The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-23 00:00:00

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 had 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 Rot 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 MORLEY 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
directors, and the meeting separated.

CLARENCE RAILWAY COMPANY.
(THIS DAY.)

A special general meeting of the proprietors of this
rail way was held to-day, 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 "ompany to amalgamate with the
Leads and Thirsk Railway Company. Mr. Blanshard
was called to the chair.

As the meeting was a formal one, in accordance with
the standing orders, the only business transacted was
the submitting resolutions to the meeting, approving of
the amalgamation, and giving a discretionary power to
the committee of directors to act as circumstances may
require in carrying out the arrangements, which were
unanimously agreed to. The meeting then separated.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING.—(THIS DAY.)
A special general meeting of the proprietors of this
railway was held this day, 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 sessioa,and it would be unneces-
sary for him to revert to them, as they had already met 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 f)r 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
Great Western 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 at
Slough, and to be called " the Windsor Railway." Be
again r,peateJ, that any information would be afforded
to the proprietors on the subject of these lines. 'The
Chairman concluded by proposing the first Bill—namely,
the West London Railway (the cost of which was
180.0001.), which having been seconded,
Mr. MAR RIOTT said that he saw not less than 22 Bills,
which were to be submitted for the consideration of the
shareholders, many of them lines of great extent, in-
volving a vast number of branches. Now, he thought
that the proprietors ought to know in what financial
position they stood already, and he trusted the directors
would be prepared to inform them upon that point.
The CHAIRMAN said that at the last meeting of the
proprietors, a full, and in every way satisfactory, state-
ment of their finances, had been laid before the meeting,
and he Could not think at that time of entering upon a
discursive argument involving minute particulars, which
had been already deemed satisfactory.—(Hear, hear.)
Every Bill, as it would be proposed, would be explained
as fully as the directors could, and every question they
would endeavour to answer.

A SHAREHOLDER thought that these questions should
be answered. He did not see that the proprietors should
recklessly rush into an expenditure which might involve
them in bankruptcy and ruin.
The CHAIRMAN again reiterated his former statement,
that the majority of these Bills had already received the
sanctiqn of the proprietors, and it was really unfair to
call upon the directors to enter into particulars which
had been at the last meeting fully explained.
The first Bill was then carried.
The second Bill, for making branch railways from the
Great Western Railway to the towns of Egham, Staines,
Brentford, and Twickenham, having been submitted to
the proprietors,
Mr. MARRIOTT asked what the capital estimated for
the project was?
The CHAIRMAN said 500,0001.
- -

After a few words from a shareholder against the
project until fdlther information were given ; and from
Mr. VOUSELY, in favour of it, the Bill was approved of.
The third, a Bill to make a railway from Windsor
to Slough, was put and seconded. The estimated cost
was 110,0001.
In answer to a question from Mr. MARRIOTT,
Mr. SANDERS (the secretary) said that the company
were not liable for 14,000,000/. in addition to the
9,000,0001. which they were authorised to raise by
shares or debentures.

Mr. MARRIOTT said that the simplest way to meet his
inquiry would be to state what the financial position of
the company was ?
The CHAIRMAN interposed, and begged the proprie-
tors to remember that Mr. Marriott was the gentleman
who urged the claims of other lines, at the recent meet-
ing at Birmingham, in contradistinction to that of the
Great Western Company. He would, under all these
circumstances, put it to the meeting, whether his ques-
tions should be answered.—(Cries of " No, no.)
Mr. MARRIOTT denied that he had advocated the
claims of other lines, or tried to injure the profits of the
Great Western. His sole object was to get the best
price for his own shares.
The fourth Bill, to approve of constructing a line to
Henley and Hadstcck, was, after a few words, acceded tc.
The fifth Bill, to make a railway from the Berks and
Hants Railway:;at Hungerford, to join the line of the
Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth Railway at Westbury
and Devizes, having been put, (estimated cost 600,0000
was unanimously agreed to.
The next Bill was a Bill for making a live from
Bridport to export, the proposed capital for which was
proposed to be 1,480,0001., which was also unanimously
agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN then said that the next series of Bills
was those in connexion with the Wilts and Somerset
Railway, and with respect to the principle of which the
Committee of ae House of Lords had, in the last session
of Parliameut, pronounced a decisive and favourable
opinion. The Bills included under this head were Bills
for authorising certain alterations in the line of the Wilts,
Somerset, and Weymouth Railway; a Bill to construct a
railway from Bleadon to Blandford, with branches to
Glastonbury and Gillingham; and a Bill
-for improving
the harbour of the town of Weymouth, the whole of which
were also unanimously agreed to.
. . .

The next series of Bills were two in connexion with
the South Devon Railway, which were brought forward
by independent Companies, and in which the Great
Western Company had only interest, by virtue of the
shares which they held in them; the first of which was a
Bill to authorise the construction of a railway from Tavi-
stock to Launceston, and to extend the line of the South
Devon Railway. to Torquay and Brixham ; and the
second, authorising certain alterations and amendments
of the line of the Cornwall Railway, passed in the last
session of Parliament, both of which were also unani-
mously agreed to.
The next Bill referred to the districts in the
neighbourhood of Cheltenham, entitled " A Bill for
making a Railway from the:Great Western Railway at
Cheltenham, to join the Oxford and Rugby Railway, near
Oxford," for which 4 per cent. and half profits were gua-
ranteed by the Great Western Company.
This Bill was also agreed to.
Four Bills were then proposed in connexion with the
South Wales Railway, which were brought forward by
the South Wales Company, and upon the capital of
which 5 per cent. was guaranteed by the company, in-
cluding a Bill for making certain alterations and amend-
ments in the South Wales Railway; a Bill for making a
railway from Ystradgunlais, in the county of Brecon, to
Swansea, in the county of Glamorgan ; a Bill for
enabling the Vale of Neath Railway Company to make
certain alterations and amendments in their line of rail-
way; and a Bill to autherise the Gloucester and Forest
of Dean Railway to construct a dock or basin at Glou-
cester in connexion with that railway—whieh were also
unanimously agreed te.
Two Bills in connexion with the Oxford, Worcester,
=ld Wolverhampton Railway were then submitted to
the meeting, the first of which authorised that company
to make a railway from Cheltenham to join the Strat-
hxrd-upon-Avon branch of that railway ; the second
authorising the construction of a railway from Stour-
bridge to join the line of the Oxford, Worcester, and
'Wolverhampton Railways near Dudley and Hales Owen,
the capital required for which would be about 700,000/.,
both of which were also agreed to without opposition.
The next was a Bill which was merely a duplicate
Bibl of the former ones, and authorising the construction
of zi railway from Stourbridge to West Bromwich.
The three remaining Bills had reference to the Bir-
mingham and Oxford Railway, passed in the last session
of -Parliament,ea but which had been purchased by the
Grsing the construction of several small branches of
aathotrnrestern Company since the passing of the Act,
railway, and the application to Parliament for power
to purchase the Birmingham, Dudley, and Wolver-
h aranptolna
yßianiglwatyh.
Ithose Bills before the meeting the
which had
CXAIRMAN alluded to the circumstances
atite tided the course of conduct pursued by the ,