The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-16 00:00:00

COAL MARK ET.-Y_
ESTER^AY.

Bate's West Hartley... 13s 6d; Eden Main
Buddle's W. Hartley.. 143 0(1' Braddyll's Hetton l6B Od
North Percy Hartley.. 13s 6dl lletton
Ord's Redheugh
ranfield Moor ......... 12s Od'Plummer ........ .... ... 16s 6d
West Hartley
Wylam ......... ....... .. 13s Gd South Hartlepool
Wall's End, &c. Adelaide Tees
Acorn Close
Brown's Gas . l2s OA Ships at market, 44.

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.
The adjourned general meeting of the proprietors of
the Eastern Counties Railway for the purpose of elect-
ing directors, was held yesterday afternoon at the London
Tavern. The meeting, like the former ones, was
most numerously attended, and occasionally very
noisy. At the opening some confusion took place,
upon the question of who should take the chair,
one party alternately calling for Mr. Meek and
Mr. Cash, while others were vociferous for Mr.
Anderson, the deputy-chairman of the company. Ulti-
mately the latter gentleman took upon himself the
duties of the chair, when the previous uproar became
more. violent.
Mr. HELP demanded to know upon what authority
Mr. Anderson took the chair.
Mr. MEEK said ho hid been requested to do so by the
Committee of Investigation.
Mr. CHRISTIE held that the meeting could not be
legally constituted unless Mr. Anderson, or some other
director, took the chair. It was the intention of Mr.
Anderson to resign it at the conclusion of the meeting.
Mr. HELP, amidst increased confusion, protested
against the legality of the meeting.
Shortly afterwards some degree of silence and order
was restored, when
Mr. MONEY read the advertisement convening the
meeting.
Mr. ATKINSON then moved the following resolution
without inflicting a long speech on the meeting. He
held 12,0001. worth of stock in the company, and he
proposed the appointment of these gentlemen because he
believed they would do their duty manfully and honestly.
" That this meeting do approve of the following eight
proprietors being elected by the board as new directors,
and do request the board to elect them accordingly, and
to take all proper steps for the purpose:—
Edward Ladd Betts, Esq., Tavistock- square.
Thomas Broadbent, Esq., Manchester.
Samuel Ellis, Esq., Euston-square.
Joseph Glynn, E-q , Westbourne-park.
Thomas Jones Margrave, E3q., City-road.
James Packe, Esq., Mildenhall.
George Reed, Esq., Blackheath Park.
John Alexander Thompson Smyth, Esq., Cumberland-
terrace, Regent's-park."
Mr. THOMSON HANKEY, the hanker, seconded
the resolution, believing that if the existing confusion
of the management of the line were allowed to go on it
would prove fatal to the company, and although he did
not know the gentlemen proposed personally, he had
confidnice in those who had selected them, and was
quite willing to sanction their appointment.
The resolution having been put,
Mr. MEEK rose to support the resolution, but before
doing so he would reply to the charges which Mr.
Hudson and Mr. Waddington had made in the
defences they had published of their past con-
duct. Some blame had been thrown upon the
Committee of Investigation for delaying their vindi-
cation so long, but in his view this was the only
fitting opportunity for entering upon it. The meeting
was familiar, of course, of the past proceedings of the
committee. They had investigated and reported upon
the affairs of the company ;
and, notwithstandirg what
had been published by the two gentlemen already named,
they still had nothing to retract. They had recalled the
witnesses whom they had examined in the first instance,
but they found that their evidence, upon which the report
was founded, and which had been made known to the share-
holders was correct in every respect. Mr. Hudson had
complained in the House of Commons that the commit-
tee had refused to let him see a particular document, in
his own handwriting, tending to prove that he bad
altered the accounts, unless he consented to ask no
questions upon it. Now, the fact was, that the ac-
counts and documents were freely submitted, and copies
supplied to him ; but the reason ho was not allowed
to ask a question was simply that Mr. Hudson was at-
tended by an attorney, while the committee who waited
upon him were not. Mr. Hudson in the same place had
denied the accusation that he had altered the accounts,
or that the alterations in the document alluded to by
the committee in the report were in his handwriting.
W h a-, however, was the real truth? Why, simply that Mr.
Waddington the late deputy chairman, and Mr. auks,
the accountant of the company, positively declared that
the alterations in the accounts for the half year ending
July, 1816, were its Mr. Hudson's handwriting, while
just previous to the half-yearly meeting of 1848, Mr.
Muzley, the manager, took the half-yearly accounts to
Albert gate, when Mr. Hudson directed him to deduct,
there and then, 10,000/. from the half-year's expendi-
ture, and ad.l 10,934/. to the receipts.—(Shame, shame.)
The first deduction was made by IsTr. Mezley in pencil,
in Mr. Hudcon'spresence, and the addition was made by
Mr. Hudson, in Mr. Mczlsy's presence.—(Hear, hear.)
What, then, became of Mr. Hudson's reiterated denials?
—(Hear, hear.) He would not have adverted to these
matters had Mr. Waddington and Mr. Hudson not
thought fit to attack the committee in the manner they
had done.—(Hear, heat.)
A letter which Mr. Waddington had written to the
committee in his own defence was then read, as

follows:
" TO THE COMMITTEE OF SELECTION OF THE EASTERN
COUNTIES PROPRIETORS.
" Longoa, 30th May, 1849.
" Gentlemen,—l avail myself of the opportunity that
your assembling together upon a question involving the
future management of the Eastern Counties Railway
affords me to bring under your notice the position which
I occupied at the Eastern Counties Board, and to offer
a few explanations upon points which I had not an op-
pm tunity of doing at the excited meeting of shareholders,
on the 10% instant.
" In the first place, I am desirous of stating that upon
my resigning of the office of deputy-chairman *of the
Manchester and Birmingham Railway, I then announced
aiall to
deputation °eptaultca from thee an active part
itnhatraiitlwwaays nrnotanmaygeteantti;onbaugt
Eastern Counties Directory waiting upon me, I wai
hqiuse ta) r
r andan g
em othere
t n
induced to alter my opinion upon the undemanding that
I was to be elected Chairman of the Eastern Counties
activeßoard.ch air m
ma
neSubsequently
mh Ia
Board,
hyo aa (rd
md ,
r. :. as Bh intervieweon a r
pmurr.puosued-sonAtoshbeerethtaimiremaa afterwards wAsi:dtsh
ils was
risne co rwmaesdnatubcaaht
1 the shareholders and the board of directors ht
was confirmed; Mr. Bosanquet agreeing to retire for
ad
ad invited
surprised, and wett immediately to York to acquaint
myself with the facts. Mr. Hudson informed me that he
understood I was to be his deputy. chairman. I told him
that I had been invited, and accepted the office of chair-
man • being pressed, however, to take office, it was 'ulti-
mately arranged that I should do so with the manage-
ment of the traffic, as chairman of the traffic committee.
" The result has been, having become a member of the
board in 1845, that the traffic has increased from
114,0001. for the half-year ending July, 1845, to 400,000/.
for the half-year ending January, 1849. It is true there
has been a large additional mileage opened, but looking
to the character of the country I hesitate not to say
that a more successful development of traffic has not been
accomplished in this country, but this has been done
by great sacrifices on my part, inasmuch as it
involved my removal from Manchester to the vicinity