Certain be on the broad gauge. to the town of Witney in the county of Oxford;" or to an of 3. And be it enacted, That the several railways authorailways to rized to be constructed by an act passed in the last session Parliament, intituled "An Act for making a Railway to be called The South Wales Railway," and by an act also passed in the last session of Parliament, intituled “ An Act for making a Railway from Monmouth to Hereford, ith branches therefrom to Westbury and to join the Forest of Dean Railway," and by two acts passed in this session f Parliament, severally intituled "An Act for completing the Line of the South Wales Railway, and to authorize the Construction of an Extension and certain Alterations of the said Railway, and certain Branch Railways in connexion therewith," and "An Act for making a Railway communication between the city of Bristol and the proposed South Wales Railway in the county of Monmouth, with a Branch Railway therefrom," shall be constructed on the gauge of seven feet. Gauge not to be altered. Provision as to the Oxford, and Wolverhampton railways. 4. And be it enacted, That it shall not be lawful after the passing of this act to alter the gauge of any railway used for the conveyance of passengers. 5. And be it enacted, That nothing hereinbefore contained shall be deemed to affect the provisions of two acts Oxford and passed in the last session of Parliament, respectively inRugby, and tituled "An Act for making a Railway from the city of Oxford to the town of Rugby," and "An Act for making Worcester, a Railway from Oxford to Worcester and Wolverhampton," with respect to the gauge on which they are to be formed, or the additional rails which, according to the several provisions of the last two recited acts, are to be or may be laid down and maintained on the railways thereby authorized, or with respect to the powers thereby conferred on the commissioners of her Majesty's privy council for trade and foreign plantations concerning the construction and use of the railways thereby authorized. Penalty on 6. And be it enacted, That if any railway used for the company conveyance of passengers shall be constructed or altered for con- contrary to the provisions of this act, the company authostructing rized to construct the railway, or in the case of any demise railways or lease of such railway, the company for the time being contrary to 'having the control of the works of such railway, shall forfeit ten pounds for every mile of such railway which shall be so unlawfully constructed or altered, during every day that the same shall continue so unlawfully constructed or this act. altered; and in estimating the amount of any such penalty any distance less than one mile shall be estimated as a mile. 7. And be it enacted, That, over and above the penalty Railways herein before provided, if any railway used for the convey- constructed ance of passengers shall be constructed or altered contrary contrary to to the provisions of this act, it shall be lawful for the com- this act missioners of her Majesty's woods, forests, land revenues, may be works, and buildings, or for the lords of the committee of abated. her Majesty's privy council for trade and foreign plantations, to abate and remove the same or any part thereof so constructed or altered contrary to the provisions of this act, and to restore the site thereof to its former condition. 8. And be it enacted, That all penalties under this act Recovery of may be recovered from the company liable to pay and make penalties. good the same, as under the provisions of an act passed in the last session of Parliament, intituled "An Act for con- 8 & 9 Vict solidating in one act certain provisions usually inserted in c. 20. acts authorizing the making of railways," a penalty for any infringement of the last-recited act is recoverable against a company authorized to construct a railway. 9. And be it enacted, That this act may be amended Act may be or repealed by any act to be passed in this session of Par- amended liament. Power to send mails by railways in manner prescribed by 1 & 2 Vict. c. 98, without a guard. 10 & 11 VICT. cap. 85. An Act for giving further Facilities for the Transmission of Letters by Post, and for the regulating the Duties of Postage thereon, and for other Purposes relating to the Post Office. (So far as relates to Railways.) [22nd July, 1847.] 16. AND whereas by an act passed in the second year of the reign of her present majesty, intituled, “An Act to provide for the Conveyance of the Mails by Railways," provision is made for the transmission of the mails by railways; be it enacted, That it shall be lawful for the postmaster general to require, in the manner prescribed by the said last-mentioned act, that any mails and post letter bags shall be conveyed and forwarded by any railway company on their railway, under and pursuant to the said act, notwithstanding any guard or other officer of the post office shall not be sent with the same or in charge thereof, and such mails and post letter bags shall be conveyed and forwarded by such railway company accordingly. An Act for shortening the Language used in Acts of Parliament. [10th June, 1850.] 1. BE it declared and enacted by the Queen's most Acts may excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of be altered. the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That every act to be passed after the commencement of this act may be altered, amended, or repealed in the same session of Parliament, any law or usage to the contrary notwithstanding. 2. Be it enacted, That all acts shall be divided into To be disections, if there be more enactments than one, which vided into sections shall be deemed to be substantive enactments, sections. without any introductory words. 3. Be it enacted, That in any act, when any former act Manner in is referred to, it shall be sufficient, if such act was made which acts before the seventh year of Henry the Seventh, to cite referred to the year of the King's reign in which it was made, and are to be where there are more statutes than one in the same year cited. the statute, and where there are more chapters than one the chapter; and if such act referred to was made after the fourth year of Herry the Seventh, to cite the year of the reign, and where there are more statutes or sessions than one in the same year the statute or the session (as the case may require), and where there are more chapters or sections than one the chapter or section or chapter and section (as the case may require), without reciting the title of such act, or the provision of such section, so referred to; and the reference in all cases shall be made according to the copies of statutes printed by the Queen's printer, or to the copies thereof contained in the Reports of the Commissioners of Public Records: provided that where it is only intended to amend or repeal any portion only of such section it shall be necessary still either to recite such portion or to set forth the matter or thing intended to be amended or repealed. 4. Be it enacted, That in all acts words importing the Interpretamasculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include tion of cerfemales, and the singular to include the plural, and the tain words plural the singular, unless the contrary as to gender or for future number is expressly provided; and the word "month" acts. to mean calendar month, unless words be added showing lunar month to be in ended; and "county" shall be held Repealed to mean also county of a town or of a city, unless such extended meaning is expressly excluded by words; and the word "land" shall include messuages, tenements, and hereditaments, houses and buildings, of any tenure, unless where there are words to exclude houses and buildings, or to restrict the meaning to tenements of some particular tenure; and the words "oath," "swear,” and affidavit" shall include affirmation, declaration, affirming, and declaring, in the case of persons by law allowed to declare or affirm instead of swearing. 66 5. Be it enacted, That where any act repealing in acts not to whole or in part any former act is itself repealed, such be revived. last repeal shall not revive the act or provisions before repealed, unless words be added reviving such act or provisions. Repealed 6. Be it enacted, That wherever any act shall be made provisions repealing in whole or in part any former act, and substihow long to tuting some provision or provisions instead of the provision or provisions repealed, such provision or provisions so repealed shall remain in force until the substituted provision or provisions shall come into operation by force of the last made act. remain in force. Acts to be deemed 7. Be it enacted, That every act made after the commencement of this act shall be deemed and taken to be public acts. a public act, and shall be judicially taken notice of as such, unless the contrary be expressly provided and declared by such act. Com 8. Be it declared and enacted, That this act shall mencement commence and take effect from and immediately after the commencement of the next session of Parliament. of act. 13 & 14 VICT. cap. 33 [Local]. An Act for regulating legal Proceedings by or ́against the Committee of Railway Companies associated under the Railway Clearing System, and for other Purposes. [25th June, 1850.] Preamble. WHEREAS for some time past arrangements have subsisted between several railway companies for the transmission without interruption of the through traffic in passengers, animals, minerals, and goods passing over different lines of railway, for the purpose of affording, in respect to such passengers, animals, minerals, and goods, the same or the like facilities as if such lines had belonged to one com |