The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-20 00:00:00

1 foot to 18 inches deep, 5 or 6 feet apart, in a mound of
earth 8 feet high and 18 feet broad at top, would in any
way injure its properties as cover to men at guns ? I should
say certainly not. On the contrary, to cut away the2oo
feet of earth the parapet contains would, as near as I can
calculate, require from 30 to GO shells per foot lineal, or
not far from 1,000,000 of shells. This would require 26
mortars, throwing 200 shells per day for 100 days suc-
cessively, while no mortars ever made could stand a
twentieth part of that work. Mr. Fergusson then pro-
ceeded to reply to some of the objections urged by Lieut.
Tyler to his system, on the ground that it was exposed
to enfilade. With respect to the main question of ex-
pense, he said—ln my book I stated that the number of
cubic yards required for the erection of a fort of circular
form with five ramparts, as shown in the model, would
be 2,500,000, or 312,500 per front. Sir Charles Pasley
has taken out the quantities with more care than I have,
and states it at 2,328,7000, or 291,087 per front. In
these Gosport lines the quantity is even less, or about
280,000 cubic yards per front. In other words, very
considerably less than that required for a fort of forti-
fication of any of the usual systems ; Comonlayers being
313,000, Vauban's 354,000, and others above and be-
tween these. As to the objections that had been urged
to the parapets being at an angle of 45 degrees, he stated
that he adhered to that because there was not a fort in
Europe or elsewhere where the parapets did not stand
at that angle. In conclusion, he said he hoped that
he had shown that the principle at least contained
the element of a great improvement in the art of for-
tification ; but he hoped it would be received in
the spirit in which it had been made. There was, he
said, insuperable difficulties in carrying Colonel Sykes's
proposition of appointing committees of attack and de-
fence, and finding arbitrators accessible to all parties,
and, in fact, carrying out a siege on paper ; but instead
of that, he would propose that those officers—who had
spoken against his system, and others who think it a
fallacy, should join in drawing up a plan of attack,
stating the number of mens and guns they would re-
quire, the amount of ammunition, the time, and the
mode of procedure. Those should be printed, and then
submitted to him. He could then draw up a statement
of his means of defence, and reasons for dissenting from
their conclusions, if such should be the case. The ser-
vice and the world in general would then have an oppor-
tunity of calmly weighing the question, and of judging
more deliberately than they could do in a discussion of
that sort ; and he had no doubt that it would go far to
set the question fairly at rest and for ever. (The above
is but a mere abstract of Mr. Fergusson's address,
which we are compelled to curtail for want of space.)
A short discussion ensued, and, upon the motion of
General Aitchison, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr.
Furgusson for the great services he had rendered in the
production of this plan.
Mr. FERGIISSON acknowledged the compliment, and
said he would leave his plan in the hands of the en-
gineers of this country at large, and should be ever
ready to meet them to answer any attack they might
make upon it.
The meeting broke up at half-past eleven o'clock.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.
PROPOSED COMPLETION OF THE COAST LINE FROM
DORCHESTER TO EXETER.

The special meeting of the shareholders of the South-
Western Railway, convened for the purpose of taking
into consideration, among other matters, the propriety
of promoting the extension to Exeter of the Southamp-
ton and Dorchester line, for the protection of the com-
pany's interests, threatened in the West of England by
the proposed measures of the Great Western and Bristol
and Exeter Company, was held yesterday, at the
Assembly-rooms, York-road. The proceedings were of
some hours' duration, and the tone in which the ques-
tion was discussed was of an excited and occasionally of
a very personal character, but Lthe whole case, so far as
the public service and the remunerative nature of the
proposed extension are concerned, may be comprised
within a very short space.
The proprietors having sanctioned the bills before
Parliament for the completion of the Basingstoke and
Salisbury branch, the case in favour of the extension
from Dorchester to Exeter was opened in an address of
about an hour and a half's duration from the chairman
(the Hon. Mr. Scoft), who was answered rather briefly
by Mr. Mortimer, one of the two newly-elected direc-
tors, who dissent from the propriety of the extension.
In justification of the proposed extension to Exeter,
it was stated that the company had had assurances that
if they remained quiet in the West of England, the
Great Western and Bristol and Exeter Companies
would not seek to interfere with the South-Western
traffic ; but those corporations had promoted the
Dorset and Devon line, which would affect the com-
munication between Dorchester and London, and had
expressed their determination to carry it out on the
broad gauge ; and that it was in self-defence alone
that the South-Western board had resolved to go
for powers to extend their Southampton and Dor-
chester line to Exeter. It was contended that the Dor-
s‘A and Devon line, which would be in fact rather an
extension of the Wilts, Weymouth, and Somerset than
of the coast line of railway, would be detrimental as
well to the public interests as to those of the South-
Western Railway Company. The projected extension
of the Southampton and Dorchester line has, it was
stated, very good local support ; and the hairman
asserted that it is looked on in a very favourable point
of view by the War-office and the Ordnance, adding,
that in an interview which he had had with Lord
Hardinge, that gallant officer "most distinctly said he
thought it would be of the greatest national importance
that the South-Western Company's Southampton and
Dorchester line should be extended westward ; that he
considered the laying down of the broad guage was a
national calamity, as it interfered with the movement of
troops, and, therefore, with the defence of the country ;
and that a line like this (the Dorchester and Southamp-
ton), running as it did a certain distance from the coast,
but communicating with it at certain points, was the
line most desirable in case of an invasion." With re-
spect to the cost of the line, Mr. Brassey, the eminent
contractor, and another equally competent authority,
had stated that the railway could be made for 700,0001.,
and that he (Mr. Brassey) was willing to undertake it
for that sum, provided the land could be procured for
60,0001. The gradients were not particularly severe.
The steepest were 1 in 75 for a mile and two furlongs,
and 1 in 90 and 100 for three miles, all the other gra-
dients being less than 1 in 100 ; while upon the Devon
and Dorset line, promoted by the Great Western and
Bristol and Exeter Companies there was a gradient of 1
in 60 for a mile and five chains, and 1 in 83 for 17 or 18
miles. There was upon the proposed Dorchester and Exe-
ter Extension a tunnel which would be 1,800 yards long,
if a moderate gradient were preserved, but it might be
reduced to I,4oo.yards by adopting a steeper gradient.
The population to the west of Dorchester, in the direc-
tion of Exeter, was more dense than that of the country
to the east of Dorchester, towards Southampton. In the es-
timate of traffic the South-Western board had not calcu-
lated upoi obtaining a single through passenger from
Exeter to London, though they might fairly have done
so, seeing that the distance by the broad-guage from
Paddington to Exeter is 194 miles, and the average
duration of the journeys seven hours and twenty minutes,
while the distance from Exeter to Waterloo-station via
Dorchester would be 196 miles, and the average duration
of the journeys seven hours and forty minutes, with the
advantage of being nearly half an hour nearer the heart
of the City. It was asserted that the traffic upon the
proposed Dorchester and Exeter line would be more
productive to the company than is the traffic on the
existing Southampton and Dorchester Railway. The
earnings of the latter for the last year were declared to
be 56,1301., and. the working expense to have amounted
to 50 per cent., leaving, therefore, a profit of 28,060.,
which, upon the cost of the line—viz., 750,000/. (exclu-
sive of plant), is equal to a dividend of 3f -per cent. ;
but if the plant, which is estimated at 40,0001., were
included, the dividend would be about 31 per cent. But,
in addition to this profit upon the Southampton and
Dorchester line proper,' the line, it was observed, con-
tributed, in 1851, to the parent railway, calculating by
mileage rate, about 39,7401. per annum ; and, deducting,
from the latter amount 25 per cent, for working ex-
penses, there was a profit of 29,8001., so that the whole
of the net income accruing to the South-Western Com-
pany from the Southampton and Dorchester line per se,
and from the traffic which it brought upon the trunk
railway, amounted to 57,800/. for the last year. Ap-
plying the same principle of calculation to the proposed
Dorchester and Exeter line, reckoning its length at
50 and 56 miles, and deducting 6,6001. as traffic
already enjoyed by the South-Western line, it would
yield a gross annual revenue of 44,0001., or, deduct-
ing 50 per cent. for working expenses, a net profit
of 22,0001., that was 31 per cent, on the outlay ;
but, taking into consideration the amount of traffic
it would bring upon the parent line, and upon the
Southampton and Dorchester extension, and which
might be fairly calculated at 54,0001. per annum, the
company would derive the following returns—viz.,
from the latter source, 54,0001. per annum. Deducting
from that amount the 6,600/. already mentioned, and
12,0001. for working expense, the net profit would be
35,4001., which, added to the 22,0001. net profit upon
the working of the proposed extension from Dorchester,
would give a divisible revenue of 57,4001.--a sum equal
to nearly 8 per cent. upon the estimated outlay of
700,0001., subject, of course, to reduction in respect of
the cost f working plant.
It was stated by the chairman that the proxies with
respect to the proposed extension to Exeter were as
follow :

In favour of the extension
Against ditto ... ...

Proxies.
1,314
243