The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-16 00:00:00

THE SUN,

cere desire to do all we can to uphold the
important institutions of the country, and to maintain its
increasing prosperity. We have now to crave your
Majesty's most gracious assent to our last Bill of the
session, which is to apply and appropriate the Consoli-
dated Fund."

Her Majesty was then most graciously phased to give
her Royal Assent to the following Bills:
Spitaifields and Shoreditch New Street.

Transfer of Improvement Loans.
Law Fund Duties (Ireland).

Savings Banks (Ireland).
Holyhead Harbour.
Lough Corrib Improvement Company.
General Board of Health (No. 3).

Consolidated Fund Appropriation.
The Lord Chancellor then advanced to the foot of
the throne, and kneeling, presented her Majesty with
the following Royal Speech, which her Majesty proceeded
at once to read in a clear and exceedingly pleasing
tone of voice:—
" MY LORDS AND GRNTLEMBN,

"I have the satisfaction of being able to release
you from the duties of a laborious session. The as-
siduity and care with which you have applied your-
selves to the business which required your attention,
merit my cordial approbation.
" The Act for the better government of my Aus-
tralian Colonies will, I trust, improve the condition of
those rising communities. It will always be grati-
fying to me to be able to extend the advantages of
representative institutions, which form the glory
and happiness of my people, to colonies inhabited by
men who are capable of exercising, with benefit to
themselves, the privileges of freedom.
" It has afforded me great satisfaction to give my
assent to the Act which you have passed for the im-
provement of the merchant naval service of this
country. It is, I trust, calculated to promote the
welfare of every class connected with this essential
branch of the national interest.

" The Act for the gradual discontinuance of in-
terments within the limits of the metropolis, is in
conformity with those enlightened views which have
for their object the improvement of the public_ health.
I shall watch with interest the progress of measures
relating to this important subject. _

" I have given my cordial assent to the Act for the
extension of the elective franchise in Ireland. I look
to the most beneficial consequences from a measure
which has been framed with a view to give to my
people in Ireland a fair participation in the benefits
of our representative system.
"I have observed with the greatest interest and
satisfaction the measures which have been adopted
with a view to the improvement of the administration
of justice in various departments, and I confidently
'anticipate they will be productive of much public
"cOnvenience and advantage.
" GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

" The importance of the revenue, and the large re-
ductions which have been made in various branches
of expenditure, have tended_ to give to our financial
condition stability and security. I am happy to
find that you have been enabled to relieve my sub-
jects from some of the burdens of taxation, without
inipairing the sufficiency of our resources to meet the
charges imposed upon them.
" Mr LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,
" I am. encouraged to hope that the treaty be-
tween Germany and Denmark, which has been con-
cluded at Berlin under my mediation, may lead at no
distant period to the restoration cif peace in the north
of Europe. No.endeavour shall be wanting on my
part to secure the attainment of this great blessing,
"I continue to maintain the most friendly relations
with foreign powert, and I trust that nothing may
occur to disturb the general peace.
" I have every reason to be thankful for the loy-
alty and attachment of my people, and while lam
studious to preserve and to improve our institutions,
I rely upon the goodness of Almighty God to favour
my efforts, and to guide the destinies of this nation."
The LORD CHANCELLOR then, in her Majesty's
name, and. by her Majesty's commands, declared the
Parliament prorogued until the 15th of October next.
Her Majesty then descended from the throne, and
bowing most graciously to the assembled Peers, left the
House, accompanied by her Royal Consort and the whole
of her attendants.

Her Majesty having disrobed, returned to the state
carriage amidst a fjourtsh of trumpets, whilst the band
of the Coldatream Guards struck up the National An-
them.
The procession., having been re-formed in the same
order as before, then wound its way to Buckingham
Palace, at which place, and along the whole route, im-
mense bodies of persons were colleetA.

LOND6N,

The Speaker having shaken hands with Lord John
Russell, and the greater portion of the Members r,resent,
the House broke up, and thus ended the laborior Is, if not
important, session of 18.50.
The following notices of motion have been given for
early days next session :
Colonel Dunne—Select Committee, to telte into con-
sideration the financial relations of Great Britain and
Ireland. _ _ _ _

Colonel Dunne—Committee of the whole House, to
take intu consideration the laws prohibiting the cul-
tivation of tobacco in the United Kingdom, with a
view to their removal. _

Colonel Thompson—That, looking to the possibility
of changes in the value of gold, like what took place in
consequence of the discovery of America, it is expedient
that the Chancellor of the Exchequer should be autho-
rised to create a secured stock, with interest secured on
the principle of a corn rent; the amount received for
such secured stock to bo applied to the purchase of other
stock to be thereupon extinguished, the amount of in-
terest saved to be carried to the credit of the public.
Mr. Scully—To call the attention of the House to the
condition of the schools and estates under the manage-
ment of the Commissioners of Education in Ireland, un-
der the Act 53 George 111.
Mr. Richard Fox—To call the attention of the House
to the existing state of the relations between landlord
and tenant in Ireland, and to submit resolutions.
Mr. William Johnson Fox,—That the House resolve
itself into Committee, to consider the state of education
in England and Wales, and the expediency of extend-
ine and improving it by means of free schools, open to
all classes, supported by local taxation, and conducted
under local management.
Mr. Aglionhy—Bill for compulsory enfranchisement
of copyhulds, with a view to lessen the public Expendi-
ture, and to avoid the great and unnecessary incunve-
nience to which prosecutors and witnesses are now fre-
quently put.
Mr. Aglionby—Bill to empower magistrates in petty
sessions to take the pleas of persons charged before them
with larceny and misdemeanour, and to transmit the
pleas, together with the depositions, to the next court of
assize or quarter sessions.
Mr. Mackinnon—To call the attention of the
House to the report and evidence before the Com-
mittee on Postal Communication with Paris and
the North of Europe, particularly in reference
to the expediency and importance of accelerating
the night mail between Paris and London, so that letters
leaving Paris at eight o'clock, P. m . , may arrive in London
time enough the next morning to be forwarded to the
provinces by the day mail; also, to the offer made by
parties, who are willing to contract for the convey-
ance of the night mail from London to Paris, and Paris
to London, by way of Boulogne, either by Dover or
Folkestone, to be conveyed botn ways in eleven hours
and thirty minutes, leaving Paris and London at eight
o'clock and half after eight o'clock respectively.
Mr. E eart—Bill to repeal the Punishment of Death.
Mr. Ewart—Address to her Majesty, as the head of
the National Church, praying that her Majesty will
be graciously pleased to take into consideration the expe-
diency of causing our cathedrals and churches to be
generally open (so far as is practicable) throughout the
day, with a view to encourage the practice of private de-
votion therein, especially for the benefit of the poorer
classes of the community.
In concluding our report, we feel bound to state, that
in many respects the arratgements of the police
for the convenience of all were excellent; but,
.in paying this tribute to the force, we are
compelled to complain loudly of the uncalled for
impertinent, and assaulting interference of a knot of po-
licemen placed near Richmond-terrace, who did all in
their power to prevent our reporters reaching our office as
early as possible, by insisting upon their walking on the
crowded footpath instead of the more open horse-way.
Many Slembers of both Houses were similarly
treated, and upon remonstrating against such conduct,
they only met with impudence and iasult. We hope the
Commissioners of Police will look to this, and take care
that it shall not occur in future; that the men under
their control should be taught that civility is preferable
to impertinence, and that in the discharge of their duties
4iscretion is better than . hasty and uncalled-for
officiousness.

GREAT WESTERN
RAILWAY.

MEETING AT BRISTOL.

(FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.)

The thirtieth half-yearly general meeting of the
proprietors of the Great Western Railway Company
was held yesterday, at the Bristol Station, in
Bristol, pursuant to the company's Act of Parlia-
ment, for the general purposes of business.
The chair was taken at one o'clock precisely by
Charles Russell, Esq., the chairman of the company.
Some time before the hour of meeting a consider-
able number of shareholders had assembled in the
place of meeting, which greatly increased imme-
diately on the chair being taken.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said
they had had such frequent meetings of proprietors
lately—no less than three in the first half
of the present year—at which all their
most important interests had been so carefully re-
viewed and so amply discussed, that their report on
the present occasion was happily much shorter than it
ordinarily was ; and he should endeavour to give the
seine agreeable character to the ob,ervations which it
was his duty to address to them. In that
report, and in the accounts which had
been distributed among the shareholders,
he hoped they would see that the directors bad been
extremely anxious to carry out the wishes of the pro-
prietqrs, as they were expressed at the several meet-
ings to which he had adverted. They had closed their
capital account, so far as it was Possible to close it,
for those portions of the line which are completed, as
was recommended by the Committee of Consultation.
That committee calculated that the expenditure on
the finished portions of their line up to December,
1849, amounted to 10,410,0001., and that there was
still outstanding liabilities, referring also to that
portion of the line, amounting to 350,0001. The
expenditure on that portion of the line to December
actually did amount to 10,407,000/.3 and of the
350,0001. they had expended about 78,000/. in paying
off some of their liabilities; and there was a margin
left sufficient he believed to meet every other liability
that could possibly arise. He hoped the meeting
would consider that a proof that the directors were
earnestly anxious to keep their capital account closed ;
and he might state that in the last half-year they had
included a sum of about 1,1001., which had been
spent in sheds and buildings, and other new and
productive works. They had included that
sum in their general revenue account because
they did not consider it was desirable for so small a
sum to disturb the capital account.—(Hear, hear.)
(The Honourable Gentleman here went into a de-
tail of the company's finished and unfinished works,
which are referred to in the engineer's report.)
After including the whole of the interest chargeable
to their revenue account, he thought they had done
well to maintain a dividend of 41. per cent. per annum
on their capital, and still carrying forward a
balance of between 24,000/. and 25,000/.
ftom the worst to the most productive half
of the yeare—(Cheers.) The subject to which the
directors had most anxiously applied their attention
was the development and improvement of their
traffic. That was, in fact, a subject to which all
railway companies must now direct their atten-
tion. From the report they would perceive
there had been a small falling off in the present
half-year as compared with the corresponding
half of last year ; and that circumstance unques-
tionably would be calculated to make them doubt the
principle of the steady increase of traffic, which he
believed was the law which ordinarily must govern
traffic, particularly in this mercantile and manu-
facturing country, if they were not able
to assign it to temporary and to special
causes.' They believed that that falling off
had resulted partly from the great depression which
had prevailed in all the agricultural districts, and the
meeting must remember that theirs was a line which,
was entirely connected with an agricultural district.
It had fallen off partly also fforn their going back to
their return-ticket system, which, although it
was greatly to the public accommodation, was
not equally remunerative to the proprietors, and
It had fallen off, also, partly in consequence of the
competition they had had to encounter with the
neighbouring lines to Windsor, Reading, Gloucester,
and Cheltenham. Of fair and reasonable competition
they made no complaint. Every company who took
a line to a town was fairly entitled to expect a rea-
sonable proportion of its traffic ; but there was a
competition which be thought both unwise and un-
just. He would illustrate what he meant by a re-
ference to an extreme case which had recently
occurred to themselves. The Great Western fares to
Reading, a distance of thirty- six miles, were for first-
class tickets Bs., for second-class 53. 6d., for third-
class 2s. 11d. He was sure it was impossible
to say that these were unreasonable charges.
It so happened that the South-Eastern line, a line
which prima facie they should hardly have consi-
dered a competitor to the Great Western; proceeding,
as it did, from the metropolis to the east and to
Dover, that was no fair right to compete with
a line proceeding by the west from London
to Bristol ; but , it so happened that the
South-Eastern had leased the Reigate and
Crediton line, by which they had been enabled to
obtain a route to Reading. Their distance to Read-
ing was 68 miles, and the Great Western's 36 miles;
andthey had thought it just to convey passengers for
smaller fares than the Great Western did.—(Hear,
hear, and laughter.) They charged first class pas-
sengers, 9s. 6d., second class, 41. 6d., and
third class passengers at 3s.—(hear.) H e felt
quite satisfied that it was utterly impossible for such
efit exceptt the
a
al a systemtoitcsopnutirnpuoese.
mlutsctobuel,du
nototto benefit be donen
com-
panywll H
haeddidadonpotetdbeilti,evbe_ut
hteo iconujludrenothtethGinrke—at
Western.-.
the South-Eastern would, upon deliberation, think