The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-07 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(Y ESTERDAY)

MOUSE OF LORDS•

Boom C.
izunnznsrazin AND reLANC HESTER
Ran, WAY AND C.A NI3L (OLDHAM
BRANCH).
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Mr. Fielding, corn dealer,was examined, and stated that the greater
portion of the provisions of the town of Oldham were imported,
the land about that town being very sterile. The proposed railway
would, in his opinion, be very desirable to Oldham, in consequence of
the increase It would occasion in the import of corn, and at a
considerably cheaper cost than It was brought there at present.
The proposed line was shorter by sixteen miles to Wakefield than
the line of the Manchester and Leeds Railway, and Wakefield was
the chief corn-market. Great delay occurred at the station of the
latter railway at Leeds, owing to its over-crowded state. This de-
lay seriously affected the transit of corn.
Cross-examined by Mr. 'Lunar —The value of this branch was, in
his opinion, dependent on the main line being opened.
Several other witnesses were called in support of the Bill from the
neighbourhood of Oldham, and the Committee were of opinion that
they had heard sufficient evidence as to traffic, being of opinion that
the receipts of the line were proved, and that the only question for
the Committee to decide upon was, as to which company shoul 1 be
permitted to construct it.
Mr. Gee, engineer of the line, was then called, and deposed that
the gradients and curves were favourable, the gradients being
1 in 100, and that the whole expense, according to
the estimate, was 158,000/. The time required for completing the
branch was two years. There was one tunnel on the line of 1,320
yards in length. The saving of distance by this line would be about
19 miles between Oldham and Leeds, and between Oldham and Hud-
dersfield 21 miles.
This closed the case for the Bill.

Mr. Hawkshaw was then called, and stated that he considered that
the Mumps line would meet all the requirements of the neighbour-
hood, and that the present branch was uncalled for.
Mr. Vignoles corroborated this testimony.
The Committee then adjourned.

LARNE, BELFAST, AND BALLY-
MENA RAILWAY.
A meeting of the scripholders of this Company was held
yesterday, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, for the
purpose of receiving a report of the directors, and of adopting
such measures as might be deemed expedient. Mr. Andrew
Spottiswoode took the chair.
The SECRETARY read the report of the directors, from
which we make the following extracts :
" The directors who represent the Company are prepared at
once to resign the trust reposed in them to such other mem-
bers of the company as the scripholders may elect, not, how-
ever, with the view of relieving themselves from responsi-
bility, for they would suggest the introduction of a clause in
the Bill to facilitate the recovery from the parties at present
liable for any moneys which may hereafter be found to have
been improperly expended."
" Should the scripholders decide upon the expediency of
proceeding with it, the Directors submit that there is every
reasonable prospect of its being a most valuable investment.
Bat, supposing for a moment that there could be a doubt
as to the line answering, the Directors would urge the pro-
bability of an advantageous arrangement with the Belfast
and Ballymena Railway."
The SECRETARY then read a balance sheet of the receipts
and disbursements up to the present time, from which it
appeared that there was a balance of 11,4891. ls. ld., sub-
ject to various claims, estimated at 8,3934 which would
leave a balance of 3,0961., or about 7s. 6d. per share upon
the shares in the hands of the public.
Na motion was made for the adoption of the report.
Mr. COWAN, one of the scripholders, was of opinion that
the report of the Select Committee of Parliament rendered it
impossible to proceed with the Bill, and he was astonished
that the chairman and the directors should come forward now
and exhibit such want of self-respect and unblushing disre-
gard of the great and culpable irregularities which had come
out on the evidence before that Committee, as to advise the
meeting to proceed with the Bill.
Mr. Cowart then read portions of the evidence criminating
the directors, and after a lengthened appeal to the meeting
on the gross mis-statements of the directors and their several
mismanagement, proposed the following resolution :—" That
it is the opinion of this meeting that the Larne and Belfast
Railway Company was virtually dissolved on the 28th day
of May last, when a meeting of shareholders was held for
the purpose of assenting to or dissenting from the further
progress of the undertaking. Because 1,180 shares that were
on that occasion recorded in favour of the undertaking were
shares purchased by the directors with the paid-up deposits
of the shareholders. This being an unfair mode of creating a
majority of votes ought not to be admitted. Consequently
the non-assenting shareholders were in a majority of 830
to 800." _ _ • _ _

—ifir-.-MAnsitALt. seconded the motion which was carried by
a majority of 13 to G.
Another resolution that further proceedings with the Bill
should be stayed, was also carried.
The general reeling of the meeting being that the Com-
pany should be dissolved, it was agreed upon by the share-
holders and directors, that as the present meeting could not
be considered one in conformity with the Earl of Dalhousie's
Act, another meeting should be convened as soon as possi-
ble for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety
of dissolving the company.
The meeting then adjourned.

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.

The usual half-yearly general meeting of the shareholders
in the Eastern Counties Railway Company was held yesterday
afternoon, at the London Tavern, in Bishopsgate-street ; Mr.
Geo. Hudson, MX., Chairman of the Board of Directors, in
the chair.

The advertisement convening the meeting having been
read, the Secretary (C. P. Roney, Esq.) read the following
report of the directors:—
" The directors have the pleasure to announce a dividend,
for the half-year, of 9s. per share of 14/. 16s. each on the
consolidated stock of the Eastern Counties Company, and
in proportion on the share capital of the Northern and East-
ern Company.
"The increase of traffic during the last half-year has been
86,7181. 7s. over the corresponding six months of 1845, and
28,462/. Os. 10d. in excess of the six months to 4th Ja-
nuary last, during five months of which the line to Brandon
was open.
" An increased charge for interest appears.in,thikitccetmt.
for the past half-year; and during the current half-year, it
will be further increased in consequence of the opening of the
Company's line from Ely to Peterborough, which will be de-
livered up for traffic by Mr. Peto, at the beginning of Sep-
tember, fourteen months earlier than he is bound to do by
his contract ; on the other hand, there may be anticipated
with certainty a large increase of traffic to arise from that
extension and from the opening of the Midland Company's
line (to be worked by the Eastern Counties Company) from
Peterborough to Stamford. The opening of this length will
also take place early in September.
"Before the next half-yearly meeting of the Company the
line of the Eastern Union Company from Ipswich to Stow-
market and Bury St. Edmunds will have been completed and
opened for traffic. It is likwwise expected that the line of the
Lynn Company from Lynn to Ely will be in operation at no
distant period. The opening of these two lines cannot fail to
further increase the revenue of this Company.
"A double line is about to be laid from the Broxbourne
Junction to Hertford.
" In Parliament the directors have used their utmost efforts
to obtain extensions of the line to Lincoln and York. In
these endeavours they have not at present succeeded. It is,
however, their intention, with their engineer, to examine de-
liberately the entire districts through which they have pro-
moted lines of railway during the past session, and to take
such steps, in the ensuing one, for the general interests of the
proprietors and the advantage of the public, as shall be
deemed advisable.

"The board purposes to proceed immediately with the con-
struction of the line between Cambridge and St. Ives, and
also with the line between St. Ives and Wisbeacb, which
the directors have agreed to purchase from the St. Ives and
Wisbeach Company, subject to the sanction of the proprie-
tors, in preference to its being leased in perpetuity. The
sanction of the meeting will be required to this arrangement.

"Acts of Parliament have been obtained to enable the
directors to enlarge the London and Stratford stations; to
construct a railway from Ilford to Epping; and to connect
the Thames Junction Railway by a branch with the Pepper
Warehouses at the East India Docks. By authority of one
these Acts, the London station of this Company will in
future be called ' The Bishopsgate Station.' The increased
accommodation to be afforded by the enlargement of this
station has become a matter of urgent necessity for the pur-
pose of working efficiently the largely increasing traffic in
passengers and goods, and no time will be lost in urging
forward the necessary works to render it one of the moat
commodious in the metropolis.
"The directors have arranged to alter the former contracts
regarding the Thames Junction and North Woolwich Rail-
ways, and to purchase the former at a net profit, to the pro-
prietors of that Company, of 7,0001., and to purchase the
latter at 3,0001., being the sum expended in obtaining the
Act of Parliament. They recommend these purchases to be
confirmed by the meeting. The Thames Junction Railway
has been opened partially for coal traffic for some weeks, and
promises to become a most important accessory to the Cam-
bridge and Colchester lines. The North Woolwich Railway
is in course of construction, and it is anticipated the open-
ing for passenger traffic will be early in October of this year.
"The total amount of capital authorised to be raised
under the Acts of Parliament obtained during the last and
the present session, including the capitals of the Thames
Junction and North Woolwich Railway Companies, is
2,507,000/.

" Of this capital, there will be required for the Railway
between Cambridge, St. Ives, and Wisbeach, a length of
forty-two miles, a sum of about 625,000 i., which will have to
be provided rateably by the holders of the York Extension
shares.
"As regards Extension Stock, No. 2, which will absorb
9E0,000/. more of this capital. resolutions will be submitted
to the meeting to place that stock in a permanent position, as
portion of the share capital of the Company, carrying a fixed
rate of interest in perpetuity."
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, and
that the accounts be agreed to, said he was ready to admit
that the accounts were not placed so fairly before the meet-
ing he could wish, but he pledged himself that at their
next half-yearly meeting this defect should be remedied. lt
was satisfactory that the directors were able to pay the
same dividend this half year that they
notwith-
standing that some of the- did last,
exceded those of any for eharges'athe past half-year had
eartptriod. He estimated the re-
ceipts of the next half-year
per annum, while, allowing for ex."°°l° per week or 286,000/.
100,0031. for work-
ing, and 44,000/. for interest, wouldtherepdeitrur e
remain a balance,
,enatn. upon a capital
which would give a divident of 81.
of '2,110,000 of Eastern Counties stock, 1,180,000/, of
Northern and Eastern stock.—(Hear,
posed to give the holders of the old 141. 16s. sliarelstawbasnpr°-of
4/. per share ; there would consequently be a call ugh" shortly
upon these shares of 1/. 4s. to make up. They had not been so
successful in their application to Parliament for extensions
they had anticipated, but there was this justifying fact to
place to the credit of that result, namely, that Parliament had
sanctioned no competing schemes likely to injure the traffic of
the Eastern Counties line. They had been defeated in
their energetic efforts to get to York, but lie confidently ex-
pected, nevertheless, that ere long their line would be ex-
tended to the north in such a manner as to draw a large
quantity of northern traffic on to the Eastern Counties
(Hear, hear.) It would be seen that the York Extension
shares would have to contribute the capital for making the
Cambridge, St. Ives, and Wisbeach line, and he was assured
by those who were best informed upon the subject, that this
line would be open for traffic in about twelve months.—
(Hear, hear.) After complaining of the conduct of Colonel
Peel in dividing the House upon the third reading of this
Bill in his (the Chairman's) absence, having previously,
while he was present, declined to do so—remarking that he
had just as much right, or could with as much justice say,
the gallant Colonel was the worst Member of Parliament, as
the gallant Colonel had to say the Eastern Counties line
was the worst managed in the country. The Chairman
went on to comment upon the readiness of the Times
to insert letters in its columns denouncing the
delays occasioned on this line. He said he had travelled
latterly in and out of the metropolis as much as any one. He
had repeatedly met with delays on lines which he did not
think it necessary to name, but, strange to say, no one took
the trouble to write to the Times complaining of them. Last
Saturday one train he came by was half an hour behind its
time, and he could mention innumerable instances where
these delays had lately occurred.—(Hear, hear.) Now what

were the delays the letters in the Times complained of ?
Why, during the last three months they had, exclusive of
Sundays, run 4,448 trains, running a distance of 27,464 miles,
and yet the delay on the average had only been three-quar-
tera of a minute per train.—(Hear, hear.) He admitted that
delays more or less did occasionally occur, but with the casu-
alties which were attendant upon the running a railway
train, it was utterly impossible to avoid them.—(Hear, hear.)
So largely did they estimate the future traffic, that they had
ordered 400 new carriages. They were going to centralise
their locomotive department, and It would be seen by the re-
port that they had already obtained powers for increasing
their metropolitan station•room. When they obtained
this room, he would defy any one to say there would be
the remotest necessity for gentlemen writing letters to the
'Times.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) The line, considering
the difficulties it had to contend against—the want of station
room and inconvenient position of its locomotive and car-
riage department—was, he would repeat, as well managed
as any line in the country, and he thought the meeting would
appreciate the animus of the Times in publishing its
anonymous attacks.—(Hear, hear.) He concluded by
moving the adoption of the accounts and report, and ex-
pressing his readiness to answer any questions the pro-
prietors might wish to put to him.—(Hear, hear.)
A PROPRIETOR wished to know what the line was the
directors proposed to bring forward from Lincoln to York ?
The CHAIRMAN must decline answering that question. He
had once or twice disclosed some of his schemes, and the
consequence was they were filched from him.—( Hear,
hear.) A deposit of 10s. per share had been paid upon the
York shares, and if the Honourable Proprietor objected to
the line he could have his 10s. back again.
A PROPRIETOR asked when it was proposed to call the
1/. 4s. upon the old shares, which the chairman had said it
was proposed to make, for the purpose of making the 141.165.
shares 201. shares, giving the holders a bonus of 41.
The CHAIRMAN replied that he was not in a position to
answer that question.
The same PROPRIETOR asked whether the dividend of
81. per cent., to be paid next Christmas, would be paid at the
rate of 14/. 16s. per share or 201. per share?
The Cnaialuarr said it would be paid on the 141. 16s.
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
The dividend was then declared payable the 13th of
August, this day week.
A resolution in accordance with the last paragraph in the
report was then moved from the chair and carried unani-
mously.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed a resolution approving the
purchase of the St Ives and and Wisbech, Eastern Counties
and Thames Junction, and the North Woolwich lines.
It was unanimously agreed to.
The thanks of the meeting were then passed to the Chair-
man arid directors.
The CHAIRMAN, in acknowledging the compliment, made
a few observations on the subject of the recent accident. He
regretted deeply that they had been so much upbraided and
held up to the derision of the world by a certain public print,
because that lamentable affair placed them in a position en-
titling them to sympathy rather 'than abuse. No parties
were more anxious to secure the safety of their passengers
than that board over which he presided, and for this purpose
they were always anxious to secure the services of efficient
servants. His own policy was always to secure the sympa-
thies of the secretary down to the labourers on the line in
its future success; but no exertions, however skilful or sin-
cere, could at all times avert accidents on the best regulated
railways.
The meeting then separated.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

A man named John Francis, was brought before Mr.
Alderman Gibbs, the locum tenens of the Lord Mayor,
charged with having picked the pocket of Mr. Russell
Ellice, merchant, of Leadenhall-street, of a pocket-
book.

Mr. Ellice stated that about twelve o'clock on Tues-
day as he was passing over London-bridge he perceived
that he was followed by two men, one of them was the
prisoner, and observing that they were going on in a
hurried manner towards the City, he felt for his pocket-
book, and immediately ascertained that it was gone.
Witness having seen the prisoner's companion hand
something to the prisoner, followed and seized the latter,
• who broke away and flung something over the parapet
into the Thames. The prisoner was then apprehended
by a policeman.
Thomas Randall, hatter, of Oxford, was crossing over
the bridge at the time the robbery was committed, and
saw the prisoner elude the grasp of Mr. Ellice, and
dodge behind carts and carriages on the road. When
the prisoner reached the western side of the bridge, the
witness distinctly saw him throw something dark, re-
sembling a pocket-book, over the bridge. The witness
afterwards saw the pocket-book floating, and directed
the attention of a waterman's apprentice, who was in a
boat on the river, and who picked it up.
Mr. Ellice identified the pocket-book as his property.
The prisoner, who has beea long in practice in the
particular line of business in which he was detected,
said he thought that as he picked up the pocket-book on
the bridge, and he might be suspected of having got it
unfairly, the best way to escape trouble, was to give it
a chance over the bridge.
Committed for trial.
A young woman, named Caroline Wolf, was com-
mitted for trial upon the charge of having robbed her
master, Mr. Benjamin, in whose service she had lived a
few months, of a variety of articles. It appeared that
the prisoner was so fond of dress as not to be able to
avoid the temptation to rob for a supply of finery.