The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-06 00:00:00

LONDON and CROYDON RAILWAY
Yesterday the eighteenth half-yearly meeting of the
Proprietors of this concern was held at the London
terminus, William A. Wilkinson, Esq., in the chair.
From the report the Directors submitted to the
meeting, it appeared that the " spoil banks" in the
Forest-hill cutting had been relieved of a consider-
able quantity of earth during the summer, and were
now in a very satisfactory state. The line from the
Bricklayers' Arms to Croydon was opened on the
Ist of May, according to contract, and the number
of trains nearly doubled ; the gross receipts were
almost twice the amount, and the number of pas-
sengers trebled in the first month, compared with
the corresponding month of last year. The toll for
each passenger averaged about lid. ; if it had been
40. the amount would have equalled half the gross
receipts ; but the result, however satisfactory, was no
criterion of what may be expected in future. So far
as the Directors of the Greenwich Railway were
concerned, the question in dispute had been settled
by their agreement to a proposition for bringing
the atmospheric railway to London-bridge. In con-
sequence of the terms agreed upon, the tolls payable
to the Greenwich Company, averaging lid. per pas-
senger, were more than double those produced in the
same space of time from a rate of 4d., and the gross
receipts, at reduced fares, were slightly increased,
but as the great bulk of the traffic had been to Lon-
don-bridge, the Greenwich Company were chiefly
benefited. Since the last meeting, the Brighton and
Chichester, the Brighton and Hastings, and the
Croydon and Epsom lines had received the sanction
of the Legislature ; and the London and Chatham,
and Chatham and Portsmouth Junction, had been
brought under the notice of the Directors. One of
these, the Epsom line, had been obtained after a hard
struggle, but the South-Western Railway Company
threatened another attempt to carry out a rival pro-
ject. This the Directors thought was sufficient to
justify the course they had pursued, and intended
still to persevere in. Failing, as the Directors have,
in their attempt to form a junction with the South-
Western line, they had received overtures for a
direct line from Portsmouth to London, and satisfied
of the facilities of the atmospheric system, they have
directed Mr. Cubitt to make a preliminary survey
between Epsom tnd Portsmouth. This line Mr.
Cubitt reports to be free from difficulties, being
nearly stright from London on the one hand, and to
Chatham on the other, and effecting more perfectly
than had been contemplated the original object of the
London and Chatham, and Chatham and Portsmouth
lines, in connexion with that of Croydon and Epsom.
The Directors repudiated the idea of interfering with
the interests of other concerns, but did not consider
they were bound to forward the interests of others if
they ran counter to those of their own Company ;
for, while respecting the rights of others, they were
bound to forward those of the Proprietors, and, as the
Proprietors of the South-Western Railway had armed
their Directors with fall authority, they trusted the
same confidence would be placed in them.
The accounts presented an increase of the Croydon
traffic, as compared with the corresponding half-year,
of 2,5001.; upon the toll of the Brighton Company
of 1,500/. ; and upon that of the Dover Company of
2,300/. ; and, although the expenses had slightly in-
creased, and 7,000 new shares were now participating,
the sum devisable might safely be greater by 25 per
cent. than in the corresponding half-year. The
Directors therefore recommended a dividend of ss.
upon 40,000 shares, free from the income-tax.
After the statement of the Directors had been re-
ceived, several resolutions were agreed to, approving
of the report and the recommendations it contained ;
after which a dividend of ss. a share was agreed upon.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman was then passed,
and the meeting separated.

DIE CHURCH MILITANT.—The Univers publishes
a pastoral letter of the Bishop of Chalons, ordering
prayers throughout his diocese to thank the Almighty
for the recent successes obtained in Africa, particularly
before Tangiers and Mogadore, and at the battle of Isly.
"What an admirable spectacle," says the prelate, "it
must have been to see his Royal Highness the Prince
de Joinville advancing proudly at the head of his
fleet to take up a position under the fire of the place op-
posite formidable ramparts, and thence, by the thunder
of his ships, silence all the batteries, which, not-
withstanding an obstinate defence, were soon converted
into a heap of ruins. All this is sublime and worthy of
the French name. We accordingly salute most cordially,
and with transports of admiration, the noble Snffren, all
the ships of the fleet, all our brave seamen, and offer
to Heaven in their favour our most affectionate wishes.
We vow a similar homage to the brave army of Marshal
Bugeaud, which, although so inferior in numbers, per-
formed prodigies of valour, and witnessed the disap-
pearance before his intrepid battalions of legions of
barbarians, who, by that severe lesson, will have been
taught to know and respect France. In order to testify
our gratitude to the Almighty for so signal a victory,
and secure for ever His protection to our land
and naval armies, all the clergymen in the
diocese shall recite at the holy mass, during eight
days, the orison, collect, and post-communion, pro obtenta
victoria. The parish priests will read this letter on
Sunday next to their parishioners. Let us not forget
often to invoke during the present war the great St.
Louis, the model of warriors and kings, who also fought
valiantly in Africa, and left to us everywhere such
noble examples to imitate."
CHELSEA OUT-PENSIONERS.—A recent Parliamen-
tary paper contains the provisional instructions for staff-
officers of pensioners (who are to muster in a few days
for inspection), relative to fines and penalties as framed
by the Secretary at War, under the Act for the enrol-
ment of out-pensioners. There are twenty instructions
respecting fines and penalties, new enrolments, and bil-
leting and messing. The following rule has been laid
down for billeting and messing:—" In case the enrolled
pensioners in any district are called out in aid of the
civil power, or otherwise placed in circumstances render-
ing it impossible for a time to return to their houses, the
staff-officers must, if no temporary accommodation can
be afforded them in barracks, or other public buildings,
make arrangements for their being billeted in the same
way as if they belonged to the regular forces of her Ma-
jesty, as authorised by the 6th clause of the Act
of 6 and 7 Vic., c. 95; and with the view of providing
for their being properly subsisted on such occasions, the
staff-office shall, during every day on which these pen-
sioners continue to be so employed, advance to the ser-
geant or other non-commissioned officer in charge of the
squad, such sum not exceeding one-half of the day's pay,
as will be sufficient to purchase the materials for three
good and sufficient meals of like quantity and quality as
are usually enjoyed by her Majesty's troops serving at
the station, or of superior quantity and-quality, if the
majority of the pensioners wish for it; and in the event
of the said pensioners being called out on such duty, at
any period after noon, a sufficient sum shall be advanced
to provide a dinner and supper for that day, or if called
on such employment after sun-set, then sufficient only
shall be issued to provide supper for that evening ; all
such sums shall be expended, by the sergeant of each
squad, accompanied by one of the pensioners selected
for the purpose, who will, when practicable, take re-
ceipts for such expenditure, and account to the staff-
officer for the amount advanced, and, at the conclusion of
each day's duty, the staff-officer will pay over to each
pensioner the balance due to him, after deducting his
share of the sums thus expended, and any fines that may
have been incurred," &c.
THE IRISH SOCIETY.—It is with pleasure we have
to announce that a deputation from the Honourable the
Irish Society, consisting of Alderman Humphery, M.P.,
the Governor of the Society ; Mr. William Jones, De-
puty-Governor ' • Alderman H. Hughes, Messrs. Wil-
liam Laurence, William Collingwood, Thomas B. Hall,
and John Ebenezer Davies, the popular and efficient
secretary, have arrived in this country, and been em•
ployed in visiting their estates in Ulster. We look
upon it as a great advantage that the citizens of London
should be so connected with Ireland as to give them an
interest in turning their attention to a consideration of
its wants and resources, and it is still more important
that there should be such lords of the soil to set an ex-
ample in a country not famed for generous and conside-
rate landlords. The Irish Society is truly a pattern in
its dealings with its tenants, even to good landlords, and
if it has not done all that might be wished, the blame is
to be attributed to some of the London Companies, who,
we trust, will be shortly made to account for their mis-
appropriation of the public revenue.—Dublin World.
SUPPLEMENT TO THE " DISPATCH."—The pro-
prietors of the Weekly Dispatch, in addition to the Sup-
plements already given, and which comprise the whole d
the proceedings in the Irish State Trials, with the view
of rendering those Supplements complete, have deter-
mined upon presenting to their subscribers, on Sunday
next, a concluding Supplement of eight pages (gratis),
containing the whole of the arguments in the House of
Lords upon the Writ of Error, from Thursday, the 4th
of July, up to Wednesday last, September the 4th. This
Supplement will contain the brilliant speeches of Counsel
on both sides ; and the decision of the Law Lords, in-
volving the reversal of the judgment in the case of Mr.
O'Connell and others, and consequent release of all the
" conspirators," together with the memorable speeches of
Lords Denman, Cottenham, and Campbell, and the ob-
servations of Lord Brougham, the Lord Chancellor, &c.
Orders received by all Newsvenders in town and coun-
try, and at the Dispatch Office, 139, Fleet-street.
THE MINERS.—The extensive combination of the
pitmen in our principal coal districts, and the unexam-
pled length of time it continued, have turned public at-
tention towards their organisation and true character,
and much inquiry has been directed to the subject ; but
it is impossible that a view of these mischievous unions
could be given more graphic and complete than will be
found in the September Number of the New Monthly
Magazine, in the form of a narrative tale called " The
Miners, a Story of the Old Combination-laws," very
powerfully written, that displays the selfishness of the
leaders and concoctcrs of such combinations, and the
base purposes to which they employ their influence. The
story is one of deep interest, and is likely at the present
time to be very generally read.
MR. HUME, M.P.—A meeting of the constituency
of Arbroath took place on Thursday, in the Town•hall,
to hear an address from our worthy representative in
Parliament, at present on his way north. The hall was
well filled on the occasion, the larger proportion of the
electors being present. Mr. Hume was accompanied by
the provost and bailies, and rapturously received by the
audience.
REPRESENTATION OF NORTH LANCASHIRE.—We
hope a Liberal candidate will be immediately selected to
come forward for the vacancy created in the representa-
tion of North Lancashire by Lord Stanley's acceptance
of the Chiltern Hundreds.