The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-21 00:00:00

LONDON,

"And I have very great pleasure in requesting that
you will be pleased to make this mark of their Lordship's
approbation known in public orders, at the division under
your command.
" I also transmit the copy of an order issued by his
Excellency the Commander-in• Chief Sir Harry Smith,
on :the occasion of the re-embarkation of this detach-
ment,
"I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient
humble servant, " W. OwEN, D.A.G.
(Copy.)
1 " Head Quarters, King William's Town, Dec. 3, 1851.

. „
General Orders, No. 207.
"In the commencement of the war Commodore Wy-
vill, with his characteristic zeal for the good of her Ma-
jesty's service, landed the Marines of her Majesty's ships
Castor and Dee, under the command of Lieutenants
Harris and Reed, for the purpose of joining the army.
Circumstances now demanding their return to their
ships, his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief has great
satisfaction in conveying his marked approbation of the
conduct of Lieutenants Harris and Reed, and of the
non-commissioned officers and soldiers under their com-
mand. They were attached to the 73d Regiment, and
accompanied that corps on very many arduous patrole,
their gallantry in the field and their endurance of fatigue
being ever conspicuous.
(Signed) " A. J. CLOETE,
"Deputy Quartermaster-General."

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.
The thirty-first half-yearly general meeting was held
at the London Tavern yesterday; Mr. D. Waddington,
M.P., in the chair, "for the purpose of receiving a re-
port from the directors of the progress of the under-
taking, and of a certain proposed arrangement with the
Great Northern Railway Company, and for the transac-
tion of other business."
Mr. OWEN, the secretary, having read the advertise-
ment convening the meeting, and the seal of the com-
pany having been affixed to the registered list of pro-
prietors, the chairman called on the secretary to read
the report. In accordance, with the generally expressed
wish of the meeting, this form was dispensed with, as
the report was already in the hands of the shareholders,
and the document was taken as read. An abstract has
already appeared in our columns.
The CHAIRMAN then said—Gentlemen, in addressing
you this day, for the purpose of explaining those ports
of the report with which I am desirous you should be
most freely acquainted, I claim your unprejudiced and
dispassionate attention, in order that we may discuss
the questions upon which you may differ from the
board of directors, although I hope you will not
differ from the board,—calmly, and as sensible
men of business, because by such a course you
will best consult your own interests and promote
the prosperity of the company.—(Cheers.) And
first, I will call your attention to the balance exhibited
of net revenue of 83,594/. 7s. Ild., with a balance of the
previous half-year of 5:6241. Os. 4d., out of which we
pr opose to pay a dividend of 4s. per share, leaving a
balance of 21,275/. Os. 3d. to be carried forward to the
credit of the revenue account fur the succeeding half
year.—(Cheers.) I am aware, from communications I
have received from some of the proprietors, that with
this balance iu hand it is contended by many that we
ought to pay a larger dividend.—(Loud cries of " Hear,
hear.") But, gentlemen, I think we have seen the error
of paying the utmost amount of dividend which the funds
of the company have beat previously represented
as
able to afford; and the board, looking at the extraordi-
nary traffic during what is called the Exhibition half of
last year—for it must be assumed that a large propor-
tion of our increased traffic during that period was de-
rived from that source—and that there would be no
similar incentives in the ensuing year to travelling and
traffic, it was thought the best course to declare only a
dividend of 45., and to carry forward the large
amount of reserve I have named. But al-
though, no doubt, we did derive in the ag-
gregate a large amount of traffic from the Exhibitiou,
the directors do not think that the whole of our in-
creased receipts were fairly attributable to that alone,
because it no doubt interfered greatly with the pleasure
traffic from which so large an amount of the summer re-
ceipte of this company are derived, and many of the re-
gular customers of the company who would have been
compelled to travel ever the line availed themselves of
cheap trips; but there is no denying the fact that the
company did derive some benefit more than under ordi-
nary circumstances they could have expected to realise
from the Exhibition. I hope and trust, therefore, the
shareholders wiil approve of the decision of the board as
a wise and safe policy, for even supposing that we go on
improving, as I trust wo shall, and our receipts should
show no diminution from the absence of the Great Ex-
hibition in the ensuing year, the money will still be
there, and you may have an extraordinary dividend
hereafter.—(Loud cheers.) You will be glad to hear, in
the meantime, that so far, our returns have exhibited a
very satisfactory increase; for in the twelve weeks folk
lowing the closing of the Exhibition we received an ad-
ditional traffic of 5,997/. 17e.—(Cheers)—and this, not-
withstanding the reduced rates to which that traffic was
subjected, in consequence of the competition of the Great
Northern Railway Company. Passing from our receipts
to our expenditure, it is a source of great gratifica-
tion to your directors that they have the opportunity of
stating, through the medium of the balance-sheet, that is
large amount of reduction has taken place; and that our
locomotive superintendent, Mr. Gooch, feels that this is
nut the minimum of your expenditure.—(Cheers). It is
a source, also, of great satisfaction to the directors that
in comparing the details of the expenditure account with
past reports, we find that with one exception only (leav-
ing out of the question rates and taxes, over which, I am
sorry to say, we have little or no control) that every
branch of the service is carried on at ea reduced cost.
The only exception is in the goods department, and that,
arises from the tact that our incessant traffic required!
additional sacks to lend out to the public, and additional!
tarpauliugs to protect that increased traffic from the!
weather. The expenses of these have been charged tol
the revenue account. After referring to the Eastern
policy in reference to the.
Countieske andt
and GrecatoNesoterrthfoerrdn
and the settlements of the questions in reference to
them, he touched upon their arrangement with the.
Great Northern Company. By that arrangement (he said)
we take upon ourselves a guarantee of the Great Northern
for 16,600/. per annum, in respect to their line from
Hitchen to Shepreth. I will state the operation of this
agreement somewhat more fully than it is detailed in the
report. We take upan ourselves a guarantee of 16,8001.
per annum, for which there will be handed over to this
company eighteen miles of railway from Hitchen to
Shepreth, the eight miles beyond Shepreth to Cambridge
being our own line. The terms are, that the Eastern
Counties shall not run less than three trains per day
between Cambridge and Hitchen, the hours and speed
to be fixed by ourselves. We book through to London
if we think fit, and the Great Northern is to allow us,
and we are to receive not only our own rates over own
line from Cambridge to Shepreth, but the maximum toile
allowed by Act of Parliament for the distance between
Shepreth and Hitchen, and 60 per cent. upon the
other 62 miles; and so in booking from Royston we are
to have our fares upon our own 12 miles, and
60 per cent. upon the 32 miles: over the Great
Northern. In addititon to this we have obtained
a bonus on all the traffie passing Peterborough. Thus,
taking any given point in this line to a given point on our
line, the fare between which shall be 205., and the mile-
age upon each line represents 103. we are to have our
own 10s. and 20 per cent. out of ;heir 103. With this
bonus and the privilege of 60 per cent. on the London
traffic, we anticipate that the 16,0001. drawn from one
pocket will be put into the other. But we shall obtain
besides many contingent advantages. For instance, the
Great Northern Company, being bound to give us our
own rates, over all our own districts, or otherwise to pay
a penalty of seven times the amount they receive, we
cannot suffer in any way by competition from the Great
Northern. In addition to that the Great Northern
agree within a boundary mark, which includes Hunting-
don and Peterborough, and charge equal rates to. Lon-
don, there is a different boundary to be drawn close to
their line, starting on the loft from Holbeach. After
some farther remarks he moved the adoption of the
report.
Mr. RILEY seconded the motion for the adoption of
the report.
Mr. GEACH, M.P., moved that out of the 21,000/. to
be carried over, they should give the chairman 1,500/.
for his services for the past nine months, and that he
should be paid at the rate of 2,0004 for the future.—
(Loud cheers and cries of "No, no.") They must
consider that if they could not manage their own affairs,
they must delegate that power to the board of directors,
and that being very large, it must be delegated to one.—
(No, no.) They had a revenue of 800,000/., and their
success depended upon the way that it was managed.
They had got the right man to do it—they had his almost
undivided exertions, therefore, he was amply entitled to
the remuneration he had named.—(No, no.)
Mr. Nonaes rose to a point of order; the proposition
before them, at the present time, was the adoption of the
report.
Mr. QUILTER, in answer to a question from Mr. Box,
said the amount of capital of the Norfolk Company re-
mained at 2,130,000/., on which they were entitled to
receive interest and dividend.
Mr. Howse moved that the dividend be ss.—(Hear.)
Mr. Box seconded the motion, and said he felt so
strongly on the point, that he should be inclined to go to
ballot on the question.
The report was then carried amidst loud cheering.
Mr. GEACH, M.P., then brought forward his motion
above alluded to of the remuneration to be allowed to
the chairman, which was seconded by Mr. KNIGHT.
The motion, having been seconded, was, after some
discussion, carried amidst loud cheers.
The CHAIRMAN said he could not find words adequate
to express the gratification he felt. He had never for a
moment anticipated this vote at their hands; but having
passed such a resolution, he thought it unworthy his
name, unworthy his country, and unworthy their confi-
dence, if he did not devote the entire of his time and
energies for their interests.—(Loud cheers.) He could
assure them that when he found himself inoperative for
good, salary should not keep him one moment in his po-
sition.—(Loud cheers.)
Lord Alfred Paget and Mr. Waddington were then
re-elected directors, and in appropriate speeches returned
thanks.
Tthhee
CMr. Reeves was also unanimously re-elected auditor
of
eoutaapianuaeyin said he wished to name a subject
before the meeting
bad brought under their at
institution
in noticeo the establishment -
They could not vote):
separated which had reference to the
men employed at their works Stratford. Mr. Gooch
mechanics'
laying it before the tehuemproprletors,an of ae
to recommend that 500/. be voted towards the
any
woifth their work-
ohraai
wsh ohpiwished
purpose
money for t
d h
establishment of that institution. They gr
eat
many a
many men at their works at Stratford, and he thought
at the present time, when there was so much dissatisfac-
tion existing amongst men and-their employers, that it.