The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 8, 1853.

cesspools stagnating, and filth of the most offensive cha-
racter accumulated in the yards and folds of the poor,
who have been the victims of the fever." The excess of
births in West Bromwich and Westbury-on-Severn is
ascribed to the increase of population caused by employ-
ment on railways. The prosperous state of trade and
the improved circumstances of the people are also men-
tioned in connexion with a low rate of mortality.
The deaths in Lincolnshire have been below, in
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire above the average.
The registrar of Leake in Leicestershire says : " Several
deaths have occurred during the quarter from scarlatina
and from small-pox. The latter disease has been very
prevalent in a village belonging to my district. The
ignorance and wilful stupidity which exist amongst a
certain class of people are astonishing ; neither threats
nor entreaties can induce them to have their children
vaccinated. A young woman, near her confinement,
and the mother of two other children, who refused to be
vaccinated herself or have her children vaccinated, was
seized with small pox. On June 12th I attended her ;
the disease was confluent : she became a most loath-
some object, and in this state gave birth to a girl on the
15th, and died on the 19th. The infant took the dis-
ease, and has since died. I have vaccinated a large
number of children and a few adults, but the same pre-
judice still exists with others, and this frightful disease
is yet progressing. lam firmly convinced that if every
child was properly vaccinated under the age of 12 months
there would be no cases of small-pox, or it would be so
modified as to require little notice. lam of opinion that
the disease would in the end be extirpated."
Cheshire and Lancashire have not been more than
usually unhealthy. 2,759 deaths were registered out of
a population of 411,515 in Liverpool and West Derby ;
2,365 in Manchester and Salford out of 315,956. The
mortality in these districts was below the average to
which they are subject. This district, says the Registrar
of Hulme, Chorlton, "never was in a more healthy
state." No kind of epidemic prevails. "The operative
classes are all well employed, and although the prices of
various kinds of provisions are on the advance, there
appears a general disposition to increase wages in pro-
portion."
In Yorkshire 11,442 deaths were registered. The
mortality exceeded the average, and most notably in
Skipton, Keighley, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford,
Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Thorne, and Driffield.
In Leeds and Hull the mortality declined. One death
from cholera was registered in the workhouse, Horton,
Bradford. Influenza prevailed in Leyburn, scarlatina in
Reeth.

In the northern counties 5,621 deaths were registered.
Ague, typhus, and hooping-cough have prevailed in
many of the Durham colliery districts ; 23 persons died
of measles in Yarm, Stockton.
The deaths in the Welsh division (7,288) exceed the
average; hooping cough prevailed in Newport, Swansea,
and Haverfordwest ; small-pox and bronchitis in Cardiff
and Carmarthen. The excess of births and deaths in
Rheidol, Aberystwith, is referred to the great increase
of the mining population. Small-pox, scarlatina, and
typhus still prevail in the Wrexham district. " The
board of guardians are causing proceedings to be taken
against the owners and occupiers of houses, as directed
by the Nuisances Removal and Diseases Prevention Act,
and in all cases where they have summoned have suc-
ceeded in getting convictions."

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

NORTH LONDON.

The half-yearlyi;eeting of this company took place on
Friday, at the Euston Station ; Mr. John Scott in the
chair.

----- •
The following report was read by the Secretary :
" The statement of the revenue account for the half-year
ending the 30th June last, affords conclusive evidence of
the steadily increasing prosperity of the railway. Com-
pared with the corresponding period of the year, 1852, the
receipts from passenger traffic show an increaso of 2,6801.
Gs. ; the particulars of the two periods being as follows,
viz.—
Passengers. Amount.
Half-year ending June, 1852...1,776,186...E25,236 2 2
June, 1853...1,934,810... 28,616 8 2
JP

Increase in 1853... 158,624... £2,680 6 0

TheeeThe
increase efirnor
4g,50301d15.
itrsa. ffiBdc.aorne laikecwomispeasraitsiosnfacotforyre:
with the corresponding period of 1852 ; and as con-
trasted with the receipts of the half-year ending December
last, the increase is 2,3861. 19s. 9d. The shareholders will
bear in mind that the receipts from passenger traffic for
the first six months in the year always fall short of the
receipts in the last six months ; and the traffic since the
30th June last fully confirms this experience. The result
of the half-year's transactions, as shown in the accounts, is
as follows :—The gross receipts amounted to 37,1751. lls. ld.,
and the expenditure, including toll to the Blackwall Rail-
way Company, to 21,4081. 3s. 2d. ; leaving, with 6531.
13s 10d., the amount carried forward from last half-year,
a gross balance of 16,4211. ls. 9d.; and, after providing
for the payment of the interest on the debenture debt, there
remains a net balance of 11,4441. 45. 4d. available for divi-
dend. This virplus enables the directors to recommend an
increase of dividend for the past half-year from 15s. to
17s. 6d. per share, leaving the sum of 691. 4s. 4d. to be car-
ried forward to the credit of the currenthalf-year's account.
Arrangements have been made to run a limited number
of this company's passenger trains on to Kew, over the Lon-
don and North-Western Railway, from Camden to Willes-
den, and over the North and South-Western Junction
Railway, from Willesden to Kew. There can be little
doubt that much new traffic will result from this commu-
nication, as it will afford easy access from the City, and
all the northern suburbs of London, to Kew Gardens, and
other points of attraction in that district. It will be ob-
served that the met changes the name of the company to
' The North London Railway.' By its provisions, it is re-
quired that the new capital shall consist of 25,000 shares
of 101. each, to be offered to the existing shareholders rate-
ably, according to their present holdinc, ; under this ar-
rangement, the holder of every ten of° the original 501.
shares becomes entitled to nineteen of the new 101. shares
now to be created ; and a special resolution for the creation
of the new capital will be accordingly submitted to the
shareholders at the present meeting. These new shares
will, thereupon, be tendered to the shareholders according
to their respective holdings. Since the last half-yearly
meeting, the directors have selected for sale, from the com-
pany's surplus property, portions which could not, under
any circumstances, be required for works in connection
with the railway. Public sales were effected to the extent
of about 25,0001. in the months of May and June last, and
the result beinc, satisfactory, the directors are encouraged
to proceed with further sales, carefully guarding, as before,
against the sacrifice of any portion which might by possi-
bility be required for the future purposes of the company.
The amount realised at the sales in May and June, not
having been received at the time of closing the last half-
year's accounts, will appear in the accounts for the cur-
rent half-year. The directors are happy to be able to state
that the 56,2001. Five per Cent. Debenture Bonds, which
fell due en the Ist of April last, have all been renewed at
the reduced rate of 3 per cent."
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
stated, in reference to the fourth paragraph, that the in-
crease shown in the traffic returns was somewhat inte-
resting. The first five weeks after the 30th June, 1851,
during the Great Exhibition, produced in passenger
traffic about 7,030/. ; and in the corresponding weeks of
1852 the amount was 7,370/. ; whilst in the correspond-
ing period of the present year it was 7,870/., being about
5 per cent. in 1852 over 1851, and upwards of 6 per cent.
in 1853 over the gross earnings for passengers in 1852,
or 12 per cent. advance in 1853 over the same period in
1851, when the attraction of the Great Exhibition was
in full force. It was gratifying to him to be enabled to
state that the line connecting the Great Northern Rail-
way with the North London Railway had recently been
completed, and the junction branch from the Eastern
Counties was in rapid progress to join their line at
Hackney Wick. A satisfactory arrangement was also
expected to be completed immediately with the Eastern
Counties for the accommodation of passengers to and
from the western suburbs as well as for goods traffic, of
which a considerable amount was expected in grain,
farm produce, and live stock, when the new cat tle
market should be established in Copenhagen-fields.
The report was unanimously adopted, and a dividend
declared as recommended therein.

The meeting was then made special for the purpose of
empowering the directors to take such measures as may
be deemed advisable for raising the new capital autho-
rised by the North London Railway Act, 1853.
A resolution in accordance with this object was
agreed to, and the business terminated.

LEEDS, BRADFORD, AND HALIFAX
JUNCTION.

The third half-yearly meeting of the shareholders in
this company was held at the company's offices, Park-
rcw, Leeds, on Friday. Mr. Edward Akroyd, the
chairman of the board of directors, presided.
Mr. M. CAWOOD, the secretary, read the half-yearly
report of the directors, of which the following are the
chief points :
" The directors have the satisfaction to report that the
construction of the main line and the incidental works is
rapidly progressing, and that the completion thereof for
the purposes of traffic may be anticipated about the spring
of next year. The general abstract of the cash account up
to June 30 showed that the receipts, as per balance sheet
of Dec. 31, 1852, were 32,1361.145. 2d.; the interest on ac-
count of delayed payment'of calls, 851. 3s. ld.; transfer
fees, 1034 interest allowed by Beckett and Co., 1131. 2s.
10d.; prepaid calls 18,6801.; debts owing to the company,
1,6511. 13s. 4d.; making a total of 52,667/. 3s. sd. The pay-
ments as per balance sheet of Dec. 31, 1852, were 14,3101.
6d.; land purchased amounted to 10,1661. 16s. 2d.; deposits
for land to be purchased, 7,1521.55. 6d.; contractor, on ac-
count of making the line, 18,7771.175. 2d. ; engineering ex-
penses, 9001.; secretary's salary, rent of offices, furniture, sta-
tionery, and miscellaneous, 4571. lls. 9d. ; bankers' commis-
sion, 93/. 17s. 7d. ; cash in hand, 121. ls. 6d. ; unpaid calls,
1301. 12s. 6d. ; balance, 666/. Os. 9d. ; making an aggre-
gate of 52,667/. 3s. 5d."

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said that the report before them showed the business
which had been done since their last half-yearly meeting.
The main line was progressing satisfactorily, though the
contractor had had some difficulty to contend with, in
consequence of the advance of wages in almost all parts
of the country. Yet he had overcome these difficulties ;
and the shareholders were fortunate in having a man of
the contractor's capital and enterprise to carry out their
works. As regarded the Parliamentary proceedings,
they were more peaceful in the last than in the previous
year ; and, though there was at one period opposition
threatened on the part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Company, yet their differences had been adjusted hon-
ourably and satisfactorily to both companies.
Dr. HEATON seconded the motion for the adoption of
the report, and it was carried unanimously.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded the busi-
ness, at a quarter before one o'clock.