The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-14 00:00:00

rat's and other materials, which the Oxford, Worcester, and
Wolverhampton Company were willing to give instead of
the payment they had agreed to make. There would be
further sums available from the Bedminster and Yeovil, ss
that the only sum would be £1,107 for labour. There was
another resolution for authorising the construction of a bridge
over the West London, the total cost of which would be
£lO,OOO, which was to be shared by the Great Western and
the London and North-Western ; the proportion which each
was to pay being left to arbitration. The bridge was abso-
lutely necessary for the convenience of the traffic upon both
lines. The crossing was now on the level, and the question
was constantly arising whether the trains of the Great
Western should wait for those of the North-Western or vice -
versa". The cost of the bridge would be less than that of the
litigation which would arise if the question were left open,
Mr. MILLS moved that the £37,000 should be applied to
the payrf.ent of dividend.
Another PROPRIETOR seconded the motion.
Mr. SAINSBURY wss decidedly in favour of postponing
the dividend.

The CHAIRMAN said that the directors, after maturely•
considering the question, had come to the coacliesion that
they would, by retaining the balance in hand, materially
improve the financial position of the company. The deben-
tures would, dining the next half-year, be more readily
taken up, and at a lower rate of interest, if they had. the
balance in band, than if they had not. The preference
hc'ls!ers would knew that they were certain of their divi-
dends, and generally the financial .position of the company
would be improved.
Mr. STURGE and other proprictars strongly mom-.
mended that the balance should Stand ever till the next
half-year.
Mr. ATKrNsox (one of the directors) had objected to the
payment of the dividend on the last occasion, and told the
hoard ,then, as lie told the meeting now, that it would
be the ruin of the company if they had a dividend for
the next three years. (01i, oh.) There was not in
point of fact a divisible surplus of £37,000; £lO,OOO of
it was a balance caried over as a charge against
the South Wales Railway, and it wes not certain-
that it would be acknowledged. Besides this, there.
was £15,000 not acknowledged by thes South Wales, which
had been taken into account and divided. Both'of these
sums might become chargeable to revenue in future
years. He did not say it would be so, but at present the
South Wales Company had not acknowledged the debt.
There was also £0,2L0 on the Shrewsbury lines taken into
the account which was not paid, and was not to be paid
until November. He had recommended that a fair and
reasonable sum should be put to the debit of the account, to
meet the charges in dispute with the South Wales Company.
The answer that the directors gave was, that to do so would
be to admit the claims the South Wales Company made,
which they did not.
A PROPRIETOR—And a very good answer, too. (Hear.)
Mr. ATKINSON had told the deputy-chairman, three
years ago, that there would be no dividend.
Lard BARRINGTON—But I was not obliged to believe
you.
•
Mr. ATKINSON—But it now turned out that he was
right. (Hear.) He had told the late Mr. Russell, years
ago, that by the time the whole of the lines were finished the
Great Western would not pay 2 per cent. Mr. Russell
laughed at him, and replied, << Oh, impossible; under no
circumstances can tke Great Western pay less thn 4 per cent." He strongly advised that the whole of thensurpins
arising on each half-year's working for the next three years
be applied to the payment of the debts of the company, and
placing it in a sound financial position; their shares which
now stood at £5O, would then be at least £6O. ,
The CHAIRMAN explained that Mr. Atkinson had, in
conference with the directors, admitted that the £lO,OOO
ought in strictness to appear iu the accounts. This £lO,OOO
was not disputed. (Yes.) No; the South Wales admitted
the £lO,OOO, but they said they lead claims against the
Great Western in respect to another account which the
Great Western bad against the South Wales. There could
he no question that in respect to interest, dividends, and
other claims, a much larger amount would come into the
revenue of the Great Western ultimately than was now k
credited.
Mr. MILLS, after Mr. Atkinson's explanation, would
withdraw his motion.
A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the business
of the meeting.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held at the Euston Station yesterday:—Sir Harry Verney, P. in the
chair.

Mr. Wm. Long (the secretary) read the advertisement
convenieg the meeting and the report of the directors,
which stated that the rent for the half-year ending the 31st
December, 1857, amounting to £24,900, had been duly
received from the London and North-Western Railway
Ccmpany. This sum, added to the balance brought from
the last account, amoucted to £26,281 13s. ld. The pay-
ments to the proprietors during the half-year had been as
follow :—Arrears of dividends paid since last account,
£lB2 is. 6d. ; paid on last dividend, £24,209 19s. 6d.—
leaving a balance of £1,889 121. id. to be carried forward to
the next account. Owing to the depressed state of trade
during the last six months, the traffic of the line showed a
decrease as compared with the corresponding half-year of
1857.
The CIIAIRNIAN moved the adoption of the report, and
expressed the regret of the directors that the traffic bad
slightly fallen off, owing to the general depression which,
had prevailed throughout the country. Though the traffic
had fallen off as compared with the corresponding haifof the
two previous years, it was in advance of all previous years,
and he could assure the proprietors that everything was
done to promote the bests interests of the company.
The report was adopted, and Mr. Carter re-elected an
auditor.
A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings.

EAST LANCASHIRE.
The balr-yearly meeting was held at Bury. The report
an abstract of which has already appeared on Thursday,
was taken as read.

Mr. T. DUODALE, chairman, in moving the adoption of
the report and accounts, said the revenue of the past half-
year, as compared with the corresponding half of 1857,
showed a falling off of £8,023. This was caused by the
great depression of trade. There had also been a compara-
tive increase of working expenses, because light trains could
not be worked at proportionably less cost than full ones.
The attention of the directors, however, bad been
turned to a more economical working of the traffic by
using coal instead of coke, from which great advantages
were already accruing. Mr. Lees, their locomotive superin-
tendent, lead already adapted many of their engines to the
purpose at a cost of only X 4 per engine, while the cost of the
apparatus for consuming smoke would only be about 20s,
per annum. The advantages of this change would be un-
derstood when be told them that the quantity of coals con-
sumed would be only the same as they had used of coke,
while the cost of coal would be truly one-half. A great
saving had been effected by this means during the past half-
year, but it had been more than counterbalanced by the
falling off in traffic. The merchandise traffic had been in-
creasing for some time, leading to the impression that the
commercial gloom was passing away. In fact, the returns
from that source last week showed an increase of £22.
There was a decrease in the passenger traffic still, but it •
must be remembered that the returns were now being com-
pared with the exhibition traffic of last year, and an allow•
ance should be made on that account. Tbe directors recom-
mended that they should withdraw a small portion of the
reserve fund under these circumstances, and makes divi-
dend of 31 per cent. •
Mr. BLACKLOCK secondtd the adolltion of the report.
Mr. BRADSHAW said be found the reserve fund to be
£70,000; but he found no interest put down as accruing
from it, which would not be the case unless the directors
kept the money locked up in a box. He thought they
should take some of it to replace the deficiency in dividend.
The CHAIRMAN said tlie,y were drawing to a small extent
upon the reserve fund -to Make up the dividend; but as they
had to replace some portions of the permanent way, it was
undesirable to draw deeper upon this reserve. Tbe reason
no interest was placed against this item was, that the
' amount of reserve fund had been lent to capital, and thereby
they bad avoided making
(Hear, hear.)
an extra call upon the share-
holders. The report was put and carried unanimously. •
A resolution was also adopted declaring a dividend at the
rate sf 31 per cent. per annum on the general share capital
payable ou the Ist of September.
Tbe meeting was then made special, and a resolution
adopted. authorising the issue of new shares under the bill
for purchasing the Blackburn Railway, for the purpose of
paying off all or part of the moneys required in discharge
of the liabilities of that company, and for redeeming the
ordinary preference stock ef the same company.

WEST DURHAM.
ton heT annual meeting of this company was held at Darling-
n —r. .
hePlews in the chair.
The report statyedM thatN
t accounts for the year ending
the 30th day of June last showed an available balance of
£4,072, out of which the directors proposed a dividend of
the rate of 10 per cez.t., less income tax, payable on the
18th inst., which would amount to £4,580, and leave £383
for the next account. The reserve fund of £2,500 remained
in the same position as at the commencement of the year.
Resolutions were passed adopting the report, declaring a
dividend at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum, and re-
electing Mr. J. Pulleine and Mr. J. Buckton, the retiring
directors, and Mr. M. Middleton, the retiring auditor.

SALARIES OF STIPENDI;LItY J UDGES.—There are
now in the United Kingdom of Great Britain end Ireland
54 judges of superior courts, with salaries of £241,804, and
395 judges of inferior courts, with salaries of
XR92,663,
making a Wel of 449 judges, and £534,467 amount of
salary. In England the Lord High Chancellor receives
£lO,OOO a-year ; the Lords Justices of Appeal, £6,000 each;
the Master of the Rolls, £6,000; and the three Vice-Chan-
cellors, £5,00 each. The Lords Chief Justices of the
Courts of Queen's Bench and Common Pleas receive
£B,OOO each, and the puisne judges £5,000 each; but the
Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Sir E. Pollock)
has only £7,000. The Judge of the Court of Admiralty
receives £4,000, and the Judge of the New Probate Court
(Sir G. Cresswell), £5,000 a-year. The Bankruptcy Com-
missioners in London receive £2,000 each, and those in
the provinces, £l,BOO each ; the First Commissioner of the
Insolvent Debtors' Court receives £2,000 and the other two
colon2issioners £1,500. each. Twenty judges of County
Courts receive £1,500, two £1,350, and 38 £1,200 each.
k Eighty-five rnxising barristers receive £2lO each. The chief
magistrate of the city of London receives £1,503, and 22
irferior magistrates £1,200 each. In Ireland the Lord
Chancellor receives £B,OOO a-year, and the Master of the
Rolls £3,969. The Lord Chief Justice of the Court of
Queen's Bench receives £5,074, that of the COMMCVI Plf.s!
£4,1112, and the Chief Baron of the Exchequer 4,ll.ScTont.e.
puisne judges receive salaries or £3,688 to £3,725•
Court rt. Jusii-
land the Lord Jusrlce-Generel in the High
' ciary and Lord President of the Court of
bile 11 Lords
£4,800, and tt:e Lord Justice-Cleric £4,500,
.tv
of Session al'id Justiciary receive £3,000 each.
ARMY is a balawe of
Session
ARMY I'nm MONEr.—There
the account of unclaimed
£43,571 on the debit side o
31st of December, 1857, but it
and in the Bank of
tie0y,,286 Os. Bd:sytock
• army prize money from the
.18ftitsrisoetfxo1J)bi aaeinn:lseadarybto,b‘la,
above,
0 It
ttthotohuteghhe
account
armyre
ut.
en
aetpsli:e,i(!,laieDl:rjexistence of this amount
Threeit:i7itlietbdejthollennenec
eoof ii:tesr of
thstandiag the balance is on the
odEfnsgtitolacsnkiddea£:',l,lB.;s3sceB:llhl6l:clultdt'ille investment, in Vie stock having
beeneb made when the funds were very low, and from the sales
been from, tune to
s oc
wchaesnioitnl:peqriucietsed, were
rleaerionosiderably hitcher.vreeA effectedut, a
OUVER'S ISLAND.--The House of Commons
time
Nc
hat ordered a return of lands in Vancouver's Island sold to
with the names of the persons
any iudividusl or coapany,
cr company to whom such lands have been add, and the
localities iu which they are situate, Inade'ap from the reports
of Mr.' J. D. Pemberton, colonial surveyor. The list of
holdets of lands fils two pages of a Psrliarnentary paper.
The Hudson's Bay figures fur 6,190 acres in the Nan aimo
district, and for 1,130 in the Victoria district, (apart from
smaller portius of land elsewhere. The extent 0' ,l ail
brought under cultivatien cannot be ascertained.