The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-16 00:00:00

THE MILITIA.

The Northumberland Artillery Militia, in com-
mand of Col. Clemeutson, met at Clifford's Fort,
North Shields, the head-quarters of the regiment,
on Friday morning last. In the afternoon they
marched to the North Shields Railway station, and,
with their heavy guns and baggage, proceeded by
special train to Hexham, where they will undergo
the usual 28 days' drill.
The Royal Elthorne, under the command of
Lieut.-Colonel Murray Prior, now stationed at the
Curragh Camp, has just given 81 volunteers to the
Line, and a few months before, while at Cork, it
gave 45, -which, with 579 given previously,
.makes
a total of 805 volunteers from this regiment.
The North Downshire 11Iilitia, consisting of 20
officers and 650 men, arrived at Aldershot yester-
day from Shorncliffe.
The Fermanagh Militia have been removed from
Great Yarmouth, having left that town on Monday
evening. A disturbance which took place recently
between some of the townspeople and militiamen
was notified at the time of its occurrence in. The
Sun, and a second minor collision having taken
place, it was deemed advisable to remove the regi-
ment, part of which is to be stationed at Bradford,
and the remainder at Burnley, Lancashire.
The Ist Somerset Militia will assemble for 21
days' training and exercise, under Lt.-Col. Phipps;
on Tuesday; Oct.. 5, at the Taunton barracks. •

DEATH OF DEPUTY JOHNSON.-011 Tuekday
information was received in town of the death of John
Johnson, Esq., deputy of the ward of Cripplegato Without.
The deceased was a liveryman of the Coopers' Company for
many years, and was- a ntember of the corporation 1t years,
Laving-been chosen:for the-ward of Cripplegate Without in
1842.- He was one of thp Commissioners of bowers for tho
City of London, a governor of the Royal 1:10,001 Beth-
lehem, and ,a member of wyera of tho *Wow committees
of tilooo4lo/0911.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

CALEDONIAN.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held on Tuesday, in Glasgow—Mr. W. Johnston,
the chairman, presided.
The report was held as read.
The CHAIRMAN said the directors would have
been better pleased if they could have
.proposed
larger dividend. They were very well satisfied, upon
the whole, that, notwithstanding the stagnation of
business. consequent on the mercantile difficulties
which occurred during the half-year, they were able
to pay a dividend equal to that of the corresponding
half-year, ending July, 1857. The traffic of the pre-
sent half-year had fallen off considerably, and had
it not been for the new works at Greenock, Paisley,
Gushetfaulds, and the increase on the Lesmahagow
Railway, it was believed the decrease would have
been greater. These works had been made princi-
pally for mineral traffic, and their
.success would. be
apparent when he stated that the min eral traffic for
the half-year. ending
July, 1857, yielded .2101,878 ;
for- the half-year ending Jan., 1858, £105,328 ; and
the present half-year, £105,83-1. There was thus an
increase for this half-year on the mineral traffic over
last half-year, but a considerable falling off both in
the passenger Old merchandise traffic was shown.
This reduction had, however, been met by
dimi-
nished expenditure, and hence the same dividend
Theinterest on the debenture debt had also beei;
reduced, and it was hoped would continue to be re-
duced from time to time. - It was intended imme-

diately to proceed to the forrfiation-of the Rather-
glen and Dalmarnock branch, and the Port-Carlisle
branch, for which acts of Parliament were got last
session, and the promoters of the Biggar and
Broughton branch would immediately also make
their line, so from those feeders or outlets an in-
creased traffic was expected. The Motherwell de-
viation and the Gartcosh branch, for both of which
separate funds were raised under act of Parliament,
had been nearly completed, but the cutting of the
tunnel near Holytown was only progressing. When
the works on it Were completed expense would be
saved and danger avoided. Their stores were
larger than usual, because they had bought an ad-
ditional quantity of iron and other materials, hav-
ing been induced to do so by the cheapness of price.
On the other side of the account there was an item
of about £3,000 due to bankers. It had been re-
marked that, instead of having any money on hand
to pay the £83,000 of dividend, they actually owed
the bankers money. This was quite true, but they
were not so neglectful as to allow money to be in
bank at 2 per cent. when they could pay up deben-
tures with it, and thus save 41 per cent., seeing
that they could again reborrow on these debentures
in good time to pay the dividend, as they had done
in the present instance. When the dividend was
paid they would owe their bankers nothing, and,
indeed, the £3,000 already mentioned was a loan
only for a few days to pay off the guaranteed divi-
dends. The next subject he had to mention was the
Carlisle, Langholm, and Hawick Bill, referred to in
The report, and lost in last session of Parliament,
ft.sr the reason stated. Their proportion of the ex-
penses of it for session 1856-57 had been paid out
of the revenue, and the expenses for last session
were not yet known, as the accounts had not yet
been all received, but they would be considerable,
and nuist be met out of the contingent fund or
out of revenue, as might be ultimately decided.
The dire#ors much regretted that so much expense
had been incurred on this bill and the contest con-
nected with it, but it became necessary to defend
themselves against the attempted aggression of the
North British Company, and to fulfil their implied
engagements at the time the original Caledonian
Act was obtained to supply the district with rail-
way accommodation. Parliament in 1845 or 1846
caused inquiry to be made which was the best route
for a railway between the west of England and
Scotland, and it was found the Caledonian route
was the best suited, and accordingly an act to make
it was obtained. Afterwards the Dumfries line was
granted to Gretna only as a local line, and the
Hawick branch of the North British was granted
only to Hawick for local purposes, and several at-
tempts to extend it further had been frustrated in
Parliament, while an act was given to the Caledo-
nian to occupy the district between Carlisle and
iangholm. This line the Caledonian did not make,
a.e circumstances put it out of their power to do so
at •;the time; but now they, along with their local
allies, sought an act to enable them to fulfil their
original intention, and in this they were violently
oppAsed by the North British Company in session
1856,57; and, in consequence of this opposition and
others, the bill was lost. The directors and their
allies renewed the application last year, and the
North British brought in a bill for another route.
The bill passed the Commons, while the other was
thrown out ; but, on a technical objection, the bill
was lost in the Lords. It was understood that the
North British would this year bring in another bill
for the same purpose; and, consequently, they pro-
posed to bring in another bill also, along with their
former allies in the Carlisle, Langholm, and Hawick
line. There would thus, it was feared, be another
contest, and a large amount of expenses would be
incurred. The chairman of the local committee made
a proposal of compromise to the North British chair-
man, the terms of which were that the line should
go by Langholm, because, made in that way, it would
cost only £3so,ooo,while it would cost by tiddesdale
£500,000, and would suit the district better than
the other; that of the sum necessary to make the
.Langholm line £120,000 should be contributed by
Vie North British, the same amount by the Cale-
donian, and the remainder by the local promoters ;
that each of the parties should have two directors
at the board, that the Caledonian should work the
nen line for the first 10 years, and the local gen-
tleme n should determine how it was to be worked
afterw.ards. This proposal was at once rejected by
the North British chairman. At another meeting
he told them that it was a sine qua non with him
that the line should go by Liddcsiale, and that
whoever znade it it should be open to through
traffic from and to all points. Mr. Hodgson that
morning had tendered them a compromise, the
terms of which were, they should make the line
from the Caledonian to Canobie, and he would
make it from Canobie to Hawick by Liddesdale.
This proposed compromise was such as they could
not accept, and despairing of getting any fair terms
they entered into o n arrangement with their former
allies to ,co for a bill on certain conditions for a line
by Langholm in next session of Parliament. They
offered equal through rates on all traffics, and it was
said they would be allowed to fix them.
The Secretary then read the first resolution, ap-
proving the report, and declaring a dividend at the
rate of 31 per cent. on the ordinary consolidated
stock, and the usual payments on the guaranteed
and preference shares.
The CHAIRMAN moved this resolution, which was

seconded by Mr. SALKELD.
Mr. MEIKLAM moved, as an amendment, that, as
fully as it could be done with prudence, all prede-
termined work should cease on the Sabbath.

The amendment having been seconded by a share-
holder, a show of hands was taken, when the reso-
lution of the chairman was carried by a consider-
able majority.
Mr. JEFFREY then proposed that the directors be
authorised to enter into arrangements with the pro-
moters of the Carlisle and Hawick Railway, and
concur with them in making such applications to
Parliament as were necessary.
Mr. CAMPBELL seconded the ' resolution, which
was carried by acclamation.
Messrs. Johnston, Ainslie, and Towers, the re-
tiring directors, were re-elected unanimously.
On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, the directors
were authorised to create and issue a debenture
stock at a rate of interest not exceeding 41 per
cent. per annum, to pay off the £2,000,000 of
debentures as they became due.
A resolution authorising the Lesmahagow Rail-
way shareholders to receive a dividend was passed
unanimously.
The meeting then separated.