The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-22 00:00:00

17,082/., the lands soldlaving brought good prices.
The remaining surplus property not required for
the purposes of the railway will be offered for sale
as opportunities occur. The attention of the direc-
tors has been much occupied during the present
session of Parliament by the proceedings involved
in the application made for a relief line of railway
from Lewisham to Dartford. It also became the
duty of the directors to oppose the competing
scheme of the E Ist Kent Company
.for a line be-
tween Strood and St. Mary's Cray, by which, in
conjunction with the Bromley to St. Mary's Cray
and the West-end and Crystal Palace lines, they
sought to procure an access to London entirely in-
dependent of the South-Eastern system, and there-
by to enter into co.. tition for the whole of tLe
continental, D. -• terbury, and Strood. traffic.
The princip fed for by this company be"-
fore n wakhi_that the East Kent Railway,
es for miliiry and lccal considerations,
aiad present Parliament in the first instance as
a line in eiTelision of the North Kent Railway,
ought not now to be treated as a portion of an en-
tirely independent scheme. After a protracted in-
vestigation, this view was adopted by, the com-
mittee of the House of Commons, who passed the.
Greenwich Junction to Dartford Bill, rejecting the
East Kent Bill, and, by their report to the house, re-
cognised the just claim of the South-Eastern Com-
pany to protection from unnecessary and injurious
competition, such asthat contemplated by the scheme
of the East Kent Company. The directors regard
the decision thus come to by the committee of the
House of Commons, and the important principle
which it recognises, as of the greatest value to the
interests of this company and of all railway pro-
pertx. The directors, however, regret to add, that
the bill, after having received the sanction of the
proprietors, and been introduced into the House of
Lords, was-rejeQtecLby their lordships' committee,
in. so far as.perateZto the formation of the proposed
relief line of railway between Ltwisham and Dart-
ford. The proprietors have already been informed
that the committee of the House of Commons, be-

fore passing the preamble of the bill, required the
directors to give them a pledge that they would call
the proprietors together, with a view to providing
a communication with the West-end of London.
The chairman, in declaring the decision of the
committee, made some remarks wYch would ap-
pear to itt_tirna+4 thit the-committee considered the :
scheme proposed incomple'e, inasmuch as it did.
not provide such a communication. And the di::
rectors have reason to believe that the committee of
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this company in the present session has, therefore,
received the Royal assent limited in its objects
principally to the formation of the junction at Tun-
bridge, and the increase in the qualification of di-
rectors from 6001. to 2,0001. stock, to be held for
three months previous to the date of election ; and
further, that 21 days' notice bo given of the inten-
tion of any proprietor to offer himself for the office
of director. Application was made by this company
for a bill authorising the connection of the Reading
and Reig,tte branch of this railway with the narrow
gnage of the Great Western Railway. The Staines,
Wokingham, and Woking Company applied for
similar powers, and the Great Western Company,
as well as the Corporation of Reading having
given the preference to their scheme, the bill
promoted by this company was rejected, and that
of the Staines, Wokingham and Woking Company
was passed, after your directors had succeeded in
obs awing the insertion of clauses by which this
compiny will secure the full advantages of the junc-
tion, whether constructed by the Great Western,
or by the Staines, Wokingham and Woking Com-
pany. The directors considered it to be their duty .
to oppose the passing of the bill authorising the
formation of a line from a point on the East Kent
Railway to Herne Bay—in which, however, they
did not succeed. The South Loudon Railway Bill,
the Mid-Kent and South-Kent Railway Bill, were
also opposed by this company, in concert with the
Brighton Company, and rejected by Parliament."