There has been much hostile comment on the conveyance at reduced rates of foreign produce and merchandise from the Continent, through English ports to places of consumption. The French traffic from Cherbourg or Havre carried _viâ_ Weymouth or Southampton, and from Boulogne or Calais, _viâ_ Dover or Folkestone, and the Dutch and Belgian traffic from Rotterdam or Antwerp, _viâ_ Harwich, have been especially the subject of unfriendly remark. But the explanation of such rates is simple; they are due to no designs against the English factor. French traffic carried _viâ_ Cherbourg may be sent direct by sea to London. In order that it may be conveyed over a portion of their systems, the London and South Western Company run steamers between that port and Southampton; and until recently the Great Western Company had a line of steamers between Cherbourg and Weymouth. In order to compete with the sea communication, the South Western and Great Western Companies necessarily fixed their rates with reference to the sea freights from Cherbourg and other ports. The distance between Southampton and London is 76 miles, while the distance between Weymouth and London is 159 miles. Of course the Great Western Company charged the same rates by the longer as the South Western Company charged by the shorter railway route. Hence the complaint that French goods were being carried cheaper from Cherbourg to London than from places in Dorsetshire, past which, when carried by the Great Western Company, they were conveyed. The obvious answer was, that if the Great Western Company did not carry at all, the traffic would be sent _viâ_ Southampton, and that if the London and South Western Company ceased to carry, it would be sent to London direct by sea. In fact, the Great Western Company have recently given up the steamboat service, and ceased to carry _viâ_ Weymouth; the grounds of complaint made in the name of the Dorsetshire farmers have thereby been removed. But the competition, such as it is, of French with English produce, continues all the same, only all the traffic is carried, not through Dorsetshire, but by other routes. Indeed, immediately after the service _viâ_ Weymouth was withdrawn a new service was established between Paimboeuf and Newhaven; and by this route a portion of the traffic previously sent _viâ_ Weymouth is now carried.