The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-10 00:00:00

TO THE PROPRIETORS OF EAST INDIA STOCK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
-1 HAVE the honour to submit to you the Resolu-
tions passed at a numerous Meeting of my friends and supporters,
at the London Tavern, this day, manifesting the sentiments of a
large and influential body of Proprietors on my qualifications for a
seat in the East India Direction.
I beg leave to assure you that, in the event of my attaining the
high and honourable object of my ambition, it shall be my constant
study to merit the favourable opinion entertained of me, and to
prove myself a zealous supporter of the rights of our native fellow-
subjects, and a faithful servant of the East India Company.
With a grateful acknowledgment of the flattering support which I
have already received, and soliciting acontinuance of your influence,
I have the honour to be, with great respect,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your most obliged and faithful servant,
W. H. SYKES, Lieutenant-Colonel.
47, Albion-street, Hyde-park, Jan. 7, 1839.
At a numerous Meeting of Proprietors of East India Stock,
friends of Lieutenant-Colonel Sykes, F. R. S., held at the London
Tavern, on Monday, Jan. 7, 1839
Sir CHARLES FORBES, Bart., in the Chair.
-

First Resolution—Moved by Sir PETER LAURIE, seconded b)
GEORGE ARBUTHNOT, Esq., and carried unanimously—
That in the administration of the affairs of the British Empire hi
the East, it is of the first importance that the executive body should
be chiefly composed of men who, by long service in India, have ac-
quired a competent knowledge of the character, feelings, and inte-
rests of our native fellow-subjects, wh-se welfare and happiness it
is the paramount duty of the East India Company to promote by
every means in their power.

Second—Moved by Ma; er- General B a ions, Madras Army, seconded
by Major-General Sir JAMKS SUTHERLAND, Mnabay Army,
K. L. S. , and carried unanimously—
That the early part of Colonel Sykes's military career, which was
devoted to the attainment of an intimate acquaintance with the
character and eonstitutien of the Native Army, his proficiency in
the native lanzuages, and his constant intercourse for a period of
years with the agricultural pcpulatioa of the Mahratta territories,
whilst he held the important officc of statistical reporter to the
Bombay Government, enabled him to acquire that thorough know-
ledge of the resources of the country, and the
.social condition of
the people of India, which peculiarly qualifies hiin far a seat in the
East India Direction.

Third—Moved by Sir JOHN J. HIS s•,ER, F.ll. S. , seconded by
I‘l4,jlr Gaoeu WILLocx, K. L. S., and carried unanimuusly—
That on these grounds, and relying with confidence in the
Kell-
known zeal, ability, and independence of Colonel Sykes—qualities
so essentially requisite in public men—the present meeting strongly
recommend him to the Proprietors at large, and pledge themselves
to use their best exertions to ensure his election to a seat in the
Direction on the first veeancy.
CHARLES FORBES, Chairman.
Fourth—Moved by JOSEPH HUME, Esq., 11.13.; seconded by
Capt. RivETT C.ansitc, R.N. : and carried unanimously—
That the cordial thanks of this meeting are'due, and are hereby •
given to Sir Charles Forbes, Bart.., for his zeal, ability, and impar-
tiality in the Chair.

ACLERK is REQUIRED by the GREAT
WESTERN STEAM. SIIIP COMPANY. He must be
of active habits and good address, a good Correspondent, rnd
thoroughly acquainted with Keeping Ships' (er preferably Ste=m
Vessels') Accounts, by Double Entry. Security in 1,000/. will b.,
required. _

Apply, by letter, post paid, to C. Claxton, Esq., Bristol ; or,
tinder cover, addressed care of Mr. T. M. Ward, Great Wr stern
Pai:way Office, Princes-street, Bank, London.

STEAM between BRISTOL an& NEW YORK.
rri HE GREAT WESTERN,
AL. Lieut. JAMES. HOSKEN, R.N., Commander, is intended
to Sail from BRISTOL for NEW YORK, on MONDAY, the 2.9 th
instant, on which day St-amers to convey Passengers on beard
will leave Cumberland Basin at half-past Seven, A.m.
And during the remainder of the Year she is intended to Sail as
follows:

From Bristol.
23d March
18th May
6th July
24th August
19th October

From New York.
23d February
20th April
13th June
Ist August
21st September
16th November.
Pares to New York, in best State Rooms, 40 Guineas ; in other
State Rooms, 35 Guineas. Children and Servants, Half Price.
Specie, if of above Twenty Thousand Pound's, at per Cent.,
ender that amount 1,4 per Ceet.
Parties who have secured Freight (the whole of which is en-
gaged) are informed that the 21st will be the latest day upon which
it can be received.

Shippers of Debenture Goods will please take notice that the
Certificates must be transferred to thernaelvas, or the Goods can-
not be shipped. . _ _

ATI experienced Surgeon is attached to the Ship.
For information, and to secure State Rooms, apply to Mr.
T. M. Ward, Great Western Railway Office, Prince's-street, Lon-
don ;. Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Ci., Liverpool ; Messrs. Ha-
milton, Brothers, Glasgow ; Mr. W. Davidson, Havre •, Mr. A.
Annelle, Paris; and of Christopher Claxton, at the Company's
Office, Bristol.

Passengers are particularlyrequested to hare the word " Bolen,"
in large letters, written en such portions of their luggage as are
net required in their berths.

Freight of Measurement Goods 51. per Ton, which will be
collected in New York, at the rats of 4 Dollars 80 Cents. to the
Pound Sterling.

No Second Class or Steerage Passengers taken.
No Parcels can be received after the 26th instant.

N.B. Great inconvenience - having resulted from Passengers
bringing Merchandize on Board at the last moment as Baggage,
they are respectfully informed, that in future, besides a small Port-
manteau or Carpet Bag, for use on the Voyage, only 15 cube feet
of bona fide Luggage will be allowed to each adult, and half that
quantity for Children and Servants ; and all Merchandize or Sam-
ples brought on board by Passengers, who have not previously en-
gaged room for the same, will be charged at the rate of Five
Shillings per foot, and if damaged, the Directors will not be re-
sponsible.

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the further poll was adjourned till this day tti
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The Secretary then read the following report:—
" The Directors have been enabled by the adjournment
of the special general meeting from the time originally
fixed for it, to give to the Proprietors an interval of several
days for the perusal and consideration of Mr. Wood's and
Mr. Hawkshaw's reports, since those doeoments have hems
sent into circulation. Much as this postponegient was tes
be deprecated on account of its retarding the ulternate de•
termination of those points, upon which every step to.7ards,
the completion of the railway mainly depends, it has beenr
attended with one countervailing benefit. It has given_
both to the Directors and Proprietors ample opportunity
for reflecting upon the result of the investigation under-
taken by those gentlemen as comprised in their :iso
reports, now presented for consideration at this meetings
The Directors have bestowed the most anxious attentioac
on every branch of the subject, weighing in the fullest and
most impartial manner every point urged in either report,
whether of actual objection to the system adopted, or of
doubt as to its comparative advantages.
" It may be here concisely stated that Mr. Wood de-
-1 duces from experiments upon the performance of engines
on the Great Western and other lines, that although a
higher rate of speed has been attained on the former, it
would appear only to have been accomplished by the in-
creased power of the engines, with a much greater consump-
tion of coke when calculated per ton per mile. He ascribes
this result principally to the resistance presented by the
atmosphere to the motion of railway trains, especially at -
high rates of speed. His remarks on that subject are qua-
lified, however, by the expression of a doubt as to the value
to be assigned to the single set of experiments on each
V two inclined planes, which are quoted as the autho-
rity for the degree of atmospheric resistance supposed to have
been discovered. The reduction of friction by the employ-
ment of wheels of increased diameter, and the benefit of
lowering- the carriages between the wheels aro affirmed
by Mr. Wood as incontrovertible. The increased stabi-
lity, and consequent increased steadiness of motion to
carriages on the wider base, are also admitted by him. The
c n truction of the road is discussed in the report in e- e y
awect. Mr. \\rood states that continuous timbers will
present a more perfect line of road for high speeds than
stone blocks, although he estimates them as more costly.
He disapproves of the use of piles, and considers that the
continuous bearings should be of a scantling of timber
greater than that at present in use, and that a more
rigid and heavier rail should be adopted. He expressed
nn opinion, deduced from actual experiments, that the
mode of fastening the rails to the timber by screws ef-
fects a firmer junction than any other plan. The vari-
ous propositions of doubtful advantage from the wide Nage,.
as well as of alleged objection to it, appearatigshOre ea
thoroughly considered in the report in qtrestion. The •
experiments on the consumption of coke at billsociloets
c:ties were unfivourable, and in connection with thTils. eoey of .4
atmospheric resistance, appear to have iuflienna4lie mind
of Mr. Wood to consider that a 7-feet girege".ivasforl:the
width which he would deem the best. es'Ast tlse.4e time,
upon a review of all the circumstances, and considering
that there are counteracting advantages incidental to an
increased width of guage, he does not think that the result
of his inquiries would justify a change in the dimensions
adopted on this line, and he recommends that the present
width should be retained. The advice thus given by Mr.
Wood, upon mature reflection, being directly at variance
with the conclusion at which Mr. Hawkshaw had previously
arrived upon an investigation similarly delegated to him, it
became the duty of the Directors to consider most atten-
tively the train of reasoning and argument which led the
latter to urge such an opposite course. Naturally expect-
ing from that circumstance to find in his report a clear and
definite statement of the positive loss or disadvantages ac-
cruing from the increased width of guage, the Directors
could not fail to remark with some surprise that he en•
forces his recommendation, not upon any ascertained injury
or f cilure in the plan, but almost exclusively upon the pre-
sumption that all railways, however disconnected or locally
situated, should be constructed of one uniform width.
While he appears to think that it might be an improvement
to have an addition of a few inches, five or six at the most,
he still questions the expediency of any variation from the
4 83- guage. Air. Hawkshaw, in his report, also considers
ant additional expense upon the guage, as well as upon the
improvement of gradients, to be undesirable, and assumes
it at a scale of augmentation far beyond the real difference
of cost. His estimates on that head are impeached in the
engineer's observations, and no doubt exists in the minds of
the Directors, that the subject, reduced to a mere question
of figures, in its present position would undeniably show a
Ncuniary loss to be borne by the Company, by any such
change of system as he advocates, even if it were on other
grounds deemed advisable. The objection that the wide
guage might prevent a junction with other lines seems both
to Mr. Wood and the Directors to have but little weight
as applied to the Great Western Railway. Already has
the same width been contemplated and provided for in
the extension lines through Gloucestershire to Cheltenham,
and from Bristol to Exeter. Any local branches here-
after to be mate would undoubted's, fo:low the same
course, and the Proprietors, therefore, may be satisfied •
that no apprehension need be entertained by them on that
head. The advaetage of following Mr. Wood's advice, in
not making any alteration in the width of way, has been
since most forcibly shown by more recent experiments,
which have entirely changed the rrsults upon which the
chief objections to the guage were founded. The perform-
aoce of the engines, shown by Mr. Wood's experiments in
S. ptcmbrr, gave such a disproportionate result in their
p wee upon the attainment of high velocities, as to render
:t all but impossible that the effect could be entirely pro-
duced by the action of the atmosphere on the trains. All
doubts were shortly removed by its being ascertained that
a different cause (a mere mechanical defect in the engine
itself) had been jn operation. If Mr. Wood had wit-
nessed these recent performances of the engines, he must
unquestionably have changed his opinions as to the
means and precticability of carrying full average loads
at a high speed, without the great increased ex-
pense of fuel. The Directors have satisfied them-
selves of this very important fact, by personally attend-
ing an experiment, (accompanied by several gentlemen,
among whom was a very cm'n nt practical mecharic), on
which occasion the North Star took a train of carriages
calculated for 166 passengers, and loaded to 43 tons to
and from Maidenhead, at a mean average speed of thirty-
eight miles per hour, the maximum being forty-five miles
per hour, consuming only .95, or less than 1 lb. of
coke per nett ton per mile, instead of 2.76, say 2i lb.,
as previously shown. This was accomplished by a mere
altered proportion in the blast pipe of the engine, in the
manner explained by Mr. Brunel, being a simple adapta-
tion of size in one of the parts which admits a more free
escape of the steam from the cylinder after it has ex-
erted its force on the piston, still preserving sufficient
draft in the fire. It must be almost needless to point
out to those who have perused the Reports how im-
portantly this change bears upon the subject in almost
every relation of the inquiry. It negatives the assump-
tion that velocity can only be attaine by a ruinous loss
of power. It establishes beyond doubt that the con-
sumption of fuel as now ascertained in the proportion to the
load is only one-third of that which from the former expe-
riments had been the basis of Mr. Wood's arguments.
An analysis in the Report of the performance of the Great
Western engines, with heavy loads, varying from 80 tons to
166 tons, shows in every respect a peculiarly satisfactory
result at a small cost of fuel, and warrants the expectation .
of very great benefit to the Company of the economical
transport of goods on the line. That the expenses of loco-
motive repairs, especially on that heavy class of repair
which wises from lateral strains on the wheels and framing
of the engines, have been materially less than on other lines
is ascertained by very detailed accounts, accurately made
and submitted to the Board by the Superintendent of
that department. The experience of some months has
now enabled the Directors to witness the progressive
improvement in the practical working of the railway.
A higher rate of speed has been generally maintained
than on other lines, and at the same time with that
increased speed greater steadiness of motion has been
found in the carriages, with consequent comfort to the
passengers. If speed, security, and comfort were three
great desiderata in the original institution of railway
travelling, the Directors feel sure that the public will
appreciate and profit by any improvements in those
qua:iees, the Company deriving ample remuneration in the
shape of increased traffic. A saving of time upon a long
journey, with increased comfort, will necessarily attract to
one line in preference to another many travellers from be-
yond the ordinary distance of local connection, and will thus
secure a valuable collateral trade which would not other-
wise belong to it. It has also a decided tendency to avert
competition which may with much reason be regarded as
the chief peril to which railway property is subjected. The
Directors, upon a deliberate re-consideration of all the cir-
cumstances affecting the permanent welfare of the under-
taking, divesting the question of all personal partialities or ob-
stinate adherence to a system, unanimously acquiesce
in the abandonment of the piles, in the substitution
of a greater scantling of timber, and of a heavier
rail, retaining the width of guage with the continu-
ous timber bearings, as the most conducive to the ge-
neral interests of the Company. Their experience of the
past leads them earnestly to express a hope that these
deeply interesting questions- being once determined, the
good sense and the interests of the Proprietors will induce
them to forego
the en re-agitation of such topics as can only
tend
to distract ergies of those on whom the ezecu-