The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-01 00:00:00

tiers whatever. Already in leaving Paris, a traveller '
can, without ever quitting the rail, arrive at the shores
of the Baltic, by Lubeck, Rostock, Dantzic, and Ko-
nigsberg. Railways connect Paris without any break
with Frankfort, Hamburg, Leipsick, Dresden, Berlin,
Breslaw, and Warsaw. A railway-line, which passes
by Prague, connects together Dresden and Vienna.
From the capital of Austria, a direct line, now almost
terminated, proceeds to Saarhrnck and Forbach, passing
by Munich, Stutgard, and Manheim. Another line, also
starting from Vienna, descends to Trieste, with a branch
to Bruck, on the direct line from Vienna to Paris. Be-
fore 18 months shall have elapsed, these last two great
lines will be completely finished. From Vienna, the
railway of the Danube has already gone beyond the
Pruth, and that from Warsaw to St. Petersburgh is in a
full course of execution. It suffices to glance at the map
of Europe to remain convinced that the company in
possession of all the Eastern network of railway-lines, is
called on more than any other to profit by the movement
created by the foreign lines. The Eastern network has its
starting-point in Paris, and opens, like a fan, as far as the
French frontiers. On one side, it touches Belgium by
the line from Metz to Thionville, carried on to Arlons ;
on the other side, it is connected, by Mulhausen and
Thann, with Switzerland, which is herself constructing
railway lines ; and it reaches to the North of Europe by
Prussia and Forbach ; it is in fact, the real railway to
Vienna and to Trieste through Strasburg." The report
then states the terms of the convention signed by the
Minister of Public Works and the Directors of the Com-
pany on Aug. 17 ; and proceeds to give details of the
length of the several lines, and the probable cost of their
construction. The whole length of all the new lines is
1,050 kilometres (650 English miles), but as the parts
already constructed amount to 265 kilometres, the real
length at the charge of the Strasburg Company is 775
kilometres (485 English miles). The cost of these lines
is estimated at 210 millions, to be raised in the manner
set forth in the treaty agreed to with the Minister of
Public Works. The social capital, originally fixed at
125 millions of francs divided into 25,000 shares of 500
fr. each, is to be increased to 250 millions, divided into
500,000 shares of 500 fr. each. In consequence 250,000
shares of 500 fr. each are to be created, and placed at
the disposal of the present shareholders of the Strasburg
Company, according to the number possessed by each,
the first payrneat being 100 fr. per share. The report then
refers to the probable receipts of these new lines, and
shows that, independently of the traffic which they must
bring to the main line, they are calculated per se to add to
the receipts of the shareholders. "To bring the question
now under consideration to a close," says the report, " it
remains for us to state what are the consequences of the
new situation for any shareholder of the Strasburg line
at the present time :
The gross receipts of the present line

will amount to 33,000,000fr,
The gross receipts of the new lines to 23,300,006

Total..

56,300,000 fr,

To deduct:—
Expenses of every kind at the
utmost 35 per cent 19,705,0001 25,705,000 fr.
Interest and sinking-fund of
120 millions of bonds 6,000,004
Remainder
or, for 500,000 shares, 61fr. 19c. per share." The re-
port then refers to some minor points, such as the (node
of paying the interest and dividend, which the board pro-
poses to fix for the future as follows—to pay the interest
of 4 per cent. on the Ist November, and the dividend of
the preceding year on the Ist May. The report also pro-
poses to put aside the sum of 75,000 fr. each year to-
wards a pension-fund
,for all persons employed by the
company, whose salary does not exceed 3,000 fr. a-
year. M. Arnoux having resigned his place as director, K
Emile Pdreire, so remarkable fur his experience in rail-
way matters, is propoied in his stead. Lastly, the re-
port announces that, in order to ensure to the present
shareholders all the advantages of possessing the new
shares which are to be issued, the Strasburg Board of
Directors has passed a treaty by which the Socidtd Mo-
biliere, on the deposit of the Strasburg shares, will ad-
vance during the period of a year the first two-fifths to
any persons desirous of taking up the new shares, the
said Soci4t4 Mobiliere being content for so doing with
the interest of 4 per cent. allowed by the company on
the sums paid up.

This re-port was received with loud applause and long.
continued clapping of hands.

A short conversation then ensued on some of the points
touched on in the report, the principal one being that the
expense of the Mulhausen line would not be more than
250,000 f. per kilometre.
....

The various votes on the order of the day were then
successively brought forward, and passed with acclama-
tion. That relative to the approbation of the treaty
with the Minister of Public Works had only one dissen-
tient voice.

A vote of thanks to the Board was adopted with loud
cheers.

The proceedings then terminated.

NORTH METROPOLITAN.
The adjourned meeting of this company—the object
of which is, it will be recollected, to construct a railway,
in a sort of arcade or tunnel parallel with the New-
road, from Paddington to King's-cross—was held on
Thursday, at the offices, 47, Parliament-street. The meet-
ing had been adjourned for the purpose of concluding
negotiations with the Great Western Railway Company.
At the above meeting Mr. Maims, the chairman,
stated that an agreement had been entered into with the
Great Western board, to the affect that the latter company
shall endeavour by all legitimate means to promote the
traffic of the North Metropolitan line, in as fair and amic-
able a spirit as if the two companies were partners.
The agreement stipulates that the North Metropolitan
Railway Company shall apply to Parliament for powers
to extend the line to the Great Western Railway, and
to form a communication with the proposed City Ter-
minus should that undertaking be carried out, and
that if the City Terminus Company should fail to
obtain the powers they seek, that then the North
Metropolitan Railway Company shall go forward to
make a connection with the Post-office, &c., in lieu of
such City Terminus. The North Metropolitan Rail-
way Company also stipulate to make a first-class sta-
tion opposite the Great Western Hotel at Paddington,
and to effect a junction with the Great Western
broad gauge so as to convey, if sanctioned by Par-
liament, the traffic of the Great Western into the City.
This of course will require a double line of rails, which
the company contemplate laying down, as one of their
objects is to convey the Post-office vans from each rail-
way to the Post-office itself. The agreement further
provides that power shall be sought for the Great Wes-
tern Railway Company to subscribe a considerable por-
tion of the capital necessary for the construction of the
works, which that company have at this moment
every inclination to do ; and the North Metropolitan
Company are to permit the nomination of two Great
Western directors to their board—viz., Mr. S. Baker
and Captain Bulkeley. This arrangement is not to ex-
clude any other company from enjoying the advantages
to be secured to the Great Western Railway. The
traffic of the line is to be worked by rope, or by the
atmospheric principle, and trains are to run at intervals
of three minutes during the day.
It was stated that the practicability of the scheme
has been admitted by the first engineers of the day, and
that eminent contractors have offered to complete the
line at the estimated cost, and within a limited pe-
riod from the commencement of the works.

Mr. Samuel Baker and Captain Bulkeley, two of the
Great Western directors, were at the same meeting
elected members of the North Metropolitan Railway,
and a vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the
business of the meeting.