The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-17 00:00:00

HALF-YEARLY MEETING—(THIS DAY).
The ordinary half-yearly meeting of the share-
holders in this company was held this day at the
Paddington Station, for the purpose of receiving
the directors' report, and other purposes.
The routine business having been transacted,
The CHAIRMAN rose to move the adoption of the
directors' report, which states that a comparison of
the revenue account during the past six months
with those of the same period in 1859 shows that the
increased receipts on the Great Western amounted,
on passengers and mails, to £15,022; on goods,
minerals, and live stock, to £48,880 ; and on
parcels and all other income, to £3,881 ; total
increase £67,783, and the increased charges
£19,050. On the Shrewsbury railways the increased
receipts on passengers and mails amounted to
£1,401, on goods, minerals, and live stock to
£5,654, avid on parcels and other income to £585 ;
total increased receipts, £7,640, and the increased
charges were £14,151. The increased receipts on
both lines for the half-year amounted to £75,423, and
the increased charges to £33,201, leaving a net bal-
ance for the half•year, being increased profit, of
£42,222. The increase of expenditure arises princi-
pally under two heads of charge—viz., the removal
and repair of carriage and waggon stock in the
southern division of the line, which exceeds that
of 1859 by £13,980, and the outlay for relaying
about 17 miles of permanent way in the northern
division, as well as that for narrow gauge plant,
amounting together to £9,970, as the increased
expenses connected with the Shrewsbury lines.
Those two branches of expenditure represent to a
great extent substantial improvements to the
property of the company, and augment in the ag-
gregate by £23,250 the revenue disbursements of the
half-year. The report goes on to state,—" Advert-
ing to the 'General Revenue Account,' the directors
wish to call the attention of the proprietors to three
points; firstly, that the tolls for the use of the
Brentford Railway and docks are included i❑ it ;
the actual tonnage conveyed during the half-year
having been 52,655 tons of goods (exclusive of
coals, &c.), which exceeds the minimum quantity
of goods stipulated to be paid for under the lease;
secondly, that the Kennet and Avon Canal has
for the first time yielded to this company a profit,
instead of leaving a deficiency; and lastly, that
the total sum reserved out of the South
Wales dividends, in pursuance of the report ap-
proved at the meeting on the 17th of August,
1854, has exceeded the estimated loss on the lease
to that period, for which such reservation was
ordered to be made. That loss since 1854, as shown
by the South Wales accounts, has been written off
in each half-year as soon as ascertained; so
that it seems probable, when an equitable and
final adjustment can be made of all accounts
between the two companies, the entire dividends
belonging to and receivable by this company for
South Wales Stock will be brought to the credit of
the general revenue. The directors recommend
that a dividend, at the rate of 3 per cent, per annum,
should now be declared out of the disposable
balance of £129,046 4s. 91, to be payable on
the Ist of September to the proprietors of Great
Western consolidated stock and Windsor shares,
leaving the sum of £5,487 ls. 11d. to be carried
forward to the next half-year.
The motion was agreed to.
A resolution for the payment of the dividend and
a vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the pro-
ceedings.

LONDON AND NORTR-WESTERN

RAILWAY.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING (THIS DAY).
The ordinary half-yearly meeting of the share-
holders of the London and North-Western Rail-
way was held this day at the Euston Terminus.
The usual routine business having been trans-
acted, and the report (which has already appeared
in The tun) taken as read,
The CHAIRMAN rose to move its reception and
adoption. Having alluded to the present satisfactory
position of the company's affairs, he proceeded to
notice the principal points of the report. The re-
ceipts from passengers, parcels, and mails, it ap-
peared, amounted to £946,526, bring an increase
over the corresponding half-year 0f1859 of £55,048; I
ditto from merchandise, &c., £1,065,816; increase,
£124.397; total, £2,012,342; increase, £179,445.
Working expenses, £869,619; increase, £80,363.
During the past six months the increase in
the number of passengers and tons of goods car-
ried, and of train miles run, as compared with the
corresponding period of 1859, has been—Passen-
gers, 264,355; goods and minerals, 575,394 tons.
The statement of the half-year's accounts showed
that the net proceeds were £607,279 10s. Bd. ; to
which the balance carried from last account, £10,870
75., showed a disposable balance of £618,149 17s,
Bd. ; dividend recommended (5 per cent.) £605,341
8.4. 6d. ; balance to be carried to next account,
£12,808 9s. 2d. The directors recommended the
payment of a dividend for the past half-year after
the rate of 5 per cent. per annum, carrying forward
a balance of £12,808 9s. 2d.

After some discussion the report was adopted,
and shortly afterwards the proceedings terminated.

Their Serene Highnesses the Prince and Princess
Leiningen have left Howehin's Hotel on a visit to the
Queen at Balmoral.

His Excellency the Belgian Minister and Madame
Van de Weyer leave town to-day for New Lodge, Windsor
Forest.

Maria Marchioness of Ailesbury has left Hert-
ford-street for Pencarrow, Cornwall, on a visit to Lady
Molesworth.

The Countess Dowager of Jersey has left
Berkeley •square for Brighton.