The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 10,

LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM
RAILWAY.

Yesterday the half-yearly meeting of the Proprietors
of the above Company-was held at the Euston-square
Terminus, Mr. George Carr Glyn, the Chairman of
the Board of Directors, presiding.
The Secretary having read the minutes of the last
half-yearly meeting, on the 11th of August, at Queen's
Hotel, Birmingham, the Chairman attached the seal of
the Company to the Report of Shares, and the business
of the day was proceeded with.
The following Report was next read and adopted
unanimously:—
The Statements of Account which are now before the
meeting, afford conclusive evidence of a progressive improve-
ment in the net returns of the Company. Compared with
the corresponding half-year of 1842, the Revenue Account
shows an increase in the ordinary traffic of 11,398/., and a
decrease of 6,221/, in the working charges.
Taking the principal heads of receipt and expenditure of
the two statements in detail, the following are the differ-
ences between the December, 1842, and 1843 Accounts :
In General Traffic the receipt is more by .. £11,398
Rents ditto ditto 1,039
In Working Charges the expense is less by
Interest on Loans ditto 8,488

27,146

In Interests on Calls in arrear, and Bankers'
Balances, the receipt is less by £2,255
In Parish Rates the expense is more by 1,832
Passenger duty ditto ... 288
Depreciation of Stock ditto 1,655
.. ..,-- 6,030

Making an increase of net Profit in favour of De-
cember, 1843, of £21,116
With reference to, the increasing charge for parish rates,
which have been successively raised from 15,314/. in 1840, to
18,3511. in 1843, the Directorshave the assurance of their
legal advisers that the present excessive rating of the Rail-
way is at variance with 'the law. Reluctant to enter on a
course of litigation with the various parishes on the line,
the Directors submitted to the injustice so long as the charge
was stationary ; but the evil has assumed so general and
oppressive a character, that they shall most readily support
and co-operate in any measures which may be calculated to
substitute a fair and uniform system of rating for the present
arbitrary and vexatious proceedings of parochial authorities.
As respects the increased charge for depreciation of stock,
the' Directors, in the full conviction of the importance of pro-
viding for the deterioration of the Works of the Railway, by
a timely reserve from the Company's profits, and satisfied of
the advantage of the system by their experience of the ne-
cessity for such a fund, in the case of their carrying stock,.
have appropriated 3,0001. per annum to a " Depreciatiob
Fund for Works," and arranged that one-third shall be
charged on the profits of the June half, and two-thirds on
the. December half of each year.
Reverting to the progressive decrease .in those charges
which immediately appertain to the working of the Railway,
and to its beneficial effect on the Company's profits, the
Directors have to invite attention to the Abstract appended
to the Accounts, from which it appears that, whilst the
traffic of the year 1843 only exceeds by 27,898/. the average
traffic of the three preceding years, the charges referred to
are 36,805/. below the same average, making a difference, in
favour of 1843, of 64,7031.
The Directors have to report, that the net

profits for the year 1843, being
and the Dividend declared at the last half-
yearly meeting

there remains a disposable balance of ...... £259,751 6' 5
from which they recommend that a dividend be declared at
the same rate as the last, leaving 17,0061. 18s. sd. to the
credit of the current half-year.
The Directors have the pleasure to state, that the progress
made towards the construction of the Warwick and Leaming-
ton, and Northampton and Peterborough Branch Railways
is in all respects satisfactory, and that in both cases the con-
tracts for works of the road, rails, and other materials, for
the permanent way, have been taken by competent parties,
on terms which secure the Company from any excess in their
contemplated expenditure. The liquidation of the claims of
landowners on the Northampton and Peterborough line is
rapidly advancing to completion, at prices which are in ac-
cord with the Parliamentary estimate.
Amongst the many notices which have been given
of intended applications to Parliament, in the present ses-
sion, for powers to make new lines, that which is of
greatest importance to this Company is the line from
Chester to Holyhead. Founded as this measure is on the
declared intention of Government to construct a new harbour
at the port of Holyhead, and to make it not only the great
medium of intercourse with Ireland, but a harbour of refuge
and general trade, it becomes an object for this Company to
secure, as early as possible, that connexion with the manage-
ment of the affairs which the interest of the London and
Birmingham Railway, in the traffic, appears to demand. The
Directors having in consequence given their careful conside-
ration to the subject, have no hesitation in applying to the
Proprietors for those powers which, in their unanimous
opinion, the occasion calls for.

The CRAIRMAN said, that the line between Warwick
and Leamington would be open in the spring of 1845 ;
and that alluded to by the Hon. Proprietor in the
autumn of the same year.
A motion was proposed and 'carried unanimously,
declaring a dividen'd of five per cent. on the 100/. shares,
and of 17s. in the pound upon the 32/. shares for the.
half-year.

,Tlie next resolution proposed was, one granting power
to the Directors to appropriate such a portion of the
available capital of the Company for the completion of
the Chester and Holyhead line of railway, not exceeding
one million sterling, and to take such steps as might be
required for the interests of the body of the Share-
holders.

The fourth resolution empowered the Directors, in
nearly .similar words, to expend a sum of 100,0001. in
finishing the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway.
The following gentlemen having fulfilled the term of
their office as Directors of the Company, were re-elected :
—Mr. Cropper, Mr. Carr Glyn, Mr. Theodore William
Rathbone, Mr. Young, and Mr. Tooke.
Mr. Ramsden proposed, Mr. Holecombe seconded, and
Mr. Baxendale supported a motion, declaratory of the
high opinion entertained by the Shareholders and
Directors of the eminent services rendered by Mr.
Creed, as Secretary of the London- and Birmingham
Railway, to the Company, and appointing a Committee
to afford to him some testimonial from the Company
that would indicate their high sense and appreciat.on of
those services, after which,
A vote of thanks was IA as passed to the Chairman for
his courteous demeanour on the present and all former
occasions, when he came in contact. u ith the Share-
holders. After which the meeting separated.

vote against their consciences, in order to secure their
own living. Now he would enumerate about six of
those men, who, if they thus had a majority, wpuld
be on their side—(Hear, hear)—and these six inen
would reduce the majority of 47 to that of 35.
(Cheers.) Then he would observe, that it was not
only these men, but there were sextons, bell-ringers,
and others, to whom the same remarks were applica •
ble, so that it was for them to carry out their system,
and finally they would obtain a majority for Members
to serve in Parliament. He wished to impress on
them, that they wanted nothing but honest men on
their side; they wanted, as it had been before said,
at the election, no sneaking, shirking, or snivelling
fellows among them, for such characters he detested.
—(Hear, hear.) And if they had none
of that character among them,' then they
would soon be enabled to discover who were their
real friends. They would have no battledore and
shuttlecock men, who cuuld be tossed first to one side
and then to the other, backwards and forwards con-
tinually—(Laughter) —for if they were not honesi
and firm to their cause, let them go on the opposite
side, and God speed them. So if there was any man
in the opposite ranks that was not firm to their
cause, let him come to their side, and they would
receive him. And if they established themselves- on
a good basis, on the principles of truth and justice,
they must at length prevail.—(Cheers.) • With regard
to the forthcoming contest, he would repeat that he
had strong hopes of success—(Reiterated cheering)
—if they properly exerted themselves, and which they
appeared most determined to do. e would new
thank them fur their very kind attention, and re-
gretted that he could not remain longer with them.
In conclusion, he most sincerely trusted that success
might attend their honest endeavours.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Lambert then retired, amidst great 'cheering,
after which his health was responded to with deafen-
ing applause.
Mr. EDWARD VANDENHOFF next addressed the
meeting at some length, in the course of which he
alluded to the qualifications of Mr. Lambert as being
very eminent for the office to which ha aspired, whe-
ther they viewed him as a man of property, of great
attainments, moral rectitude, goodness of heart, and
charitable in all his views, constructions, and actions.
The speaker then eloquently pointed out the great
good that could and had been effected by the instru •
mentality of non-electors, and sat down amid great
applause.
Several other gentlemen followed at great length,
till a late hour had arrived, when the meeting broke
up in a peaceable and orderly manner.

Mr. NEEDHAM, of Shoreditch, proposed the third
resolution, which was seconded by Mr. Foskey end car-
r;ed by acclamation, to the effect that the meeting de-
termined to do its utmost to promote the closing of
shops in the districts and neighbourhood at eight
o'clock during the summer months, froM- October to
March inclusive, and at seven o'clock from April tilt
September.

The fourth resolution, " That those already carried
should be circulated as extensively as possible by hand-
bills, &c." was then put and carried unanimously.
The meeting, having passed a vote of thanks to the
Chairman, broke up.

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MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE.
CHELTENHAM, THURSDAY EVENING.—This fashionable
spa, " the queen of watering-places," has been thrown into a
state of great excitement, in consequence of a singular oc-
cureence having taken place at " the Grange" this evening, to
the family of the respected incumbent of the parish, the Rev.
Francis Close.
The Rev. Gentleman received this evening, at five o'clock,
a hamper, by the Birmingham coach, addressed to "the
Grange," which is the Parsonage-house. The hamper was
packed in the most careful manner. When the Rev. Gen-
tleman returned home he proceeded to open the hamper, in
which he discovered a small box, securely fastened. With
some difficulty this box was opened, when he was both asto-
nished and alarmed to find that it contained a very handsome
child's coffin. The parish authorities were instantly sent for,
and on the coffin being opened, it was found to contain the
dead body of a remarkably fine male infant, apparently
about a fortnight eld.

By the advice of the parish authorities the Vicar lost no
time in making Mr. Russell, the superintendent of the police,
acquainted with the circumstance. Information of this ex-
traordinary affair was sent to the magistrates of Cheltenham,
and the Coroner was also made acquainted with the intelli-
gence, in order that an inquest might be held on the body.
The Rev. Incumbent is a married man with a large family,
and it is not long ago that a base attempt was made to
affiliate a child upon him, which turned out on the most rigid
inquiry to be utterly groundless. It is conjectured that the
same parties, who have since left Cheltenham, have a hand
in this affair.

The circumstance has created great excitement, and the
Vicar's " present" has formed the leading subject of conver-
sat i(,n among all classes of society. The inquest was expected
to be held on Friday.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTEL-

LIGENCE.