The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-14 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

EASTERN COUNTIES.

Yesterday an adjourned special meeting of the share-
holders of this railway was held for the purpose of elect-
ing eight new directors. The proceedings were conducted
with a degree of order and promptitude quite surprising,
when the violence and uproar of recent meetings are re-
membered. There was occasionally a partial recurrence
of those scenes, but it is to be hoped that the stage of
anarchy with this company is now over, and that in fu-
ture the shareholders will assemble together as men of
sober and business habits should. Mr. Anderson filled
the chair, acid there were a considerable number of pro
prietors present. Mr. Roney, the secretary, havit,g
complied with the usual forms for constituting the meet-
ing, the Chairman was about to proceed with the busi-
ness ot the meeting, when a proprietor named Dr. Riley
made a formal request to be heard This was at once
granted, but his observations wandered so far from the
real question at issue that he was called to order by the
Chairman. and finally put down by the meeting.
Mr. ROBERT Wxecoxost then came forward, and said
that his object was to nominate eight gentlemen, whose
names he would submit separately, to fill the onerous
duties of directors in the Eastern Counties Railwa)
Company. He regretted that on this paint differences
of opinion had arisen, which were calculated greatly to
damage their property; but be hoped that finally they
would select men in whose high character and faithful
administration of the company's affairs they might, have
the utmost confidence. lie proposed as the first name
in his list of new directors, Mr. Thomas Broadbent, of
Manchester.
A variety of questions were here put both to Mr.
Broadbent and to the secretary. Among these was one
whether or not the latter had not received 25.000 proxy
votes, which would swamp all that could be dune in the
way of opposition by that meeting.
Mr. RONEY replied that 869 proxies had been received,
representing 1,609.4001. of the company's stock, and
thus giving to Mr. Wileoxou's list the support of a very
large number ot votes
In answer to qut.s;ions insinuating that this support

had been obtained in an improper muntier, letters %ere
produced to show that the proxies were given without
solicitation; arid to a proprietor who wished to know
who bore the expense of the postage of so many letters,
an assurance wa,i given that it was not the company.
Mr. Broarihent was asked whether he would give hi,
attendance at the board, and pay his own fare to and
from Manchester for that purpose—whether also' he op-
proved of Lord Monteugle s Bill for securing a Govern-
ment audit of railway accounts. Having given satis'ac.
tory it not affirmative answers and explanations on these
and other points, Mr. Broadbent was almost unanimously
elected as director.

The following gentlemen were then elected, each run-
ning a similar gauntlet of questions, to which the replies
were perfectly satisfactory :—Mr. Samuel Ellis, Mr. E.
L. Betts, Mr. J. A. T. Sm) the, Mr. Joseph Glyn, Air. T.
J. Margrave, Mr. George 11.-. ad, and Mr. James Packe.
Mr. itiunßosE MoonE apologised to the meeting for
the absence, of Mr. Me.-k, vt ho was unwell. He vindi-
cated that gen:lemau's motives in pr4poßing a list of
candi:lates for the direction diffQr.nt from that now sob •
mitted, and in his own mime and that of the other
gentlemen included in that list assured the meeting that
they were actua ed only by a wish to make 2i tF nder of
their services to the company, so that its affiirs might
once more be placed on u sound footing. They had made
it a condition in qutslifjing themselves to become direc-
tors, that there should be no canvass ou their behalf, and
he would heartily rejoice in the selection of any board of
directors who had the confidence of the proprietors, and
who would give to the aftlirs of the railway that per-
auperintendenc, without which no commercial
undertaking eoult' succeed.

In answer to a question put by one of the shareholders
to Mr. Betts, as to whether he and Mr. Petu were nut
relived,

Mr. PETo stood forward and said, that he was there
simply as an Eastern Counties proprietor, but he wss
prepared to answer any question that could effect th-
character ei•her of himself or Mr. Betts —(Herr. hear.)
Those who knew him knew that he shrank from no in-
quiry, tied he defied any one there present to point out
en act of his, in connexion with that or any oth,r com-
play, which was not consistent with the character of a
man of integrity and honesty.—(liear, hear.)
During the election of the directors proposed by Mr.
Wilcoxon, N; r. Box, Mr. 111 !pa, and other proprietors,
who wine listened to with great attention at the ri-cent
stormy meetings of the company, endeavoured in vain rig
make themselves heard, and the shareholders quietly
elected to effice the identical eight gentlemen nominated
by the committee of sdecticn, whoso names at the last
meeting they rejected.
The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to
Mr. Anderson for his conduct in the chair, and un ac-
knowledgment that he was not compromised in those
transactions which had made it nec, s-ary to intrust the
affairs of the company to a new board ut direction.

SHREWSBURY AND BIRMINGHAM.
A special meeting of ibis comp ,ny was held yesterday,
at the office in Moorgate-street, for the purpose of conii-
dering the draught 01 a Bill now butore Parliament; Alr.
W. Ormsby Gore, M.P., in the chair.
The solicitor r. ad the side heads of the Bill, from
which it appeared the object was to abandon the construc-
tion of the two branch lines to Madeley and Coalnroolt•
dale, and to substitute the construction of one line To
.-ifeet the same obi, cr. to reduce the capital of the Stour
Valley line Iron, 31)0,0001. t 190,0871., to confirm the
legality of the 19 375 preference altar, s, bearing interest
8 per cent. per annum for 10 y ears and 6 per cent, in
p) rpetuity aterwards, and to remove the present dis-
tint:lions between the A and B shares, so that, atter the
•;n, of the Bill, the capital of the company w )uld
consist of 104,000 shares of 91. 12s. 3'l. each, and a
guaranteed stock of 190 0871. guaranteed by the London
and North-Western Company.
The CHAIRMAN moved a resolution to the effect that
the Bill be approved, and the direcnors be authoriz,d to
prosecute the same in the House of Lords.
Mr. BLANDFORD said he was opposed to branch lines
in general, aiLd would he glad of some explanation with
regard to those mentioned in the Bill.
The CHAIRMAN in reply, stated that their object in
substituting the construction of one line in piece of two
lines was to save an outlay of 65,000 t. The district
through which the line passed was thickly vuddtd with
iron-works, and the only inconvenience arising from the
proposed deviation, by which they would save the
63,000/., was a delay of about five minutes to the
passeng, ra.

M•. BLANDFORD had no d..tibt that the directors were
pr. par. d to advance reasons in support of the measures
propscd in the Bin, und the only question was whether
th. y had ad,•ptt.d the best course.

The CHAIRMAN said they were perfectly justified in
malctng the tlev:ation.

' A long discussion ensued with respect to the pros-
pects of the undertaking, in the course of which it was
stated that 13 miles in length of the line were already
open, and that 161 miles remained to be opened. The
whole line from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton would
be opened by September next, with the exception of the
tunnel, which distance would be performed by omnibuses
until completed.
Mr. TEMPLE was sorry to see that their chairman
joined the opposition to the Audit Bill, but he (Mr.
Temple) was of opinion that, after the exposure of Mr.
lluds.m and others, the public ought to be protected by
the appointment of some public auditor. He tho
.ugh t
they ought to view with suspicion the assertion of the
non-expediency of a public audit, more particularly
looking at the iudividultse who had taken part in the
demonstration.
The CHAIRMAN said he had been informed that he
had been very strongly attacked in the Times on the
subject of the audit, but as be bad not seen the article
he could not reply to it then. lie had been in c autnu-
nication with the principal railway men, who all curl•
currvd in thinking that it would be an injustice to inter-
fere, as the Audit Bill propo ed, with the internal ann.i-
ninistration of railway companies; and its operations
would be to render directors perfectly useless. The
measure also contemplated a large impost on railway
companies to pay for the audit, and on those and other
grounds he eptyised it.
Mr. TEMPLE said, if the article in the Times was
correct, all the arguments as to difficulty were obviated,
All, it appears, the Government ask is that a public
auditor should be associated with the company's audi-
tors; and if they investigated the accounts together, no
such expense as had beer, represented would be the result.
Mr. CHANCE, a director, was in favour 01 a good audi'.
Sir JAMES MA.LCULII expressed a similar opinion.
Mr. BnaNDFortn said het believed it was a Govern-
ment job.
Mr. THoRNEYCRoFT said that wherever Government
interfered it would be found injurious.
After some further observations the Bill was approved,
and a vote of thanks passed to the chairman.
The meeting then separated.

LEEDS AND THIRSIC.
Tho opening of this line of railway took place on
Monday, the 9th inst., on which day ch., directors and
shareholders had a trip from Leeds to Thirak and back.
in Wellington-
A train started from the joint station,
and North-Western
at
street (now occupied by
Company), about hali-k the London
o'clock, and two others
followed it in about twenty
a e
plain refreshment was pro-
vided. The passengers'
ntsyruMutes. Thee trains pro.
ceded to Thirsk, wh
then returned to Leeds, and
arrived in perfect saleiy. On the t ;!lowing day the lice
Was or net 1 fur the conveyance of passengers. G,,ods
traffic will commence as to.,n as the arrangements of the
company are sufficiently matured.
The distance that will hi! saved between Leeds and
Think is about fourteen miles, und in point of time up-
wards of au hour will be gained. Tradesmen and
manufacturers in the north will be able to leave N(tV
cas;le or any of the neighbouring places in the mornii,g
and reach Leeds soon atter ten o'clock A.M. They will
thereby be enabled to spend the greater part of the day
in business transactions, &c., and return early the same
evening. The like facilities will be afforded to the towns
of Bradford, Hudder4eld, and the manufacturing dia-
.ricts of Yoi kshire, Lancashire, &a. This will supply to
he inhabitants of Leeds sad the neighbourhood the ad,
vantage.of more expeditiously visiting Iltley, the Bin
Lstsblishment, and the ancient abbey of Bol-
ton, and Harrogate. The corcpaq itltend to ettoourege