The Sun. — 1845-10-06 (London, England)

THE RAILWAY REGISTER. The present number opens with the first of a series of articles on railways in Ireland, which should be read with attention by every legislator, statesman, and philanthropist. The writer goes into a minute consideration of the peculiar evils of Ireland, and shows, from authentic dccuments, that those evils are social rather than political, that they are caused neither by absenteeism nor by the exportation of protisions, but by want of proper means to develop the natural resources of the country among which the writer enumerates, as a most important one, which has been strangely overlooked by the Railway Commissioners, the fisheries. The writer then goes on to observe— " The only cure for the social miseries of Ireland consists in the encouragement to industry. For this purpose capital is absolutely necessary before a step can be taken ;—capital to encourage production, and capital to make roads for the conveyance of the produce to proper markets. We care not much at which end the application of this powerful agency is commenced. Perhaps the proper beginning would be in the matter of roads ;—for when they are made, comparatively l.ttle capital would be sufficient to do something in the way of production ; and that little would soon grow to more. "The only wholesome inducement to the investment of capital upon an extensive scale consists in the expectation of a profitable return. That such return may be obtained in Ireland has become too generally discredited,—so much so that the English capitalist prefers sending over small contributions in charity, to alleviate the immediate pressure of extraordinary distress, to risking more with a view to profit. With this impression, also, it has been the practice to make advances of public money, in aid of local works in Ireland ; in our opinion a most pernicious practice, as whilst the good actually done is extremely small compared with what the country requires, the very fact keeps alive the notion, already too prevalent, that capital cannot be profitably employed in Ireland. This notion we arc sorry to find pervading the report of the Railway Commissioners, as will be seen by-and-by when we come to its details. In the meantime it will be our anxious desire to disabuse the public mind of a prejudice which we sincerely believe to be as groundless as it is fatal in its influence."  Le next day Merton proceeded from his residence to the appointed spot. Emily was not true to her engagement. For an hour he waited in expection of her coming—but she came not. He was leaving the Park by the bridge across the Serpentine river to retrace his .iiteps homewards when some policemen, followed by a ragged crowd, emerged from the house of the Royal Humane Society, bearing a human body upon a board. Poor thing!' ejaculated an old woman who formed part of the curious assemblage,' tired of her life, I dare say.' The words arrested Merton's attention—he addressed himself to the police-officers and begged to look upon the face. His curiosity was gratified—Emily Bertram was the hapless suicide !" Madame de Crespigny's " Saint Silvester's Night,":is a " Romance of likal Lite," the scene of which is laid in the old Castle of Heidelberg, and the epoch dated from no more remote period than ten years ago. "Characteristics of Eqrly English Poets .(viz., Chaucer, Webster, Quarles, and Chapman)," a pleasant paper enough. The "Lover's Leap" and " Ehrenstein," are continued. This number of Ainsworth is a very good one. We hail with much satisfaeti:,n, the marked improvement in the illustrated embellishments of:this periodical, which commences this month, and is, we trust, like the fragmentary romances it contains, to " be continued in our next." The " Black Penitent," in the present number, is, in point both of design and execution, by far the best thing we have seen in Ainsworth for a long time past.