The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-30 00:00:00

LOWESTOFT HARBOUR.

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We briefly direct your attention to Lowestoft Harbour.
We cannot understand why this harbour has been taken by
the Eastern Counties Company. It can result only in taking
the trade from Yarmouth, and is involving this company in
vast expenses and loss ; no favouritism, no proference
shown to it, can ever make it of any value to you ; its cost
exceeds its earnings. Much injustice towards the agricul-
turists of England has been practised, as is instanced in
taking foreign beasts from Lowestoft to London for 55., a
distance of 145 miles, bringing those beasts through Nor-
wich 20 miles nearer London, while the English farmers'
beasts are charged 12s. for the carriage of 115 miles; it is
and must remain a ruinous adjunct to the Eastern Coun-
ties Railway Company ; unless indeed the sea should wash
up the sand to the destruction of the harbour—which your
committee were informed on their visit of inspection to
that place was most probable—thus relieving this company
from any further loss.

STEAM-BOATS OF THE EASTERN UNION RAILWAY.
By an agreement with the Eastern Union Company, 6th
Feb., 1851, their rolling stock was agreed to be taken by
the Eastern Counties Company, and to be employed in
working the traffic of the associated companies. It was
taken and paid form 1- 54 ; the sum Bet down for the same
was 149,751/. 11s. 60. No resolution or minute of the board
was made stating of what the said rolling stock cous:sted.
The steam-boats amounted, according to a minute of the
secretary of this company in the schedule of valuation, to
upwards of 24,0001. The boats have plied from Ipswich to
Harwich, and from Ipswich to London, entirely at the ex-
pense of the Eastern Counties. Dazing the autumn of last
year some of these boats were put on the run from Tilbury
to Margate and back, chiefly with a view to profit the
Tilbury Company. The chairman (nr. Waddington)
appears to be the person chiefly cognisant with these
matters, and to have conducted them without call-
ing the attention of the board to them, and without
any minute or authority for these purposes. Your
committee is of opinion that the Eastern Counties Com-
pany is not liable to take these boats as part of the rolling
stock, and that they should require the Eastern Union
Company to retake them, and return the money advanced,
and pay for repairs.
HARWICH AND ANTWERP STEAM-BOAT TRAFFIC.
Your committee is of opinion this traffic should not have
been undertaken at all. The North of Europe Steam-
packet Company named Harwich as one of the ports
whence they intended to run steamers to Belgium and else-
where. Mr. Waddington and Lord A. Puget were directors
of that company. They put a steamer on in the autumn of
1851, and it appears that it was not remunerative. They
declined to put on any this year on that ground. And yet,
the Eastern Counties Company, of which those gentlemen
are directors, and likewise on the Antwerp Steam-boat
Committee, have put on steamers without the authority of
your shareholders, and have incurred considerable loss. It
was 2,4001. 13s. 80. to the 30th June, and has since been
considerably increased. There is no hope or prospect of
this traffic paying its expense; the railway fare is ruinously
low. Your committee regret that your directors should
have persisted in this undertaking, after the loss sustained
by the traffic had been pointed out to them, as may be
seen Loin the evidence.