign arri-
walls during the last few days is a colossal figure
of lion in bronze, which has been forwarded
from Bavaria and is the work of the sculptor
f. Won Miller. II is upwards of nine feet high,
and will form one Of the most remarkable OBJ
ects in the exhibition.