The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-08 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

Yesterday the examining barristers of the Houses of
Lords and Commons decided that the Standing Orders were
complied with in the following cases :
BANSTEAD AND Ersom DOWNS.—For making a railway
from the Sutton station of the Croydon and Epsom Railway
to Banstead and Epsom Downs, and to raise for the purpose
£85,000 in shares and £28,300 upon loan.
KENT COAST.—To construct railways or tramways at
Ramsgate, and to empower the Board of Trade, if they
think fit, to transfer the harbour of Ramsgate to the Kent
Coast Company, with power to raise £160,000 on shares,
and borrow 863,000.
BRISTOL PORT.—For a railway from the port of Bristol
to the old channel at the mouth of the river Avon, and a
pier there, the estimated cost of the railway being £85,000
and of the pier £40,000, with power to borrow £41,000.
SPALDING AND BouitN.—For a railway between these
places and a capital of £130,000.
The other Bills disposed of were the Caledonian (devia-
tions) ; Londonderry and Coleraine (arrangements with
creditors).
The railway Bills declared not to have complied with
the Standing Orders were the Bristol and Exeter, Chard
and Taunton, the Hatfield and St. Albans, and Cowbridge.
The Ledbury and Glocester Railway Bill was withdrawni.

MEDITERRANEAN EXTENSION TELEGRAPH.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yes-
terday at the London Tavern, Mr. H. Moor in the chair.

The report stated that the receipts for messages, as com-
pared with the previous hall-year, hal more than doubled,
while the expenditure had not materially increased, Since
the opening of the Alexandria line in November last the
traffic had greatly augmented, and was still increasing.
The directors had experienced considerable difficulty in se-
curing a systematic transmission of telegraphic communica-
tion through the Italian kingdom, but there was a proba-
bility of their efforts being successful, the Italian Govern-
ment having entered into arrangements which. when com-
pleted, would, it was believed, secure the object in view.
The attempt made by Messrs.lGlasse, Elliot, and Ce., for
the restoration of the old submarine cables failed, and there
was now little hope of success in that direction. Their new
cables, the one connecting Malta and Sicily, and the other
connecting Corfu and Otranto, continued to work most
efficiently. The directors had lately received information
through the company's agent at Turin that it was the im-
mediate intention of the Italian Government to lay a sub
marine cable connecting Sicily with Sardinia, by which
means the route via Naples, Rome, &c., which had been
the cause of so much difficulty and delay, would be avoided,
and a regular and more speedy communication be obtained.
The directors confidently hoped that the operations of the
company for the current half-year would enable them in
August next to declare a dividend on the original shares.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said the sum of £2,095 deposited at Messrs. Overend and
Gurney's was to provide for claims on the part of other
companies. The company was progressing satisfactorily ;
the receipts for messages had more than doubled, while the
expenditure had not materially increased. The lines were