The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-07 00:00:00

SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY
COMPANY.

Yesterday afternoon a special general meeting of the
above Company was held at the London Tavern, on the
subject of the •proposed extension of the South-Eastern
Railway.
Sir John Kirkland, Chairman of the Directors, occu-
pied the Chair.
JOHN WHITEHEAD, Esq., the Secretary, read the
Report of the. Directors, which was extremely lengthy,
and from which we quote the following extracts :
" The Directors are satisfied that the true interests of
the Railway are in the strictest sense identical with
those of the public, and that no system can be con-
sidered as permanently ptosperous and secure, unless it
provides within itself thesreatest practicable amount of
public accommodation.
" The new railways which they propose to construct
are—the North Kent line, beginning on the Surrey side
of the Thames, at a point between the Hungerford and
Waterloo-bridges, and passing by the Bricklayers' Arms
station, over the Greenwich Railway, by Deptford,
Woolwich, Greenhithe' Dartford, Gravesend, Stroud,
Rochester, Chatham, Sittingbourne, Faversham, and
d
terminating at Chilham, where it joins the Company's
present line from Ashford to. Canterbury, Ramsgate,
Margate. It comprehends also a branch from Milton
next Sittingbourne to Sheerness, and another branch,
or rather duplicate line, from Eltham to Stone, Bear
Dartford. The Minster and Deal line. The Maidstone

and Rochester line. The direct Tunbridge line from
Eltham to Shoreham, Otford and Igtham, with a fork to
Tunbridge and Paddock Wood. The line from Tun-
bridge to Tunbridge Wells. And a line from Ashford
to Hastings.
"Notice has also been given to extend the Greenwich
Railway as far as the Park, and to make a return branch
from Woolwich to the opposite side of the park, so that,
if the consent of the Government be obtained, the line
to Woolwich will pass direct through Greenwich and
Greenwich park, instead of taking the more circuitous
route by Blackheath.

" One of the most important features in this system is
the connexion between all parts of the country and the
great terminal station, opposite to Hungerford-market.
The South-Western Company are preparing to extend
their line to the same point ; and other lines are pro-
posed, by which the communication will be carried on
to the Great Western and London and Birmingham
Railways, and thus to all the important districts of.
Great Britain."

The report then suggebts various other improvements
in diff,rent parts of the line.

The CHAiRNAN moved that the report be adopted by
the Proprietors, and moved the following resolutions :-
1. That it is expedient for the South Eastern Railway
Company to provide funds, by the creation of new
shares, for making the undermentioned lines of railway,
in favour of which the Board of Trade have announced
their intention of reporting to Parliament :—South-
Eastern—Maidstone and Rc chester ' • South-Eastern—
Branches to Deal and Walmer, and Extension and De-
viation at Margate ; South-Eastern—Ashford to Hast-
ings ,• South-Eastern—Hungerford-bridge to Tunbridge
and Paddock Wood,. and branches ; South-Eastern—
North Kent, Hungerford-bridge to Chilham, with
branch to Sheerness, subject to any modifications which
may appear to be desirable for the naval and military
establishments of the country, and reserving considera-
tion of the branch to connect Greenwich and Woolwich;
and so much of the line from Tunbridge to Hastings,
Rye, and St. Leonard's, as lies between Tunbridge and
Tunbridge Wells ; and also yor widening and extending
parts of the London and Greenwich Railway, if found
expedient ; subject to a power in the Directors to make
all such deviations, extensions, contractions and varia-
tions of all, or any, of the said lines and works and to
execute such incidental works, as they shall think ex-
pedient.

2. That the additional capital of 3,780,0001., being the
,full estimated amount required for constructing and
opening for traffic all the contemplated lines, be raised
by the issue of 126,000 new shares of NZ each, to parties
who shall pay for the same 30/. per share, by instalments
as after mentioned.

3. That the first instalment of 21. 10s. per share be
paid on the 17th day of February, 1845, and the re-
maining instalments of such amounts (not exceeding 21.
10s. per share), and at such dates (at intervals of not
less than two months), as the Directors shall, after the
passing of any Act or Acts in relation to the before.
mentioned new lines, or any of them, determine to call
the same. That twenty-one days' notice of such calls
shall be given by advertisement in the London Gazette,
and two London daily morning newspapers, and two
newspapers published in Kent. That, upon payment of
all such instalments, or upon payment of such propor-
tion thereof as the Directors shall declare to be re-
quired, the shares, on account whereof the same shall
have been made, shall be forthwith- issued and regis-
tered ; but that, if default shall be made in the due
payment of any instalment upon may share for the space of
thirty days after the same shall have become due, all pre-
vious instalments in respect of the same share shall be
absolutely forfeited to the Company, and no party
in respect of such previous instalments shall be en-
titled to any share, or have any claim on the Com-
pany ; and that all instalments paid after the time when
the same shall have become due, shall be paid with in-
terest at the rate of 5L per centum per annum computed
from that time.

4. That every such instalment paid shall be deemed to
be and shall be entered in the Company's books as a pay-
ment in the same proportion to 501. as the instalment to
paid actually bears to 30/.
5. That no dividend shall be payable in respect of any
such' new share, or any of such instalment so paid, until
six months after the day on which a dividend shall have
been declared on the now existing shares of the Com-
pany next following the opening for traffic of the latest
in point of execution of the new lines of railway deter-
mined to be constructed by means of the additional ca-
pital aforesaid ; and that all profits accruing from any of
the new lines which may have been wholly or partially
opened: before such day, shall be divisible among the
Proprietors for the time being of the now existing
126,000 shares.

7. That every registered Proprietor of any existing
share or shares on the sth day of February, 1845, shall
be entitled, in respect of each such share, to one new
share so to be issued as before mentioned, provided that
he shall signify his acceptance of such share by payment
of the first instalment of 21. 10s. per share to one of the
bankers of the Company on or before the 17th day of
February, 1845, in compliance with a circular letter to
be sent by post to the registered address of each Pro-
prietor from the office of the Company,
7. That the Directors shall be at liberty to issue, upon
such terms and in such manner as they shall think pro-
per, any of the said 126,000 new shares to which no
parties shall become eutitled upon the foregoing con-
ditions.

Mr. M'GREGOR entered into a long statistical state-
meat, and gave the details of the probable cost of the va-
rious extension lines. These lines were of the utmost
importance to the Company, both on account of the im-
portance of the districts through which they passed, and
taken in connexion with the French lines which were
at present in course of progress.
The resolutions were then put seriatim, and were passed
with the utmost unanimity by a very crowded meeting.
Thanks to the Chairman were then voted and acknow-
ledged, and the meeting separated at half-past three
o'clock.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

Thomas Moulton, City policeman, 473, was charged by
Major Shaw, the superintendent of the City police, under
the following circumstances:—
Between the hours of half-past nine on the night of the
17th, and nine on the morning of the 18th of January,
the shop of Mr. Gibbs, of No. 78, King William-street,
was entered by thieves, by means, it is supposed, of
skeleton keys, and robbed of a very large quantity of
cloth, kerseymere, satin, bandannas, cashmere scarfs,
&c. &c. By,the direction of Mr. D. W. Harvey, the City
Police Commissioner, the defendant and the sergeant of
the beat were suspended, and the former was brought
before the Lord Mayor in consequence of certain sus-
picious matters connected with his conduct.
Inspector Todhunter stated that the chief reason for
bringing the case before the Lord Mayor was, that a
light had been seen through the skylight, in the house,
from without, at an early hour in the morning, just as
a policeman had been seen shutting the street door, im-
mediately after which the light disappeared, and that as
the defendant was the policeman whose duty it was to
watch the place, and he had made no report of the cir-
cumstance to his sergeant, there was ground for suspect- •
ing that he was, at all events, criminally negligent.
William Gordon, a fishmonger, stated that, as he wiis
going to Billingsgate one morning, two days after which
he saw an account of a robbery in Mr. Gibbs' house, in
the Morning Advertiser newspaper, he saw, a little before
six o'clock, a policeman come out of the shop and shut
the door, and he also saw a light in the shop, which in-
stantly disappeared. The policeman was about the size
of the defendant, but witness could not swear to his iden-
tity. The policeman turned his back to witness, and
then proceeded to try the doors of other shops.
Major Shaw stated that the defendant had been re-
lieved at six o'clock on the morning of the robbery.
Sergeant Howard (406) stated that it was his duty to
visit the men on the beat to which the defendant be-
longed, and the defendant had been on duty from nine
on Friday night till six on Saturday morning, when he
was relieved. The defendant was regularly on his beat.
It was the duty of the defendant to report to his ser-
geant if he found any door open, but the defendant had
not uttered a word upon the subject... Witness acci-
dentally heard of the circumstance and informed his in-
spector, and the inspector reported it to the super-
intendent.

The LORD MAYOR—The defendant has to go over his
beat. Is it not possible, that while he was absent from
the spot, the circumstance might have taken place ?
The sergeant—There is no policeman near the place
who at al answers the description of the defendant.
Gordon—The policeman I saw close the door had no
whiskers, and I see this man has none, and he seemed
to wish to avoid me, and pretended to be trying the
other doors. There was a thick fog at the time, and I
was afflicted with a severe cough.
John Butler (107) stated that he went, according to
the instructions he had received, to the house of the de-
fendant's uncle, a respectable farmer, and asked for the
defendant, but both uncle and aunt denied that they had
seen him for about a week. Afterwards, however, they
produced him, and he stated that he had been living
with them ever since the period of his suspension by the
Commissioners.

In answer to a question from the Lord Mayor, Gor-
don stated that the light was visible in the shop two or
three minutes, and that the moment the door was closed
by the policeman it went out.
The LORD MAYOR—WeII, defendant, you have heard.
what has been stated. You are accused of gross and
criminal neglect of duty as a policemant. Can you actl.
count how this circumstance took place?
d the house
i
The Prisoner—l cannot, my Lord. p
every ten minutes, and I never observed I
wholly at a losseervasane y light ; I
assure you I am wholly innocent.
to form any opinion upon it.
Major Shaw—lf the witness Gordon saw the light,
the policeman ought to have seen
By the desire of the Lord Mayor, the superintendent
went to -examine the newspaper in which Gordon said
he had read the account of the robbery, and reported
to his Lordship that it appeared in Tuesday morning's
Advertiser, so that the morning of which Gordon spoke
as that on which he had seen the occurrence described
by him, must have been Sunday morning.
Gordon corrected his statement by saying, that he
spoke of the mornings on which he did business at
Billingsgste.
Inspector Todhunter—The defendant must have
passed Mr. Gibbs's door twice within seventeen minutes,
and it certainly is most extraordinary how such a
quantity of goods could be got out of the house without
the knowledge.Of the•policeman appointed to the locality.
The LORD MAitoa--I admit that the case is one of
great suspicion, but I am not satisfied that the robbery
was committed in the morning; and Gordon cannot iden-
tify the politeman • • neither is his statement clear as to
the day on whielf he says ha observed the light. I shall,
under all the circumstances, bind over the defendant in
his.ovn recogniiances, to the amount of 201., to appear
here. to "answer any charge which may be brought against
him, •
ThoiwCoDts,,theApprentice of a respectable trades'