The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-26 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE

LAUNCESTON AND SOUTH DEVON.
On Tuesday a meeting of this company was held at the
White Hart Inn, Launceston, for the purpose of consi-
dering the propriety of altering the line from the old
route, by way of Milton Abbott, to Lydford, there to
join with the North Devon line, and thus unite the Corn-
wall and the North Devon lines together. Mr. Thomas
John Phillips, of Landue, the chairman of the commit-
tee, presided, and there were present Mr. Thomas Gill,
M.P. (chairman of the South Devon), Messrs T. \Vool-
combe (director of the South Devon), H. Pethick, M.D.,
Thomas Pearse, S. R. Pattison, John Rundle, of Tavis-
tock, T. S. Eyre, S. F. Smith, W. IL Dewy, W. Pearse,
John Huxhaw, It. F. Frost (mayor of Launceston), C.
C. Whiteford, of Plymouth, C. Gurley, John Ching, R.
Dingley,Edmond Pearse, of Tavistock, and other gentle-
men.

Mr. C. GURNEY, one of the solicitors of the line, stated
that in the first place it was their intention to change
the line from this place to Tavistock, to go by way of
Bren Tor instead of Milton Abbott. In consequence of
the North Devon and Cornwall parties having deter-
mined to unite in the formation of a central line, and to
carry that central line towards Bridcstowe and Oko-
hampton, and for another line to be carried towards
Tavistock from Exeter and the north of Devon, it -was
obvious that that would be a competing line with any
line by way of Milton Abbott ; and they should not
have any of the central traffic, for the Milton line would
take none of the central traffic, and a portion of the
traffic from Launceston to Plymouth would be as likely
to go vid Bren Tor as by Milton. This line being
between the Cornwall at Launceston, and the North
Devon at Bren Tor, they should take over that
line all the traffic that passed from Exeter to the
north of Devon one way, and all that passed from the
Cornwall to Exeter the other way. It must be obvious
that such a line as this would be a very valuable paying
one. The other question referred to the nu de in which
the money was to be raised. The estimated cost of the
line, by Mr. Brunel, was 300,0001. That was a very
different sum to that required for the old line. It must
be obvious that a line, with very considerably increased
traffic, would require a very different construction to that
ofa line &such small traffic, or for the local traffic between
Launceston and Plymouth. It therefore became
necessary to have an estimate made of the expense of
this line, and see what capital would be required. Mr.
Brunel had furnished that, and considered that 300,0001
would be sufficient. Of this sum, 200,0001. would be
contributed by the North Devon Company and by the
shareholders, and 100,0001. by the South Devon Com-
pany. -rhe reason for allowing the North Devon so
large an interest in it was, because of the large quantity
of their traffic that would pass over it. The old line
was to have cost 63,000/. If the shareholders in that
line thought proper, each of them could take
another share of 251 at par. But if they did not
choose to take it, the money which they had paid on
their deposits should be returned to them, after de-
ducting the shareholders' quota of the expenses already
incurred in the prosecution of the old Bill. The North
Devon and the South Devon Companies would each pay
101. per cent. on all the shares allotted to them on this
line, so that there would be 30,0001. paid up in the com-
mon fund, out of which, if the old shareholders con-
tinued to hold, the whole of the expenses incurred in the
prosecution of the old and new Bills would be defrayed.
Those who withdrew would not have the benefit of con-
tribution from the companies, but would have to pay
their proporticn of the old expenses. Mr. Gurney said
he had no doubt that ultimately the Bill would be passed,
though the sections, owing to one of the parties in Lon-
don being unable to complete his contract, had not been
lodged in time. This, however, was a matter which
Lord Fortescue said had been looked over in the last
session of Parliament in the case of the Monmouth and
Hereford line, where there was competition, and he ex-
pected that it would be looked over also in this, espe-
cially as it was a matter in which no person would be in
the slightest degree injured.
Mr. GILL thought it was the more probable that Par-
liament would pass over this omission from the circum-
stance that this line would form the connecting line in
one great scheme of railway communication between one
county and another. He also thought that the Corn-
wall line, which had been merely sent back by the House
of Lords for emendation, would be sure to pass both
Houses, and that that would facilitate the passing of the
Launceston and Tavistock Bill.
Mr. WooLcosins; said there was another point for
consideration. The North Devon Company had deter-
mined to carry on this project, so that if the Launceston
Company dropped it, it would be taken up by the North
Devon. If the scheme were dropped now, the whole of
the money expended in the prosecution of the old Bill
would be entirely lost to the shareholders. They would
thus go to Parliament with the new Bill not only for the
purpose of strengthening themselves, but also of pro-
tecting themselves from the loss of money already em-
barked in the undertaking.
Mr. WHITEFORD added, that the Directors would not
deem it prudent to abandon the old Bill till they saw the
position in which the new Bill would- be circumstanced
in Parliament.; and, until the old Bill was so abandoned
the shareholders' obligations of expenses would not
cease.

Observations n- ere made by some shareholders as
to the time that should be allowed for declaring
whether they would withdraw or go on. The com-
mittee, in reply, said that they would give the longest
notice that the forms of the House would admit of.

The CHAIRMAN then put the resolutions to the meet-
ing, se? iatim. They were carried unanimously, and were
to the following effect :

" That the proposed deviation be adopted. That the
capital of 300,0001. required for the line now proposed
be raised in 12,000 shares of 251 each, in the following
manner. The sum of 200,0001. to be contributed by the
North Devon and the general shareholders, the latter
not to exceed 100,0001. ; and the remaining 100,0001
to be contributed by the North Devon, if they shall
think fit to do so, otherwise that amount to be added to
the contribution of the South Devon. That the por-
tion of the capital to be contributed by the
general shareholders be raised by allowing each
holder of a 501. share to take one share of 251 at
par. That to make up the deposit of 101. per cent, re-
quired by the standing orders of Parliament, a call of 5
per cent. be 'made on the old capital, on which 5 per
cent. has been already paid, and a deposit of 10 per cent.
taken on the additional subscriptions. That the accounts
be prepared of the expenditure of the company in respect
of the Bill up to the time of abandoning the same. Any
shareholder not willing to retain an interest in the
undertaking may receive back the amount of his deposit,
subject to a rateable deduction for the expense incurred."

NOTTING HAM, MANSFIELD, AND MIDLAND

JUNCTION:

On Tuesday last, a meeting was held at the George
IV. Inn, Nottingham, for the purpose of appointing ono
or more persons to receive notices, and to act in all
matters on behalf of the freemen, inhabitants, and the
occupiers of Old Toftsteads, in the town of Nottingham,
with reference to an application to Parliament for an
Act to empower the formation of a railway from the
Midland Railway through the towns of Nottingham,
Basrord, Lenton, and other places, to Mansfield and
Sutton in Ashfield.

The business at this meeting was not of much public
interest, as the appointments were pro forma, but some
few particulars came out that it may be necessary the
public should be acquainted with. At the time the
plans, sections' and other documents connected with this
railway should have been lodged with the clerk of the
peace, it was found that several sheets of the section
had been abstracted from the lithographer's office, and
therefore its completion was retarded several hours, and
consequently could not be lodged with the clerks of the
peace at Chesterfield and Newark until two o'clock on
the morning following. Since that period it has been
discovered that the sheets so abstracted had been taken
by a party connected with another lino of railway pass-
ing over a portion of the Nottingham, Mansfield, and
Midland Railway, who has actually deposited the same
as part of his line, at the office of the clerk of the
peace at Newark, with the initials B. N. S. substituted
for the initials of the Nottingham, Mansfield, and Mid-
land Junction Railway. The gentleman who has thus
acted has endeavoured to apologise for his conduct. It
seems that, notwithstanding this mishap, the directors
of the Nottingham, Mansfield, and Midland Junction
have prosecuted their course, and have served all the
necessary notices, and only awaited the meeting held on
this occasion, to serve the representative of the freemen
inhabitants and occupiers of Old Toft steads.
The meeting was attended by the principal members
of the Freemen's Rights Committee and several inter-
ested parties, who unanimously appointed Mr. R. Whit-
church to act on their behalf.

AMBER GATE, NOTTINGHAM, AND BOSTON, AND
EASTERN JUNCTION.—A meeting for a similar object to
the one for which the Nottingham, Mansfield, and Mid-
land Railway Junction had been held, took place the
same day, at the George the Fourth Inn, Nottingham,
when Mr. R. Whitchurch, Chairman of the Nottingham
Freemen's Rights Committee, was appointed on behalf of
the freemen to eact in all matters connected with the
above railway in which the freemen may be concerned.