The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-30 00:00:00

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH
COAST RAILWAY.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING (THIS DAY).
The ordinary half-yearly meeting of the directors and
shareholders was held this day, for the purpose of receiving
the report of the board of directors and transacting the
ordinary business of the company.
The directors' report, which appeared in The Sun of the
23d inst., having been taken as read,
The CHAIRMAN, in moving its adoption, proceeded to
notice its most prominent points. The amount of capital
raised to the 31st December amounted to £10,147,786—
consisting of ordinary stock, £4,620,000; preference stock
and shares, £3,25,765; mortgaged debt, £1,537,315
and debenture stock, £754,706. The amount of
capital expended during the half - year amounted
to £233,492. It was a matter of satisfaction that none of
the renewals or replacements of mortgage bonds had been
effected at a rate higher than 4 per cent., while the average
rate on the debt had been reduced to £4 2s. per cent. The
gross revenue for the half-year had been £526,741, show-
ing an increase of £21,472 over the corresponding half year
of 1860; £10,193 of which arose from an increase in the
carrying of goods, and the remainder from coaching and
other departments. Comparing the revenue for the year
with that of 1860, there was an excess of £52,240. Mirin
congratulated the shareholders on the financial position
of the company, the chairman remarked that circumstances
had occurred in the early part of the half year which in-
terfered with the pleasure traffic on their line, and which,
taken into consideration with the general depression of
trade, had affected them like other lines ; but it was a
matter of great satisfaction that the directors could still
present the shareholders a report which he felt would
be considered by all highly satisfactory. The year 1862
had commenced favourably, and the continuance of peace,
together with the approaching grand Internationa
Exhibition, justified all in the expectation that there
would be a great increase to report to the share-
holders at their next meeting. The southern portion of the
line from Shoreham to Horsham was opened on the Ist of
July, and the remainder early in September, while the
Croydon and Balham line, and the enlargement of the
Brighton terminus, would shortly be completed, as well as
the goods station on the West-End line and Battersea-
wharf, at which latter point the com7any had a large extent
of ground, and a considerable traffic in connection with the
river was fully expected. The directors looked forward
with great expectation to the completion of the line from
Pulborough to Ford and Littlehampton, more particularly
as at Littlehampton there was an excellent harbour, which
would afford an improved route for the traffic of the Channel
Islands and the adjacent coast of France. The company
had two bills in Parliament, one for a line from near the
Bricklayers' Arms, passing through Peckham and Dulwich,
and joining the west end line near Lower Norwood, and the
other for enlarging the London-bridge Station. The whole
of the works were in the best condition and completeness,
and the directors recommend that a dividend at the rate of
7 per cent:, amounting to £161,700 be paid, leaving a ba-
lance of £2,425 to the credit of the current half-year, and
making the dividend for the year 1861 amount to 6 per
cent.

Resolutions adopting the report and resolutions of the
directors were agreed to, and the proceedings terminated,

.RAILIVAY INTELLIGENCE.

RAILWAY BILLS.

Yesterday the following Bills were declared to have com-
plied with the standing orders of both Houses of I'arlia
ment

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST.—To enlarg
the London-bridge station en its south-western side in
Horselydown ; to enlarge the accommodation of their brick-
layers' Arms station ; to provide steamboats between France
and England, and raise £350,000 by new _shares, and bor-
row £116,000.

MID-KENT.—To vest in the Mid-Kent part of the Farn-
borough Extension and the whole of the Crays line.
GREAT NOETHERN.—TO acquire additional lands for
station accommodation at Doncaster.

EAST GLOCESTERSIIIRE.—For new railways from Chel-
tenham to Farringdon and Bourton-on-the-Water ; to raise
£600,000 and borrow £200,000.
TOTTENITAM AND HAMPSTMAD.---FOE a line from the
Hampstead Junction Railway to he Eastern Counties at
Tottenham, and a branch from the Great Northern at
H-ornsey; to raise £lOO,OOO in shares and £53,300 on loan.
The other Bills passed were for the Ke, tering and Thrap-
sten, and a cal ital of £106,000, in which case the standing
orders were declared not complied with ; the Whitchurch,
Wrexham and Mold, and Connach's Quay Junction, at a
cost of £240,000; the Leadburn, Linton, and Dolphinton,
in the county of Peebles, at a cast of £53,000; the North
British and Carlisle and Silloth Bay, to lease the latter to
the former; the North Devon and Okehampton, at the
estimated cost of £130,000, and £43,000 loan.
The Bognor, Chichester, and Midhurst Bill was with-
drawn.

ELECTRIC AND INTERNATIONAL TELEGRAPH
The directors of this company state in their report that
the result of the eventful six months just closed is, on the
whole, satisfactory. Dining the last six weeks of the year
the introduction of the shilling rate between London, Bir-
mingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and other places, which
was forced on the company, has destroyed all profit on those
circuits. The receipts of the last half-year exceed those of
the corresponding period of 1860 to the extent of £4,140.
The expenses show little variation. The result is a net
profit of £37,777 against £35,117 in Dec., 1860. A divi-
dend for the half year of £3 10s. per cent., now recom-
mended, will absorb £28,975, with a surplus of £8,802 to
be added as usual.to the fund for the renewal of the sub-
marine cables, leaving untouched the balance of £6,362
from previous working to be carried to the credit of next
account. The renewal fund, with interest, will then amount
to £50,545. The Board have entered into a contract with
Messrs. Glass and Elliott to make and lay an additional
and greatly improved cable, with four wires, between Eng-
land aLd Holland, for the sum of £56,000.