The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-07 00:00:00

BRISTOL NORTHERN AND WESTERN RAIL-WAY
COMP.tN Y.
Yesterday a Meeting of Shareholders was held at the King's
Head Tavern, in the Poultry, In pursuance to public notice.

P. A NW IC I 4 tSt I, Esq. was called to the Chair.
The CHAIRMAN stated the object for which the Meeting had
been convened. From the apparent difficulty of ever carrying
the measure into (freer, several hhareholdets resident in London.
as well as many persona in theeountry, whO were interested in it.
had come to the determination of applying to the Directors to
dissolve the Company, and return the deposits on the shares, with a
reasonable deduction to inert the expenses already Incurred. This he
conceived was the most prudent course that could be adopted under
every circumstance. From the well known hostility which Parliament
had shown to rail. way, there could be littleespeetation of the Bill
being carried, and even if it were ob:ained, the Company would
have :o contend with very serious opposition on the part of the
landed proprietors, the major part of whom he had reason to know
were decidedly averse to it. At all events, the Shareholders would
not meet any further calls, so that the Directors must see the ne-
cessity of abandoning the measure. He had been led to expect
that some of the Committee would have been la attendance to give
the Shareholders some information as to what they intended doing ;
and he regretted they had not some forward, as it was desirable
that the subject should have a free and full discussion before .any
decisive steps were taken. He then adverted to an anonymous
statement, which appeared In another paper of yesterday, which
spoke in very favourable MITTS of the Company, and represented
that the funds had never been misapplied, there being sow a sum
of 26,0911/. which was vested in Exchequer Hills ; it also intimated
that • letter from Metiers. Osbotne and Ward, the respectable so-
licitors, would be read to the meeting. No truth letter bad, how.
ever, come to his knowledge; but if it was a fact that 26,0001. had
been so invested, the interest arising thereon for fifteen months
would go far towards defraying the expenses. He was confident
that the Directors would not attempt to drag an unwilling pro.
prietary along with them; but if they attempted to do so, it would
share the same fate as the Kentish rail-way, which was persevered
in to the last moment, and via then abandoned aftgr an enormous
and unprofitable expenditure of money.
Mr. /1100111 E observed that the Directors bad admitted that they
could not go to Parliament this Session.
The CHAIRMAN said, it did not signify, because if the majority
of the Shareholders were opposed to them, they should dissolve the
Company, for Parliament would not pass the Bill.
Mr. RAYNER felt it unnecessary to go into any lengthened de.
tail ; after the very satisfactory reasons adduced by the Chairman
for the dissolution of the Company, he conceived that the Share.
holders had hut one course to pursue, namely, to throw their sen.
timents together in a formal shape, and lay them before the Di.
rectors, and if they refused to acquiesce with the Shereholders,
other stepsmight be taken hereafter for effecting the object they had
in view. He would therefore propose a few resolutions to that
effect.

The Resolutions were somewhat the same in purport as what the
Chairman had stated in hill opening remarks.
A Committee of four gentlemen were then appointed to cones-
pond with the Directors at Bristol, anti were authorised to adopt
such measures as should seem expedient to them in order to pro.
mote the objects in view, and to report the result of their labours
at a future meeting of shareholders to be convened for that put-
pate.
Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the meeting broke
up.