The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-09 00:00:00

LONDON AND CROYDON

RAILWAY.

The tenth Half-yearly General Meeting of the Share
holders in this Railway Company was held on Tuesday
at the London Tavern. The business commenced with
the reading of the Report, stating the efforts made by
the Directors to complete the arrangements necessary
to prepare for the access of the two great lines—the
Brighton and South Eastern—of which this railway is
to be the trunk. The Directors had failed to obtain
authority, in conjunction with the Brighton and South
Eastern Companies to widen the Greenwich Railway.
The Greenwich Company had, however, obtained a
modified Bill, empowering it, jointly with the Brighton
and South Eastern, to enlarge the station at London-
bridge and construct the enlarged portion of the line.
The report next referred to a clause by which this
Company is required to carry a certain highway, at
Penge Common, under the Railway, instead of its pass-
ing, as at present, on a level, and stated that the very
late period of the Session at which this clause was pro-
posed left the Directors no alternative but to submit to
its introduction into their Bill. The result of raising
the farts upon one month's trial, had been a falling-
off in passengers to the extent of 11,413, and
of receipts to the amount of only 11/. is. 6d.,
as compared with the preceding month. There
had, however, been a saving in the Government duty of
321. Gs. 104 d., and of toll to the Greenwich Company of
1101. 13s. 4d., so that the proprietors of this Company
had benefited by the decrease of passenger:. to the ex-
tent of 1311. 12s. 61d. in the month, or at the rate of
more than 1,5001. per annum. The Report added,
" That in order to accommodate, as far as possible, that
portion of the public which had been deprived of the use
of the railway by the higher fares, the Directors had
determined to put on a third-class train between Croy-
don and New Cross at low fares ; the fares by this train
would not, however, be reduced between New Cross and
London, in consequence of the heavy toll payable to the
Greenwich Compat y. Indeed the Directors feared that
unless the Greenwich Company will consent to some mo-
dification of the present toll, and more especially should
they attempt to exact the additional toll authorised
by the late Act, the public will be, as far as
Croydon traffic is concerned, practically excluded from
the use of the Greenwich line." In conclusion, the
Report stated " That the Directors had lately received
an application from the Directors of the Brighton
Company, in contemplation of a partial opening of that
line at an early period, for the purpose of arranging
the accommodation for their traffic, and that it would
be their business not only to afford every facility for
this accommodation, but likewise to encourage, by
every means in their power, consistent with the in-
,crests of this Company, the increase of the Brighton

traffic."
After a good deal of not very friendly discussion, in
which the high toll of the Greenwich Company and its
injurious effects on the Croydon traffic, appeared pro•
minently, the Report was agreed to.
A resolution was then adopted, approving of the
arrangements made by the Directors with the Brighton
and South-Eastern Company for a joint proprietorship.
Thanks having been given to the Directors for pre-
cautions stated to have been adopted to prevent acci-
dents, the meeting broke up.

THE CASHMERE SHAWL.—This new work of
fiction, announced for immediate appearance, is from the
pen of an old favourite of the public--the author of " The
King's Page," " Almack's Revisited," &c. The map-
pcarance of Capt. White in the literary arena will doubt-
less be gladly welcomed by all those who have derived
amusement from his former productions. It is understood
that " The Cashmere Shawl" is not a mere work of the
imagination, but that the author has availed himself of the
facilities afforded by his story to embody in it, as Hope,
Morier, Trelawney, and others have done, his absolute ex-
periences of Eastern life, manners, and society ; and these
are said to be of a character far more exciting and extraor-
dinary than ever befel the authors of even " Anastasius,"
" Hajji Baba," or " The Adventures of a Younger Son."
SINGULAR AND F kTAL OCCURRENCE.—
On Tuesday evening an inquest was held in the Board-
room of St. George's Hospital, before Mr. Higgs, on view
of the body of Charles Hodges, aged 31, whose death oc-
curred under the circumstances detailed in the following
evidence :—Sainuel Chamberlayne, of Launcelot-place, .
Trevor-square, Knightsbridge, deposed, that he knew the
deceased, who was a tailor, and lived next door to witness.
On the afternoon of the 28th ult., the deceased's wife
came to witness and asked hint for a pair of scissors to
cut the hair off her husband's head, as lie had cut himself
severely, and witness went in and saw the deceased
with his head over a basin, which was half full of
blood. Two medical men were sent for, after which
the deceased was brought to this hospital. The deceased's
wife said that ber husband came home drunk, that be
was very violent, and on her finding fault with him,
he said " I will put an end to it," and then went towards
a chest of drawers and took out some razors ; that she got
them from him, and then struck him with a small bag,
which, without her knowledge, contained a razor without a
dre,
nizdautsidt ''said
handle, and which cut him across the head near the fore-
itseda at veryt asocbcei
head. By the Jury—The deceased was a man of very in-
head.
dellepislywaifffeecindustrious
woman.
she had not the slightest idea that the razor was "
temperate
shhaeb
bag. Several other witnesses were examined, all of in
nhtom
he
gave similar evidence. The Jury said they
were satis-
fied that the unfortunate wife had not committed the act
premeditatedly, but that it was the result of accident. Mr.
Tarrant, the house surgeon, stated that
the deceased died
on Sunday from the effects of the injury on the head.—
Verdict—" Accidental death."

• -y, -
THE QUEEN DOWAGER.—StiabUry-liall is
certainly taken for her Majesty's occupancy, and her Ma-
jesty will enter upon her tenure on the 15th of September
instant. Workmen are busily employed on the premises,
and orders to various manufacturers and tradesmen
in the country are already given. The china will be sup,-
plied from the celebrated manufactory at Derby. S. u-,-.
bury-hall is the property of Lord Vernon, and was. built
about the 17th century. The building is of red brick,
no
termixed with others of a darker colour, and, A
t
large, is well proportioned, and has two
_small
good gallery runs through the house..
rumour, without vouching for its veracity,We
troop of Yeomanry Cavalry will be called
Majesty through Burton, in her route
take possession of Sudbury-ball. —Der y i
that the Burton
out to escort her
from Gopsall, to
1) CI ronicle
state it as a