The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-17 00:00:00

SOUTH-EASTERN.

The report of the directors to be presented to the
proprietors at the special general meeting and the
twenty-eighth half•yearly general meeting of the
South-Eastern Railway Company, to be held on
Thursday, the 19th inst., contains the following state-
ments :

" The directors have to report, that the receipts of the
South-Eastern Railway Company for the half-year
ending on the 31st July, 1850, have bees 291,2461. 10s.
3d.; and the working expenses, 103,9731. 16s. ld. The
revenue account is charged in the present half-year with
the sum of 19,2941. 43. 10d., to be added to the fund
already laid aside for the renewal of engines, tenders,
carriages, and other stock of the company. The rates
and Government duty amount to 25,0841. Is. Id.; the
rent of the Greenwich, Canterbury, and Whitstable, and
Reading, Guildford, and Reigate Railways, to 37,916/.
4s.—which sums, in addition to the interest on the mort-
gage debt and guaranteed stock of the company and a
provision of 8641. Is. 7d. for bad debts, make a total
deduction from the gross earnings of 218,575/. 2s. 9d.—
leaving, together with the amount at the credit of profit
and loss, after providing for last half-year's dividend, a
balance available for dividend of 113,4781. 14s. 7d.
" The total increase in traffic on the main lino for the
last half-year, as compared with the corresponding half
of 1849, is 15,6571. ss. I Id.; of this sum 12,634/. 103. sd.
is from passengers, and 3,02/. 154. 6d. from goods, tic.
The returns on the North Kent lino from passengers for
last half-year, compared with the preceding one, show a
decrease of 4,321/. 9s. 9d.; but this is accounted for by
the half-year including the month of January getting
credit for the large amount received in that month for
annual tickets. The decrease of 4,4861. 6s. 6d. in the
receipts from passengers on the Greenwich branch has
evidently been occasioned by the abstraction of traffic
from that line to the North Kent. The :through-traffic
to and from London and Folkestone, Dover, Ramsgate,
and Margate, for the half-year ending on the 31st July,
1849, was 53,0891. 15s. 4d.; 31st July, 1850, 62,8921. 11s.
4d.; increase, 9,8021. 168.
" The communication between Folkestone and Bou-
logne by a tidal service, leaving one harbour and ar-
riving at the other, now takes place twice each way
in the twenty-four hours; the Boulogne and Amiens
Company contributing an allowance towards the ex-
pense of the nightly service. Between Dover and
Calais the communication takes place three times
each way in the twenty-four hours; namely, twice
at a fixed hour by the steam-packets of her Majesty's
Government and that of France, and once by the steam-
ships in connexion with this company, at tide time, al-
ways leaving one harbour and arriving in the other
without the use of boats; to this service the Northern of
France Railway Company contributes jointly with this
company. This latter service accommodated 6.777 pas-
sengers last half year, in comparison with 4,403 in the
corresponding half of 1849, showing an increase of
2,374 passengers. Between Dover and Ostend her Ma-
jesty's packets and those of the Belgian Government
perform a service from Dover to Ostend every evening.
(excepting Sunday),and from Ostend to Dover every even-
ing (excepting Saturday), and a service is also performed by
the Belgian Government's steamers, in conjunction with
those of the South-Eastern and Continental Steam-
packet Company, from Ramsgate to Ostend, every Mon-
day, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning,
and from Ostend to Ramsgate every Sunday, Wednes-
day, Thursday, and Saturday morning, from harbour to
harbour.

" The 61i hours now occupied in the journey to Mar-
seilles will be materially reduced as soon as railway
communication between Paris and Marseilles is com-
pleted, and this route will then, the directors confidently
believe, be adopted as tie general (me for the Mediter-
ranean, the East, and for the Overland route to India.
" The division of the joint station at the London-
bridge terminus took place on the 2d of August, in ac-
cordance with the Act of Parliament regulating it. The
tooommaoniaegseme and management
ex of-
directors expect all the works, buildings, and platforms
connected with the terminus will be completed within
two months from the present time, and it is certain that
great advantage willthen
the traffic. The lease of the Reading, Guildford, and
cßheaigngateed on the
Railway
ylsth was
sealed accrue
of March last; the rent payable by
this company, of 41,0001. per annum, being at the rate
by both in
h pa
80f005,010205i, 6d.com per
cennt. per annum on the capital of
from that date. The directors
anticipate a growing traffic on this line, and they trust
that, although some time may elapse before it prove re-
munerative, the proprietors of the South-Eastern Com-
pany will obtain that credit for promptly maintaining
that engagement to which their good faith entitles them.
The improvements that were required at the Brick-
layers' Arms Station for the goods department are
rapidly approaching completion, which is the case also
with the accommodation required to be provided on
" The directors think the proprietors may safely anti-
cipate a gradual and satisfactory increase of revenue
linesthe Nrrtthhleielinkte apuud rpoßseea. ding, Guildford, and Reigate
from the goods traffic. The traffic at Folkestone, in
merchandise from France, is increasing; the Customs
duties received at that port, which were 4,0081. in 1847,
8,218/. in 1848, and 42,2601. in 1849, amounted in the
last six months to 41,3161., which affords satisfactory
evidence cif the preference which the port of Folkestone
will obtain when it can present equal facilities iu all
other respects, as well as the advantage of speedy deli-
very. The South-Eastern and Continental Steam Packet
Company are making arrangements for a daily steamer
for the carriage of merchandise between Boulogne and
Folkestone. Hitherto there has been one on only three
days of the week. Conveniences will be provided at the
London-bridge terminus for the examination of valuable
goods as soon as possible. The establishment for the
repairs of carriages and waggons has been removed
to the new buildings at the station at Ashford. The