The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-13 00:00:00

ribtrb Wilttton

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

NORTHERN
MPanANY .—d EASTE
(THISRN )
DAY RAIL-
WAY CO.
The half-yearly General Meeting of the Directors and
Shareholders in this railway, took place this day at one
o'clock, in their board-room, above the terminus in Shore-
ditch, J. Patterson, Esq., the Chairman of the Board of
Directors, presided.
The Secretary having read the advertisement calling
the meeting, and the report of the Directors, in which
they stated that they would be prepared, on the Ist of
March next, to pay a dividend of 5 per cent. per annum
on the paid up capital of the Company for the half-year
ending the 31st of December la t, and the dividends on the
respective shares of the Company would be 1/. 2s. 6d.
per share on the registered shares (45/. paid); 2s. 3d. on
the shares (101. paid), and 10s. on the scrip shares
(301. paid), subject, of course, to the property-tax.
The report also stEtcd, that the receipts of the
Northern and Eastern Railway fur the half-year ending
the 81st of December last, amount to 47,107/. 145.,
being an increase of 3,3401. ss. 5d., on the corresponding
half-year of 1843. The total receipts of the railway fur
the whole of the past year, as compared with those of
1843, show an increase of 11,0571. 2s. 2d ; and that the
surplus property attached to the old line had been dis-
posed of, with the exception of some small pieces of
land, which may possibly be required fur the traffic of
the railway ; and the sales had exceeded the estimated
value. The only other matter of importance in the report
was the information that the works on the extension
line from Newport to Cambridge and to Brandon, via
Ely, had been expedited by the Eastern Counties Com-
pany ; and the Proprietors of the Northern and Eastern
Railway would learn with satisfaction that the whole
line from Bishop's Stortford to those places would be
opened early in July next ; and as the Norwich and
Brandon Company would open their line at the same
period, railway communication would then be estab-
lished between London, the city of Norwich, and the
important town of Yarmouth, and the traffic of an ex-
tensive district of country would be attracted to the rail-
way. The balance of the traffic account, as stated in the
report of February last, was 1,8223. 6s. 10d. ; that ac-
count being now virtually brought to a close, a state-
ment was annexed to the present report, and the balance,
103/. 3s. 4d, will be carried to the credit of the capital
account.
Resolutions in accordance with the report were passed
unanimously, and the meeting then separated.

NEW ZEALAND COMPANY.
(THIS DAY.)
A special general meeting of the Proprietors of the
New Zealand Company was held this afternoon, at the
New Zealand House, Broad-street-buildings, in pur-
suance of an adjournment from the 13th of January
last, for the purpose of receiving a report on the present
state of the Company, and adopting measures for im-
proving its affairs. Mr. Somes, M.P., occupied the chair.
The Directors present were—Captain Nairm; George
Lyall, jun., Esq.; Joseph Somes, Esq., Governor; J. R.
Gowen, Esq.; E. G. Wakefield, Esq.; J. Phileher, Esq.;
R. D. Mangles, Esq., M.P.; Stewart Marjoribanks, Esq.,
M.P.; 11. A. Aglionby, Esq., M.P.; G. T. Young, Esq.;
William Hutt, Esq., M.P.; Alexander Currie, Esq., &c.
The minutes of the last meeting having been read and
confirmed, the following report was sumitted to the
meeting :
" The publication of Lord Stanley's dispatch to Go-
vernor Fitzroy, of the 13th August, 1844 (which will now
be read to you), leaves, we fear, no hope of obtaining,
except from an appeal to the justice of Parliament, re-
dress of the wrongs which you are suffering at the hands
of the Colonial-office.
" We, therefore, recommend that you should now au-
thorise us to lay the whole case, if we think it necessary,
before the House of Commons, in the form of a petition
from the Company.
" Supposing that you will not fail to approve of this
suggestion, we purposely abstain from alludirg on the
present occasion to any of the topics which such a peti-
tion must embrace.
" In the midst of the follies and disasters proceeding
from the Local Government, of which every arrival from
New Zealand brings some fresh account, it has been
most gratifying to us to learn with what fortitude the
colonists of your settlements have received intelligence
of the unhappy position of the Company.
" There wilt be laid before you, in the form of an ap-
pendix, copies of all letters of importance which have
been received from your local agents since the date of
our Fourteenth Report."
The last dispatch of Lord Stanley to the Governor of
New Zealand was then read. It ran to a great length
and was exceedingly unfavourable to the Company. It
commenced in the following terms:—
" In my dispatch, No. 27, of the 30th ultlieo, I en-
closed to you the report and proceedings of the Commit-
tee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire into
the state of New Zealand, and into the proceedings
of the New Zealand Company. On reference to
he proceedings you will perceive that the Com-
mittee were far from unanimous in their opinions,
and that some of the most important of their decisions,
including one upon the selection between two sets
of resolutions, as the basis of thoir report, were sus-
tained by very narrow majorities. Nevertheless, I
cannot but apprehend that this report, carrying with it,
as it must be admitted to do, the authority of a Com-
mittee of the House of Commons, may add to the ditli
culties of your position, less indeed by the practical
measures which it recommends than by the principles
which it lays down, and on which it proceeds—princi
ples which I know to be opposed to your own views,
and which, if you were to attempt to carry them into
practice, would, I fear, lead to most unhappy conse-
quences."
The CHAIRMAN said—Gentlemen, I deeply regret the
spirit that ha: been evinced by the Colonial-office
against the New Zealand Company ever since Lord John
Russell resigned the post of Colonial Secretary. Had
his Lordship remained at the head of the Colonial-office
up to the present time, this Company, and the 10,000
British subjects in New Zealand, would have been
in a
very different situation to that in which I regret to say
they are at present placed. The Colonial-office has not
carried out either the spirit or the letter of agreement
entered into with this Company.—(Cries of " Hear,
hear.") When Lord John Russell granted a charter of
incorporation, it was upon certain conditions, viz., that
the New Zealand Company should make over to
her Majesty's Government all lands to which the
Company had a claim ; in return, the Government were
to make over as many acres of land at five shillings per
acre, as the Company had laid out money for the benefit
of the Colony, subject to the award of Mr. Pennington,
which sum amounted to 218,1481. 4s. 2d., and entitled the
Company to 762,593 acres, for which the Government
were bound to give to the Company a clear and bona fide
title ; and I maintain that the Company has nothing to
do with the native claims—that is a matter between the
Government and the natives, and I, therefore, fear there
is no other course left for the Company but to appeal to
Parliament fur justice, and for that compensation which
is clearly due to them.—(Cheers )
Mr. ROBINS was quite sure the Proprietors placed
every confidence in the Directors, and they only wished
to know what course the Board, after due deliberation,
advised to be adopted. ne was sure, that amongst all
the speculations and companies in existence, they could
not find a more efficient Board of Directors, and it there-
fore appeared to him, that the best thing they could do
was to follow their advice. Ile must say they had been
most unfairly dealt with by Lord Stanley. There was
no use in mincing words. He was a Conservative to
the back bone, but when he compared the conduct of
Lord John Russell with that of Lord Stanley, he
was bound at once to praise the Whigs. He called
upon every one present to exercise their influence
in inducing Members of Parliament to support their
cause, which was based on ;truth and justice, when it
came before the House of Commons. It was almost im-
possible for them to fail in their application to that
House, because the report made by a Committee, ap-
pointed last year to inquire into the subject of their
affairs, had reported in their favour. If it were neces-
sary and consistent with the usual order of procedure,
he should be glad to move that the Board of Directors
take immediate steps to proceed to Parliament.
The CI-mama:4 said that they had better adopt and
recelve the report first.
Dr. fr,ntil, of Glasgow, accordingly rose to move
that the report now real be received and adopted. He
quite concurred in the remarks which had been made
by Mr. Robins, that the conduct of the Government
towards the Company was exceedingly unjust. He
thought Lord Stanley bad done much to unsettle and
disturb the affairs of New Zealand, and he trusted the
matter would be carried before the Legislature.
Mr. WATSON, in seconding the tee:ion, fully agreed in
the rocommendstion that they should go before Parlia-
ment for that justice which was denied tiiem by the
Colonial-office. So fully did he concur in whe.t Mr.
Robins had said, that he was afraid to trust himself
commenting on the conduct of Lord Stanley. The
Noble Lord had made an absurd attempt to shake the
report of the House of Commons, and had made a most
signal failure.
The motion was put from the Chair and carried una
niraously.
Major bluaefie, in moving the adoption of a petition
of c
to the House Commons representing on the part of
the Company
the
Co-
lonial-office, remarker 11;1;at was done them by the Co-
if Lord Stanley persisted in
his present policy it would
n
of the Company, but at
permanoetnotnlyl3d• ruinestr
otyh et
hshareholders
of the colony.
Major CHESS seconded the motion.
Mr. AGLIONBY, NI.P., spoke to the rs,sulution, and
dwelt at some length upon the statement Fitz made by Lord
Stanley in his dispatch to Governor Fitzroy,
trheelativ e to
the sma In ,ss cf the majority which carried
resolu-
tions in a Committee of the House of Commons infv
ou
instead ar
of the Company. He showed that the majority
of being small, was, comparatively speaking, large,
inasmuch as the Chairman of the Committee, Lord
Howick, abstained from voting altogether, and one of
the Committee, who was known to entertain favourable
views towards the Company was from some cause
unable to attend on the divisions.
The motion having been c irried unanimously, a vote
of thanks to the Chairman was agreed to, and the meet
perpainated.
•

7,7—• ----
' Afollowing gentlemen are to beraised to the
rilrita; Queen's Counsel :—Messrs. Lee, Parrry, d Wood,
of 'the- quity Bar ; and Messrs. Humfrey, Hayward, Butt,
"Musa,urney, and Montagu Chambers, of the Common
-.-,-,..,,,;• "Z,:i AL COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—As the workers of
—...-1---,,, .7-the pits at the Rosehall colliery, near Coatbrldge, were de-
- .g the shaft to their employment, on the 31st ult., the rope
.ke when
3' those descending were supposed to be half way down theoatt
—. d unfortunately fell, to the bottom and were killed.—
..7mm* Herald.:

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