The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-15 00:00:00

NEWMARKET RAIL WAY.

The adjourned half-yearly general meeting of the
Newmarket and Chesterford Railway Company was held
yesterday at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate; Lord
George Manners in the chair.
The report of the Committee of Investigation ap-
pointed at the previous meeting was read. It was a
long document, but the following extracts will convey
its spirit :—" The company was projected in 1845, during
the prevalence of the railway excitement. The original
design was, as your committee believe, not to make a
line merely from Chesterford to Newmarket, which
would have been absurd, but to make that line as
part of a scheme, which was ultimately to em-
brace extensions to Tnetford and Bury St. Ed-
munds. The actual proposal however, as pre-
sented to Parliament and sanctioned in July
1846, was to make a line from Cheaterford to New-
market only, with a branch to Cambrid4e ; and for this
purpose power was obtained to raise 350,0001. in share
capital, and to borrow 116,000/. on debentures. This
snm, economically managed, would have amply sufficed
to carry out the design. Uncortunately your directors
appear to have assumed as of course that the ex-
tension Acts would be obtained, and that capital
would be forthcoming to carry out the more extended
plan; and in anticipation of this they directed expen-
sive surveys to be made of the proposed Thetford and
Bury lines, entered into heavy prospective contracts for
the purchase of land, and ordered a vast supply of loco-
motive engines, passenger carriages, and trunks; they
even sanctioned the erection of a double station at New-
market, which would probably have cost upwards of
50,0001. All this occurred between 1846 and the meet-
ing of Parliament in 1847. Meanwhile the railway
excitement had subsided, and it had uecome evident that
capital, indispensable fur carry►ng out the extensions,
could not then be obtained; nevertheless your directors
adhered to their original views, and after spending
an immense sum in overcoming a Parliamentary oppo-
sition, obtained their Extension Acts, which have ever
since remained a dead letter. Fortunately the execution
of the original design as to tlse double atatioa at New-
market was abandoned, and a more moderate building,
though still too costly, was erected, after an expenditure
of about 2,0001 From the contracts relating to rolling
stock it was too late to escape, and you have been in
consequence burthened with a plant which cost upwards
of 88,0001. Part of it has since been sold at a loss, and
the remainder is at this daoment useless to you. The
line was now in this position. Owing to mismanage-
meat it did not earn 10/. per mile per week ; and the
committee now suomit the following as the result of
their deliberations:— _ _

" 1. They recommend you, if no suitable offer be
made by the Eastern Counries Company, or any other
company, to abandon, for the present, all thoughts of
selling or leasing your railway, and to concentrate all
your energi.-s on the improvement of your property.
If properly improved, it will fetch a good price at the
proper time.
" 2. Remodel your system of direction. Whilst con-
demning the past, your committee feel disposed to at-
tribute your present position rather to the directorial
system than to your board of directors or any of
its members. The directorial system is, as they think,
faulty in principle. It does not impose particular duties
on particular individuals, and we ail know that what is
everybody's bilsine,;s is nobody's, and is net done with
business-like attention or energy. But whether that
system be a faulty one in all cam or not, your com-
mittee are satisfied that it is inapplicable to a small
undertaking like yours. Such an undertaking ought to be
managed chiefly by one responsible person. Your com-
•mittee, therefore, recommend you to—
o 3, Appoint a managing director, appropriate to him
all the remuneration you can afford, and let that remu-
neration be by A per-centago on net profits. Remunera-
tion by net profits will probably induce your managing
director to make every effort to increase your revenue,
and diminish your expenditure. Hitherto your revenue
has been but little cared for, and your expenditure has
not been kept down. Many disputes which your com-
mittee cannot but think thiv, a managing director, in-
'terested in keeping down outgoings, would, by
his personal interference, have settled at once, have
been left to ripen into expensive lawsuits, in
which many hundreds have been spent. The con-
trac, with the Electric Telegraph Company . has I
particularly attracted the attention of your committee,

as it involves a permanent burtben of not less than 3001.
a year. Certain it is, that although large railways,
with enormous revenues, may be remunerative, notwith-
standing some waste, small railways cannot bear heavy
charges. Of course the !managing director ought him-
self to be under superintendence, and should on all occa-
sions of importance, act only with the sanction of other
directors. Your committee are therefore of opinion that
you should—
" 4. Appoint five other directors, who should act gra-
tuitously uutil the funds of the company will admit of
their receiving remuneration."
Mr. FANS, the chairman of the committee, moved the
adoption of this report, and after some discussion, it was
agreed to.
Mr. SHEPPARD, another of the committee, moved that
the nomination of the directors be entrusted to the com-
mittee and the Noble Chairman, which was also agreed
to, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks
to the committee and chairman.

ADULT DEAF AND DUMB INSTI-

TUTION.

A meeting was held yesterday in the Board Room of
this excellent charity, 26, Red Lion-square, Blooms-
bury. Frum the sixth annual report it appears that
the superintendents of the several ctspartments have had
occasion to give the most encouraging reports as to the
progress of the pupils in learning the Jiff: rent trades
carried on at th- institution. There are at present
twenty inmates, and it has been found advisable, during
the past ear, to separate the older workmen from the
youths; the former are therefore supplied with leather
and cloth, which they manufacture at their homes, and
bring the article after completion to the institution,
whilst the youths work in the institution, thus as much
as possible preserving the inmates from evil communi-
cations from without. A few of the elder workmen
cannot wholly support themselves by their labour, and
therefore receive temporary relief from the funds of the
charity. Upwards of 180 deaf and dumb persons have
received temporary relief during the past year, either
by giving them clothes or money, and all who apply
receive casual assistance in the various difficulties into
which the deaf and dumb are peculiarly liable to fall.
It was stated that since the printieg of the report
some of the inmates had left the asylum fully qualified
to support themselves by their own labour and industry,
while others had been received in their place. The ap-
plications for admission, however, were far more nume-
rous than the committee could entertain, owing to the
want of funds, and a hope was expressed by the meet-
ing that the co-operation of the benevolent would be ade-
quate in extent to the nature and requirements of the
charity.

THE POISONINGS AT GUEST-

LING, IN SUSSEX.
HASTINGS, AIONDAY EVENING —This morning, at ten
o'clock, Mr, Kell, coroner for the Rape of Hastings, re-
newed an inquiry at the White Hart Inn, Guestling,
touching the deaths of Richard Geering, aged 56, and
his sons George Geering, aged 21, and James Geering,
aged 26, who died from the a fftcts of poison, alleged to
have been administered to them by Mary Ann Geering,
the wife and mother, who is in custody at the gaol of
this town, awaiting the result of the investigation.
While the inquest was proceeding this morning, the
prisoner Mary Ann Geertng underwent another exami-
nation at the Town hall, when Professor Taylor, the
eminent analytical chemist, of Guy's Hospital, deposed
to arsenic being in the fluid, which the lad Benjamin
Geering discharged. The poor fellow had a very narrow
escape. In two ounces of the fluid about half a grain of
arsenic was discovered.

Mr. John Lucas Pocock, surgeon, of Winchilsea, ex-
amined—l attended at the request of one of the family.
On my first visit I saw the deceased and his wife. -He
complained of chills, fever, cough, difficulty and pain of
breathing, sickness, pain in the abdomen, and sweating.
I saw his wife, who informed me her husband was dead;
that he died about a couple of hours before I called. I
expressed my surprise, and some conversation took
place, which induced me to think I had mistaken the
symptoms of the case, and she stated that other members
of the family had died suddenly in the way her husband
had. She stated an increase of the difficulty of breath-
ing and the cough, and I concluded from what she de-
scribed as his symptoms that be must have died from an
affection of the heart. I formed that conclusive opinion
frum what she described. I afterwards certified it to the
registrar of births and deaths.

11r. Frederick Ticehurst, surgeon, of Hastings, was
next examined. On the 201 of April I assisted in
making a post mortem examination of the body of the
deceased, Richard Geering. I took out the liver, intes-
tines, stomach, heart, and lungs, placed them in a jar,
duly sealed and marked, and forwarded them to Profes-
sor Taylor, of Guy's Hospital, London, for analysation.
The upper part of the body was much decomposed. The
external part of the abdomen was in a good state of
preservation, and of a light brown colour. On opening
the abdomen there were no marks of decomposition in the
intestines. The smaller intestines, in places, were of a
pink colour, in patches. They were of a peculiarly pink
colour. Tke pericardium and heart were apparently
healthy.
Mr. Alfred Swaine Taylor, of 3, Cambridge-place, Re.-
gent's Park, London, 'Professor..of Chemistry at Guy's
Hospital, was next called, and read an elaborate .report.
which he had drawn up, describing the, appearance of
the heart, liver, stomach, and inteatiaaes of the de-
ceased, and stating that arsenic was found in the coats of
the stomach.

The proceedings, at a late hour, were adjourned until
to-morrow.

UNIVERSIT Y INTELLIGENCE.
_ OXFORD, MAY 12.

MERTON COLLEGE.—An election of three postmasters
in this college will tyke place on Friday, June Sth. Can-
didates are desired to call on the Warden on Monday,
June 4, before six o'clock p.m., and to bring with them
testimonials of good conduct, and certificates of baptism.
In the election of one of these postmasterships a pre-
ference will be given to attainments in mathematics.
TRINITY COLLEGE.--There will be an election in this
college of two scholars on Monday, June 4.
Candidates must be above sixteen and under twenty
years of age; and will be required to present in person
to the President certificates or baptism and testimonies
of conduct, together with a Latin epistle to request per-
mission to offer themselves, at nine o'clock on Wednes-
day morning, May :30, when the examination will begin.
THE ELDON SCHOLARSHIP.—The election for ►his
scholarship will take place on Monday, the 4th of June
next, at the residence of his Grace the Duke of Rich-
mond, No. 51, Portland-place, London, previous to which
day all applications must be transmitted to the honorary
secretary, sealed up and endorsed "Eldon Scholarship,
candidate's application," and with the candidate's name
also endorsed.

Tne forms of certificates and declarations required, to-
gether with the rule 3 and regulations relative to such
election, are deposited with the senior tutor of each col-
lege and ball, and with trie registrar of the University.
Tne scholarship is tenable for three years, and is of the
annual value of 2001.

NEW COUNTY GAOL AT BOSTON, U.S.—A new
goal is about to be built in the city of Boston, from the
designs of Mr. G. J. F. Bryant, architect. It differs
greatly from any arrangement yet adopted in England.
The building will be cruciform in plan, and will
consist of a centre octagonal building, having
four wings radiating from the north, south,
east, and west sides thereof ; the north, south, and
east wings will contain the cells for the use of the pri-
soners, and the west wing will bo appropriated for the
jsilor'a family, officers' quarters, and the necessary
inc-dental offices and apartments required for the
building, together with a chapel and hospital.
The three wings containing the cells are to
be construcid upon the " Auburn plan," so
called (being a prison within a prison). The " centre
octagonal building" will measure seventy feet square,
and eighty-five feet in height above the surface of the
ground. It will be but two stories in height, the lower
one of which will contain the great kitchen, scullery,
bakery and laundry, and will be on a uniform level
with the lower story of cells in each of the
three wings which contain the same. The upper
story will to finished as one "great central guard and
inspection room," reaching from the ceiling of the first
story up to the roof of the building; this room will
measure 70 feet square, and will contain the galleries
and staircases connected with the galleries around
the outside of the cells in the three wings. All
the areas around the outside of the cells of
the north, south, and east wings will receive
light from the great windows in the exterior walls of the
wings; these windows will be thirty in number, and
yield an amount of light to the interior of the cells pro-
bably four times as great as that in any prison yet con-
structed upon the Auburn system. The cost of this
prison is estimated at 150,000 dollars, bat according to
our informant. it will probably cost three times that
amount.—Builder.

ROYAL FBMALE NAVAL SCHOOL.—On Saturday
the ninth annual meeting of this excellent institution was
held at Willis's Rooms, St. James's, the Right Hon ;Earl
Manvers in the chair, supported by Lord Colchester,
Earl Waldegrave, Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm,
Sir C. Coghill, and other persons of distinction connect-
ed with the naval service. The Rev. Mr. White having
opened the proceedings with prayer, the report of the
committee was read, detailing the operations of the in-
stitution during the past year. The report stated that
the progress made by the pupils in their education was
highly satisfactory, and the total number belonging to
the school in December, 1848, was 83 (consisting of the
daughters of necessitous naval and marina officers of and
above ward-room rank), 56 of whom are admitted on
the reduced scale of 121. a-year, the remaining 27 being
pupils under law the sixth, at 35 guineas per annum.
At the annual election at Midsumm-r laat, nine
candidates, out of a list of 34, were admitted,
and three more hare been added since. The appli-
cations to admit pupils under law the sixth aro more
numerous than the vacancies occurring permit the com-
mittee to accede to. The income of the financial year
ending the 31st of March last, had been sufficient to pro-
vide for the current expenditure, but until the endow-
ment fund is considerably increased, the committee state
that the establishment cannot be said to be placed on a
safe or permanent footing in a pecuniary point of view.
During the last year his Grace the Duke of Northumber..
laud has consented to b,come the vice-president of the
institution, and presented a subscription of 100 guineas
to the funds; and the Duchess has also, as a vice.
patroness, presented a munificunt donation. Tho balance-
sheet for the year showed the total receipts to have been
4,259/. 18s. Old., of which 1,2771. 18s. is annual subscrip-
tions, and 1,673/. 4s. 2d. payments by pupils. There is
a balance in hand of 5521. 10s. 6d. The report was
unanimously adopted, and ordered to be printed ; and
after electing the committee and the other officers, and
disposing of some further routine busiuess, the meeting
septrated.

-- -.~

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 14.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock.

The Bishop of LONDON presented several petitions
in favour of the Bill for the protection of women.
The Earl of STRADBROKE presented several peti-
tions praying for a repeal of the malt tax.
Lord WIIARNCLIFFE presented a petition from
Sheffield against the proposition for giving the Commis-
sioners in Bankruptcy a criminal jurisdiction. His Noble
and Learned Friend bad promised to give to the prayer
of the petition his best consideration. The subject had
been already mooted in the Committee.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from the
Liverpool Association for Protection of Trade with a
similar prayer. The Committee bad that day heard the
evidence from Manchester and Leeds on this point.
The Earl of CARLISLE presented several petitions
from places in Yorkshire against giving a penal juris-
diction to the Commissioners in Bankruptcy; also, seve-
ral petitions in favour of secular education.
PORTPATRICK AND DONAGHADEE.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY asked whether it
was the intention of the Government to continue the
communication between Portpatrick and Doneghadoe.
The answer of the Marquis of LANSDOWNE was
quite inaudible in the gallery.
TheMarqeis of C LAN RICARDEwouId not shrink from
taking upon himself the responsibility of having ordered
the removal of the packets between Portpatrick and
Docaghadee; by that removal there had been a saving
of 4,0001. a year to the public, while the communication
between Scotland and Ireland had been better carried
on by other channels.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY said that when
the railroad should be comjleted to Portpatrick they
would regret having given up that communication.