The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-24 00:00:00

BANK OP ENGLAND,

A General Court of this Company was held yestorday
at the Board Room, to determine whether, in addition to
the dividend of 3/. 10s. per cent. for the year ending the
sth of April next, a bonus out of the interest and profits
should be made of one per cent. out of the capital stock
of the corporation. There were present the Governor,
Deputy-Governor, and a large number of the directors.
The advertisement convening the court having been
read, the ballot was immediately commenced, but did
not terminate till after four o'clock.
The scrutineers then made their report, which stated
that 253 of the corporation had voted, of which 19G were
for the affirmation of the report, and 57 against it.
The bonus of 1 per cent, was consequently confirmed.
The Court then separated.

SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY
COMPANY.
A meeting of the proprietors and shareholders of the
above company was held yestcrday at the Nine Elms Sta-
tion at Vauxhall.

The Chair was taken at one o'clock by Mr. Chaplin.
The SECRETARY having read the advertisement con-
vening the meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said that the meeting had been culled
according to .Lord Whareclitfe's Act for confirming tlic
resolutions which they bad previou,ly adopted with re-
gard to certain Bills in Parliament. 'Phu solicitor would
read to them the various Bills to be submitted for their
consideration.
_ _

The SOLICITOR then read the titles and preambles of,
the Acts, which were agreed to, al follows :
A Bill to amend the Acts relating to the London and
South-Western Railway, and to enable the London and
South-Western Railway Company to increase their
capital, and to complete various arrangements with
other companies, and undertakings, and for other pur-
poses.
A Bill to enable the London and South-Western
Railway Company to widen and improve the London
and South-Western Railway from the junction thereof
with the Richmond Railway to the terminus at Niue
Elms, and to enlarge their intended station at the York-
road, Lambeth.
A Bill to enable the London and South-Western Rail.
way Company to make railways from Andover to join
their Salisbury Branch Railway at Michaelmarsh, and
from the same branch at Romsey, to join the South-
ampton and Dorchester Railway at Redbridge, all in the
county of Southampton, to be called " The Andover and
Southampton Junction Railway."
A Bill to enable the London and South-Western Rail-
way Company to make a railway from Salisbury to
Yeovil, with branches to Shaftel,bury and Wincanton,
and to the Exeter, Yeovil, and Dorchester and Wilts,
Somerset and Weymouth Railways • and to purchase or
lease the said Exeter, Yeovil, and Dorchester Railway.
A Bill to enable the London and South-Western Rail-
way Company to make a railway from Blandford, in the
county of Dorset, to Braton, in the county of Somerset.
A Bill for making a railway from Exeter to Yeovil,
with branches and extensions therefrom, to be called
" The Exeter, Yeovil, and Dorchester Railway."
A Bill to amend the Exeter and Exmouth Railway
Act, 1846; and to enable the London and South-Western
Railway Company to subscribe towards lease, or pur-
chase the said railway.
A Bill to enable the London and South-Western Rail-
way to make Railways from Exeter to Truro and Ply-
mouth, with various branches therefrom, to be called
" The Cornwall and Devon Central and Plymouth
Railwy."
A Bill for improving and regulating the Harbour of
Sutton Pool, within the Port of Plymouth, in the county
of Devon.

A Bill to enable the Taw Vale Railway and Dock
Company to lease their undertaking to the London and
South-Western Railway Company.
A Bill for making a deviation in the line of the Taw
Vale Railway, for making branches therefrom to the
towns of Bideford and South Molton, for enlarging the
dock, and amending the Acts relating thereto.
A Bill for enabling the London and South-Western
Railway Company to make extensions of the Guildford
Extension and Portsmouth and Fareham Railway, near
Portsmouth ; and a deviation in the authorised line
thereof, near Godalming.
A Bill for authorising the sale of part of the Brighton
and Chichester (Portsmouth Extension) Railway to the
'
London and South-Western, and the London, Brighton,
and South Coast Railway Companies, and the use by
the last-mentioned company of part (Wandsworth to
London) of the London and South-Western Railway.
A Bill for making a railway from Staines to Woking-
ham, with branches to the London and South-Western
Railway.
A Bill for making a railway from Richmond to Wind-
sor, with a loop line through Brentford and Hounslow.
A Bill for making an alteration in the line of the
Southampton and Dorchester Railway, and branches
therefrom to Lymington and Eling, and for other
purposes.
A Bill for making a Branch Railway from the South-
ampton and Dorchester Railway to Blandford, and for
other purposes.
A Bill for making a Branch Railway from the South-
ampton and Dorchester Railway, at Moreton, to Wey-
mouth, and for other purposes.
A Bill for making a Railway from Southampton to
Cheltenham, to be called " The Manchester and South-
ampton Railway."
A SHAREHOLDER inquired what was the estimated cost
of the execution of these various projects?
Mr. LOCKE said about 6,000,0001.
The common seal of the company was then affixed to
the Bills.
The CHAIRMAN expressed his regret that so little ad-
vance had been made by the directors since last ineetin g'
but they had been compelled to wait for Mr. Strutt's
Bill being completed, which would not be until after
Easter.
A SHAREHOLDER wished to make a few observations
with regard to the Bill introduced by Mr. Strutt. It
was a Bill which had been very much criticized and
handled by the various companies, and it was consi-
dered as affecting the interest of railway property in a
very material degree. It was criticized as having not only
a prospective, but a retrospective effect, and in that shape
it would inflict incalculable injury upon railway property.
He knew perfectly well that the Chairman, in common
with the other directors, had organized an opposi-
tion against the measure, but in his opinion
the opposition should have been carried to a larger
extent. It appeared to him that a petition signed by
the whole of the railway proprietary would have great
influence in Parliament. The Chairman, in the commit-
tee of which he was an unworthy member, had presented
a petition against the measure; but the view he took of it
was—that the proprietary, one and all, should have
joined in that petition against Mr. Strutt's Bill. It was
a measure calculated to inflict serious injury upon vested
interests. The Government might as well interfere
with their landed properties, for when they pur-
chased shares, they had looked at their rights,
under the Act of Parliament, and they knew what they
were buying; but now came a power, under the sanction
of the Government, for the purpose of disarranging
entirely the foundation upon which their property rested.
—(Hear, hear.) His intention was not at the present
time to go more particularly into the measure which Mr.
Strutt bad proposed; but he trusted, however, that the
opposition which they had so wisely raised against the
scheme might have the success it deserved.
The CHAIRMAN said that he believed that the railway
world, whose interests were much affected, were unani-
mous against the Bill, and the reason they had not pro-
ceeded more vigorously up to that moment was because
it was generally understood that considerable modifica-
tions would be introduced by the Government when the
Bill came again before the House of Commons.
The meeting then resolved itself into a special meet-
ing, for the purpose of electing a new director, in the
room of Mr. Robert Sheddon, retired.
The SECRETARY read a letter from Sergeant Gazelee,
declining to become a candidate for the vacant office,
according to the notice he had given.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed Mr. Ker Seymer,
M.P., and stated that the influence of that gentleman in
Dorsetshire would very materially further the views of
the company.
Lord ORLEY seconded the motion, which was unani-
mously agreed to.
Mr. KER SEYMER having returned thanks in an
appropriate speech,
A vote of thanks was given to the Chairman and
.ors, and the meeting separated.

direct,

_
CLARENCE RAILWAY COMPANY.
A special general meeting of the proprietors of this
railway was held yesterday, at the George and Vulture
Tavern, St. Michael's-alley, Cornhill, to submit to them
the draft of a Bill introduced into Parliament this ses-
sion, to enable the company to amalgamate with the
Yn
accordance with
the standing orders, the only business transacted was
meeting,retionary power to
adsisccircumstances might
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require in carrying out the arrangements,
which were
unanimously agreed to. The meeting then separated.

GREAT WESTERN RAIL WAY.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING.
A special general meeting of the proprietors of this
railway was held yesterday, at one o'clock, in the Board-
room, Paddington Station, for the purpose of taking into
consideration the drafts of twenty-two Bills, which the
company intended to apply for in the present session.
Charles Russell, Esq., chairman of the company,
presided.
The advertisement calling the meeting having been
read,
The CHAIRMAN then said, that the meeting of pro-
prietors convened for the 14th of December was for the
double purpose of sanctioning the Birmingham and Oxford
,
lines, and for giving approval to other schemes. Many of
these were Bills of last session, and it would be unneces-
saryforhim to rovert to them, as they had already received
the approbation of the shareholders. The present meeting
was called for the purpose of giving effect to the long
list of Bills submitted to them, and he would therefore take
the projects, not as they came in the list, but as they
were distributed through certain localities; and he would
take first that which was known by the name of the
West London Railway, which would give them the ad-
vantages that were at present, or would be, enjoyed by
the London and South-Western Railway ; the
next would be the Bill fir making branches
to Egham, Staines, Brentford and Twickenham ;
and the third Bill he would associate with this group
would be one for making a branch railway to Henley and
Radstock, to widen certain portions of the Great
Western Railway, to enable the Great Western to
amalgamate with the Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and
Dudley Railway, and to purchase the Wycombe and
GreatVestern and Uxbridge Railways, and for other
purposes ; and the fourth and last was a scheme to make
-a
line from Windsor, to join the Great Western st