The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-18 00:00:00

_RAILWAY IXTELLIGENCE.

LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN.
The report of the directors of this company states
that they have to submit on the 27th inst. two sub-
jects of great importance to the shareholders—viz.,
the expediency of leasing the Staines and Woking-
ham and the Portsmouth Railways. It also states
that the former consists of a double railway (18
miles in length) running out of the company's
Windsor line at Staines, and ending with a junc-
taind R
on with the e
line
eutaht Wokingham,-EasteinCompaannd ofR aea short
junction junction railway, now in course of construction at
Reading, for connecting the South-Eastern Com-
horgt
pany's system with the narrow guage lines of the
Great Western Railway, which approach that town
from the north-west. It also comprises the right,
granted by Parliament to the Staines and Woking-
ham Company, of running over the South-Eastern
Company's line between Wokingham and Reading,
and of using their stations there. The South-
Western Company have for some time past worked
the Staines and Wokingham line, under a tempo-
rary agreement, and are, therefore, not unac-
quainted with its resources ; and it is on a consi-
deration of these that the directors have arrived at
the conclusion that an arrangement of a more per-
manent character is desirable. The railway tra-
verses a favourite country for residence ; a consider-
able portion of its traffic passes,at scarcely- appreciable
additional expense, over the South-Western Com-
pany's existing line between Staines and London,
and it opens Reading,and the great convergence of
railways at that point,to the South-Western system,
On completion of the junction before referred to at
Reading, it will also afford the best opportunity of
transmitting goods without change of carriage from .
or to London and its suburbs, to or from all points
on the narrow gauge railways now worked by the
Great Western Railway Company. The lease of the
Staines and Wokingham line is proposed to be for
42 year from the 25th March, 1858. The rent is to
be half of the gross receipts of the line between
Staines and Wokingham, but not less in any year
than £7,000, this company paying the toll for the
use of the before-mentioned portion of the South-
Eastern Company's Railway, and retaining the
whole of the fares and rates received for the traffic
on that portion. The granting and accepting of
this lease were sanctioned by Parliament during
last session, subject to the approval of the share-
holders in each company. The terms of the lease
have been approved by the Staines and Woking-
ham Company, and the directors now recommend
the shareholders of the South-Western Company to
ratify the measure on their part. The undertaking
of the Portsmouth Company as originally authorised
by Parliament, consisted of a line 32 miles in length,
commencing from the South-Western Company's
railway at Godalming (34 miles from London);
running thence in the direction of the old turnpike
road by Haslemere and Petersfield towards Ports-
mouth, and ending at Havant, 66 miles frOm London,
by a junction with the Chiehester and Portsmouth
line of the Brighton Company, on which and the
joint line of the Brighton and South-Western Com-
panies it relied for its connection with Portsmouth.
The Portsmouth Company next obtained powers
for the construction of a branch between three and
four miles long, from Godalming to the South-
Eastern Company's Reading and Reigate line at
Shalford. Thus, through its junctions with the
South-Western at Godalming, and with the South-
Eastern at Shalford, it proposed to open London
by a double route to the country below Godalminf,
and by its junction with the Brighton Company s
railway at Havant, to complete a new line between
Portsmouth and London, of 73 miles only, by Guild-
ford and the South-Eastern. Each such route, it
will be observed, is considerably shorter than the
existing ones (of 941 miles) by Bishopstoke on the
one hand, and by Brighton on the other. The
Portsmouth Company, in the last session of Parlia-
ment, notwithstanding every opposing exertion of
the Brighton Company and this company, succeeded
in obtaining powers of running over the Brighton
Company's line between Havant and Hilsea, with
ibpp
obtainedeiaai
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the alternative power of making an independent
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they were excluded from the privilege they sought
of using the Brighton and South-Western
station at Portsmouth, except upon arrange-
ment with its owners, they obtained powers,
failing such arrangement, to construct an
dependent terminal station. The Portsmouth
Company have now also brought their under-
taking into a state ready for opening. Matters
ng.
thus standing, the directors were invited to con-
sider proposals for working the and for making
the
the necessary incidental arrangements as to the in-
terchange of traffic with it at Godalming, and for
the accommodation of such traffic between London
and Godalming. The directors, after close and anxious discussion, have at length succeeded in
making a provisional agreement of lease, on terms
which they can recommend the proprietors to ac-
cept. The Portsmouth directors long maintained
that their undertaking deserved a considerably
higher rental, and some influential proprietors of
that company appear still to remain of that opinion ;
but although the rent conditionally agreed on
(XlB,OOO a-year) will give no very high return to
their shareholders on an outlay of nearly half a
million, the directors believe that it is a fair and
full rent, and such as should be agreed to by the
proprietors in both companies. The lease is pro-
posed to be for 99 years—a virtual perpetuity ; the
line is single throughout, with land, tunnels,
bridges over and under, culverts, &c., for a double
line, portions of double way at convenient intervals,
and eight stations are to be completed with the ne-
cessary conveniences:to the satisfaction of this com-
pany's officers. The lease will vest in the South-
Western Company the right of exercising all the
powers and privileges of the Portsmouth Company'
(except those relating to their capital and internal
regulation) on the same terms and in the same
manner as the Portsmouth Company mi ht, if
working their own railway, exercise them. If the
proprietors desire the agreement provisionally made
carried out the directors believe they will be able to
bring it and the arrangements incident to it to a
satisfactory conclusion, For this purpose they ask
the proprietors to confer on them the necessary
discretionary powers. In conclusion the directors,
state that, should the lease of the Portsmouth Rail-
way be taken by the company, the proprietors may'
rest assured that the directors
will continue in the
earnest desire to remain on friendly terms with the
Brighton Company.

COLNE VALLEY EXTENSION.
A movement is being made for extending the
line of the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway to
Audley End through Haverhill and Saffron
Walden.

LEDBURi AND HOPRI3ROOK.
It is proposed to construct a line of railway on
the broad guage from Ledbury through Marcie,
Dymock, and Newent to the Hopebrook station of
the
ehe Hereford R ,
Ross and Gloucester Railway,
w di communication can be had with
London, South Wales, or the north.

STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON.
On Wednesday morning this company's tunnel
branch line of railway, which extends from the eat
of the Shildon tunnel, a short distance from Bisho2
Auckland, to St. Helen's, Auckland, was opextea
for the conveyance of passengers to the latter place
and West Auckland. Th. I,a been for
tium use a tor the conveyance of coal,
coke, &c., from the numerous collieries in
the vicinity of the above village. The new
line -is about three miles in length, and will
enable persons in the district to reach Bishop
Auckland and Darlington with facility, in'
stead of being compelled to. travel by the Barnard-
castle branch via Staindrop.

DUTCH RHEMSH.
The receipts on this line for the fortnight ending
the 30th September amounted to £7,426, and for
the corresponding period of last year to £6,926,
showing an increase of £5OO, The receipts since
the Ist of May, including the above, amount to
£75,164, showing an increase over the correspond-
ing, period of last year of £5,389. The working
expenses for the fortnight ending the 30th of Sep-
tember amounted to £2,823, or 38.01 per cent. of
the receipts, and from the Ist of May to the 30th
of September to £28,142, or 37.44 per cent. The
accounts for the last year having been kept upon a
different system, no fair comparison of the fort-
nightly expenditure is possible,er n
ebeuttt.he expenditure
of the year 1857-58 was 55 per

ALARMING RAILWAY CoLLrsloN.—An alarming
collision occurred on Friday afternoon, on the Birkenhead,
'Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction Railway, near Cheshire.
An express train ran into a light (or detached) engine ; and
by the shock 14 of the passengers in the express train were
more
or less injured ; but, so far as is known, none seri-
ouslv. The injuries were Chiefly cuts and bruises from Tho
shock of collision.—Manchester Guardian.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—The following
gentlemen having undergone the necessary examinations for the diploma, were admitted members of the college at me
te i ngessrs ofJohntheCurt of Examiners on the 15th inst.; viz.
Thos. Wynter, Winslow, Bucks ; Chas.
James Rix, Manchester • George Todd, West Auckland,
Durham ; Henry Horsfail, Matham, Yorkshire; Adolphus
Frederick Graham, Rirklinton, Cumberland ; Joseph Henri
Thomas King, Moreaby, Cumberland; Samuel Bradshaw,
Stratfordn-Avon ; Nathaniel Paine Blaker, Hurstpier"
point, Sussex.; George Gilbert Angell, Sutcliffe, Ratimmes,
Dublin ; Elisha Harrie Lineker, Balderton, Newark-on—
Trent _; and John Buolconharn, Refute.
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