The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-03 00:00:00

,lEOOTINIIONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION

OF THE LYONS AND AVIGNON RAILWAY.

The following particulars relative to the Paris and
Lyons end the Lyons end Avignon Railroads are stated by
a contemporary to have been derived from a quarter
usually well-informed on such subjects :
" The Paris and Lyons Railroad is neatly finished, and
belongs to the state. It is worked ender the direction of U. '
Julien, • distinguished member of the Ponta* et Chaves/ea.
The Lyons and Avignon Railroad has yet to he made, and
the proposal of the government was (previous to the late re-
volution) to grant the Paris anti Lyons Railhead to • pri-
vate company, who should undertake to etimplete the
line, and tp reimburse the state some purlieu of the ori.
ginal outlay, which eminent it was prepesed to give is
riese= of a peat ia aid to the eempasy who should
the awsereselea mad the weehles of the Lyons
:11=ra, aid thee aemplete dee ebsiu of railway
between Paris and Mandlles. A party of
impieellate, who ars likewise prostisal men, pre.
thiamatires for the grant of the Paris and Lyons
Ilaibeed emend months since. After almost intermi-
sale illsemeskss and negotiations with the various
40b11111. 411//4 of late followed each other in such rapid
seseeselon, II was at length arranged that • sum of
100,000,000 f. should be repaid by this company to the state.
A law authorising the concession of the railroad on those
=.aad to parties therein named, was presented, &s-
-end all but voted by the late Assembly ; some met-
tles Off MOM detail only remaining to be agreed upon between
the aaameting parties. Many sagacious people in France
considoard the English party bold, if not imprudent, in
undertaking an enterprise of- such magnitude in France,
with all the eventualities of May, 18.52, still threatening.
But, they added, with an expressive shrug of the shoulders
. Mai, que mule:roust Ce John Bull eat audaeiests pawl
ii emit yule can wpm de gagner de rorgent r Matters stood
I thus when the imamate of the 2nd December suddenly took
*N. The late Assembly also voted a law for the grant of
Ile Lyons and Avignon Itailroad for 99 years to a company
idle were to obtain a grant of a sum not exceeding
1111,000,0001., and a guarantee of ,I per cent. on a loan capital
of 10,000,000 f., the remaining 30,000,0001. to be raised by
Awes, making in the whole an estimated capital of
120,000,000 f. for this line. The parties who negotiated this
treaty were M.Talabot an engineeethe grantee of the railroad
I from Avignon to Marseilles; with him are associated M.
Drouillard and the principal ironmasters of Fromm ; and it
is understood that some leading contractors for works in
rledas well as in France, had secured, or supposed they
eseeled, as interest in thy affair in the shape of works
amemeed, they undertaking to supply the caution
witissay asommkooor. required for the concession. It is urged
tes mepeete X. Talabot that he, being the engineer and
managing um of the defunct Lyons and Avignon Railroad
Company—fee me fault of their own, as proved by a subse-
quent law prasemied in their favour, passed by the Chamber
of Deputies, and ailleerned by the Chamber of Pam dem
prudential (these In the Ilaimeial crisis Of 1847-411 at he,
M. Talabokilmd the Etude* ('servers, *INN and modems)
of the cid tompany as the beds of hb Mader fee let pre
sent casemelemelzaimenaleely ea of aimastaka the
holdall of AO 41 piens of pew segaineating
the 10,11111,100 L of mediae mosey of the ell imelielders,
still retained by the state, eldheagh these Mist had been
provided by, and, in point at het, form part addle Actif of
the defunct company at the present menu& The meet
simple rules of equity would make thrill's* IMMO&
should be included in the capita of the am Mmpeay, la
one shape or another. But a sum of didISWIt., or 1 In
the pound of their just rights, has bees eillmal be full of all
demands to these who wish to accept 4114111 *M.
" Some people did not hesitate to Mg that the condi-
tions offered by the government to the sempany were pro-
portionally good, and that the . share capital' was all too
much, seeing that the grant of 60,000,000 e, and the guaran-
teed loan of 30,000,000 f., would be amply sufficient to com-
plete and stock the railway.
" Acting upon this opinion, and at the 11th hour, an
honourable ' Montagnard ' moved a clause to the effect
that the concession should be put up to public competition,
and as that is the general rule in France, it passed without
much opposition. The proposal was that the bidding
should be at the same time upon the duration of the lease
(99 years), and upon the amount of the grant (60,000,000),
the lowest bidder for both being declared the grantee. Thus
stood the affair on the 2nd of December, 1851.
" The well•known and expressed intention of the Presi-
dent of the Republic ito give every possible encouragement
to railroad and commercial enterprise generally,' as stated
in a recent letter, once more brought In Haute Banque into
the field.

" A powerful financial combination demanded of the
government the concession of the Paris and Lyons Railway
upon the terms proposed in the law on that subject in the
late Chambers. _

" On Saturday last it was rumoured that the treaty was
signed between them and the Minister, the very day on
which advertisements appeared in London from the English
party announcing the opening of a subscription for this
railway project. On Sunday it was announced that the
treaty was off,' owing, perhaps, to the disinclina-
tion of the government to throw entirely overhead the
English party, who came forward in adverse times, and to
the alleged disinclination of the French party to participate
with them.
" It is stated, however, that the 'English party' have
offered to repay the State 120,000,0001. instead of
100,000,0001., and that they are indignant at what they
consiuer an attempt to deprive them of their priority on
this matter; yet it is hoped that the affair will end in a
compromise. So much for the Paris and Lyons Railway.
" For the Lyons and Avignon there were no leas than
Ave competitors. M. Talabot and the ironmasters before-
mentioned; Seguin, Frires, and Co., rich constructors ;
Jules Seguin and Co., another of the 'wen.. Seguin : the
Company of General Denude; and the Company of the
Messageries Generale..
It is probable that not more than two of then com-
peting parties will go to the adjudication, or remain to
effect an ultimate compromise. liessapories GtWerates are
understood not to have deposited a list, and to represent
only the leading parties in the Paris and Lyons affair, who
could not appear as demandants of tho Lyons and Avignon
line also."

COLLISION ON TUE YORK, NEWCASTLE, AND
Bauwie• Ll:ln.—Yesterday the coroner's inquest upon
this accident, which caused the death of a clerk in the ser-
vice of the Electric Telegraph Company, was brought to a
conclusion. The circumstances attendant on the thennente
have been detailed already, and the jury fossil eta know-
ing special verdict : That the deceased Pettish Moreton
met his death by a collision of two trains es the York,
Newest* sad Berwick Railway, and that the collision
was ethos te the neglect of the company% diem in dune
of ties bet trait to nisi bah • fag sr bap ilipelttari
trek Mowing, end ffertitro tr y the edgier of certain
Assn of the esarmy dig signals hi the guard
of the first train. We the directors and mana-
ger of the York, Neaselh, and Berwick Railway,
viltirwoLdLireed blame rad walpahle neglect. First,
in easeures seers rain imniettell
preceding
_a peaseger tar whisk aide tab
Christer Bak whin the preenger trek was within
minute Al big tee liesesttly_ , polsielar unqua-
lified goal Masks Deb. fa only esio
is a daub train (250 yara Abe, we find
Zit=tenp
rtro theor printedi.....r:.....zabsisyStre the
11:0:1 tmilitleiralsearVe= rgetladdlill'llX roe!
==tthem. end to throw the lima on an
witht at the Flee of a few paltry haste
di, got rid if mires of providing a competent in&
libel, wham We (eV aught to be to see at kart once
bey, at sans astral slotba, that all polies in charge of a
art are provided with proper *Rah. The jury then
=L The other parties who were injured by the
are rid tube going on favourably.
FATAL AOCUMRT AT THE COLOSSEUM, REGENT'S-
pazo.-111 Iten.g gkr nabs& the fellawing fetal aeci-
dist Itheathil nubs FISIEMSR•ird 117 years
=ll6lat the Osienseem Deassed wee the engine
.1: kb balance and fell into*, ery in eh:
presenes of his fellow workmen. Alarash the engines
wen hamediately stopped, his body was taken out lifeless,
Tis CILANIOW EXCHANGE AND TUE ELECTRIC
YILUSR&PH.—We learn that the aegetiation with the
Elsetthe Telegraph Ccepay, with the view of introducing
the news by telegraph kb Glasgow Inerrege, has, in the
meaner.., terminated without thy melba result. The
Rainy directors eared 4001. per amnia (err SOW with
aceoamedstisa Ikea. eempany In the labange buildings
equel be thine Se 1101.)
_kr the intelligens*, as audition
that denier News droll not be supplied te any ether pub-
lic abase Manua in Glasgow at less than 3001. per an-
num. The Telegraphic Company was ready to aesept of
thiamin of 4001. for their news, but they itesil to oththe
ea the ether part of the arrangement, essorrezkthe right
to 4111 of thtdr news to any other party on tame as
they &mkt Oak It. Had this arrangement been carried
out, It ems the !oblation of the Exchange directors to have
'Medd& le the allaant of the annual subscription money
paid by such umber. The directors next made an offer of
2001. per arm fee the news, leaving the Telegraph Com-
pany unfettered as to the terms on which it might deal
with others. This offer has also been declined. Had it
bee meth* It was, or is, the intention of the Exchange
beer= to pay this sum of 2001. out of their own funds,
leaving the subscription money as at present—Caledonian
YT
TES GOLD-DUST ROBBERY.—Wm. Plame ha
reeehed through the Home-office a mitigation of mes-
hes% boa that of 10 years' transportation, to two years'
imprienament. The prisoner, it will be remembered, was
el•Vialai at the last Minn of stealing a box of gold-dust
hem the Ibuth-Western Railway.
TORY TACTICS uN THE INCOME AND PROPERTY
TAX.—In our abase this day will be found an athounee-
sent from the mom, io answer to a regulation sent to
his, eamag a seselies of the inhabitants for Thursday
that, on the nelliat et the ineese-tax. We regret that by
the term of the trabilisa the inhabitants of Newcastle
are ailed M petition emir the renewal of the income-tax
"in It is certainly a pity for people
to put tbesedwe te the trouble of praying parliament for
fathom whisk parnmtheit will not grant, simply because It
sand and te them. Besides this, a well-adjusted
and *Aft imome-tax, though set a very wise tax,
easel be deasnassil ea positively an anima one. The pre-
sent biome-tan is thither well adjusted nor fairly imposed,
and a renewal of it without amendment ought to be
earnestly resided. In this view, notwithstanding the terms
of the requieltioo, it will be in the power of the meeting
to resolve on the adoption of • panties to parliament for
the ameadment—sot for the abeSticui—of the income and
parity tax...-Rweeeith Cievaitic