The Express.
London, England, 1864-08-13 00:00:00

LONDON ♦ND SOUTH WESTERN.

The report of the directors to the half-yearly '
meeting on the 18th testes& shows the set revenue for the ;
six mouths, after deductive interest on lea,., aed all other
preferential charges, to be 175,200/. 2.. Ild. • add the stir.
plus at December, 1863, 3,4011. 4e. 3d. ; ballace available
for dividend, 178,6014. 7s. 2d. From the shove sum the '
directors recommeod that a dividend be decland at the
rate of 44 per mot. per asaum. payable en the 213th day of
Ausuet, amounting oa 7,561,9221. 13s. 4d. of paid-up capital
to 169,9631. 6.. 3d. ; leaver, to be carried over to the
current half year. 8,6411. Os. lld. The pom rename, whim
compared with the corresponding punned of 1863, shows ea
lot:ream of 38,195.!. This amount has bees sensed on almost
an equal mileage, the.. being only • small Increase of
miles. The rate of interest on the company's mortise,
debt rewraps the same as during the half year ending De-
cember, 1863, via, 4.13 per oat. The Recalled melts' of
the compass' meant' to 939,5241. 6s. &i, being the
queened balance of the old capital account, to which
is added the sew capital to be nosed nadir the
powers of the acta obtained in the psiat series
of parliament, as hereinafter specially. referred to.
The expenses of the locomotive cad carriage department
will be fouled to be is excess of the correspondiug haUirat
of 1863. Meth is, however, en addition to the train mile-
age which will account for the iserease. The permanent
way continue. to be maintained in good working order.
Some miles of the maim line and of the Dorchester hoe have
bees relaid cicalae the past half-year. The Poole bias&
and further pertioae of the Yeovil sad Exeter lies have
bees doubled. Of the total liregth of 50 miles bete/sea
Yeovil and Exeter, 40 miles have been doubled, and the re-
mainder is in progress. Ou the district between Yeovil sued
Salisbury bat little has been done since the last report, ally
18 miles out of the total mileage of 40 ere completed as a
double lioa. The Salisbury and Yeovil Company have metto
arrangements for completing the ee coed lino of mils,
which will then, in coonexion with the Yeovil and En-
ter portion, form a double road from Salisbury to Rater.
The works ce the Andover and Redbridge line are pro-
greeds'. The requirements of the Board of Trade have
rendered it necessary to strengthen the permanent way
beyond that originally authorised by that department, which
will involve some delay aad expense ; bat eotwithetaading
the, the directors see so reason why the line should not be
ready ferias:oMo; throughout by the end of the year. The
Cotersield and Midburst line is finished, end the directors
hoped to have opened it before this for tredie. They have.
however, been compelled to defer this for the present,
having been required, as is the wee of the Andover and
Redbridge line, to make certain additions to the permanent
way ; but in the ears. of this prated month the
lies will be again ready for brapedsoe. Ms ea-
rner reports that the coatractor is making sags-
setory progress ea the Southampton and Noddy bee,
and that the works ere well ascated. The directors eall
the attention of the proprietors to the Improved crudities
of their steam Sat, as well as to the lemma the Walla
is this department, sot nsly midi the Chasse' bleeds. bat
also with Haas, to which pert there is now a daily service
sad direct oommusicatiou through to Paris. The director%
having regard to the opening of the breath of the Weasels
Railway of France from Rennes to St. Kale, hays esta-
blished a litre of: 'tamers to that perl le order to provide
as efficient service for the immuring foreign traffic, the
directors have another vessel (the Britian) building, which
will De launched sad as the statism !adore the end of the

present Ammon. Is the spring of the present year ass-
siderable agitatiou was mimed to remove the Royal West
India Mall steamers from Bouthamptca to some more
westerly port, and various proposals were made
to the Pest-office authorities, with the view of et-
milting the delivery of the northern mail.. It
will be satisfactory to the shareholders to loam, that
after bevies made every possible inquiry oe the on=
Portioaster•Gerieral wasuoatie to recornmeed soy
in the existing Berries, cud the dieseton hope, that with the
facilities they always afford for the delivery of the malls at
all bolus, together with the proximity of the port of
Southampton to the reetroparm they will always be able is
seems the support of the goverment for Sortillampera bur

the despatch and receipt of the mails. The direeton have
LO I.ICI lure an accident which took place at Egham on one of
the crowded days or the last Ascot Races., by which several
lives were lost, and a considerable number of the puseogers
by the train more or lass &Oland. The directors hare en.
&avowed to meet every sees when they comidined a claim
for oompensation legally existed in a fair Title., and have
thus saved many claimants from the neoresity of making
redress through the tedious and expensive procese of the law.
Refereuce was afterwards made to tam leipalatioa of the last
simioa.