The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-16 00:00:00

CJUNTIES PROP RI F.Ttllti.

" Loadoo, Nay 30, 1849.
" Cientlemer,—l avail myself of the l:pp .rtuelty tkat your
assembling together upon ft qu etion lurching ,he future
management of the E 'stern Cou s Aiwa), affords me to
bring under your netiwt the p within which I occupied at the
lia,tern Counties blud, and to offer a few explanations u;:on
pints which 1 Ir.tl not an oi.portunity of doing at the excited
meetine of shareholders, on the 10th Instant.

In the tint place, .1
am desirous of static, that upon
my roeigning the env of deputy-eheirman of the
Manchester and Birmingham Ittilimey, I dun announced
that it was not my intention spin to tike an active p.rt
in railway management; but a depetati n from the
Bittern Counties eirry waiting open me, I was
induced to alter my opinion upon the nadentandhag that
I wee to be elected Chairman of the E tstern Countice board.
Subsequently I had an interview with the Chairmen of tho
Compeer (Mr. Bosanqoet) and other active reenshers of the
board, when this arrangement was colifirmod ; Air. B-san-
quet aerating to retire :or that purpote. A short time after-
wer,ls I was informed that the shartholdere and the board of
directors had invited Mr. Hudson to bo chairman. A' this
course I was much surprised, and went immediately to York
to acquaint tosselt with the foetus. Mr. Hudson informed
me th A he wailers:clod 1 was to ha his deputy-ehairman. I
told: him that 1 had tutu invited end auereel the office of
chairman ; he ing pruned, however, to take office, it'ru ulti-
mately arranged that 1 abnuld do en with tie management
of the traffic, as chairman of the traffic ceinmittes.
"The result has Men, haring b conic member of the
board in 1545, that the trtffic he's Mere:red from 114,0001.
for the haloyeerendine July, 1816, to 490,0001. for the half-
veer ending Jaivary, 1819. It is true tette has been •
large additional mileage opened, but looking to the character
of the country I hesitate not to say that a more successful
development of traffic hes not been accumpiished la this
country, bat this has been done by great sicofices on my
part, inesmach es it bivalved my ram •sl Irma Manch tater
to the vicinity of the Eastern Comities Railway toe nettle
met, give me personal end undivi led attention to its in-
terests. From October, 1815, to March, 1846, I lid my
family is blanched-r, whilst I teas inecsaalit iv my attend-
ance at the Rut ea Counties Railway, t the Lute spent
in ttavel'ing to and trim Manchester to %bat my family, and
wrings the appointment of as inuat to c iuduct any private
affairs in Menet .titer consequett upon my real us' to Lou-
don, end who.. salary I have contiatued top., from thattime
to the present.
" Tee teethe arrangements were so incomplete that I had
to oreaniu and reurraega the whole id that department,
and during the lane extent of bunters • hich ft Uttered, and
the anxiety of mind I cuff red in °ono quince of
the locomotive department pr an q tio the work
to be performed, end the inodeqoate a:-teen end siding
nceosttunilation, it is int.taiihle for me so e-nv/ any
idea of as to its intensity ; and I emi with feelings of
honest pride refer to eumberhos letters I have rtadved
trona proprietors, thanking in. for those :orders and
:heir bolas th it I she uld be ample n w eded. I sok.
then, wet it fair towards me that the commfites of bawl
ligation, who were cognisant of the greet time, labour,
and attention 1 ha.l devoted in furth• ring the irate, mg
f tho company, and tient s iceessiolly so far as the
treflie department was concereed, not to notice this in
their report, when th. y alluded to the suet of 2,0001.
which hed hen voted to me by the directors. I did not
rule for praise at their hand., but I cons Entitled to justice;
end in miming the rues they ought to hose stared that which
they well knew, that my labour had him hutment in behalf
of the Basteen Counties proprieton.
t. Now, as t the ua de in which this rum wen voted to tne,
two directon who see examined prove the: it will proposed
by the chairman, a d sanctioned by the die caters, two or t •
ihrectirs signing a chi quo. It ;yours to have been mad*
out to extensions, because it was to he eharesil to extension
capital ; by an accident, no mix ate f the b t.rd fur this pay-
ment iippe ars, but two giatlenten of ,he high. at honour de-
clare to the La of the direcuu glee ioning the payment,
and thereupon the rep tr., ineeed or coefirming the com-
plaint *gaitd me to receiving teem the bleed what it
was prnperly th' province of the proor:etou to bestow,
if they thought fit, level at me he inuatio .s by the man-
ner of desmibing the gift, an-1 classing it with unexplained
expenditure, which 1 cannot r. train from saying exhibits a
desire to pr juice and iniu•e me with the proprietar". Had
the report frankly staied thot the be a: d should have recom-
mended to the proprietor, this payment imite-d of making
it, I should have del reed to such an °pita ith the remark
that I believed my h ivy and anxious extra services to the
company, fir beyond Shoes of soy other nember of the
board, enttlel me to ex re recompei rut my colleagues
having so conii :creel it, who, requesting me to withdraw
whilst they deliberated upon the auldut.e.el living the sum
at 2,0601., I ac: epted the 11141ont si h nee and un-
hesitatingly, r a I felt it my du,. It 'twilit urge stionably
have been inure regular to have submit!. .1 tee propriety of
the payment to the shareholder, rr taught their unction
to It after it was made. I regret this was not dent. Hr.
Hudson contemplated ex rs remuniditien lo Inc given to
ta . at the meeting of propricters in V bruary, 1817, when
he pointed out the great exortione I was waltieg to promote
the compauy'a interests, and there wan no rrison why this
gift should not hive been hroueht b fore the meeting in
August, 1817. If this her been done It rank' hero been
more Bahia:tory to my holier, as 1 foe 1 convineed that
at that time the proprietors were satisfied tl the almost
emire devotion of my time In developing the resources of
the line.

" A+ to the 1,000!. prequel receied by me in October,
1816, in respect of 508 Wiabeach and St. Ives eheres,
beg to state that I received no premium nor sum in this
nut any other ease but such as I considered I had a right
to receive; and art an illustririon !hat I would not
reoeive any premium knowingly, feeli• gft to be wrong,
I may mentien, that noon the completion of the per-
chase of the Maldon, Witham, and Braintz. e Railway by
this compeey at 103. per share premium, that campany
having a reserve of shares, offered me 351 abates, which I
+Weaned, although 1 could have poekrted the p. curt= with-
out anything farther b• ing krv,wn shunt I have a docu-
ment in my poswasion which e i prove this. I have further
to state upon this subject that there was no dinettes, or beeresy
about the payment. Mr. Hudson's name and to own were
ieeeited in the cheques end bantri's by k, and the cheques
were open to the here' etien of the elfin re of the company,
same as other cheer.es paid by the err • -'y c..r Whbeael
and St. Ives shafts. Mr. Danean, the solicitor of tee
company, carried throogh the arriuteemert up to the
signing of the chequrs; aid as lee whitest...l a letter to the
board of directors giving particulars of the transectien, I beg
to enclose a c lay for sour information, meetly (Nerving that a
letter was addressed by Mr. James, the managing clerk of
Mr. Duncan, from the efflee of the let!, at Westminster to
the secretary of the Winbeesth and St. Ives Company
which is not ailed(/' to in the letter of Mr. Duncan, and to
which I he, to tell your att. t tion. Mr. Day, of St. Ives,
the sell iter of the Wisbe+ch and St. Jess C mpany, can
furniett yeti wi h a copy. As it is a leer which may be
quoted against M 9 on account of my name being made use
et, I have only to sae that it was not by my authority' my
name was used by Mr. James. Up to that teens Mr. James
and my+ If were uusequaiated with each other • xoept by
,idhr. Mr. J ,mas paper)+, th it he wrote it by order of
Mr. Duncan, and he net confirm whia• cannot be disputed,
that I did not give him any authority, nor in fact exchange
words with him upon the subject. Irr vat that I con-
sidered myself entitled to the 1,0001., yr t I am at the Fame
time prepared to Erman this or coy other question that may
he in dispute with me to the fair d cider: of arbitrators, and
to abide by their award.
" There is another subject whirr'. I will only bristly refer
to, as an inquiry is now taking place by • e motive° of the
House of Commons as to an expenditure by the Size-lane
Committee.
" Tnis expenditure was incurred in the elm of putting a
s'op to the pretreat, of the Lon' on end York line, IC lob, If
successful, would have baen of great importune* to this com-
pany. The B card of Trade han report. d 'n favour of the
I xtension of the Eastern Ceuntiee lice from Cambridge to
York, and I then felt it my duty to support by the stroneest
measures the scheme that was suleni•ted. to me for defeating
the rival project (rem Lon Nan to Y rk. Durtio the vehe-
ment parliamentary struggle+ of tied time I felt that we were
figh'ing almost for the vitality of the comeeny, and although
we were unlace, sera in this ease, oet we ultimetly pre-
vented th- London and York party from obtaining a second
line late Cambridge.
"If I had bran allowed by the la'e meeting calmly to
have addreswd them it was nit driOn'ien en have mentioned
that In my opinion an exaggerate& Atstentf nt beta sub-
mitted of the sums charged to cepteliand chit if I hod bean
caneulted by the eemmittee of invecifon and their ac-
countant, I have no doubt I enisld c s.tisf-etordy ex-
' plained to them that many itemikelterged to capita, and
which in the report it is rated °nett tabc charged to reve-
nue, were rightly charge:l to capital. I re girt ghat this oppor-
tunity was not afforded me.
" With ref, recce to the imprennion r x's'ieg generally
I should
edthalot rtwceanldj'ah'tiel!tiothniel board
nes
we hod orieinate I the Increase
'Merl; ad".l9len'irlint es that had
afenfe:ehagarb‘dharapetysnocrvekdthhitesseutrea'itteP'spar:flfriatha,mett3T2atig,i9:ooo
I been promoted and eourr .cted f s nee t trs,d, " all the
other miring linos of th cempany hevine previously
sonetioned by perlism-u•. or !susi i. cl for," were the Mal-
den, Withsm, end B :rep, and the E. 411 and Edmon-
ten lin-o, tozether fl•teee miles of rail wey, at a coat of about
! 300.0001. There has been a large expenditure for carriages
; end waggons, aidirgn, g 't wareheusee, Eel increased sta-
tion accemmedatire, I .c.z:otire sad waggn.. r, ;air!tig shape,
but I meek with eolithsee, thee: the hex.. Ed bu'ineu
upon this line could rot bare been earoi-d on unless the
seder port of sir h r xpenditure had been leen red.
•• I have made the foregoing stateme• t, net in a spirit of
complaint, nor with a vie er of obtaining fri I.ils to put me
again forward as director; for having sold my sheers, which
will he transferred on the 31st indent, t• e dear on which I
understood the new boari would be elected, I ;hall become
disqualified on that day, but I 10.1k9 it with a view of laying
a fair statement before so impar.ant a portion eel the merle-
tore, feeling maidens that 'hey will, upon pas seal, arrive at
the continua' that I am no: the merastary character which