The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-01 00:00:00

been less than upon any similar undertaking in Great
Brits ft. (Hear, hear.) Be air rails what they may, and
let the amount of our prosperity no what it shall, you have
still this to congratulate yourselves upon, that you have at
all events embarked in a cheap undertaking. (Hear, hear.)
It will naturally occur to the directors to look about
than in all quarters for auxiliaries to your line. I enter
upon this subject with a great deal of caution, because
I de not wish it to go to the public that we are anxious to
expand one shilling in addition to whet we have already
expended on epeeulative undertakings; but I wish it to be
gemerally understood by the public that we will not refuse
a Ur opportunity to any pasties who may wish to enter
apes our line, or make a branch railway into ours. (Hear,
heart) It will be our duty, as those representing your in-
tense, to co-operate fairly with parties so minded ; but,
before entertaining any proposition for extending your line,
either here or there, I need hardly assure you that it will
be oar duty to come here to obtain your sanction, and to
untidy you, in the first instance, that what we are about to t
undertake will be for your interest, and for your interest
alone. (Hear.) Gentlemen, I have hitherto addressed you
as regards the past. I hope I have not exaggerated in any- fh.
t Mat I have said, because I w Mt* guard myself against .
out hope 'on the one hand, and depressing your la
fax nesonable expectations on the other. But it may 10
be el me--what is your opinion as to the future ? 1.,'
317 mist be—l am not endowed with the gift of pro- 0
sod it h quite impossible to say, with regard to rail-
rty in general, what must be its future fate. That is.
property all over Great Britain is now is a state of 111.
gre mai= as regards the pub* mind, scant be de- 2
t,
idea , t 'MI I 'am warranted in challenging comparison ;
with any railway in the country as to the reasonable and
legitimate prospects which our own line holds out to those Is
who have embarked in it. (Hear, hear.) I will not enter a.
into any odious comparisons, and say that our charges are ll'
lower than thoseof other lines, or that our working expenses u
are only 30 per cent., whilst they amount to 40 and a 0 per n
sent. on other railways. (Hear, hear.) I will not soy that, e
because you have only to take the accounts and determine to
Me point for yourselves ' • but I will warn every gentlemen
here from expecting too much from any descrip- E
tion of railway property whatever. (Hear, hear.) I 7,-,
would remind you that this is a country the revenue is lil
declining in, and the public burdens increasing,and that we It
cannot do more than endeavour so to accommodate our prin- SO
ciple of working as to induce the public to take the greatest fit.
possible amount of advantage from our line. (Hear, hear.) ro
Beyond that I will only promise that all that industry can Is/
effect, all that economy can accomplish, all that perse- at.
Terence in a sound principle of action can enable us to II
secure to you, shall be employed to render this under- 10 ,
taking as prosperous as it is possible fur it to be. (Hear, 24
hear.) I should not close my observations without refer- lii
ring to n subject which I believe is uppermost in the minds st,
of all Irishmen just now—l speak of the idea which seems et.
to pervade the public mind that there should be a packet 25
station at the port of Galway. (Hear.) I will not be induced 0C,..
by any feeling of mock modesty or false delicacy to refrain ;,T.
from mentioning the matter at this meeting, merely because so
a very important committee is now sitting to determine the so
question. (Hear, hear.) lam not indifferent to the cir- Is
cunistances under which that committee has been formed ; U.
but I would not be fulfilling my trust if I did not sti
cal your attention to the subject, and to the necessity which 10
exists for a port at Galway at all events, and that in any it
CUM it shall be made a western station for shipping. (Hear, se
hear.) As I said before, it is not a matter of indifference to 13
me the decision that may be come to by the committee now 2t
sitting; but let them decide as they may, I hope you will .
never lose sight of this fact, that your interests at the port g
of Galway should be attended to ; and I will answer that so
the board, of which lam the chairman, will lose no (a- It.
vourable opportunity of enforcing the claims of that port 10
upon the public at large. (Hear.) lam myself firmly 11.!
convinced of the expediency of that measure ; and more i;
than that, I will say that it is ono of the ast import- R.
mice. (Hear.) Therefore it is that I will counsel you ss
again, no matter what may be the decision of the cons- II
mittee in question, whether it be favourable or unfit- 11l
vourable to your interests, do not you neglect your own. 11
(Hear, hear.) lam very happy to be enabled to say that so '
—'..,'
far as our experience of the Galway traffic has gone, it has
been fairly remunerative '• it has been ample, at all events, dal
so far as we can speak in terms of proportion, to make good 10
the rate of interest payable on the government loan. The ~14,
half-yearly instalments, I need not remind you, because it r,
is a matter of notoriety, have been made ood by the et,
counties of Galway and Roscommon, and insomuch there so
has been no burthen upon this company for the loan in 20
question. Nor should I conclude without saying that I U
think we, as well as the proprietors of this undertaking 11
and the public at large, owe a large debt of gratitude to the ii,
government for the liberality with which they advanced 20
that loan. (Hear, hear.) Let us talk of the government SO
elsewhere as we will, I believe, and I think you will agree at.
with me, that they deserve well of the country for the libe- 11
sal advance which they made in the present ease. (Hear, K.
hear.) I have now said all that I intended to say on this
occasion, but I am still open to answer any question which
any proprietor may put to me; for I think it is my 10
duty, and may add, it is my inclination and desire, to afford ~,,
every information relative to a concern which lam per- ''',
suaded must ultimately. remunerate those who have em-
barked in it. The elnunnap concluded, amid loud cheers, sell
by moving the adoption of the report and statement of 1
so

aZcounts.
The resolution for the adoption of the reports was
passed The
CHAIRMAN nest proposed that the outgoing
directors be re-elected. 174
Mr. WM. FORD said he had great pleasure in seconding
the motion. The board bad acted with such unitcd force 50
in bringing the affairs of the company to such a prosperous Is
state already, and had managed the business so well, that
be thought they should not separate them.
Agreed to.
The meeting was then made special to confirm the forfei-
ture of certain shares. IS
The CHAIRMAN moved that 1,286 fifty pound shares 5,14
be forfeited, in which an average of 5/. bad been paid. 121
Mr. STERLING seconded the motion, and it was passed.
The meeting then separated.