The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-29 00:00:00

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.
A special general meeting of the Directors and
Proprietors of this Railway was held yesterday at I
their offices at Shoreditch, for the purpose of receiving
the Report of the Engineer of the Company on the
state of the railway. The meeting was extremely
well attended, and at the Directors' table we noticed
T. W. Rathbone, Esq. ; David Hodgson, Esq. ; and
John Nather, Esq., three of the Directors from
Liverpool.
H. BOSANQUET, Esq., took the Chair, and stated
that he felt it incumbent on him to address a few
observations to them on the circumstances under
which they met that day. On the 31st of August
they received a Report from the Engineer stating that
the line would be ready on the 16th of the following
month. Circumstances, however, occurred, which
rendered it necessary that the meeting called for the
16th of September should be adjourned to this day.
He begged to return them, for his own part and his
brother Directors, sincere thanks for the confidence
reposed in them when they were disappointed
in viewing their property, which ran through
fertile and populous districts. He was extremely
happy in meeting them that day, as it enabled the n
to give the Shareholders the reasons for the delays
which had occurred. Ha could not help observing,
that, in all enterprises like this one, the Shareholders
and Directors could only be moved by one common
interest. What could bring so many of his Hon.
Friends all the way from Liverpool, if they had not
the interest of the Company at heart ? Their great
stimulus, of course, was the hope of future remune-
ration in the success of the Company. It had got
abroad that the Directors of Railway Companies pos-
sessed great patronage; he could only say, that he
had never exercised one pennyworth, and he never
would.—(Cheers.) When the Directors appointed
any person to a situation in the Company, the first
and only consideration was qualification. The next
circumstance to which he would allude, was that of
their expectations with respect to the line. He held
in his hand a statement, showing the progressive state
of the seventeen miles of railway now com-
pleted. He found that, in the year 1840, dur-
ing fifteen weeks, the receipts were 10,4511. ;
in 1841, the receipts were, during the same
period, 14,9901. Included in this were the
receipts from the Northern and Eastern Company
which were not received during the corresponding
period of 1840. In the year 1842 the receipts from
the Northern and Eastern Company were smaller, as
the tolls to them had been reduced ; yet in the fifteen
weeks of 1842, the receipts were 17,4551. When he
considered the places of communication between the
two extremities of the line, Colchester, Chelmsford,
and other places, and the traffic that would take
place independent of that between Colchester and
London, he could not but congratulate the Share-
holders. The first document that would be read to
them would be the Engineer's Report of the 31st of
August.
The Report, which has already been before the
public, was then read, which stated that the line
would be completed and open for traffic by the Ist of
October.
The Engineer's Report was then read, stating that
the reason the line had not been completed by this
time was owing to the badness of the weather, the
want of iron, caused by the strike of all the colliers,
slips, and other causes, over which the Engineer had
no control. The Report went on to state that large
sums of money had been expended in work caused by
the slips on the line.
The CHAIRMAN said that Mr. Braithwaite, the
Engineer, was ready to answer any questions any Pro
prietor wished to put to him.
A SHAREHOLDER wished to know when it was
likely the whole line would be opened ?
Mr. BRAITH WAITE said that he was convinced, that
if they had anything like good weather, the line
would be completed in three or four weeks.
Mr. DANKS said, that as the representative of a
considerable interest in the line, he had walked over
the lint between Brenton and Colchester, in order to
judge for himself when it was probable the line would
be opened, and lie felt convinced that it could not be
done in six weeks. He knew that the Engineer had
had great difficulties to contend with, over which he
had no possible control. He (Mr. Banks) would re-
commend, that for the first three months after the
line wasopened, nothing but goods should beconveyed.
This would give confidence to the public.
Mr. T. W. RATHEONE said the Directors thanked
the Hon. Proprietor for his suggestion, which should
receive their earnest consideration.
A SHAREHOLDER said he wanted to put a few ques-
tions to Mr. Braithwaite. He had spoken of large
outlays of money, but he had said nothing as to what
could be saved by selling what was called the spoiled
land. He wished to know if a large saving might not
have been made in purchasing the iron for the whole
line at once ? The Bristol and Gloucester Railway
had saved from five to ten pounds a ton by this course.
In the statement of the accounts there appeared for
the solicitor's bill 18,000/. he wished to know in
what way this had been incurred.
Mr. BRAITHWAITE said that considerable saving
would be made by the sale of the spoiled land. The
iron could not be purchased all at the same time as
there was not money to do it.
The CHAIRMAN said that the large amount of the
solicitor's bill had been caused by troublesome parties
who were continually preferring complaints before the
Magistrates, which were very harassinc, and expen-
sive. The Act of Parliament provided that all ex-
penses relating to title-deeds should be paid by the
Company.
Mr. Ems wished to know whether there would be
any more money required for the completion of the
line.

Mr. BRAITHWAITE said that probably 10,000/. more
would be required, or less than that.
Mr. LEMONS wished to know what was the amount
of the surplus property of the Company.
The CHAIRMAN said it was 80,000/.
A SHAREHOLDER wished to know if General Pas-
ley, the Inspector of Railways, would require two
lines before traffic.
Mr. BRAITHWAITE said that probably he would re-
quire two lines to be completed before there was pas-
senger traffic, but for goods, he thought he would only
require one.
After a short conversation the Report was put to
the meeting, and was received and adopted.
A vote of thanks was then passed to the Chairman
and Directors, and the meeting separated.

TERRIFIC COMBAT WITH
POACHERS,
MURDER OF A GAMEKEEPER.

(From the Chester Chronicle of yesterday.)
We regret to have to record a most sanguinary
combat which took place on Saturday evening last,
between the keepers of John Tollemache, Esq., of
Ti'ston Lodge, M.P., and Edwin Corbett, Esq., of
Darnhall, and a party of poachers, and which resulted
in , the cefeat of the former, one of whom, named
_

Richard Chesters, died in a few hours afterwards,
from the injuries he received in the conflict. The
following are the facts as near as we have heen able
to collect them :

It appeared, that from some information that had
been obtained by Robert Bostock, keeper to Mr. Cor-
bett, he had reason to apprehend that a poaching
party would be out on the night in question. He
called that morning upon Daniel Bebbington, who
was engaged by Mr.,Tollemache to look after the
game at Wettenhali, and told him that he expected
there would be some poachers in Wettenhall Woo 1
that night ; and they arranged to meet at the
Wettenhall side of the wood at eleven o'clock.
About nine o'clock on that evening, Bostock called
upon John Noden, waggoner to Mr. Corbett,
and John Bebbington, under-keeper to the
same gentleman. They went to Wettenhall Wood
to watch, and found Daniel Bebbington and Thomas
Bebbington, his grandson, a young boy, who had heard
the report of fire-arms a few minutes previous, and
were awaiting the arrival of the remainder of the keep-
ers and their party. It was a moonlight night. They
went some distance by the side of that part of the
wood called Boffey's-pipe, and crossed a field of John
Boffey's, which adjoined the Pipe, where they saw four
or five men, who, as soon as they saw them (the keep-
ers) called on them to stand off. Three of the men had
guns, one of them was identified by Bostock as Joseph
Baker, and one of them had a bludgeon. Those who
had guns pointed them towards the keepers. As the
keepers advanced the poachers retreated slowly back-
wards, and Baker cried out, " D— their eyes, don'tlet
us go back, let us stand!" Daniel Bebbington said,
"My lads, we are five as well as ye," counting his
grandson as one. When they came to close quarters,
John Bebbington seized hold of one of the men,
and seized his gun by the muzzle, and threw him down.
In the struggle the gun went off, as the poacher had .
hold of the lock. This man was dressed dark
clothing. Daniel Bebbington came up during the
struggle, and threw himself upon the man, and John
Bebbington left him in order to pursue the other
poachers, and immediately another of the gang came
up dressed in a short darkish coloured slop, and struck
Daniel Bebbington over the head and arms, and en-
abled the other man to escape. Robert Bostock
seized the man who had the bludgeon, and was beaten
severely by him ; the second blow knocked him down,
and stunned him, and his gun was taken from him and
discharged. When John Bebbington left Daniel Beb-
bington in charge of the poacher he had prostrated, 11,2
pursued John Baker who had run alongside of the
wood for a short distance, and had during the pursuit
got over the hedge into the wood, John Bebbington
being close to him, and in fact was with him as he
got over the hedge, Baker's gun being under him.
They had a struggle, when RichareChesters, an-
other of the keepers (and who afterwards died of
the injuries he received), came up, and the two se-
cured Baker. John Bebbington said to his prisoner
" I know thee." He called him Duke Baker; and
he answered " Well, thou knows me, let me go."