The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-19 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST.
The directors of this company have just issued their
report, to be submitted at the half-yearly meeting, on
Thursday next.
It states that the capital account being now practically
closed, the regular working of the completed system of
lines belonging to the company may be considered as
having commenced. Accordingly great pains have been
taken to reduce the accounts to such a system as should
distinguish the working of the different departments.
The amount of capital raised to the 30th of June last is
7,139,5671., consisting of mortgage debts, 1,486,3371.;
preference share capital, 1,037,5961.; and consolidated
tock, 4,615,6341. The whole of the capital receives in•
terest or dividend out of revenue. The additional capi-
tal -expended during the past half-year amounts to 56,1871.,
of which 35,3651. was for the enlargement of the London
station, 9,1321. for the completion of the Portsmouth
station, and the Eastbourne and Hailsham and Thames
Junction branches; and 8,6901. in providing additional
plant and accommodation Err the increase of goods traffic.
The directors state positively that the works for the en-
largement of the London station will cost less than
the estimate of 150,0001. for land and works, and
7,0001. for preliminary and Parliamentary expenses.
The rapid increase of the goods traffic, which now
averages about 7004 per week more than in 1848, has
required a large outlay for waggons, sidings, warehouses,
&c., not contemplated in the estimate of 7,200,0001. for
the final capital. The directors see no reason to appre•
bend any excess in that estimate, unless a further
consi-
derable development of traffic should take place. A large
portion of the mortgage debt has been raised or renewed
in the course of the past half-year, at the rate of interest
not exceeding 4 per cent., and for periods of seven years.
The total receipts for the half-year have been 227,6644,
showing an increase of 13,6021. over the corresponding
half-year of 1849. Deducting the cartage, &c., the in-
crease in the railway traffic . has been 10,630/., of which
6,188/. has been in the goods traffic, which has more than
equalled .the expectations formed from the opening of
the Bricklayers' Arms station and the Deptford Dock.
The opening of this dock has lowered the price of coals
to the consumer at Brighton and throughout a consider-
able part of Surrey and Sussex 4s. or sa: a ton. This
trade is al yet in its infancy, being crippled by a heavy
duty levied on the coals in transit through the port of
London; but strong representations having been made to
the Government and the City authorities on the subject,
it is confidently believed. that this duty will be
shortly repealed, in which case the company's route,
vid Deptford, will command the principal supply of
coals to Brighton and the south coast, at a price which
will afford a most material boon to the population of the
district. 'The passenger traffic has not kept pace with
the goods traffic. During the first four months of the
halt-year, when the weather was very unfavourable, it
showed a slight falling off as compared with the corre-
sponding period of 1849, except upon the Croydon and
Epsom line. In order to meet this, the directors have
done all in their power to attract traffic to the line by
increasing the accommodation to the public, and afford-
ing frequent opportunities, for excursions at very low
rates. The present state of the passenger traffic is more
satisfactory than it has been at any time since last au-
tumn, and the directors see no reason to doubt the con-
tinuance of a moderate but steadily progressive increase.
The nember of miles run by trains during the past half
year has been 580,190 f, as compdred with 552,856 miles
an. the preceding half-year, and 496,238 miles in the
corresponding half-year of 1849. The additional mile-
age having been'provided for, in a great measure, by
improved arrangements and by the use of light engines,
has not been attended with any corresponding increase
of expense, and the total consumption of coke has been
less than in any preceding half-year. Brighton, being
now reached with punctuality in an hour and a quarter,
is practically as much a suburb of London, and as con-
venient for the residence of persons having business in
the city, as Kensington or Bayswater ; and parties visit-
ing Hasting, Eastbourne, Worthing, Littlehampton,
Arundel, Chichester, or Portsmouth, have now an oppor-
tunity of leaving home at a moderately early hour,
reaching London at ten o'clock in the morning, remain
ing there until five o'clock, and returning in time for a
late dinner. Even the Isle of Wight is broUght within
a three hours' journey of London, the passage between
Portsmouth and Hyde being effected in twenty minutes,
by fast steamers in connexion with every train. The
total traffic receipts (excluding cartage, &c.) for the
half-year ending 30th of June last amounted to
221,1381., and for the corresponding period of 1849
to '210,508/. The total expense during the former
I period stnewated to 98,6341., and i n the latter period