The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-30 00:00:00

GREAT NORTHERN OF FRANCE RAILWAY.

The annual general meeting of the shareholders
of this company took place on Monday, in one of the great
rooms belonging to the Paris terminus, Baron James de
Itothschild, the president, in the chair. M. Baude having
read the report of the committee appointed to examine the
accounts of 1849, which, that document declared, were in
every way correct, M. E. Pereire read the report of the
I hoard of directors, which commences by observing that the
shareholders assembled on this occasion for the first time
I since the entire termination of the works of the railway.
I The last section of the line—that of St. Quentin—was
opened to the public on May 23, 18.50; all the stations are
terminated; two lines of way are laid down in every part of
the undertaking ; and as anthem works have been executed
with the capital hitherto paid up, the board is able to con-
finn the statement already made that tho capital will not
exceed 400 fr. per ah- re. The general account of the ex-
pensea will remain at 203 millions, of which 160 millions
proceed from the money paid up by the shareholders; 40
millions represent the sums to be re-imbursed to the state
by annual payments ; and the remaining 3 millions will
he supplied from the reserve prescribed by the statutes.
The debt to the state, which, when the revolution
of February broke out, amounted to 54,711,667 fr.,
was on 31st of last December only 31,312,229 fr. All the
payments to the treasury were eft'ected by anticipation; the
10 millions reimbursable in the course of 1850, and the last
date for which was Nov. 16, were paid on an average on
March 24; the 1 millions due in 1851, up to the present
time, were also paid befor&rand, one part from May 10
to July lof List year, and the other half front February 4
to March 6 of the present year. The debt owing to the
state is consequently reduced to 29,312,2291 r., intenst
included. The board has paid, since 1804, ,000,000 fr.,
and has in addition in hand 6,877,916 fr. in treasury
bonds, taken in December last at .5 per cent. interest. The
report then enters into a detailed account of the expenses
it incurred during the past year, from which it appears
that, as the whole sum remaining to be expended on lk-
camber 31, 1849, for the principle line and the branches to
Calais, Dunkirk, and St. Quentin, amounted to 11,819,02Gfr.,
and, as a sum of 4,531,4681 r. was paid in 1850, there remained
still to be paid on Deeemour 31, 1850, a sum of 7,283,557 fr.
The money expended in 1860 related principally to the
completion of the St. Quentin line; the definitive construc-
tion of the stations of Calais, St. Omer, and Douai; the en-
largement, as foreseen, of a number of stations and goods'
yards; and, finally, the construction of stock. The com-
munication of the line with the docks has been car-
ried considerably further down the quay, amid now per-
mits goods to be transferred at once front the waggons of
the railway to the vessels ready to receive them. This
amelioration produces a considerable saving, and facilitates
the development of the relations with England, particularly
in the exportation of flour, which is every day increasing.
The whole sum expended during the year 18,4 amounted
to 16,635,466 fr. 83c., of which the following wits the employ-
Iment :—Construction of principal line, 782,20 {fr. 2c.; ditto
lof branch lines, 3,119,16 fr. 45e.; ditto working stock,
, 634,0291 r. 36e. ; payments to the state, 12,000,000 fr.
The report then proceeds to give an account of the working
for the past year, and states that the n..sults have been must
favourable, as all the branches of revenue have experienced
a notable improvement. The following table will give an
idea of this amelioration :

1616. 1810. !WA),
Pserena, re
Go,,ds by einkic train.
Goods ay cum train' 5,5,17,91P1f. 6,9.7,29

13;471,214f. 19,326,4/sf. 2.3,001,503 f.le I
The passengers receipts show an improvement of
f 0 I
2,482,1831 r. or 27 per cent. over those of 1819, and in that el,.
sum the pleasure-trains prusluced 51e2,902fr. The quick is
trains prescut a total augmentation of 24 per cent., and the U I
slow trains one of 20 per cent. In looking at the receipts Ise;
of the stations, it is tumid that those on the frontiers have
increesed by far the most—those of Quievrain art 40 per N:
cent. higher ; Dunkirk, 38 per cent. ; Calais, 224 per tent.;
and Mouserun, 71 per cent. The report remarks that, it a 134 I
more intelligent system of customs were established, this in- 20
crease would doubtless even be still more considerable. The
expensto have by no means augmented in proportion to the ;;4
increase in the receipts, as from being 7,386,4341'r., they are I
only 8,837,1165 fr. in 18:10. The augmentation in the items se
of the central administration, division of working, anal to
divsion of repairs, is only 143 per cent., and in the division 2
of stuck and workshops, the charges which arc in more di-
reit connexion with the tratfic, 24 per cent. And even this ;
'
' latter charge has during the past year been unusually high, 3,t
in consequence of the extraordinary repairs rendered ne-
bs
c..ssury iu the carriages, the state of which had suffered
more than ordinarily from the perturbation caused iu the 141-
workshops in consequence of the revolution of February. 1,5
This item during the present and ensuing years will re- si.•
turn to itigeneral level, the stock now being in the must
perfect state of repair, with the introduction of all the im- 4
provements calculated to increase the power of the locoing..
tives, and to reduce the consumption of coke, Se. To sum 104
up this part of the report, the receipts of working, tleduc-
inn' made of taxes on passengers, indemnities, money paid
back, etc. 101'
Amount to 471,411t. Ire.
ow.' the expellee to. 5,124 `"

22,47

I:wring a b lane of
This balance has been expended us follows:
•inktne NM —... .................. „.... ...
laterelit on the mew dee 00 the Oath ..............
Itherent at tour p r sent. Oa the
•unle iluid br the atalebobleth ..A430,7713 f. oe.
Mane, in•ere... on obonry intro ed
and ou drlar it in poiote calls
-------. 6,044,504 44
1 avidrnd 1.,e I&Sn . _ 3,10,..00 0
Sam remaining o!tr for IWO 15,741 32

8,4:1,1%99,, sre.
2,u,2,1 43 b

13,416 247 L fle.
There was paid to the shareholders on July 1, 1850, and
January 1, 18:31, as interest at 4 per cent. for the year IMO,
16fr. per share. The dividend will amount to Ste., giving
for each share for 1850, 241 r. The dividend of tifr. n ill be 92
paid at the same time as the interest of the first half year of "
18.51, which will raise the sum to be received on the Ist &&
of July next to 16fr. per share. The establishment of the
electric telegraph on the line is then alluded to, and is 30
spoken of as highly advantageous to the service in simplify- 33
ing all the details of the working. The plan of receiving „,
shares in ilepiot for the shareholders had been found to
answer perfectly, the number ut present in sada keeping I
being 61,482. The Northern Company had purchased,
in conjunction with that of Strasburg, nine hectares of
land situated beta ein the Paris termini of the two lines. 61
The two companies addressed, on October 25t1i, 1810,
to
the 7Olinistior of Public Works au application for permit.- &&
short to establish a junction line between the two main lines.
The application was referred to a commission, which thought 40
it necessary on the occasion to discuss the bases of a general
junction line for all the railways having a terminus in Paris.
In consequence, no definitive answer has yet been given to al
the demand made ; all that the Northern and Strasburg St
companies wanted was a ready means of communication be- 4
1!,
tween their lines, which they were quite willing to edict at "
their own expense, and the cost of a bleb would not exceed 3i
from 60,000 tr. to 811,000 fr. The establishment of such a line oti
was altogether independent of a general junction line, and
would, if executed, save both companies very considerable 61
expense. As the matter was so simple in its nature, the
board would continue its representations on the subject to
the government authorities. In the last piece, the report
alludes to the improvements lately established in the corn- Ili
munications with England and Germany. The traveller *I
ran now leave Paris at half-post seven in the evening, and
et
arrive in London at a quarter to eight the next morn.
and can go over the whole distant* from Paris to
Edinburgh, 1,211 kilometres. or 752 English miles, in less
than 2(1 hours. Also, from the Ist of May such additional
rapidity
-
rapidity was to he imparted to the service to Germany, that 66 1
the journey front Paris to Berlin would be effected in Ili
10
hours, and from Paris to Cologne in 171 hours. Likewise, 6
by Calais from Berlin to London, he 40 hours, and from 11.
Cologne to London in •221 hours. fb
After the reading of the report had terminated, 3
M. l'epin-Lehalleur read a short report from the ad- 2*
ministrative committee on the accounts presented for 1850. ri
It stated that they had been most carefully drawn up, and
that the committee could recommend to the meeting to •
adopt them in full confidence.
The conclusions of the report of the committee on the 16
accounts of 1819 were then approved of, and the accounts 21
declared to be definitively passed. i 7
The accounts just presented for 1850 were then pro-
visionally approved of, as was the dividend of Sfr. per share 17
proposed, mud the same committee was appointed to
amine them as had examined those of 1849.
The out-going directors, MM. Ilottinguer, Canard,
Dossier, F. Baring. and 1/alon were re-elected unanimously.
Leave was then given to the board to sell certain por-
tions of laud now deemed useless to the company, and the
pureltar,e, in conjunction with the Strasbourg company, of
certain ground to effect a junctionoline between the two
railways, woo approved of.
The CHAIItMAN, in answer to a question asked rela-
tive to the payment of the dividend, stated that any share-
holder could fir at once pain the amount coming to him, on
a discount of 4 per per cent., the rate of interest at which
Treasury bonds were held by the companies being 4 per
cent. (Marks of satisfaction greeted this announcement).
The meeting then separated.

TIRE STOCK EXCITANGE.—The Exhibition excites
the more interest on the Stock Exchange, as the ht of
May is always observed as a holiday there, on account of
the half-yearly balancing of the books at the Bank of
England. The holiday at the Bank, however, is one to the
clerks and not to the employe's, who will have a hard
day's work at the books. The Stuck Exchange members
will be able to attend the Exhibition ceremonies with the
igh ter hearts, as Wednesday is what is called a settling
day, and a number of accounts will be closed up.
COURT OF COMMON COCNClL.—Yesterday ncourt
was held.—Mr. White gave notice of motion to the effect
that the eminent foreigners in town upon tbe occasion of
the Great Exhibition be invited to an entertainment to be
given by the corporation.