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    9g5 The Saturday Awafysl aiid Reader. [N...

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    STlffiET EATLWAYS^-THEIR CONfeiTKUCTION ...

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    '"* ty W 'WWMMM* W WoW u Mtm»J*rJ&Mn$W<%...

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    Lord Dundonald's Autobiography * [Skoond...

    mam " The Government , " he continues , " evidently considered it . preferable that the largest force which England had ever despatched , front her shores should incur the chance of failure in its object , than that the simple and easily applied plan 6 of a junior post-captain should ao-aih jeopardise the reputation of his commaiider j in-cnieU Yet , while this aniiiiosity was being directed against . him in ins professional capacity , he had shortly before received from © eovge the Third the highest decoration of the Order of the Bath for his professional services . ; ¦' . ¦¦ ¦ , , . Nevertheless , the offending- and over-officious post-captain was not to be again employed , if possible . He entreated i » vain , to be permitted to return to " his frigate . Nor had his offences only this exclusive standing . He had dared , also f to associate with suoh s as Sir Francis Burdett and Major Cartsvright—nay , more ,

    person to act with them ; for he had attended the famous meeting , held afc the Crown and Anchor in the Strand . Moreover , in the House , his Lordship had exposed the waste of the public money , and the pso illation that existed . The Roman Cardinals stand not alone m their infamy . They can be matched on English grouud—not hfty 3 'ears ago . In proof , we may cite the case of Lord I > undi'nald ' 3 grandmother . This excellent old lady , as the widow of Captain Gilchiist , had received a pension of £ 100 , not only during her life , but for eight years after her death . " Some patriotic indivi-jdual had been drawing her pension , as though she were still living . " His Lordship was naturally disgusted at a fact like this—but the ministry of the day was only disgusted at the exposure . Like the Eonian Cardinalate , they aided in suppressing

    truth , from the pure dread of scandal to the Cabinet . Ought we not to be thankful that we live not in such days P That we do not , is a cheerful evidence of social and political progress . To relieve the House of his presence , Lord Dundonald was peremptorily -ordered to join his ship " in a week" and that in . a capacity as subordinate as the one occupied before , any of these services had been performed ! nay , more , '' in spite of my pointing out to him how , with , a tritiing force , I could do far more than I had done—a proposition which , he treated with contemptuous silence ' . There is nothing worse in the records of the Admiralty *

    even at that period . " _ To every annoyance that avus possible , Lord Dunaonald was subjected by the . authorities oil system . Among- othc-r matters , the Maltese Admiralty brought him into debt for vicious condemnation ^ instead of awarding remuneration , for tho numerous prizes taken by the Imperietise in the Mediterranean . The principal officer of this- Court was a Mr . Jackson , who held two offices , that of proctor ami that of marshal . The latter oiliee he performed bv deputy , the former in pev « onr Every prize , there- * his nancts

    fore , placed in his hands as proctor , had to pass through , as marshal ! whilst as proctor it was further in his power to consult himself as marshal as often as lie pleased , and to any extent he pleased ^ An extract from his charges in this -way is given in tho volume , Lord Uundonald having the bill in his possesson . On one occasion , the latter , pending a debate on the subject , puated together an exact copy of the different sheets of which the bill of charges was composed , formed them into a huge roll , and , amidst the astonishment and laughter of the House of Commons , unrolled it along- the floor of the house , when it reached from the Speaker s table to the bar . Lord Dundonald ' s complaints , however , were

    pooh-poohed ; and he resolved , with his usual energy , on getting nil positive proof . He therefore embarked in his yacht , Julie , for Gibraltar ; where he again embarked onboard a bvi < r-of-wivr 'bemud to Malta ; and then demanded of the Admiralty Court that the ]) rize accounts in question should bo revised . The table of te ought to . have been hung up in tho'court , but was not ; it was found wafered up behind the door of the judge's retiring chamber . Lord Dundonald took it down , and placed it in the possession of a brother officer . This " Rape of tho Table" became the subject of a humorous poem ; but the judge was furious , and Lord Duudoiuild was arrested under circumstances which made tho arrest peculiarly atrocious , and subsequently tried . The entire statement in well

    worth a careful perusal . , Lord Dundonald , having escaped fremi r-v' ¦• . n \«< l m lun ^ hmd with the needful documents and proof :. iJv tiio House of ( Joramonn . But tho result was , as might have been , and indeed was , eNpeetod . ThQ motion on the subject was negatived without a division . But now 'approached tho tjiino whan authority felt that wore active , rtveasttree must be taken against a minclso daring arid so wjvoa lutionai-yvMLord © undonald gave new offence b y supporting bir FranjsiaiBucdett ; he likewise submitted his * plans ibr atybaeldng « nd destroyMte «» enemy ' s fleet t * the Prince Hegent , who , mth tho , Duke'of ¥ brk ^ highly approved of ; them . ' But . they advised that they should not be diyujgod , as the secret might become dungemnia . to our colonial possessions ! Iiord Wundonold acquiesces w this remarkable foresight-, f ^ for had the same plan beem Jwown to two rebelfc * in the late Indian-mutiny , not a European in , India wowd hare esp & pefl .- ' But > throughi < th « jealousy . ofl itlw AdmlraJtyj the \ ¦ ¦ ¦

    pr < aQe 1 > jell tbrpugh ; u • > , , , v . j ^ w , wi a 9 ) l < ordr l > undoiittld , tlwwwht known ita . have ,,, thought , so d & ptyi ° & wte SHbjeot , ever consultedrbytfeo . Government concerning ' oipii [» a ^ aV , < lef « Jneosf His opinion , had , jt boea , aflteed ,, would ! hav ^ J b # eK VHBAiABt foKtiJQoa ^ ions ^ ana in favoTW ^ fiwe ^ efentiwiwy . ,,, Wh « b ^ ftr 4 ] O ¥ » n 4 owalcltfl heroism proceeded fro ^ iti ^ pftTO aujiic . ^ v ^ yf miidd i ^ ndfthMfKngilwh Qwernmouto « l' « aftr « id pft «««» h » wwwt »; - » j m Jifrjgg , ytftl , snot , , be Oftttbted ^ fflfa lprdeh ip oppf ^ ea . tW | S ^ h W-QSffimfr i ^ tyi ! w mt $ . fc > i ! ftto 4 ^^ feee ^ ^ ne Df tftOwoat romwut io on record , , » wd tho oirOi ^ nw ^ wwa pi

    my marriage not the least so . " An orphan daughter of a family of honourable , standing in the midland counties , JVEss Katherine Corbett Barnes , was the lady selected ; but his uncle , the Hon . Basil Cochrane , had chosen for him another bride , and opposed the match . They were accordingly secretly married at Annan in Scotland ; but their unioii was nob long kept concealed , and Lord Dundonald consequently did not inherit a shilling of his uncle ' s property . It is evident that . Lord Dundonald did not so the way to make money ; yet it was afterwards affected to be believed that this sai » e man could be guilty of a fraud on the Stocl ? Exchange , in order to raise the price of funds in his own favour . It was the case of a brave and somewhat incautious man contending against " a weak and wicked Government . " Of the notorious transaction called the Stock . Exchange trial , it would be folly at this time to enter into full detail . It is sufficient to say that Lord Dundonald had

    nothing whatever to do with it—was entirely innocent of the sameand that trusting to his innocence , he did not think it needful to |) repare for his defence . I 3 y those perversions of his judicial authority which , were familiai" to Lord Ellenborough , the evidence was forced into connection with . Lord Dundonald , and _ the jury were misled into a belief that he was soinehow associated with the conspiracy . The legal form of a conspiracy ,, with which he had nothing to do , was also made to tell unfairly against Lord Dundoiial . d , so as to shut him . oiit from the opportunity of anew trial . Lord Dundonald was condemned to tine , imprisonment , and

    the pillory ! This ' monstrous seutenco rebounded , howpver , on the sentencer . It was ; Lord Elleuborough , not Lord Dundouald , who lost his character hy it . Lord Elleuborough became -u-upopular to such an extent that future juries would not credit his charges , and refused the verdicts / that he expected . Disgrace , ¦ and a broken heart , became the portion of the judgo , . and an .-. -early deaih . Length of days , a complete vindicutiou of his character in the two volumes before us , the recoguitiou of the nation * and a tomb in AVestminster Abbey , were the ultimate rccompenco awarded by . Time to the brave , the suffering-, tho iujurcd , and tho heroic Lord PundonaH ; how crowned by tlie national judgment ^> oao of his coun try ' s " Worthies .

    9g5 The Saturday Awafysl Aiid Reader. [N...

    9 g 5 The Saturday Awafysl aiid Reader . [ Nov . 24 , I 860

    Stlffiet Eatlways^-Their Confeitkuction ...

    STlffiET EATLWAYS ^ -THEIR CONfeiTKUCTION AIs D WORKING . * T > HE adoption Of a system of hor . se street railways in this luetro-A _ poll ' s being now an acknowledged necessity , it becomes neeessarv to consider how thuy slmll be constructed and worked , so as to become of tlio greatest utility , and cause tho leiwt possible inconvenience to other traffic . ^ ,, ,, / . The question first surestcd to our nuncl was the gauge , toy m the olden time of the first introduction of our lyoomotivc railways , thev ^ was a iievee contest , called " The Battle of the . Gauges , ' as to ol

    whether 7 feet or ' 1 foot Sh inchos should ; be the national g . vuge En « land . aiid winch ended " hi a drawn battle , viz ., each gauge to keep itsown district . Now we hopo no such question will arise in London , but that whatever gauge is adopted at the commencement will bo tho universal one for the whole metropolitan -district . M e have attentivelv penned Mr , G . V . Train ' s pamphlet on . " bt-reet luulwavs" amlJMr . Charles Bum ' s pampblot on ' Horso Kui-lways lor Bnmch Lines , &« . " Mr . Unrn statt-n the yaiige ot the larw nnft Versailles passenger tramroad to be < i > , feofc 10 * inches , viiiio thftt nKed in tho United States is 4 , toet 8 J inches , being thy samo ot

    us our own narrow gauge locomotive line * . Tho average , gautfu ordinarv carts and carriages in England is 5 feet ; and o | : tho ^ now Xionaonomnibuscs , 5 feet 0 mehtM . Contfidenut ? iHo ingi tlull . top-heavy loads of human beings those oiunibuHOs cnrr . v , we cuuoi . consider the last-haincdgraugo i » enough ibi-thoin . But aa we uro loci- to anticipaterfrom the beautiful models and lithugTti ;> " » ^ - ,: Train ' s patent railway cars , that our new street cwiveyanuort wiu not by » ny means be po . itohgorojiBly top-heayy , we come tot w co - elusion that thb best saugeibi- tho metropolitan btrocb ruilwa . >» u 1 be 5 foot «¦ inches y and'laying down Mr . Wamuyl » patent ¦ u J , wlUoh hns a flat tramway of . 4 fawhea , ami a raised mil «* »» ' «;? 5-HthH of m . indh ( and a breadth of 14 iuUiw , the JJ *^ J of the . rail in the roadway would bo but little felt , iseuinj tl . at th imuority of tho road conveyances V / oiild we the fUt tya m wa , > , ^ vua > trannvay would of itaolfluivo a mu o of froiu 4 ft . 10 » n . to olt . A > . Thi * w « consider would bo si groat mlvantoffo ovyr a *»• «? " ; ccm & e , unless the conBtruotiou of Mr . Wmnuol ' araila was vevorseU t »

    Sultoth © tnwpoflos of the nawowor ffttujye ; *•*•> m ™ o \ m »;« •» y portion of the rail to bo laid outside tho rawed mil instead of anb . ( o , asrepvesentcd in the plate inMv , Train ' s pannjlilot . £ ™™* ™ " " Hidtsration also weighs with us while . recommending n 5 ib . Cim . fiim &» - The possession of such a'gauge ffives a greater contro of « i u \ ivy i » deBoewlinjJf tooliridoiuadipnBBinsr round curves , u » d would ot «» J " » J favour « n incronae of . speod aud groafcev roof lutula ; and ioui wlioow on aneh a gauge wovld ^ curry mioro pwsengoiw tlMinlout wiieow o « the'loasor » auffa' Wo oonnob iu any way agvoo with Mr . Jjuinj suggeetiort of tho- ffauge of three feot ibr awy street or van » uj branch railway . ,, We are , quite fiurq tlijifrMr . Unra- uover . pc » £ » day « t tho GJouoeator etation of the Midland Bailway n » f ]™ « " time when the bvealc of guago wciuted . thove , lor il ho l »» d ll 0 " ° JJJ wouiasp ^ ak so H «« htingly of the Jneonyiniiweo » f ^ Jf . f ^ ; ! never was oanftwlon . ^ otho . oonft » nna « d tbun ab that thou i « JJ unhanpy / plaoof Irandi ^ as tA ' i ow ot oi'dinavy goodt ) , ami thousiu as of toii ) 5 ' of 7 coalH , « feo .,. hiva to bo ijwwjfQwwO . Mly ThQjh ^ UojU ^

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• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 24, 1860, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24111860/page/10/