The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-12 00:00:00

The report of the committee of investigation, an ab-
stract of which has appeared in The Sun, was taken as
read. The reply of the board of directors to the report
of the committee of investigation was also taken as read;
It stated that at the time the present board assumed
office the difficulties in which the company were in-
volved were without parallel in railway experience ; and,
believing that the plans they then adopted were the best
that could be devised, under the peculiar circumstances
of the case, and conscious of having since conducted.
the affairs of the company honestly and faithfully, they
±elt no hesitation in submitting every transaction to
the most rigid and searching investigation, supposing,
of course, that the committee would, as is usual io
such matters, allow them an opportunity of explain.'
ing anything which might appear to be injudicious
or objectionable. In this, however, they have been
disappointed, and hence they state that the report is full
of statements which ought to have been very materially
modified before they were published, and which the
committee should have known were capable of being ex-
plained satisfactorily. The reply of the directors, which
is a very able one, explains at considerable length various
matters adverted to in the report of .the- committee of
investigation, with a view to show the inaccuracy of
many of the statements contained therein. With regard
to the assertion by the committee that the directors
evinced a "want of personal interest in the undertaking,"
the directors state that, owing to seizures of the
plant and other property of the company, they had
advanced out of their own private funds, and without 4,;t,t‘
any security, 20,0411. The sum of 1501. paid to Mr.
Bates, as explained by the secretary to the com-
mittee, was not for furniture, but for travelling and other
expenses paid by him on the business of the company
during his protracted stay in Ireland. The directors
explain various items in the committee's report under
the heads of Parliamentary and law expenses, land and
compensation, construction account, forfeited shares,
traffic, and liabilities. With regard to the cost of the
land from Thomastown to Waterford, it amounted only
to 7731. per mile, instead of 1,7611. per mile, as stated
by the committee. It appeared that the committee, in
their investigation, had refrained from examining the di-
rectors or engineer on the affairs of the company, and
had trusted entirely to the evidence of the officials, con-
tractors, and others, and the books of the company.
A discussion ensued, in which the Chairman, Mr.
Bates, Mr. Dowling, Mr. Wills, Mr. Ellie, the contrac-
tor, and other shareholders took part, in the course of
which various explanations were given and statements
made. Eventually resolutions were passed adopting the
report of the committee of investigation, recommending
a change in the board of directors, with a view to place
the affairs of the company in a satisfactory position, and
requesting the committee of investigation to confer with
the directors on the subject, and to report the result to
the half-yearly meeting, to be held at the end of the
present month.
The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to
the committee of investigation for their able report,
and also to the chairman for his impartial conduct in
the chair.

THE WRECK OF THE ERCOLANO.

We have been favoured with some details of the loss
of the Ercolano, the ill-fated ship in which Mr. Halsey
was a passenger, by Captain Townshend, R.N., M.P.,
who had them from the lips of Sir Robert Peel :—Sir
Robert said that, feeling ill frOm the motion of the
vessel, he was sitting in his carriage, which had been
moved to tnidships on account of the heavy rolling of
the sea, smoking a cigar, when suddenly, and without
the slightest warning, a collision occurred. A large
vessel (the Sicilia) came upon them at the rate of 11 or
12 knots an hour, running for eight or nine feet into the
Ercolano, and literally "doubling her up." The col-
lision was so sudden, and death so imminent, that there
was no time for consideration. Sir Robert had just
time to spring out of his carriage before the funnel of
the steamer and the apparatus of the galley fell against
it, and threw it overboard. To take off his coat, his
trousers, and his boots was the work of a moment. His
servant was standing by him—an old and valued ser-
vant, much attached to him ; and in that awful moment
Sir Robert (who must pardon us for referring to a cir-
cumstance which lie never intended to be made public)
found time and courage and calmness enough to say
a few words to his faithful servitor—" Good by ! God
bless you! Nothing can save us ? In a few minutes
we shall be in the other world ; but be comforted,
I have made a provision for your daughter" (the
old man's only child). The old servant said he would
never leave his master ; but Sir Robert, feeling that
there was no chance for either of them except in
prompt and individual activity, exclaimed, "You can-
not help me. Do the best you can. I shall jump into
the sea ;" and then he took a strong leap to escape the
eddy caused by the sinking vessel, which he happily
cleared. In the sea Sir Robert got hold of something,
which he supposes to be the bowsprit of the Sicilia,
which was carried away at the moment of the collision.
Then he got hold of a chain, and finally of a piece of the
wreck, to which he found three other persons, one of
whom he thinks was his old servant, were clinging.
In this position he remained, the sea rolling heavily,
for three quarters of an hour. One by one his com-
panions relaxed their grasp on the floating portion of the
wreck and dropped exhausted into the sea—their grave ;
and at last he alone remained holding on till he was
picked up by a boat belonging to the vessel which had
run them down. Till that moment Sir Robert never
lost consciousness or self-command, but once on board
the boat he sank into a state of insensibility, from which
he was restored in the engine-room of the Sicilia. Sir
Robert says he heard the cries of people in distress from
tho Ercolano before she sank, and he thinks that lives
might have been saved if proper means had been taken.
Mr. Halsey and his family, and many other passengers,
he believes, were below in the cabins, in all probability
asleep, at the time of the collision, and the doubling up
of the vessel would prevent them from getting on deck ;
but Sir Robert think, that if the Sicilia had remained
about the spat till daylight she might have picked up
some of the passengers, who would probably have been
washed out and found clinging to the wreck.—Bertf °,'d
111 uctow.

Sr. MARGARET'S, RICIDIOND.—The Conservative Land
Society have just issued their plan and scheme of allot-
ment of the beautiful St. Margaret s estate, on the 7th of
June next. The estate, which is about. 10 acres in ex-
tent, is for the present portioned out into 272 building
lots for villas of a high cla.r ; the lots varying in price
from PI. 4s. 6d. up to 4/5/. each. If we may judge
from the plan, the estate, as laid out, will be one of the
most noticeable spots on the banks of the Thames,
great care having been taken to preserve the natural and
artificial beauties of that fine site. We observe that a
considerable portion of the park is to be preserved as a
pleasure•ground. with an ornamental sheet of water,
spanned by two iron bridges. k plot of ground 160 feet
by 115 feet, has been reserved at the corner of the
avenue for the erection of a church. From the plan it
would seem to be contemplated to preserve the noble
mansion erected by the Earl of Kilmorey.