The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-09 00:00:00

S U N
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--'-'---..1,.. :.I if
Thionville and Metz will effect a junction with the.Pirk,t if
ij
and Strasbourg line. As respects that part of tAs.,liis•-_,:';, e 27
between Namur and Arlon, on wbith_ tl,%"epp_L--„,,, j
ment guarantee a minimum rate of 4-pet-newt: '- -''.
800,0001., . there will, doubtless, be/ ici y‘ly ( ici7ilik :1 N:
siderablo local traffic. This district produces store of
all kinds, slate, iron ores, marble, timber, bark, lime,
and all agricultural produce, which will inevitably give
rise to a considerable traffic, while all that is con-
sumed in this district, except agricultural produce, such
as salt, colonials, manufactured goods, and all ether ar-
ticles for the use of industr.al establishments, and coal,
mud inevitably be conveyed by the railway. It may
therefore fairly be inferred that the Great Luxembourg
' Railway in the present form of the concession, as re-
gards the receipts to be anticipated, is in a position at
least equally good as are the State railways of Belgium.
`--The receipts on these latter are increasing year by year ;
in 1849 the total receipts were rather less than
13,000,000 f. (520,0001.), while in the year 1854 they
exceeded 22,000,000 f. (880,0001.) The receipts nearly
doubled in the course of six years, and have yielded a
profit in the latter year of 61 per cent. It must not,
however, be assumed that such a result as this will be
attained all at once, liut the directors believe themselves
to be fully justified in looking forward to its realisation
at the distant period from the completion of the line,
provided it be worked with the necessary energy and
economy. There is no reason to believe that the cost
per mile of the Great Luxembourg Railway will be much
greater than has been the average cost of the State rail-
ways in Belgium. Besides the railway, the Great
Luxembourg Company have a property in a canal, for
the purpose of which, according to the books of the com-
pany, 260,2011. of the capital has been appropriated,
which is very much to be regretted. There has also
been p lid for land, works, and contingent expenses up to
the present time 45,1931. The probable cost of further
improvements will amount to 120,0001., which, with the
former, will make 165,1931. The most careful estimate of
the net revenue to be obtained from the canal is 8,8201., .
being more than 5 per cent. on the total cost of the im•
provements. The directors venture to express an opinion
that 954,0001. will be sufficient to finish the railway to
its southern terminus at Arlon and. supply the rolling
stock and stations. If to this is added the 120,0001. to
complete the canalisation of the Ourthe to Barvoux, it
will require 1,074,0001, and, adding 5 percent. for con-
tingencies, it will give 1,127,7001. as the cost of com-
pleting the railway and canal. To meet this expendi-
ture the company have still to receive 7t. per share on
78,335 shares, ou which the calls have been paid. The
company have also to issue 87,800 obligations of 41.
_each, which, at par, will produce 351,2001., making to-
gether 899,545/. The directors propose, as a further re-
source, to re-issue such a number of the forfeited shares
as will make up 100,000 shares of 201. each. These
shares it is proposed to offer rateably, in the first place,
to the existing shareholders at 41. each, writing them up
to 141. paid ; this will give an additional available capi-
tal of 216,650/ , which, added to the 899,5451., will give
1,116,1951. tor the completion of the railway and canal.
In conclusion, the directors express their high sense of
the confidence which has bean placed in them by the pro-
prietors—a confidence which they have endeavoured to
deserve by anxious and unremitting exertion to place
the concern, which they found in a most deplorable po-
sition, en a sound and healthful basis, and they respect-
fully leave it to the proprietors to judge whether those
exertions have been sufficiently successful to justify a
continuance of their support.

-

RAILWAYS IN THE CAPE OF GOOD
HOPE.

The Select Committee of the House of Assembly
appointed to inquire into the expediency of affording go-
vernment encouragement to the construction of railroads
in the Cape of Good Hope have presented their report
Their conclusions are as follow :

" 1. Toat the topographical features of several por•
tions of this colony are particularly favourable for the
formati ,n of railroads.

"2. That in more than one loca'ity the traffic now
existing, and that which would bo created by improved
means of transit, would seem to warrant the introduc-
tion of communication by rail.
" 3. That the best interests of the colony, and the
whole internal economy of the country, would be con-
siderably benefited by the establishment of such im-
proved means of communication, inasmuch as the pro-
ducer would thereby be relieved from a great portion of
the difficulties he now experiences in bringing the fruits
of his labour to a favourable market, while, at the same
time, the labour now employed in this necessary occupa-
tion might, in a great measure, be made available for
other purposes. There are many other weighty reasons
which, in the opinion ofyour committee, render it highly
desirable that the colonial government should encourage
and assist in promoting railroad communication in South
Africa ; but it is difficult to arrive at any definite plan
for affording such assistance with safety to the colonial
revenue awl benefit of railway enterprise. After
maturely considering the subject, your committee believe
that nothing short of the direct guarantee of a certain
rate of interest on the capital required would induce
parties in England or elsewhere to furnish the means for
carrying out such works in this colony ; and they fur-
ther think that this guarantee might be safely undertaken
by the colonial government under certain precautionary
restrictions. Those restrictions might be something like
the folle-"e• • -
• Ist. The projectors of any proposed line of railway
to have proper surveys, levels, sections, working plans,
and estimates prepared at their own sole expense, and
be prepared to prove, by sufficient evidence, that the
scheme is practicable and likely not only to be remune-
rative to the shareholders, but of benefit to the commu-
nity generally.
" 2d. That such plans, estimates, &c., eball be laid
before Parliament, or some competent board of commis-
sioners appointed for the purpose ; and if, after having
been minutely and fully inquired into, it shall be found
that the proposed speculation is legitimate and expe-
dient, such authorised body as aforesaid shall report to
that effect ; and then, and not till then, the colonial
government should undertake the guarantee in question.
" Your committee have further to report that the
allegations contained in a petition prevented to this
house by the lessees and others interested in the deve-
lopment of the mineral riches of Little Namaqualand
have been fully investigated. It will be seen, by the
evidence attached to this report, that the Colonial Sur-
veyor-General has supplied some valuable information
on this head ; and your committee have given the sub-
ct their earnest attention, considering it a matter of
such importance to the welfare of the colony at large as
to merit the immediate attention of the legislature. The
result of their inquiry has gone to prove—
" 1. That immense quantities of copper ore, of excel-
lent quality, exist in the district alluded to, which can
be raised to the surface at a comparatively trifling cost.
"2. That the present means of transit are so defec-
tive and expensive as to prevent the removal of any ore,
except such as contains not less than 25 per cent. of
pure copper.
~e. That the great mass of ore is found to vary in
richness from 12 per cent. to 18 per cent., and cannot
therefore be removed, under existing circumstances, with
any chance of success. And your committee are there-
fore of opinion that, except some assistance be rendered,
the greater number of the present lessees will be com-
pelled to abandon their works ; and the riches of the
country, which might otherwise contribute so largely to
the colonial prosperity, will remain dormant in the
bowels of the earth. To prevent so undesirable a con-
summation your committee would recommend that one
or other of the following concessions should be made on
the part of the colonial government :
"1. By extending the leases from fifteen to fifty years,
and thereby putting the lessees into a favourable posi-
tion for making the necessary improvements in the roads
to a seaport.
" 2. By guaranteeing a reasonable rate of interest upon
the capital required to complete a railway, on condition
that, in the event of any deficiency occurring, such defi-
ciencyixntge
extent
an
oifnt
one-half,ere interest in
the formation of a railway,
tonof
oshreouelxpdobreted.
made up by a tax or toll upon every
" 3. By the colonial governmentsay t
on the understanding that the other parties concerned
should pay interest on the amount so contributed out of
othte taking
the annual profits amongst the shareholders. Al-
the proceeds of the working of the scheme before divid-
ing
though your committee would be glad to see any one of
these suggestions adopted, yet they beg to state that, in
I the present position of the colonial finances, they think
thst an extension of leases would be most advisable, as
no risk would thereby accrue to the colonial revenue ;
while, on the other hand, any new discoveries which
might in future be made would be the property of the
government, and might be disposed of, or worked to
considerableovernnet advantage. Your committee would also
recommend that efforts should be made to bring about
the construction of good common roads in Namaqua-
land, and would suggest the employment of colonial
convict labour in that country as soon as practicable."

" The King of Hanover," says the Hamburg
Courier, " will shortly proceed to Wurtemberg,
to be present at a family fete. His Majesty will
first visit Cologne.

A letter from Berlin states that preparations are
being made at the Russian Embassy, for the re-
ception of a member of the Imperial family, and it
is said that the Grand Duke Nicholas, on his return
from the southern provinces, is to proceed to that
city to visit the Prussian Court, and to invite the
King to Warsaw.
A letter from Stockholm of the 2d says :--•" The
Queen Dowager of Sweden, while walking on the
29th ult., in the park of Rosersberg, was suddenly
seized with vertigo and fell. On her medical at-
tendants being sent for, it was found that she had
broken her arm. The fracture
is not, however, of
a dangerous kind, and she will, it is hoped, soon
be cured. The King
.and Queen, on receiving the
intelligence of the accident, immediately proceeded
to Rosersberg, but returned to Drottningholm on
the following day, the state of the Queen Mother
creating no uneasiness."
We find the following in a letter brought by the
Thabor. It is dated Constantinople, Sept. 27 :
,c The post is leaving, and I have but a moment to
inform you
that the Bashi-Bazouks at the Darda-
nelles are in full revolt. Two English and one
French war steamers are ordered to proceed thi-
ther immediately, and 700 men of the contingent
are by this time on their way to bring the rebels
to reason. This proves pretty conclusively the
value of the recent statements which I perceive
have found their way into English newspapers re-
specting the good conduct and subordination of
this distinguished corps of ' irregulars.' "