The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

RAIL WAY INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH-EASTERN.

The following circular, signed by the majority of the
directors, has been addressed to the proprietors of the
South-Eastern Railway :

" South-Eastern Railway, London-bridge
Terminus, March 3, 1854.

" Geutlemen,—lf anything wore wanting to show the ne-
cessity for union in the direction of your affairs it is to bo
found in some of the papers lately put forth.
" The circular of February the 16th, signed by the chair•
man only, was submitted to the full board of nine directors
for consideration, and was finally, in its published form,
sanctioned by a majority of six, three dissentient directors
opposing it.

Voiing by prosy is secured to you by act of Parliament,
to enable each shareholder, when unable to attend, to express
his opinion and sentiments through his proxy, in whom he
places confidence and trust. It is of the highest moment,
therefore, in order to obtain the decision and government of
your affairs by the majority, that papers stamped as required
by Parliament should be issued and placed in your hands, to
be used at your discretion and by your own free judgment,
for the control and administration of your affairs. It has ever
been an attentive mark of our duty to court your opinion on
questions of moment, when the views of the proprietors at
large should be taken ; for, unless the board of directors sup-
plied to the shareholders the means of voting by proxy, it will
be obvious that each shareholder, unapprised of the necessary
form and the stamp to be affixed, would be deprived of the
exercise of that right of representing his opinions at the meet-
ing which the Legislature intended.

-"
The circular-of February 16, therefore, thus opens and
leaves the question and decision to all the shareholders,
carefully pointing out that the insertion of any other pro-
prietor's name, instead of the chairman's, will make the en-
closed paper of proxy equally available in favour of the name
substituted as you may think proper.
" Unless the means of so representing yourselves at the
meeting were cared for and provided, you will readily see
that the conduct of your affairs might drop into the hands of
a minority, whose object may be of a passing and transient
character, perhaps inimical to the permanent interest of the
company.

"In either case the expense, which has been greatly over-
stated, is the same, whether defrayed by yourselves person-
ally, or by the company out of your own assets. But in prac-
tice the right of voting by proxy would be a dead letter if the
means of voting by proxy papers were not, when necessary,
supplied to you for your use.
" The bill for making the Lewisham and Bromley line
was before Parliament before the resolution of the company
with regard to the of further capital, passed on the
17th of March, 1853. It had previously received the careful
and anxious consideration of a full board, and no objection
to it had been offered by any proprietor. It was withdrawn
only on prudential motives, to avoid any hostility with the
Brighton Company, who, pending negotiations with us, and
without our knowledge, proposed to amalgamate with the
South-Western. In, the judgment of the majority of the
mu board it will be renerative ; but it was important not un-
necessarily to disclose an opinion which might suggest an
opposition to deprive you of its advantages.
" It would have been a mere waste of time and expense to
have convened a meeting to deliberate on the initiatory step
of re-proposing that which previously existed. Our duty
was to replace you in the former position, with everything
prepared, in order that at the right time you should decide.
" These are the plain facts, and we leave them to weigh
against the statements which have been made. You will be
enabled by the proxy papers placed at your disposal to assert
your own opinions, and to enable the sense of the proprietors
at large to be fairly and fully obtained ; and a week still re-
mains within which you may forward them to the secretary.
" Our anxiety is natural, that no misrepresentation for a
moment shall be abroad of the good faith and earnest atten-
tion with which we watch over your interests and regard your
confidence. —We have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obe-
dient faithful servants,
" JAMES MAC GREGOR, Chairman.
JAMES RENSHAW, Deputy Chairman.
HENRY RICH.
CHARLES IRONSIDE,
HENRY LEWIS SMALL
ROBERT BROWNE."

WESTMINSTER TERMLNITS.
The promoters of this project propose to construct a skew
bridge, from Bankside to Nine-elms, across the Thames, at
an angle of about 45 degrees. The principal spans are to be
200 feet each on the skew, and 161 feet on the square, to the
course of the river.

WIMBLEDON AND CROYDON.
At the ordinary meeting, held yesterday, it was stated that
responsible contractors would complete the line and stations,
pay Parliamentary and all other expenses, and hand the line
over to the company for 45,5001., being at the rate of 8,2001.
per mile. It was thought that at that price, so near Lon-
don it must be remunerative.