The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-20 00:00:00

MOUSE OF LORDS

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.—STANDING ORDERS.
The following five Bills have been adjourned to a future
day, in consequence of some slight inaccuracies. They may,
however, be considered virtually to have passed,—
I. Irish Great Western.
2. Belfast and County Down.
3. Newry, Warrenpoint, and Rostrevor.
4. Dublin and Enniskillen.
3. Londonderry and Enniskillen.

SHROPSHIRE MINERAL COM-

PANY7(THIS DAY).

A general meeting of the shareholders of this Ccmpany was
held to-dav, at one o'clock, at the George end V dture Tavern,
Cornhill, Mr. Sergeant Adams in the chair. As some startling
eiscoveries were expected to be made respeeting thh manage-
ment of the Company, there were a very full attendance.
The Chairman, as there was no report submitted
this the mee,iiig, made a long speech in reference to the
history of the Company. In doing so, he said, he would have
many painful matters to bring under their consideration, still,
es in do' v bound, he would keep nothing back. When he
joined tt 'Company lie did so under the impression that it was
a bona fidc undertaking, and one that would be of service to
all parties concerned. lie had held no shares in any previous
railway company, and vas only induced to join this
from its great respectability and the great respectability
of the solicitor who had the conducting of its affairs.
The first meeting of the Directors that he attended
was in the middle of October last, when he was asked to take
the chair, in the absence of Major Nowcomhe, and at a suc-
ceeding meeting, on the 17th of October, he was elected the '
chairman of the company. He again attended meetings on the
24th and 31st, in the capacity of chairman, and afterwards the
managing committee changed its sittings into Shropshire, on
the grounds that it would be necessary to attend to the getting
torseard of the surveys, and to the preparation of the plaxs and
sections against November 30. Sittings of the Board where there
held day by day, but he was not able to be present at any of
them. All the meetings that lie had attended were four,
previous to the painful circumstance to which he would here-
after have to allude. He had told them of the vaule of the
line. On that subject they had the evidence of the engineers,
saotlticetiors, and traffic-takers, to the effet that it would, if oon-
oted, yield from fifteen to twenty per cent. on the capital.
He could not, therefore, advise them hastily to dissolve the
Cee3tnl'ae '7! nn!e to pass a censure on the Directors, but
Los advise was
examination iinitcothal,point a committee to make a full and fair
its whole affairs from its first commencement
until now.
examine and sift into'edtha committee of three or five persons to
filling to submit his conductwhole matter, as he, for one, was
to the closest scrutiny. He would
now proceed to the tinanc affairs of the company, on which
he was sorry he could not enai
He would give the amouturt into detail so much as he desired.
paidt at had been received and
the itema that had been paid
not
havi
but he could not admit their
accuracy, on account o
proportion to the disbursements. At the
twen a party to a great
in time that he joined
the Company he found the accountssat very unsatisfactory
of affairs till the
state, qut ho was not awere of the actual
attended the
12th of December. He had sta.' ed that helaned
Shropshire meeting!, end the 12th of DetierntA:t;tlas the first
meeting after those that he was able to attend.
lie asked to sea the tanker's books, from which he learnedat meeting
there wis only 6,0 01. in hand. " Good God?" he exclaimed
thating
what has come cf all the deposits? There should be at least
It was then stated that 21,321/. 15s. had
20,000/. in hand."
been drawn out to purchase shares on the pirt rtf the finance
committee.
An adjournment then toeok place for a fort-
night, in order tomake inquay into this. At this
adjourned meeting
lie wished to see the cheques, in or.
dcr to have an explarrition of this proceeding to which he hid
not been a party. The cheques sere produced in the room,
but being laid down for a short time. w e
en they were
new again
ask d for they had gone.— ( Shame, sham. ) He k the
party who took the cheques at the time, and whether he had
destroyed them or not, he (the Chairman) could rot say; but
if that gentleman wou'd give up the cheques, then he (the
Chair m in) would not mention his name.
Mr. G IFFIVIS—I am the person, and I will explain after-
wai ds how it was.
The CIIA IR3iA N said that relieved him of the difficulty. Mr.
Griffiths was the !arty.
LSorne uproar then took pace, and manifestations against
Mr. Griffiths, at she close of which]
The CHAIRMAN proceeded—The cheques to which lie re-
ferred were signed by three directors out of the f.air who were
empowered to sign cheques. He for one had not signed any of
these cheques. The only sum that he was a party to was
12,080/. These matters had been brought under the consi-
deration of the gentlemen who had signed the cheques and
several of them, as well as others with whom they acted, ex-
pressed themselves sorry for what they had done, but intimated
they had done so under the impression that by buy-
ing the shares at
the a great probability of time,t they did, as there was
shares rising in price,
be a
the Company would likely great gainer. They
further expressed themselves willing, that it had
turned out as they expected, to pay back the sum
effected
after this there was expectation of an amalgaiion being
with another Company in the Midland Counties, n which
events there would have !wen, he believed, no diffieulty in
getting the Fatties to pay up this money ; in tb,at case, there,