The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-13 00:00:00

RAILWAY MEETING.

GLOUCESTER AND DEAN. FOREST.

A specialgeneral mee ing of the shareholders this com-
pany, was held at Gloucester yesterday (8. Baize, Req., in
the chair), to consider the terms of a bid intended to be
brought into the ensuing maim of parliament by the South
Wee. Railway Company, affecting the interests of this
company.
The merits of the dispute between the two companies may
be summed up as follows. In 1847 the Boath Wai.e Cons-
pany undertook to convert a certain tramwa), called the
Bulks Pill tramway, communicating with the South Wales
and Gloucester end Forest of Dean railways, into a locomo-
tive line, and to charge a certain sum only for tragic eon-
veyed on that line. Last session the South Wales Company
introduced a bill into parliament, the object of which was
to relieve themselves Irons this herded° to increase their
tolls, to extend the time of making the line, and virtually to
do away with locomotive power. This bill was successfully
opposed by the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway Com-
pany, and it was thrown out in committee. In ooneequrnce
of the notice of application being given by the South Wales
Company for another bill, the Gloucester and Dean Forest
Company presume that the efforts of last session are to be
renewed, and hence the present special meeting.
The CHAIIIMAN stated that the conferences had already
been held between the directors of the toilsomely and those of
the South Wales Company, and that he considered the
question would ultimately resolve itself into one of a dispute
as to a charge of a halfpenny per ton per mile between the
two companies.
Mr. STURGII, Gloucester, moved a resolution authorising
the directors to oppose the bill in parliament.
It,. CLIC/RAN seconded it.
Mr. Fox, Plymouth, moved an amendment for the ap-
pointment of a committee of shareholders to set vim the di-
rectors of this company in their conference with the South
Wales Company, in order to have inserted in the new bill
such clauses as would have the effect of bringing the Forest
of Dean coal trade to Gloucester and tne surrounding
district.
Mr. H. Baowo, M.P., seconded the motion.
A lona discussion took place, in the course of which the
South Wales Company was charged with attempting re-
pudiatiost, and Mr. Matthews, one of the directors of that
company, denied the imputation, expressing the willingness
of the South Wales board to come to an amicable arrange-
ment. It was also mentioned, that the quantity of eral in
the Forest of Dean is no less than 180,000,000 tons. Some
of the Cheltenham shareholders urged, that if an ~pposition
was decided on, it should not be borne en.irely by the com-
pany, but that the merchants of Gloucester should join as
interested parties.
On the resolution and amendment being put from the
chair, the letter was canned by a large majority.
Thanks were then voted to the chairman, and the pro-
terminated.

Amin OP RAILWAY ACCOUNTS.—The Chancellor of the
Exchequer, in acknowledging the receipt of tke resolutions
pared at the recent meeting of railway proprietors, at Liver-
pool, on the subject of a general audit of railway accounts,
has intimated that the representations contained in them
will receive the beet attention. Toe 'rumen to the general
circular of suggestions for the proposed bill come in but
slowly from the different railway complain. Monday last
was the day on which they were all returnable, but up to
that period scarcely more than one half had been trans-
mitted, though it Is expected that the remaining, or ma-
jority, will all be in by the 19th.
THE EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY COMPANY AND
THEIR ENOINEZIOL—We (Manchester Guardian) have
before alluded to the dispute which had arisen between the
directors of the East Lancashire Railway Company and the
engine driven and firemen in their employ, which resulted
in the whole of the latter giving notice and quitting the ser-
vice of the company on the let inst. We understand that
on Monday evening last a matting of the directors endwise
of the principal officers and shareholders, was held at Ac-
crington, at which a deputation from the engine-drivers was
present, by request of the directors. The meeting resulted
in an understanding that the men should resume their duties
on the line, the directors undertaking to yield to the demand
for the dismissal of Mr. Boyle, the inspector of the line, to
obtain this having been apparently the chief object of the
men. With regard to the minor matters complained of, we
are informed th it was arranged that any grievances which
the engineers had to complain of should be in future sub-
mitted to and decided by the board. About one shall of the
men resumed work on Tuesday evening.
Paosevren Maw LINE OF Ramway.—The Roche:ter
Gusetic says: " It is rumoured that a new lino of railway
from London, and proceeding partially along the valley of
Rotunda's. and close by the town of fievenoaka, and thence
in a direct line to the present railway at Tunbridge, is in
contemplation ; and that several opulent and extensive land-
owner have already made overtur. a in the proper quarter,
in order to fully carry out the project.
Funs:Res.—About 10,0001. wor:h of the newly issued pre-
ference shares, being about one-half the total amount, have
been taken up by two of the iron companies whose interests
identified with the line.

MAKYPORT AND CARLIBLE.—At the clue of the month,
this company takes the management of its own line into its
own bands, independent of the York, Newcastle, and
Berwick.

IRELAND.

llt ALIN, TUESDAY EVENING.
The loss of four lives has resulted from a terrific
boiler explosion which took place in the print works
of Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, at the close of but
week.
There ar in Saunders of this morning a long

appears
list of landed proprietors who have made reductions
in their rove, or forgiven a considerable portion of
arrears. S me of them have already been mentioned:
in your Irish news, and the other cases are not con-
spicuous ones ; but so many examples must have a
most beneficial effect, and serve, with other circum-
stances, to promise better things for this country.
In the Court of Queen's Bench yesterday the new
trial in the interminable will cafe of Ffrench o.
Ffrench was commenced before the Lord Chief Justice
and a special jury.
Mr. Martin Burke, of the Shelbourn Hotel, who
became so well known by his public correspondence
with Lord Brougham, and the comments of that noble
lord on his conduct as a juror in the trial of Mr. Duffy,
was elected town councillor yesterday for the Castle
Ward, in opposition to another repealer.
The Tipperary Free Press publishes a I.;,ng list of
house robberies ommitted in Tipperary and the
neighbouring counties by parties of armed men with
blackened faces. So many occurrences of the same
kind would show that a very formidable band of high-
waymen and burglars flourish in that district, not-
withstanding the numerous police station. which are
scattered over the country.
The following account of a cue of extensive "clear-
ance" is given by the Western Star, a paper pub-
lished at Ballinasloe:
MORE EVICTIONS NEAR MOVNT BELLEW.—We have
received a communication, dated " Cullum?. Mount-
bellew, " detailing some cases of extermination in that neigh-
bourhood, nearly 100 families having been rendered house-
less at this inclement season, at the suit of Mesas. Smyth,
of Portlick, Athlone. From the statement of our correspon-
dent, it appears that the property in question, which ad-
joins the celebrated village of Balltnltss, rendered unfortu-
nately too notorious by the " Gerrard exterminations," a
few yeah since, was allowed to run in wear by a middle-
man, who held under the Messrs. Smyth, and although
several of the unfortunate tenants bad their rents psid up,
they were thrown upon the world as those who owed large
arrears.
The subject of spade husbandry is brought every
day, in some shape, before the public eye. We hear,
for instance, of deputations from one pert of the
country to another, in which the system is practised,
to observe how it works. Thus, a deputation from
Dublin proceeded to Armagh for that purpose last
week, and, it would appear, were well satisfied with
the result. If this mode of agriculture had been
better understood a few years ago, the calamities of
the country would have been greatly alleviated.