The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-06-21 00:00:00

CHANNEL ISLANDS' TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

The first half-yearly meeting of this company was
held on Tuesday at the central station, Lothbury, the
Hon. Robert Grimston in the chair.
After the transaction of the usual formal business the
secretary, Mr. Gamble, read the report, which stated
that the stun of 00,000 has been received on capital
account to 31st of March last, and L 15,495 espendtd.
The sum of £3,82u has been invested in the purchase of
£4.000 Three Per Cont. Consolidated Annuities, and
of the balance the sum of MO has been placed upon
deposit in the hands of the Commercial Bank of Jersey.
By the terms of the Government contract (which bears
date the 10th of March last) the Lords of the Treasury
undertake to pay from the date of the completion of the
line, and so long as it shsll continue in working order.
the stun of El,llOO annually, or so :ouch of it as shall
be necessary to make up with the other receipts of the
company, fairly ascertained, including the (Marge for
Government messages, a dividend of 6 per cent, on the
capital employed, not exceeding L 30,000 : but in no CIV4
shall their annual payment be less than the sum to
which the work performed for them by the company
would amount if calculated at the usual tariff rtes.
The oontrsct is for 25 years. The line is worked by the
Electric and International Telegraph Company, as its
actual cost to the latter, and by the agreement that
company allows a reduction of one third of their charges
on all messages passing over their lines to or front the
Cbminel Islands' line.

The Chairman said it was not possible to overrate the
value of the line. It Wall of great importance that the
Channel Islands should be connected by a link with
France which would open communication with 25 im•
portant towns on the coast of that country. The price
of a message from this country to the Channel Islands
was ss. It was three times that suin for a message to
any of the towns on the coast of France. He then re-
lated an instance of a gentlemen sending a message
from one of the Channel Islands' stations to St. Maio,
in France, having to go a roundabout way of 700 miles,
when the real distance was only 30. The message
would have been delivered sooner had it been sent by •
rowing boat, as it had to suffer many hours of delay,
chiefly at Paris. If the line to the French coma should
be decided upon, it would open • new field for their
operations. It was a matter that concerned the French
people more than the people in the Channel Islands.
Petitions would be got up in the 25 coast towns men-
tioned, and be presented to the French Government,
asking their sanction to the link between France and
the Channel Islands. This was a point upon which the
prosperity of the company depended. As there were
not a sufflcient number of shareholders present to con-
stitute • legal meeting, the report was not submitted for
adoption, but the dividend of se. 6d. per share, being at
the rate of 6 percent, per annum, free of income-tax,
was declared for the 304 days from the completion of
the line to the 31st of March last. The meeting then
adjourned.

11=1 be Preamble to our fair readers to know that the
GLIUITIBLD PATS!? Stamm whioh has been exalutively used in
HER MAJESTY'S Lai:seer for many Durk iner Doo bo
obtained from all respectable Orman almost as cheap as the
mires common kind, made, for inithixish it necimearil) coma
them more, the large quantities sold yields, in the eggregate,
a larger profit than the inferior kind., and moreover the XTO-
M have the satisfaction of ailing an article which they know
wiU Neese their automat, and are at the same time the
medium of supplying the middle and working clams with the
MUM artiole SS IS WWI In the ruling up of the Laces and
Linens of HER MAJESTY and the ROTA!. FAUILT, .td
which the Quinn% laundress, with her ram experience
and miry means at her oalirosad for procuring Um very
boa of everything, bag Pronounced vo mg min ever ?wan
MACH Ms Fry thao.—Ordsmeak