The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-25 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY

He m;ght obeerve that it wee of no use for the boar: of
secured a sufficient nnnaber defeat the present scheme.
dire.cion to attempt by the wait stringent economy to
ponnde in the working expenses,
3ita
schemesvog fsw tihikoeus
the one ofone under consideration were to be
project was constantly
agitated. The directors could not attend to their ordi-
nary7,7l.lZ:ider thought proper to rio
against the proxies being received,
his right to take what steps he
sba
oenohrd heeeb
tsubhss
ehioluoelu:dlsdapaL
ircrdobe
stii
eel osrutv
should think proper to protect his own interests and
those of his brother shareholders. The chairman had
told them the amount of paid-up share capital he held
in this undertaking. He (Mr. Mortimer) certainly did
not hold so extensively as the chairman, but this he
might say, that he (Mr. Mortimer) had increased his
holding, but that Mr. Chaplin had decreased his. He
(Mr. Chaplin) had not told the shareholders that he
had, since this negotiation had been going on, sold out
a good deal of stock, as had other directors who were in
favour of this scheme.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.")
In conclusion, he advised the shareholders to vote
against the promotion of the central scheme.
Mr. HARDING, the secretary, in reply to Mr. Bassett,
said the pemphlet alluded to had not been issued to the
shareholders with his knowledge or concurrence. He
attributed that publication to the supporters of the cen-
tral line. In reply to the figures of Mr. Mortimer, he
said the London and Dorchester traffic, instead of being
only 10,0001. a year, was 27,000/.
Mr. MORTIMER. adhered to hie figures, which he said
he bud taken from the books of the company.
Mr. Marmis defended himself frem the attack of Mr.
Mortimer as to procuring proxies in favour of the cen-
tral line. He had always avowed himself the supporter
of landowners and advocates of that project.
Mr. H. WOOD entered into some statistical details to
show that the traffic of the proposed extension would not
be remunerative for the outlay; but the Hon. Proprietor
was repeatedly interrupted by manifestations of impa-
tience on the part of the meeting.
Mr. LOCKE, M.P., said he would not have presented
himself on this occasion had it not been for the personal
attack which had been made upon him by Mr. Mortimer.
He (Mr. Locke) stated at the last meeting that the
Great Western and the Bristol and Exeter were at that
time engaged in canvassing the district, and were pre-
paring for the introduction of a line from Exeter into
the very district now under discussion; but Mr. Dicken-
son got up and contradicted that statement, when he
(Mr. Locke) confirmed it by the fact that Sir John
Kennaway was the authorised agent of the Bristol and
Exeter in the matter, and Mr. Mortimer having heard
that statement, was in duty bound, if he knew it to be
contrary to fact, to have contradicted it at the time. He
(Mr. Locke) would add that at the present moment the
agents of the Great Western and Bristol and Exeter
were taking surveys through his own property. He would
ask Mr. Mortimer whether he would venture to say that
was untrue?

Mr. MORTIMER—AII that has been done in that re-
spect is in self-defence. I tell you again, the Great
Western positively refused to have anything to do with
Mr. Locke or his line, but if you throw down the gauntlet
you may rely upon it the Great Western will take iu up
in self-defence.
Mr. LOCKE, in further reply to Mr. Mortimer, said,
with reference to his overtures to the Great Western, he
had not been in the office of that company for the last
ten years, and never but once in his life set foot in the
Paddington offices. Mr. Locke then entered into the
history of the western extension from the year 1844,
when the Parliamentary sanction for that scheme was
given. The battle, he said, had been fought, and Par-
liament had sanctioned that district being given to the
South-Western, whilst the propositions of the Great
Western were rejected, and that was the position of
things at the present time. He wanted to know why
the Great Western were perpetually taunting them with
a desire to pursue an aggressive policy, when they (the
South-Western) had asked nothing that Parliament had
not already conceded? It seemed that they went to the
Great Western officials to learn from them what they
ought to do to carry out their own concerns; and he
thought the Great Western ought to congratulate them-
selves upon having such,an advocate as Mr. Mortimer. His
(Mr. Locke's) interest was in the South-Western. When,
in 1848.9, owing to the state of the money-market, the
South-Western extensions were abandoned, the land-
owners of the district, knowing that the line had been
conceded to this company, remained perfectly passive i❑
the matter for three years. They afterwards presented
memorials in favour of the undertaking, and he had no
doubt some of those memorials were in the room at that
time. They had always been the constant supporters
of the South-Western policy, and was he (Mr. Locke)
to be told that he misrepresented the facts because in the
committee. room on one occasion be asked Mr. Saunders,
"Are you going to give us tho western extensions
again?" to which Mr. Saunders replied, " We must see
about that." He (Mr. Locke) would state that the Great
Western had never refused to make the line in dispute.
It was not many weeks since Mr. Russell, in his reply to
Mr. Glyn on the subject of the great proposed amalgama-
tion, wrote that the time was not yet come for those amal-
gamations—that the railway system, was not yet suffi-
ciently developed, and that it would be wrong in those
two great companies to form an amalgamation
by which the expansion of the system would be pre-
vented. It was not to be supposed (continued Mr. Locke)
that this district could remain shut up, and they might
depend upon it—although he did not say it as a threat—
the landowners would not allow► it to remain shut out of
railway communication. The Great Western had no
idea of going to Exeter when they made their line to
Bristol. Tho Bristol and Exeter was established and
carried out as a distinct and independent company which
were to form the great connecting link between Exeter
and London, and the public had ever since submitted to
be carried 28 miles round by Bristol in going to Exeter,
not without an effort to obtain a shorter route, in ••blot,
they had hitherto been unsuccessful. With reference to
the remarks of Mr, Mortimer as to the steep gradients
on the proposed entre' line, he (Mr. Locke) begged to
state that there was not such a gradient upon the whole
line as 1 in 75. The lion. Gentleman must have con-
founded it with the Bristol and Exeter, where they had
a gradient of 1 in 70.
A PROPRIETOn—What is the gradient to be?
Mr. LocnE—One in 100.
Mr. Sergeant GAsELEE—O❑ the whole line?
Mr. LOCKE—That is the steepest gradient on it. With
reference to the part he had taken in this matter ho
would say, that ho had never put himself forward as the
representative of the central scheme, with the exception
of having attended before the associated committee to
give such explanations as it was in his power to afford.
That was all the part he had taken, and he had only re-
turned to England the day previous, so that he could
have taken no part in the later proceedings. Nor had
he exercised any influence in the matter; so that what-
ever might be the result that day, it could not be brought
about by any personal influence he had exercised. Mr.
Locke then expressed the pain and regret with which
he had witnessed the disunion which that day's proceed-
ings showed to exist amongst the directors. A more
painful exhibition it had never been his lot to witness.
Union at the board was necessary to protect their ex-
isting interests, and he had hoped that when what
might be termed the popular party were represented in
the direction, it would combine union with strength;
but in that he had been greatly disappointed.
Mr. MORTIMER replied, and adhered to his former
statement, that Mr. Locke had endeavoured to treat with
the Great Western for the construction of the line on the
broad gauge.

Colonel fIENDEusoN denied that ho came within the
category of those directors whom Mr. Mortimer had
charged with having sold a large quantity of stock upon
the revival of the extension scheme.

Mr. HERAPITH condemned the policy of the di.
rectors.

Mr. Sergeant GASELEE defended the position of Mr.
Mortimer, and expressed his opinion that it would be
suicidal for this company to construct the line on the
terms proposed. Let the landowners make the line, and
the South-Western would have great pleasure in work-
ing it upon proper terms. Ile spoke at some length upon
the means which had been used to obtain proxies in fa-
vour of the project, and contended that a vote taken under
such circumstances would not be a fair expression of the
opinion of the proprietors, inasmuch as a large propor-
tion of them had had no opportunity of returning proxies.
If he and his friend Mr. Mortimer had chosen to do so,
they might have brought a deluge of proxies against
the proposition, Ile concluded by moving as an amend-
ment, " That the meeting now adjourn, sine die, in order
to afford an opportunity for a full expression of opinion
at a special meeting for the consideration of the sub-
ject."
This was seconded by Mr. EDWARDS, who contended
that by the terms of the notice calling the meeting
they were precluded from doing more than receive the
reports.
Mr. Bincuem (the solicitor) gave an opinion that the
meeting could under that notice come to a decision upon
the report.
Captain MOORSOM briefly addressed the meeting in
reply to the observations of Mr. Mortimer.
Mr. BASSETT characterised the proposal to guarantee
four per cent. upon the proposed line as an absurdity
which he thought the meeting would never tolerate.
Mr. HELPS again reminded the Chairman of the pro-
mise that some statement should be given to the meeting
capital
as to the method in which it was proposed to raise the
emtaaaplii:ltaalsdtrneoqtubireeedfnufertthesetaubnldisehretdak. ing. The lion. Gentle-
man
some orr ly opposed the employment of any of the
the company in such an undertaking.
The CTIAIRIIAN said the necessity for raising the capi-
tal
for the ther discussion, it was agreed that the
adjournment should he withdrawn, and
meeting
reconsideration tar of the whole question, and
present
proxies
sbeuptdroxies (it be
should. be called as soon as afors ptelicei arl
thet in the meantime fresh pos-
sible that
being understood
issued by the company, and sent
tort be used) should be
proprie-
tors on tho register, hung in onuunmdbtoerall
bthe a
out 4,000,.
thereby enabling
that
the general body to come to a decision
on the subject.

Lowe, of the Ob-
servatory,
nnbor,:e—a—r extending Nottingham,
nearly :-E-TbOy S. to
eveningLUNAß
rlyou,fn
at
urßh
inst. I had the gratificationn the
of seeing a
distance between
nearly N. by W. The nde two points
where it intersected the horizon was 106 deg,
eeerAas2itiON:th
nearly, and
the altitude at the apex about 33 deg. There was a faint
secondary arch. The light it gave out was colourless and
flickering. It became visible at Bh. 10m., and vanished at
Bh.
EFFECT OF METALS ON STONE.—The effect of
iron upon stone when exposed to the air and other influences
is strikingly shown in the stone coping which receives the
railing of Hyde-park from Knightsbridge to the " Corner."
The standards, large in size, are let into the stone, and run
with lead, together with the end of the bottom rail, which is
turned. down into the coping. Two or three years ago the
damage which had been done by this arrangement was
re-
paired, but the cause being left in operation, the same results
are following, and it may be seer that at many of these
points a large
piece of stone has been forced out by the oxi.
lotion and =pension of the naetalso—Builder.

t
pr. - tbritiki
iq $4, 4•-• •

FRAIN CE

The Prince President on the occasion of the, fete
15th of August granted pardons to several
political prisoners of the Haute-Marne, who had pati-
tionod the President, and expressed sentiments of
devotedness and gratitude towards him. During his
stay at Nevers the Prince granted six full pardons
and twenty-one commutations to political offenders in
the Nievre.
The Prefect of the Loire has addressed to the
Sub-Prefects, Mayors, Officers of Gendarmerie, and
Commissaries of Police of the department, the fol-
lowing circular, having for its object the prohibition
of cruel games :
" In a great number of districts of this departments,"
ouPtorect
nfeis; " the game commonly called tir a foie,
Still practised. It consists in suspending
tsiaryasuthme
a living or other domestic animals, and walking
blindfolded, fowl,ltie armed with sticks or swords, towards them,
and striking at them until they are killed or have their
heads severed from their bodies. Now that sort of
amusement has ceased to be in accord with our state of
civiliz stiuu, and C4ll only inspire ideas of cruelty. I
accordingly invite you, gentlemen, to prevent by all pos-
sible means, the inhabitants of your respective districts
from indulging iu such games, and request you to cause
the delinquents to be tried by the competent tribunals."
The squadron of evolution, so anxiously expected
at Toulon, arrived there on the morning of the 19th,
coming from Ajaccio, which it had left on the 17th.
It consisted of the ships of the line Ville de Paris,
bearing flag
g
of Admiral de la Susse • Bayard,
he Henrys n t theli7e Gomer
Jena, and Jupiter, and the steam-
frigateser and Sane. " Our roadsteads," says
" offer a splendid coup d'ceil, for, in
the
G
addition to the above, they contain the ship of the line
Itlm
w ships Napoleon and Charlemagne,
th'aefrYig theate scUrraenie, and a number of other frigates,
corvettes, and steam avisos."
It is announced that Louis Napoleon is to make his
triumphal enty into Toulon on the 27th inst. on
board the screw-ship of the line Napoleon, escorted by
theJl ships of war :—The Ville de Paris, of
Valmy,
Rune Hortense,
of 126 guns, bearing the flag of Admiral
the flag of Admiral La Susse ;
qgfu°lliinniOs'tw;bh':gahreillsgcrew-ship Montebello, of 120 guns;
Henry 1V.,100 guns ; Jena, 90 guns ; Bayard, 90;
Jupiter, 86 ;Charlemagne, 90; steam-frigates Gomer,
Labrador, of 450-horse power; cor-
vette,tense, 400-horse power ; Prony, 320 ;
Caton, 260; Pluton and Chaptal, 220 ; with the
steam-sloops Eclaireur, Requin, Meteore, Narval,
Salamandre, Chacal, Pingouin.
Sane

GERMANY.
The late Duke of Wellington was the senior Field-
Marshal of the Prussian army. The only remaining
Prussian Field-Marshal now is Prince Paskiewitch,
whose elevation to this rank took place upon the 17th
October, 1850. It magi not be irrelevant to mention,
whilst speaking of military rank, that the Prussian
army now numbers field-marshal ; 14 generals,
of whom Prince Frederick is the senior ; 50 lieute-
nants-general, of whom the Duke of Parma is the first ;
58 majors-general, the oldest of whom is the Com-
mandant of Coiel, the veteran Lupinski ; 129 colonels,
of whom the gallant Prince Frederick Charles is the
youngest;
56 lieutenant-colonels, and 473 majors ;
in all 772 general and field officers, including those
commanding Landwehr. This number is little more
than adequate to the demand, when it is considered
that the Prussiaa army consists of 152 battalions of
Guards and Lin?, 108 battalions first-class Landwehr,
40 regiments of Guards and Line, and 32 regiments
of Landwehr cavalry, 9 regiments of artillery, and 9
dem!-battalions of sappers and miners—giving, ex-
elusive of engineers, 260 battalions, and 72 regiments
of cavalry, with 135 field batteries of 8 guns each,
on the war footing.