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

CI N®. N T FM.-
t 18,091.1 LONDO, UESDAY E r3
yz -4,tt L=;---,i4 9 SEPTEMBER 17, 1850.
•PItMSGBCI9 r•S

NEW AND EA
CHP EDITION.
AR DEN IN G.
THE FRUIT, FLOWER, AND KITCHEN GARDEN.
By PATRICK NEILL, LL.D., F R.S.E.'
Se,retary to the Caledonian Horticultural Society.
Fourth Edition, Revised and Improved, illustrated with upwards cf

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

locomotive repairing shops there are being completed
I according to the original plan. Sixty new houses for
the workmen were built last half-year. The report
of Mr. Barlow, the engineer-in-chief of the company,
showa that the line from Ashford to Hastings and
St. Leonard's will lee completed in three weeks,
and that the principal portion of the line from Tun-
bridge Wells to St. Leonards may be opened in three
months. The directors look forward anxiously ts the
completion of these works as the meat important stsp
toward closing the capital account of the company. The
public sales of surplus property have already been satis-
feetorily made, and the directors wi.:l proceed to dispose
of the remainder as eircurestancrs permit. The amount
remaining at the credit of the account for the renewal of
permanent way, locomotive and other stock, now amounts
to the sum of 39,6571.45. sifter charging that account
with the sum of 5,4011. 12e. Id. for renewals effected in
the last half-year. The directors are inclined to believe
that the amount laid amide by the charge that has been
made against revenue for renewals is in excess of the
proportion that will hereafter require to be set apart for
this purpose; but it is satisfactory to know, that if an
error has been committee, it is on the safe side.
"Ia aesordance with the resolution passed at the last
half yearly general meeting of the proprietors, that sal
classes of shares in the capital of the company be con-
verted and consolidated into capital stock at 301. for
each share, and 10/. for each third share, on and after
the Ist day of May, ISSO, that consolidetion has been
effse:ed. Tao sum of 616,0001, of the nominal capital of
the company is thereby extinguished. That amount
may he looked upon as representing 244 504/. Ga 21 lost
by the issue of the original shares at a discount and the
sale of forfeited shares; and the sum of 371,495/. 13s. 101
in part of the interest paid to the proprietors of the Nos.
3 and 4 shares, out of those capitals respectively. The
sum of 371,492/. 13s 10d. so extinguished is to be de-
ducted from 9,245,029/. 3s. 711 e this total expenditure of
the company, as shown in the annexed accounts, which
experdiiure is thereby reduced to 8,873,533/ 9s. 9d.
" Tfse present meedug has been specially convened for
the purpose of submitting to the proprietors r,solutiops
to confirm, if they sac fir, the resolutions passed on the
15.,11 August last, admitting the Nos. 3 and 4 share-
hollTs to a participation in all dividends to be there-
after declared, including the dirirlend for the pest half
year. The amount of the balance at the credit of profit
and loss, 113,478/. 14s. 70., wili allow of a dividend for
the half-year at the rate of 3 per cent. per annum on the
consolidated stock of the cernpany, aeter providing the
gurenteed dividend at the rate of 4i per cent. per annum
on the preferential stock Lsued. It will be observed
that the dividend will be payable on the capital expended
on the Ashford enl Hastings, nod Tunbridge Wells and
rieslings lines, which ase net yet opened for traffic. The
injunction granted by the Court of Chancery to restrain
the company from paying a dividend until the Ashford
and Hastings line is open for public traffic will make it
necessary that the resolution declaring a dividend should
make it payable after that event has occurred.
" At the last half-yearly meeting of the company the
following resolution was passed:—`-That a register of
the shareholders of the company, with the amount of
shares or stock they individually hold, be made up and
published annually, and that every shareholder be en-
titled to have one upon payment or is.' The time has
not yet arrived at a hich it would be necessary to act
upon tbi; resolution, and the directors have, thercf are,
the opportunity of submitting, for the consideration of
the proprietors, the inexpediency of publishing the
amount of stock held by each shareholder. The direc-
tors submit that this publication would prove detrimen-
tal to the genera! interests of the company ; and, in
order that the proprietors raay dispose of the question
upon adequate notice, the directors will bring it before
the meeting.
" Since the commencement of the present half-year
the traffic has shown symptoms of further improvement,
which must be as gratifying to the proprietors as it is to
the directors, and looking forward to the Great Exhibi-
tion of next year, and to the completion of this com-
pany's lines of railway, and of those from Paris to Mar-
seil:es, the directors
.trust that they may anticipito an
era fraught with greater success to tho Seuth-Eastern
Company than the past has been. No efforts shall ho
wanting on the part of the directors to secure the inte-
rests of the company."
Tnen follow the engineer's and auditors' reports.
Voluminous statements of accounts are annexed to
the report. The revenue account for the half-year
ending 31st July last shows the total receipts to have
been 291,246/. 103. 3d., and the expenditure (includ-
ing rates, taxes, tolls, and Government duty) 148,352/.
23., leaving a balance to be carried to profit and loss
account of 142,8941. 8 3. Gd.
The reserve fund account showed a total (after de-
ducting the expenditure in renewals fur this half-
year) of 39,6571. 4 Gd.
The returns showed the total number of miles run
by pas,!,cnger, goods, and pilot engines to be 1,059,860
miles, at a cost of 3.3584 of a penny per mile.
The statement of the capital account showed the
receipts for tho half-year to have been 504,748/. Ms.,
which, added to the amount received up to the 314 t
January, 1850, makes a total of 9,206,0121. Os. 61,
leaving the balance overpaid to the 31st July last
39,017/. 3s. ld. The expenditure for the half-year
was 360.706/.125. 3d. ; which, added to the amount
expended up to the 31st January, 1850, makes a total
of 9,245,029/. 3s. 7d.
The debenture account showed a total outstanding
on the 31st July last of 1,418,9821, contrasted with
a total outstanding on the Ist February last, of
1,156,4321.
The return of rolling stock to the 31st July last
showed 134 engines (passenger and goods), 224 first-
class carriages, 123 second-class ditto, 132 third-class
ditto, 38 luggage vans, 61 horse boxes, 64 carriage
trucks, 1 post-office carriage, and 1,132 merchandise
waggons (inclusive; of goods, cattle, timber, &c.,
waggons and bricks).

READING, GUILDFORD, AND REIGATE.
The adjourned halfiearly meeting of this company
was held at the offices, 2, Royal Exchange-buildings,
yesterday ; Mr. Gerrard (a director) in the. chair.
After the usual preliminarie,a
The ChAIRMAN said he had mach pleasure in in-
forming the proprietors that the company had received
their dividend froM the South-Eastern Ciimpany, and
the money would he distributed among the share-
holders forthwith, perhaps in a week. He had to
apologise for: the chairman of the company (Alderman
Salomons) not being present that day, on account of
Lis being detained in Germany on business ; but be
had desired him to state to the meeting that had he
felt any uneasiness at the presert position of the com-
pany, he should have been there; but he considered
the late proceedings in the Court of Chancery as
utterly futile and abortive. He (Mr. Gerrard) was
not aware that he could say more on the subject than
what they had seen themselves in the'reports of what
took place before the court, and, the result of which
was, that the injunction sought was not granted.
But certainly that result might have taken place in
terms rather more flattering to the justice of their
cause ; for Lord Langdale spoke much of counter
equity, as if their cause was not good, except fOr that
counter equity. In all law proceedings there must
be more or less of uncertainty; but he could assure
them that their legal advisers (and there were none
better to be found in the world) were gtill as firm
and confident as ever in the conviction that their
lease was valid, and nothing on earth could disturb
P.—(hear, hear.) having said this much, and the
money being put in the ,companj'Ahands to pay the
present dividend, he would now ca'l on the secretary
to read the general account up to the present time,
and then they could go on with the resolutions
for carrying on the. business of the day.
The SECRETARY then read the statement of accounts
up to the 2.1 inlt.; from which it appeared that on
the capital account there had been expended
800,000 L, and received 799,324/.; leaving a balance
of 676/. to be mei fed. The revenue account showed
that the receipts for the half-year from the South-
Eastern Company amounted to 19,902/. ls. Bd., of
which 3,1741. 14i. 21 had been expended for interest
on bonds, leaving 16,7271.75. 61. applicable for divi-
vidend, which at per Cent. would absorb 15,9891.
163. 4d., leaving a surplus of 7371. 1 ls. 21.
The CHAIRMAN then moved that the report and the
statement of accounts just read be received and
adopted.

60 Woodcuts. Price 3s. 6d.
"One of the best modem books on gardening extant."—Loudon's
Gardener's Magazine.

" Practical gardeners and amateurs owe a debt of gratitude to him
for his excellent work on horticulture, which is now one of the stand-
ard works on the branch of science of which it treats."— Professor
Dunbar's Speech in the Caledonian Horticultural Society.
A. and C. Black, Edinburgh; Longman and Co , London.

Carried unanimously.
Resolutions, declaring a dividend of 51 per cent.,
less income-tax, on the paid capital, and fur changing
the periods of holding the two half-yearly meetings to
March and September, were then submitted to the,
proprietors, and unanimously adopted.
In reply to a question from a shareholder,
The CHAIRMAN stated that, under a resolution of
the proprietors, the directors would continue to re-
ceive 1,0001. a nnuallifor their services, and that 3001.
would continue to be allowed them by the South-
Eastern Company for the management of the office of
the Reading, Guildford, and Reigate Company.
A short discussion relative to the legal proceedings
now pending with regard to the lease to the South-
Eastern Company then took place, in the course of
which the Chairman intimated that the litigation was
instituted by a private individual, who was-formerly a
• director in the South. Eastern Board, and the ground
of objection alleged against the lease was, that the
Act did not allow this company to grant or the S.nath-
E astern Company to take a lease of this line. It was
sought by a mere legal quibble to upset an honour-
able agreement between men of business ; but even if
the decision ai unfavourable to this company (of
which he had no fear), the South-Eastern Company
would be bound in equity and justice to adhere to the
bargain which they had solemnly entered into. The
board of this company and the South-Eastern board,
he was happy to say, cordially co-operated in resist-
ing this attempt, dictated by personal feelings, to dis-
turb the existing lease.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the.
business.

AWFUL EXPLOSION OF FIRE-

WORKS.

One of the most frightful explosions of fireworks
that hare occurred in the metropolis for many years
happened yesterday at a few minutes before noon,
and speedily laid in ruins a large amount of property,
besides seriously, if not fatally, injuring the proprietor
of the manufactory, and one of his men. A great
many other persons, some living many hundred yards
from the immediate scene of the catastrophe, were
badly hurt, and we regret to state that a lad, in the
progress of the engines to render assistance, was
knocked down by one of them, the wheels of which
pass( d over his neck and head, an caused his almost
instantaneous death.

The scene of this disaster was Weaver-street Spi-
telfieldl. The premises were in the tenure of Mr.
John Clitherow, an artist in fireworks, who carried
on an extensive shipping and wholesale business-at
No. 13, in that street. The building in which the
explosion occurred was upwards of 50 feet broad, and
was erected at the rear of the private dwelling-house,
and divided into three or fpur compartments. One
was used as the mixing-house, another was termed
the filling-room, and one place, rather larger than
the two preceding, was used as a store-house, which
was filled with articles of the most explosive charac•
ter, including fire-balls used for battering or blowing
down stone walls, maroons, Roman candles, and
rockets. It appears that the first explosion happened
in what is termed the mixing-house, at which
time only Mr. Clitherow and one of his
men were at work. It is supposed that whilst en-
gaged at their dangerous calling some of the rockets
must have fallen to the ground, and that the force of
the blow caused them to explode. In an instant a
series of loud and fearful explosions followed, which
made a noise like the roar of a park of artillery. At
the same time some hundred rockets shot through
the roof and ascended many feet above the house-
tops,whilst two men, who have since been ascertained
to be Mr. Clitherow and one of his workmen, were
blown out of the building into the yard. They were
immediately dragged away. Two young men, named
William Cawood and John Elfenbein, had climbed
over the back wall in the hopes of rendering assist-
ance, when another and a still louder explosion than
the first happened, and some score of fire •balls and
maroons rose to a great height, showering their con-
tents in every direction. Houses nearly a quarter of
a mile distant suffered severely, whilst some buildings
nearer were partially riddled, the furniture destroyed,
and the occupants thrown into an indescribable state
of alarm. The two men who had thus volunteered
their assistance were obliged to lie down in order to
allow the combustibles to fly over their
heads, but ono was notwithstanding severely
injured by a fire-ball striking his knee-cap.
The noise occasioned by the second explosion
had scarcely subsided when the contents of the store-
room became ignited. This part of the factory was
in a line with the backs of the houses in Weaver-
street, whilst Buxton-street bounded it on the other
side. New Church-court and another alley, termed
Weaver'e-court, ran between the factory and the
houses further off. But although those buildings so
closely surrounded the manufactory they proved of
little avail in preventing injury and destruction from
extending. When the third explosion, which is de-
scribed to have been in the magazine as well as the
store, occurred, the houses in Weaver-street, Spicer-
street, Buxton-street, and New Church-court were
shaken to their very foundations; window-frames.were
forced from their bearings, the roofs broken in, and
the furniture thrown into the utmost disorder or bro-
ken into fragments. The force of this third explo-
sion was so severe that nearly every window in All
Saints' National School was forced in and the gla•s
shivered in all directions. In the lower school-room
there were 113 infants in the gsllery, and a great
many of whom were forced down, but with the excep-
tion of a few slight cuts, occasioned by the shower of
broken glass, escaped unhurt.
When the explosions had subsided, the manufike-

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[PRICE SD.

tory broke out into a general mass of fire, which at
one time threatened destruction to Mr. Dew's timber-
yard and carpenters' workshops. Fortunately, the
engine belonging to Messrs. Trueman and Hanbury,
the brewers, two of the parish, several of the Lon-
don Brigade, and West of England Company quickly
attended, and owing to the exertions of all present,
the Ilemes were prevented from extending beyond the
factory.

The moment the fire was extinguished the firemen
commenced an inquiry with a view of ascertaining
the extent of the mischief done ; but some time must
elapse before the whole of it will be known. The
following damages were ascertained :—The premises
of Mr. Clitherow, used as the.firework factory, blown
down, the contents consumed, and private residence
very extensively damaged, the roof being displaced,
window-glass demolished, and furniture much broken.
About twenty houses belonging to dr. Dew, the
builder, in Buxton-street, are very severely damaged.
The major portion of the large sheets of plate-glass
in the goods depot of the Eastern Counties Railway
in St. John-street, a long distance off, is demolished.
All S lints' National. School and the church are
seriously injured, esspecially the former building, as
scarcely a window is left entire. Numbers 10, 11, 12,
13, and 14 in Spicer-street, have the windowsiforced in,
the roofs broken, and the furniture of the occupants
destroyed. Numbers 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19,
in Weaver-street, are similarly damaged. On the
other side of the same street, the houses numbered 1,
2,3, 4,5, and 6, are extensively shattered and the
furnithre broken: The Spitalfields Catholic Schools
have also received material injury, bat none of the
children were hurt. The silk works of Mr. Jeffrey,
in front of the factory, have also sustained -great
damage, and so has the stock•in-trade. The whole
of the windows in Mr. Dew's carpenters' workshops
are deinolished,uncl the roof of his painters' shops forced
in. Nearly the whole of the houses on the north side of
Spicer-street are also more or less injured. In fact,
as far as the eye can reach, nothing but broken glass
and roofs displaced can be seen. Mr. Harris, one of
the inspectors of the H division, has lost a consider-
able deal of property, and his son, who was lying ill
in bed, had a narrow -escape with his life. Almost all
the occupants of the above hcuses were thrown down,
but happily, with one or two exceptions, they re-
ceived only trifling injuries. Mr. Clitherow and his
workman, John Wheeler, have been removed to the
London Hospital, where they remain in a state of
great suffering.
At nine o'clock last night a number of inhalitants
of houses in Weaver-street, let out each to several
families, were standing in the street afraid to return
to their homes "lest in the shattered state of the pre-
mises they should fall upon them. The greater part
of their humble furniture had been broken to pieces,
the ceilings thrown down upon their beds, and every-
thing of a brittle character destroyed. We also
learned that the whole of the skylights which covered
the workshops belonging to Messrs. Link and Sons,
musical-string makers, were forced out at the time
twelve young women were at work under. The
glass fell upon and severely cut several of them. Some
idea of the force of the explosions may he formed
when it is stated that one of Mr. Dew's workmen was
blown from a stack of timber into a sawpit, and Mr.
Reynolds; the high constable of the Tower Hamlets,
who was.as far distant as the Commercial-road, dis-
tinctly felt the earth vibrate under him. Mr. J.
Cousitis, of Fleet-street, Spitalfields, is the owner of
several houses in Weaver-street, and the destruction
to bis property is very great. The buildings were all
insured against fire in the Sun office, but the policies
of insurance state that the company will not hold it-
self
responsible for any loss occasioned by explosions.
It has been ascertained that the youth who was
killed by the engine was in the employment of a
merchant in the city.

11R. GORHAM AT BRAMPPORD
SPEKE.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
BR iMPFJRD SPZKE, SUNDAY AFTURNOON.—This
being the day appointed for Mr. Gorham to preach
the first sermon in his own church, great interest and
anxiety prevailed to see Mr. Gorham and to hear him
preach. Bramford Speke is distant about five miles
north-east from Exeter. I got up at an early hour
and wandered along from the city of Exeter till I
arrived at the church. The walk from the city
along the Creditonsroad is one of the most romantic
walks in Devon, or, perhaps, in England ; there
is the carriage-road and a foot-path. The foot-path
is cut out of the bank or siding, and in awn*
places it ascendaavn or more feet above the car
road ; then a quarter of a mile level, then deset7birg
undulating, till you come on a level with the carriage
road, near to the railway-bridge, which crosses the
Bristol and Exeter Railway. Along this foot-path
there is a noble line of oak, beech, elm, and ever-
green pine trees, and here and there are seen large
trunks of oak and pine trees literally covered with
ivy. While walking here you are shaded from the
sun, from the east wind, and you can see below vehi-
cles of every description pass perpendicularly below
you. On the left is the Bristol and Exeter Railway,
and a few yards from it is the river Ex,
gently flowing on the rich fields and fertile meadows,
with herds of cattle and flocks of sheep feeding on
its banks. I croz.sed the railway-bridge, then came to
Cowley-bridge. From this the traveller sees Cowley-
house, an elegant mansion of modern architecture.
The present occupier is Mr. Shepherd, an Exeter
merchant. This house commands a most interesting
view, is protected by well-trained and gigantic tress.
On my applying for an order to view the grounds,
the proprietor courteously gave instructions to
his gardener to show me everything. I
was tempted to go inside, and my eyes
were dazzled with flowers. There is a hot.
hot-beds, flower-garden, kitchen-garden, green-house,
full of rare and foreign plants; the most interesting
part of the grounds is the shrubbery near to the
water-side. There are several walks, well-thatched
summer-houses, majestic trees, deep pools in the
river swarming with fish, six or more swans moving
along like phantoms—to me this scene was replete
with delight, though I was surrounded by roads and
highways, by a railway constructed by a
master mind, with its trains careering to and
fro—here in this lonely spot, this poetic,
this fairy sylvan retreat, in which a man could find
a few moments to breathe from the busy scenes of life.
On leaving these delightful grounds, whose owner's
liberal example it would be well that the Duke of
Athol should follow, I turned to the right and pro-
ceeded along till I came to Pyne, the seat of Sir Staf-
ford Northcote. I was told by a venerable old lady
who keeps the lodge, that I might go through the
park, which I did. I passed Pyne House on
the north. The noble owner of these grounds
and house is in the 89th year of his
age. I could now perceive by the number of people
moving onwards, that I was not far from Brampford
Speke church. I arrived there exactly at half-past
two o'clock in the afternoon. The doors of the
church were shut till within a few minutes of
three o'clock ; on opening the doors there was a
rush to obtain seats. I made up my mind not to go
far from the door, as the church would not contain
half the number of people that were outside.
Several ladies fainted, and were obliged to
be removed, scent-bottles were in requisition, hand-
kerchiefs were used for fans. Just as the clock hcid
finished striking three, Mr. Gorham entered the
church in the deepest and most solemn silence. The
primitive choir, who were stuck up in a little gallery,
commenced singing the Evening Hymn, and the
rough voices of the bold peasantry joined in the
chorus. All that is wanted to make it a most in-
teresting and delightful country choir is a few more
female voices. After the usual formal prayers were
gone through, Mr. Gorham read the certificates
from Sir H. J. Fust empowering him to preach.
He read the text from St. James, chapter Ist,
and part of the 21st verse, " Receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls,"
from which he preached, in my humble opinion, a very
good sermon, plain and simple. The whole service
was conducted with the solemnity and respect which
is usually observed in places of worship. On leaving
the church I asked a countryman if he liked Mr.
Gorham's preaching ? He replied, " Yes, he be a good
man—he preached a plain sermon, and that's
the man I likes," and I agree with this worthy
man. Mr. Gorham's preaching is simple but impres-
sive. I suppose there never was such a crowd of
people seen at Brampford Speke since the church was
built.
On my return to the city of Exeter I am told
that the Bishop of Exeter preached also an impressive
sermon in the Cathedral to-day. Let the Bishop
preach impressive sermons there, and Mr. Gorham
good and simple ones at Brampford Speke, and, per-
haps, some good may come out of all this contention.
There were at least twenty gentlemen of the press
present —not reporters—but gentlemen who are in
the habit of writing in the first person plural. Among
them I SAW Mr. Latimer, the Bishop's terrificator.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

EXETER, SUNDAY EVENING.—Mr. Gorham entered
on his pastors] dutii.q; last week," read himself in" this
morning, and preached his first sermon this afternoon.
In consequence of the great interest which the disputes
between the rev. gentleman and the Bishop of Exeter
have excited, a large number of persons visited the

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) /