The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-06 00:00:00

STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE.
The Members of this Committee met at one o'clock yester-
day, and came to the following decisions :
MANCHESTER CORPORATION WATERWORKS.
Standing orders dispensed with, and the parties allowed to
proceed with their Bill.
RATHINES IMPROVEMENT.
Standing orders dispensed with, and the Bill allowed to
proceed.
MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON RAILWAY.
This case, which has excited so much interest in the railway
world, was decided to- day. After deliberating upon it for
a considerable time, the Commit tee decided that the standing
orders had not been complied with, and the Bill is conse-
quently lost.

PETITIONS ON PRIVATE BILLS.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.
(Room 22, Before Mr. Examiner Small.)
UNOPPOSED CASE.
Great Western Railway (Branch to join the West London
Railway, widening and enlargement of West London Rail-
way and Branches to Hammersmith, and to join the Lon-
don and South-Western Railway near Lambeth) petition
for additional provisions.
In this case the customary formal proofs were completed,
and the standing orders were found to have been complied
with.

OPPOSED CASE.
Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire Junction Rail-
way and Branches.
This opposed case occupied the rest of the day, but only
two unimportant allegations were sustained.
The case was adjourned.
(Room 23, before Mr. Examiner MAY.)
Midland, Worcester, Herefordshire, Malvern, and Chelten-
ham lines.
The allegations in this case were resumed. The case was
further adjourned.

BRISTOL and EXETER RAILWAY.
BRISTOL, THURSDAY ArramooN.—The half-yearly ge-
neral meeting of proprietors in this undertaking was held this
day at the White Lion Hotel, Broad-street. There was a
very numerous attendance of proprietorkThe chair was
taken by John Browne, Esq., deputy char. of tile board
of directors.

The CHAIRMAN said, in laying before the proprietors the
half-yearly report of their proceedings, the directors referred
them with great pleasure to the statement of rent and toll
of the line as returned by the Great Western Company.
That statement afforded gratifying evidence of the increased
and increasing prosperity of the undertaking, and gave to
them a well-founded hope that their traffic would be such as,
after the termination of their lease to the Great Western
Company, to give them a very handsome dividend upon
their shares. Since the last general meeting of the company the
directors had given their best and most anxious attention to
the carrying out of the new measures which the proprietors
had sanctioned with their approval. The branches from
Bleadon to 'Wells, Street, and Glastonbury, and from Castle
Cary to Taunton, had passed the Committee unopposed • and
from the great extent of accommodation which they would af-
ford to the public, the board did not anticipate that there would
be any difikulty in obtaining for them Parliamentary sanc-
tion. Westward of Exeter the branch from Launceston
to Lislteard had passed the Standing Orders Committee, but
the Bill for the branch from Crediton to Launceston had
been thrown out upon the standing orders on account of the
insufficiency of the. engineering plans. The directors felt it
but just to their engineer, Mr. Gregory, with whose zeal,
ability, and attention they had abundant reason to be satis-
fied, to state that they exonerated him from all blame in the
matter. His appointment was so late that there bad not
been sufficient time to prepare the plans properly, and when
he undertook to do his best, he told the directors that he
could not hold himself responsible for their completion. It
was also due to Mr. Brunel to state that, as far as was con-
sistent with his duty to the Great Western Company, he had
given the most courteotes end ready assistance. The branches
to Tiverton and to Clevedon would, it was hoped, soon be
opened for traffic. Upon the Yeovil branch the works had
been purposely delayed in order to enable the board to well
consider the point at which the junction should be fixed.
The directors had under their consideration, and at the pro-
per time would provide for the plant which would be re-
quired after the termination of the lease to work the line.—
(Cheers.) The beard exceedingly regretted the resignation
of their worthy chairman, Jlr. Gibbs, but at the same time
they considered it a most fortunate thing for the interests of
the company that they had been able to prevail upon so in-
fluential a gentleman as Mr. J. W. Buller, of Downes, to
take a seat at the board as his successor.
The SECRETARY, Mr. J. B. Badham, then read the report
of the directors, which was in substance the same as the
speech of the chairman, and also recommended a dividend
of 4i per cent. on the paid-up capital, which would leave a
surplus of 2,0551. Iss. sd.
In reply to questions by Mr. Hare,
The CHAIRMAN said the directors had no doubt they
would be able to obtain from the Great Western Com-
pany an early statement of what proportion of plant they
would expect the Bristol and Exeter Company to take
to at the close of the lease. He believed that the ar-
rangement would be concluded in a friendly spirit between
the companies ; for, whether the Bristol and Exeter line
was worked as an independent line or otherwise, it would be
for the mutual interests of both companies that they should
continue on terms of perfect amity.—(Cheers.) What the
directors had in view was to ascertain from the Great Western
board what plant they wished to hand over when the lease
terminated, on the Ist May, 1849. 9
In reply to another question,
The CHAIRMA,N said, the directors would be quite able
in two years to supply themselves with plant, even should
the Great Western Company wish to hand over nothing.
The SECRETARY—There are parties ready to undertake to
supply it.—(Hear, hear.)
A PROPRIETOR asked, if the statement in reference to
the Bristol and Exeter line in Nash's Railway Statistics was
true?
The CHAIRMAN understood that it was made up from the
return of the Great Western Company, and that it was quite
correct.
The PROPRIETOE—It is very encouraging,
then.
Mr. H. Betrearr then expressed his gratification that the
line was now admitted to be as good as he had anticipated
when he, as the organ of the committee of shareholders, last
addressed the proprietary. He also expressed his satisfac-
tion that the resignation of Mr. Brunel, and of their chair-
man had got rid of a great deal of the Great Western in-
terest, which had too long influenced their proceedings.
Their property had suffered from their having had a
divided board ; and he hoped that now there would be
no more division, but that their affairs would go on satis-
factorily.
The CirAinmlx, in reply, said there was no greater mis
take than to suppose that the board was influenced by any
fear of or desire to submit improperly to Great Western in-
fluence.
Mr. C. BERNARD said he had seen with regret a livee.cta
Exeter put forward by the Great Western Company'
did not pass over their line. Did the directors intend to op-
pose the Great Western Company
The CHAIRMAN said there was no such intention by_hT
the
board. The Great Western Company would be stronglyr
posed by the South-Western, and it was thought that t
interference would be useless.
Mr. BERNARD thought that a few thousand pounds would
be well laid out in an opposition.—(No.)
Mr. SECOMB wie glad to hear that the directors did not
intend squandering money in opposition.

BANK OF ENG-LAND.
(From last aight's Gazette.)
An Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth of of
cap.
847.
32, for
the Week ending on Saturday, the 27th day of Feb 1

ISSUE DEPARTMENT.

votes issued.• • • • • • • 25,349,820

Government debt 11,015,100
Other securities •• • • 2,984,900
Gold coin and bullion 9,801,428
Silver bullion •• " 1 548,392
,
----____

-- -
£21,349,820 I X 25,349,820
3f. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.
Dated the 4th day of March, 1847.
BANKING DeramartT. X.

Proprietors' capital . • 14,553,000
Rest ••..•••• • • •• • • 3,899,:120
Public deposits (in-
eluding Exchequer,
Commissioners of
National Debt, Say-
ings-banks, and Di-
vidend accounts) .• 5,928,487
ether deposits ..
3even day and other
••••

Government securi-
ties (including Dead
Weight Annuity) • • 11,990,079
Other securities •• • • 15,819,148
Nate.. ••• .. ... 6,016,695
Gold and silver coin •• 695,114

4 34,521,036

£34,521,036
MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.

Dated the 4th day of March, 184'

—The RIVER.THE LATE COLLISION ON THE
di-
rectors of the London and Leith Navigation Company have
instituted an investigation at Leith into the circumstances
attending the late accident, which resulted in the loss of the
Rose schooner and several lives, through collision with their
steamer the Royal Victoria. Mr. Weber, the captain of the
Rose, was examined, and detailed the circumstances under
which the collision occurred, so far as be knew them, and said
that Ws schooner was a,anchored on the north side of the
Thames at the time. The night was quite clear. He had
no lights fixed to the schooner's mast or bow. The steamer
struck her on the larboard bow, and she went down on her
boadside. The steamer had her engines reversed, and she
went astern before the Rose sunk. Was part-owner of the
1. She had been valued at 800/. or 9001. She was 18
years"SSe old. Captain Meiklereid, the master of the Royal Vic-
toria, stated that he left St. Katherine's Wharf on Saturday
ht at twelve o'clock. The pilot left her at the
nig ,
usual place, urayesend. lie then took the control of the
steamer, and on arriving off the creek at Hole haven, about
half a mile from the shore, the accident occurred. On nearing
Hole Haven he noticed three vessels ahead, oneunder canvass,
and the other two at anchor. He wanted to go to the north-
ward, between the tw vesselnchor, ac] he could not get to the
the sailing being ose on to him. He was
southward,
on the bridge, and the carpenter was with him. The second
mate, Johnson, was at the helm. It was the carpenter's
duty to be on the look out, and Dickson was on the bow.
The night was clear, and he saw the vessels half a mile off.
He would have gone to the southward of the vessels if there
had been room. He desired the helm to " port, port—hard
a-port." The helm, in consequence of the ebb tide, did not
steer well, and he directed the engineer to stop the engines
and reverse them, so as to go astern. It was too late, how-
ever, to prevent the collision ; the steamer struck the
schooner, and in four or five minutes she went down. Some
portion of her went under the steamer. lie instantly di-
rected a boat to be lowered to save the crew, but it picked
up none. The steamer was brought to an anchor, and for
two hours remained by the spot where the Rose went down.
It then continued its course to Leith. The captain of the
schooner was brought on board the steamer. None of the
passengers were alarmed by the accident excepting those on
deck. One of the Royal Victoria's anchors was torn away.
TAILORS' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.—The tenth
anniversary of this excellent charity was celebrated last
evening by a public dinner at the London gavern, under the
presidency of Lord Robert GI osvenor, BI.P. About 300
members attended. After di.,ner the noble chairman pro-
po*ed the toast, " Succe?; to tau Institution." The secre-
tary then read the report and list of the subscriptions, from
which it appeared that the receipts exceeded the exuenditure
by 1,370/., and the subscriptions of the evening amounted to
nearly 9001. Thanks were voted to the chairman, and the
meeting broke up at a late hour.