The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-17 00:00:00

Miles.

From Antwerp to Ghent, conceded to De Ridder
and Co
Entre Sambre and Meuse, conceded to Parry,
Richards, and Co 57 2-3
Louvain and Geraappe, conceded to Sherman
and Co
.. 34 1-3
Namur and Liege, conceded to Spittiswood and
Co 43 2.3
Mons and Manage, conceded to ditto
Dendre Valley, conceded to Sir Richard Jen-
kins, Sir John M'Taggart and Co 371.
'West Flanders, conceded to Parry, Richards,
and Co
Tournay and Jurbise, conceded to Mackenzie,
Barry, and Co 3O
Landen and Hassent, conceded to ditto
Charleroy to Erquelines, conceded to Neville

and C 0... ................................. ...... .. .. ... : 17
Manage to Erquelines, conceded to Oppenheim
and Co ................................................ 14i
There are 118 new demands for concessions, upon none
of which the Belgian Chambers have yet decided.
-TARIFF OF TOLLS FIXED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
PASSENGERS.

er
First Class—On the State railways, Pence
1.2 p 2
mile.
Conceded lines 1429
The Entre Sambre and
Meuse alone, on account
of the small passenger
•
train
SecondClass—On the State 1ine5........, 0'933
Conceded lines
The Entre Sambre and
Meuse line
Third Class—On the
linesheState....
lines 0:548
Conceded 4
The Entre Sambre and
Meuse 0.805
LUGGAGE.

On the State lines 0.483 per cwt.
Concededlines
The proportion of receipts in 1844 has been— "
For passengers and luggage ...... ...... 58 5 per cent.
For light and heavy goods 37 66 per cent. }
Carriages, horses, cattle ... 3'84 4P5

100
-__

The mileage has been in 1844
Passengers trains
Goods trains
The receipts have been-
-1843.
1844.
From passengers Ist class 24 p'cent...lst class 26 p'cent.
2(1 class 37
...2d class 36
91 3d class 39 " ...3d class 38 "
The increase noticeable on the proportion of receipts
for Ist class in 1844 is due to the mean distance travelled
over having increased.
The passengers' fares have not varied in 1844 from
what they were in 1813; they have been :

d.
First class... 39 centimes per 5 kilog 1.3 per mile.
Second class 29 "
Third class 19 " •R "

The goods fares have not varied materially in 1843
and 1844.

In 1844 the nett revenue from the Belgian State rail-
ways has been 3*89, or nearly 4 par cent. on the capital
expended, besides giving to the public gratuitous accom-
modation,Nalueil at about 10,0001. per annum, for the
gratuitous carriage of the mails, and the conveyance of
materials required for several lines of railway free of
chargp._

The State lines have further saved the Treasury con-
siderable sums in the conveyance of troops and prisoners
carried at lower rates than other passengers.
If the: e several items be taken into consideration, it
will be found that the nett annual profits on the State
railways in 1844 exceeded four per cent. per annum
on the capital.
In addition to the services above enumerated, the
State railway carries, free of charge, the goods of all
emigrants prtmeeding to embark a Belgian port, to
encourage the emigrants to use the Belgian ports.
And to encourage the export of native produce, a
drawback of 50 per cent. on the carrying charge fixed
by the tariff is remitted on the carriage of all Belgian
produce on its way to a Belgian port, and consigned to a
Belgian colony.
And when the number of emigrants amounts to 30
per train, 30 per cent. is deducted from the usual third-
class fares.

The goods traffic, which was scarcely thought of a
few years since, has increased more rapidly in compari
son than that of passengers ; it is principally to the
carriage of heavy goods that the increase in the revenue
is die.

The revenue has exceeded the estimates in the bud-
get by 25,2001.
The object to be attained in fixing the Belgio-Rhenish
tariff, is to attract to Belgium. and especially to Antwerp,
the transit of German produce, which can only happen
when the charges by railway from Antwerp to Cologne
shall have been reduced to a level with or even below the
charges on water carriage by the Rhine from Cologne
to Rotterdam. But to accomplish this it is also essential
that no Custom House regulations intervene, to prevent
this development of this trade by railway.
The railway charges are now in most cases below, or at
most, «pal to the char4es for water carriage.
It is to the extension, says the Ministry, of the goods
traffic, that the State must look for any new increase in
the nett profits of the railway system.
It having been found impossible to reduce considerably
the charges on goods unless the waggons were fully
loaded, it was necessary to subdivide the trade into that
of heavy and light goods. The heavy goods to be car-
ried in full loads by trains specially suited to the purpose;
the light goods (or parcels) to be carried in waggons
forming part of the usual passengers trains.
The Return of Numbers of l'itsseugers, kapeuditure, and

265,883 17,132
The actual has exceeded the estimated cost by 128 per
cent. The land required (estimated to cost 17,000,0_001.)
cost actually 54,000,000 millions. The buildings, esti-
'mated at 3,000,000, cost 9,000,000. The earthwork cost
also three times its estimated cost. The permanent way,
estimated with 351bs. rails to cost 24,000,000, cost actu-
ally 34,000,000, with rails of 501bs. per yard.
The above lines have all been constructed by the Go-
vernment, and are worked entirely by the State. They
constitute the only lines in operation in Belgium, with
the exception cf short irregular lines in the coal districts
of Mons and Charleroi for conveying coals from the pits
to the canals, and a short single line of railway for local
traffic from St. Nicholas to Antwerp.
Eleven lines of railway have been conceded to private
companies, none of which are yet opened to traffic.
The concessions are for terms of years, and, with
slight modifications, embrace conditions very much re-
sembling those adopted by the French Government.
On the, expiring of the term of the grant, the Govern-
ment shall immediately become possessed of all the rights
of the grantees.
The shares shall not be quoted, either on the exchange
of Antwerp or that of Brussels, until after the entire
completion of the railway.
The following is a list of eleven lines of railway which
have been conceded to private companies. The term of
the grant is ninety years from the date of the entire
opening. The Tournay and Gurbise, and Landen and
Hasselt lines only, are to be constructed by the company,
but the Government will work them, paying to the com-
pany 50 per cent. of the gross annual receipts for ninety
years.