The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-05-31 00:00:00

rampsbire.

SOCTINA PTON. - Dock... —The inner dock

was opened on Friday afternoon at four o'clock, on
the arrival of the Peninsular and Oriental t 'ouipany's
magnificent screw steamship Pera from Alexandria
with the East India, China, Australian, New Zea-
land, and Mediterranean mails, after having under- .
gone extensive alterations and enlargement and being
considerably deepened. The Pera steamed across
the tidal duck, iiiiinodiatvly entered the inner duck.
the band on board !playing " Rule Britannia,"
" Cheer, boy., cheer," &c., and was rapidly brought
to her moorings at the quay opposite the D. ware-
house. Captain Eugledue, the superintendent of
the Peninsular and Oriental Company, on the inter-
esting occasion, the Mayor and several hundreds of
the inhabitants were present. The work of im-
provement commenced un the 19th February of last
year, and the new dock occupies an area of 10 acres,
with a clear width of 56 feet entrance ; the depth of
water at spring tides is 29 feet, and at neap tides 25
feet. In effecting the enlargement upwards of
200,000 cubic yards of earth have been excavated;
15,0041 cubic yards of concrete, and 14,000 cubic
yards of rubble masonry, have been built up, to
execute which required 17,000 tons of stone.
Nearly 10,000 feet of granite were also used in addl.
tion to that which composed the old entrance. The
number of bricks consumed amounted to 600,000,
and the quantity of timber of various descriptions
to upwards of 50,000 cubic feet, while 20 tons of
hoop iron were used in the walls. The entrance from
the tidal to the inner dock is spanned by two move-
able bridges, one intended for foot passengers, and
the other with a tramway, and suitable for wagons
aud heavy goods. The estimated cost of the enlarge-
ment is from £50,000 to £60,000. This duck is
capable of giving quay berths to sixteen of the
largest screw steamships afloat. Ranged around the
quays are extensive warehouses mid vault', deal
yards, spacious grain floors, accommodation for emi-
grants. and other arrangemoda to meet the increase
of trade at this port. t'rines are fitted all around ;
and a tramway traverses both the inner and tidal
dock, having communimit with the London and
South-Western Railway. There is no rise and fall
the water in this dock, and it can always be
lowered at pleasure, so that any vessel embarking or
landing cattle can be placed on • level gangway, thus
allowing the animals to walk from the quay to the
deck, a circumstance which, during the Crimean
war, was found to he of great advantage, and owing
to which, with other facilities, a gteater number of
troops and material of war were embarked from this
r port than any other in the kingdom.

PO RTS MOU TH RAILW A Y. - A special meeting of
this c.nupany Was huh! on Tuesday at the offices,
(mat George-street, Westminster, to consider a Bill
for outhunting an amalgamation or haw of the
Portsmouth Railway with or to the London and
South-Western Railway Company ; Mr. It. D.
Mangles in the chair. The Secretary read the
notice convening the meeting. The Chairman stated
that the dissentient shareholders had a sufficient !
minority under the Wharucliffe standing order to !
Prevent the bill passing the House of Lords ; but as
the dissentients were still in negotiation with the
South• Western Company, and, as their exert;
might result in replacing the Hill, he felt the
directors were so far absolved from the South.
Western Company that they might allow the die.
sentient shareholders an opportunity of completing
their negotiations in respect of the terms for leasing
the line. He therefore proposed that the meeting
be adjourned to Tuesday (this day) for that purpose.
Mr. W. Jackson, Ml'., seconded the motion, and in
doing so said, he thought some good would arise to
the Portsmouth Company from the delay. Mr.
J. Locke, H.P. was glad the directors had agreed
to adjourn the emoting, and he hoped the proprietors
would sanction that motion. He had proposed
certain modifications in tee terms, and they hasd
been rejected. Ile and those who acted with him
thought that the terms offered by the South-11/intern
for the Portsmouth line were not sufficient, and that
the line was worth more money. Since the rejection
of the new terms they thought that something
might be done to solve the difficulty. He hoped
that the South-Western would listen to souse multi.
'Maths' of the origival terms. The difficulty Was
that the South-Weeteni Company proposed to give
them .C1s,001) a year in perpetuity for the line,
stating that it was its fell value, while he and others
contended that their line was worth more than the
sum offered. They now proposed that if the line
should rani more than £ls,(100 a year the Puna-
mouth Company should receive the excess up to
£20,000 a year; that Was £2,090 a year over and
above the offer, provided it were earned on their line.
He thought that a reasonable proposition. They
also stipulated that, in the event of the lease or
amalgamation being continued, the Sorth-Western
Company should undertake to distribute the rent by
sending the dividend warrants to the shareholden
of the Portsmouth Company every half year. He
thought, therefore that the meeting should be
adjourned for a week to ascertain the result of the
negotiations. The Chairman said, the directors
were in honour bound to carry out the agreement if
they possibly could, but under the circumstances
they were compelled to yield to a superior force, and
, leave the dissentients to make the proposed terms
! with the South-Western Company if they could.
Otherwise the directors were bound in honour to
carry out the arrangement already entered into.
The meeting was thou adjourned for • week.

W IX(' II ITF.L _llalNpsll.e Frirndl y —Thu monthly meeting of the central board of this
society was held on %% eilnesday last, F. Marx, Esq.,
ill the chair, when 29 new member, were admitted,
several insurances increased and claims discharged.
The meeting then adjourned to the 12th of June.
The annual meeting of the members will be held on
the 9th uf June.

Two troops dale 15th Hussars arrived in Ramsey
on Saturday week, under the c ~,,, mand of Captain
M'Cartney, from Dorchester. The whole of the men
attended Divine service at the Abbey Church on
Sunday morning, when an appropriate sermon wee
preached by the rev, the vicar. On Monday mom
mg they left, en route to Hounslow, where they will
he stationed.