The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-28 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

CALEDONIAN RAILWAY.
(THIS DAY.)
The half-yearly general meeting of this company was
held to-day at the Freemason? Tavern; Mr. Duncan in

the chair.
The proceedings were commenced by the confirmation
of a resolution empowering the directors to confirm the
forfeiture of certain shares, of which notice had been
given; also to empower the directors to continue their
proceedings for recovery of arrears of calls by prosecu-
tion or otherwise, with authority to conclude arrange-
ments with individual defaulters.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the adoption of the
report, assured the meeting that the directors had,
during the last year, paid particular attention to the
traffic of the company, and to the working expenses,
the effect of which was that the revenue had increased
15 per cent., while the working expenses had only in-
creased 10 per cent. The increase of revenue had taken
place entirely in the goods' department. They had had
much competition to strive against both in the lines of
railway which had lately been established on both
c °oats, and in the .team navigation which was
now carried on with so much success; this bad,
no doubt, greatly impeded the increase of the traffic
but, on the whole, the Caledonian Railway, if put into
comparison with other lines, would show quite as great
an increase as any other railway. The chief line they
had to dread was the Dumfries and Carlisle Railway;
but an agreement had been effected between the two
which he thought would be found to work well. The
most gloomy part of the company's prospects was the
finance department. The directors, however, had ap-
plied themselves with energy and perseverance to the
consideration' of these difficulties, and he hoped in course
of time, when they had got their arrangement Bill through
the Legislature, they would be enabled to surmount them.
The directors, however, had very great difficulties to
contend with, which might be judged of from the fact
that 76 lawsuits had been instituted against the company,
which were now in progress. Great opposition had cer-
tainly been offered to the second reading of the
arrangement Bill, but, as he thought, the argu-
ments
used against it were entirely fallacious, and
he was quite certain that it was founded on just
and reasonable principles. The fact was those parties
who had opposed it most strongly were precisely those
who would benefit in the greatest degree from its pass-
ing; and they were doing themselves the greatest injury
by their course of proceeding. He thought:that the ex-
ertions of the directors during the last year deserved the
fullest confidence from the shareholders, and he called
upon them for their aid and forbearance.—(Cheers.)
Captain PLusisrri seconded the adoption of the re-
port, because he considered that it afforded a complete
proot of the beneficial nature of the policy which had
been pursued by the directors. He recommended
unanimity among the general body of the shareholders,
and though the time was far distant, yet he had no
doubt that prosperity would revisit them; but the chief
thing would be unanimity, and without that the Bill,
which was to rescue them from bankruptcy, never
would pass successfully through the Legislature.
Mr. J. WHEELER wished to repudiate any insinuation
which might be drawn from the Gallant Captain's
speech, that the l.arty to which he belonged, the pre-
ference shareholders, were opposed to unanothity. Still,
how,ver. he must say, that the zeal which had been
manifested for the preference shareholders was new-born,
since it was only the other day that it was proposed to
reduce their dividends from i to 2i per cent.
Mr. FENTON also wished to contradict any odium which
might have gone abroad as to any coalition existing be-
tween the preference and guarantee shareholders.
Mr. BAILLIE COCHRANE, recommended that the
blt+ernese of feeling on both sides ehould be laid aside,
because ho was sure that it was by that meats only that
their vexata questio could be settled with advantage to
both partie'.
Mr. LAMOND, on the part of the guarant, e share-
holders, handed in a protest aAainst the adoption, in order
that it might. not gore lore the committee that they ac-
quv:icr>d in the et,.!ernents contained in the report.
Ater further discussion the report was adopted.
The CHAIRMAN then ie. posed a resolution to empower
th,; dlrecto,s to present apc ion to Parliament praying
for the abolition of the tax on parengers, which was
seconded by Mr. Campbell, and carried unanimously.
A resolution for the ers,;ation of Sunday traffic was
then proposed, but negatived almost unanimously, and
the meeting serrated with a vote of thanks to the
Chairman.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seet upon the
Woolsack at Five o'clock.
FE PITIONS. _ . .

The Archbishop of YORK presented several petitions
against Papal aggression.
*Lord REDESDALE presented several petitions
against the emancipation of the Jews.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE presented a peti-
tion from a railway company in Ireland praying for an
alteration in the law regulating the rating of railwa) a.
The Marquis of BRE ADALBA NE presented several
petitions against Papal aggression, •aud praying for a
withdrawal car the grant to May nootie
Lerd STANLEY prescneel zeveral petitions against
Papal aggr,sf,h)n.
L Ord BROIJGHAI'd presented a petition from Leith,
praying ter a suspension of the operation of the Mercan-
tile Marine Act.
PAPAL 'AGGRESSION.
Earl FITZWILLIAM, in presenting several peti-
tions againot Papal aggression, took the opportunity
of smtiug that the intensity of the popular
feeling on this subject had increased, and under
these eireuarltanees he was astonished that those who
had charge of the BM on ths subject in the other House
should have abaudontel those clauses which were
calculated to make the provision of the Bill eff'c-
tual. There had been no division which indicated any
desire on the part of Parliament to have those
clauses expunged from the Bill. There was an opinion
abroad that the restraints imposed on the propagation
of the Boman Catholic religion had been removed
from a disposition to Remaeize, and be was
sure that if something were not dune to allay
the popular feeling, the agitation of the autumn
would be renewed, and an intolerant spirit excited in the
mind of the people. He hoped that the Bill would be
passed in its original form, that it would be rendered
effective, and that it would be passed without delay.
Parliament had not been sufficiently alert in giving ex-
pression to the desires of the people and in vindicating
the authority of the Crown. He was satisfied that the
es:ablishment of these sees with territorial titles would
have great effect in spreading the Roman Catholic reli-
gion, and it was against this he wished to guard; and,
therefore, he wished the Bill should be passed in its
entirety, and that he regretted the omission cf the clauses
which the Government proposed to omit. He thought it
was their duty to legislate upon the subject in such a man-
ner as should vindicate the honour of the Crown, and
therefore he felt strongly the necessity of preventing
those measures which the Papal agents had concocted
for the purpose of extending tile rule of the Roman Ca-
tholic Church in this country.
The Earl of CARLISLE would not follow the example
of his Noble Friend in commenting upon a Bill which
was under discussion in another place, but would content
himself with presenting several petitions against what
was commonly called Papal aggression.
The Earl of ABERDEEN had received several
petitions from various Catholic communities against
the Bill now before the House of Commons, which ho
was prevented from presenting, and which he hoped he
should never have an opportunity of presenting, for he
hoped that Bill would never find its way to their Lord-
ships' House. He would now present a petition from
Clare against any penal legislation on the subject.
Earl GREY thought the Noble Earl was not correct
in his anticipation that the Bill would not come before
this House, because looking at the numbers of the
division the other night, the probability was that
it would come before their Lordships. The pe-
tition which the Noble Earl presented might
be received by their Lordships without any breach of
the regulations. It was a petition against penal legisla-
tion, and therefore had no reference to the measure now
before the other House of Parliament, which was net a
measure of penal legislation.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

-ROUSE OF COMMONS.
The 5P84.12a took the Chair at Four o'clock.
THIRD READINGS.
The following gills were read a third time and passed :
Mildenhall, Burnt
Fen Road, and Lakenheath and
Rockwood Roads.
Pyecombe and Hicks Turnpike Turnpike Roads.
REPORTS.
The folowing
Bills were considered and agreed to:—
Cheltenham and Gloucester District Turnpike Road.
Cheltenham and Pains wick Road.
Stroud and Gloucester Road.
Tenterden and Woodchurch Roads.
NEW WRITs.
yTER, new writs were On the motion of Mr. Uri
Member for the
7, who has or-
deredac-
for the election of n borough of
11
Davenoort, in the room of Sir J. Romi
cepted the office of Master of the Rolls; for Southamp-
ton, in the room of Sir A. Cockburn, who has accepted
the office of Attorney-General; and for Oxford, 4, 01_
room of Mr. W. Page Wood, who has accepted the afic:
of Solicitor- General.

PETITIONS.
A large number of petitions were presented, complain-
ing of the Papal aggression.
Mr. WAKLEY presented a petition from Finsbury,
praying for the repeal of the window-tax without the
substitution. of a house-tax.
Culoael DUNNE presented a petition from a place is
Ireland against the abolition of the office of Lord-Lieu-
tenant or the centralization of the Irish law courts.
Mr. MO WATT presented two petitions praying for
the repeal of the paper duty.
14,rd ARLI-Ni)EL and iiUMREY presented a petition
from the Hop. M. Lan gdale, late a member of the
kit uae, against the Aboliticn of Religious Houses Bill.
Mr. R. PALMER presented a petitiou from a place in

IL-rkshire, complaining of agtictilturai distress.
""--6737itialArti Members presented petitions against the
(...41t144, „-'4 el TeS pre,,enterl petitions
.from various
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it-, t", j :fri;o4 irda p I.,,entect a !....,,.... it !lon !rota tho guArdiar s
01" i;.401,,fril ..
cent•pski Ve:,..outd 11,110 S, praying for . the eats-
.... tc:ii44o 1 '' - oiftitry financial boards.
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