The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-06 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

On Monday, in Lord Redcsdale's Committee,
House of Lords, the Bradford, Eccleshill, and Idle
Bill, to raise £65,000 by shares and £21,600 by
loan, to make a railway from Bradford to Idle,
was passed.
In Room B, House of Lords (Standing Order
Committee), the London and North-Western (New
Works,&c.) Bill, to raise £1,500,000 by shares and
£500,000 by loan, was heard and adjourned. The
following Bills were passed :—Great Yarmouth
Fish Wharves and Tramways ; the Severn Junc-
tion, to make two branch railways ; the Wrexham,
Mold, and Connah's Quay (Extensions), to raise
£lOO,OOO by shares and £33,300 by loan, to make
four railways ; the Wrexham, Mold, and Connah's
Quay (Additional Powers), to raise £200,000 by
shares and £66,600 by loan, to make six railways ;
the Great Northern (Barnet Branch Abandonment) ;
the Metropolitan and St. John's Wood (Capital),
to raise £200,000 by shares, and £66,000 by loan ;
the Harborne, the Crofthead, and Kilnarnook Ex-
tension, to make two railways, the Leven and East
of Fife ; and the Whitby, lledcar, and Middles-
borough Union, to raise 1250,000 by shares, and
£83,300 by loan.

In the House of Commons. Group 1 A.—The
London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, various
powers (recommitted) Bill was passed.
In group o, the South-Eastern and London, Chat-
ham, and Dover (London, Lewes, and Brighton)
Bill was again heard and adjourned.
In group 14, the Midland (Ashby and Nuneaton,
&c.) and the London and North-Western and Mid-
land Counties Coal Fields were heard and adjourned.
Group 18.—The Caledonian and Scottish North-
Eastern (Amalgamation) Bill was further heard and
adjourned.

Group 18A.—The preamble of the Caledonian
(Edinburgh Station) Bill, to raise £250,000 by
shares and £83,300 by loan, was proved. The Cale-
donian (Corstorphine Junction) was adjourned.
Group 19.—The Caledonian (Lanarkshire, &c.,
Branches) was heard and adjourned.

PENINSUSAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVI-

CATION

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday, at the offices, Leadenhall-street ;
Mr. H. Anderson in the chair.

Mr. C. W. Howell, the secretary, read the re- j
port, which .stated that Messrs. Scott and Co., of
Greenock, having completely repaired the hull of
the Columbian, and having also agreed to fit the
vessel with new and more powerful machinery, the
board had entered into an agreement for the repur-
chase of this vessel on favourable terms. Looking
to the ne •
cessity of maintaining the company's fleet in
a thoroughly efficient condition, as well for the exe-
cution of the Postal services
as to meet the increas-
ing requirements of commercial traffic,
the directors
had purchased the following vessels
1,284 tons, 250-horse power the :--The Avoca,
Malacca, 1,700
tons, 300-horse power; and the Sunda, 1,700 tons,
300-horse power. All those vesselsuwere in a forward
state, and would be completed in abouta '
two months.
The steamtug Saada, built for the Aden station, had
been completed, and left for her destination en the
19th inst. The repairs and refit of the
China and
Chl
Ceylon had been completed, and both vessels had
been brought into active service again with very
satisfactory results. The Candia was receiving new
boilers and a thorough refit at Calcutta, and the
Nubia was to enter upon active service on the 20th
inst., after undergoing similar repairs at Bombay.
The directors greatly regretted the loss of the Jeddo,
from striking on the Choul Cader reef, near Bom-
bay, on the evening of the 2d of February last. The
e"in___ Palay's superintendent had been able to remove
much valuable property from the wreck ; but this
misfortune would probably create a charge of not
less than £60,000 on the underwriting account for
the year. Thei circumstances of the case had been
ffi ocially invtist
gated at Bombay, and the directors
were sorry to add that
the commander, who had
served the company well
g the
16 years, had been in
default for negleetin
euse of the lead. The
a the H
Select Committee
the
practical working of
of Commons for the
country
purpose of inquiring into
the present system of telegraphicarand postal com-
e
inunications between this u
Indies was still sitting ; the direcytors and the East
responded to everyrequest from its member
had readily
enabere for
information relative to the operations of the com-
pany, had submitted evidence tending and g to
• correct
impressions which had
many erroneous obtained
currency on points relating to the proper execution
of the mail services, and otherwise affecting the inte-
restsT of the proprietors. The forthcoming report of
the committee would probably contain recommends-
tionsfor considerable changes in the existing lines, and
the directors would be ready as on former occasions to
undertake public services on terms based on an equit-
able consideration of the claims of the community and
the interests of the shareholders. The purchase of
the vessels referred to had rendered a call of £5
on the new shares necessary, and it was not im-
probable a further call might be required towards the
end of the year. The operations of the half-year had

been on the whole satisfactory, but, owing to the
high and increasing prices of coals, wages, &c., the
directors were unable on the present (.(casion to
recommend any addition to the usuil half-yearly
dividend of 31 per cent., free of income-tax.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, stated that he need not trespass on their
time much more than a few moments. The Select
Committee of the House of Commons had been en-
gaged in their inquiry relating to the telegraphic
and postal communication between this country and
India. The directors had given every information,
and during his absence in Egypt the company had
been well represented by their able and worthy
secretary, who had prepared a clear and useful
statement for the committee on the postal service,
which did him a greakdeal of credit. He thought
that some of the members had commenced the in-
quiry with certain views which on examination they
probably found were very different to the facts. He
thought the shareholders would feel very much
obliged -to the secretary when they saw the blue-
book for the clear manner in which he had stated

their case. He then adverted to the of
certain matters in Egypt. On his recent visit to
that country his reception by the Viceroy as repre-
senting the company was very friendly. That ex-
pression was not in words only, but in affording
the company facilities for its business. At the port
of Alexandria, which was very crowded, they had
convenient premises granted them. The Pasha had
given them a coal depot convenient to the railway.
He had ceded a new line of railway to Suez, which
was shorter than the other, and almost entirely
level, over which the company would be able to send
their coals at about half the present cost. At the
port of Suez there was a repairing dock construct-
ing by French contractors for the Pasha, and would
be opened in a very short time as a repairing estab-
lishment. The Pasha was also reclaiming a plot of
ground as a landing wharf at Suez. The roads at
present were about five miles from the town.
He hoped to be able to report more at the next
meeting on that point. He then explained the
great advantages to Egypt of the present mode
of succession in a direct line, so that the Pasha was
deeply interested in the prosperity of the coun-
try, and not as formerly, having only a life interest,
and but little inducement to develope the resources
of the country.

Mr. Hanow seconded the motion for the adop.
tion of the report.

Admiral COFFIN, in alluding to the loss of the
Jeddo, thought the regulations of the company were
not sufficiently definite and stringent. He made
some suggestions for that purpose.
The CILURNAN, in reply to those and other ob-
servations, said the directors had already provided
in their regulatioas and instructions to commanders
for every point the gallant Admiral had mentioned,
and he thought the Admiralty would do well to
adopt those regulations in her Majesty's service.
The company had above 60 ships, and navigated
about 1,500,000 miles a year. He thought they must
expect something like the loss of a ship every year.
They had been their own underwriters for 20 years,
and the usual rate of insurance was six guineas per
cent. The whole of their losses to the end of the
past half-year only amount to 255. per cent., which
showed on the whole how carefully their ships had
been managed.

Admiral HALL explained that the directors were
very particular about the ships' logs in the case of
any loss whatever ; the instructions with regard to
using the lead and other precautions were ample,
and ought never to be neglected.
In reply to questions it was stated that there were
constant complaints as to the Australian postal
service, but under the circumstances it was carried
out as well as it could be. The navirr,ation to Aus-
tralia was difficult, and everything had been done
to make it better. He hoped the shareholders would
make a point of getting a copy of the Blue-book on
the postal service, when issued, in which they would
.see the whole matter fully explained.
The report was unanimously adopted, a dividend
of 31 per cent. for the half-year ending March 31
last was declared payable on the 25th inst., and the
proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the
chairman and directors.