The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-09-04 00:00:00

THAMES HAVEN DOCK COMPANY.

The half-yearly meeting of the Proprietors of this Company
was held on Wednesday, at the London Tavern, for the pur-
pose of receiving the report of the Directors. James Esdaile,
Esq., was called to the chair
The CHAIRMAN having stated the object of the meeting,
adverted to the great public advantages which would arise
from the formation of the Thames Haven Dock, not only in
clearing the river of a great mass of shipping, owing to which
the navigation of the Thames was at present much impeded,
but in reducing the price of coals and fish by the facilities
which would be given to vessels laden with those necessary
articles of consumption, to transmit them to London, and
owing to which, not only time, but expense would be consi-
derably saved. He was happy to inform the Shareholders
that the works of the Company had already commenced under
very favourable auspices, for the Directors had not only en-
tered into a contract for their execution, but they had done
so upon terms within the estimate of their engineer, and work-
men were now actually employed in the formation of the
docks.—(Hear, hear.) Of this fact the Shareholders would
have an opportunity of satisfying themselves, as a steamer
had been engaged to convey them to Thames Haven in order
that they might not only see their own property, but at the
Caine time observe the progress which had been made with
the works.—(Hear, hear.) The steamer would be ready to
start when the meeting was over, and he trusted the trip down
the river would give every satisfaction to the Shareholder!.
He bad no doubt but when the public learned that the works
of the Company were commenced, they would at once come
forward and give their earnest support to an undertaking so
eminently calculated to advance the general good.
Name; AMSINCK, Esq., then read the report of the Direc-
tors, which, after adverting to the nature of the property be-
longing to the Company, and to the contract that had been
entered into for the formation of the dock, proceeded to re-
mark that 111 r. Fauche, our Consul at Ostend, had taken such
a deep interest in the undertaking, upon public grounds, be-
lieving it to be the most convenient position on the river
from which vessels bound for Ostend (and which port, by the
way, is expected to be made the central point from which all
the mails throughout Europe, and those going by way of
Egypt, shall start,) can make a daylight passage—that he had
Riven an assurance he would advance its interest in Belgium
in the most permanent mariner.
The balance sheet was then read, and it was highly satis-
factory.
A Gentleman, who has for years taken a deep interest in
the question of the coal trade, addressed the meeting, and en-
tered into a variety of calculations to shew that the formation
of the proposed dock, connected as it would he by means of a
railway with London, would effect a saving to the London
public in the article of coals alone of 10s. a ton.—(Hear.)
Another Gentleman, well acquainted with the fish trade,
made similar calculations in respect to that trade, the result
of which was, that not only would there be a great reduction
in the price of fish in London—and as London was the great
emporium from which fish was transmitted to the other parts
of the kingdom, the reduction would be generally felt—but
the article itself would be greatly improved in consequence of
the rapidity with which it would be conveyed to market.
Mr. HILL, who represented the interests of a large num-
ber of shareholders in Lancashire, put a variety of searching
questions in reference to the present and future prospects of
the Company, which were so satisfactorily replied to by Mr.
Amsinck and Mr. Giles, the engineer, that he gave an assu-
rance that we would not only greatly increase his own shares,
but that he would induce his brother shareholders in Lan-
cashire to act in a similar manner.

The report was received and adopted, and a vote of confi-
dence in the Directors agreed to.
The company subsequently proceeded on board the Princess
Victoria, and after viewing the works of Thames Haven,
which appear to he going forward with every possible dis-
patch, considering the recent period at which the contract has
bee❑ entered into, sat down to an excellent dinner. Henry
Amsinck, Esq., presided, and the evening was spent most
agreeably; fur the certainty that a work so well calculated to
benefit the public in so many ways as the Thames Haven
Dock, was now on the road to completion, seemed to impart
a general feeling of satisfaction, and the company separated
highly pleased with the proceedings of the day.