The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-07 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

Yesterday the following bills were declared to have com.
plied with the standing orders of Parliament :

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT.—To confer further powers on
the company. To enable them to abandon one of their
junction railways already authorised, and to adopt another,
to make a lino to the Hammersmith-road, and to raise an
additional capital of £150,000 and £50,000 loan.
GRAVESEND LANDING STAGE.—For a railway from Den-
ton to Chalk, near Shorne Battery, with a landing stage
and warehouses. Capital, £150,000; loan, £50,000.
DOVER, DEAL, AND SANDWICH.—For a railway between
these points, at an estimated cost of £llO,OOO.
NORTH KENT EXTENSION. For a railway from the
North Kent at Denton to the Coastguard station on the
Medway opposite Sheerness, together with a pier, wharves,
&c. Capital, £120,000; loan, £40,000.
WYCOMBE.—Extensions to Uxbridge and Great Marlow.
Capital, £300,000 ; loan, £lOO,OOO.
ELY, HADDENHAM, AND SUTTON.—To extend the line
from Sutton, in the Isle of Ely, to St. lye's, with powers to
the Gitat Eastern and Great Northern to use the same, with
power to raise an additional capital of £66,000, and loan of
£22,000.

BARNSLEY, ACXWORTR, AND PONTEFRACT.—For a rail-
way between these points. Capital, £225,000; loan,
£75,000.

CARMARTHEN AND CARDIGAN.—For branches near Kid-
welly, and to extend the time for purchase of lands and
execution of works.
SWANSEA AND ADERYSTWITH JUNCTION.—For new
branches, and to raise £57,000, and borrow £13,000.
SOUTH LANCASHIRE.—For railways between the Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire, London and North Western, and river
Mersey, with a dock on the Lancashire shore of that river.
Capital, £00,000; loan, £200,000. _ _

_ .
WEST CORNWALL.—To enter into working arrangements
with other companies and to lease or sell their undertaking.

WEST RIDING AND GRIMSBY.—To raise £50,000, and bor.
row £16,000 to carry out works already authorised.

FISIIGUARD BAY AND HARBOUR.—For construction of a
railway from the South Wales Railway to Fishguard Bay
and a harbour at Goodwick-pier. Capital, X-250,000 ; loan
£83,000.

DUBLIN METROPOLITAN JUNCTION.—For railways in and
near Dublin. Capital, £lOO,OOO ; loan, £133,000.
BELFAST AND COUNTY DOWN, AND BELFAST AND HOLY-
WOOD AND BANGOR.—To authorise the transfer to the Bel-
fast, Holywood, and Bangor Company of the Holywood
branch of the Belfast and County Down. _ _ _

NEWRY AND GREENORE.—Fornew works and deviations,

DUBLIN, RATHMINES, and RATHGAR.—For extension to
Bfesington and Dublin. Further capital, £200,000; loan
£66,000.
The other companies were the Lancashire Union(for new
lines) and the Buchlastleigh, Totnes, and South Devon.
The non-compliances included the Monmouthshire.
The bill of the Thames Valley and London and South-
Western was withdrawn.

ELECTRIC AND INTERNATIONAL TELEGRAP
The report of the directors states that the progressive
advance in the revenue of the company for many years past
had continued, with slight interruption, during the six
months just completed. There was a diminution in the
cost of maintenance, arising from the liberal provision on
this account made in former half years. There was, how-
ever, included under this head a sum of £4,485 for the con-
struction of the pneumatic apparatus at Liverpool, Man-
chester, and Birmingham. The net profit on the opera-
tions of the company for the half-year, after making every
provision for the working charges, interest on debentures and
loans, and the special vote of £l,OOO to the late secretary,
amounted to £54,076 against £50,568 in the corresponding
period of 1863. The directors recommended a dividend of 4
per cent. for the half year on the stock and shares of the com-
pany, leaving a balance of £14,831 to be added to the trust
fund, which would then, with the accumulated interest,
amount to £54,672. The directors had decided on extend-
ing their system through the north of Ireland, and con-
necting Belfast with Scotland by a cable across the Chan-
nel near Portpatrick. This extension would bring into
communication with England and the Continent the active
commercial districts of Ulster, and the company would also
be secured by the possession of a double connection from
such an interruption and consequent loss of tra me
i
of
as had recently occurred by the temporary failure
their cable from Wexford to the Welsh coast. In rep
ing this cable the directors had used some milesos e,
shore-end, specially constructed for the of thick
expense of this renewal would be charged against the,fsund-
for that purpose. The other extenshonnasilonfsthine cleonmgptahn, ypsrinys
ci_
tem during the half-year wereT
le revenue account for the
pally for railway companies•
half-year showed that £l4l,prllacl been receiveofxm,o7.d, and
£87,513 expended, leaving . lanceba
TELEGRAPH TO INDIA (LIMITED).
dinary general meetingga of-sthrieseco;mpany was
Moor te t t Sir The fourth or
held yesterday at the office,
Mac-
donald Stephenson in the chair.
Mr. MAYO, the secretary, read the report, which stated
that the directors had received the half-yearly payment of
£1,250 from the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance
Company, for the rental of the Company's line in Egypt to
the 31st December last, and recommended that a dividend
at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum, free of income-tax, be
paid to the shareholders for the half-year ending the 31st of
December last, payable on and after the 15th inst. Tho
capital account showed that £59,088 had been received, and
£56,399 expended, leaving a balance of £2,689.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,

said it was simply for the purpose of distributing £1,250 in
payment of a dividend among the proprietors at the rate of
5 per cent. per annum for the past half-year, free of income
tax. Ho did not know that it was necessary to take uptheir
time with any observations. The directors had recom-
mended them on a former occasion to remain quiet, and not
to force the sale of their property, but await the result of
negotiations still going on. The success of the Persian
Gulf line was placed beyond doubt, and if the working of
that telegraph should prove as satisfactory as the laying of
it, the traffic on it between China and India would be very
great, and would not only find work enough for it, but for
four or five other lines. The Government, no doubt, would
prefer an alternative line by the Red Sea to laying duplicate
lines along the same route, in case the Persian Gulf
line should fail, for then the alternative line along the
Rod Sea would become indispensable. (Hear, hear.) no
believed that the year 18G5 would see many thousands of
miles of submarine telegraph successfully laid. Some of
the submarine lines were a great deal too cheaply con-
structed, the cables weighing something like one ton per
mile. It was now found that cables constructed of grefiter
strength and of at least four tons to thn mile were the best;

.abk,s of z...t kas

quired, and should Ml,' to se,

and lay a sea line

Lrvey of the groaL,l

tons to tho mth were re-

contractors now who had no f ,ar

~k:ug au

sea-line, provided they had a. careful survey of the route it
was to take and the section of the bottom. The directors
had conducted the affairs of the company with the utmost
economy ; the office and other expenses did not exceed £2OO
a year ; they had used every exertion to promote the interests
of the company and had received no remuneration, nor did
they want any, as they felt bound to exert themselves to
the last. But, at the same time they confidently believed
that a Red Sea line would be absolutely needed, and they
therefore wished the shareholders to wait and see the result.
Mr. DENT seconded the motion for the adoption of the
report.

After a few remarks from Mr. Bnecx and Mr. GODFREY
on items in the accounts, and an explanation by the CaLiR-
MAN, the report was adopted ; the dividend at the rate of 5
per cent. per annum for the past year was declared ; the
retiring directors, the Hon. J. Byng, Mr. W. Dent, and Ad-
miral W. H. Hall, were re-elected, and also Mr. J. H. Prank-
lin, the retiring auditor, with an allowance of £lO 10s. for
his services.

A vote of thanks to the chairman and directors for their
zeal and exertions in promoting the interests of the com-
pany was carried unanimously.
_

BIRMINGHAM JOINT-STOCK BANK (LIMITED).
At a meeting of the shareholders at Birmingham yester-
day the directors were authorised to confirm an agreement
for an amalgamation with Attwood, Spooner, and Co. It
was also agreed to raise the capital' from £2,000,000 to
£3,000,000 ; and the report of the directors, recommending
a distribution for the past half-year at the rate of 20 per
cent. per annum, was confirmed.