The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-21 00:00:00

THE LEEDS NORTHERN RAILWAY.

The following report of the directors, to be sub-
mitted to the ordinary half-yearly meeting of the rimpany,
to be- held in the Large Room in the Stuck Exchange, at
Leeds, on Friday, the 25th of February, has jut been
issued:

" From tl e annexed Ghat menu of account for the half-
year ending December 3lst, 1852, it will be observed that
the amount expended during that period, under the head of
capital, was 1:0,4331. lls.; and that the principal items of
such expenditure are on account of works, stations, perma-
nent materials, and working stock, in connexion with the
Extension Line of railway. Your directors have continued
to pursue the policy of postponing auy further calls on the
company's preference shores, and they hove been enabled
to meet the more urgent claims upon the company chiefly
by means of temporary loans and advance., and by the
sale of forfeited shares. Your directors are also continuing
their endeavours to renew the debenture loans of the
company, as these from time to time (all due, at lower roes
of interest; and they have recently succeed..d in obtaining
considerable sums on loan at 3t per cent. From the state-
ment of the revenue account for the past half-year, it will
be observed that the growl traffic receipts during that
period were
From which deduct working

expenses
dud the government duty on p
7.54
10 7
passengers

-
-- 19,202 0 2
Leaving a surplus for the half-year of 19,310 19 9
To this add the balance of last half-year 1.907 11 7
And there remains a total disposable surplus
of £20,018 11 4
As the entire interest upon the company's loans on deben-
ture is well as its other advances on loan. is now for the
6nt time chargeable against revenue, in eoosequenee of the
line having been opened fur traffic during the whole of the
last half.year, and the sum required to cover these charges
amounts to 18,4671 &a 11d., there osly remain. a balance
of 2,4511. 2s. 5d.; and, inasmuch as several large sums are
still due by the company as compensation for the un-
fortunate accidents which occurred last autumn, and which
are chargeable against revenue, this balance must neces-
sarily be carried over to the next half-year's account.
The past half-year being the first since the opening of the
line throughout, the receipts and payments do not admit of
comparison with a corresponding previous half-year ; nor,
indeed, is it necessary to analyse them, in view of the anti
cipated early amalgamation of this company with the York
Newcastle and Berwick and York and North Midland
Railway Companies. This amalgamation, which, after
mature consideration, has been so fully approved of by this
company, will, it is hoped, have received, previously to the
half.yearly meeting, the sanction of the shareholders of the
two York companies to the improved terms to be submitted
to them, as provisionally obtained from their respective
boards by the committee of this company appointed at the
special general meeting held on the 2ud of November last.
In the meantime, the present independent working of the
line has been placed on an amicable and satisfactory
footing as regards the two other companies; and, is
cue the assent of the shareholders in those companies
is obtained, as expected, it is proposed that the interim
working traffic arrangements, until the act of parliament
sanctioning the amalgamation can be obtained, shall
commence from the Ist of April next. The requisite
prelimicary steps have, in accordance with these ar-
rangements, been taken towards obtaining the act of parlia-
ment to legalise the amalgamation of the three companies
under the name of 'The North Eastern Railway Company.'

EAST AND WEST INDIA DOCK AND BIRMINODAN
JuKenos RAMP/ALT.—On Saturday the half yearly meec
fag of the proprietors was held at the Euston Terminus ;
Mr. J. Scott. in the chair. The report showed that the
gross receipts from traffic during the last half-year
amounted to 37,6631. ss, and the expenditure to 22,1361.
10s. 10d. ; leaving, after adding the surplus of 121. 181.4 d.
from the previous half-year's accounts, a total net receipt of
16,5401. 12s. 64. . • from which, deducting inter, et on deben•
tures (5,1381. 18e. Bd.), there remand a balance available
for dividend of 10,4031. 13e. 10d. This earn would admit of
a payment of 15e. • share, and leave 6631. 13s. 10d. to be
earned forward to the credit of the next half-year's account.
The directors recommended a dividend at that rate. The
Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, conger
tulaterittbe meeting on the progressive increase in the traffic;
observing that the number of parwgera in excess of the
corresponding half-year of 1861 was 135,657 ; ;snaking an
addition to the receipts of 1,8461. 2s. 9d. He also remarked,
that in the first seven weeks of the current half year there
had been a comparative increase of nearly 9601., or about
16 per cent. The goods traffic was gradually developing
Setif, and a very great secession might be anticipated,
which would now be aided by the completion of the com-
munication with Haydon-square. Ia reply to • question,
the chairman stated that the company bad no financial in-
terest in the Woodford scheme, though the directors hoped
that, if carried out, it would benefit the line. The report
was adopted unanimously; the dividend recommended,
which is at the rate of 3 per cent., was declared ; and, after
re-electing the retiring directors, and passing a vote of
thanks to the chairman and kis as-directory, the meeting
separated.
BRISTOL AND EXETER RAILWAY.—The report to
be presented to the approaching half-yearly meeting states
that the gross traffic receipts upon the Bente! and Exeter
Railway, from the Ist of July to the 81st of December,
18.52 (including the sum of 2,2651. 4s. 7d., received on the
Exeter and Crediton Railway, and due to the Bristol and
Exeter Railway Company), amount to the sum of ,
129,8211. 21. bd., which is 2,1771.85. 2d. more than in the
corresponding half of the year 1851. The working ex-
penem, during the same period, amount to 67,3801. 191.4 d.,
or 44.20 per cent. on the grove receipts, and 8231. 14e. Id.
par mile on 92 miles of railway. This increase of
10,81 W. Os. 9d. above the working expenses in 1851, arises
chiefly upon the maintenance of the permanent way and
the repairs of locomotive plant, both of which have been
very much improved. The number of passengers is 488,219,
conveyed 13,710,925 miles; but, in order to institute a com-
parison with the corresponding half of the year 1851, the
passengers on the Exeter and Crediton line, namely, 79,691,
conveyed 5.57,848 miles, must be deducted. The numbers
will then be 408,524 passengers, conveyed 13,1.53,067
miles—making 30,666 more passengers on the Bristol and
Exeter line proper, conveyed 1,630,341 miles more than In
1851. The disposable balance of the revenue account, in-
chiding the sum of 9,0041. 19s. 7d., brought over from the
former half-hear, is 66.5341. 3s. 3d., which will provide for
a dividend of 4} per cent. per annum, or 21 per cent for
the half-year on 2,000,0001. of consolidated stock. The sur-
plus then remaining to be carried to the credit cf the next
half-year will be 10,5341. 3s. 3d.
GREAT BOVTUERN AND WESTERN (IRELAND) RAlL-
way.—The stated half-yearly meeting of this company was
held in Dublin on Saturday. The attendance was large,
and the chair was taken by Sir E. M'Donnell, chairman of
the company. The directors, in their report, stated that
the traffic fur the past half-year, as compared with the cor-
responding period of 1851, showed au increase of 16,1391.;
nor was the increase confined to any particular traffic, but
appeared to he extended to passengers, goods, and cattle.
There was • slight increase in the working expense.,
which, as compared with the receipts, were equal to 34 per I
cent. The nett surplus revenue for the half-year was
60,953!., nut of which a dividend at the rate of 41 per cent.,
or 11. 2s. 6.1. per shire, was recommended. This would
leave a balance of 4,7081. to be carried to the next half.
year's account. Arrangements had been made for carrying
out the magnetic telegraph between Dublin and Cork. The
Killarney Junction Railway will be opened in May next.
A discussion took place as to the purchase of the Grand
Canal by the ralway company, and from the conversation
which ensued, it is evident that an amicable strangernvnt
will be arrived at. The report wan unanimaic.ly adapted.
ffil

A MILITARY DEFAULTER.—Sergeant Hunter, at-
tached to Captain and Adjutant Brenli y's trJep of the
Royal Horse Artillery, has disappeared this week from the
garrison, the defileation in his account =winning to ROL
—Kentish Mercury.