MR. HARRISON.-I cannot help thinking that my learned friends thought they should have been beat yesterday, or else they would have been ready with their clauses.

MR. ADAM.-Might we not as well have expected, that some little more discussion would have taken place?

The question was put, That the clause intituled, "Company empowered to make Railway from Liverpool to Manchester," amended do stand part of the Bill.

The Committee-room was ordered to be cleared.

After some time the counsel, agents, and parties, were again called in, and informed that the question, That the clause intituled, "Company empowered, &c. as amended, do stand part of the Bill," had been put and negatived.

MR. CREEVEY.-Do you go on?

MR. ADAM.-I should certainly wish to take the opinion of the Committee on the next clause.

The clause entituled, "Power to take Lands, &c.," was read.
CHAIRMAN.—Are there any amendments?

MR. HARRISON.-There are some, sir.

CHAIRMAN.-Are they at all material ?

MR. HARRISON.-I object, sir, to the whole clause.
CHAIRMAN.-You object to the whole of the clause?

MR. HARRISON.-I object to it on the ground of the inaccuracy of the plans and sections.

MR. ADAM.—I have already argued the validity of the plans and sections.

MR. CREEVEY.-You had better take the opinion of the Committee upon the whole clause.

MR. HARRISON.-The amendment is only to strike out some few words from the clause.

The question was put, That the clause entitled, "Power to take Lands, &c.," do stand part of the Bill.

The Committee-room was ordered to be cleared.

After some time the counsel, agents, and parties, were called in and informed, that the question, That the clause intituled, "Power to take Lands, &c.," do stand part of the Bill, had been put and negatived.

MR. ADAM.-Then of course I can give no further trouble: as you have taken out of the Bill those two clauses, I will not trouble you any further, as it would be to take up your time unnecessarily.

MR. MACDONALD.-Having paid some considerable attention to

this inquiry as it has proceeded; for one, I cannot help expressing to the counsel on both sides my approbation of the manner in which this case has been conducted.

CHAIRMAN.-In which sentiments I am sure all the members of the Committee will unite.

MR. HARRISON.-On behalf of all my learned friends and myself, I can only say, it is a great satisfaction to us to hear that our conduct upon this occasion has received your sanction.

B.

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS AND INSURANCE AGAINST THEM.

THERE can be no doubt that, considering the immense increase in the number of persons who travel, railway trains are a much more safe mode of conveyance than stage-coaches were. An old stagecoachman once gave a definition of the two kinds of accidents, in which there was much wit as well as much truth. He said, "When an accident happens to a stage-coach, why, you are thrown off, and there you are; but, when an accident happens to a train, where are you?" It is perfectly true, that a railway accident is a much more dreadful thing than the overturning of a coach; just for the same reason that a tiger, if let loose, would do more mischief than a cat; and we have, therefore, a greater dread of the one than the other. But it may, without fear of denial, be said, that the engine-driver has much more power over his locomotive than the coachman has over his horses; and that the railway is much better made, better kept, and better adapted to its peculiar traffic, than were the old turnpike-roads. If we have called into action a much more powerful means of locomotion, we have certainly acquired, at the same time, a greater proportionate control over it; and thus, railway accidents being less frequent, are, in the aggregate, not so terrible as those which occurred before railways were constructed.

During the half-year ending 31st December, 1851, the number of passengers on the Railways of the United Kingdom was, in the aggregate, 47,509,392; and of these, 113 were killed, and 264 injured. Therefore, the chances of death or injury to each of these passengers may be thus stated:

Indeed, it may be said, that there is more danger in walking the streets of a large town, than in travelling by railway.

B B

But an analysis of the circumstances attending these deaths and injuries shows even more clearly the safety of railway travelling. Of the 113 deaths, one was a case of deliberate suicide, for which railway travelling is as little chargeable as water is for its property of drowning people. Again, 33 were trespasses on the line, contrary to all the prohibitions, notices, and cautions, of which it is impossible to suppose they were ignorant. Of the rest, 62 were not, strictly speaking, passengers, but servants of the Companies or contractors; and of that number 32 were killed from their own misconduct, or want of caution. The bona fide passengers were only 17, and of these eight, or about one-half only, were killed by causes beyond their own control. We annex the official statement of all these cases, a document at once both interesting and instructive. Again, there exists now a system of insurance against railway accidents, by which their consequences may be alleviated, as far as it is in the power of money to do so. The principle of the system may be understood from the following statement. If every traveller during the second six months of 1851, had paid a penny for every journey into a relief fund, the amount realized would have been £197,955. This would have permitted the payment of £1000 to the representatives of each person killed, and of £250 to each person injured. Each railway traveller pays, on an average, about 1s. 8d. each journey, so that an additional penny would have secured for these poor sufferers the most incalculable relief. At almost every railway station there can now be purchased single journey assurance-tickets, which, in the event of death by accident, insures to a third-class passenger £200 for one penny; to a second-class passenger, £500 for two-pence; and to a first-class passenger, £1000 for three-pence. During the half-year to which we have referred, the number of such tickets issued by the Railway Passengers' Assurance Company was as follows::

precau

that is to say, only one passenger out of every 183 had the tion to insure his life on a railway journey. The whole sum insured is paid in case of death; and where personal injury only is sustained,

compensation, in proportion to the extent of the injury and the amount insured, is made. Periodical tickets are issued to insure £1000 for one month, 5s.; three months, 10s.; six months, 168.; and twelve months, 20s. Arrangements are also made, according to circumstances, for insuring the lives of the persons employed on the lines of railway. We annex a note of the claims made upon this Company during two years,-a document both curious and interesting:CLAIMS AND COMPENSATION.

From November, 1849, to October, 1851.

The fatal cases are as follows:

1. A driver of a ballast-engine crushed near Peterborough, on the 18th October, 1850. Insured for £500. He left a widow and one child.

2. An engine-driver crushed near Campsie Junction, on the 31st October, and so severely injured that he died a week afterwards. Insured for £500. Paid to his widow.

3. An engine-driver killed near Rugby, on the 16th February, 1851. The sum insured, £500, has been paid to the widow, who was left with six children totally unprovided for.

4. An engine-driver killed near Carstairs, on the 13th June, insured for £500. The amount insured has been paid to the widow.

5. A goods guard killed, on the 25th of July, near Glasgow. The amount insured, £200, has been paid to the widow, who was left with two children quite destitute.

6. W. B., a station-master, insured for £200, had his hand crushed at Halifax, on the 10th September. Mortification ensued, and he died in a few days. Payable to the widow.

The cases of personal injury to parties insured with this Company, and the mode in which the claims have been dealt with, will be seen in the following statement :Claim 1. W. G. met with an accident at Preston, on the night of the 1st November, 1849. Adjusted by a payment of £7 6s.

2. W. F. met with an accident near Perth, on the 29th November. This claim was settled by a payment of £20.

3. J. G. H. hurt in a collision near Manchester, December 31st. His claim was settled by the Company paying, at his request, five guineas to the Manchester Infirmary, the claimant being himself a medical man.

4. J. H. C. met with an accident near Thirsk, on 24th January, 1850. Adjusted by the payment of £31 10s.

5. A. S., holder of a first-class single journey insurance ticket, injured by the train running off the rails between Bilsworth and Wolverton, January 28. Settled by a payment of £14 14s.

6. G. P., also a passenger by the above train. 7. A. N. S. was severely injured, especially in

the 13th February, near the Abingdon station.

Settled by a payment of £15. the face and eyes, by the collision on This claim was settled by a payment

of £210, the injury to the eyes having proved to be of a permanent character.

8. M. F., holder of a single journey insurance ticket, was also a passenger by the same train. His claim was settled by a payment of £30.