The Sun.
London, England, 1847-08-27 00:00:00

(Cheers.) Ile thought all differences were settled;
but if necessary he was quite ready to go into all the
grievances of which they had complained.
After some further conversation, Mr. WiLKiNsoN,
as one of the committee, said he would agree to a full
explanation being made, but he thought it unneces-
sary. With regard to the new directors proposed to
be appointed, he begged vto remind gentlemen that
there were 400 shareholders in the county of Middle-
sex, 500 in Yorkshire, 300 in Lancashire, while in
the county of Nottin#ana there were but 150.
(Cheers.) And it was not so unreasonable that gen-
tlemen at a distance should have a voice in the
management, when they were the parties who found
the money, and particularly when they remembered
what had been the state of the money-market for the
last twelve months. _ _

After long delay, and the expression of some diffe-
rence of opinion, the Secretary read a number of mi-
nutes of interviews that had taken place between the
committees of shareholders and the directors, from
which it appeared, that, at the suggestion of the
former, the latter had agreed. to increase the number
of directors from thirteen to sixteen, seven to be
elected by the shareholders, four to retire at the pre-
sent meeting, and the other three to be elected at the
special meeting.
Messrs. Benjamin Badger (London), William
Durham (Manchester), Herbert Ingram (London),
and Richard Septimus Wilkinson (London), were
elected directors.
Mr. Francis Simes Alliott was re-elected auditor to
the company.

STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH
AUSTRALIA.
Among the projects of the day which relate to the
extension of our power and commerce, the establish-
ment of steam communication with Australia is one
of the most prominent. To accomplish this object
a company has been formed under a royal charter,
dated the 20th of May last, and the route adopted
from England to Sydney, together with the time it
will occupy (and which has been sanctioned by the
Admiralty), is as follows, viz.:—
England to Singapore, via Egypt, overland, 8,390
miles, 42 days.
Singapore to Port Essington (Torres Straits),
via Batavia, 2,060 miles, 10 days.
Port Essington to Sydney, via Wednesday Island,
2,340 miles, 12 days.
Thus giving 12,790 miles to be completed in 64
days, or at the rate of 199 miles a day, and bringing
Australia and New Zealand in point of time within
little more than half the present distance. Hitherto
the Government, although expressing the strongest
desire to witness the accomplishment of this route,
have declined making any direct grant, but from the
recent report of a Committee of the House of Lords
on the Mail Contract Service in general, there can be
little doubt that the entire profits of the postal com-
munication throughout the line from Singapore to
Sydney would willingly be conceded. Coupled with
this the company seem disposed to place great reliance
on the rapid growth of an extensive passenger traffic
between India and Australia (the distance being less
than 30 days), and also that a considerable business
would arise from the conveyance of horses from the
colony for the use of the Indian army—a description
of export which has already been profitably estab-
lished. Looking at the facilities for obtaining coal at
the several points of the route, the varied commerce
which promises to spring up throughout the Indian
Archipelago, and the strong interest in the matter
evinced by all parties in Australia, there appear
reasonable grounds for an early anticipation of a
profitable result for the undertaking, more especially
as two-thirds of the route—that is to say, from Eng•
land to Singapore—is already an established line,
yielding large and increasing returns to the Peninsu-
lar and Oriental Company, whose steamers at present
enjoy exclusively its advantages.
It will be remembered that various plans have from
time to time been put forward for connecting Aus-
tralia with the mother country by steam. One was
via Panama, but this is understood to have been en-
tirely given up. Another, which we believe is still
maintained in some quarters, is for a route by steam
via the Cape of Good Hope, with a branch line to
the Mauritius. The objections urged against this,
however, are the want of facilities for coaling (a diffi-
culty which appears insurmountable), and the little
community of intercourse between the Cape and Aus-
tralia, and also between that country and the Mau-
ritius. The use of the screw propellers has been
suggested to obviate the difficulty of carrying a suffi-
cient supply of coals, but the results of that method
of propulsion (even supposing the scantiness of popu-
lation on the line were not fatal to the scheme) have
hardly been such as to warrant an expectation that it
would realise anything like the rapid communication
which it is now the object to attain. In Australia
the respective plans seem to have attracted even more
attention than in this country, and there, as here, the
preference has been stated in favour of the India line,
a select committee of the Legislative Council of New
South Wales having in October last strongly re-
ported to that effect.

OCCUPATION OF FERRARA.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—I have the honour of writing to you to ex
press my thanks for your article on the occupation of
Ferrara by the Austrians, in this day's paper. That
article is the only one worthy of the occasion in the
public prints of this great metropolis. I concur with
you, Sir, in almost all your sentiments and your
prognostications ; only in this, I go further than you.
This proceeding is a tacit hint to our Government of
the contempt Austria has for our naval power in the
Mediterranean, and it is a prelude to a mighty blow
against the security of our colonial possessions in
that sea, and of our communications with India.
There can, I think, be no doubt that France aims at
the possession of the Peninsula, and Italy is to be the
reward to Austria for acquiescing in that plan of ag-
grandisement. The basis of our operations, therefore,
to defeat this policy must be laid in Spain and Por-
tugal. A British force should be sent to the coasts of
Portugal and Spain to support the national party in
both those countries, and England, then, as the pro-
tector of the Portuguese, the Spanish, and the Italian
people, may blow to the winds the plot that has been
laid against their liberties, and against her own in-
terests and honour. If we take this energetic and in-
dependent course, the Government of France will not
venture to oppose us, and we shall rally round us the
affections and good wishes of the nations of Europe.
The Austrian Government must then succumb. I
believe this is a policy that will prevent bloodshed. I
believe with you, any other policy will lead to con-
fusion, anarchy, and bloodshed in the southern states
of Europe, and probably our discomfiture in the Me-
diterranean.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your
obedient humble servant, J. P.
Campden Cottage, Kensington, Aug. 25, 1847.
P.S. Is this not an occasion for the friends of
liberty and free institutions to assemble in London and
throughout the country to give nerve and courage to
our Government ?