The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-15 00:00:00

It may Ito rigit re to mention that the Directors have
suggested t he prop ty of forming a branch railway to Witney
from the C 'fold, Worcester, and Wolverhampton line, so as
to give to bat town a direct communication with the Stafford-
shire coal d istricts, as well as with all the manufacturing:and
shipping to, ns in the north of England.
An eaten: von of that railway beyond Worcester, through
North Wales. to the coast of Carnarvonshire, as a means of
affording to PA eland the very best metropolitan communication,
is, however, Ir2y 'far the most important of the subjects for the
consideration tr. I the Proprietors. The Directors recommend
that the sanctic n of the Company should be given at this meet-
ing to th.s pros :lotion of that railway, tending so materially to
enhance the vi due of the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolver-
hampton bite, -as a means of drawing more distant traffic to the
Great Westert , besides rendering the whole scheme a great
national uncietrtaking, well deserving the warm support of both.
Houses of Par. lament.

The Direct( .rs have not been unmindful of the pledge given
by them last yet .r to the Board of Trade, in respect of some line
of improved cot alnunication between the Wilts, Somerset, and
Weymouth Railway, and the cities of Bath and Bristol ; and
they have insizact-ed Mr. Brunel to make a careful inspection
and survey of the intermediate country, in order to report in
what manner t Ivey can most advantageously carry out the pledge
so giveril and futifil the enactments in the Bill, as well for the
public advantaA as for the interest of the two Companies.
Macy appliegaionq have been made by projectors of new
lines throughout the country for the support and assistance of
the Great Westa.n Railway, to which the Directors have
given their beat a ttention. They think, however, that it is
not expedient td ;viler at this time more specifically to any
other intended railways, whether brought under their notiee
by other parties, or „suggested by themselves. The Proprietors
may feel assured that. the utmost caution and circumspection
wilt be observed in bringing forward and encouraging any new
scheme, and that due..regard to public accommodation on the
one hand, and to the it. terests of this Company confided to
their charge on the other, shall determine their future course.
The usual financial accouni.s are appended to this report.
C. RUSSELL, Chairman.
Mr. CAVE wished do know wL'ether the Directors had
made such regulations as would eu.'hle the servants of
the Company to attend their respective vlaces of religious
worship on the Sabbath-day ?
The CHAIRMAN said the Directors were most de iirous,
t,s far as it was possible to do so, to afford their servants
an opportunity of attending divine service cn the Lord's-
day. The departure of the trains was so arranged as to
encroach as little as possible upon the hours of divine
worship. He feared no further arrangement could be
made on this subject, for railways had now engrossed
almost entirely the means of communication ; and, if
they were prohibited from carrying on their operations
on the Sunday, they would stop all communication on
that day between different parts of the country.—(Hear,
hear.) He begged to remind Mr. Cave that the Com-
pony was required, by Act of Parliament, to run the
mail trains and cheap trains on Sunday.
Mr. CAVE asked if the Directors of the Great Wes-
tern Railway Company would extend the principle it
seemed they had adopted to all lines under their
control ? _ _ _

The CarAzirmAN said they certainly would do so.
The Rev. Mr. NicuoLsoN wished to know to what
extent the Great Western Railway Company was sub-
jected to the provisions of a recent Act of Parliament,
known as Mr. Gladstone's Act ?
Mr. SAUNDERS said the effect cf Mr. Gladstone's Act
would undoubtedly be to render the Company, after a
lapse of twenty years, liable to a revision of their rates
and tolls, provided they were then in the receipt of more
than ten per cent. interest on their capital. That Act
also gave the Government the right of purchasing the
railway. out and out, if their interest exceeded ten per
cent. But a revision of their charges could not be made
unless the Government guaranteed them for ever after-
warls interest at the rate of ten per cent. upon their

capital.
Mr. L. HEvworITH suggested that, although the pre-
sent station of the railway at Paddington was very valu-
able, they ought to penetrate still further (if it were
possible to do so) into the centre of the metropolis, and
establish a terminus there. He thought Hungerford-
bridge a very likely situation, as it was probable that
point would be fixed upon for the termini of many other
rail ways.
The CHAIRMAN said, this question had already re-
ceived the attention of the Directors ; but, it was no
easy matter to obtain a passage through the metropolis
of Great Britain.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped, however,
that some plan might eventually be adopted which would
meet the views of the Hon. Proprietor.
Mr. L. HEYWORTH then moved the adoption of the
report, which, after a few words from 1)r. GORE, WES
agreed to.
Resolutions to the following effect, carrying out the
recommendations of the repo:. t, were then put by the
CHAIRMAN, and agreed to unanimously:—
" That a dividend of 4 per cent. be declared for the
half-year ending the 30th of July last, and that such
dividend be made payable on the Ist of September next.
" That, in pursuance of the powers granted to the,
Company by Act of Parliament, an additional capital of
2.325,000/. be raised by the creation of new shares of
251. each, to be offered rateahly to each proprietor regis •
tend on the books on the 6th of September next ; and
that two of such shares be appropriated to each pro-
prietor for every 1001. stock he holds in the Company,
and so on in proportion.
That a deposit of V. 10s. on each new share be
made payable on the Bth of October next.
" That the Directors be empowered to take all neces-
sary measures for applying to Parliament, in the next
session, for Bills for the construction of certain railroads
in connexion with the Great Western Railway, to effect
arrangements with landholders, &c."
Mr. L. iIEYWORTH moved, that the cordial thanks of
the meeting be given to the Directors, for their able and
indefatigable exertions.
The resolation was seconded, and carried amid loud

applause. •
The CHAIRMAN briefly returned thanks on behalf of
the Directors, and then said that he had now to dis-
charge a most gratifying duty, at the unanimous re-
quest of his brother Directors. They considered they
could not more appropriately close the proceedings of
this, the most prosperous day they had yet experienced,
than by offering some testimonial of their gratitude
and respect to one to whom the prosperity of their
affairs was in a great measure attributable.—(llear,
hear.) In February last the thanks of the proprietors
were voted to Mr. Saunders, their able cretary, and
the Directors were requested to consider the pro-
priety of awarding to that gentleman some substantial
memorial of the high sense entertained by the Company
of his valuable services. That gentleman had rendered
services to the Company in almost every way—in their
negotiations with public bodies and private individuals,
in their recent discussions with officers of the Govern-
ment, in their financial affairs, and in connexion
with their Parliamentary and even legal proceedings,
besides discharging the important duties attaching
to his office as Secretary and superintendent of the line. It
was suggested, in the first instance, that, in order to
mark their high sense of Mr. Saunders's indefatigable
services, he should be presented with a certain number
of reserved shares ; but a technical difficulty prevented
the adoption of that suggestion. The Directors had,
however, determined to recommend an analogous mode
of proceeding ; viz., that Mr. Saunders should be pre-
sented with a number of the shares, the premium upon •
which would amount to the value of those reserved
shares it had in the first instance been proposed to allot
to him. The Hon. Chairman then moved, that 300 of
the reserved one-fifth shares at par should be transferred
to tfr. Saunders, in testimony of the deep sense enter-
tained by the Company of his eminent services.
Mr. CROSTHWAITE seconded the proposition, which
was carried unanimously.
Mr. SAUNDERS returned thanks in appropriate terms,
and said that this gift was far more munificent than he
had merited by any services he had rendered to the Cum-
pany.—(" No, no," and cheers.)
The proceedings of the half•yearly meeting then ter-
minated.

A special general meeting of the Proprietors was then
held, according to previous notice, for the purpose of
considering and determining whether authority shall be
given, and upon what terms and conditions, for this
Company to purchase, and hold the Berks and Hants
Railway, the Oxford and Rugby Railway, and the Mon-
mouth and Hereford Railway, or either of them, and to
use, exercise, and enjoy all the rights, powers, and pri-
vileges conferred on the said companies, severally incor-
porated by Act of Parliament, fur making the said rail-
ways ; and also to order and direct such steps to be taken
in reference thereto as may seem to the said special ge-
neral meeting to be right and expedient.
Mr. C. Russell, M.P., took the chair, and put a reso-
lution, authorising the Directors of the Great Western
Hallway to purchase and hold the above mentioned rail-
ways, upon such terms and conditions as might be agreed
upon by the said Directors and the Directors of those
' Companies respectively.
The resolution was agreed to without any observation,
as was also a resolution authorising the Directors of the
Great Western Railway, in the event of the purchase of
any or all of the above lines, to act as directors of those
lines.
On the motion of Mr. CROSTHWAITE, a vote of thanks
was given to the •Chairman, who briefly acknowledged
the compliment, and the meeting then separated.