The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-26 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN OF FRANCE.
An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of
this company was held yesterday, in the Salle Ste. Cecile,
Rue de la Chanssee-d'Antin—Baron Jarnes de Roths-
child, the President, in the chair. The meeting Slaying
been declared duly constituted, M. Delbecque, one of
directors, proceeded to read the report :
This document commences by stating that the object
of the meeting was to obtain from the shareholders the
ratification of a provisional treaty entered into by the
board of directors for the. working of the railway from'
Namur to Liege. This line would form one of the sec-
tions of the railway communication from Paris to Co-
logne, as soon as the branch line from St. Quentin to
Erqueiines was opened to the public. The advantages
to the Northern Company of having the Namur. to
Liege Railway in its possession Teas that it opened a
new communication to Germany, and shortened very
considerably the distance between Paris and Cologne.
That distance by Amiens, Valenciennes, and Brussels,
was 614 kilometres (384 English miles), which weregono
over in 14 hours 45 min. By the new direction, the
distance would be 510 kilom. (319 English miles), and
the time 11 hours 30 min. •So that the diminution in
distance would be upwards of 100 kilm. (63 English
miles), and in time, 3( hours. The construction of the
line from St. Denis to Creil would still further shorten
the distance, so that eventually the line from Paris to
Cologne would be abcnt the same length as'that from
Paris to Strasburg.
Of the 510 kilom. mentioned above,
3P possession
remainder
of
287 already belonged to the Northern Company : adding
to that lengththe 59 kilo's], of the Namur to Liege line,
164ern
c ithe m wholepany
would
346 kilo's],
kil. belonged to the Belgian Government and the Rhenish
Company. The Northern Company would, consequently,
the
Northern
or th
he masters of upwards of two-thirds of the whole dis-
tance ; and the Board of Directors had received the
strongest assurances from official quarters, that every
P -
o-si;,le e facility would be afforded by the -B I• - • • Belgian Go-
vernment for the usual traffic in passengers and goods.
The report then enters into a description of the Namnur
to Liege line, which is declared to be welt constructed,
and to pass through a highly industrial country, likely
in the course of time to give a very considerable additional
traffic. The line was also destined to relieve a large
transit-traffic Irons Germany to France, and vice verB4.
In the cession of the lino was net included the stock,
consisting of 20 locomotives, 49 passengers' carriages,
arid 872 goods' waggons. the expenses of working
since 1851 had been about 50 per cent. only, and the
receipts had gradually and steadily improved. The
lease which the Namur to Liege Company granted to
the Northern Company would be the same, minus one
day, as the length of its concussion, which was for 90
years, from the sth September, 1851, and the sum to be
paid by the Northern Company was 1,000,000 f. a year,
payable every six months. The Northern Company
was to enter on possession on Jan. 1, 1855. The sum
at which the stock was estimated by parties appointed
on each side wao 3,300,0001., and this was to be paid
at ones by the Northern Company. Tile Namur to
Liege Company also possessed the branch line from
Mons. to Manage, but that portion of its line it
was to retain in its own hands, and work itself.
The reason of that company ceding its principal
line was that it had fa debt of 12,500,000 f., which
had fallen duo last July, and for which it had
been unable to provide. By means of the million
which it was to receive each year from the Northern
Company, it would provide for the interest of its debt,
and for the creation of a sinking fund to pay off the pria-
• clpa l. The shareholders of the Namur to Liege Company
had given their consent to the treaty now alluded to, at a
public meeting held on the 22d of November last at
Brussels ; and all that now remained to terminate the
arrangement was to obtain the consent of the shareholders
of the Northern Company. The report concludes by
declaring that the board seized on the opportunity of
seeing the Northern shareholdersassembled to give them
some information respecting the working of their line
during the first ten months of the present year. Notwith-
standing that war was being waged, that an epidemic had
existed, and that food was unusually high, the portion of
the present year, named above, presented an augmen-
tation of receipts over the corresponding period of
1853 of 3,982,0001., or 13i per cent. It was evi-
dent from this result that the prosperity of the Northern
line was steadily progressing, and the board felt confi-
dent that the ratification of the treaty with the Namur
to Liege Company would still more contribute to the
augmentation of the receipts.
The PRESIDENT then inquired if any shareholder de-
sired to make observations on theireport ?
A SHAREHOLDER inquired how the sum of 3,300,000
francs to be given for the stock of the Namur to Liege
Company was to be paid ?
The PRESIDENT replied that if the meeting consented
to open a credit for that amount, the board would pay
the sum from the funds now in hand, and would in April,
at the ordinary general meeting, bring the matter for-
ward to have the question decided how the sum was to
be raised, whether by an emission of bonds or other-
wise.

The meeting unanimously ratified the treaty, and
opened the credit required.

The proceedings then terminated.