The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-05 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

CHESTER AND CREWE RAILWAY.

On Wednesday last, the usual half yearly meeting of the
proprietors of this undertaking was held at the Royal Hotel,
Chester. It was very thinly attended, only two proprietors
being present in addition to the directors. John Uniacke,
Esq., the right worshipful the mayor of Chester, chairman
of the board of directors, presided.

H. Kelsall, Esq., the law clerk to the company read the
following reports :

DIRECTORS' REPORT.
A reference to the report of the engineers, will show that
the works, with a trifling exception, are proceeding in a
moat satisfactory manner, and the directors intend that the
line shall be opened to the public on Monday, the 3d of
August next.
The bill for consolidating this company with the Grand
Junction company, has passed the House of Commons, and
will in a few days be in a committee in the Lords. From
the absence of all opposition, on the part of the shareholders,
to the bill, and the greatly improved value of the stock of
the company, the directors feel convinced that the proprietors
without exception, acquiesce in the arrangement entered into
with the Grand Junction company.
On reference to the accounts of the treasurer laid before
the proprietors at a former meeting, it will be seen that one
item of expenditure was incurred in a survey by Mr. Stephen-
son, of the country for a line of railway from Chester to
Holyhead, and on a survey and report by him of the line
recommended by Mr. Vignoles, from Shrewsbury to
Portdynllaen.
His surveys and reports were laid before the commissioners
appointed' by government, to examine the merits of the
different lines of railway, between London and Dublin, and
the directors are happy to say that the result of the corn-
mis,ioners' examination and their report entirely confirm
Mr. Stephenson's opinion of the supeli :illy of the line from
Chester to Holyhead. The Holyhead harbour has also been
preferred and recommended by the naval commissioners.
Under these favourable circumstonces the directors, in
conjunction with the provisional committee of the Great
Holyhead Railway Company, will use their utmost exertions
to forward this great work, and bring it before the public at
the earliest period that may be advisable.
The importancf of this line to the interests of the Chester
and Crewe, the Grand Junction, the London and Birmingham,
the Manchester and Birmingham, and Chester and Birken-
head and other railway companies, is such as to convince the
promoters of it, that it will meet the warmest upport of the
proprietors in nose companies.
The following directors have been ballotted out under the
provisions of the act, but are eligible to be re-elected :
Mr. Cross and Mr. Follett.

The directors have caused notices to be given for the
forfeiture of the following shares :-Nos. 421 to 460,
461 to 465, 1201 to 1220, ' 2159 to 2160, 3721 to 3725,
4538 to 4550, and 4926 to 4915, and recommend this
meeting to confirm such forfeitures.
J. UNIACKE, Chairman.

ENGINEERS' REPORT.
To the directors of the Chester and Crewe Railway Company.
Gentlemen,—Since our report to you in November last,
the contractors have been put in possession of the whole of
the land, and are now proceeding in the execution of the re-
maining works upon the line with energy and vigour, the
extent of excavation completed to this line being as follows I
Waverton contract, 83 pee cent; Bunbury, 82 per cent;
Wardle, 90 per cent ; and Crewe, 72 per cent.
The amount of work executed upon the Waverton contract
in the last six months will be observed to be less than upon
the other portions of the line, and is •accounted for by the
fact that the contractor has been confined in his operations
to four miles and a half of the whole extent, having been only
put in possession of the remaining two miles and a quarter
about three weeks ago ; but he is now making most rapid
progress in this part of the contract.
The tunnel under the Ellesmere canal was completed early
in this month, and for some time the traffic was allowed to
pass over it. A leak, however, occurred, owing to a defect
in the puddling, which caused a failure in a portion of the
work, and arrangements have been made to prevent any
delay arising from this occurrence.
The middle contracts, as is shown above, are in a very ad-
vanced stafe of forwardness, and we have great pleasure in
noticin„ the unintermitting exertions of Messrs. Jackson and
Beard in the execution of their works.

The Wardle contract is very nearly completed ; the prin-
cipal work upon the Bunbury division is the Crimes Brook
embankment, requiring now only 48,000 cubic yards to com-
plete, and as this has to come from two ends, its finishing in
time may be looked to with certainty.
The arches of the Weaver viaduct are now closed, and a
very advanced rate of progress in the performance of this
work may now he calculated upon.
To complete the embankment upon the west of the viaduct,
and to convey the requisite material over the river Weaver,
a wo.den bridge has been constructed, which, with very
strenuous exertions on the part of the contractor, and pro-
bably with the assistance of side-cutting, will enable him to
execute this bortion of the work in the required time.
When the unparalleled wetness of the late season is consi-
dered, which has moct materially increased the cost of con-
structing and maintaining many railways; and when it is
remembered that in tbrming the excavations on the Wardle
and Crewe contracts, the contractors have had to contend
with the v ry worst description of clay, which the late Mr.
Telford called the " Cheshire mane," ann which his expe-
rience on the Birmingham and Nantwich canal led him to
denounce as most unfit for heavy works, it is gratifying to
find that your contractors have not experienced any serious
loss, and that the treatment of the slopes here adopted has
been so far successful that it is not likely any slips will occur.
Presuming now upon a continuance of favourable weather,
with the avoidance of unforseen accidents or causes of delay,
and judging from the forward state of works, we have no
doubt hut the line may be ready for opening early in August
next ; and we may further state, that we feel satisfied that in
consequence of the easy nature of the work upon the line,
and favourable inclinations, 30 per cent. per annum upon the
income will be sufficient to defray the current cxpences of
the line when opened.
Upon the subjects of the estimates we will only repeat
that the completion of the line with engines and carriages
ready for opening will not exceed £13.000 per mile.
We are, gentlemen,
Your most obedient Servants,
GEORGE STEPHENSON,
MURRAY GLADSTONE.

Railway Office, Chester.
April 28, 1840.
Mr. R. L. Jones, the treasurer, read a long financial ab-
stract, which most lucidly explained the expenditure. The
general result was as follows :
Total received on calls
Ditto for interest
Ditto for land.
On loans..

. £182,052
1,885

25,350

£209,367

Disbursements
Balance

£2067,147
3,220

£209,367

The Rev. Mr. Lyon asked if all the money had been bor-
rowed they were entitled to raise by way of loan, and whether
there was any difficulty in borrowing ?
The Treasurer said the whole sum they were empowered
to raise by way of loan was £83,000, and they had it ten-
dered in one sum.
Mr. Lyon said that showed the security was deemed good.
He then asked whether the company had adopted Adam's
patent springs in building their carriages.
The Chairman stated that the latest improvements were
adopted, and the construction of the carriages were accord-
ing to the views of the Grand Junction Company. They
had been inspected by competent judges connected with
that line, and he could confidently state, that on no line
were there better carriages in every respect. They were of
superior construction and workmanship.
Mr. Lyon then enquired whether there would he any diffi-
culty with the viaduct under the Chester and Ellesmere canal?
The Chairman said none whatever. Precaution would be
taken against any further accident.
The report was then adopted, and ordered to be printed
and distributed amongst the proprietors.
The recommendations were also adopted.
The Chairman then drew the attention of the meeeting to
that part of the report relating to the Holyhead railway,
and said that as that project was of such great importance to
this line, and also to the Grand Junction and the London
and Birmingham, the energies of the directors, and the
Holyhead Provisional Committee would be directed to
Carrying out the project with as little delay as possible, and
he hoped that in a short time the company would be in a
condition to go to parliament.
William Cross, Esq. and the Rev. James Folliott, who
had neen ballotted out as directors, were then unanimouly
re-chosen.

The meeting then broke up.—Cester Chronicle.

Those who recollect the furious hostility with which the
Aformng Herald has hitherto assailed all railway
projects,
will be no less pleasingly surprised than we were on
the following extracts from its city article of last Thursday.
The observations of our contemporary are, on the whole, ex-
ceedingly sensible and judicious, although exceptions might
be taken to particular phrases :
•"fhe public continue favourable to investments in the
share market, and generally speaking, not only is there an in-
creased demand for railway shares, but some enquiry for shares
generally. This sort of speculative investment, it may be ob-
served, is both prudent and commendable, under such restric-
tions as to the eligibility of the property or undertaking
which the exercise of a sound discretion will dictate. It is
rarely that loss will be risked where a due share of caution is
brought to bear ; and in contradistinction to foreign loans or
foreign enterprises of any description, which may fail, as they
too generally have failed, it must be noted that however in-
dividuals may suffer by undigested speculation in domestic
undertakings, the wealth of the nation collectively, is not di-
minished; for the loss of a class of individuals, becomes the
gain of a greater number, and labour is more largely em-
ployed and more henefijally requited, although to the disper-
sion of the hoards of capitalists, great and small. In respect
of foreign schemes, the reverse takes place ; for what the ca-
pitalist loses is so much impoverishment to the nation in every
sense. The wealth lavished remains abroad, without profit
or return of any kind, or in any shape of interest or labour to
to the nation, or to individuals at home."—Railway Times.

The Reports on the Anglo-Hibernian Railways are just
ready to be placed in the hands of honourable members. The
opinion of Sir James Gordon and Captain Beachey is in favour
of Holyhead as the station for the Dublin packets, and the
r!ilway commissioners have given the preference to the line
projected by Mr. Stephenson, via Chester and Bangor to
H uly head .—.Railway Times.

Last week a preliminary trip was taken on the Great 'Wes-
tern Railway as tar as Didcot, by the chairman and other
directors. Only one line of rails has as yet been laid down,
but it is expected that this further opening will be made on
first of next month. It is anticipated that by the begin-
ning of next year the railway will be completed as far as
Swindon. where it is joined by the Cheltenham line.—Rail-

,r 67, Times.
WEEKLY RETURN OF TRAFFIC ON RAILWAYS.
(From the Railway Magazine)

P.mtle P.naile Passeng.
P,assen-
Cash.
pr.wk..p. day. per day.
NAME. gers.
...._____
.t:. IX. X. '
Birmingham .. - 141211 1254 18 -
Grand Junction ---80061 821- 12 -
Li verp. and Manch. - 4751 1534 22 ---
Great Western - 4142 116 i 16 -
South Western - 3103 534 'il -
Newcast. & Carlisle - 1501 25 34 _____
Greenwich 29934 1053 276 394 4276
Manchester &Leeds 18223 1025 76 1) 2603
13irmg. & Derby _ 984 254 31 --
Croydon .• • 11875 698 664 94 1696
York &N. Midland 2296 324 224 34- 328
Midland Counties.. 5882 442 284 4 840
Glasgow & Ayr.... 2186 - 364
Eastern Counties.. 7755 371 354 i 5 , 1108

DIVIDENDS FOR THE WEEK.
North Union Railway Co., X. 5 per share, May 4.
Hope Assurance Co.
Itiew Jersey Railroad Co., 6 per cent.
United General Gas Light Co., May 7,
Etaifteld Cabal Co. 6 Pff Mat'