The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-25 00:00:00

BRISTOL AND PORTISHE AD.

£105,424 had been expended, leaving a balance of £10,027
due to the bankers. The report stated that the works were
proceedingly slowly. The tunnel at New Mills was nearly
completed, but several slips had occurred in the cutting near
Strines. Notice had been given for a deviation in the Hay.
field branch and for an extension of time.

___
The reports were adopted at all these meetings, and the
directors re-elected.

LEEDS, BRADFORD, AND HALIFAX JUNCTION.
The report of the directors states that, as the dividend of
the Great Northern Company for the year 1863 was at the
rate of £6los per cent., :he directors of the Leeds, Bradford,
and Halifax Junction Company are able to announce a
dividend at the rate of £7 per cent. per annum on £500,000
stock for the six months ending the 31st December last, and
also a dividend at the rate of £6 10s per annum upon several
smaller sums of share capital for several months of the past
half year. Application has been made to Parliament for an
act to amalgamate the two companies.

The half•yearly meeting was held yesterday at Bristol,
Mr. J. Ford in the chair.

The report stated that since the last meeting very fair pro-
gress had been made in the business of the company. The
engineers stated that the line had been resurveyed and set
out since the passing of the Act, and property plans were
prepared for the land throughout. The works would be le ;
to a contractor as soon as sufficient land was obtained to en-
able him to proceed with the works. The amount of capital
subscribed was £44,100, upon which £4,377 had been paid.
The CHAIRMAN, in movingthe adoption of the report, cone
gratulated the shareholders on the progress which had been
made since December last towards commencing the works.
It now only remained to push on with every possible vigour
The scheme was complete in itself from the river Severn to
the city of Bristol, which they had every reason to believe
would be constructed within the estimates and in a much
shorter time thin was originally anticipated. `Q
Mr. J. ABRAHAM seconded the motion, which was carried
unanimously.
The retiring directors and auditors were re-elected, and a
, vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.

THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 25, 1864.

RHYMNEY.

The Case of the Pampero,

enabled to run narrow gauge trains over the railway to the
shipping places. There were coalowners who had a supply
of narrow gauge waggons waiting for the opening of the
company's narrow gauge line to send large quantities of
coal from the colleries. He trusted that those facilities
would enable them before long to pay better dividends to
the proprietors.
Mr. GILBERTSON seconded the motion for the adoption of
the report.

In reply to questions from Mr. 3. M. Parsons and Mr.
Herepath it was stated that the Great Western were now
using their best endeavours to complete the junction, but
the delay had seriously affected the interest of the Vale of
Heath Company, as the expense of laying down the narrow
gauge had not up to the present time yielded the return of
a shilling. The company's shipping apparatus at Swansea
would enable them to ship double the quantity of coal they
were carrying at present.
Resolutions were passed adopting the report, and declar-
ing the dividend recommended therein, re .electing the re-
tiring directors, and also Mr. Benson, the retiring auditor.
The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the
chairman and directors.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yes-
terday at the Gray's-ian Coffeehouse, Holborn, Mr. Boyle
in the chair.

The Secretary read the report, which stated that the ex-
penditure on capital account for the last half-year had been
£13,926, chiefly expended on the Bargoed and new Tredegar
branches, which would be ready for traffic by the end of
April. The revenue account for the half year showed that
£27,571 had been received. After deducting working ex-
penses and providing for the usual charges and dividends
upon the guaranteed stock and preferential shares, a balance
remained available of £3,403, from which the directors re-
commend a dividend on the ordinary stock at the rate of 3
per cent. per annum, leaving £250 for the suspense account,
and £296 for the next aeconnt. The works, permanent way,
and rolling stock were all in good condition.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
explain ed the reasons which had induced the directors to in-
troduce into Parliament two bills which were necessary for
the due development of the traffic of the line, He was
happy to say the undertaking was generally improving, as
might be seen from the increased dividend. 3. The estimated
cost of the Cardiff line was £150,000, and that of the Mer-
thyr branches £50,000, an estimate which he trusted would
not be exce,Aed.

Mr. AUSTIN seconded the adoption of the report, which
was agreed to, and the dividend was declared.
Messrs. S. Cave, M.P., and W. Austin, the retiring
directors, were re•elected--Mr. Watkins was re-elected
auditor.

A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the pro.
ceedings.

On Tuesday, in the Court of Exchequer, Edin-
burgh, Lord Ormidale pronounced an interlocutor
on the Pampero, the vessel which was seized on the
Clyde on the information to the effect that it was
intends I to be fitted out and employed in the ser-
vice of the Confederate States of America. The de-
fenders pleaded that the information was bad in
law, and called upon Lord Ormidale to decide, be-
fore sending the case for trial, as to the relevancy
of the various counts in the information. Lord
Ormidale in his interlocutor appoints the case to be
tried by a jury on Tuesday, the sth of April, and in
a note appended to the interlocutor says say :—" It
appears to the Lord Ordinary that it is unnecessary
and inexpedient in this case to dispose of any ques-
tions of law and relevancy before trial, and accord-
ingly he has followed the course which was adopted
in the similar case of the Alexandra in Eng-
land. So far as the Lord Ordinary can judge
at present the defenders will not be precluded,
merely by the case being appointed to be tried,
from afterwards availing themselves from any
plea in law and releVancy which is in itself
well founded, but as the Lord Ordinary cannot
prejudge any matter whatever, so he can give
no assurance on the subject. The Lord Ordinary
is not to be understood as holding that cases may
not occur where it would be proper, as well as com-
petent, to dispose of cases of law and relevancy be-
fore trial, although it must always be desirable to
avoid, where it can be done with a due regard to the
interest of the parties and the ends of justice, a
double cruse of litigation with the attendance of
expense and delay. In regard to the expediency in
the present case in not disposing of the questions of
law and relevancy which have been raised by the
defenders, there can be little doubt. According to
the defenders' own showing, the information is not
wholly I:relevant ; and even as regards those parts
of it to which t. 40 defenders' objections, as stated to
the Lord Ordinary, api;!v, at least some of them
may be affected by the evidence at the trial. The
defenders' arguments on relevancy ..Z.7 possibly be
also superseded by the course which the u.29e may
take at the trial. Till then the whole facts
circumstances of the case have been fully disclosed
at the trial, it would be unsafe, if not impossible, to
decide how far the information is or is not main-
tainable under the statute on which it is laid."