The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-26 00:00:00

GREAT NORTH OF SCOTLAND.

The report of the directors states that the tota
revenue for the half-year ending the 31st January
amounted to £54,811, including £8,090 dividends
and interest received on investments in other com-
panies, and £17,738 expended in working and for
rates and taxes, £325 rent of the o.d Meldrum
Junction, and £8,401 for interest, &c., on loans,
leaving £28,347. To which was added £1,803 pro-
fit on rails purchased and sold, and £2,729 from
the preceding half year, making £32,880. Out of
this was deducted £15,075 for dividends on the 4
per cent. preference stock at the rate of 5 per oent.
per annum, and £6,921 for the proposed dividend
on the original stock at toe rate of 5 per cent. per
annum, leaving a balance of £3,606. The decrease
in the traffic receipts, as compared with the corre-
sponding half year, was attributed to the depres-
sion in the agricultural districts accommodated by
the railway, to the reduction of goods rates, and
to the opening of the Highland line. The total
decrease amounted to £3,784, which the directors
were confident would be speedily compensated when
the prosperity of the district was restored. The
working expenses amounted to 41 per cent. of the
gross receipts. The average rate of interest on the
company'a debentures was slightly under 4 per cent.
Twenty-one miles of the line had been relaid with
new rails, which were fish jointed. From the com-
pletion of the Strathspey line a gross revenue had
been thrown upon the main line between Aberdeen
and Keith of nearly £B,OOO a year. The company
were now in possession of nearly one-half the Dee-
side stock. The Scottish North. Eastern Railway
had introduced a bill in Parliament for power to
make a junction between their line and t of the
Great North of Scotland at Aberdeen, b hat
val
y the ley
of the Denburn. The capital account showed that
£1,779,978 had been received to the 31st January
last, and £1,661,114 expended, including £579,122
invested in the share; and stocks of other companies,
leaving a balance of £118,864.

OT !OMAN.
The report of the directors; states that since the
last meeting they had received the Finnan and con-
cession, and the entire issue of £588,000 debentures
had been effected on the terms of the subscription
list previously submitted to the Imperial Ottoman
Government, and up to the present period £198,000
had been paid in full, while 34 per cent. was paid
upon the balance of £320,000. The consolidation
of the Government shares, which formed one of the
conditions of the new concession, had hem effected,
and the capital now consisted of £44,600 shares of
£2O each, making £892,000, and of debYetures for
£892,000, together £1,784,000, the whole of which
had the 6 per cent. guarantee. The entire line be-
tween Smyrna and Ephesus (48k miles) had been
taken over from the contractor, and was now worked
and maintained by the company. The directors tes-
tified as to the energetic manner in which the
works were being carried out under the new
contract, and were still sanguine that the ultimate
traffic results on the finished line would fully equal
the original estimates. Mr. E. Clark, the consult-
ing engineer, Stated in his report that all the tunnel
shafts had been sunk without difficulty or inconve-
nience from water springs, and the heaviest earth
works had been commenced, so that there was every
probability of the work being completed Withollt, in-
terruption and within the stipulated time. The re
port of Mr. E. Purser, the engineer-in-chief, stated
that the remainder of the line (32 miles in length)
from Ayasalock to Aidin, was commenced in De-