THAT the new Legislation has begun to tell favourably on the conduct of the traffic of the leading lines cannot for a moment be doubted after glancing at the thirteenth Bi-weekly Record, published at the Companies' expense, according to the Provisions of the recent Act, on the back of all their passenger-tickets. It is satisfactory to note how, in something like six weeks, punctuality in the train service seems really almost established, the only train arriving one minute late being one of the Edinburgh Expresses, of which the boiler of the engine blew up at Grantham, thereby causing a little delay, which, however, was picked up before the conclusion of the run by extra steaming. The heavy penal system which the new Legislation has introduced, is, of course, answerable for this delightful change; but a glance at the following table for the six weeks since the Act has come into operation, will show how effectively and rapidly it has worked:-- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Trains Chairmen Directors Station Other late. put sentenced Masters Officials in Irons. to Penal sentenced sent Servitude. to Hard to Gaol Labour. and Fined. -------------------------------------------------------------- First week | 1725 | 9 | 95 | 192 | 2004 Second, Do. | 3 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 143 Third, Do. | 2 | .. | 2 | 11 | 88 Fourth, Do. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 15 Fifth, Do. | .... | .. | 1[A] | .. | .. Sixth, Do. | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 -------------------------------------------------------------- [Footnote A: Precautionary sentence.] The list of officials, as furnished in the above Schedule, undergoing their various periods of punishment, is an encouraging sign to the travelling public, and it is satisfactory to notice that the old unpunctuality that marked the first week, followed up as it was _by a rigorous application of the new law_, instantly disappeared as if by magic, when the Companies began really to understand their responsibilities and their penalties under the new Act. It is confidently, therefore, to be hoped, that next week's record may possibly be an entirely clean one, and that, _the only method of ensuring punctuality_, namely, the infliction of a penalty on the Authorities who can control it, may be found in practice to be entirely successful. * * * * * SUGGESTION GRATIS.--Why doesn't some enterprising publisher engage Sergeant PALMER of the 19th Knowles's Century Powder Magazine to write a Military Romance? There has been nothing of the sort worth mentioning since CHARLES LEVER. The Sergeant could write under the _nom de guerre_ of _Micky Free, Redivivus_. (_Signed_) BARON DE BOOK-WORMS.