The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-14 00:00:00

NORTH BRITISH.

A special meeting of the ordinary shareholders of
this company was held at Edinburgh on Tuesday,
Mr. Hodgson presiding, for the purpose of consider-
ing the propriety of subscribing a fund for the pur-
pose of making a line through Berwickshire.
The CHAIR➢iAN stated that the directors had
agreed to recommend the shareholders to subscribe
the sum of £50,000 towards the proposed railway,
on condition of the local promoters first contribut-
ing £50,000 and becoming liable for all preliminary
and Parliamentary expenses in the event of the Act
not being obtained. The proposed line will be 20
miles in length, and will run from the terminus of
the Dunse branch of the Berwick line to St. Bos-
well's, on the Hawick line, thus forming a connect-
ing link between the east and west portions of the
North British Railway system. The estimated cost
is £lOO,OOO, to be raised as above stated ; and should
it be exceeded the borrowing powers will be exer-
cised. The line is to pass Earlston, a manufactur-
ing town, and Greenlaw, the county town. The
chairman, who expressed his belief that the line
would be remunerative in itself and advantage-
ous to the North British, moved that the sum of
£50,000 be contributed.
_ _

Mr. SrnoT, deputy chairman, seconded the reso-
[ution.

In reply to Mr. Murray,
The CHAIRMAN stated that the directors did not
feel that they were in a position to receive tenders
for the construction of the Galashiels and Peebles
line till the Border Union line, from Hawick to
Carlisle and Hexham, was opened.
The resolution was unanimously carried.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL _ENGINEERS:

At the meeting of this institution, on Tuesday,
Mr. George P. Bidder, the president, who occupied
the chair, alluded to the singular fact of its having
one
loss
se first meeting of the
announced th
late
en session,his painfult
o noticedu t y
the, of
dis-
tinguished members
p enson
Robetrot
mention
of some old and o
the profession. Thus, he
'Phish9hadd distinguished
Locke,Alr. Baruudneulo,
now he
theednegcienaeseerOf Sir 'William Cubitt:
mem-
ber of the institution, and waszea a
housvleyr y o a
sslids
tedin
its early struggles, and, as a vice-president and
a s president, had lent effectual aid in extricating
it from its financial difficulties. He was early
distinguished for his knowledge of mechanical
engineering, in which branch ho introduced some
ingenious improvements. Among his principal
civil engineering works were mentioned the South
Eastern and the Great Northern railways; the
gigantic floating landing stages at Liverpool, the
iron bridge at Rochester, and the :effective super-
intendence of the construction of the Crystal
Palace in Hyde-park in 1851, which service was
recognised by her Majesty conferring on him the
honour of knighthood. Sir William, unlike other
members, had attained an advanced age, and during
his long career had secured the respect and esteem
of all his professional brethren, as well as the
cousideration of all with whom ho was brought
into contact. His success was doubtless in a great
degree to be ascribed to the
n s,ou feelingl
nndenmeots
esr
rymvild
ofs ex-
pressed
his
early mechanical experience, which he never failed
to impress upon all the younger members of the
profession. His loss would be sincerely felt by
ti
the society of which he had been so useful -a
woumember;ld
be ks eopu t,t the
and(t‘ri,
i.
e 0
pit
Joseph
the
that
h;
h
president,et SirinstWilliam'sit uon by the works of
Cubitt,
who had succeeded
his
Thef at father
paperin readthe council.
was,
On the Hooghly and the
Mutla," by Mr. J. A. Longridge, M. Inst. C.E.