The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-03 00:00:00

THE 8 •
LONDON, MON
MORNING,
RY I
FF-Rfiii A •

BRIG H TON AND CHICHESTER
RAIL WAY.

A special general meeting of the Shareholders in the
above railway was held on Saturday, in the great room
above the terminus at London bridge, for the purpose of
receiving the report of the Dir. ctors relative to the
works in progress on the extension line to Portsmouth.
Cane Kelly, R.N., Chairman of the Board of Directors,
presided.
The SECRETARY having read the report, which ex-
pressed the regret fi It by the Directors at the non-pro-
gress of the works, but ascribed the delay to circum-
stances over which they had no control,
The CHAIRMAN rose to address the meeting. He had
to express, on behalf of himself and colleagues, their dis-
appointment at not being is a condition to submit a
more pleasing account of the progress of the works
upon the line, but they must all have seen the extra-
ordinary convulsions in the railevey world, the number
of new companies formed for carrying out schemes of
the most extended character, and the consequent de-
mand for engineers to prepare plans and specifications.
Every engineer was engaged, and among the number
was Mr. Rastrick, whose services were of necessity and
entirely taken away from that Company. But still
they had not been altogether idle, for on the 30th of
November, having lodged their plans, they then de
voted their whole attention to preparing specifications
to enable them to call for tenders to complete the
works. On the 16th of December they were fully
prepared with these, and on that day advertisements
were inserted in the newspapers. On the last day of the
year the tenders were opened by the Directors, and he
had the great satisfaction of informing the shareholders
that two of them were accepted, with most respectable
contractors, at sums much below the Parliamentary esti-
mate. Those contracts were for work on the permanent
way. The Directors considered it more advantageous to
separate the stations and other works for another con-
tract. The engineer was then engaged in preparing spe-
cifications for these buildings, and, when ready, contracts
would be entered into for them. As stated in the report,
their time was not altogether lost. Their solicitors had
devoted themselves to the duties which more particularly
belong to their department, by placing themselves in
communication with the proprietors of land on the line,
and thus they were in advance of the contractors, by
getting possession of such parts of the line as was re-
quired. Negotiations were then going on, so that the
Directors hoped that as the works advanced land would
be prepared for thorn. He (the Chairman) was not aware
that he need remark upon anything else. He was, how-
ever, perfectly ready to answer such questions as gentle-
men present might choose to ask. He begged to move
the adoption of the report.
The motion was seconded by a Proprietor.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY considered it not the least ad-
vantage of these occasional meetings, that Proprietors
had thus an opportunity of expressing any opinion they
might entertain of the course adopted by the manae-e
went, and by their observations, perhaps, assist in pro-
>noting the common benefit. That was a meeting, of
such a character, and although the Chairman could not
congratulate them on the progress made on the line from
Shoreham to Chichester, where the Board of Trade had
willed it to stop, yet he (Mr. Harvey) begged to con-
gratulate the Directors on the nice position they had held
during the last six months —(hear. and laughter%)
The capital orginally proposed was 300,000/ ; hut they
were now told that this calculation was likely to be di-
minished by the advantageous tenders made by the
contractors. Their capital was a small one when con-
sidered in reference te railway extensions ; hut still the
shareholders in little concerns were not always satisfied
with little dividends.—(Laughter.) He was always one
of those who spoke their mind • openly, and it did appear
to him that a Board of eight Directors, with a salary of
1,000/ a year, was too large for so trifling a Company as
their own ; and as he understood that the line was to be
connected with the Brighten Company. he did not see
why their affairs should not be placed under that Board.
Tney had a directory suffieiently numerous, anti this
would ed.l but little to their labours. One thousand a
year appeared to him an enormous sum for attending to
a little affair of that kind—especially when the union
would be a step in advance towards a common object.
He should like to know whether it had ever engaged the
attention of the Directors that the decision of the Board
of Trade was final. He knew no reason why it should
be challenged, for they could not move across the floor
of the House of Ceonnons under a cost of 12.0001. He
did not see, therefore, why they should attempt to fight
against that decision. There was no more reason why
they should have a costly Board of Directors, with all
the costly paraphanalia, than that Shoreham should also
have one. It was a general principle—and he contended
it was a good one—that where the business of two or
three could be brought under one control—the smaller
the better—because the larger the number of Directors
the less the individual responsibility ; but if they gave
their money to two or three men, they secured attention,
there being no tie so strong as that of self-interest. It might
be desirable to confer with the Board of the Brighton
Directors to ascertain how far the suggestion would
meet their views. Should this union take place, then
the capital necessary for completing the Chichester line
might be raised by the Brighton Directors. Another
thing surprised him. They had given notice for this
session of a line from Chichester to Portsmouth. That
egg was, however, addled, for the Board of Trade had
sat on it, and it would now produce no chickens.—
(Laughter.) Now it occurred to him that it would have
been wisdom if they had thous-ht of this before, and
when (during last session) they got the Bill to construct
the line from Shoreham to Chichester, they ought to
have at once secured powers to extend it on to Ports
mouth. The Chairman had told them that the railway
world had been in a state of commotion, and that their
engineer had so much work to divert him from the
business of that Company, that the progress of
their works had necessarily been delayed.
(Hear. hear.) The Directors ought to have tested that,
and if they found that gentleman really so absorbed in
business, it would he no matter of delicacy to congratu-
late him upon it, but at the same time to insist that their
works should not be delayed, and unless he could give his
attention to them, they must find some one who could.
He threw out, these remarks without any intention of
giving. umbrage to the Directors, or to any one, but he
thought that, by the arrangement he had suggested,
1.0001. would be well saved to the Chichester share-
holders in the meantime, and ulterior advantages also
be derived by them.

Mr. GREF.NFELL objected altogether to the snggestion.
The Brig.,ton Directors had already sacrificed the inte-
rests of that Company, and he would not like again to
trust them.
After n tew words from Mr. SCOTT,
Mr BRUCE expressed a hone that some arrangement
would be mAe with the Brighton Company, for he
s.ilch a consolidation of interests would be most
beneficial to both Companies. He would, therefore,
move that it ;4! recommended to the consideratioti of the
Directors, whether it svnuld nov. be beneficial to both
C anpanies that a proposal of amalpamltion shoul ! be
male to the Brighton Comnlny.
Mr. ,TowLEn see,,nded the amendment.
Mr. RASTRICR (the engineer) said that some obierva
Lions had been made te•specting the delay in the progress
of the w,rks. Some mitmpprehension appeared to exist
as to he cause of that delay, from the wording. of the re-
port. In the first place, it was well known that the,
whole. of the line from Shoreham to Chichester
was very liftleult of construction, and necessarily caused
a delay in the preparing of- plans and specifications.
Further delay had been caus.-d by disputes between the
proprietors of land upon the line and the Directors of
the Company. Those disputes had now been removed,
and he (Sir. Rastrick) had no hesitation in promising
that the whole line would be finished in nine months.—
(Hear, hear.) He had the more confidence in making
this promise, that the sanction of the Board of Admi
ralty had been given to the passage of the Arun, and
therefore the last obstacle was overcome to the further
progress {4" the wotks.

Mr. llA.avEir suggested that the proposed amendment
should bt. made a substantive resolution, and that the
meeting should afterwards adjourn to that day fortnight,
to receive the result of the conference with the Board of
Directori of the Brighton Company.
Mr. FAITHFUL, solicitor, said it would be necessary
that the Directors should first be re-elected, as their term
of office expired on that day. The Act of Parliament
rendered such a proceeding imperative.
The Directors were then re-elected, and the resolu-
tion, as altered, put to the meeting and carried.
The meeting then adjourned till the 15th current.

H 45,

sitsu is made for the full acc,l,rnmodation of the passengers.
The ladies have two sitting rooms, separate from the
main rootn—a va,t saloon, in which 300 persons can
dine. The ladies' berths, too, are so situated as to give
thera the utmost light and sir. Tlit,r is a promenade
deck ittonediatel: over the dining-room, and sheltered
by the upper deck from the air. In fact, there is all
that can he required by the most fastidious voyager,
except that there is a total absence of that costly and
luxurious ornament to which the public are now accus-
torned in large steamers.
Visitors to the ship shruld not omit seeing the engine-
room, containing all of the machinery that is not boxed
in and hidden—the life and moving -principle of this
marine giantess. The engine is of stupendous magni-
tude; the great wheel (which works a smaller wheel
that turns the screw) spans nearly the whole breadth of
the vessel ; and there is stowage for 2,000 tons of coal.
Lastly, though rot least in importance, people must be
prepared with their 3s. 6d. if they wish to see the inte-
rior of the ship ; but its magnitude may be quite as well
judged of by going round it in a boat.—Tines.