The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-06 00:00:00

TURNPIKE ACTS CONTINUANCE BILL.

• This Bill went through Committee, and the report was
ordered to be received to-morrow.

The Stock Exchange Bill, the Highway Rates Bill, and
the Loan Societies Bill, went severally through Committee,
and were ordered to be reported to-morrow.
SUGAR DUTIES (No. 3) BILL.

Sir GEORGE GREY moved the second reading of this
Bill.

Mr. P. M. STEWART expressed a hope that the measures
for compensation, which were intended to be a complement
to this Bill, which could only be considered as part of the
great measure respecting sugar, and which effected property
in the colonies to a great extent, would be brought forward
as soon as possible next session.
Mr. lIUME wished to know if there would be any objec-
Von to the production of the Orders in Council regulating
the supply of labour for the West Indies?
Sir G. GREY said there would not.

The Bill was then read a second time.
DWELLINGS FOR THE POOR.
Viscount MORPETH moved for leave to bring in a Bill
to empower the Commissioners of her Majesty's Woods, &c.,
to sell, on certain conditions, sites for dwellings for the Poor
out of the hereditary estates of the Crown.
The Earl of LINCOLN said he would not offer any
opinion on the merits of the Bill till it was regularly before
the House, only he hoped full opportunity would be given
him for an examination of their details prior to being
Called on for an opinion. He would not yield
to the Noble Lord, in any degree, who sought
leave to introduce the Bills in a sincere desire to improve
the condition of the working classes, but he did not think the
course proposed would realise the end sought. The Noble
Lord (Lord Morpeth) was placed in his position
as a trustee on behalf of the Crown, and if
the Commissioners applied the property of the Woods
and Forests in that way, it would not end there, but there
would be numerous applications from other quarters for
similar applications of the property in question. He
thought they ought to adhere rigidly to the provi-
sions of 10 George IV., as to the use of the property
placed in the hands of the Commissioners of Woods and
Forests. With these observations he would reserve himself
till the time when the Bill was regularly before the House.
Mr. HUME briefly supported the objects of the Bill.
Sir ROBERT H. INGLIS was disposed to take
a similar view of the Bill to that expressed by the Noble
Lord the late Secretary for Ireland. He thought it might
lead to considerable abuse.

After a few words from Mr. HENLEY to the same effect,
leave was given to bring in the Bill.
Lord MORPETH obtained leave to introduce the following
Bills :—A Bill to empower the Commissioners of her Majes-
ty's Woods, &c., to sell, on certain conditions, sites for dwel-
lings of the poor out of lands vested in them under Acta for
the improvement of the metropolis; and a Bill to enable the
Privy Council to make regulations for the prevention of con-
tagious disorders, and for the more speedy removal of
nuisances.

Mr. LABOUCHERE obtained leave to introduce the
following Bills :—A Bill to continue an Act of the sixth and
seventh years of her present Majesty, intituled, "An
Act to amend and continue for two years, and to the
end of the then next session of Parliament, the laws:in
Ireland relating to the registering of arms, and
the importation, manufacture, and sale of arms,
gunpowder and ammunition ;" a Bill to continue certain
Acts for regulating turnpike roads in Ireland; a Bill to
continue an Act of the fifth and sixth years of her present
Majesty, for amending the Law relating to private lunatic
asylums in Ireland.
The above Bills were brought in, severally read a first
time, and ordered to be printed.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
Housh adjourned at Six o'clock.
_

RAILWAY COMMITTEES

(YESTERDAY)

HOUSE 01? LORDS.
Room A.

immTroraD AND HATFIELD stAILWAY,
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.).

Mr. dsbaldiston (Coroner for Hertfordshire) deposed as to the im-
portance of the town of Hertford, and the advantages that would re-
sult to the town and county of Hertford from the establishment of
the line before the Committee.
Mr. Finnan, traffic-taker—The traffic calculation with respect to
foot passengers and cattle was derived from observation on the road.
The traffic would give 44 per cent. on the 130,000/.
This witness was cross-examined by Mr. HILDTARD, with the
view of impugning the accuracy of his calculations.
After hearing some further evidence, the Committee decided, with-
out hearing counsel for the opposition, that the preamble of the Bill
was not proved.
The room was then ordered to be cleared. Upon our being re-ad-
mitted.

The CnAntmex declared the preamble of the West Riding Union
Railway 1141 to be proved.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAIL-

WAY COMPANY. ----
The half-yearly meeting of this Company was held at the
Company's offices, No. 61, Moorgate-street, yesterday, at one
o'clock. W. R. Collet, Esq., M.P., took the chair.
The SECRETARY read the advertisement convening the
meting, and afterwards the minutes of the last half-yearly
meaing, and two other special meetings of the shareholders,
which were ordered to be confirmed by the votes of those
present.
The CHAIRMAN then said, before calling on the secretary
to read the report, which detailed most fully and particu-
larly everything connected with the affairs of the Company,
whether past, present, or future, he would claim the indul-
gence of the meeting for a very short time indeed. He
said he never appeared before the shareholders with such
satisfaction as he did on that occasion. The directors,
indeed, had always expressed great confidence as to the
prospects, and ultimate success of the Company; still there
remain sd doubts on the minds of the public relative to their
experiment, and more particularly in reference to the Menai-
bridge. It •gratified him now, however, to state that, during
the past six months, they had overcome every one of those
difficulties which seemed to be great obstacles in their way, as
would appear by the directors' report and the report drawn up by
Mr. Robert Stephenson. The directors had entered into
engagements for the construction of the Menai and Conway-
bridge, which would very soon be in the course of com-
pletion, and when he told the meeting that three-fifths of the
entire line had been executed ; that of 4,421,876 yards of
earthwork, 2,627,188 yards had been done already,
Ise thought he proved to the shareholders that they had not
been idle during the six months past. At present there were
3.2,5.38 men and 861 horses employed on the line, and they
were proceeding with the works with more speed, perhaps,
than was displayed on any other line. The two miles of
the line out of Chester, forming a connecting link
between the existing Chester lines and the North Wales
mineralßailway to Wrexham and Ruabon, would be completed
and opened in October next, simultaneously with the latter
line. He said the directors had entered into arrangements
with the North Wales Mineral Railwayt Company, by which
They had agreed to give them the use of
.this portion of the
Nue for the following six month2,soo/., in case the combined s
t,
raffi,c2oo6f
in consideration of 2,0001.,
I.thentwo companies
amounted, during that period, to 31
happy
yarltye
inform the meeting that since the lasetw
eneeting the Government had agreed to expend 150
,0001.
works of the new packet and refuge harmer at 11;17
h cad during the present year, of which sum the Company
W as to provide 37,0001. Mr. Rendell, the Government en-
g; veer, had completed the plans and specifications for deep-
ening• the old harbour, and the works would soon be
advertised for contract ; and the resident engineer
was proceeding with the necessary surveys and
eitameations preparatory to the works on the new harbour.
The directors had also turned their attention to the means of
connexicha between Holyhead and Kingstown, and were in
hops that ,the mails would be conveyed by the Company in
August next. The Irish trade would thus be opened up to that
part of the con.ntry. by means of the Company's line. He said
the Shropshire rnion Railway and Canal Company, in which
this Company had an interest, had obtained the sanction of
the Legislature to three of their lines, the Chester and Wol-
verhampton, the Sirrewsbury and Stafford, and the Newton
and Crewe. He was gratified to find that the directors had
met with the ready and cordial support of the shareholders.
He said that of the calls which had been made to the
amount of 1,155,00 E, only 49,000/. were due.
During the past six months the Company's expen-
diture had been at the rate of 90,000/. a-month, and
for the rest of the year would be about 100,000/. The Chair-
man concluded by calling on
The SEcita:realr, who read the report, the main details of
which appear fly the Chalidie.o speech.
A report was aiso laid -before the meeting from Mr.
Robert Stephenson, en the Menai-bridge, and the suc-
cess of the experim made,*ith a view to testing the
ental
proposed tubular COlastrug:tion of the bridge, by Mr. Hodg-
kinson and Mr. Fairy
iQ conjunction with him-
self. In his report
ft,i,e.phenson says,--P Mr. Fair-
bairn has, with your ilitielqo, constructed a model

tube one• sixth' of the actual span, having all the dimensions 1
in due proportion. In such a model we should of course
expect to have a very accurate exhibition of the merits or
demerits of the tubular system. It will be in your recollec-
tion, that the preliminary experiments led to the conclusion
that great care would be required to' prevent the upper side
of the tube from crushing, that, in short, the main object to be
aimed at was to give the top of the tube the requisite stiffness.
In this respect the results obtained from the model tube
have been highly satisfactory, and being upon so large a
scale, may be deemed perfectly conclusive upon several very
important points. When progressively loaded, the mean
deflection was about one-tenth of an inch per ton, and with
a load of thirty-five tons suspended in the middle, it gave
way on the under side ; the upper part not having ex-
hibited the least sign of failure up to the moment of
fracture. Hence, therefore, we have arrived at a most in-
teresting result, viz. :—that the liability of the plates on the
upper side to crush, has been completely removed by the
construct ion in compartments."
A statement of the accounts since the formation of the
Company up to the 30th June last was also laid before the
meeting, showing :
Receipts from deposits, calls, and calls paid in
advance
Premium and interests and transfer fees 12,830 0 0

£944,007 0 0
Expenditure, attending formation of the
Company, &c.
Parliamentary expenses, 1845
Parliamentary expenses and surveys of
branch lines, 1846
Land, works, rails, and engineering 738,214 11 9
Law charges
Miscellaneous
26,471 11 2
Interest on Calls

£805,724 8 10
Deposit on shares on the Shropshire anion
Railway and Canal Company 31,500 0 0
Loan at interest, cash at the bankers, &c. 106,783 5 3

£944,007 14 1
The CHAIRMAN said that since the accounts had been made
up, on the 30th June, 218,238/. had been paid on calls.
The CRAIR3IAN moved that the report, the engineer's re-
port, and the accounts read should be adopted, printed,
and circulated.

_
Mr. G. C. GLYN seconded the motion, which was carried
win. con. _ _ _

The CHAIRMAN moved that the directors should be autho-
rised to make arrangements for borrowing 700,0004 in pur-
suance of the Company's Act.
Mr. CROPPER seconded the motion, which passed nem. con.
The CHAIRMAN then intimated that tenders for one-half
the amount had already been received.
Mr. FINLAYSON called the attention of the directors to the
communication between Holyhead and Kingstown, and the
importance of the Company opening it up with the largest
facilities, by means of steamers of good size and horse-
power, for the Irish trade. He said he
called their attention to the necessity of making large and
efficient provision for that trade if they meddled with it at
all, from his own experience, which extended over fourteen
years, and he wished to know whether any preparation had
vet been made?
The CEAIRMAN said the meeting must be aware that
during last year the directors were afraid of going too fast;
and, besides, they. were then uncertain what amount, if any
at all, might be granted by the Government for the harbour
at Holyhead ; but now the board was favourable to establish-
ing their own line of steam-packets, and hoped to be able
before long to call a meeting of the shareholders, with a
view of obtaining their sanction on this point.
Mr. SKILBECK wished to know whether the Company
would not have to go to Parliament for power to establish
steam-packets.
The CHAIRMAN said they must go to Parliament next ses-
sion for ground for the new harbour, and for a station there,
and the directors of course would be happy to be authorised
to include this other point in their Bill. But there
was time before them for a meeting to consider that spe-
cially.
Mr. SKILBECR referred to the fate of the South-Western
and the South Eastern Companies, in applying to Parliament
for new powers, and added that it would require their great-
est care.
A PROPRIETOR thought the Company ought to remain ex-
clusively a railway company, and have nothing to do with
the steam-packets.
Mr. FINLAYSON said another company could be got up
among the shareholders of this, and the two companies might
be kept distinct; but he assured them there was nothing to
fear, and much to hope for, if the project was entered into.
The CRAIRMAX said no more calls would be made during
the present year.
The thanks of the meeting were then accorded to the
Chairman, and the meeting adjourned.