The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-03 00:00:00

RAILWAY .11\171ALL1(jErr CE.

The Standing Orders Committee have rejected the
West Riding Union Railway.
The Blackburn, Darwen, and Bolton Railway is ex-
pected to be opened as tar as Over Da: wen, next autumn
On Monday, the first stone of the iklo:ley Tunnel,
3,420 yards in length, and which is the greatest work on
the Leeds and Dewsbury line, was laid with great rejoic-
ing.

On Thursday the Parliamentary Committee on the
Runcorn and Preston Brook Railway decided that the
standing orders had not been complied with, in conse-
quence of the Parliamentary notices having only been
twice published in the Gazelle instead of three times.
At the half-yearly meeting of the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow Railway Company, on Wednesday, the directors
declared a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent, to be payable
on the 14th of March. Sir Andrew Agnew brought for-
ward his annual motion respecting Sunday travelling,
which was negatived.
CONIMITTEE MEN'S LIABILITY.—In the Court of
Queen's Bench, on Thursday, Mr. Williams, an engraver,
living in Bucklersbury, London, obtained a verdict for
£296 Is. 6d., being the full amount of the plaintiff's claim
against a Mr. Bradley, one of the provisional committee
of the Direct Western Railway Company. The action
was for maps supplied to the order of the projector and
promoter, who subsequently left the concern before it was
executed! The date of the order was the Bth of July,
and the maps were delivered in August and September.
The defendant gave his consent to become a member of
the pry visional committee early in July, and attended a
meeting on the ht of September. This last date, he
contended, was the commencement of his liability, which
could, therefore, extend only to the maps delivered in that
month. But the jury thought otherwise, and found for
the plaintiff the full amount, acting wisely under the
(-pinion of the Chief Baron, who told them that where
orders were given under such circumstances, and executed
partly before and partly after a change in the managing
body, the new body would be liable for the goods delivered,
unless they repudiated the contract as soon as it came to
their knowledge." _

NORTH U;ION RAILWAY.—The annual meeting of
this company was held on Thursday, at the Clarendon-
rooms. The report stated that the nett proceeds of the
last half-year were diminished to some extent, by an
amount of supplementary charges, brought in of neces-
sity, on this occasion, as attaching to the period of work-
ing previous to the ht of January, 1846 when the con-
cern was surrendered and delivered up by the proprietors
in consideration of the fixed rental. The receipts for the
half-year ending December 31, 1845, were £54,703 Bs.
Bd., and the expenses, including ordinary and fixed
charges, £27,547 Bs. 7d. ; leaving a balance of £27,156
Bs. 7d. ; from this amount must be deducted supple-
mentary charges, £3,375 17s. 2d., leaving at the disposal
of the directors the sum of £23,780 2s. 11d. A dividend
of £3 per cent. on stock A, and of £2 per cent. on stock
B, would require a sum of £19,557 ss. Ild., leaving the
surplus of £4,222 17s. to be carried to the account of
profit and loss. The dividend will be payable on the 7th
of March next, free of income-tax. The report was
adopted unanimously. The four retiring directors,
Messrs. Rathbone, Rothwell, Earle, and Winstanley,
were re-elected, and Messrs. Bairstow and Tuson were
appointed auditors for the Ribble Branch Railway.
THE LIVERPOOL AND BURY RAILWAY.—On Satur-
day, the half-yearly meeting of the shareholders was held
in the Clarendon-rooms, James Brancker, chairman of
the board of directors, presiding. Mr. J. S. Heron, the
secretary, read the report. The directors expressed in
that document their satisfaction that considerable pro-
gress had been made for the construction of the line.
They had contracted for nearly the whole works on the
main line, on terms below the Parliamentary estimate,
and they had already got possession of most of the land.
The works were in fact so forward that they would pro-
bably be completed by August, 1847. Four of the di-
rectors, Messrs. Stewart, Grenville, Woodcock, and
Derbyshire, now retired, but were re-eligible. A special
meeting would shortly be convened, at which the bills
now being prosecuted would be submitted. The receipts
had been £216,179, and the expenditure £25,106, leaving
a balance in favour of the company of £191,073. On its
being moved that the report and statement of accounts be
printed, Mr. George Hadfield, of Manchester, moved as
an amendment that that part of the report which stated
that the proprietors had sanctioned the amalgamation
with the Leeds and Manchester Company, be stuck out.
They had, he said, lost many thousands of pounds by the
amalgamation,—£soo,ooo he believed at least. So blind
a bargain he had never heard of. It was made between
one chairman and another; and as the proceedings would
have to go before Parliament, the irregularity would be
fatal to the bill. Mr. Leech seconded the amendment.
Mr. Heron contended that the shareholders had at a
former meeting authorized the directors to make the ne-
cessary applications to Parliament. The amendment
was carried by a majority of 15 to 13. A poll was then
demanded and taken, when the supporters of the amend-
ment, it appeared, held 228, and the dissentients 223
shares. 'The amendment was accordingly carried, and
the objectionable words being truck out, the report was
carried as amended. The retiring directors were re-
elected, and Mr. T. C. Molyneux was appointed auditor.

HIGH CHARGES FOR RAILWAY PARCELS.—An able
letter has been addressed by an anonymous writer (E.F.),
through the respective local newspapers, to the directors
of the Grand Junction Railway, complaining of the high
charges fur p ~reels conveyed on their line, and submitting
a scheme which he believes would advance their own in-
terests and those of the public. The writer properly con-
siders the intrinsic value of railways not to consist in the
profit or pleasure they may bring to this place or that,
but in the sum of national amelioration to which they
tend by removing the ancient obstructions to time and
space, and placing the distant corners of the land on the
same footing as commercial pieces—which cannot be done
so long as the present high rate of charges for parcels
continues to be exacted. The very small reduction de-
manded at the beginning of the present year was little to
be thankful for, and did not add an extra parcel to the
van. Tradesmen and others were still compelled to have
their several parcels forwarded in an enclosure, to be de-
livered at one house, and those were sent by the mail
train for two shillings. If sent singly they would proba-
bly amount to three or four parcels a day. To obviate
the delays thus arising, and give facilities to trade, the
writer suggests to the directors the policy of competing
with the post-office in the conveyance of small parcels.
Were their charges reduced for small and light parcels,
they would have hundreds no bigger than a snuff box,
and weighing only a few ounces. Now all parcels not
exceeding 121bs weight, being the same price bulk and
weight, were needlessly increased, on the ground that they
were more likely to be lost. In paper parcels, too, the
company usually conveyed some pounds of hay or sha-
vings with as many ounces of merchandise. Reduced
fares of passengers bad profitably increased the number
of travellers, and if the same principle were adopted it
would not fail. The writer concludes by submitting the
following plan : —" In imitation of the Post-office—
thanks for the thought to Mr. Rowland Hill—l would
have all parcels on your line charged at the same rate, ir-
respective of distance, so that a parcel from Liverpool to
London should be the same as one to Birmingham or any
of the intermediate stations on that or the other side of
that town. All parcels weighing nibs. or upwards
should be charged at the present price of conveyance
from Liverpool to Birmingham.
Parcels weighing less than 1 lb. should be 4d.

PI 9 „ 10d
„ 12 ,► 18

TOLERATION AS IT IS UNDERSTOOD BY
ROMANISM.

(From the Church and Slate Gazette.)

The Tablet, the English Churchman, and other Popish,
Semi-Popish, and low vverkly papers, are constantly in-
sisting on the mild, merciful, and tolerant character of
Romanism. If we were, against all historical experience,
to believe either of the journals above named, such a
thing as religious persecution is unknown, and always
has been unknown, in Popish countries. It would ap-
pear, however, that it is not so uncommon in despotic
and priest-ridden Austria. The Swabian Mercury of the
29th ult., says :
" We are assured that severe measures will be adopted against
German Dissenters. Every Roman Cotholic who desires to
change his religion will he interrogated, and if his reply be on.
satisfaetery, he will ne obliged to quit the country. It is said
that the order of Jesu,ts will soon i.e re established."
Such is the toleration advocated by Papists and Semi-
Papists, abroad and at home. Opposition to their belief

is a crime that makes the former willing to take a man's
life, and impels the latter to destroy a man's reputation.