The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-25 00:00:00

sion of this question, as it was now pending in a Court of Lass
Several Proprietors here expressed themseves as by no means
alarmed at the statement of Mr. Tyrrell, but felt consiierably
surprised at his conduct on the present occasion.
The CHAIRMAN( said he was the more surprised at what
had fallen from Mr. Tyrrell, as that gentleman happened to
be the proprietor of only one share.—( Hisses and cries of
Oh, oh.")
Mr. ALSTON wished to make a few observations respecting
what had fallen from him during the early part of the present
proceedings. The Chairman had told them that the plan of
appointing auditors, which he (Mr. A.) had recommended, would
lead to dispute aed litigation. He ( Air. A.) need scarcely tell
them that he differed from that opinion. He regretted that his
friend (Mr. Glynn). in alluding to the subject, had said that
the Grand Junction was not so strict as the North Alidland
Railway.—( Hear, hear, and cries of " Question !")
A PROPRIETOR wished to call the attent ion of the Proprietors,
and particularly the Chairman, to a clause in a Bill introduced to
abeLegislature for the Regulation of Railways. The clause referred
to the building of bridges and viaducts over public and private
rokds. He thought the expenses, intended by the clause to be
borne in that respect by Railroad Companies, could he put on a
more t quitable footing, and he therefore trusted that the Chair-
man would use his influence with the Legislature
in obtaining what was jest in that regard.—(hear.)
Another point on which he wished to observe was,
the convenience of third-clais passengers. The people who
travelled in that Class of carriages on railways had only two
trains appropriated to their use ;, namely, one at four o'clock
in the morning, and another at nine at night ; and these
were goods' trains too. Such a state of things ought
in his mind, to be . amended, particularly when railways
were first established it was thought that no persons in
the community would be benefited so much by that
mode of conveyance as those who, from their circumstances,
would beobliged to t avel in third class carriages. He was quite
confident that the third class traffic had notbeen placed upon so
good a footing as it might have been. He believe! that it might
be made much more profitable to the Company ; and he also
thought that that traffic should be improved for the sake of that
class of the community, who would be most likely to avail them •
selves of it.
The CHAIRMAN slid, that when he made the observations
which had been referred to in the House of Commons, be had
only heard a summary statement of the Bill. He had since as-
certained that it contained some unobjectionable clauses. 'One
of these was the unlimited control which it gave to the Govern;
meet, and the other that which referred to the licensing of en-
gine men. The Bill,
,however, was under the considera-
tion of the general Committee on Itailways, and he had no
doubt, that the bill would undergo such alteration as would make
it satisfactory. Wth respect to another observation which had
falllen from thellon. Proprietor, he thought there were various ob-
jections to extending the traffic of the third-class carriages.
One objection was the inconvenience and suffering which it
must entail upon those who travelled in open carriages, at the
rate of forty miles an hour. It would be necessary to send
them by slower trains, and, in order to do that, they must lay
down fresh slidings, or the fast trains would not be able to run
upon the line.
A PROPRIETOR said that on the North and York Midland
Railway, as appeared by the last Report, the proportion of
third-class passengers was as 102,546 to 720,400 of the second-
class, and 33,000 of the third-class—a pretty gold proof that,
in the north of England they did not fear the heaviness of the
wind in travelling.—(A laugh.)
The CHAIRMAN said the distance there was short.
A PROPRIETOR—Eight or ten miles. .
A PROPRIETOR said, he thought it was not sufficiently made
known to the public, that whilst by the London and Birming-
ham Grand Junction Railway Dublin parcels were charged -at
the rate of 12s. 6d. per hundred weight, by the Great Western
Railway the charge was not more than half that suns. He
thought that fact should be put prominently forward by the
Company. .
The TREASURER said that he should be sorry to depreciate
their Railway ; he was afraid that the communication afforded
for carriage to Dublin by the Great Western Railway, was at
present inferior to that by way of Liverpool.
The motion for the adoption of the Report was then
adopted unanimously.
Mr. HEPWORTH then moved—" That the arrangement be-
tween the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company, upon the
terms and conditions set forth in the Directors Report, be
and it is hereby sanctioned by this resolution."
Mr. VOUSLEY seconded the resolution, which was passed una-
nimously.
Mr. ALSTON moved that a dividend of 3 per cent. be de-
clared far the half year to the 31st of December,lB4l, payable to
the Proprietors of all the shares of this Company, registered at
the close ofthe books, in proportion to the sum called upon on
each share respectively. That the said dividend be paid at the
bankers of the Company, on and after the 24th of March.
Mr. Vonney having seconded the Motion, it was put t th
meeting and carried.
The CHAIRMAN said they calculated what they though
would repay the price they had expended.
It was proposed that the following gentlemen abeal be re
appointed Directors, Robert Frederick Gower, Thomas R
Guppy, William Singer Jacques, and George Low, Esqrs.
and they were accordingly unanimously reappointed.
An Hots. PROPRIETOR said he did not think it would b
right to separate without the meeting giving expression t
their approbation of the general con luct of the Chairman, an
the explicit manner in which he answered all the questions.
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks for the manner in which
the proposition was received by the meeting.
Mr. CLEASSY rose to propose a vote of thanks to Mr. Bru-
nel, as a testimony to the high professional skill rendered by
Mr. Brunel to the Company since its formation.
Mr. RUIKELL seconded the resolution.
Mr. Heyworisrn suggested that it would better to wait till
the next half-yearly meeting.
The CHAIRMAN said that it was the intention of the Di-
rectors to propose a vote of thanks to Mr. Brnnel, but they
'considered it would be more gratifying to his feelings if it pro-
ceeded from the body of the Proprietors. They (the Direc-
tors) bad always an opportunity .cf witnessing the high scien-
tific attainments and earnest and unremitted attention with
which he applied the energies of his mind to the busi-
ness of the Proprietors.—( Hear, hear, hear.) They wit-
ne,:sed the untiring devotion and unalterable attachment
to what he bel eyed to he the interest of the Company.
They knew his straightforward manliness on all occasions, and
the great integrity of his personal conduct.—( Hear, hear.)
If the vote came from the Directors, it would proceed, not in
the formal way of business, but as a testimony of the
result of their own observation, and their experience
of their honest conviction of their attachment to him.
He should be expressing the opinion of all his colleagues in
cordially concurring with the resolution which he now pro-
posed; and on an occasion like this, when they were, for the
first time, viewing the great and prosperous results of that stu-
pendous ente. prise which his exertions had brought to
a successful close ; and he did hope that there
would not have been one person in this assembly
bu` would have cordially responded to the appeal that had been
made to them.—( Cheers.) He was sure that the general opi-
nion of the Proprietors would be in concurrence with the
resolution.
Mr. YOUSLEV, amid loud cries of " Question," and
with reference to the wish expressed by Mr. Heyworth,
that Mr. Brunel should defer the resolution till the next
half-yearly meeting, the whole line of road was now
open from London to Bristol, and he thought the time
had arrived, when Mr. Brunel should receive the
thanks of the Proprietors. No man had laboured under greater
disadvantages than Mr. Brunel, or bad been more cried down
by the public papers. In alluding to his plan of the wide guage,
Mr. V. observed, that every railroad in the kingdom now
wished that they had adopted it.
The CHAIRMAN said it was clue to Mr. Brunel to state that
he was utterly ignorant of its being the intention of any of the
Proprietors to move this resolution.
The resolution was then put from the Chair, and carried
unanimously.
Mr. 1. h. BRUNEL said if he was really unable to express
at all, still less to express properly, his present
feelings, he would not make the ordinary excuse
that he had been taken by surprise, after the fact which had
been stated by the Chairman, that he bad no idea that such an
honour had been intended him. He would not refer to his
friend Mr. Heyworth, though he had certainly, to some de-
gree, damped the pleasure he should otherwise have felt on
the present occasion. Perhaps it was only because he did not
feel it to be such an honour as he (Mr. Brunel) did, for he did
not suppose that he intended to refuse the compliment.
though it would have been more complete had it had his assent,
as well as that of the others. He begged them to accept his
sincere thanks ' • his services might really have beets of value
to them, and he could assure them that they had been ren-
dered with a perfect and entire yielding of his whole energies,
and his whole mind to them. Ile had devoted his whole mind
and body to them for the whole eight years the undertaking
had been in progress; and though there might be an opinion
that some expenses might have been avoided, yet, whenever
increased expenditure had been necessary, it had been drawn
from him with the greatest reluctance.
Mr. HEY wowni begged to assure Mr. Brunel that he did
not mean to throw a damp over his feelings of just congratula-
tion upon that occasion. There might have been expenses in-
curred by Mr. Brunel, of which he (Mr. Heyworth) did not
sec the necessity, but be still thought that that gentleman had
executed the great work in a manner which could not but 're-
dound to his own glory.
The CHAIRMAN then informed the meeting that. it was the
intention of the friends of Mr. Brunel to present him with-a
piece of plate, in acknowledgment of their sense of his services
to the Company. The subscriptions for the purpose, should
not exceed ten guineas, and he would lay a paper on the table,
in which subscribers might insert their names.
Ihe paper was accordingly laid upon the table, and several
gentlemen entered their names as subscribers to the fund.
A vote of thanks teas then passed to the Directors generally
which the Chairman acknowledged, end the meeting separated,

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEB. 24.

The Set Alum took his seat shortly before Four o'clock.
Sheriffs Magna and Rogers appeared at the Bar, and
presented two petitions from the Lord Mayor, Alder-
men,- and Common Council of the City of London, in
reference to the great annoyance experienced in the City
by the smoke from manufactories, which they were or-
dered to present to the House.
SEVERN NAVIGATION BILL.

Mr. PAKINGTON begged to move the second read.
ing of the &Vern Navigation Bill, which was agreed to,
and the Bill was ordered to be committed.

Mr. GASKELL presented a petition from Stafford--
4hire against the Severn Navigation Bill.
METROPOLITAN BUIDGES.
An HON. MEMBER presented a petition from the Ward
of Castle.Baynard, in the City of London, praying for
the abolition of the tolls on Southwark, Waterloo, and
Vauxhall Bridges.

PRESRYTERIAN MIXED MARIIIAGES.
Sir T. BATESON presented petitions from places in
Londonderry and Down, praying for the legalising of
these marriages in Ireland, and that a law be passed for
the general registration of births, deaths, arid marriages.
IRELAND MUNICIPAL CORPORATION BILL.
Mr. DIVETT presented a petition from the burgesses
of Exeter, against the Municipal Corporation Bill. fie
then moved that the Bill should be read at length by
the Clerk at the-table, which was done.