The Sun. — London, England, 1854-09-08 00:00:00

company in the superintendent's department, and of the 'difficulties'which had occurred in it, in regard to ques tions of public safety, to move a resolution, the conside ration of which should take precedence of the appoint ment of a general manager. My resolution was in these terms :—" That the circumstances attending the ap pointment of A. B. C. to the charg e of theGodstone Station at the time of the late accident, and the circum stances attending the late accident at the Spa - ro ad station, be taken into consideration." And here I may mention that in 1845 I moved the directors of the com pany to establish the electric telegraph forthwith over all its lines and branches, in anticipation of the period when we should have erected it in the natural course of things, and, in compliance with our engagement with the Government, in consequence of the frightful accident which took place at Penshuret, which accident would not have happened if the telegraph had been in use ; and ever since the application of the telegraph has been maturing, till in October last, a general order was issued by my directions. Well, gentlemen, some of my reasons for proposing this amendment are to be found in the following correspondence. (The impatience of the meet ing did not allow Mr. Macgregor to read all the corres pondence, and the folloviing are the only portions of it that he was enabled to lay before the proprietors) " South-Eastern Railway, London Terminus, July 30, 1852, 11 a.m. " Dear Sir, —I heard enough of the evidence yesterday reardin the accident at Headcorn to satisfy me that the man (Wy g ke) in charge of that station is unfit for the duty of a station-master. " Just observe the facts : " He shunts a pick-up train from the down line to the up line to make way for the mail train, and leaves that pick-up train on the up line for 44 minutes without com municating to the station below the fact that it is there, or taking any extraordinary precautions whatever to pro tect the lives of the p assen g ers or the property of the com pany. " Whatever the close of the investigation may elicit with regard to the conduct of the engine-drivers, or their non-observance of signals, it is still clear to me that it is i mposs ible that the conduct of the stati on - mas t er can be justified, or that he can put himself in a situationo tshow that he has deserved the confidenc e o f th e directors. " I place these views befor e y ou w ith ou t l oss o f time, in order that yon may have the advantage of my opinion, and not lose by delay th e cre dit w hi c h wou ld b e d ue t o y ou for a prompt and correct view of the case. " The station- mas t er at H ea d corn was not justified, under such circum s t ances as occurre d, in trusting to ordi nary signals, or to sending a man down to wave his lantern on the line, and in my view he cannot be continued in the responsible office of station-master—where, whatever be the regulations something must always depend on sound discretion. " IKave written to Mr. Drane to lay an estimate beforo the directors of the cost of placing distant signals at every station, and I shall move the board, who will meet specially to-morrow, to adopt them at all stations at once. " I shall be glad to have an amended time-bill for August, to-day.—l am, dear Sir, yours truly, " J. MACGREGOR. " Captain Barlow, Superintendent." The general order which was omitted to be enforced on this occasion was as follows : " South-Eastern Railway, London bridge Terminus, Oct. 11, 1853. " GENERAL ORDER. " No. 101. " On and after this date, section 20, page 69, of the ge. neral regulations is cancelled, and the following order sub. stituted - : " ' After a train or empty engine has left or passed a station, the danger signal is to be kept up until the station beyond has telegraphed that such train or empty engine has arrived, and that the line is clear. If a train or empty engine breaks down between two stations, and requires assistance, the directions given in section 32, 1 page 72, of the company's regulations, are to be carried out. " To prevent unne;essa,ry delays, the arrival or passing of train or empty engine must be immediately telegraphed to the back station." He went on to say—The nature of the accident at Godstone was of this kind. A regular express train of the company started at its proper time from Redhill for Godstone, on its journey with continental traffic. Redhill bad received the electric signal from Godstone that the line was clear. The engine-driver had cleared the Bletchworth Tunnel, and then saw with dismay the signal against him and a truck on the line. What le% occurred ? A truck had been shunted on the line without the knowledge or authority of the stationmaster —indeed, it , appeared, without any authority et all — by porters. Most fortunately no life was lost, nor did personal injury occur. But, though the station-master proved to have been at his breakfast, and not cognisant of the facts, who did this station-master turn out to be ? Why, a person placed temporarily in power by the super intendent. And who was that person ? Why, the unfor tunate man who had been, in my view, the cause of the accident at Headcorn. It is true that after the ap pointment was made, at a subsequent board, when suppose the majority of our board of directors saw the grave responsibility which might grow out of Inch proceedings, they gave me an opportunity, by a re , Nolution which they put on their books, of inquiring into the circumstances to which I had referred. Gentlemen, I wanted no inquiry into these circumstances myself. For my information I had satisfied myself that there was matter for grave and serious consideration, that great re sponsibility grew out of them, and it was to give any honourable colleagues an opportunity of making the in quiry themselves that I moved the resolution. Now, gentlemen, I think it will be obvious to yoti that I am entitled to be freed from all share of responsibility re garding a measure carried in the face of my resolution, and without inquiry into thecircumstances to which that resolution adverts. In the performance of the duty of the practical management of the company's affairs there is an amount of anxiety and responsibility which, I think, can only be appreciated by one who has been put in the painful and responsible position of managing di rector. When accidents occur and are inquired into, it will naturally be supposed that it is not the object of the managers of the company, by recrimination among each other, to make bad worse, or aggravate the sense of in jury which those who have suffered must feel ; but at the same time it is due to you, when such great changes take place, and when such interests as yours are, as I think they have been, imperilled, that you should hear something of the internal condition of your affairs, and of those incidents which have aggravated, sometimes be yond expression, the sense of responsibility which I have felt in your service. We have lately had a melancholy instance of what may be brought about by the want of forethought and the want of perfect discipline. On that circumstance I shall make no further comment ; but I claim for myself, as I think I have a right to do, your belief, that whilst I held the office that you conferred upon me, I used all the ingenuity I possessed in anxious consideration for our general welfare, and in the most heartfelt solicitude for the punctual petformenee of your service and the safety of those who availed themselves of it. It is far from my wish to deprecate the good intentions of any one charged with the dis cielino of your line, but I du say, that after the honour you conferred upon me in entrusting me for so long a period with the conduct of your affairs that it was due to you that any opinion that I had to express upon a matter of importance and urgency should have been weighed and considered, and that no appointment should have been made that could in any evav prejudice, your position. The majority of the board of directors tell us in the report that the result of their deliberations has been some immediate and a large prospective reduction of expenditure. Gentlemen, I venture to state to you, what you may gather, that this statement has not been borne out by the report and accounts. Does my withdrawal from office free you also from the charge of the amount of salary which you gave to me ? That is not the case. Other salaries have been raised and other appointments made, and the expenditure under the head of management will even tually not be reducsd. I see, indeed, in one ite nof the accounts, there is a large deduction—namely, in the wages to police, points, signal-gate, and watchmen. gentlemen, I state emphatically, that if any reduction be attempted, beyond the fixed staff to which I assented after the closest inquiry in November last, in the num ber of officers and individuals necessary for the conduct of your traffic, and the amount of which staff at every station was put in print for the better knowledge of your directors, that that reduction will inevitably be followed by an amount of charge upon you for casualties of which no calculation can be made, and which in their character must amount to something not short of crimi nality itself. Gentlemen, nothing is so eosy as to find fault, nothing so easy as for men at the end of tin year, to lap up a story of parliamentary expenditure, and to tell you, when asking you to raise an additional half million of money, that 479,7111. has been from 1845 to 1853 lavished in promoting losing branches and lines, in parliamentary and law expense., averaging the enormous sum cf 53,301/. per annum. The majority of the board of directors cannot have informed themselves suf ficientlyoofetahsaery circumstances under wihch it w as abso lutely necessary to encounter m t this outlay in applica tions to Parlialento opposing successfully your lineso w ; n a lines, nd w he n a ;I t i w s s e e ll t a fOrt i h n that these B u ms have entitled a heavy reduction of your dividends, the parties making this assertion ought to have known that without this expenditure you probably would have had no dividends at your all, for I fe ar l ess l y as sert that if the direct ors of company had folded their arms, and left othe rs to ap P ly to parliam en t f or a ll yo an u gg eo e u st l e d d, the extensions from time to tim e without their opposition on your behalf, o a t od ha th ve o worked your lin e to retur n any profit a t only use of a public meeting would have been to audit accounts, not to receive dividends. From the original direction of our line we have been p eculia rly open to at -tack, and it is n ot from your new directors, elected i n 1 me to read l 1854, that I have , or that you have, allow to learn the true history of the company. Gentlemen, to you two letters addressed to one of the me m b ers for East Kent, which w ill recall you have done on former occasions, and what I have thought in relation to this class of expenditure. The .letters are short, or I would not venture to ask your at tention to them. On th e 26th May, 1 i 846, I had occ to inquiries to explain - the policy of the company n answer inquiries having a tendency to pahrliamentary influence on our position, and I did so is t ese terms, in for a E let ast ter addressed to Mr. Plumptxe, the member .Kent " South-Eastern Railwily Office, Great George street, Westminster, May 26, 1846. " Sir,—l beg, as chairman of the South-Eastern Com pany, to Bay, in answer toyonr inquiries, that the directors of that company employed Mr. R. Stephenson to lay down such railways in Kent as he should recommend them to apply to parliament for powers to execute, in order to com plete a comprehensive system of railway communication in that county in connection with the existing South-Eastern Railway. These instructions were given with the appro bation of the proprietors ofcompany, confirmed at our , four successive general meetings. which the resolution founded upon The bona fide spirit ip recommendation was carried outay M bo r. Stephenson a the fact that 16 per cent, of the capital m estimatedathere gatheredfor f from Construction of the whole of the projected lines of railway has been paid up by the proprietors. Th e concession of a portion only of that large sc h eme of Kentish railways by the aeleot committee, whose report has just been made, has THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 8, 1854. and also from the kind and gentlemanly expressions which fell from the lips of Mr. Forster's honourable friend, Mr. Dillon, at the same meeting. Then with respect to the Manchester committee, where a numerous and important section of our proprietors reside, I can only say that if a delusion was not practised upon them it looks very much like it. That committee nominated Mr. Jonathan Mellor—a gentleman well and favourably known to them all, in whom they had reason to place the greatest confidence ; and they also might expect that unper his able supervision their dividends mig ht be in creased, no people in the world appreciating per centage more than the gentlemen of Manchester. But if they had known that Mr. Mellor's powers would have been at the eleventh hour delegated to a gentleman of London of whom they knew little or nothing, and whose know ledge of the concerns of the South-Eastern Company was in similar proportion, as he became a proprietor only a very short time before the meeting —as, in fact, did the other two new members of the board—l say that they (the Manchester proprietors) also might have paused for the same reasons. The first act, therefore, of the three new members joining the three who had formed the minority of the board (two of whom, be it known, had not very long before given their signatures to an unanimous vote of confidence in the late chairman) was to displace the chairman, and substitute Sir John Camp bell, who, whatever might have been his qualifications in other concerns, had but little knowledge of this. The newly constituted board soon made many changes, and some of the faithful servants of the company were dis charged. It is proverbial that new brooms sweep clean, and it is equally known, without a proverb, that they frequently kick up a devil of a dust. However, some of the railway press have trumpeted. forth great savings that have taken place, and increased receipts have been set forth, arising from improved management ; just as if the almost unprecedented fine weather during the Easter and Whitsuntide holidays, and the crowds coming by our line to proceed to the Crystal Palace had nothing to do with the increased receipts. And now behold the as tounding result in the shape of an increased dividend of 6d. per share ! And even this bonus is not sanctioned by your auditors, there being no reserved fund recom mended in the report, nor anything like sufficient for the proposed insurance and renewal fund for your steam boats. Had the recommendation of the auditors been at tended to, who know, I believe, as much of your affairs as some of your directors, I apprehend the 6d. would have been reduced to a fraction small enough to puzzle the promoters of the decimal coinage, say the one-ten thousandth part of one of the pennies. Therefore I hope you will excuse my taking the liberty to advise you instead of spending your sixpences, rather to form a little reserved fund of your own, in case it should be wanted as an addition, or to make up your next divi dend. However, your affairs are no joke, their present position is far from being comfortable, whatever may be thought by gentlemen, some of whom I am told have not been very successful in the management of their own affairs. The extension of the Bromley line has been made the stalking-horse—and one of the riders who has been more accustomed to walk the deck of a merchant ship than to manage locomotive power, will understand that judicious extension is even advisable in other things besides railways. The finest ship in the British Royal navy, the Royal Albert, has bpen extended by competent judges, not for the sake of the outlay, but to add to her safety and efficiency. For the very same reason it was proposed to add six miles to your 300, or 1-50th part in addition—not for the sake of increasing your capital, but to increase the efficiency and safety of your line, but more especially to protect your outworks, which have been so unwittingly abandoned to our oppo nents. Now, although the proxies which were obtained in the manner pointed out have had the effect of pro ducing this disastrous result, it is well known to be the character of Englishmen that when they have made a false step—especially if any individual is injured by it— their sense of justice, liberality, and fair play, induces them to make amends ; and it is for this reason that I have strongly urged my friend the late chairman to re main in the direction, at least until the next geiieral meeting, by which time you will be able to judge whether or not it would be to your benefit to restore him to the position which he has so zealously and so ably fulfilled in all its duties. Such a recommendation from absent proprietors would of course meet respectful at tention from their special representatives at this board, and might be the means of preventing further disasters. (The hon. gentleman sat down amidst mingled cheers and hisses—the latter predominating.) Mr. Bell said he had listened with great attention to what had fallen from Mr. Macgregor, not withstanding that the observations of that gentleman were conveyed through the medium of a written paper, which in itself was ob jectionable, but the majority of the proprietors, he be lieved, were ready to waive their objection, because of the exceptional position occupied by the late chairman. He did hope, however, that for the future the strict rule of public meetings would be applied, and no gentleman allowed to address a meeting of the proprietary from a written speech. Mr. Bell then drew attention to the enormous amount of legal expenses that had been in curred by the company, and suggested that, as auditors in general had not legal eyes, legal referees should be appointed to look into the lawyers' bills. The hon. gen tleman then entered into a lengthened examination of the] various schemes which have been promoted since 1846 for supplying Mid-Kent with railways, and took occAsion to introduce to the notice of the meeting the history of the Strood and Chilhain line, of which he was the solicitor, and which he believed, bad a guarantee been given it by the South-Eastern, would have averted most of the complications in which they now found themselves involved. Mr. DILLON rose for the purpose of seconding the adoption of the report. He regretted, in common with every well-wisher of the company, that so wide a diffe rence of opinion existed as to the policy that should guide so large an undertaking ; and that so much per sonal matter had been introduced into a discussion in volving such grave consequences. The directors had acted under very difficult and trying circumstances, with a vigour and honesty of purpose which entitled them to the support of the entire proprietary. They had come forward with an honest declaration of what they con sidered to be the true position of the company's affairs, regardless of the opinion of those whom they might either conciliate or offend. Mr. G. SMITE wished to say a few words before the meeting came to a conclusion upon the, vexed question of the Bromley branch, upon which so much had been said • and, without occupying the time of the meeting, he would ask the meeting whether Mr. Coles Child, whose interest in land at Bromley was very large, had used the same endeavours to influence his (the chairman's) opinions with reference to the Bromley bill that had been used with respect to him (Mr. Smith) ? He would state simply the facts. Captain Warren, a director, stated to him that Mr. Coles Child held 300 acres of laud at Bromley, and that 60,000/. would be put in his pocket by a lino being run over it. (Cries of " Lord Warden.") The opposition lines would also run through Mr. Coles Child's property. Ho wished for an ex planation. Several gentlemen rose to rebut this insinuation. Mr. COLES CHILD said that the matter was so personal that he must reply to it himself. He reminded the pro prietors that, without his seeking, and, indeed, contrary to his wishes, and in a manner of which any man might be proud, he was elevated to the board in 1853. The first question brought before his notice was the Lewisham and Bromley line, and there was no doubt that if that line had passed, it would have improved his property, probably to the extent mentioned by the honourable proprietor (Mr. Smith). He, was pressed by his col lenges to give a vote on the question, but lie declined to do so. At length he gave an opinion and a vote. He believed it was the best line, but from his position he felt bound to vote again it it—that was as to the first bill. As to the second bill, brought on by the late chair man, ho held, in common with his colleagues, that they were debarred from encouraging any increase on the capital account without consulting the proprietors, and, therefore, they withdrew their lines from the competi tion in the House of Commons. But the hon proprietor was trader a mistake when he supposed that Mr.Geach's line would do one particle of good to him (Mr. Child) • nor would it do any good for Bioieley, f or it ran a m il e ' away from Bromley. He had no desire to say anything inore upon the subject. (Cheers.) Mr. HOYES would have revived the question of the ap• pointment of the managing directors, but the meeting booming impatient, Mr. DILLON again rose to support the report of the board of directors, and said, that although lie might not assent to every paragraph in that report, s lit he felt that. nothing had occurred to weaken that confidence whi c h he had expressed at the time of their appointment, but, on the contrary, everything that he had heard or seen of their conduct induced him to ask from the proprietors that support for their directors which would afford them a full and a fair trial. He might apply the same remarks to the auditors. At the same time such was the confi dence he entertained iu the talent and integrity of the directors, lie with great pleasure supported the adoption of the report. In answer to a question by a Proprietor, The CHAIRMAN said that the capital cost of the Read ing, Guildford, and Reigate Railway was 800,0001. ; that the cost of working that line which devolved on the South-Eastern Railway was 20,850/. for the half-year, while the railway receiptsfor the same period were 5,009/., leaving a. permanent loss of 15,841/. for the half year (expressions of disapprobation). Mr. THURSTON, as a gentleman well acquainted with the county of- Kent, and thoroughly so with the re sources of the district, trusted sincerely that the directors would pause before they suffered the intrusion of a rival company into a field of operation on which they had spent such an amount of capital. Mr. ALEXANDER BEATTIE said that on March 16, 1852, a resolution was come to to close the capital account of the company. That a resolution was moved by the late chairman, Mr. Macgregor, and vet, in disregard of that resolution, he proceeded with the Bromley branch, in ' volvieg a further outlay of capital, without consulting l t e h n e g p a r i o p h r i t i e o t o a r n s . e xa l t ' 1 1 1 1 i e n a h t o i o n n . p o r rito fo variouse l •point s entered r i a tt i s t g d re b a y t the speech of Mr. Macgregor, and concluded by recoil).- mending the withdrawal of the amendment. After sonic explanation from the chairman, the amend ment was put, and lost by a large majority, and the ori ginal resolution was carried. A resolution declaring a dividend for the half-year ending July 31, of Bs. GT. for 30/. stock, or 2/. 16s. Bd. per cent. per annum, was then put and carried. Mr. BELOE (the chairman of the opposition committee) then rose for the purpose of moving a substantive resolu tion to the effect that the sum of 290/. having been entered and passed, as paid, in the accounts of the coin pang, for proxies issued by the board of directors for the purpose of opposing the wishes of the shareholders, the • expenses of the shareholders' committee, in obtaining pr )xies to carry out their desires, should also be defrayed from the fuods of the company. • A long discussion ensued on the point raised, but it was ultimately conceded by all parties that such a prece ' dent, if once established, would eocourage all kinds of • in no respect altered or limited the previously-conceived intentions of the company. rant The ed y will p Gravesend, and to roceed at once to c: L rry into effect the line -g to complete the communication to Rochester, by means e pur e Gravesend and Rochest er Railway, which they hav chased ; and in the next session of Parliament they will apply for the remainder of the line. "I have the honour to remain, Sir, " Your obedient servant, " JAS. MACGREGOR. (Signed) " J. P. Plumptre, Esq „ M.P." Well, gentlemen, the session of that year was over, and that honourable gentleman, and others, who sincerely wished well to you, were again at a loss to understand your policy and your proceedings, and I addressed this letter in reply to one from that honourable gentleman, treating of the rate of fares, as well as our general policy. " South-Eastern Railway, London Terminus, 7th September, 1846. "My dear Sir,—l sincerely thank you for your letter, and appreciate the kindness which induced you to write. "I shall ever retain a grateful remembrance of the sup port you have given to this company. "I am not at all surprised at some irritation being ex pressed at our adjustment of the fares. "Fixed as they are now, and viewed in relation with the great accommodation given to all classes of passengers, I venture to say you will find, on examination, that these rates are below those of the principal railways of the king dom, and are both just and reasonable. The proprietors, I am sure, from the experience of the last twelve months, cannot do justice to the public and themselves for smaller charges. If rival parties in Canterbury, or elsewhere, se riously intend to apply to Parliament for power to con struct a new railway, and will only intimate their inten tions to us, we will be prepared to consider of the propriety of retiring in their favour. " Sound reason will have its day, and we shall be con tent to abide the judgment of those who calmly consider our position when we have stated it. We shall have to bring it before the proprietors on Thursday next. Such parliamentary expenses as we haxe encountered are perfectly frightful. " Believing that on inquiry yon will find ns still worthy of your support, " I am, my dear Sir, yours very faithfully, (Signed) "J. MACGREGOR. "J. P. Plumptre, Esq., M.P." Well, gentlemen, at that period, the larger portion of the expense to which the report of the majority of my honourable colleagues, the present board of directors, alludes, had been actually incurred by theoompany. Did you, and did I not, understand then how frightful this expenditure was ? Did we require then to learn its un desirableness ? But there is a saying which I will bring to your recollection, and which you will appreciate, and that is, "of two evils choose the least." There was on the one side the sure certainty of the utter annihilation of your property—there was on the other side the large Parliamentary expenditure and an ardent hope, and a just expectation, that that expenditure in Parliament, and the construction of the lines projected, would end in a satisfactory result, and in good dividends ; but that expenditure having taken place, various lines having been constructed wich the company had sanctioned in the comprehensive instructions before, I joined, the di rection given to Robert Stephenson in 1845, the question the present directors had to consider was, What was to be done to protect the property so acquired and the money spent—whether in Parliamentary expenses, or in any other way ? and I do say that of all the inventions that ever were perpetrated to bring about a result adverse to your interests, my honourable col leagues are entitled to the credit of that invention, and to have consummated the greatest prospective evil that ever was brought upon this company, after all this Parliamentary and other expenditure, in allowing a hostile line of railway to invade the very centre of our property. It is idle now, in reference to the Lewisham and Bromley bill, to talk of avoiding hostile competition by manmuvres of any kind. Mr. Cardwell's bill of last session enforces the passage of traffic over the lines of railway, as if all railways were one interest and under one continued system of manage ment, and when, therefore, a hostile line is allowed to be constructed to join an existing one, we must make up our minds to accept it for better or worse, and to give it those facilities which the law has exacted and which puts it in exactly the same position as if the branch were an integral part of our own system. That the minds of my honourable colleagues have been in a somewhat fluc tuating state I have evidence in their proceedings. On the 21st day of March they resolved to prosecute the Lewisham and Bromley bill, and instructed counsel ac cordingly, On the 25th of April they received a report from their engineer most strongly confirmatory of the advantage of the Lewisham and Bromley line, telling them also what I have repeated to you, that the line could be constructed for a 41 per cent. stock, and would be guaranteed a rental of 5 per cent. On the 3d of May they received a report from the former superin tendent recommending the bill to be dropped, and talk ing a great deal about harmony with the Brighton Cum pany, and the money market, of which he had thus sud denly acquired knowledge. On the 18th of May they negatived my motion that the bill be proceeded with.. On the Ist of June they resolved that the Lewisham and Bromley bill be withdrawn. On the 2d of June they gave a dinner to the directors of the Brighton Company. On the Bth - of June they negatived my motion that a special meeting of the proprietors of the company be convened to consider the position of the Lewisham and Bromley B:11, and the propriety of proceeding with it. On the 22d June they instructed their engineer to survey the best Mid-Kent Railway, and invited Mr. Rendel to be their consulting engineer. On the 23d June they invited me to take a carriage . -drive with them through Kent, personally to survey the coun try, to which my reply was that from its perfect inutility I should not accept their kind proposal. On the 24th June they took a carriage-drive in Kent to survey the country in reference to a Mid-Kent line. On August 15th they summoned a meeting of the directors to consider the policy of the company with re• gard to extensions in Kent, having for their object to shorten the line to Dover, and on 21st August they de sired that the plans which had been taken by the engi neer of the company, under the instructions given to him on the 22d of June, should be locked up and sealed up, and not inspected without an order from the board. Gentlemen, I admit that this would have been a most efficient order, if the directors could have sealed up at the same time the brains of the people of Kent, and of all rivals and engineers, and in the same box Mr. Geach's bill for the line to Farnborough. Why, gentlemen, that part of Kent— almost that field in Kent--in which there has not been a theodolite for the purpose of taking a survey, is the exception. The public know perfectly well, especially that portion of the public who have given their attention at all to railway extension, what portions of Kent are adapted for it, through what passes in that country new railways can be properly made, and how such railways will affect existing interests. Gen tlemen, what was the object in projecting the Lewisham and Bromley Railway ? It was to protect a property, representing a capital of 12 millions of money, in its most vulnerable point. It was to protect a property which had cost you, as your directors so agreeably re mind you, between 400,0001. and 500,0001. in Parlia mentary expenses. No man in his senses, with the ex oerience which I have had here, would have brought upon himself even the temporary unpopulanty of sug gesting the construction of additional miles of railway, unless they were vital to our interest, as I knew them to be ; and I shall have the satisfaction of thinking here after that I did propose to you a means of protecting your property ; that the majority of the board of directors had that protection in their own hands ; and that in the sacrifice which they have made of our interests I had no part, but that I opposed them by every means in my power. Gentlemen, I beg leave to move, "That the paragraphs in the report referring to the Lewisham and Bromley bill be expunged, and that the following paragraph be substiluted It is deeply to be deplored that a hostile line of railway through Mid-Kent, from the West-end and Crystal Palace Railway to Bromley and Farnborough; should have been successfully.prosecuted in Parliament, in face of the attempted opposition made by the South-Eastern Company in the House of Lords ; and the withdrawal of the bill prosecuted by the South-Eastern Railway Company to inaugurate a line from Lewisham to Brom ley, is also to be deeply regretted, as having caused the passing of the bill authorising the hostile line fro:n Weetrainster to Bromley and Farnborough.' " Mr. RENSHAW (the late deputy chairman) then rose mot said—l second the motion of your late chairmen with perfect confidence, knowing the truth of the facts which he ha.; stated. Gentlemen, I will not occupy much of your time in making a few remarks on the late events which have led to the removal of my hon. and talented friend from the chair which he has so ably filled for many years, after devoting all his time and his best energies to your service, and with a view to promote your interest, being, in fact, identical with his own, in a Concern in which he embarked, and staked the chief part, if not the whole, of his fortune. Notwithstanding the number and respectability of the proprietors present, whom I have now the honour to address, you are no doubt aware that it forms bet a small part of, the pro prietary of this great concern, the major part of whom reside in distant parts of the kingdom, and especially in Liverpool and Manchester. You will recollect that great efforts had been made previous to the general meeting in March last, in the formation of committees in both those places, and also in London—the ostensible object of which was to reform the direction, and thereby to increase your dividends—but I believe I am war ranted in saying that the real object was to displace tho chairman. I will not venture to state what I believe to have been the motives which actuated several of the gen tlemen whose names appear in the London committee, or those whose names were, and still are, in the list of your directors, who, if I am rightly informed, as sisted at their meetings, and also subscribed to their funds. In the list of the committee are the names of gentleml made n er e n rally en whose r at persenal attacks have been constantly reprehended e g nde general a b l meetingythn majority for ye a n r f s tphansts,h sharehold ers n g i d e present, in the strongest terms—and whose frequen t charges have been as frequently refuted. A calm, a fair, an h onest result could hardly be expected from ' a committee so constituted. An eminent legal friend lately said, that give him a committee of six men of hie and adequ a t e funds, and he wou ld under own choice, : take to upset any di rec ti on i n the kingdom. Respecting e a r s p n o n o l t committee, kn tt a t I m ha a v n e y o l nly to remark that I and . influential r itl e ha s ev id eL e i n r\e' t proprietors were induced to arg % support to that oommittee, under the impressi g on e that i t r he u vision of their respectable nominee, Mr. Matthew Fors tar, with his general knowledge and ex p er i ence in busi ness (which I have for many years had the opp or t nn it of knowing) , mi g ht have had the effect of increasing ) ; their dividends, which, after all, I opine was the pith of the matter. But if they could have foreseen that the object in view was to displace their chairman, I think they would not have lent their names to injure a man who had (feel such a length of time n enjoyed their c o nfidence. I a ssertion from the fttheet that t e wa rranted ur i abie ma s k en in r g eta t r h y is , t M he r, i ß ut e l / 4 1 non oeistated at the lastmeed not b e a party to it, thate l ting ifsuchwas his committee would opposition. Mr. Beloe said in the course of this discus sion, that though he held proxies to the amount of over '2,000,000/., still he would, at the suggestion of his-friend, withdraw his motion. In reply to questions by Mr. Helmore relative to the proposed outlay for an alteration of the Greenwich line, at its junction with the Dover line, Mr. FENTON explained that it was thought desirable to expend that money, because at the point of junction there was a double curve, which rendered the signals difficult to be seen, and so increased the risk of accident. With reference to the proposed outlay of 25,0001. for two new steamers to run between Folkestone and France, it was explained by the chairman that since the French Government had adopted the liberal policy of admitting colonial produce at a very low rate the company had found themselves under the necessity of refusing a very large amount of goods traffic, which, under other circum stances, they might have carried with considerable profit. The boats at present employed, although efficient for the passenger service, were not adapted for the transport of urger quantities of merchandise, and it was the inten tion of the board to build a vessel expressly for this colo nial trade. Although they asked money to build two boats, at first they would only build one, which would be devoted entirely to that branch of traffic. In answer to further questions respecting the in creased outlay for station accommodation, The CHAIRMAN said that most of the stations on the line were built of timber, and required ,to be repaired. Mr. JOSIAH WILSON then entered upon a personal attack upon the late chairman of the company in terms which it is not necessary we should transfer to our columns, and concluded by moving a resolution relative to the distribution to the directors of the allowance of 2,000/. a-year. The resolution underwent several modi fications, and was ultimately passed in a form which enabled the directors to distribute the fund amongst themselves at their own discretion. Mr. WILLIAMS then moved a vote of thanks to the chairman and directors for the services they had ren dered the company, and no; forgetting the light gold. (Laughter). Upon this, Mr. JOSIAH WILSON, who appeared much excited, objected, stating that he could not find it in his conscience to pass a vote of thanks to some of the direc tors, who, he believed, had neglected the beit interests of the company. He shoull, therefore, move, as an amendment, that Mr. Macgregor should retire. A scene of confusion ensred, but the original resolu tion was carried, with only oae dissentient —namely, Mr. Wilson. The CHAIRMAN briefly acknowledged the compliment, and the business of the meeting terminated, after having occupied upwards of five hours. RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS. SCOTTISH CENTRAL RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for the week ending Sept. 3, 1854 ... £3,758 1 2i Corresponding week last year 3,521 0 101 CORK AND BANDON RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for the week ending Sept. 2, 1854 £2l3 14 10 Corresponding week last year 195 7 11 F YC EUM THEATRE.-HENRY RUSSELL, ILA for Thirty Nights. THIS EVENING (the 11th time), Sept. Bth, and every Evening, Many friends having expressed a wish that Mr. Russell should appear again previous to finally withdraw ing his Entertainment, he has, in compliance with their request, made arrangements to appear every evening. Mr. RUSSELL will present THE FAR WEST ; or, THE PROGRESS of the EMIGRANT from the OLD WORLD to the NEW. Mr. Russell will relate his anecdotes, and sing several new songs, " Cheer, Boys, cheer," " Far, far upon the Sea," " Sunshine after Rain," "Land 1 Land ! Land 1" " The Falls of Niagara," " Long have we been parted," " I'm Afloat," "Many changes have I seen," "The Icebergs" (descriptive song), " Newioundland Dog," " The Gambler's Wife," &c. The Second Part of the Entertainment will consist of a Series of sketches, entitled NEGRO LIFE in Freedom and Slavery. Dress Circle, 2s. 6d. ; Upper Boxes, Is. 6,1. ; Pit, Is. ; Gallery, 61 THE 1. THE ROYAL HAYMARKET. Under the management of Mr. ttuekstone. Tms EVENING, SEPT. 8, Will ba performed THE OLD CHATEAU. Characters by Messrs. Maws, Rogers, 11. Marston, and Buckstone; Mrs. Fitzwilliam, and Mrs. Reynolds. Followed by the SPANISII DANCERS in a NEW BALLET, calved LA FLOE DE LA MARCARENA. The new Farce AS LIKE AS TWO PEAS. Mr. Richards (a Barrister), Mr. Buckstone. To c .nclude with a second New Ballet, LOS MANOLOS DE MADRID, in which the Spanish Dancers will again appear. STRAND THEATRE. Sala I.totee \fr. F. W. Aileron. THIS EVENING, SEPT. 8, Will be performed HARD TIMES. Followed by FAUST A !';l3 MARGUERITE. Mephistopheles, Mr. ilaiford; Faust, Miss G. Hodson; Marguerite, Miss a Gordon. To conclude with NEVER TAST.F. WINE AT THE DOCKS. 45.; Bores, 23. 6d.; Pit, h.; Gallery, 6d.; Private dos s gi 1..., re be had ef "Ur. Alleroft. 15, New Bonl-str,et. ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. " This place fills up an hiatus which the Crystal Palace leaves wanting. Vocal and instrumental int.sic of the first order, and .1 display of fireworks which exceeds all imagination, are a fitting close to a day at the Crystal Palace." DANSON'S COLOSSAL PANORAMA of CHUSAN. Splendid and Extensive Menagerie and Marine Aquarium—Unri. called Military Band. VOCAL and INSTRUMENTAL CONCERT, in which Miss Poole, Miss Ransford. and Mr. Manvers sing several National and Patriotic Songs—Ml the Amusing Novelties of the Gardens in succession, concluding with the " Feast of Lan terns," and a most magnificent display of Fireworks by Southby. Admission One Shilling. A splendid Pavilion for Dancing has been rooted. Full Quadrille Band, &c. A STLE rs ROYAL A AIP T 111 A T Lessee and Manager, Mr. William Cooke. The unequivocal success of the new Burlesque demands Its repetition every evening. - THIS EVENING, A new Mythological Equestrian Burlesque, by HUGO VAMP, Esq., called TUE SIEGE OF TROY; or, THE GIANT HORSE AND THE MISS-JUDGMENT of PARIS! After which, the inimitable performance on the Tight Rope of lIERR CIIRISTOFF, who is engaged for a limited period. The Matchless Stud (with the Smallest Horse in the World) in the brilliant SCENES in the CIRCLE, conducted wholly by Mr. William Cooke. To conclude with Mrs. S. G. Healey's Equestrian Ballet d'Action, THE KNIGHT AND THE WATER LILY; or, Love among the Mermaids. Box-office open from Eleven till Four. Rtage Manager. Mr. W, Weet. Acting Manager, Mr. Campbell. Equestrian Director, Mr, Wm. Cooke, j un. ICH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. THI3 DAY —Morning 43 min.after 2 I Evening 3 min.aft. 3 Te. • ci t aow M ar ui ng 24 m i n .aft er 3 1 Evening 42 min.aft. 3 THE WEATHEII.—Strn OPFICI, SEPT. 8. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADY. 71 --highest since noon yesterday. 53 —l , Avetst this morning and during the night. 4G —this day at noon. BAROMETER, 30'31. WIND, N.E.—Light breeze, with fine cloudy weather. We have had the appearance of a thunder-storm yesterday evening, but it passed over. ` , (1 . i 1 71) , „ - ; LON DON. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1854. Our anticipations with regard to Austria have been completely verified, and we now know that in placing any reliance on the treacherous promises of that vacillating Power we were leaning on a broken reed. The interests of the Despots of Vienna and gt. Petersburg were too closely connected to allow a real quarrel between them selves. FRArcis JOSEPII could not easily forget that his Empire was saved from dismemberment by the brute force of the Cossack hordes ; that it is to NICHOLAS he is indebted for preventing the gallant Magyars from achieving independence ; for keeping Poland in chains, and preventing the freedom of Lombardy. He is also well aware that the CZAR is the most powerful representative of the principle of despotism, and that if he were overthrown its minor professors must speedily share the same fate. He would not, therefore, willingly hu m ili ate his goo d f r i en d an d b ro th er . If he did s o , reducing without tying his hands or materially his strength, he might anticipate a day of retribution, when he would bitterly expiate his offences against the AUTOCRAT. If, on the other hand, he assisted in crippling the resources of Russia, the ern would recoil against himself, and he would have to dread the vengeance of the out raged and down-trodden nationalities whom he has so long coerced, and who were only restrained from aiming at freedom by the fears of Russian intervention. Under these circumstances, it was manifestly neither in accordance with his feelings nor his interest to take an active part against NICHOLAS, and we have never anticipated for a moment that he would do so. But as to the line of conduct really pursued, it was the most bene f ;ial to NICHOLAS that could be conceived. If Ile threw his entire Weight, along with that of Prussia, into the scale, it would have involved Germany in the catastrophe—that threatened Russia. He knew that France and El - iand united together were irresistible, and that the greater the opposition offered to their forces the more signal would be the triumph of the cause of justice and honour. He might share the fate, but lie could not, by open force, avert the impend ing doom of the CZAR. But might he not close by other menus? Might he not, as thepretended friend of the Western nations, serve Russia far more efficiently than he could in any other capacity ? Yes ; by keeping open fruitless negotiations, and rendering our troops and navies inactive, he might save his friend. It was not difficult to do so, for our verdant diplomatists, and still more verdant Mi nisters, eagerly swallowed the scarcely disguised bait. It was no credit to bamboozle parties so anxious to be deceived. Nor was it sufficient to humbug the parties con cerned. It was attempted also to mislead the people of Great Britain. The ABERDEEN organ continued usque ad nauseam its positive assurances of the good faith, firmness, and energy of the youthful Emperor. Indeed, it would be dif ficult to find any mere mortal so nearly approach ing perfection as FRANCIS JOSEPH, the Hope of Austria. The mask is, however, at length cast aside, and the faithlessness of Austria is as clearly apparent as the nepotism and pusillanimity of Prussia was some time since. We now receive semi-official in formation that at a Cabinet Council held in Vienna on the 6th inst., over which the EMPEROR presided in person, it was decided that the rejection of the guarantees required by Austria and the Western Powers did not amount to a casus Belli, against Russia, but that Austria would persevere in supporting these conditions, and would main tain her neutral position, while she awaits the re sult of the attack by the Allied Powers on Sebas topol ! ! This is " letting the cat out of the bag" with a vengeance. This is plainly exhibiting the cloven foot—unveiling the course of deception and treachery so steadily pursued, from the very commencement, by the " Red Emperor " and his Ministers. The applauder of Austria, the unflinch ing voucher of his good faith and integrity, sees nothing astonishing in that result. The Times says " this language and this determination on the part of the Cabinet of Vienna do not surprise us in the existing posture of affairs, for that Court has already obtained several of the objects for which it had prepared to go to war, and has suc ceeded without drawing the sword, though in conjunction with the belligerent Powers, in com pelling Russia to renounce her aggression on European Turkey, and to evacuate the material pledge,' she had seized on the Danube." Yes ; it has already obtained several of its most important objects without committing itself to either side. It has obtained possession of the Principalities— has been enabled to banish or put to death the unfortunate refugees that incurred its displeasure, and to remain ready to shout with the strongest party, whichever that may be. If the allied forces capture Sebastopol, and destroy the Russian fleets and arsenals, the time-server is ready to declare that it has always been in, accord with France and England, that it is ready at any moment to evacuate the provinces. But should Russia pre vail—should Sebastopol really prove impregnable and foil its assailants, then she is ready to join heart and hand with the AUTOCRAT—to deliver over, treacherously deliver over, the territories she has occupied as a friend of Turkey, and turn all her strength against the allies. The Eagle is no longer a proper badge for a nation so tempo rising—the Bat would be a more suitable emblem. Deep, indelible disgrace is cast upon Austria. She is now placed far lower than Prussia, if that were possible—if there could be found " In the lowest depths a deeper still ;" and any one could be more degraded than " the Angel of Peace," the convivial " Cliquot." How appropriate are the lines of SUAKSPERE. Might we not for the nonce imagine our most gracious SOVEREIGN filling the role of CONSTANCE, and emphatically proclaiming— " War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war. 0 Lymoges! 0 Austria! thou dost shame That bloody spoil :' Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward; Thou little valiant, great in villany! Thou ever strong upon the stronger side ! Thou fortune's champion, that dost never fight But when her humorous ladyship is by To teach thee safety! thou are perjured too, And sooth'st up greatness. What a fool art thou! A ramping foul; to brag, and stamp, and swear, Upon my party! Thou cold•bloode i slave, Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side? Being sworn my soldier? bidding me depend Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength? And dost thou now fall over to my foes? Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame, And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs." "The King of France, with all his men, Went up the hill and down again." Our forces in the Baltic appear to have taken a leaf out of the book of that energetic Gallic Monarch. They have certainly taken matters rather easily—and with the exception of the de struction of Bomarsund, a really brilliant exploit, but one speedily accomplished, and with scarcely any loss worth speaking of, they have done nothing worthy of being recorded in the national archives, or which can add new laurels to those already nobly earned by British seamen. Sweden has still, and we cannot say unreasonably, refused to credit the sincerity of which such trivial evidences were afforded, or to bravo the wrath of her formidable neighbour by taking an active part with the Western Powers. The fortifications at Bomarsund have accordingly been destroyed, the troops embarked, and the Aland Islands abandoned, to be again taken possession of by Russia whenever it may suit her purpose to do it, or that she dares to display her standard to the Baltic breezes. General BARAGUAY D'HILLIERS and NIEL have already started on the homeward journey, and may speedily be participating in the festivities of Boulogne, while the French troops will follow more leisurely. indeed, as they have not succeeded in obtaining he co-operation of Sweden, as they cannot winter in the territories of King OSCAR, and will not hold possession of the islands conquered by their :)-wri prowess, no other course remained open or practicable. All we can say is, that we captured Bu inarsund, peeped into Abo, reconnoitred Sweaborg, took a distant view of Cronstadt, and so frightened the Russians that they voluntarily destroyed their own fortifications at Hango. We also kept their fleets skulking under shelter of their granite bas tions, afraid to brave the angerof the allied forces. Something was thus achieved, but certainly very far below the reasonable expectations of the people. We have proved beyond the possibility of doubt that the vaunted and quasi impregnable fortifications of Russia cannot long withstand the The experiment repeated itnot the ie performance been followed tried cannon balls and sh e ll s o f E ng l and. But what practical benefit hav e we d er i ved from the expe rience up l Why thus result. h B aveacquiredwuet not v at Bomarsund, and never was there a more satis factorythy has on other stages ? Why does the Russian flag still float at Abo, at Helsingfors, at Revel, and at Oroustadt ? There is no doubt that the People of Great Britain, and our friends and brethren at the other side of the channel, will ask these ques tions, and that the fame of our commanders will be in some degree tarnished by the trivial results accomplished by one of themost powerful fleets ever placed under the ordersof a British Admiral. Even " Gallant Old CHARLEY" may for a time lose caste, more particularly when we recollect that the First Naval Lord of the Admiralty declared that he had unlimited control over the operations of the fleet—a carte blanche, in fact, to act as ho thought proper. We shall not, however, condemn him unheard. We have already pointed out the difficulties in which he was involved from the want of suitable gun-boats, drawing not more than from liv e t o seven feet of water, an d capable, therefor e o f running into the shallows where our men-of-war would be incapable of going. We have shown that he had not the almost indispensable re quisites for success ; and notwithstanding the posi tive :Lssertions of It:Jar-A. lithrai iiedi.KELEY, to wh o m, however, we are far from attributing any intei).- tion al mis=statement—we still believe that he was fettered and restricted by orders from home— orders proceeding, possibly, from the head of the Cabinet, and of which "My Lords Commission ers" might be ignorant. We must confess that we are, notwithstanding all these drawbacks, for which we make all due allowance, somewhat disappointed. We shall, however, await the explanations that will doubt less be rendered in due season—earnestly hoping that the reputation of the man whom we fondly hoped to be "sans pear et sans reproche," may pass unscathed through the ordeal. Possibly some thing may still be achieved. A clash may even yet be made against some of these strong holds, of which the Muscovites were once so proud, but of which they have been greatly put out of conceit by the easy capture of Bomarsund. We should hail any redeeming feature, anything that would take away our re proach, with unalloyed gratification. We must, however, " bide our time," and patiently wait the course of events, satisfied that intelligence cannot long be withheld that will enable us to form our decisions on more authentic data, with all the necessary elements for our calculations. At pre sent, although matters, it must be acknowledged, do not wear a very auspicious aspect, we shall not form an adverse judgment against those in whom we have hitherto reposed unlimited confi dence—to whose hands we . were willing to entrust the honour and safety of our country. " Time will tell," and we must await the revelations which old " Chronos" may please to bring to light. DR. PEITIIMAN. The public journals, a few weeks past, gave a report of this gentleman's intrusion into the chapel of Buckingham Palace ; and we were at that time led to suppose that he was insane; further inquiry has, however, induced us to alter our views. We understand that he was sent to Hanwell, and that —by the active interference of Mr. Perceval, son of the Prime Minister of that name, and the Rev. Dr. Emerton, Principal of Hanwell College, aided by the good feeling of some of the Middlesex magis trates—he has been since_liberated, but only upon the condition of leaving the country. This he did last Saturday, with Mr. Perceval, who will accom pany him to Germany. We sincerely trust that tho injuries the unfortunate man has suffered will be in the end redressed, and his case obtain duo consideration from those placed in authority. MIS3IANAGESIENT OF THE WAR: WHO IS TO BLAME? TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY NEWS. Sin,—The Times, it appears, throws the censure due to the mismanagement of the war upon the admirals in com mand. Can the Times be an organ of 'the Government ? Is it possible that the Government approves of a charge levelled at absent men, still retained in command, and en joying the confidence of the Crown? The general impression is that the Times is in the secrets of the Coalition. At least it is asserted without denial that the leading journal has, at . the seat of war, a corres pondent specially favoured by the authorities. It is to be hoped that an early opportunity will be taken by friends of ministers, of disavowing an accusation which appears to be stamped with their authority. Of course it will bo a considerable act of self-denial to waive an advantage at the expense of others who cannot at present defend their own acts. In the case of Admiral Napier, he was left for mouths without the special arm indispensable to extensive and effective operations. Without a flotilla of gun-boats, it was long ago foretold that little could be done against Cronstadt with ships drawing over twenty six feet of water. With regard to Admiral Dundas, it is at least premature to pronounce that he is deserving of censure. What instructions has he had ? Has he been directed to go to war with a will, or has he been desired to keep up a decent appearance of hostilities while Austria has been deciding which policy would be best calculated to keep Hungary and Italy enslaved ? Government's owncredit is involved in ono of two courses —it must either withdraw its admiralsfrom their command or disavow the Times. The public will otherwise lay the .blame whereblame is due. It will recollect that the refusal of Admiral Dundas to acquiesce in the wish of Col. Rose, who desired the presence of the fleet in the vicinity of Constanti nople. was approved of by the Government. It has turned out, that Colonel Rose—of all men perhaps—most clearly understood the line of action rendered necessary by the threats of the Czar. Had his advice been taken, war would have been avoided. But Admiral Dundas knew his men, and doubted how far they would approve of any great, decided, intelligent, and fearless course. Still, perhaps, he was hardly prepared for a charge of inaction and mis management from the Coalition press. COURT CIRCULAR. TENAX. OSBORNE, SEPT. 7. His Majesty the King of Portugal, accompanied by his Royal Highness the Duke of Oporto, and attended by the Duke of Terceira, Viscount de Carreira, Baron Sarmento, the Chevalier de Meth°, and Colonel Folque, arrived at Osborne this morning, at half-past 10 o'clock. His Majesty and his Royal Highness were received by her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by her Royal High ness the Duchess of Kent, and attended by the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Household. In the afternoon her Majesty drove out, accompanied by his Majestythe King of Portugal, her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, and his Royal Highness the Duke of Oporto. Her Majesty was attended by her Grace the Duchess of Wellington, the Hon. Caroline Cavendish, and Lord Charles Fitzroy, the Equerry in Waiting. The Earl of Aberdeen left town yesterday morning for Osborne, on a visit to the Queen. The Duke of Devonshire, we understand, is still re maining at his splendid villa in Chiswick. The noble duke, who remains in rather indifferent health, has post polled his departure for Chatsworth sine die. The Duke of Richmond's hospitable seat, Gordon Castle, Fochabers, continues full of company. The noble duke, with Lord March, Lord Besborough, Lord Aloxander Lennox, and party, had abundant sport in the moors at Glenfidick, during the past week. The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland are en tertaininga few select friends at Alnwick Castle. The Duke of Newcastle, Minister of War, is expected to arrive in Portnian-square to-morrow,• from accom panying- his Royal Highness Prince Albert. The Earl and Countess of Maltnesbury, are receiving a succession of visitors at Achnacarry Lodge, near Fort William, Inverness. The Earl of Carlisle is staying at his lordship's ancient baronial seat, Naworth Castle, Cumberland. His Excellency General Solyman Paella and suite left Claridge's Hotel for the camp at Boulogne-sur-Mer. Lady and Miss Peel have gone a tour of the German spas. Sir Robert is enjoying the sports of the field at Drayton Manor, where the hon. baronet is entertaining a small party. The fion.'Captain Gough, and MN. Gough, accom panied by the Misses Arbuthnot, have arrived at their residence, Rathronan Hause, ct)unty Tipperary. In re turning from Dublin Captain Gough visited Lough cooter Castle, which ha; been recently purchased by his noble father. Viscount Goug,h. MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE. —Mr. David Urquhart, whose name is so well known in connection with Eastern affairs, has just led to the altar the charming and accomplished Harriet Fortescue, daughter of the late- Lieut.-Colonel Fortescue. of Glyde Farm, county Louth, and sister to Lord Claremont. The marriage took place on the sth inst., at the parish church of Ardee, where the ceremony was performed by the Rev. E. Hamilton, brother-in-law to the bride, who was giv(n away by her brother, Lord Claremont. Mr Urquhart is the son of David Urquhart, Esq., of Braclongwell, county of Cromarty ; and the bride is sister to Lord Claremont, and to the Hon. Chichester Fortescue, M.P. During the ceremony the church was crowded with the inhabitants of Ardee, principally of the Roman Catholic persuasion, who testified in every way their respect for the family of Ravensdale. The loss of the bride will be felt by all classes of the people, to whom she was greatly endeared. The party, consisting of the near relatives of the bride, breakfasted at the residence of her aunt, Mrs. Buxton ; and the happy pair soon after left for Ravensdale, the seat of Lord Claremont, which had been placed by his lordship at their disposal for the honeymoon. • FASHIONABLE ARRIVALS IN BATH.—Lady Weight man ; Lady Henrietta, Mr. and Master Chichester Neal, Dr. Dickson, Major and Mrs. Sandy, Major Mills, Captains Laughton and Purden, Lieut. Thomp son, Rev. Mr., Mrs., and Miss Chamberlaine, Admiral Coffin, Revs. Mr. WoOdhall and Dawes, &c. THE ARMY IN THE EAST.—It is stated that Sir Harry Smith will proceed to the East, should it be deemed ad visable to send out the force now preparing for depar ture, and amounting to 5,000 men. THE VACANT REGIMENT.—It is stated that the vacant reciment will be given to Lord Lucan. The Bishop of Hereford has collated the Rev. E. Renn Hampden, M.A., of the University of Oxford, to the rectory of Cradley, near Malvern, rendered vacant by the death of the Very Rev. Charles Scott Luxumore, M.A., dean of St. Asaph. The Bishop of Rochester has instituted the Rev. Court D'Ewes Granville, M.A., honorary canon of Durham Cathedral, and perpetual curate of Alnwick, to the vicarage of Thaxted, Essex, rendered vacant by the death of the Rev. Edward Hansom, M.A., on the no mination of Viscount Maynard. The chancellorship of Chichester Cathedral, with the rectory of Pevensey annexed, has become vacant by the death of the Rev. Sir John Ashburnham, Bart. The joint appointment is worth about 2,0001. a year, and is in the gift of the Bishop of Chichester. By Sir J. Ash burnham's death the vicarage of Guestling, near Hast ings, also becomes vacant. It is worth 5001. a year, and is in the gift of the representatives of the late in cumbent THE CAMP AT BOULOGNE. BOULOGNE, Thursday.—The grand military' re view at the camp of Helfaut, near St. Omer, which took place yesterday in the presence of the Empe ror Napoleon and Prince Albert, exhibited the facility with which the troops of the camp of the north can be concentrated at a given point of re union. The review was arranged so suddenly, and with so little public notice, that many English military men who have come to Boulogne exPre'l to see the evolutions of the troops were unable to reach the camp of Helfaut in time to witness the review ; yet the electric telegraph, which places the Emperor in commun i ca ti on w ith every quarte r of the c am p, ena bl e d hi m to di rec t th e ma rch upon Helfaut of regiments which were on the morning of , the review 18 miles distant froth the scene of ope rations. The Emperor and Prince Consort, At tended by their respective suites, left Boulogne i n the imperial carriages at 8 o'clock yesterday morn ing, and arrived at the camp of Helfaut about 11 o'clock. Here th e y alighted and partook of some refreshment. After visiting some of the huts, an d , admiring the tasteful d ecorat i ons , th e sc ulpture au" the little gardens with w hi c h th e so ldiers ha" adorned the camp, the Royal party mounted their horses, and without any military escort but that fur nished by the brilliant and numerous staff whi ch accompanied them, rode slowly to the BruyUes, magnificent plateau, at a high elevation, overlook ing the town and churches of St. Omer. The ground has for many years been devoted to the military evolutions of the neighbouring camp, „ t° , which it is admirably adapted. The soil is a fight sand, with a thin but sufficient covering of herb: age, and, although the ground is, for the lia° b part, even, there are occasional irregularities in it, which render it difficult for cavalry to charge a t ; I ` gallop without considerable derangement of their line. The population of St. Omer and the Pea s ; antry of the neighbourhood were seen from a u early hour in the morning pouring themselves 11 P 0 . the scene of action, and every sandhill and eiu nence which commanded a view of the g round Wa s occupied. At 10 o'clock bodies of cavalry, try, and artillery began to arrive from the caniP,L of Helfaut in one direction and f r om th e town of Omer in the other, and took up the positions a s ` signed to them. The arrival of troops was c °11• tinuous for two hours, the number of soldiers a s ; sembled on the field being about 25,000. Aw e % the infantry regiments were the 4th, the I.7th, 24th, the 33d, the 44th, and the 69th of the lau e l i The Chasseurs de Vincennes, in their dark gr e f e uniforms, armed with their formidable lit", Minie rifle, mustered in great force, the Emp ero- r doubtless supposing that his illustrious visito would regard with peculiar interest troops destine: to play so important a part in future battle -field _p_ and whose training and equipments have for Y ear : engaged the attention of the best soldiers of F ran ! . . Several regiments of Cuirassiers furnished the oa tingent of cavalry. The rest of the troops consis!eli,,. of eight batteries of artillery, with six brass - I . of pounders in each battery, and a few compa nies iv o engineers. The infantry having formed in heir lines, the artillery took up a position i, nt he e , rear, and behind them were the Cuirassiers. Ge n ral Carrelet, who commands the camp of R elf l t ; under the Emperor, awaited the coming of the Majesty and Prince Albert, whose arrival upon a field was announced, at half-past 12 o'clock, L'„Yrt salute of 21. guns. The Emperor and Prince A h ibe immediately rode along the lines together. ra i Emperor wore his usual dress of a Lieut.-Gen e _ ; ,, A of Division, with the broad red riband of the Lieg's'a of Honour. The Prince wore the cocked hat au blue undress coat of a Field-Marshal, w w ith the s. cf the Order of the Garter. In the su it e of tv_ Prince were the Duke of Newcastle, in the un iform of a Colonel of the Nottinghamshire ireoral: General Wetherall, General Lord Seaton, Gee. Hon. C. Grey, Captain Du Plat, Captain De Run; and Captain Biddulph, who rode in a briq' be crowd of French generals and aides-de-camP• the Emperor and Prince passed in silence al on g bat line, orders having been given by the Empe ror teal the acclamations which ; usually hail his erriv ,„ among the troops should in the present instance w".. dispensed with, out of respect to his illustrioh: visitor. Having ridden along the lines, whi?„o from their great extent, occupied a long time, Emperor and Prince then drew up in the centre e! the ground, and the troops slowly defiled befer° 1 them, beginning with the infantry an d 01 (1 with the cavalry. No evolutions were attenaP?' by the infantry and artillery, nor did any firing take place, the Emperor's desire being that Princ e Albert should have a narrow opportunity o f ob serving the physique of his troops, their appearance on a march (every man being in heavy marching order, with one day's bread attached to his knap sack), and the mountin g of the cavalry and artillery The Prince scrutinised an observant eye the troops as they marched past, the Emperor appa• rently directing his attention to various points role tive to the equipment and training of the various arms of the service. The infantry and artillery having been drawn off the ground, the cavalry , after marching by the Emperor, faced about an d executed a dashing charge. The first line abrur a Y, pulled up their horses when within a few yard s the Royal party, and retiring passed within thee ranks of the second line, which performed a sim il a' movement. The cavalry then performed a brilliant charge in a single line au pas de galop—t u i operation which enveloped them in a cloud " t ; dust so dense that several troopers, being *unab le a, see the inequalities of theiground, were unhers e e i The cloudless sky, the incessant flashin g a of steel cuirasses and bayonets as they reflected su eir rays, the various uniforms of the troops, and iv .th e t steady and soldierlike bearing made up a bri'bi picture, to which a certain grandeur was given. n; the spectacle of such dense masses of men in reotio4 but, from the absence of the smoke and excitelee'to of a feigned battle, the review was of a characterio please the military man rather than the eivi ! fond of the " pomp and circumstance of gl er war." abou t 3 The Emperor and Prince left the ground io o'clock, and, regaining their carriages, return ° or b, Boulogne. The weather continues to be s u p al To-day will be devoted to the repose of the -0;113-700 party and to the concentration of troops fi e ld- Marquise, in the vicinity of which a grand , men day will take place to-morrow. Ten thousana_ing, marched from the camp at Equihem this ni%vii and regiments from all the four camps in the 'e l le of the north have been ordered to assist in n t he petite guerre, which will be beyond all qu esti r L ri ng most splendid military demonstration inade"„ided Prince Albert's visit. The troops will b e d i 1 11 be into two hostile camps, and a sham battle w fought, the issue of whi c h, it is said, will, be sof known until the Emperor decides by w hic ' n . the engagement shall be co n s idered to be w ° h t in The public illumination on Tuesday n i g lin honour of Prince Albe r t' s arr ival caused tbe Ption s cipal streets to be thron ge d. The illum.i j us s t he were of the most tastef u l c haracter. Be sides an d coloured lamps display e d at the Imperial hoted the on the facades of the public buildings an f hotels of the principal visitors, festoons 1 11 4 Chinese lanterns of various colours wer e arin itig along the principal streets, with gay and or ersoaS effect. At eight o'clock great masses of pie assembled upon the quay to witness a pub charge, play of fireworks, which took place, a t the. fits of the municipal authorities, on the he i g ; re f a oppusite the quay. The feltx d'artifice concluded with the d is . vl P;re; a view of the city of Constantinople, a mots, ts presentation of which, with towers, mina r Lo a 00' churches that crowned the heights and s' ro fuse against the sky, was rendered visible by a p o f de' ignition of blue and red lights. Muriii ° ,l B o jag° light at this pretty spectacle rose from t" br idgeSt assemblage upon the quay, the jetty, an d ts hurs t , and when a magnificent girandole of rocke,. h t o f into the air, falling around in colouredd" l!g li t of every shade of intensity and hue, the the public was unbounded. Whi ch The grand public ball and fete de oue"il e eieS , take place to-night at the Place des T in co iri will be, in great part, an entertainment aiff,7vrith a public square, which will be abundantly I" coloured lamps arranged in tasteful devices. 0 to o Lord Cowley and M. Drouyn de rilui d i n ieg arrived at Boulogne, and had the honour er',-,tosdef with the Emperor and Prince Albert on . t p. night at the Imperial hotel with a brilliant P7 a d il a The missing vessels—the Hornet, Mala ced ' es cort Salamander, which formed a portion of t re e un til of Prince Albert—did not arrive at Boulogn,. go o half-past yesterday morning (Wednesday), at o'clock. They fired a salute. The Emperor 01 out to the jetty to witness their arrival. co PIES, ISLE OF TTIGIIT.—Sep t ' 7.* (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT •) S ° ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON INTE LLIGB • ARRIVALS.—Sept. 5. Osprey, cutte r, LieuterisiOw Colonel Huey, from Torquay and other ports. SAILINGS.—Sept. 2. Brilliant, s chooner, G. 11.1"ci- d -ll o.: Esq., fur Channel Islands and other ports ; Fa d n o ~ -V•ca Rev. R. P. Hartopp, do., do. ; Capricorn, cJ Commodore C. R. M. Talbot, Esq., Plymouth 036 Wales. 3. Sultana, yawl, LordColv ille , B° lll out t° 4° 4. Caprice, do., H. Baring, Esq., Cowes Barb ' lay up. 'Or d YACHTS AT AND ABOUT THE STATION."—W 1 Nymph, Stella, Amazon, Osprey, Arrow, A u , r ",.,," 1 Cygnet, Virginia, Plover, Ripple, Titania, an d ' l-- Queen. vo- D vor . ' DEATH OF MISS BAILIE -- T his lad y died at TY he House, on Wednesday last, of consumption, vrhere had been on a visit with her noble relative, the Ol i o of Sligo. The deceased lady was sister-in -11 M Marchioness of Sligo; end biaor to Mr. Ulioi r