The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-11 00:00:00

WAYS AND MEANS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
gave notice that; on Wednesday, he would move for
a Committee of Ways and Means, in order to enable
his Right Hon: Friend at the head of the Government
to make his financial statement on Friday.
The House then adjourned.

DIRECT PORTSMOUTH RATE
WAY.

A special meeting-of -the Shareholders of the above
Railway was held yesterday, at the London Tavern,
W. A. Wilkinson, Esq., in the chair, for the purpose
of considering the late adverse decision with respect
to this line which the Board of Trade had come to.
The CHAIRMAN detailed the various advantages of
this proposed line, and contended that the Board of
Trade had not given that consideration to the subject
which was due to it. The Company had not been
allowed to reply to the arguments brought forward
by their opponents ; the reason alleged by the Chair-
man of the Board, Lord Dalhousie, that it was phy-
sically impossible. Under these circumstances -he
Contended that it waa their duty to go to Parliament
and m r have. y theiruNG case
the
Secretary, thoroughly
en read a report from
th Investigated.
the Directors, which stated that the Committee had
fully considered the position in which this undertak-
ing was placed, and its chances of ultimate success,
which, with every respect for the Board-of Trade,
they could not believe were materially diminished by
their recent announcement, seeing that, with very
limited experience, and a system ill-adapted for the
attainment of correct information, it had been physi-
cally impossible for that Honourable Board, by
reason of the . multiplicity of schemes submitted
to their notice, to give to each a sufficient attention.
It was now understood, that notwithstanding their
reports competing railways would be referred to
Select Committees, whose decisions, founded upon
evidence publicly given, and after all parties had
been fully heard in the presence of each other, in
.accordance . with the recognised principles of
English justice, could alone be satisfactory and final.
Before such a tribunal the Committee felt assured
that they would be able to prove that the direct
London and Portsmouth Line would afford the safest,
the cheapest, and the most expeditious railway commu-
nication between London and Portsmouth ; that it was
earnestly desired by the towns of Dorking, Godal-
ming, Haslemere,.Petersfield, and Havant ; and more
especially by the large and important towns of Portsea
and Portsmouth.; .some of which places would, by the
adoption of the line favoured by the Board of Trade,
be wholly deprived of the advantages of railway tra-
velling they so much required ; that it had the general
concurrence and support of the principal landowners
on the line,and in its neighbourhood, whilst the com-
peting railways were not desired by the inhabitants
of the districts through which they would respectively
pass, nor by the towns of Portsea• and Portsmouth,
and would be met by the most determined opposition
of a large body of influential landowners. The
Committee were therefore unanimously of opinion,
that it was expedient that this undertaking should be
submitted to Parliament.

Resolution', empowering the Directot•s to go to
Parliament; but limiting the liability of Shareholders,
in case the Bill should be unsuccessful, to 10s. per
share for future expenses, were then passed. An
option was given to the Shareholders to go on or not,
providing they made their election on or before the
20th inst.---The meeting then separated.

SOUTHAMPTON, FED. W.—The Peninsular and
Oriental Company's steamer Pacha. Captain Burney,
arrived this morning, at eleven o'clock, from Vigo, king-
ing the following mails :—Gibraltar, Cadiz, Lisbon,
Oporto, and Vigo. Her dates of departure are as follow:
—from Gibraltar, Feb. Ist ; Cadiz, 2d ; Lisbon, 4th ;
Oporto, sth ; and Vigo, itb. Ships of war lying at
Gibraltar-None. cathz_am.S. Scout, a Swedish brig,
and a corvette, having been in search of three piratical
vessels, reported to having been seen off Cape St. Vin-
cent. Specie on Board—Six packages. List of Pas.
sengers—Thirteen, including the master and shipwre,:ked
seamen who abandoned their vessel in a sinking state,
the brig Idus, of London, from Ichaboe, bound to
London, on the 14th January, in lat. 49 N, long. 9 W..
also four men from the schooner Tumbler, wrecked off
Cadiz; also from Oporto, the master and two apprentices
of the brig 'Liebe, wrecked on Oporto Bar. Three other
passengers.
SAM SLICK'S CRAVAT.—" There is a change in the
fashion here, Squire," says be, " black stooks aint the go
no longer with full dress, and the white ones aint quite up
to the notch, nother ; to my mind they are a leetle servantry.
A man of fashion must mind his eye' always. I guess
I'll send and get some white muslins, but then the
difficulty is to tie them neat. Perhaps nothin' in natur
is so difficult as to tie a white cravat so as not to
rumfoozle it or silo it. It requires quite a slight
of hand, that's a fact. I used to get our beautiful
litttle champer-help to do it when I first come,
for women's fingers aint all thumbs, like men's ; but
the angeliferous dear was too short to reach up
easy, so I had to stand her on the foot-stool, and that was
so tottish, I had to put one hand on one side of her waist,
and one on t'other, to steady her like, and that used to
set her little heart a beatin' like a drum, and kinder agi-
tated her, and it made me feel sort of all overish too, so
we ginn it up, for it took too long."—The Attache.
Mr. Darby, M.P., had an interview with the Earl of
Dalhousie yesterday, at the Board of Trade.