The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-02 00:00:00

LONDON .MONDAY EVENING,

r

RAILWAY INT k LLIGENCE.

NORTH 'STAFFORDSHIRE.

.
The half-yearly meeting of this cempany was held on
. Friday at Stoke-upon-Trent ;Mr. J.. 1... .Ricardo, MX,
in the chair.
The report and statement ofraccounts; no abstract of
which has appeared in The Su. 4, were submitted.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said that a considerable increase had taken place in the
local traffic. Tne traffic they had secured had not'only
been obtained without any assistance from the London
and North-Western Company; but; he might say, in the
face of opposition on the part of that cotnpany. They
were enabled from the resources of the line to,.declare a
dividend at the rate of 31 per' cent. per annum foil the
half-year, which amount they had fully and fairlyearned.
Witb regard to the state of their traffic, he ini..zlit,tnen
tion that of the 688,798 passengers conveyed`over the
line 643,354 were local passengers, and 43,444%thrhugl
passengers or rather through and• local yasserigers, a
it wa's difficult, to Separate them. 'With regard to the
• gooria 'traffic, of 455,836 tons chnveyed "over the line
269,000 tons consisted of local,traffie, and out of the
total receipts for the traffic,. amounting .to 73,485/.,
tire Sum liof 54,4881.' was' received ,for local. traffic;
The•ndneral was nearly, all . Neal-U.o4c, for out .4
194,26,4 tons only. 11.686 tons consisted of througl
traffic. ' Ttiese facts showed' Itrivii 'entirely dekeild'eni
,hey were on their own reiources• fee the dividend
they had earned and were enabled to declare. Tbe
Atriduht hatided• to'thin hnder the' agreement with the
London and .Norih Western Company as their proPerl-
tion on account of the Manchester traffic was abou
1,2001. less tha❑ in the corresponding 'half f)f 'deaf year
although it was reported that the London arAl North
Western Company were going to, pay a larger dividend
and there could be no doubt that the traffic of that cow.
pany was larger than ever, although the. amount handed
over to them .was less. Tney had,no means of checking
;11,e,accou ts, and .were so far at the mercy of the London
'aid .N. 67 :W.,,nitiii*OciisPanylir rt4fek--to the--arter'
0
nt..--- hey- had no alternative but to take what was
given to them. The law charges amounted to 1,902/.
during the half year, and i,cluded every item under
that head. An item of 1,0001. 'in connection with the
clearing house department has been brought into the
pat half-year's account, though it properly belonged to
the current half year. He mentioned these matters with
a view to show that everything had been charged against
revenue, and that they had not divided any more than
they were strictly entitled to. They hat' nearly earned
4 per cent., which was the utmost amount contemplated
by the arbitrators as to the value of their undertaking.
It showed that those gentlemen had not formed too high
an estimate, but that, blocked up as they were, their net
earnings would eventually very much exceed that
amount. Having congratulated the shareholders on the
sound and prosperous position of their undertaking, he
expressed his belief that their prosperity would be pro-
gressive. (Cheers ) ._ _

- Mr. BRODRICK seconded the motion for the adoption
of the report, which was carried unanimously.
A dividend at the rate of 3! per cent. per annum,
payable on the 21st of February, was declared, and the
pr,ceoilegs concluded with a vote of thanks to the
chairman and directors.

OXFORD, WORCESTER, AND WOLVER-
HAMPTON.

The report of the directors of this company congratu-
lates the shareholders on the improved position of
their property ; it states that traffic of every kind has
increased, that the working expenditure bas diminished,
and that the company has surmounted much of its,
former embarrassment. The accounts of the half-year's
working show a total receipt from all sources of
111,7731., and a total expenditure of 56,9314.—5h0w-
ieg a balance of net profit of 54,8421. ; which sum,
Ater deduction for •intereet, dividend on new deben-
ture stock, rent of the Stratford and Moreton Rail-
way, &c., allows a full dividend of 6 per cent. to the
first preference shareholders, leaving a balance which,
added to the small balance of last half-year, will
amount to 8251. The capital has been increased by
129,6391., and the liabilities have been reduced from
231,6321. to 110,8561. Of the new capital authorised
to be raised by the last act in debenture stock 88,954/
has tern created at .4 per cent. All the second
rtraranteed stock belonging to the company, formerly
in the hands of Sir S. M. Peto, has been restored to
the company by the repayment of the calls a ivanced
by that gentleman, whose contract for the remain•
ing works of the line has thus ceased. The
directors report that the traffic is still much re-
tarded on account of the paucity of sidings from the
main line into the large iron and other works, and the
want of acc,manodation at many of the stations. These
deficiencies will be supplied as the finances of the com-
pany and circumstances admit. The Worcester and
lleten)rd Company have commenced the works on their
undertaking in the neighbourhood of Malvern and else-
where, and the directors look with great anxiety towards
its progress. It is proposed to ask the consent of the
proprietors to enter into a working arrangement with
tite.prtjecied Severn Valley Railway Company. Both
the South-Ristern and Staines and Wokieghain Com-
panies are applying to Parliament for a narrow gauge
junction between the Reading station and Oxford and
Basingstoke line, either of which, if obtained, will give
a through route from Worcester to Dover. The loans
of the company falling due have been readily met, and
in no case at a higher rate than 5 per cent. The perma-
nent way and works are in a satisfactory state .A large
amount has been expended in the halt-year, in the re-
newal of rails, and will continue under this head for some
considerable period. The directors direct especial atten-
tion to the reduction of the working expenses of the
company, the rate during the last half-year having been
50.93 per cent in comparison with 68 per cent, in the
six months ending June 30. The expenditure would
have been less but for the deficient state of the engine
stock. The directors assure the proprietors that all
attention shall be given to the working of the railway in
the most economical manner consistent with the real
•
Interests of the concern.

•
Naval and Military intelligence.
_ The following changes are to be made among the staff
and medical officers at Chatham garrison :—Second-class
Staff-Surgeon G. Hyde, M.D. to be attached to thl
Provisional Battalion ; Second-c! Staff-Surgeon
Poole, to be stationed at the invalid dep St. Mary's
Barracks ; Staff-Assistant-Surgeon R. W. Woolcombe
is ordered to be relieved from any fart kar,dutY
at Chat-
ham for the purpose:of proceeding to Plymouth, whey€l
be will be stationed; Acting-Assistant-Surgeon H. W 4
Hubbard has received notice that there is no longer an)
,occasion for his services.
The 'following officers have joined their respective
regiments at the Pt oviSicinal Battalion, Chatham, for this
purpose of taking the,cominard of the depots of their
c.,rps, viz :—Brevef-Majo"r j R. Heaton, 37th Regi
tneint, end Brevet-Major Afollan, 75th Rel.inv-mt-
TharMaAra, 6, ir steam trpop,hip, Commander
Purvis, will'm oi?
embark about, lednesday nee- 150 of the
33d 'awl 400 of the 85th e Ma.urititv. These troops
arrive(' Piortsrn4uth.garrn on Thutsday, and took
up cluarters at Hadar.andl'ort Monckton. The Meg
L,Ol. a will touch at the' Cape 'tif Good Hope, thug 'offering
,the first chance of forwarding letters, e4c.
The Diadem, 36, experimental screw frigate,, is .being
vapidly .fitted with Iser 800-horse power engines;, by
, andslay and Co. The Diadem, when launched, was
i.prescrked an armament of entirely 68-pounders, except
two ot guns on the ripper deck, which were to be 10.
inch. This seems to have been changed for the folloWing
—Main deck, 20.10.,inc1i, throwing hollow shot of 841 b.;
upper deck, 14 32-pounders of 45 cwt, , and 9 feet long,
and 6.sponfiffer;;- ~.. If this Ve'siorreot.it ;will give a total
fire of 2,2641 b. (1 ton 4 cwt,), or a broadside at each dis
charge of 1,1321h.—(12 We give below the princi-
fdEittarils of .ther'three punt powerful ships of, their
respective classes in the. British flee, and of the late
Abitdrto our outhern• ports from the United States—
!thii;Merritna,C-bp.iihic'i it will be seen that the Diadron,
alth!fugh 1,400 tons less than the Ainerican frigate, will
thr 0 w neatlmzaa, 'bretiv.l s i (304,4
-
Horse , Feet in. Weight in
Guns. power. Length. Tons. Broadside.
Duke of Wellington 131 700 240 3,700 2,3591 b.
Shannon 5l 600 235 2,667 1,114 i
Diadem 36 800 240 2,479 1,132
Merrimac
* Pierced for 60.

With the exception of the Duke of Wellington, the
weight of the broadside is calculated on the assumption
of the 8 and 10-inch guns firing hollow shot ; of these
the Shannon has 30 8-inch; the Diadem 20 10-inch, and
the Merrimac 40. With all solid shot the Shannon would
throw a broadside of 1,3291 b.; this, however, it is Raid,
she is not intended to do, the 10-inch gun being designed
for hollow shot.

The Royal Frederick sailing three decker of 110 guns,
built after the model of the Queen, and which has been
on the stocks at Portsmouth for the last 20 years, 10 or
more of which she has been ready for launching, his
developed practically the experiment she has been kept
on the stocks to exhibit, viz.—whether ships would keep
as sound out of the water as in it. An examination re
cently has shown that dry rot has been largely ai work
with the lower extremity of the ship, much of the keel,
&c., being affected by it. It is now talked of lengthening
her, and making her a steam 130-gunship, but to do this
the slip which she bas so long tenanted and the shed
over it must be lengthened to meet the improvement in-

The Imperieuse, 51, screw frigate, Captain R. B.
Wat,os, C.B will be paid off at Portsmouth on or about
Thursday next. It is reported that Captain Watson
will be next appointed to relieve Commodore Trotter in
command of the squadron on the Cape of Good Hope
station.

On Sunday last five artillerymen put off from'the Bar-
bican, Plymouth, in a small boat, intending to visit
some comrades at Bovisand battery, near the eastern
entrance to the Sound. A thole having broken, and
the wind being strcng from the northwaid, they were
driven into the, Channel, where they passed the night,
and on Monday, when near the Eddystone, were picked
up by the outward bound Prussian barque Michael,
which placed them on board a pilot boat. They landed
at Fowey, and returned to Plymouth the same day. Col.
Pester, commanding the Royal Artillery in tho Western
District, has addressed to Mr. Luscombe, the Prussian
Consul, a letter of acknowledgment of the humanity of
Captain Muller in rescuing the men, and of the kindness
they received on board.
The screw corvette Pelorus, 21, sister ship to the
Satellite, will be launched from the Devonport dock-
yard on Thursday, and not on Tuesday, as previously
stated.

COULT OF ALDERMEN.