The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-28 00:00:00

10ti
[Ei 13 4

Paid.

body of those engineers and contractors the working of the
railways of the kingdom.
The CHAIRMAN begged to observe that nothing which
had fallen from him would justify the honourable proprietor
in making such an assertion. Mr. M'Laren had entirely
misrepresented him. Contractors and engineers were the
last people in the world who should he called upon to work
railways in the way he (the chairman) had suggested. The
persons to whom he alluded were the great carriers, such as
Messrs. Pickford, Mr. Chaplin, and Mr. Horne.-
Mr. M`LArtErt said it had been intimated to him by a
contractor some years ago that he would work the Eastern
Counties line, and in a very short time pay the shareholders
double the dividend they were receiving; but however there
were conffeting interests, which would not admit of such a
system of working being carried out. He (Mr. M'Laren)
had no doubt that the chairman and his colleagues would
countenance the suggested system, and that ere long it would
be found in existence. He ventured to say that at the bead
of the affairs would be found the engineers and contractors
of the country. He regretted that the chairman should have
felt it necessary to give so flat a contradiction to the state-
ment which he(the speaker) made the other day; he alluded to
tLe loss sustained by the Eastern Counties Company in
consequence of their connection with the Telegraph Com-
pany. He dates the loss from the agreement of 18.19 He
-
was ready to prove, on fair and equitable ii! kelpies, that
the efftet of the agreement before the amalgamation
between the companies took place was to cause a loss to
the Eastern Counties to the extent of £140,000 or £lO,OOO,
simply for the benefit of the Norfolk. (Cries a " Oh,
oh.'t) He meant the first agreement. He was ready to
prove what be had stated in the public papers. Ile must
bring to the recollection of the chairman that the whole
or the rolling stock of the Norfolk, the stores and eve, ything
else, were taken by the Eastern Counties because the Norfolk
were unable to pay the money borrowed f. otn the former.
He must repeat what he had stated at a previous meeting,
that tke Norfolk Railway, when it was handed over to the
Eastern Counties, was in a most disgraceful state ; and that
it had required an outlay of £209,000 to put it in repair.
This was up to the year 1857, and yet not a single shilling
of that amount came out of the pockets of the Norfolk
Company. He was nexticharged with having stated that
the amalgamation had been a loss to the Eastern Counties.
He was ready to prove, and that by incontestable evi-
dence, that such was the fact. He would instance one fact
in support of his assertion. The rolling stock of the
Eastern Counties had cost £1,230,943, and the proportion
of interest which the Norfolk ought to pay in respect of this
would amount to £B,OOO or £9,000, hut that company had
not paid anything in this respect. This matter ought to
have been au element in the calculations made between the
companies at the time of the amaleatnation. He repeated
that the amalgamation with the Norfolk Company had been a
disastrous one to to the Eastern Counties Railway.
The CHAIRMAN had never been so much surprised in his
life as he was at the observations of the hon. proprietor.
They had perfectly astounded him. (Hear, hear.) He had
now before him the report of the Eastern Counties line for
February, 1857, which showed the expenditure in respect of
the restoration of the permanent way for associated lines.
That amount was £191,000.
Mr. M'CLAREN repeated that it was £209,000.
The CHAIRMAN—But there were the facts, and unless
the Eastern Counties kept back an enormous amount, which
lie did not think likely—(hear, hear), the statement must
be, undoubtedly, as the outlay on the 500 miles. The charge
against the Norfolk line was, as he had stated, £62,000.
This was the expenditure over and above the guaranteed
cast of the working.
Mr. 3PLAREN—Now you have stated the fact.
The CHAIRMAN—What the hon. gentleman was doing
was to shelter himself in this way to get out of the misstate-
ment he had made—he added to the original estimated coat
of putting the line in order the amount charged over a series
of past years—(hear)—which he (the chairman) must say was
a most disgraceful attempt to injure the Norfolk Company
(Hear, hear.) As to the interest which the honourable pro-
prietor said was due to the Eastern Counties as interest on
the rolling stock employed in working the Norfolk branch,
the fact was that the question was fairly taken into con-
sideration at the time of the amalgamation. He had settled
the terms on which the division of traffic took place, and
he at the time considered the Eastern Countierfwere entitled
to one-sixth, instead of what they now received—one-
seventh. But for the sake of peace and amicable working
between the present associated companies, be gave
way ; but Pre begged to say, that the interest in the
rolling stock, spoken of by Mr. M'Laren, was fully gone
into, and fairly and satisfactorily dealt with.

The report and accounts were then adopted, and
Mr. M'LAREN moved a vote of thanks to the chairman
and directors. The resolution was carried unanimously.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-(THIS DAY).

MARLBOROUGH•STREET. PERSEVERING AND
DETERMINED PICKPOCKETS.—TVnt. Clark, 19, Win.
Burke, 14, and Margaret Clines, 26, three most deter-
mined pickpockets, were chareed before Mr. Bingham
under the fallowing circumstances:— _ _ _

Charles Cole, 317 A, a very active detective officer, said
that on the previous night, at eleven o'clock, he saw the two
lads at the corner of Coventry-street, and suspecting theta
he watched them for a few minutes, and on two gentlemen
turning up Windmill-street he saw the two lads follow them
and try one of their pockets. They then went across
Coventry-street and spoke to the female, and afterwards down
Coventry-street towards Leicester-square, and when at the
corner of Princes-street Burke tried another pocket, in Lei-
cester-square he tried another, and parsing into St. M artin's-
court, he saw him try another. He spoke to the gentleman,
who seemed indignant at the interruption, and would not take
the trouble to see whether be had lost anything or not.
He still kept the prisoners in view and followed them back
to Coventry-streett where, after they had sat on the steps of
the Argyll Rooms tor some time to rest themselves, they re-
sumed operations, trying at least a dozen other gentlemen's
pockets. He then with assistance took them into custody.
The prisoner Clines he had no doubt—as he had not seen her
take any part in the a•tempts, only keeping close to the
others—was in attendance to receive the produce of the male
prisoners' exertions.
Mrs. Harriet Durrant, the female searcher, proved findinn,
four silk handkerchit f on Clines, an Indian str.tw cigar case,
containing a purse v ith Gs., and a female's collar.
The prisoners, who seetn to be adepts in picking pockets,
were remanded.