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

21/s—Exeter, Topsham, and Exmouth (Daw's line), p.
—Ditto (Head's), 5g p.—Bristol (New), 1114—Eastern
Counties, 2014.

SHEFFIELD, SEyr. 24.

STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Eastern Counties,
20—Hull and Selby-, 2114—Midland (40/. Shares), 2514
Clitheroe Junction, s%—Goole and Doncaster, 6 :i—Grimsby-
and Sheffield, Quarter Shares, 61.—Grand Union (Notting-
ham to Lynn), 4A:1—London and York, 7—Direct Northern,
3 lA—Manchester, Midland, and Great Grimsby, s:%—Shef-
field and Lincolnshire, 84—Wakefield and Harrogate, 6
Welsh Midland, 4%.
HUDDERSFIELD, SEPT. 24.
- -

STOCK ExcHA3TGE.—The sales are—Direct Northern,
31.55. 91—Grand Union, 41. lls.—Manchester, Birmingham,
and Welsh Junction, 3%.
HULL, SEPT. 24.

STOCK EXCTIANGE.—The sales are—Hull and Selby, Half
Shares, 22—Aberdeen, 4%—Blackburn, Darwen, and Bolton,
HU—Huddersfield and Sheflied Junction, 294—North Bri-
tish, 37 cum all—Axholme, 40s.—Chelmsford and Bury,
2/. 14s. 6d.—Coventry, Nuneaton, &c., 4—Derby and Gains-
borough, 58s. 6d.—East Coast, 3%—Fleetwoo4, Preston,
and West Riding, 31. 18s. 9d—Grand union, 41. 3s. 9d.—
Guildford, Fareham, &c., 41,,8—Liverpool and Leeds, 4%—
London and Birmingham Extension, 2:3/4—London and Man-
chester, (Rem.), 43/4—London, Warwick, and Kiddermin-
ster, aq—Manchester, Buxton, and Matlock, 10!. Bs. 9d.—
Nottingham and Boston, 4!. 18s. 9d.—North Staffordshire,
7;4—Norwich Direct, 12s. 6d.—Rugby and Hnntingdon,
—South Midland, RI. 7s.—Shrewsbury and Herefordshire, 2%
—Teas and Dove Valley, 3!. Os. 3d.—Wakefield and Bradford,
6—Wakefield and Harrogate, s%—Yorkshire and Glasgow
Union, 43/4.
YORK, SEPT. 24.

STOCK EXCHANGE.—Tha sales are—Newcastle and Dar-
lington Junction, New (Brandling), 50—North British (New)
7k—Ditto (Carlisles), 51,4—York and North Midland Ex-
tension, 301/2—Coventry, Nuneaton, Birmingham, and Lei;
cester, 3%—Grand Union, 41. 6s. 3d.—Great Grimsby and
Sheffield Junction (Docks), 101/2—Lancashire, Yorkshire,
and North Eastern, s—Leeds and York, PA—Leicester and
Bedford, 44—London and York, 6%—Manchester, Bux-
ton, &c. 10%—Newcastle and Berwick, 201/2—North Western,
61/2—Welsh Midlands, 41/2—West Yorkshire, 14—Yorkshire
and Glasgow Union, 41. 18s. 9d.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

FAMPOUX AND HA ZEBROUCK.

The first general meeting of the shareholders OFthis 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 been obtained for 37 years and
316 days; that the road now possessed by the Company
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 54 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 afilird 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 anv
importance to overcome. The prospects of th e Com pan y would
be considerably brightened when the projected North Kent
Railroad was opened, as travellers would then, in all probabi-
lity, ge: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
from 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 fine 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 hini 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.

SHEFFIELD, ASHTON.I.INDER-LYNE, AND MAN-
. CHESTER.

This Company held their half-yearly meeting yesterday at their
offices in the Manchester station, at which there was a very nume•
roue attendance of shareholders. John Parker, Esq., M.P. for
Sheffield, Chairman of the Board of Directors, having taken the
chair, the Secretary, Mr. John Platford, read the advertisement
calling the meeting, and the report of the Directors, which stated
that, with the exception of the tunnel, the works on the line had
been completed since the last report, and were open to the public
since the 14th of July last. That amongst other subjects of con.
gratulation, the Directors could refer to none more encouraging
than the result of the imperfect experiment on the probable traffic
on the line; for, in spite of every interruption of four miles of
mountain road, the transit over which was necessarily most tedious,
and the total absence of goods traffic from by far the greater
portion of the line, the Proprietors could not but recognise
in the amount of weekly produce the certain indications of
an ample eventual return. The statement of the goods and
passenger traffic then followed, by which it appeared that from
December, 1843, to June, 1845, the gross sum received by the
Company for the transmission of goods and passengers along their
line amounted to over 52,1591.; and that the profit to the Corn.
pany on the goods and passengers' traffic, for the half year ending
June, 1845, amounted to 0,117/. The report then went on to
state, that the Board had equal reason to congratulate the Pro-
prietors upon the result of their Parliamentary proceedings of last
session; for of the seven Bills in the fate of which the Company
were more or less interested, no fewer than five, all of them con.
tributing to this line, had received the royal assent. Those Bills
were, the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway and Canal, the
Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction, the Great Grimsby Railway,
the Great Grimsby Docks, the South Junction and Altrincham.
A sixth, the Sheffield and Lincolnshire, from its unfortunate po-
sition in the London and York group, was barred by lapse of time
from obtaining in the House of Lords that success which its supe-
riority over the rival lines secured it. One only, the Barnsley
Junction, was unsuccessful, and the Directors had already taken
steps to repair and Improve the disaster. That the Bill for
leasing the line to the Birmingham, Midland, and Manchester
Companies had been withdrawn, in obedience to a vote of the
Shareholders. That shares to the amount of 287,5001. had been
created, under the Ashton and Staley-bridge and South Junction
and Altrincham Acts, for the completion of the railway works.
That the Barnsley Junction Company had been amalgamated
with this Company, on the terms of the original understanding,
and scrip for this and other objects, amounting to 1,030,0001., was
in the course of being issued. That it was the intention of the
Directors to solicit Acts, in the next session of Parliament,
for several extensions. That a line from Dukinfleld and Heyfield
was required for the increasing population of that neighbourhood.
That the minerals of the Barnsley district would be fully opened
by well-considered branches, to be concerted between this Company
and the landowners;
to h
butt,ase
conclusion
nczin to formporietors of thethDonseea
Naviga-
tion in
ga-
ctioanijuhnadctijount come
with other interests, into a Canal and Rail-
way Company, and had given the Directors to understand
that a formal invitation to participate therein would be
shortly addressed to them, it was obvious that an exact specifica-
tion of branches would beat present premature, and that the de-
signs already entertained might require modification. That inde-
pendent of the above the Board intended to prosecute with energy
the extensions via Barnsley to the eastward, and that arrangements
had been all but concluded with a powerful party at Hull, which
would not only give access to Goole in a manner at least equal to
that hitherto advertised, but place the Company in possession of a
far shorter road to the first-mentioned most important sea port of
the Humber. That a treaty for the amalgamation of their line
with the Sheffield and Lincolnshire and Great Grimsby Companies,
involving a further amalgamation with the Great Grimsby Dock
Company and the East.Lincolnshire Company, had been brought
to a successful termination. That it would become the duty of the
Directors within a short period to call the Shareholders together for
the consideration of the subject, and they would of course
onlyrf
avail themselves of the occasion to state the result of the negotia.
gt,hes
mndeanttoimemtahkeey
haad
final
to repeat settlement
the branches.
now pending,
aln n
firm conviction that the possession of friendly and independent
P
outlets if possible from sea to sea, was as essential as ever to their
prosperity. With the South Junction already in their hands, and
i
with access to the German Sea already within their reach, there
must arise in the public mind an increased confidence in the
stability of their affairs. And that so convinced were they of the
policy of amalgamation en fair and equitable terms, and upon a
basis of interest common to the three companies, that they had net
the smallest hesitation in recommending it for the adoption of the
Shareholders.

The Engineer's report was next read, from which it appears that
by the report of that officer, made in March last, he expressed his
conviction that the completion of the tunnel was likely to take
place in the following July; but he regretted to say that his anti_
cipations had not been realised ; that the difficulty of obtaining
men and keeping them at their work in such a situation as the
tunnel, was gated by the contractors to be ;,the reason why
their proceedings had not been so vigorous as they had hoped;
but he was convinced that no exertions had been spared in order
to push on the work, though great inducements had been held out
to the men ; but still, in such a work of unparalleled magnitude, it
would be quite impossible to speak with any degree of certainty
as to the time of completion. The total length of excavation yet
remaining to be removed was 80 lineal yards, and about '230 yards
to be lined with masonry. From the progress hitherto made with
the work, he was inclined to believe that this would be completed
in about eight weeks ; after which about 800 yards of ballasting
would remain to be laid, which would be finished in about a mouth,
and that therefore the whole would be completed by the end of the
year. He concluded by stating that the work had been exceed-
ingly well and substantially executed, but regretted that the an-
fortunate accident which happened to one of the viaducts on the
Ashton branch, as well as the difficulty of obtaining the land, had
prevented its being completed ; but every arrangement had since
been made, and the viaduct had been rebuilt.
A general abstract of the receipts and expenditure of the Com-
pany since its formation in 1836 to June, 1845, was laid upon the
table, and by the statements it contained it appeared that the
amount of the sum received for deposit was 430,6951., that the
sum received for re-issued shares amounted to 133,3101. 19s. Sd.,
the loan account to 446,6711 , the traffic receipts to 86,6901., and
the gloss account, including minor items, to 1,313,225/. On the
debit side of the account there appeared an item for law charges to
the amount of 1,195,7011., stock 54,2301., traffic department, '
34,5811, to the Manchester and Birmingham Company, including
tolls, ire., 21,3111. ; and leaving a balance to the credit of the
Company, to the amount of 45,3981.
The CHAIRMAN addressed the meeting at very great length, upon
the general state of the affairs of the Company, and dwelt upon the
fact of their having obtained last session five Bills out of seven, as a
most important and cheering feature in their favour. He went over
In review, and with great minuteness, the position and peculiarities
of each of the Company's proposed branches. He said he conceived
that the Directors were warranted in opening to the public as
much of the line as had been completed, even though it was not
expected to ray. He was aware that their arrrangements for the
conveyance of passengers along the line were very incomplete,
and often gave rise to complaints ; but he had reason to believe
their subsequent arrangements had been found more satisfactory.
He admitted that laying the account of the receipts and expendi-
ture before the Company as it appeared to.day was rather a clumsy
mode of doing it, but they could adopt no other course while the
entire line was open. With regard to the Lincolnshire line, he
had every hope, from the favour their other project had met with,
that it would pass next session ; for it would only require to be
reproduced in the House of Lords, having passed the Commons.
With regard to their ri.Action with the Great Grirnaby Com.