The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-17 00:00:00

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-RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

PRICE 4d.
STAMPED sd.

referred to, however, are not to be neglected, if they
are useless. They are to he connected by ditch from
Gomer to Elson, but as the forts themselves will not
be complete before Decem-ber,1862, probably by that
time they may be ordered tb be pulled down again,
so that their construction will not much signify in
their case alone. The warnings inculcated in the
public mind by these repeated failures and mistakes
give but little hope of an, y reasonable return for the
immense outlay the proposed experimental fort-
making on Portsdown or on the shoals surrounding
Spithead will involve. :Sebastopol's greatest forti-
fications were made on the spur of the moment with
the pick and the spade, by the indomitable perse-
verance of a man of genius. The pick and spade
would also play an important part in England in
the event of an enemy ever landing. Portsdown-
hill, should such an event as invasion ever threaten,
could, by the aid of the garrison, the labour of the
town and dockyard, the convicts, &c., be rendered
impregnable in a very few hours. The proposed
and existing works and forts for the defence of
Portsmouth, it must be borne in mind, would require
the whole British army to take charge of. What
is required is a good military road, covered with
a rampart, contiguous to and parallel with
the sea shore. Heavy and light batteries of artillery
manoeuvring on this road, backed up by the regu-
lar army and Volunteers, would render more
efficient service than all the costly schemes that ever
emanated from the brains of the Royal Engineers.

COLNE VALLEY AND HALSTEAD.
The report of the directors states that the line to
liedingbam was opened 'on the Ist of July last,
making nine miles now open. The contractor states
confidently that if he gets possession of the land
required. he will be able to complete the line to
Haverhill by the end of the present year. The
application to Parliament for power to extend the
railway from Haverhill has been unsuccessful, the
Eastern Counties scheme to make a line to Cam-
bridge having been granted in preference, but the
Eastern Counties Company is bound by the 29th
clause of their Act to make and open their line to
Cambridge previously to opening the other rail-
ways granted by the same Act. The Eastern
Counties Company are also bound to take and work
the railway, if this company call upon them to do
so, on the terms of paying over 50 per cent, of the
earnings. The capital account shows that £129,980
had been expended. The revenue account for the
half-year ending the 30th of June last shows that
£1,155 had been received, and £1,142 expended
leaving a balance of £l3.

Ports.
to 61st

SOUTH WALES.
The directors of this company have decided on
recommending a dividend for the half-year ending
the 30th of June last at the rate of .£2 15s. per cent.
per annum, leaving a balance over of about X 2,300.
The dividend for the corresponding half of 1860
was at the rate of 2 per cent. per annum.

GREAT WESTERN.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday, at the Paddington. station—the
Earl of Shelburne in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, explained the various causes which had not
only prejudicially affected the traffic during the
past half-year, but added to the expenditure—the
; principal cause being the weather, and an abstrac-
tion by the South-Western line of a portion of the
Exeter traffic. He congratulated the shareholders
on the fact that the narrow gauge between Padding-
ton and Reading was rapidly approaching com-
pletion, when the full advantages of the arrange-
ment with the West Midland would be felt, the
northern traffic being enabled to come over their line
without break of gauge. He also anticipated
favourable results from the Birkenhead lines as soon
as the Birkenhead docks were completed. In reply
to questions, it was stated that an attempt had been
made to put an end to all disputes with the South
Wales line by a complete amalgamation, and offers
had been made that, of the total receipts, the share
of the Great Western and the West Midland lines
should be 89.4, and of the South Wales, 10-6. These
terms the directors of the latter company had de-
clined, wanting 11 out of the 100, which the directors
of the Great Western did not feel justified in the in-
terest of their shareholders in giving. Great stress
was laid by some of the shareholders on the aggres-
sive policy of the South Western Company, and the
directors were advised to take care that the An-
dover and Redbridge line did not fall into the hands
of that company. The chairman deprecated any
discussion on the subject, though the directors were
fully alive to its importance; and also explained his
concurrence in certain observations relative to the
pressure of taxation upon railways, and the desi-
rability of cultivating the traffic with Ireland when-
ever it could be advantageously done. The report
was adopted and the dividend declared.