The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-30 00:00:00

GREAT INDIA PENINSULA RAILWAY.

Yesterday the sixth holt-yearly general meeting .
!
of the proprseters of this railway was held at their oMoes, l
New Broad•strect ; Lord Vs'itantectirre, the chairman of
the directors, in the chair.
The report, which has already appeared in the Express
having beet reed,
The CHAIRMAN, in moving that the report he adopted,
expressed his satisfaction at once more finding himself pre-
aiding at their meetings. He was sorry to say that, from
unavoidable circumstances, he had for some time bees
withdrawn from participating in the management of their
affairs, hot he would not have them for a moment suppose
that, though distant, he had bees less interested than be-
fore. He might now announce to them, as men.
Wined in the report, that the entire capital of 600,000/. re-
quired fur the execution of the first portion of the line had
been paid into the East India Company's treasury, and was
now available for their purposes, and this company was
now receiving the interest which had been guaranteed upon
it. But he thought there were more satisfactory features
in these accounts than even that which he had particularised.
They would obsers• that up to the time the accounts were
made out, the expenses amounted to only 103,5211 , leaving
no less than 2e1,0001. in hand fur the prosecution of the
work, of the company. Ile thought that might be taken as
a very feyourable.st•te of affair., considering bow long they
had been engaged in their undertaking. But even this was
not as satisfactory as the statement which he had yet to
make to them, for it was now satisfactorily aecertaiued that
although 300,0001. was the capital villein:it orig'nally (or
late completion of this line, the centracts proved that
they would be able, without eny doubt, not merely
to construct the line, but to preside the necessary
plant tor working it cur • sum less by one-tifth below the
capital. He believed Mr. Nicholsoa (the secretary) would
CONfi,M him when be stated that they lad now a certain
prospect, arising from the actual completion of contracts and
a perfect knowledge of the expenses to which they
should be put, that they saould put the railway in a work
Mg state fur 400,0001., leaving 100,0(101. of their capital
applicable for any other purpose, though this included a
branch end • double hoe, which lie believed was tour or five
miles in length, which was of course an addition.' expense.
Ile would now proceed to the ether mein feature of the
report and of their undertaking in general, namely, the
great quee,ion se to the prolongation of the bee, because
although they were all aware that they were greatly inte-
rested in the limited portion on which they were now em-
Ellatedsiatobtileabe iwntasrodinutchtieuntkosl leas:l:easy etnotrrlovreisethr.g...l.°l:: I
dean territories ;nevertheless the undertaking would be a very
incomplete and insufficient one if they could not look with
1 some confidence to its extension to other districts. In the
Ifirst place, then, they had not only the prospect of having
the lineopened soon within the Wended Bombay, but thead-
ditional contracts to carry it on had been actually made and
1 the week considerably advanced. his had, moreover, to state
that he believed there ass little doubt, from the informa•
lion received :tom the engineer, that the portion up to
Canna would be actually open and in operation—that was 1
to say, is the main i.land, in February next. But there
was another important point to which their attention should
be called. The shareholders would recollect that in the
earlier stages of their operation Mr. Chapman, who was
I the first promoter of the undertaking, went to India
Ito make • yto ascertain as far as pnseible the
best mode of carrying the railway over the °haute.
He found that there were three different routes, one by the
Malsejgbaut, which went by the westward, the Tulgbaut,
which went to the south-east of Bombay, and a third,
called the Bhoorgaut, which was the raid to l'uonah,
one of the principal cities of residence. Mr. Chapman' as
the result of his investigations, thought that the Malsej-
Ohms( was the most favoarable ; but of course they were
not satisfied without further investigation on this sebject,
which was one of vital importance, in order to satisfy the
shareholders and the East India Company that the route
they should eventually choose would be the best for the un-
detakiog, and for the general interest of India. They had
waited fur some time, and lie thought properly sad rightly,
until these investigations had been concluded, and it was,
he believed, only yesterday that Mr. Nicholson received
from their chief engineer in India his report on the compara-
tive merits of these passes. and in stating te them the
substance of that report, he had the satisfaction to express
not only his own opinion, but that of Mr. Barclay, their
chief engineer, that the route selected was not only the beet
but was mote favourable than they had any reason to ex-
' pest. With regard to the Ilalsejghaut, Mr. Bartley satis-
fied himself that it was liable to very serious objections.
First of all it would be very emir mire. There would be
font or five miles of tunnelling, and gradients of 1 in 40 for,
he believed, 13 miler, and in consequence Mr. Barclay
stated that the works could not be executed under 10 years,
and the total expense would be alarming. Mr. Barclay
then proceeded to examine the others, and he found that of
the three pawn the most favourable was the Tulghaut, and
it was also the moat favourable in a commercial point of
view, as it would bring them Into the heart of the country.
He found that the gradients, and the nature of
the work, were unexpectedly favourable. He sacertaled
that the lies etru'd be made with no more tunnelling
than about Neyards, and that the worst gradient in the
whole has weal in 37 for only six miles end • half. Now,
when it was meellected that in this country they run trains
daily on the Bristol and Birmingham line on an iceline of
precisely that gradient, though not for such a distance, it
appeared In him that that was no insuperable obstacle. The
other gradient, were more easy. Then there were very few
I'Waste slimy iteesequence, only 176 yards, and the molt
of lie wholitimMl were, founding them upon contracts,
alonfly unwed I/^_ sad upon the experience he had
rimed Ids tiesee in ladle as superintendent of
the MAR het this line might be made for •
seta wall eneeedieelo,ollll. • mile. Well then, he said, if
if they WIMP able to surssat this chain of mountains, and
attain • sommit level ef set lees then 2,000 feet to execute
these wenn with imamate el net messthan 1 in 37
for is shin a hams mil at ea expense of
10,0001.,:pothey Mos& ma
Y'
a work which
bad no . Ns hollorni,_ Is any ether part
of the . But Mr. BMW MI sot stop et this point.
He proceeded the te bewee the libeergbaut
which ran in the diesedes if rogneb. New me of
*that
son not the best dinette& is a aemmemiel pan of dew,
there was no doubt that a railway piallai hem Menhay to
Format would be of great isepertaaes to the faverament
and to the presidency _ enowelly. The remit nu that
although sot so favourable he engineering purpenge as the
Tulehaat, it was one that was peribetly penedeable. In
She Bhoorgbaut the men grease* was a rem heavy one,
lin 20, but that wog only he two lanes. The other 111.•
dint. varied from I in 36 to 1 in 67. The tunnelling
mould amount to 1,487 yards. and Mr. Barclay estimated
MA this lime sight he completed for 11,0001. • mile. It
aggemeed to bins them, when they remembered the very
genes, dillionitiee they had always anticipated of pegging
ever them wenatains that the result of He in-
vestiweing was mat satiehnery. Bet he had am more
riot to mentlem Mr. Bartley woo dinned, ea very
npmly., not to wine his &deaths solely is the eogisser-
et the gmelies bat see es take mime= to how
•lent et he eingimodel peek the anima et lomat
that might be "welled, mod he howl that he Wells by the
ROAat he wand Mean* emenated to me het this
. pee manino, aid W the Bhoorglant, =.
hat eel pemenpee, of whoa Owe was a great ,
SIPS Win. New, taking the Welk at way how
he bed wit bed tine to go kW he wilehdes idene-reZ
Me. Med= bed gone isle Be nod be add thee Me
Telgleret wadi wham • review of I per sent, and the
llliewohant 6 per seat. Mr. Obilimes, be believed, sell.
waled the Met missal km We wine et 130,000 tenet
perms= hnorgbeiloeme SWIM Mel we. sew then.
An la a pathos to ester es the eindthettlia of theorem-
des at hair line. It was an push* a • quie-
tist that they could enter •• at the present se-
-Ist it was me that they would madly oultrelmad
hear homelow ..std_ aralikr. They Mee Amok re.
eammenileil by Mr. Wirmay is fromblisisly hr Lave
to anted the Nes ha the hole( _ mwegesielty
to a at the het of tbeTelpient, awl hdlemil that
W milady bee. mei la India he peeminies
te that West. Of anew they abodi hie hoes** inlo
inesedite essid==aBd hie
as.,
la memisolgi
it wee that he with this la the
saddening _ they bad theiveda.i.tent wee MI erg gist
whisk be Masi to amass. It wee net !Hated is the
report been= they thought it was • matter het INS net of
a eidiateatly piddle ._rawer to weed any awe hind re-
cord ; but it was right, at the mem time, thee be *mild
mention it es • subject foe aserlatektles. Then who had
r attended to the history ea this sempiew wadi be
I aware that vary early In itt IMllandler te
were mode es of which • dim mow irsuries part
of Mr. Chipman, the original yonneler. Bina the
last mating they had entegoil that claim with
Mr. Chapatis, in a wanner pedbilly eadefeetory both is
bin ad te the d'reetors. The Needs ia which that bad
begs deers wilened the higher' weal ea Hr. Nicholson,
and entitled him to their useseen gratitau. It we=
is this way. There were • amebae of shams whisk West
been taken up at Bombay, and a few which wen field,
and Mr. Nicholson proposed tins lbws hens droll be op
propriated, and that the premiums from Om almeld be ap-
plied in dieeharriof Mr. clajimes dais. That bed been
done, and Mr. Unpins bed beet 'added without • far-
thing of ezponee to the ; aid he might die that
1 the whole trammeling wee with tba COSIMONHIPI mod 8.1.11411.
;ins of the Men folk Clawposy Them wee am MOO lob. '
jeNN to whim! be awn elude, mod that wee a whine of gers.
tificatlos aid ride bathing ell—the opeoleg next year of
the first railway minaleneleation in the Nears world. 11.
looked upon this is an event of no ordinary or int*.
niiicant character. He had always looked. forward
to it as a matter of the highest possible moment
not to this country only, but to the British inspire at large,
1 and more especially to those great possessions in India form-
, lag a portion of that empire. For his own part, he should
I have been glad if his affairs could have allowed him to go l'
a to the other hemisphere to be present at the solemnity, but
he would have the satisfaction, he trusted, at theft next
half-yearly meeting to lay before them a statement of the
opening basing been actually achieved, and they would
then Bad that they were beginning to realise one of the
may visions which they were told were looming in the
future, one of the gvandest an 4 most distinct—he meant
that of heavy bales of goods coming down the Ohauts to the
pnrts of Bombay. (Cheers.)
- - - -- -

- ,
Mr. Illairnatom —You hau oat stated the amquat that
Mr. Chignan claimed, and the agleatit that wu paid to
him.
The COIAMIXAN mid be hoped that inquiry would not be
persisted in, and that the shareholders would hare that win-
Idence la the conduct of the directors in this that they had
already reiaeisi in their conduct wfth regard to elk'''.
matters.

ANDNATON replied that k• had on former OEll*.
Moos remarked that there waa no item in their amounts of
money paid to lawyer,. He had the same mark to make

wow. There vu only some 14W. to 1501. That was all the
worse for the lawyers, bet all the better fur the company.
(A laugh.)
The adoption of the report being seconded by Mr. CRAM.
7UID. aad unanimously coated,A
Samtettot.usa asked lithe guarantee extended to a
line through any of the Ghent' ?
The CIIAIZMAN replied that technically it implied only
to the Maleej ; but he apprehended if they were to make it
through on. of the others, it would be below the dignity of
the East India Company to make an objection of that sort.
A vote of thanks to the chairman and directors, and a
special ratio( thanks to Mr. Nicholson, the secretary, wen
then severally agreed to, which closed the business.