The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-15 00:00:00

flitrbf- Mbition

SUY OFFICE, Seven o'Clock.

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.
(THIS DAY.)
The adjourned general meeting of the proprietors of
the &Astern Counties Railway for the purpose of elect-
ing directors, was held this afternoon at tho 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 he had been requested to do so by the
Committee of investigation.
Mr. CantrriE 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 conclusicin 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. RONEY 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
broposed the appointment of these gentlemen because he
elieved 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, EA., Westbourne-park.
Thomas Jones Margrave, Esq., City-road.
Jtmes Packe, Esq., Mildenhall.
George Reed, Esq,, Blackheath Park.
.John Alexander Thompson Smyth, Esq., Cumberland-
terrace, Regent's perk."
Mr. THOMPSON HAMMY, the banker, seconded
the resolutien, 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
. confidence 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 had
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 he was not allowed
to ask a question was simply that Mr. Hudson was at-
tended by an attoreey, while the committee who waited
upon him were not. Mr. Hudson in the same place had
denied the accusation that he had altered the accouuts,
or that the alterations in the document alluded to by
the committee in the report were in his handwriting.
Wha , however, was the real truth? Why, simply that Mr.
.-.Waddingoa the late deputy chairman, and Mr. Davies,
thancconntant of -the company,' positively declared that
, thealterations in the. accounts 'for the half year ending-
,. July, 1846, %Trivia Mr. Hudson's handwriting, 'whils'e
jeat•previeus .to the •half• yearly meeting- of 1849, Mr.
Moaley, the manager 4 look the half yearly accounts to-
Albert gate, when Mo. Hud3on directed him to deduct,
there and. Wert, 40,.0001. from- the' half-year's expendi-
ture, allii/41.10,9a4/.. to the receipts.—(Shame, shame.)
The first deditetton was,raide by Mr. Mozley in' pencil,
in Mr. Hudson's presence, and the addition was made by
Mr. Hudson, in Mr. Motley'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 himself
not thought fit to attack the committee in the manner
they had done.—(Hear, hear.)
A letter which Mr. Waddington had written to the
committee in his own defence was then read, as
follows:
" TO THE COMMITTEE OP SELECTION OP THE EASTERN
COUNTIES PROPRIETORS.

" 30th May, 1849.
" Gentlemen,---I 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 explanatians upon points which I had not an op-
pot trinity cf doing at the excited meting of shareholders.
on the 10th ieatent.
" In the first place, I am desirous of stating that upon
my resigning ef the office of deputy-chairman of the
Manchester and Birmingham Railway, I then announced
that it was not my intention again to take an active part
in railway management ; but a deputation from the
Eastern Counties Directory waiting upon me, I was
ind aced to alter my opinion upon the understanding that
I was to be elected Chairman of the Eastern Counties
Board. Subs( quently I had an interview with the
Chairman of the company (Mr. Bosanquet) and other
active members of the Board, when this arrangement
was confirmed; Mr. Bosanquet agreeing to retire for that
purpose. A snort time etterwards I was infarmed that
the shareholders and the board of directors had invited
Mr. Hudson to be chairman. At this course I was much
surprised, and weft immediately to Y. 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 cf mmittee.
" 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 400,0001
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 l 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 try part, inasmuch as it
involved my removal from Manchester to the vicinity
of the Eastern Counties Railway to enable me to give
my personal and undivided attention to its interests.
From October, 1845, to March, 1846, I had my family
in Manchester, whilst I was incessant in my attendance
at the Eastern Counties Railway, except the time spent
in travelling to and from Manchester to visit my family,
and arrange the appointment of an agent to conduct any
private affairs in Manchester consequent upon ray re-
moval to London, and whose salary I have continued to
pay from that time to the present.
"The traffic arrangements were so incomplete that I
had to organize andfre-arrange the whole of that depart-
ment, add during the large extent of business which fol.
lowed the anxiety of mind I suffered in, consequence of
the locomotive department proving unequal to the work
to be performed, and the inadequate station and siding
accommodation, it is impossible for me to convey any
idea of ac to its intensity; and I can with feelings of
honest pride refer to numberless letters I have received
from proprietors, thanking me for those exertions and
their hopes that I should be amply rewarded. I ask,
then, was it fair towards me that the Committee of Inves-
tigation, who were cognizant of the great time, labour,
'mad attention I had devoted in furthering the interests
of the company, and that successfully so as-far as the
train° department was concerned, not to noticei this in
their report, when they alluded to the sum oft 2,0001.
which had been voted to me by the directors. I did not,
seek for praise at their hands, but I was entitleti to jus-
tice; and in naming the sum, they ought to have stated
that which they well knew, that my labour had been in-
cessant in behalf of the Eastern Counties proprietors.
" Now. as to the mode in which this sum was voted to
me; two directors who are examined d
prove that it. Wd!
proposed by the chairman, and sanctioned by the liee
tors; two of the direct rs signtng a cheque. It appears to
have been made out to extensions, because it was to be
charged to extension capital; by an accident no minute
ole the board for this payment appears, but two
gentlemen of the highest honour declare to the
fact of the directors sanctioning the payment, and
thereupon the report, instead of confirming the complain'
against me to receiving from the board what It wits
properly the province of the proprietors to bestow, it'
they thought fit, level at me insinuations by the man •
niir of describing the gift and classing it with unex
plained expenditure, which I cannot refrain from saying
exhibits a desire to prejudice and injure me with the
. psopretary. Had the report frankly stated that the board.
should have recommended to the proprietors this payment
instead of Making it, I should have deferred to such an
opinion with use- r, mark that I believed my heavy and
anxious extra services to the company, far beyond those
.of say other, member of the board, entitled me to extra
recompense, and my colleagues having so considered it,
when requesting me to withdraw whilst they delitereted
upon the subject. and fixing the sum at 2,0001., I accepted
th-e amount with independence and unhesitatingly,
as I felt it my due:- It >wouki unquestionably have been
more regular to have submitted the propriety uf the
payment to the sharrhelders, or sought their sancton
to it after it was made. I regret this was not done. Mr.
Hudson cant, mplctetl extra remuneration being given to
me at the meeting of proprietors in February, 1847, when
pointed out L he grc ate-xf rtions I wes making to promote
the ()Drapery's interests, and there was no reason why this
gift should not have beau brought before the meeting in
A„ Bust, 1847. If tins had been done it weuldhave been
mors.satisfactory to my feelings, as I feel convinced that
at that time the proprietors were satisfied of the almost
entire devotion of my time is developing the resources
of the line.. • •
" As. to the 1,000/. premium received by me in Oct.,
1846, in.respect 01..400 Wisheach and St. Ives shares, I
beg to state that I received no premium nor sum in this
nor any other case butauch as I considered I had a right
o receive ; and as an illustration thstkivolilci not