The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-30 00:00:00

than anYthlng else to the pregress ofprovame
—AV Culloch.
"I ens proud to acknowledge that for this proape6e-
Western India is largely indebted to akeiertions-of -
your hoard, but more particularly to the xe), energy; •
. influence of your noble chairman. -
" It has, indeed, been remarked by some that India
requires ordinary roads, and not railroads. From this
opinion I entirely dissent ; for although no one is
more sensible than I am of the great want at present
in India of ordinary roads, and of the great advan-
tages which would result from their construction on
some comprehensive plan, nevertheless I anticipate,
among other numerous benefits, that the introduction of
railroads will cause a large increase of ordinary roads.
Construct grand trunk lines of railway, and the con-
struction of ordinary roads as feeders thereto will
necessarily follow, either on the part of Government
or of individuals prompted to undertake them by a
due-regard -to their own interests.
" I may, however, be permitted to remark, that I
can only considt r the works now in progress merely
as the commencement 0f a noble but gigantic under-
taking whereby. W 6 may h pa ultimately to repay a
portion of the vast debt England owes to India. A
railway from Bombay, a few miles beyond Tannah,
although in'the right direction, will of itself be of
little value. -I do not myself despair of seeing, at no
distant day, your rail approach, if it does not unite
, with, the line now under construction from Calcutta
Ito the upper. provinces ;. but, at an events, the Bom-
bay line must ascend the Ghauts, and after, if possi-
ble, having intercepted the traffic now carried on both'
by the Thull and Bhore •Gthauts, it must approach
the cotton and opium producing districts of Berar,
Omrawuttee,:- and' Malwa. Unless this is feasible,
your hil cart, never be expected to be profitable or
1.._
beneficm any great extent.
" Andl feel confident
Indiathat if the peace which DOW
happily prevails
in
from Cape Comorin to
..the
Himalaya, continues, the means will not be wanting
to accomplish those victories of peace India so Enoch_
requires. Under the enlightened administration of
one of the ablest of her Viceroys, the present Gover-
nor-General, those means wi11, I trust, be provided
from an increasing and improving revenue ; but
should this expectation not be realised, extraordi-
nary measures will I hope be adopted to improve
and develop the condition and resources of that vast
empire.
" We have never hesitated to burden India with a
heavy debt, to' enable us to carry on destructive
Some of these have been in self-defenceowthsrherss.
I regret to think have been wars of aggression.
therefore, should we hesitate to burden India for the
,
benefit of India? Why, in short, should we scruple,
if necessary, to raise a loan, to be solely and exclu-
sively applied to the construction of railroads, ordi-
nary roads, bridges, canals, and works of irrigation,
which, wherever they have been carried out on au
extensive scale, have been found in India as in other
countries, to yield a free and ample return.
" I trust I shall be pardoned these few remarks, and •
with my best acknowledgments to your noble chair-
man, and to the several members of your board, for
their flattering and unexpected recognition of my ser-
vices in a cause in which we all feel a warm interest,
I remain, my dear sir, yours very faithfully,
"J. . Firth, Esq." "H. WILLOUGHBY.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed a resolution for the
forfeiture of 235 shares on account of the non pay-
ment of the calls due. He could not omit the oppor-
tunity of expressing his gratification at hearing such
sentiments from a gentleman so well acquainted with
India as Mr. Willoughby, and cordially concurred
with him that it was the bounden duty of the autho-
rities of India to spare no exertion whatever to im-
prove its internal communications, and execute every
public work of which the completion would confer
benefit on that country.
In answer to a proprietor,
The SECRETARY stated that the forfeited shares
belonged to parties resident at Bombay, Poona, and
Sattara,_ the largest number being held by a contrac-
tor at Bombay. The calls due on them up to the 15th
of July, 1850, remained unpaid.
The resolution was then agreed to, as was another
resolution recommending a grant of 20 guineas an-
nually "to the auditors, Messrs. Anderton and Keating,
in consideration of their efficient services to the com-
pany.
Colonel DICKENSON moved a vote of thanks to the
noble chairman and directors, for their attention to
the interests of the company.
Mr. Caawcouit seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN acknowledged the compliment, and
stated that the East India Company had promised
them an additional capital of 500,0001., when they
were ready to undertake the extension of the line.
They were now in a position to take immediate
measures for that purpose, and no time would be lost.
The meeting then broke up.

PORTS AND HARBOURS.
It may not porliAps be generally known that a Bill
" For the better preservation and regulation AC th 9
Ports and Harbours in the United Kingdom," itms-
few days prior to the close of the last session of Par-
liament, laid on the table of the House of Common,,
~
by Sir F. Baring, for consideration during the., -
Copies of the Bill are, we understand, in course To v.
tribution amongst those parties and eimanaiiiiktieit
whose interest is sought to be improved by it; and --
for the information of our readers we proceed to:ex-,_
plain the nature of its provisions.
The seaboard of the United Kingdom is indented •
with, innumerable small but useful creeks, under no
local management or conservancy, and are permitted
to remain in a state of nature unimproved and un-
cared for, while a trifling sum judiciously expended-
on their improvement might prove a lasting benefit
to these creeks and their immediate neighbourhood.
There is no remedy for this evil but the costly one
of procuring an Act of Parliament for each locality. '
It is proposed by this Bill, that on a memorial, signed
by a certain number of ratepayers of the district, pre-
sented to the Admiralty, a local conservancy board
may be constituted by an order -of her Majesty in
Council, with authority to levy a small tonnage due
on shipping frequenting the harbour, and likewise to
borrow money on mortgage of the dues, with a view
to procuring a fund to carry out the necessary im-
provements, and to pay a harbour-master. It also
provides for the removal of sunken wrecks, and imposes
a heavy penalty on all persons depositing material of
any description within the limits of the tide ; thus
consolidating the several powers vested by Parliament
in the Admiralty.
Such are the principal heads of the Bill, and it is
important to observe they materially differ in effect
from those embodied in a Bill which was introduced
in the session of 1846, but which was not proceeded
with.

Without committing ourselves to an opinion on the
merits of this particular Bill, we think that much may
be done by some such means as it proposes, for bene-
fitting the trading and shipping interests of the em-
pire. In other words, we consider this measure a
step in the right direction.