The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-27 00:00:00

Vtirti 92Vition
SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

DBATH OF SIB WILLIAM GOSSETT, THB SERGEANT^
AT-AJIMS.—(THIs DAT.)—We regret to announce
that Sir Wm. Gosset, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the
House of Commons, died at eleven o'clock this
mornisig, at his country residence, near Woolwich.
The deceased gentleman has been indisposed some
time, and his illness was much aggravated by an
accident which happened to him some short time
sine*. While returning home from his official duties
he was knocked down and run over by a cab, which
broke his leg, and since then the deceased has not
been in attendance at the House of Commons more
than once or twice.

TATTERSALL'S-THIS EVENING.

Six O'CLOCK.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STAKES.
6 to 1 agst Ballinafad
6 to 1 agst Walmgate Bar Without
6 to 1 aget Enchanter
8 to 1 agst Joe Lovell
10 to 1 agst Lady Wildair
10 to 1 agst Thistledown
METROPOLITAN HANDICAP.
7 to 1 agst Jericho
8 to 1 aget Rat-trap
10 to 1 agst Marquis of Conyngham
12 to 1 agst Glen Saddel
20 to 1 agst Cracow
CHESTER CUP.
33 to 1 agst Patriot—taken
35 to 1 agst Enchanter
50 to 15 agst Rufus
66 to 1 agst The Tartar
DERBY.
10 to 1 agst Surplice—taken
10 to 1 apt Springy Jack—taken
19 to 1 sgst Glendower
50 to 1 aggt Whitstotio
50 to 1 agst The Sheriff
66 to 1 agst Deerstalker

NEWMARKET RAILWAY.
• (THIS DAY.)
An extraordinary general meeting of the sharehol-
ders of this company was this day hold at the London
Tavern, for the purpose of submitting to them
an agreement conditionally entered into by the
directors of this company with the Norfolk Railway
Company, and an offer of amalgamation with the New-
market Company which had recently been made by the
Eastern Counties Railway Company.
The chair was taken at half-past one o'clock by Lord
G. Manners, chairman of the company.
The notice convening the meeting having been read,
The SECRETARY proceeded to read the report, from
which it appeared that immediately after the halt-yearly
meeting, the directors had instructed their secretary to
write to the secretary of the Eastern Counties Railway,
requesting, with; reference to what had
.been stated at
that meeting, to be informed of the particulars of the
offer which the Eastern Counties were disposed to make..
Several interviews had taken place between the parties
ipon the subject, which ended in a proposition, on the
part of the Eastern Counties Company, that they would
take the plant at cost price, but not to be paid for in cash
or bonds of the Eastern Counties' Company. The whole
plant and al-se the works of the Newmarket and Chester-
ford Railway, and Cambridge branch, would have to be
paid for by the Newmarket and Chesterford Company,
to the extent of their share capital, to be called up, and
the monies already borrowed. If further monies were
required to pay for works or plant, after exhaustion of
that share capital, and monies borrowed, the Eastern
Counties Company would find the funds. That 201.
of the Newmarket and Chesterford stock must be
paid up in full, in order to rank with the 201.
shares of the consolidated stock of Eastern Counties
Company. If the Act of Parliament for sanctioning the
amalgamation were obtains d the Eastern Counties' Com-
pany would pay the expenses, but if the Bill were lost,
the expenses to be borne equally by the two companies.
If the Eastern Counties Company should have to return
the plant to the Newmarket and Chesterford Company,
they would pay to the latter Company such sum for de-
preciation as might be fixed by arbitration. The
Eastern Counties Company would require the Extension
Acts handed over to them clear of any liabilities beyond
the 35,500 L so that the Eastern Counties Company might
be quite free to construct the:extensions or either of them,
or not, as they think fit. If Parliament should refuse
to sanction the amalgamation, the net profit, if arty,
which the Eastern Counties Company shall have received
from the Newmarket and Chesterford Railway, beyond
the dividends paid over to the Newmarket and
Chesterford shareholders could be paid over to the
Newmarket and Chesterford Company. The share-
holders had now to consider and determine
whether the agreement with the Norfolk Company
should be adopted and confirmed; whether the terms
suggested by the Eastern Counties directors should be
accepted ; and finally, whether the advantages to be
derived from the proposed arrangements with either of
the above companies were such as to render it expedient
for the present to egree to any amalgamation. Before
doing so, the directors would remind the proprietors of
the peculiar and relative position of the Newmarket
Company to other companies with whom, in the event
of the proprietors ultimately consenting to the construc-
tion of the extensions authorised by Parliament, they
are, or may be, conneeted—with the Eastern Counties
Railway Company, at Cambridge, Chesterferd, and Ely
—with the Norfolk Railway Company, at Thetford—
with the Eastern Union Railway Company, at Bury
Saint Edmund's ; and with the Great Northern
Railway, at Cambridge, by means of their ex•
tension from Royston to that town, for which
a Bill is now before Parliament. It is seen, therefore,
that the lines of the Newmarket Company were or might
become of more or less importance to four established
companies, aid more especially to the Norfolk and
Great Northern, as affording to them the only short and
convenient route from London to Norwich and Yar-
mouth. The points for discussion, which the proposi-
tions, to be submitted to the proprietors, involved, were
the great advantage offered by the Norfolk agreement,
and which induced the directors of this company condi-
tionally to sign it, waft, at shown by their half-yearly
report, the ample returi which its traffic accounts
guarantee upon the 375,0001. required for completing the
trunk line to Thetford, as well as upon the outlay of the
original proprietors of t-he Newmarket company, and the
agreement was so "eminently advantageous" to the
Norfolk company that your directors, are of opinion,
motives of self-interest afford every security for its ful-
filment. The terms suggested by the Eastern Counties
Railway Company amount to thi-t, viz , the payment of
a like interest upon 201., paid up in cash by the Newman.
ket proprietors, as is paid upon 20/. of Eastern Counties
consolidated stock, upon which the sum of IGL only has
been actually paid; and this depreciation extending not
only over the capital already paid by the shareholders
of the Newmarket company, for the construction of the
line, but on 72,000/, the cost of the plant, which the
Eastern Counties thus obtain at a discount of 20 per
cent., and involving the like depreciation upon the pay-
ment of further calls, amounting to 61. 10s. per share."
The report then entered, at considerable length, upon
the respective merits of the offer made by the two com-
panies, and concluded by the directors expressing them-
selves as follows :

"In conclusion, your are decidedly of opinion, and
impressed upon the proprietors that, unless the think
to confirm the agreement with the Norfolk Railway
Company, which would in nowise interfere with the
devolopment of the resources of the present line, it
would be more to to the interest of this company to re-
main fur the present independent, than to accept such
terms of amalgamtion as those proposed by the directors
of the Eastern Counties Railway."
The CIAIRMAN said that since the advertisements
calling the meeting had been issued, he had been in-
formed that negotiations wf.re pending for an amalga-
mation upon equal terms with the Norfolk Railway and
the Eastern Counties Railway. This circumstance
would, therefore, most materially alter the position of
the company, as there would be an end to the condi-
tional agreement entered into by the company with the
Norfolk Railway Company.
A resolution was then passed for the purpose of
leaving the agreement previously made with the Norfolk
Railway in abeyance, and for making the terms of it
null and void.

The CHAIRMAN then proposed a resolution to the
effect that the proposition of the Eastern Counties Rail-
way should be acceded to, and that three of the share-
holders should be appointed to act with the directors in
carrying out the agreement.
Me. AlowrixEit said that he had no great confidence
in the direction, he thought that Borns of the share.
holders ought to be allowed to have seats at the board.
Mr. FANE said that he could not see what object
would be gained by adding to the direction a number of
the shareholders. If the committee were appointed in
the terms of the resolution, they would be equally as
effectual in carrying out the interests of these share-
holders.
A SHARNHOLDNIt said that he did not think that a
committoo of shareholders would have any weight, inas-
much they would not have any vote among tho directors.
Mr. FAME said that as negotiators, which was the only
powers proposed to bo conferred upon them, the Com-
mittee would have equal power with the directors.
None of the parties would have any power to make
terms without the consent of the shareholders.

A discussion of considerable warmth and length took
place upon the motion, which was finally agreed to, and
the meeting broke up.

ELECTION COMMITTEES.
(THIS DAY.)
SLIGO.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edit9n,),,
At the close of Mr. Calvert:a address, the room was
cleared, and the Committee having consulted fur a short
while, strangers were re-admitted, when
The Citeltimex said he had to inform the parties that
the Committee had come to the following resolution:—
That the sitting member is not at liberty to pray in
aid of his qualification anything not included in his de-
claration mode on the 18th of September, 1847, in ac-
cordance with the request of three of the electors of the
borough of Sligo.
Mr. CAL-711T then contended that the incumbrances
having been proved to exist in the rent charge which
the Honourable Gentleman had specified in that decla-
ration, it must be taken that the annual receipts of the
Honourable Gentleman from that source were below
3001., the necessary qualification required by the statute
a that case made and provided.
_
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Mr, Sergeant WAAN4 HAM briefly replied on behalf of