The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-16 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE SOUTH-EAST-
-1,91N AND BRIGHTON RAILWAY COMPA-
-;'IES' SHAREHOLDERS.
wits held
of the shareholders in these two companies
st._ yesterday, in the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-
s,7 _ 1., for the purpose of adopting some measures to
If possible, ...hat was termed " the wasteful and
eContest,'
expenditure" incurred by the Parliamentary
other
Bcc between the South-Eastern Company, on
the one and the London and Brighton, ou the
The
d'seerlratebie seated large room was respectably filled, and a con i•
numatbetrheotfatbhlee„ more influential shareholder:
sod, that
CAsu was called to the chair. The chairman
as
I,lilt.hat he hoped the company would not be considered
exppeuritt,ing
dssejoirn‘g been called together out of oppositton to
-• It had been called togeirer tor the purpose
a stop to the shameful and ruinous course of
„ir:mire now going on on the part of the directors.
3rt hear.) lie proposed, on a late occasion, that
sot
sorarrangetnents should be come to between the two
a
position had
nie3 by which they should be united. That p o
vo
not been acceded to, notwithstanding th.
that opinions which were at one time entertainer
etilvalt result having been brought about. He had re-
loeftter's 13rDornthe
the part of the committee, t•ix hundr,
Brighton shareholders in favour
abaies unien uf the two companies, and representi4
to the value of 900 000/. and that morning thei'
r'ffittee had recav, d upwards of 1,100 letters from
ih
nlnt eouth-I,;astern mp lay i favour of an arrange-
betwe n Vie two cowponies. Those who
high any attention to the subject, considering at the
tin,the state of the money market, had c)me Io
pae..!:onclusion that the best course would be to petition
ttil'i'ilatnent to prevent any further progress in the ex
tlou""8 now pending before the Committees of th•
Committees
of Commons.—(Cheers.) lie thought if the
ez tAftninittees had been united, a most, wastetu
strP:nditure would have been saved in the con-
sa, ellen of the two lines, whch had received th.
144011 of Parliament last session, between Tun-
ge and Hastings, and which would whet
i..structed be most formidable rivals to each other, ane.
E",,,9leir rivalry would injure the interests of the share-
] 'fl'uers,—(Cheers.) At the same lime ho must beg
f've to say, that there had been a few letters received
boo large shareholders expressing an opinion advert.,
No amalgamation between the two companies. The
he alittee had prepared a number of resolutions, which
take the
to read to the meeting, and afterwards to
the opinion of the meeting on the same.
6.
sier,!r L. GOLDSSIID theugnt that if a motion with re
k„? tto the postponement of the question should he
eed to, it would be unnecessary to enter into an)
Rry discussion as to the conduct of either of the
tl:Panies concerned. Ile therefore called upon the
to postpone the consideration of the question
the, extensions till another year. He called upon th.
meeting, as friends to their country, to the poor, and to
them ide,elves, to consent to the postponement of the con-
4, ,ration of the proposed extensions till another yeas
would move that the meeting should petition Par-
liament to postpone the consideration of the scheme;
Trie the Committees till another year.
The CHAIRMAN said that the Hon. Gentleman had
tntle
the IPated the resolutions which he purposed to read to
Meeting.
the
EDE then read a series of resolutions regretting
the contest which was now being carried on betwees
ad rival companies, and recommending that measures be
ePted calculated at once to put a stop to the western
expenditure which must result from that contest, and
4 e()inelending the meeting to adopt a petition to l.'arlia
tse
:it: praying the House to postpone the consideration
e various lines proposed by either company.
Thej CHAIRMAN then said that a petition to the House
for Commons had been prepared, which would be ready
4Slgnature at the close of the meeting.
1/0 SHAREHOLDER said that the Committees of the
ilse of Commons invariably refused to receive the
Petitions of the shareholders, on the ground that the)
4-ere represented by the directors, who were supposed to
ah posseision of information which the body of the
~reholdera did not possess.
co he CHAIRMAN said that the petition prepared by the
e oltnittee did not cast the slightest reflection upon the
unbiassed
of the company. The committee were perfectly
:biassed in their opinion towards either company; the)
to of opinion that it would be absurd and ridiculoio
,waate the money of the shareholders in a contest be-
tween the two companies.
Sir.h WHALLEY then moved "That it is the opinion of
's meeting that the time will undoubtedly arrive when
"the Brighton and South-Eastern Company would be-
come consolidated," and for this reason he thought it ad
visable that no further expenditure of the capital o
either company should be expended in opposing each
other.
Mr. WILLTAMS seconded the resolution.
, Mr. SAvaciE suggested that instead of the expression
will arrive" the resolution should be altered to " has
arrived."—(Cries of " No, no.")
Mr. LEVY said that he was one of the persons who
Coalesced with Mr. Cash, and he believed that if
the resolutions were put to the meeting they
would, meet the sanction of all present. But ont
thing he must add, the committee had expended about
2001., and he hoped that, as Englishmen and gentlemen,
they would not allow the burden to fall upon a few indi-
viduals.—(Laughter and cheers.)
Mr. P. A. TAYLOR said that he had anticipated that
the question they had met to discuss was one of some
fair and equitable arrangement between the companies,
and looking to the resolutions placed by Mr. Cash in the
hands of the directors at the meetings of either company
nom„ time before, he conceived that the time had already
come for the union between the two lines. lie trusted
that the object before them would be limited, therefore,
to the
one important inquiry of amalgamation. He did
not see that it was necessary to stop the whole of the
proceedingse in Parliament, further than to check any
'SS ex enditure. arising from a contest in which
one
the Les would suffer, and in which they (the
Ah
CarOlolders) would suffer also. The speaker concluded
moving an amendment, that the word " has" be sub-
stituted for " will," in the first resolution.
Sir GOLDSMID addressed the meeting sginst the
amendment.
Mr. WisnAw was in favour of the original resolution.
The amendment and original resolution having been
lit from the chair, the latter was declared carried by a
large majority.
The second resolution, expressive of the regret of the
meeting; that terms of arrangement had not been agreed
Ibll'°n by the directors of the two companies, was moved
Y Mr. THOMPSON, seconded, and carried.
Mr•WtsuAw proposed the third resolution " That mea-
,,,res be adopted to stay the contest between the com-
r ,-"ani, 6.,5
Mr. EAST seconded it.
Mr. JENNINGS thought this resolution expressed an
undue interference with the proceedings of the directors,
'sPeeially as the shareholders had not had sufficient data
Ott Which to ground an opinion.
„ Mr. P. A. TAYLOR objc•ett-d to the resolution, because
the shareholders had not been apprised that this course
,
"qiid be proceeded with, and he moved an amendment.
ei
That at this titre' it is not expedient to stop the pro-
dtngs of the companies before Parliament."
Mr. CoLvitAN seconded the amendment.
In answer to certain questions,
The cokritatax said, that the preponderance in favour
of the amalgamation of the companies seemed to him to
emanate from the Brighton shareholders;_ he (the
chairman) had a greater interest in the Brighton than
in the South-Eastern Railway.
Ur. Wisulw said that the present expenses, in con-
aNeuir.
cof Parliamentary
liatnentary altercation, was 5001. per day
to
Mr. JONAS LEVY, among other remarks, said that a
Celebrated counsel c ,uld not find time to reply until
he received 2,0001. with his brief.
Mr. WISHAW, having given way to gentlemen whs
had before spoken, was anxious to say one word upon
the amendment which he had seconded. He was morally
e:rtain that not one influential shareholder in the South.
Eastern Company was in favour of the asnalgamatioi
With the Brighton Company. lie particularly referrer
to Manchester, Liverpool, and places further north.
Mr. LEVY created considerable amusement by forcing
tPon the attention of the last speaker letters from large
Shareholders in the places mentioned, all in favour of a
union of interests.
The amendment was then put to the meeting and lost,
aria the original resolution was carried.
The fourth resolution, " That the present committee
should have power to add to their number
.fr.lna the
shareholders of either company," wasalso cv,arsritehden
read,
The petition founded on the resolutions
and it receive I a considerable number of the signatures
of al a •eho'deg; present.
T. anks ham., been voted to the Chairman, the mee
: e.)arated.

THE LOYAL
SOCIETY.-011 aaturtlay night tht
President of the ItJyal Society had his third conversazione.
at his Lordship's residence in Piccadilly. As at the other
reunions which have preceded it, the attendance of fellow,
and members of the different literary and scientific bodie,
Vas exceedingly numerous, for on this occasion not less than
600 individuals honoured the Noble Marquis with their corn-
1/4"Y• Among the general visitors we observed his Excel-
encY Count Schemmelpennick, his Excellency Mr. Ban-
croft, the Duke of St. Alban's, the Earl De Grey, the Earl of
Itanfurley, the Earl of Devon, the Earl of Sheffield, the Earl
Grey, the Earl of Roseberry, the Earl Somers,
1, Viscount
"lahon, Viscount Courtenay, the Earl of Morley, Lord Dud-
ley Stuart, Lord Campbell,- Lord BeaumoVi ce-Chancellor nt, Lord Wrottes
of
ley, Lord Byron, the Lord Mayor, the
'.ngland, Count Valerian Krasinski, Chevalier Ribeiro, Che-
valier de Berardi, Lord John Manners, the Bishop of Nor-
N,lleh, the Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel, Bart., M.P., the Hon.
George Rose, the Right lion. Sir Frankland Lewis, the
"ean of Hereford, the Dean of Nestminater, the Right lion.
Sir John Beckett, &c.
POISONING AT BEDFORD.—BEDFORD, MARCH. 13.
An inquest was concluded last night, at the General In
-cause of her death. It appeared she had been in the service
14 George Sharp, Esq., of St. Peter's, but, being taken
alarmingly ill, was removed to the institution above stated,
when it was discovered that she was labouring under the
erects of an irritant poison. The poor girl died on Thursday
morning. On the inquest it was shown that the deceased was
";'e months gone in the family way, and that she had pre-
v'ously borne a child, a young man named Howard, an iron-
founder of Bedford, being the father; and that the deceased
had applied to one Newman, who had caused her to take in
gin a large dose of cantharides, and that blr. Howard had
requested Newman to set the girl to rights, and he would bc.
a friend to him. The jury returned a verdict of Wilful blur-
der against Charles Newman, and he was fully sitecomd
only
for
• Me deceased was a fine handsome woman, ;
• ' Years of age.
A VETERAN MINISTER._ The Carlsruhe
of the
the Gth inst. announces the death of the Nestor of the
"q.c- Baden statesmen, Baron Sigismond Von Reizenstein, Minister
since the year 1809. The Baron was in his 82. d year.
1,,c9.11 the 4th instant the funeral of the unfortunate
f.iims of the destruction of the Grand Ducal Theatre was
,40_niminized at Carlsrhue. An immense crowd of the inhabi-
tants
the victims
a double line to the cemetery gates. The ashes
.victims were enclosed in eight coffins, which were laid
in tiTO tomb..