The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-04 00:00:00

SEPTEKBER 4 184 g

, ..
!session, is an arrangement with the promoters of the opposing
schemes in the West Riding of Yorkshire, by which an union
Ihas been effected on t_he. principle (more than once approved of
by the Proprietors of this company) of a thorough identifica-
I tion of the interests of the respective parties. 'This arrange-
-1 ment had been concluded to the entire satisfaction of the i e
presentatives of the various
icompanies„ concerned, and if sanc-
tioned by the present mc,catriiria, will obviate, it is to be hoped,
further opposition in i
dis-
trict, and secure at the sameme in respect to that
"al?
i
time
the important influence
of a vast majority of the inhabitants in carrying out the
complicated and extensive system of railways essential to
its convenience and prosperity.—(Cheeos.) By the agree-
ments entered into it is proposed to carry out the net-work of
i s
lines required to connect the various important towns and
villages in the West Riding with eaetrother, and with the
Manchester and Leeds Railway, in conju.-ae. ion with this corn.
pany. The capital to be furnished, 187,5 001.. by the promoteis
of a line between Huddersfield, Halifax, tend Bradford, and the
Huddersfield and Sheffield Railway Company, and the rest to
he contributed in three equal parts by the Yorkshire section of
the West Riding Company of last year, the promoters of the
West Yorkshire Company, and the Mancheeter and Leeds
Company, such capital to become an integral part of the klan-
cheater and Leeds stock won the Act or Acs being obtained,
and to be entitled to dioid -nil when and in proportion as the
lines are ont'nesi•--(Cheers.) One immediate advantege of
this arrangemens 'ts, that it brings the Manenester and Leeds
Company at Once into harmony with the district, and gives to
the inheLitants an immediate interest in the parent line ; and
the more effectually to secure a spirit of union and co-opera-
tion, it provides that six or eight gentlemen residing in
different parts of the West Riding shall become at once
members of the Manchester and Leeds board, in anticipation of
which, powers to increase the number of Directors of this
Company from twelve to eighteen have been obtained. At a
future day a special meeting will be called to consider all gees-
!ions connected with the Parliamentary proceedings of the next
session. Ls the mean time, however, your Directors beg to
intimate that it is their intention to recommend that the capi-
tal which may be required for the new projects then to be sub -
I-tented to you shall he issued in the form of scrip, and offered
pro rota to thj Proprietors, under the condition of subscribing
a deed or deeds in the usual form. In conclusion, it may be
desirable on the present occasion to repeat, for the information
of those who have recently become Proprietors in the Manches-
ter and Leeds Company, that the calls upon the existing stock
will take place as nearly in accordance with the annexed speci-
ication as the engagements of the Company will admit, and
that the quarter shares will, by their original constitution, rank
with the original shares from the Ist of January, 1847, and
be entitled to receive dividends from that date, on the calls
from time to time paid up at the same rate as the original
shares,"
The CHAIRMAN, adverting to the Imsitiess et the company
during the past half-year, congratulated the Proprietors on the
enportaot alleanee lit the prosperity of the company. For a
long period they had exercised a great deal of patience sad
a considerable amount of faith. But now, from the develop-
ment of traffic, and the improved state of tke country, their
increase had arrived at such a pint as to afford a firm fourtae.
tion on which to build the prosperity of the company, and
to establish its value in the public mind. They could now
!eel assured that their_ undertaking ranked amongst the
most successful of an enterprising country. It was now ten
years within a few weeks since the first meeting was held and
the company originated. Much exertion, time, and labour
had been upended since then, and many calls had been made
upon the proprietary for a continuance of their confidence in
those who had undertaken the responsibility of the management,
The Proprietors would see, on reference to thy report, that they
had only arrived at the end of the first half-year since the com-
pletion of the works of the Coottpeny• 'Flui receipts amounted
to 204,8311. 19s. fid., which would show that the amount re-
ceived would give a return of 61 par cent. He was aware
that this woeld fall shoat of the anticipations of many 1
but when they looked at the vast excess of the eopendi-
ture beyond that contemplated in the Orat instance, they
could not look to the return of taper oent, but as confirming in
a strong point of view tip, oplaiooq of those gentlemen who had
originated this nollanang that the enterprise would be eminently
successful. It was impossible to conceive that such an
amount of expenditure would be required, and had they been
able to restrict themselves within the bounds that were at first
contemplated, it was clear that their undertaking would have
been the foremost of all the lines up to the present period.
[his was awing no doubt in part to the improved condition of
the manufacturing districts, and to the increaae in the various
classes of passengers, which latter circumstance had beer, at-
tributed to the reductipn that had taken place in the fares.
[he total increase In passengers had been 26 per Dent. The
first-class passengers had increased 50 per cent., the second-
class 11 per cent., and the third-class d 3 per cent. He was
sure that it would not detract from the satisfaction that this
statement would afford when he stated that the increased ac-
commodation to the public had resulted in increased gain
to the Company; though the sum received was absolutely less.
If the public had paid the same fares this year as in the
last, the receipts would have been 11,0001. more, which was
in effect the carrying of 100,000 people fourteen miles on the
line' for nothing, There would be a balance of 11,t)001.
which, added to the reserve fund, would make that fund
amount to 36,0001. Having alluded to the purposes for which
the depreciation fund was intended and applied, the Chairman
next referred to the Acts which they had obtained in the late
session of Parliament. These would place the Company in a
more advantageous position than they stood in with regard to
many of the populous towns in the neighbourhood of the main
ins of railway. The railway to Burnley, looking at the ex-
ension of the line inwards Clitheroa, must be a great advantage
to the main line. They had long known that there had been
t considerable traffic in grain from the Calder navigeion to
that district. The branch from Haywood to Bury would con-
.nect their line with the populous town of Bury. The im-
oortance of this line would be felt from the circumstance of
Parliament having granted a direct line front Liverpool through
tVigan to Bury; which would make the most direct route from
Liverpool to the valley of the Calder that could possibly be.
[he next branch was from Oldham to Mumps, and th;.41.0
:who were connected with that district had stated thet it
vas impossible to overrate the importance of the connexion
netween the Leeds line and the serlee of railways that would
he formed in the Oldham district. Ariother Act had been
passed for connecting the Leeds line with the Manchester and
Birmingham, by which there would be nearly a direct line from
liirminghati south, to Todmorden and Burnley north, which
could be a most important channel of coramenieation from
orth to south. There was another line from Wakefield to
Goole, which was granted by Parliament to the Wakefield and
Goole Company, but which' would be worked by the Man-
hester and Leeds Company, and might be looked upon as an
.xtension of their main line in that quarter. Having referred
o the capital stock of the Company, the Chairman alluded to
he course to be adopted by the Company in the next session
,f Parliament. They had previously slated to the Share-
holders that when they considered the excited state of the rail-
say market last year, it was impossible for this Company to
•tand still. That excitement was a matter of serious oonstde-
ation to those gentlemen who had invested money in railway
property for the purpose of an investment, whether they
aught not by every means in their power to discountenance the
various new schemes that were now daily being brought
Forward. Lines were brought forward with the view of ex-
torting from existing lines that which the parties bad no real
claim for, or for the purpose of taking advantage of the pre-
•ent speculative spirit; and the (=sequence of such a course
nust, at no very dietent period be ruin, and at the same time
t great national waste of capital. As he saw a great many
gentlemen present from Yorkshire, he would advert to an un-
lertaking which had appeared before the public within the
last few weeks, entitled the Liverpool and Leeds Railway. He
believed that no company ever appeared before the public with
, more respectable list for a provisional committee than that
company. He knew many of the gentlemen whose names
were on the list, and it was to him a matter of surprise that
'hey should have lent their names to an undertaking of that
kind. But he knew sufficient of provisional committees, and
if the way in whiah they were got up, to induce him to acquit
he gentlemen of the committee in question of a false repre-
sentation of their prospects. He held in his hand a letter
From one gentleman well known to many gentlemen
oresent, repudiating all connexion with the lino in
question (which he read); and with reference to the
line itself he wondered why they had not celled it the
Liverpool and Leeds Direct. But the prospectus stated
that the line was not going to Start at Liverpool, but some
miles from that place—at Bury; and, so far as the locality was
concerned, it might be called the Direct and Independent. It
seemed to be of a somewhat matrimonial character, for the
Committee held out the prospect that they would not be unwil-
ling to ally themselves to some other parties. He next referred
to the amalgamation with the West Riding Junction Company.
He said that, at the termination of the recent parliamentary
contest, they had the assurance that the contest would be re-
lewed with vigour, but their opponents, like themselves, had
sat down to count the cost of the contest, and, after an inter •
view, in which their opponents manifested the greatest car-
nality, an offer was made, which was ultimately accepted by the
Manchester and Leeds Company, and the presence of a great
number of gentlemen at that meeting, who were formerly their
opponents, showed that they had them with them heartily as
Proprietors of the Manchester and Leeds Company, and they
had thus placed the prosperity of the Company on a grand
basis. That iron link would now bind them together, and
they would promote the interest not only of one lino but the
other, as the Manchester and Leeds Company, as men of sense,
and as men of business.—(Cheers.) The Chairman concluded
by moving the adoption of the report.
The motion having been seconded, passed unanimously.
The other formal motions with reference to the dividend,
&c., was agreed to nem did:, and Messrs. G. Pollard and Ed-
ward Ackroyd, of Halifax, William Rand, of Bradford, William
Frith, of Leeds, J. T. Clay, of Raistrick, andC. H. Jones, of
Huddersfield, were appointed as an addition to the Board of
Directors.
Colonel POLLARD (late Chairman of the West Riding Junc-
tion Company) paid a high eulogium to Mr. Noundsworth, the
Chairman of the Leeds Company, throughout the whole affair
between the Companies.
The CHAIRMAN said that the Board had derived great as-
sistance from Mr. Hawksworth and Captain Lewis.
Mr RAND, of Bradford, said he felt great satisfaction at the
termination of the late contest. The West Yorkshire Com-
pany sought possession of the whole of that particular district,
and it was again proposed to apply to Parliament to .get their
Bill; but he spoke the sentiments of the whole of the West
Yorkshire body, when he said that they would prefer a share
of their scheme of lines in conjunction with a more powerful
and ably conducted Company, than have it all to themselves.
No event of his life had given him greater satisfaction than the
termination of the late contest. With regard to the Chairman,
although once in opposition to him, his conduct had been
marked with honour and ability, and even though he (Mr.
Rand) had respected him as an opponent, he felt a stronger
attachment to him as a friend.—( Hear.)
The business of the special meeting then commenced, and
resolutions in accordance with the wishes of the Directors, as
set forth in the circular, were proposed.
WILLIAM MARSHALL, Esq., of Penwortham, having taken
the chair,
J. C. HARTER, Esq., of Manchester, moved that a suitable
testimonial be presented to Henry Houldsworth, Esq., in proof
of the high' opinion entertained by the shareholders of his ser-
vices to the company.—( Cheers. )
DANIEL GRANT, Esq., seconded the motion.
After several gentlemen had spoken in support of the motion,
it was suggested that Capt. Laws was worthy of the considera-
tion of the Proprietors.
The motion for a Committee to prepare a testimonial to Mr.
Houldsworth then passed with loud cheers.
Mr. HOULDSWORTH acknowledged the good feeling with
which his services had been viewed by the proprietary.
Mr. BEDDOWES moved that a testimonial be presented to
Captain Laws, perhaps in the shape of some of the frac-
tional shares of the Company, as had been the case on other
railways.
The motion having been put from the chair passed.
l. ent, and
Captain LAWS briefly acknowledged the cm
the proceedings terminated at twenty minutes past two o'clock.

WEST LONDON.
A meeting of the Share,hscoddinercse,o!
Itlh,i3 Company wtis held
yeVerday, at
Abchurehlane. Mr.
ti? Company's
(;rounds, the Chairman the Directors, in the chair. After
the usual formalities,
'the CHAIRMAN rose to address the meeting. lie said he
was rleased to meet the Shareholders under the improved
condition of their affairs. Ile was glad to say that they had
now got rid of nearly all their debts, there being only a few
claim remaining unpaid. With regard to the debenture debts,
the Directors had offered to pay them eff at par, but so im-
proved had become the prospects of the Company, that only
one holder had taken advantage of the offer. After making
reference to the arrangements respecting the leasing of the

line to the London and Birmingham Company, which was to
come before a special meeting at two o'clock, the Chairman
concluded his observations.

The SECRETARY then read the report, which was principally
a congratulation of the Shareholders at the improved pros-
pects of the Company, and an expression of hope that the new
arrangements would still further advance the interests of the
Shareholders. It was stated that the receipts for the half-
year were 38.0391. lbs. 3/d., and the whole since the beginning
256,7401. 3s. 7id. The disbursements up to the last general
meeting, in December. were 218,700/. 4s. 4d., and to the
present time 256.7401. 3s. 7 d., the disbursements of the half-
year being 37,6671. 105. 7d.

Mr. RIGBY moved the reception and adoption of the report.
In the course of his remarks, he s-id, the very great ittproNe-
ment which had taken place in their affairs was attributable in
a great measure to the exertions 6if the Directors.

Mr. WHITE seconded the motion, and took occasion to refer
more particularly to the great exertions of Mr. Thomson, the
Secretary. It was, he was persuaded, that gentleman's exertions
which had saved it from ruin. He thought that some recom-
pense or testimonial of respect should be tendered to him for
his great and unremitting rxet tions.
Mr. GU NTEIL bore testimony to the truth of the observations
of Mr. White respecting the value of Mr. Thomson's labours,
and said had it not been • for that gentleman's cheerful pro-
ceedings and encouragement, he should have thrown up his
shares in disgust long ago. He hoped some means would
be taken to testify the respect of the Proprietors to that
gentleman.

- The resolution for the adoption of the report was then
unanimously agreed to.

Mr. WHiTE said, that as the business of the meeting was
finished, and as two o'clock had not arrived, he would reeal
their attention to the subject which had been prevtonsly re-
ferred to—that in reference to Mr. Thomson. He would 'nave
that some suitable provision, annual or otherwise, be presented
by the proprietors to that gentleman, as a recompense for his
efficient services.
Mr. WHITE seconded the resolution.

Mr. TtioiiisoN said he was much °ratified at the manner in
which his name had been received, With respect to any tes-
timony of respect in the manner named, he would suggest the
postponement of the matter till a future meeting, when the
whole affairs of the Company would be wound up, and placed
in their hands. That would be the proper time to discuss such
a proposition.

Mr. Gonwm thought the resolution ought to be passed at
once. He had witnessed the great assiduity and spirit with
which Mr.- Thomson had conducted the affairs of the Com-
pany, and he considered the resolution ought to be passed forth-
with.

Mr. RAY said he could not allow the matter to go by with-
out also bearing his testimony to the great ability and urbanity
with which he conducted the ordinary affairs of the Company.
The CHAIRMAN, in rising•to address the meeting, said he
had never proposed a resolution with greater pleasure than the
present.

The resolution was then put, and unanimously agreed to.
Mr. THOMSON returned thanks in suitable terms.
SPECIAL MEETING.

The Proprietors then resolved themselves into a special meet•
ing, to consider the propriety of leasing the line, works, &c., to
the Loddon and Birmingham Company.
Mr. Cu nirr then moved that the line, works, &c., of the
Company be leased to the London and Birmingham Company
for 999 years.
After the reading of the agreement with the London and
Birmingham Railway Company on which the resolution was
founded, setting forth that the present Company should receive
one-fourth of all the gross receipts of traffic worked by the
engines and carriages of the former Company, and one-half the
proc eds of all traffic worked by the carriages and trucks of
private parties, the resolution was agreed to.
A vote of thanks was then given to the Chairman and Board
of Directors, and the meeting separated.

THE CALEDONIAN RAILWAY.
(From the Dumfries Courier of Tuesday. )
A great deal of interest has been excited throughout Annan-
dale by the commencement of the works cf the Caledonian
Railway. About the head of the valley of the Avon, huts to ac-
commodate 500 men are in the course of erection, as it is here
that the heaviest excavations on the line will be made. The
most of the workmen will be drafted from the Carlisle and
Lancaster line, as the Messrs. Stel henson are contractors for
both. Already several waggonloads of shovels, spades, pick-
axes, &c., have arrived from Penrith. Lower down little has
been done as yet, save marking off the line, by placing wooden
pins in the ground at every little distance, making slaps in
fences, and cutting down a tree here and there to prevent
mistakes. Engineers after engineers have followed each other,
shifting pins backwards and forwards, which in some instances
eventually landed in their original holes. The line, after en-
tering Dumfriesshire, runs north-west to Ecclefechan.'7,'nere
here will probably be a station at the distance of less than a
quarter of a mile from that village. This will be the nearest
point on the main line for the accommodation of the town of
Annan and the surrounding district. From this, the line runs
west of Burnswark to Lockerby, passing righ'i through the vil-
lage, crossing the street which leads to hilt a little below the
Free Church. It is supposed tha,t the station here will be
elo'e to that building. The line then runs up the valley of
the Annan, and comes upon the Edinburgh and Dumfries mail
road near Craigielands; this road for some distance will be
taken up by the railway, and it is intended to join the road with
the Carlisle and Glasgow one about Kirkpatriek-Juxtt
Church. It has not been fixed whether the station here will
be at Craigielands or Beattock, The tine then -runs up the
Avon valley, till it elltersi the wild* of Lana,:);cshire. A great
deal of money Kill, xko doubt, ire ";:rculated in the district
during the prozress of the wet' v.; ; and in this tranquil rural
district a good deal of annoyance may be expected, as the
" navies" sre not 6:tie most peaceable of her Majesty's subjects.
riots about
It is to be ;,aped that due precautions Will be taken to prevent
pay time and something like Donald Caird's
war:,tng should be impressed upon all the good folks of Annan-
dale, as, although the workmen themselves are well paid and
want for nothing, a swarm of idlers generally attend them, who
are not very particular as to meum and tuum, and the blame of
whose ill deeds is often thrown on the innocent " navies,"
I hrce of these gentry were lodged in the Dumfries
,gaol the
other ay, having been detected in supplying themsP.ves with
shirts just washed and laid out to siry, and all should re-
called—

Stcek the awmrie, lock the kilt,
Or else some gear will tune ho

It is understood that Mr. lope Johnstone has contracted for
supplying the Company with railway sleepers to the tune of
10,000/., and that there is abundance of timber in the noble
woods or Elehills to supply double the quantity, or even more.
To no place on the line is this railway likely to do so much
good as to Aloffat, from the facilities which railway travelling af-
fords to all, and especially to invalids, who may be, by-and -bye, ex-
pected to test the healing virtues of Moffat Well, and enjoy the
beautiful scenery and various attractions of this delightful wa-
tering-place, from all parts of England and Scotland ; while,
in course of time, the BAtish and Irish Union may transport to
its quiet hills and waters many who are fretted with agitation
in the Emerald Isle.

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN
IRELAND.
The second number of the Oxford and Cambridge Re-
view, a periodical in the " Young England" interest, has
a leading article from which we make the following ex-

tract

The scenes enacted even in the Petty Sessions Courts,
where " Church and State men" were rampant, would
scarcely be credited. We recollect ourselves once wit-
nessing the manner in which justice was dealt out, some
years previous to 1830 :—The bench consisted of three
magistrates, two of whom were always at feud ; the
third, who was the chairman, being also the rector of the
parish. A man entered the room, he had summoned
another for an assault, connected with that fruitful source
of litigation, the division of their land. The moment he
appeared, the gentleman who had granted the summons
opened his case. " Here," said he, addressing the par-
son, "is a poor, hDnest man, who has been very badly
treated by one of the greatest scoundrels in the parish."
" I would not," interposed the other lay Rhadamanthus,
" believe one word he would say or swear; for," said he,
taming to the parson, " I have every r,ason to believe
hint to be the paramour of two sisters." This abominable
charge the poor fellow most vehemently denied, without
bring able to make any impression upon his accuser.
" He voted the right way at the election," whispered his
protector to the chairman ; " we must support him, take
his examinations." " Dismiss the case," said the other,
nudging his reverence. The parson, who was a very droll
and humorous man, and had church preferment to the
tune of some thousands a year, did not well know how
to act, as he was unwilling to dislodge either ; " I will
. _

take the examinations," he said aloud, and, turning to
his dissentient brother, he whispered, !‘ I'll punish him
t 3 his heart's content for you." The complainant thanked
their honours, and was about to depart in triumph, when
the chairman addressed him. " Easy. my lad, not so
fast ; it is some time since I had the pleasure of seeing
you ; you owe me three years' tithe, and I have no
idea of allowing a man of your immorality to spend
my money in improper pursuits. Constable, put him
in the corner. Send for the proctor, until we
see exactly what he owes, and keep him until
lie pays it." The man was taken, amidst roars
of laughter, from the spectators, who thought it
a capital joke ; he was put in the corner and kept
there too, until he paid every shilling which was de-
, manded of him ; and we leave it to our readers to sup-
pose what opinion he must have formed of the justice of
the laws, and with what feelings towards the Church he
must have quitted the Court, when he was so illegally
and perhaps so unjustly fleeced for its support ; he was
quite aware that he had been treated in a manner which
the law did not justify, but at that time he knew that it
was hopeless to expect redress. This anecdote is
literally true, and similar occurrences were by no
means rare at the period when it took place. But
at length reform did reach the Church, ten out of its
twenty-two bishoprics were abolished, twenty-five
per cent. was struck from its rental, and its clergy-
men were removed from the administration of jus-
tice. And what has been the consequence of this re-
duction in her wealth ? in the diminution of her po-

litical power ? and in the number of her hierarchy ?
Why, that the duties of their station are at least as well
performed by the present limited number of her digni-
taries as they ever were by her more crowded bench ;
her livings have been divided, and, certainly, without
detriment to her efficacy, fur the smallness of the in-
comes have not induced the scions of the aristocracy to
undertake duties for which they were unfitted, as
her sinecures and fat pensions formerly did ; and men
of humbler birth and better dispositions have been ad-
mitted and promoted, to the manifest advantage of their
religion. Why, then, should we not persevere in a
.
caurse which has been productive of so much good Why
should we not still further reduce the unnecessary staff ?
Lord Grey, when introducing the Churchngla
ndu sper
Tempora-
lities Bill in 1833, stated—" Before the Church
Temporalities Act, each Bishopinr
intended 370,000 members •of the Church, and
400 benefices jin Ireland, 45,000, and 66 benefices. At
present each Bishop in Ireland has 83,000 persons, and
j2l benefices ; less than one-fourth the amount of
popu-
lation each English bishop has to attend to, andone
fourth of the benefices. Suppose the Irish bishops re-
duced to four, there would sill be a smaller number- of
persons and benefices under the charge of each than
in England ; each Irish bishop would then have
250,000 persons, and 364 benefices. The see of Lin-
coln contained as many benefices as were in the
whole of Ireland," Now, may we not ask,
why this further redaction should not be carried into
eilect ? Why should an overpaid Irish bishop be only
required to attend to the spiritual instruction of 83,000
persons and 131 benefices, while an English bishop
has 370,000 members of the Church and 400 he-
lices z.,tilject to his charge ? Things are at least as well
ordered since the duties of the Irish prelates have been
increased ; why not promote a still further amendment,
by giving them still more with which to occupy them-