The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-18 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 18, 1862.

- -
LONDON AND BLAOKIVALL RAILIVAY.
(THIS DAY.)

The half-yearly meeting of the shay holders was
held at nisei, at the Loudon Tavenr ; Mr. J. M. LANILLL in
the chili.
Tie import haviog bocu previously piNisheil, it was taken
read.
The Cwarents. in movie.; the adoption of the report and
&outsets, maid if the compauy hail not mode progress, there
had, at all events, beeit no retrogression. The paseenger traffic
aloe,. had f4lru off, umitelj, to the exteutluf shoot 1,900/. ;
and even hi that ili.i.artuient there was an increase in the
number of p.....e1i0n.rm I. the extent of 130,000. The hoe
had been_plareil in a c.fo, Lion to receive a greatly augmented
traffic. The traffic connected with the Great Northeru line
had actually inereiocd to Nome extent. and there was every
mama to beliete that the increase would eon.
tinue A very large amount of business wee to
be expected through the Midland Company, who
had laid out • considerable sum in prepeuaMe.e.
The diVillllll9 balance was only 372/. below that d the
curreeponding half of the previous year. He could wish.
its common with others, fur a large dihereooe the other way ;
bet the directors had no power to command trade;
all they could ito was to prepare for it, and attend
to it properly when it came. The capital expendi-
tore of the i.ompeny was now at en end, except,
indeed, in 01%4'4 its which it revnved 6 per trout, for any
outlay. A bill hail been applied for to mime a preferential
stock of :10e,UOUt. 'The object was to protect the interests
of the old proprietors eousistently with a due regard for
three of the new ones.
_- -

J)11All deputy chairmen, seconded the
tootem.
- - -

A ranIIIIITOR expres..ed disuppoietment at the reduction
of the dividend this half-year to 3 from 4 per emit. this
time Lost yowl. plc also tveiplatiasst that the report was not
as explicit as it aught have been, and that the topic upon
the line had not increased in proportion to the enhanced
commercial intportanor of the district arid the number of
additional manufacturing establishments does the river,
sal the increase of shipping in the Esst soil West fedi;
perks.
. .

The CHAIRMAN, after answering rations obkietions to
minor details of the accounts, stated that the shipping
in the Shat and West ledis Looks had demeaned sinew last
year both in numbers and in tonnage ; and as to the ship
bail ling yards, reveal of them had daring many months
been doing little or nothing.
Mr. Gossom moved as an amendment that a legal opinion
mot in to the hood in referee.) to the election of

iiiettla; as a direeiMhe read ; which, being seconded,
elicited a brief personal dircussioo, in the course of which
Mr. Whetham observed that, ea the question was one per-
sonal to himself, he was mute prepared to defend himself
against any lege/ proceedings that might be taken, but he
tad the idea of dragging the board iato a lawsuit
aihe queetion was ultimately put that the opinion in ques-
tion be read, which was negatived by au overwhelming
majority, the mover and seconder of the amendment only
holding up their hands in its favour.
Mr. G. Semi, ose of the auditors. expressed disippoint-
meet that the expectations be had formed in reference to
tie therease of traffic from their connexion with the Great
Northern and idiot. lines hail not been fulfilled. lie
thought the directors in making these agreements should
have insisted upon a minimum guaranteed traffic.
The t'OAtuMAN contended that the directors bad taken
every care for the interests of the company in solder: the
agreements with the Great Northern and Midland com-
panies. It was not theeo companies that came to the
Blackwell, but the Blackwell who went to them
to make the agreements. It was unreasonable to
suppose that they would have guaranteed a minimum traffic
mkr the circumetances. The meson why the trate for
the Great Northern hail not come up to their expectations
war, that that company found a difficulty in getting the
traffic to the water, on account of the expenses and the dif-
ferences with the railway carriers.
A f ter some f urther dimussiou, the resolution was agreed to.

WEATHER REPORT.

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