The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-15 00:00:00

.

,111 T RAILWAY COZPANY.

meeting of shareholders of this company,
for the cons' ion of bills before Parliament, was
held yesterday at t ces of the company, Water-
loo Station—Capt. Mang the chair.
The CHAIRMAN referred to d-letter which had
appeared in a morning paper of the day before, de-
nouncing one of the schemes of extension. He said
that the incorrectness of statements in that letter
was doubtless unintentional; but, passing over any
question of mistake, he thought it would have been
very much better for the dissentients to have com-
municated with the board on the subject. The
directors could have no personal interest in making
needless lines.
The SOLICITOR having read an abstract of the
bills before Parliament,
The CHAIRMAN proposed that the meeting ap-
prove the first bill under consideration, providing
fer the Kingston branch across the river Thames.
Mr. HERAPATII said he had heard that a very
great difference had prevailed among the directors
on the subject. He himself was opposed to the
plan. Believing that it would .never pay its ex-
penses, he begged to move a negative to the chair-
man's motion.
Captain GIFFARD, as one of those who had signed
the letter alluded to by the chairman, and also
as an independent shareholder, begged to second
the amendment. He stigmatised the Kingston
scheme as a most profligate and wicked waste of
the shareholders' money.
Mr. TITE said he would state, as fairly and briefly
as he could, the history of the proposed line. It
happened that some persons in the Great West-
ern Company proposed a line invading an im-
portant part of their territory. It was an ab-
solute necessity to oppose their scheme. King-
ston, not deriving much, if any, benefit from the
existing line, manifested an intention of giving
the scheme their support. But on its being pro-
posed, on the part of the South Western
Company, to afford the accommodation of-
fered by the Great Western, the inhabitants of
Kingston said they would transfer their influence
and patronage from the second to the first. The
directors of the South-Western, in fact, pledged
themselves to recommend a new line to the share-
holders ; and he believed that the feeling in Parlia-
ment was that a prom:se had been given and that
the honour of the company was at stake,- so that if
they attempted to withdraw from this part of their
act the whole legislation of their projects would be
endangered. This was the feeling of Mr. Schole-
field, the chairman of the committee.
Sergeant GAZELEE, who sat at the directors' table,
rose and said he was glad that the threat held forth
by Mr. Schoelfield had oeen brought before the
meeting. He was proud to say that he was in a
minority of one in the board of directors on this
question. He was opposed to forcing a bill down
the throats of the shareholders. If they were
bound to follow the course indicated by Mr. Tite,
it was a useless step for them to come there at all.
He (Mr. Serjeant Gazelee) would not exert his in-
fluence, small as it might be, in the coercion of the
company.
The amendment being put to the meeting was
lost ; and the original carried.
The other bills were also approved by the meet-
ting, after a discussion which lasted nearly three
hours.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—June 14.

THAMES —A respectable-looking mechanic,
named William Downman, aged 40, of 1, Thomas-
street, Devonport-street, Ratcliff, applied to the
magistrate for a recommendation for a passport to
France.,

Mr. Selfe—What is your object in goicg there ?
Downman replied that he was going to Cher-
bourg to seek work there as a shipwright.
Mr. Selfe said he had been informed by persons
of high degree, and who were entitled to credit, that
no work could be obtained for English workmen in
the French arsenals and dockyards, in fact that no
Englishmen were permitted to work in them.
Downman said he knew that several men who
had gone to Cherbourg had obtained work there.
Mr. Selfe—How did you learn that?

Downman—l have seen 'a letter from an Eng-
lish shipwright I knew well in London, giving a
good account of Cherbourg, and of his having ob-
tained employment in the doc,:yard there.
Mr. Selfe—The letter may be a forgery.
Downman—No, sir, I know the handwriting.
The man says he has Bs. per day and the working
hours are less than they were here.
Mr. Selfe said he had signed other recommenda-

Lions for passports for working men about to pro-
ceed to France, and he had asked them to write to
him, and hoped they would do so, and dispel the
doubts which existed.

Downman, in answer to further questions, said
he had been chief carpenter's mate on board the
man-of-war Cossack, and had obtained no work
since he was discharged from her.
Mr. Selfe—Where are your papers ?
Downman—Here they are, sir (producing a
bundle). _ _

Mr. .Selfe, having examined the papers, said they
were very satisfactory, and granted a recommenda-
tion for a passport in the usual form.

GREENWICH.—MichaeI Quinn, a cooper, re-
siding at Rotherhithe, appeared to a summons, be-
fore Mr. Traill, charged with assaulting John
Davidson, a mechanic, in the employ of Mr. Camp-
bell, cooper, of Queen-street, Rotherhithe.
Mr. Sadgrove, who appeared for the prosecution,
said that although the defendant was merely sum-
moned for an assault, the case was one of some public
importance, arising out of a strike which had taken
place among the workmen in the employ of Mr.
Campbell, the defendant being one of the principals
in the strike, although earning as much as from £5
to £6 per week. In consequence of the strike, Mr.
Campbell had been obliged to proceed to Scotland
and engage other men, since which time he had not
only been subjected to great annoyance and intimi-
dation, but also the men who had been newly en-
gaged. He then called
Mr. T. J. Campbell, who said he was a cooper,
carrying on business in Queen-street, Rotherhithe.
He had about 200 men in his employ, among whom
were 120 Irishmen, the whole of whom, a short
time since, struck in a body, their earnings, at that
time, ranging from £2 to between £5 and £6 per
week on piece-work. In consequence of this strike
he proceeded to Scotland, engaged other workmen,
and paid their passage to this country. Since that
time there had been great excitement in the neigh-
bourhood, and witness had to obtain the attendance
of the police outside his works to prevent violence
towards himself and men.

John Davidson said he was in the employ of Mr.
Campbell, having come from Scotland in search of
employment, hearing that others had been engaged.
About 10 o'clock on Saturday night he (complainant)
was in the Watermen's Arms beer-shop, Trinity-
street, Rotherhithe, and while conversing about
Scotland the defendant's wife came in and said
" Go home to Scotland, you lousy vagabonds."
She then went out, and about a minute afterwards
defendant came in and said something about his
wife being interfered with, and instantly struck
him a violent blow with his fist between the eyes.
Robert Lett, landlord of the Watermen's Arms,
corroborated this statement partially, saying he
had no doubt the last witness was struck by de-
fendant, but he did not see the blow struck.
William Collier, foreman in the employ of Mr.
Campbell, said he was present at the time the
assault was committed by defendant, who remarked,
after striking the blow, Why don't you go back
to Scotland, and not come here to rob honest men of
their bread 9"
The defendant said that he had no witnesses
to call, but alleged that his wife was being abused
by men in the house when he interfered.
Mr. Trail expressed regret at seeing a body of
_
men, among whom was the defendant,
n , who were
capable and had the opportunity of earning such a
committed
high rate of wages as that spoken to out on strike.
The defendant had, in a cunning manner, attempted
to make
appeared tt hh aa tt
he
it consequencemitted of his
the as-
sault ; but for this there was, in fact, no foundation
lin git
abus
whatever; and here he (Mr. Traill) might remark
that the law concerning intimidation would apply
equally to women as to men. Until some of the
workmen were sent to prison for these offences, he
was afraid no great good would be effected
; and
however great a right the defendant might think
he had of beggaring himself and family by such
conduct, he had no right whatever to seek to deter
others from following their employment. In the
present case he should impose a fine of 405., or one
month's imprisonment for the assault committed,
and in addition
find bail to be of
naCqaths.

The 'Prisoner was then removed in custody.

THE EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF PROSELYTISM.—
The interest excited in Norfolk by the extraordinary at-
tempt at proselytism developed before the Norwich magis-
trates on Monday is very great. On the close of the investi-
gation on Monday, Master Vansittart was re-committed to
the guardianship of the Rev. Mr. Hodgson, at Rackheath,
and a warrant for the apprehension, if possible, of the
" Italian priest," was placed in the hands of the superin-
tendent of the Norwich police. On Wednesday evennFi
Master Vansittart was directed, by telegram,
.to
with all expedition to town, for the purpose of AIX%
a person supposed to be Giugini. The y
oliofi ail:bie trtehl The
accordingly left Norwich by thehad not transpired
result of his journey to the xnetro
up to a late hour yesterday.