The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-11 00:00:00

7IIE Al? 3,11.

A draught of the 2d battalion, sth Fusileers, will
be despatched from the camp at Cole Jester to the
Mauritius this week to reinforce the service com-
pany of the regiment already u:, duty in the
colony. The draught will consist of one officer,
five sergeants, and 40 rank and file. Lieut. Wolse-
ley, 2d battalion, 6th, has proceeded to Harwich to
assume the command of the troops stationed at
Landguard Fort, in the room of Lieut. Gubbins of
the 56th, who has obtained leave of absence.
Good-conduct medals have just been presented by
Col. Guy, C. 8., Commandant of the camp of Col-
chester, to Privates Kearns and Champion, of the
sth, Private Wallis, of the 54th, and Sergeant
Littlefield and Privates Londoner and Price, of
the 97th.

The barracks at Norwich and Ipswich are about
to be occupied by troops of the sth Lancers. The
dttachrcents are expected to arrive on Thursday or
Friday.

RAIL WAY IMELLIGENCE.

TAFF VALE.

The directors of this company recommend a divi-
dend at the rate of 9 per cent. per annum for the
half-year ended the 30th June last, as against 81
per cent. per annum for the corresponding half
of 1861.

GREAT WESTERN.
It appears from the financial statement of this
company, for the half-year ending the 30th of June
last, that £13,755,495 had been received on shares,

and £11,102,982 on debentures, loans, &c., making
the total receipts on capital account £24,858,477.
The total expenditure on capital account in respect
of the various railways, works, and plant belonging
to the company amounted to £21,938,334, and in
subscriptions and disbursements for other under-
takings to £2,199,822, making together 1:24,138,156,
and leaving a balance of £720,321.
The capital account of the Shrewsbury lines now
belonging to the Great Western Company shows
that £3,647,015 had been expended upon them.
The joint capital account of the Great Western and
West Midland Companies shows a total outlay of

£695,272.
The joint revenue account of the Great Western
and West Midland Railways for the half-year end-
ing the 30th of June shows that £1,244,728 had
been reeeived, and £618,405, or 49.68 per cent.,
expended in working the traffic, &c. ; £31,705 paid
for rent charges on 11 branch railways, also £16,347
for interest on capital expenditure on joint account,
and £88,250 for fixed rent and allowance for plant,
&c., of South Wales Railway, leaving a balance of
£541,202 for division between the two companies.
Of this the Great Western receives 821 per cent., or
£446,492, and the West Midland Company 171 per
cent., or £94,710.
From the £446,492 received by the Great Western
they first deduct £2,500 towards Parliamentary
and legal expenses, and £1,500 for doubtful debts,
leaving £442,492. To this is added £10,424
brought forward from the preceding half-year ;
£12,000, a portion of balances reserved from revenue
account prior to the 30th June, 1861; and £12,438
for dividends on shares in other companies, making
the total £477,354. From this sum is deducted
£20,189 for guaranteed annuities to Wilts, Somer-
set, and Weymouth, and Kennet and Avon Canal:;
£20,666 for rent-charges of the Glocester and Dean
Forest, the Hereford, Ross, and Glocester, Bren tford
Dock, Wycombe Railway, and trustees of Padding-
ton Estate ; £65,638 in respect of interest and divi-
dends on the Shrewsbury lines ; and, finally,
£347,440 for interest on loans and preference shares
(exclusive of £12,799 charged in joint account),

leaving a disposable sum of £23,420—0ut of which
it is proposed to pay a dividend at the rate of a half
per cent. per annum, being for the half-year ending

the 30th of June last, 20,593 ; leaving a balance of
£2,827. At the corresponding period of 1861 the
disposable sum was £95,069 ; the r ate of dividend
2:7, per cent. per annum, being for the half-year
£92,669, leaving a balance of £2,400. showing a
decreanc in the di.k.,..tne o,.uL of .E.71,6a0, and an
increase in the balance carried over of £427. This
comparison is not of much use, because the circum-
stances of the Great Western are quite different now
from what they were at the corresponding period of
1861. On the Ist of July, 1861, the Great Western
and West Midland commenced working together on
joint account, and at the end of the half-year, De-
cember 31, the total receipts were £1,212,201, and
the portion divisible between the two companies
was £714,510, of which the Great Western took 821-
per cent., or £582,471, and the West Midland 171
per cent., or £125,039. The result was that the
Great Western Company had a disposable balance
of £133,983, out of which they declared a dividend
at the rate of 3 per cent, per annum, which absorbed
£123,559, and left a balance of £10,424, with which
they commenced the past year.
On the let January last the two companies jointly

commenced to lease and work the South Wales

Railway, paying the latter a minimum rent of
£170,000 a year,and also certain allowances for plant
and expenses. The payment to the South Wales
Company under this arrangement for the past half-
year ending the 30th of June amounted to £88,250.
The first half of the year being the least produc-
tive by £lO,OOO or £12,000, the rent fell heavier on
the receipts of the past half-year than it will in the
next half-year. This, however, is but a small mat-
ter as compared with the loss over the combined
systems of the three companies during the half-year
from the great depression of trade in the mineral
and manufacturing districts. The deficiency on
the Shrewsbury lines was increased from £12,142
to £22,494, making a difference of £10,352 against
the Great Western, instead of, as formerly, showing
a reduced amount of deficiency payable every year.
It appears from the traffic returns of the Great
Western, West Midland, and South Wales Rill •
ways combined, during the first 22 weeks of the
past half•year, that there was a decrease of £3,488
as compared with the corresponding period of last
year, but during the four following weeks in Jude
the receipts were so increased by the operation of
the International Exhibition that an augmentation
of £20,100 was produced on the receipts of the 26
weeks as compared with the corresponding period

of 1861. Under ordinary circumstances it is pro-
bable that an increase of about £60,000 might have
taken place in the receipts of those lines during the
past half-year ; at all events, the traffic receipts in
the current half-year are much more encouraging,
for they amount in the aggregate for the first five
weeks to £333,402 against £288,413 for the corre-
sponding period of last year, showing an increase
of £44,989, or about £5,000 per week.