The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-25 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

FAMPOUX AND HAZEBROUCK.
The first general meeting of the shareholders of this railway
was held yesterday afternoon at the offices of Mr. Benham,
the solicitor to, the Company, in Austin-friars, for the pur-
pose of receiving the report of the Directors upon the pros-
perity of the undertaking.
The chair was taken at three o'clock by Andrew Spottis-
woode, Esq., and the usual formalities having been gone
through, the report was read by the Secretary, from which it
appeared that the line had beet: obtained for 37 years and
316 .days; that the road now possessed by the VCompany
left the Great Trunk Line at Fampoux or suburb of
Arras, and passing near Lens, Merville, and through
Bethune, terminated at Hazebrouck, the whole dis-
tance being 51 kilometres; at this place the branch
line of the Great Trunk Line from Calais and Dunkirk meet
the line belonging to the Company, which would afford a
shorter road to the metropolis then by Lille and Douai. The
present line ranked not only among the richest, but the most
compact lines of France. From the engineer's report it
would appear that the estimate of the expenditure was
nearly one million of francs below the capital. The line had
been carefully surveyed, and there were no difficulties of any
Importance to overcome. The prospects of the Company would
be considerably brightened when the projected North Kent
Railroad was opened, as travellers would then, in all probabi-
lity, go from Dover to Calais, and onwards by the Fampoux
line. Until the opening of the line, interest at the rate of
four per cent, would be paid on the paid-up capital.
The CHAIRMAN said, at the conclusion of the reading of
the report, that it was totally unnecessary for him to say a
word on the affairs of the Company, as the report was so ex-
plicit on that subject. Captain Chamier, who had just arrived
front Paris, was present, and would be happy to answer the
questions of any Proprietors.
Captain CHAMIER was happy to inform the Shareholders
that they were engaged with the most respectable Committee
in France. It was generally thought when they came in
contest with the Rothschilds that they would lose their line,
but the high character of the gentlemen forming their Com-
mittee saved it. He could assure the Shareholders that they
would form a most erroneous notion of the value of their
shares if they looked to the quotations in the London news-
papers, in all of which they were quoted at different
prices, and in some as low as fifteen or sixteen francs;
the real fact was, they. were at 35 and 36 francs.—(Hear,
hear.) He had no hesitation in saying that the line would
pay at least 6 per cent. ; and the engineer had reported to
him that if the winter should turn out to be a mild one, it
would be completed in a year; added to this, the Minister of
Public Works had promised hint that the line should be
placed on the same footing as the Great Northern. The
superiority cf this line was great over many others, and its
merits only wanted to be more known to ensure its being not
only a successful, but excellent enterprise.
Several questions having been put by different Proprietors
to Captain Chamier, and satisfactorily answered, thanks were
voted to the Chairman and the Gallant Captain, and the
meeting separated.