The Sun.
London, England, 1836-09-05 00:00:00

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.

On Thursday, September 25, the half-yearly general
meeting of the Proprietors of this Company was held, pt
suant to Act of Parliament, in the Guildhall at Bristol.
The time announced for taking the chair was twelve o'clock;
at which hour a numerous and highly respectable body 01
gentlemen had assembled.

Benjamin Shaw, Esq., acted as Chairman, ex officio ;
and on the Bench were the following Bristol and Laub'
Directors :
R. Bright; G. H. Gibbs, E. W. Mills, R. Fenwick, Wr-
R. Sims, Geo. Wilde, W. Tite, John Woolley, H. Simonds,'
Robert Hopkins, W. Tothill, W. S. Jacques,' Geo. Jon'es,
Henry Bush, John Vining, I'. R. Guppy, IL Scott, T. Pr
croft, P. Maze, Esqrs., &c.
I. J. Chapman, Esq., one of the Secretaries of iitie
Company, then read the following Report and State Q.
Accounts, the details of which were repeatedly interrupted.
by loud cheers :

REPORT.

30,

The Directors cheerfully fulfil the injunctions of the Act
of Parliament, in convening the Proprietors, for the first ot
time within the walls of this city, which—in days of lesg
active enterprise than the present—gave birth to the nu" /,'"jso
dertaking, and still cherishes it with undiminished interest. riol,d
Since the last Report the whole of the line betwee '/-011
Bristol and Bath has been set out, and the works eon k.
menced at all the principal points. The contracts made 'a '
4 I
sure its completion by Feb. 1838.
Between Bath and Chippenham active measures 132.0
been taken for proceeding with the principal work, viz., the
Box Tunnel, where temporary shafts have been alreAdY
sunk, and arrangements made for letting the contracts for
its completion, some of which are advertised. From the
result of opening the trial shafts for ascertaining tlae nature
of the soil, it appears certain that there can be no, difficult,'
in completing the Tunnel in three years.
The contracts from Acton to Reading, a distance a
thirty-two miles, are also taken, and for the most part in
active operation.
The works to Maidenhead will be completed within twelve
months from the present time ; and it remains only for tir 0
proprietors to determine at this junction whether the sash e
spirit and energy shall govern the proceedings of the Con' v
pany, in pressing forward, during that short period, the PAN
struction of the connecting line between Acton and Londe
so as to render their labours useful to the public and be tie'
ficial to themselves, with the least possible delay.
The directors have already made known the circumstt
which terminated every hope of a junction betwee,,i t
London and Birmingham Railway, on the terms of rocipi
cal benefit or of permanency, at a season of peculiar incc
venience in relation to Parliamentary proceedings for a 11,
other line. The directors having applied themselves, he' !`e
ever, to counteract the unexpected difficulty, by seeking tl
most eligible position for a separate depot in London, ha'
now the pleasure to announce that they have obtained tl
lv
general consent of the owners and occupiers to an c
tension of the line into Paddington. The length of 1
from Acton sill be about 4i miles ; but allowing fi ?'`_
the line which was intended to have been made to Ke'
sail Green, the Company will only have to construct 2/ mile!
of additional railway in order to secure a separate approach
to the metropolis, instead of using five miles of the Loan!)
and Birmingham Railway in common with that CornPanY.;l.
It thus avoids the two tunnels between Harlesdon ar
Euston Grove, and the gradient will not exceed 4 feet p e
r
mile. Ample space for the station at Paddington has be a
secured. Conditional arrangements have been made vi
the landed proprietors, leaving only a few unimportant poi .11,7
of detail to be finally adjusted, upon receiving the sane II -
of the Company for an application to Parliament to C
the measure into effect. It is naturally an object of n 01.(:;
li
importance that the opening of the railway to Maiden) 3e, :1;
should not be delayed by the works in the neighbour) jeu
of London, and the directors have found a ready ee ne.ll.
rence on the part of the land-owners in permitting imn'
operations upon their respective properties, so as en,
plete the whole line from Paddington to Maidenhea .d in
tlLtio
ta
autumn of next year, The sanction of Parliamen ,t to