The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-16 00:00:00

sou rH DEVON.

It appears theta second requisition was presented to the
directors of this company on Monday for the simple purpose
of inducing them to hold the nex; half-yearly meeting at
Exeter, and all subsequent half-yearly meetings alter-
nately at Plymouth and at Exeter, Tho requisition calls
the attention of the directors to section 63 of the Com-
pany's Act, 7th Vic., 1844, which provides that the half
yearly meetings shall be held at Exeter, Plymouth, or De
vonport. The refusal of the directors to immediately comply
with a requisition signed by 525 shareholders in the com-
pany for so small a matter as holding the next half-yearly
meeting at Exeter instead of at Plymouth, is perhaps the
most extraordinary thing on railway record Hid the re
quisitionists asked the directors to improve the miserable
dividends they had bean paying lativears there might have
been some difficulty presented. but for merely holding the
meeting at one end of the company's railway instead of the
other, as being more convenient to the shareholders gene-
rally, the refusal seems absurd. It is usual with chairmen
and directors of well managed railway companies to express
their satisfaction on having a large attendance of the pro-
prietors at the general meetings, but with the South Devon
directors it seems quite the reverie. The first requisition
presented to the board about A mpnth since on this subject
was signed by 343 shareholders, the answer being to the
eff ct that the directors did not consider that a sufficient
expression of opinion to induce, item to make the alteration;
on which Mr H. S. Ellis again appealed to the shareholders,
requesting them to signify their assent or dissent on the
subject. The result was that &25 shareholders expressed
their assent, i 5 shareholders dissented, of whom nine resided
at Plymouth, and four remained neutral. It appears that
the whole numbers of shareholders in the company is 1,119,
seclusive companies, and of those
525 subscribing The directors informed the
deputationsuppo tr ofe theodthei shareholders
requisition.
who
presented the requisition
the second time, that the directors themselves would take
Vhisesushe.areholders their wishes
waniteharrleygaorpdpotrotuthnietyquoefsatsinikon

--t_

N receipts
sToRn thUNio...l?
OF CANADA.
Company's lines for the week
amounted for local passengers to
£6,681, for foreign passengers to £1,957, for emigrants to
Xen2Tdli,hnfegorttrhmaeffiaG2icl6Rstr,hAetteNci.opp,vteoln:64r a 2, for local freight and live stock
freight and live stock to £3,799
0 for the corresponding week
from
aroos Xmt :,3et ,ahsre9, 2: s and 1:
showinglodffojogruaalfinyonriser
itti
to the
tsa392tieo f
£772. The total receipts
above date amounted to
',tried last year to £147,323,
showing an increase of £51,8:b
-,,, or 11.6 per cent.
L-4t009t,a1162:2a66d9f r the

East London Indiistrial Exhibition.

meeting-lairnoo:dto f 6
rket which
such
steps
as
Nv—as held at the Beaumont
report from the local committue purpose of receiving a
might be
had been formed to
deemed advisable for carrying that object to a successful
result.
carryijas Institution,
outev et
evening
godbalpecnut db,

The meeting was numerously attended, and W3S presided
over by Mr A. S. Ayrton, M

The Secretary read a report setting forth what had been
done,
statedthethgataret,eehile there was no appearance
o
difficulty the committee had
to contend with was the wantof a suitable place for such an
f lac
k and
o f exhibitors,
exhibition. They could see ne means of getting out of that
difficulty except by the erection of a
public industrial hall.
They had not the capital to do's°
which
at once, but they believed
that under proper arrangements they could do BO by means
of shares held principally by themselves. The chief object
of the present meeting, therefore, was to invite philanthro-
pists and leaders of the various benevolent movements to be-
come contributors to the guarantee fund, which it was pro
posed to raise for the purchase of a site, and to pay a small
per centage upon the amount guaranteed for preliminary
expenses.
Mr AYETON, M.P., in opening the proceedings, said it
was unnecessary for him at this time of day to say anything
in favour of exhibitions. That had been done over and over
again, and better than he could do. But at the same time,
the exhibition which they were met to further was of a dis-
tinctive character. The great exhibitions they had witnessed,
while they displayed the skill and industry of the country,
and he might say of the world, there was nothing in them
to show their connection with the working men who had
constructed and prepared the articles they contained. The
exhibition they now, however, wanted to establish was to
form a connecting link between the employers and employed
by affording to the latter an opportunity of displaying to the
public the products of their skill, ingenuity, and industry.
They were told by the report that it was impossible to ob-
tain a building of sufficient capacity for such an exhibition,
and he thought anyone whe knew the extent of the Tower
Hamlets would at once admit such to be the case. In regard
to a site, they fortunately had one in the very centre of the
Tower Hamlets, he Meant Bethnal-green. It was said to be
public property, and being so it could not be turned to better
account than to appropriate it for publio purposes.
The R'3l7. Mr SOLLY then moved a resolution to the effect
that the report be adopted, arll seeing that up to the present
time the committee have not been able to carry out the pur-
poses of the exhibition from the want of a larger public
building than the east at present contained, thafthey there-
fore called upon philanthropists and others to put forth their
energies towards obtaining the same in the best possible
way, and that the central committee be empowered to take
all necessary steps to carry out the same.
The Rev. Mr ROWSELL having seconded the resolution,
it was unanimously adopted.
Mr G. M, MURPHY nextmoved that the meeting was of
opinion that Bethnal-green would be the most central and
accessible situation for the proposed institution, and that
the committee be requested to wait upon the trustees in
order to solicit the grant of that site on such terms as might
be hereafter agreed on.
The resolution was seconded by Mr FEE, and unani-
mously adopted.
A cordial vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the
proceedings.