The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-30 00:00:00

RAIL TVA Y AND OTHER COMPANIES.

SOUTH LEICESTERSHIRE.
Yesterday a special meeting of this company, in
accordance with the standing orders of the house
of Lords, was held at the Euston Station, Lieut.-
Col. Bigge, F.R.S., in the chair; Mr. Pearson, the
secretary, read the notice convening the meeting
in,
and thereafter the heads of the bill now pending
Parliament, upon which it was resolved unanimously
that the bill for conferring additional powers on the
London and North-Western Railway in relation to
their own undertaking and those of other companies,
and for authorising a deviation in the line of the
South Leicestershire, and for other purposes, be ap-
proved, subject to such modifications as may be made
by Parliament and assented to by the directors.

CALCUTTA AND SOUTH-EASTERN.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the offices, Gresham House; Mr.
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beginning of the present year. The inhabitants
of the intermediate villages have already availed
themselves of the line to a considerable extent.
The bridge over Telly's Canal has been finished,
and that over the Piallee, which has been the cause
of so much delay and expense, the directors have
every reason to believe has by this time been com-
pleted, and a communication established with the
Mutlah. The expenditure on th© line having been
found to exceed the amount which the directors
were led to believe would be sufficient, they ask
permission to raise £50,000 by shares or debentures,
of which, however, only that amount will be issued
which may be found indispensable. Much of this
excess over the estimate is due to increased scarcitx
of labour and rise of wages in the district. But the
increased wealth of the native population thereby
indicated will be advantageous to the line when
open. Of the last sum of £50,000 authorised by
the shareholders to be raised by debentures, on the
18th Nev. last, £40,000 only has been sanctioned by
the Secretary of State for India, and the issue has
been confined to this amount. Mr. Bruce, one of
the consulting engineers, stated in his report that
it was probable the Government would postpone
the opening of the line throughout until after the
monsoon in September. It appeared that the cost
of completing the line and providing rolling stock
would be about £376,000, and that the expenditure
has been incurred with the express sanction of the
Government in India in every detail. The capital
account showed that £326,534 had been received
and £324,228 expended, leaving a balance of £2,306.
In reply to questions, it was stated that it would
be necessary to provide jetties and tramways for
the purpose of loading ships from the railway trucks
and for unloading them into the trucks ; also to pro-
vide a dry dock or slip for the repair of vessels in
the Mutlah. The cost of providing these adjuncts
to the railway would be altogether about £75,000,
and would pay for the outlay.
Resolutions were passed adopting the report, re-
electing the retiring directors, electing Mr. C.
Johnson an auditor, in the room of Mr. Austin,
resigned, and authorising the directors to raise an
additional sum of £50,000, in shares or debentures,
at a rate not exceeding 5 per cent. per annum.

11A VITTIV ANTI) 111". el: ST;
The report of the directors states that the prefe-
rence shares created at the last meeting have been
issued, bearing interest at 8 per cent. Tho whole
of the additional plant recommended by the engi-
neers has now been despatched. Charters from
Kustendjie now form a prominent feature in the
shipping intelligence from the Black Sea. The
revenue account for the past half-year exhibits a
loss, but this has been due to the very limited
amount of trade which it has been possible to carry
during the past winter, which has been one of ex-
treme severity and of unusual duration in the East.
Snow fell to a great depth, and its melting was
attended with unexampled floods, submerging a
small portion of the lino near the centre, 3ft. 7in.,
and a considerable area to a less extent, thus ren-
dering the'prosecution of the traffic difficult and ex-
pensive, and at length altogether stopping it. The
working expenses are now reduced to a scale which
leaves a fair margin of profit. No further damage
has been done to the mole since the gale of October
last. A considerable quantity of stone is now
ready to be carried on to the mole. The wharfage
accommodation is intended to be increased, so as to
afford berths for six vessels, drawing 18 feet of
water, to load at once. There will then be facilities
for the despatch of 12 per week. The efforts which
have been made to procure a complete settlement of
the company's claims against the Turkish Govern-
ment have not been hitherto successful.

/NTERCOLONIAL ROYAL MAIL STEAM.
The directors of this company state in their re-
port that £101,670 had been received up to the
31st of December in respect to the original and new
shares, and the liabilities, including the balance of
loans on mortgage, balance of profit and loss,
making a total of £142,878. This sum was repre-
sented on the credit side by property in steamships,
sailing 'vessels, coals, stores, in hand and by
debts duo to the company. The working account
showed receipts amounting to X 78,293, and dis-
bursements to the extent of 69,697, leaving a ba-
lance of £8,596 which, with £719 from the pre-
ceding account, gives £9,315. The dividend to
the 30th of June last absorbed £3,679, the further
sum of £l,OOO bad been applied in the reduction
of preliminary expenses, &T. ; and out of the resi-
due it was proposed to pay a dividend for the six
months ending Dec. 31 at the previous rate of 71
per cent. per annum clear of income tax. The
directors state that Captain V. Hall
had alreadyda .
introduced an economical system of
acommo working,e had
effected a vast improvement in the condition of the
vessels, had enlarged their passenger
tion, and otherwise had given satisfaction to the
colonies.

RAILWAY BILLS.
Yesterday the bill of the Birkenhead Docksand
West d
West Cheshire Junction was passed in Mr. Howes'
committee. The case for the Birkenhead, Flint-
shire, and Holyhead Railway for a branch line ter-
minating at Queensferry, on the north of the Dee,
about six miles in length, with a branch over the
Dee to the Chester and Holyhead at Hawarden,
was opened by Mr. Calvert, Q.C., and evidence
taken. The company propose to cross the Dee by
a bridge, six miles below Chester, to consist of nine
spans, 50ft. each, and 10ft. headway, but the Lords
of the Admiralty report to the committee that such
bridge at the site intended would be injurious. The
company propose to raise £125,000 by shares, and
£41,600 by loan. Witnesses were examined on the
general case of the Whitchurch, Wrexham, and
Mold Railway by Mr. Somerset and Mr. Salisbury,
in Lord Stanley's committee, and Mr. Hawkshaw,
C.E., was under examination all day by Mr. Mere-
wether, in Mr. Pullen's committee on the Hull Ex-
tension project of the Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Mr. Rodewell, Q.C., opened the opposition in the
committee of which Mr. Adair is chairman, on be-
half of the merchants and inhabitants of Bristol,
who object to the proposal to carry the railway
four times over the floating harbour of Bristol, it
being alleged that the proposed bridges would
prove a serious inconvenience to the trade of the