principle be true, that capital will force its way into those employments which yield more than the ordinary rate of profit, it will be impossible to maintain the monopoly and the high charges of the old companies.'* The fares on British Railways are higher than on any other European lines. The first-class fares are sixty-three per cent higher than those on the French and German railways, seventyfive per cent higher than the Belgian, one hundred per cent higher than the Italian, and one hundred and sixty per cent higher than on the Danish lines. The second-class fares are fifty per cent higher than those of France and Germany, and one hundred and twenty per cent higher than those of Belgium and Denmark. They are one hundred per cent higher than those of Italy. The thirdclass fares are sixty-six per cent higher than in Belgium, one hundred per cent higher than in Denmark and Italy, thirty-three per cent higher than in Germany, and fourteen per cent higher than in France. In no other country are the working-classes conveyed in a manner so discreditable to humanity, and to the true interests of the carriers themselves. In short, it is evident that the abuses which have at all times and every where attended monopolies, have already manifested themselves in our Railway management, and are certain to augment, to the great prejudice of the public. It would be folly to close our eyes upon the fact, that the British public has committed a serious error, in permitting the Legislature to proceed from session to session, in the course of legislation which has prevailed in regard to railways. With an enlightened public, a vigilant and free press, an unrestricted right of discussion and petition, and the habit of the legislature to wait for the expression of public sentiment on such matters, it would be unjust to throw upon Parliament, or the administrations of the day, the exclusive blame of the mistake that has been committed. The public itself must bear the principal share of that blame. What is the actual state of the case? A new method of intercommunication was discovered, infinitely exceeding all former methods in cheapness, expedition, certainty, and regularity. Surely this rare opportunity ought to have been seized, to procure the establishment by law of a suitable administrative body, under which a prudent system of inland communication might be constructed. But what, in fact, has been done? In this, the most active country in the world, with a press absolutely free, with unparalleled facilities for the diffusion of knowledge, and the most perfect of all representative governments, we have passively surrendered the entire system of national * Morrison, p. 12. highways, without a single practicable reservation or exception, into the hands of a number of private individuals, to deal with us and our posterity, so far as respects our intercourse with each other, as may seem best to them and their heirs, now and for ever. England has ceased to possess highways. The country is intersected only by roads, which no one can use except by the permission and on the conditions prescribed by their owners! Although it be not till the eleventh hour, still, the attention of Parliament has been called to this most important subject; and measures are in progress which, it may be hoped, will correct these evils, as far as retrospective legislation can correct them. The right of Parliament to establish a system of reasonable control over the inland communications of the country, cannot, as we conceive, be denied. All practicable competition having ceased to be possible, administrative control must supply its place. A Board of Railway Control must be established. But, to be really useful, it must be invested with powers much more extensive than those possessed by the late railway department of the Board of Trade. The great object of the government should be, to bring the power of such a body to bear on the existing railway companies, in such a manner as to protect the public from the abuses incidental to them, without violating in spirit that contract, whatever it may be, which they may have made with the State. The benefit of such a system of control, rightly administered, will not be confined to the public as opposed to the monopoly of the companies. It will extend to the companies themselves,-some of which have already discovered that the maximum of profits is not necessarily attained by the maximum of fares; and that it is possible to consult the interests of the Public, by moderating their tariffs, without endangering their prospective dividends. NOTE to the First Article. THIS Article was wholly written and printed early in August last, which is here mentioned to account for its taking no notice of the subsequent proceedings of Parliament respecting its subject. No. CLXXI. will be published in January. INDEX. A Agriculture, British, state and prospects of, 416-rapid and constant Algeria, possession of, by France, 47-ignorance of the geography of, American War, memorable lesson given by, 241, Archipelago, Indian-European settlements in, 167-Dutch empire Asiatics, characteristics of the different races of Eastern, 171. B Bacon's Novum Organum, translation of, 103. Bastiat, M. Frederic, his Sophismes Economiques reviewed, 236. Borneo, expedition of H,M,S. Dido to, 147-Mr Brookes founds a sovereignty in, his history and character, 149-Pulo Kalamantan - Brewster, Sir D., on the discovery of the Differential Calculus, 43. Byron, Lord his amour at Florence, as stated by Goethe, discovered C Calculus, Differential-controversy between Newton and Leibnitz, as Camden, Lord-sketch of his character, 401. Canals in England, monopoly of the entire inland traffic by, 481. Carette, M., his excellent account of the Sahara of Algeria, 50. Charity, difference between public and private, 302-strong tendency Chinese, their propensity for "rich food "forms an important source of Christianity, progress of, in the Indian Archipelago, 165. Coke, Sir Edward-leading events of his career and character, 381. Coke, Sir Edward, his opinion on the language and structure of the Colonial Protection, 236-266. Colonies, advantages of, 250. Colonial System, principles and fate of, 240-1-still retained by Hol- Commercial Restrictions, removal of, 239. Credit, effect of, on the monitory transactions of a nation, 331. D Death-considered as an evil, or otherwise, 25. De Morgan on the discovery of the Differential Calculus; note, 38. Doyle, Rev. Dr, on a poor-law of Ireland, 296. Eldon, Lord, anecdotes of, 121. E Emerson, a mystic and rhapsodist, 208. Entails detrimental to the progress of agriculture, 443. Espartero, regent of Spain, character of, 184. Essington, Port, advantageous position of, 170-172. Europe, compulsory relief to the poor in various states of, 293. F Fortescue, Earl-his memoir of the late Lord King, 315. G German Zollverein, principles of, 252-262. Glassford's, James, lyrical compositions, from the Italian poets, Greece, History of, by George Grote, 343. See Grote. Greenleaf, Professor, of Harvard University, U. S., on the education Grote, George History of Greece by, 343-interest attached to a H Halliwell's, J. O., life and correspondence of Sir S. D'Ewes, 76. Homeric Poems-authorship of, considered, 362. I India, British, Chevalier Warren's work on, examined, 452-wealth Ireland-its people dissimilar to those of England and Scotland, 267, |