The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-26 00:00:00

PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE.

The Right Honourable the Earl of Airlie, Lord-Lieute-
nant of Forfarshire, Cbairrnan.
The Honourable John Stuart Wortley, M.P. for the
West-Riding of Yorkshire, Deputy-Chairman.
The Aloft Noble the Marquis of Breadalbane.
The Viscount Arbuthnot, Loid-Lieutenant of Kincar-
dineshire.
The Right Honourable ord Wharncliffe.
Lord Frederick Gordp6 H all yburton, M.P. forForfarshire.
The Honourable John Arbuthnot.
The Lord ProvoAf of Perth.
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen.
The Provost of Forfar.
The Provost of Brechin.
The Provost of Inverness.
The Provost of Peterhead.

Sir James Ramsay, of Barnff, Baronet.
Sir John W. P. Muir Mackenzie, of Delvine, Baronet.
J. J. Hope Johnstone, Esq., M.P. for Dumfriesshire.
William Lockhart, Esq., M.P. for Lanarkshire.
James Anderson, Esq., Banker, blairgowrie.
Andrew Archer, Esq., of Balbrcgie.
Johh Brown, Esq., of Parkhead.
George Buchanan, Esq., Stanley Works.
Archld. Burns, Esq., Manager of the Central Bank, Perth.
Archibald Campbell, Esq., of Blythswood.
Charles Clark, Esq., of Princeland.
David Craigie, Esq., Manager of the Perth Bank.
Colonel Dalgairns, of Balgavies.
James Farquharson, Esq., of Invercauld.
Major Gamma!, of Lethendy.
Robert Geekie, Esq., of Rosemont.
Alexander Geekie, Esq., of Baldowrie.
J. V. Hagart, Esq., of Glendelvine.
David Hood, Esq., of Balluderon.
William Hutchison, Esq., Banker, Forfar.
Patrick Small Keir, Esq., of Kindrogan.
Colonel John Kinloch, of Logie.
Patrick Kirkaldy, Esq., Fullerton, Meigle.
George Knight, Esq., of Jordanstone.
John Leadhetter. Esq., Glasgow, of the firm of Lead-
better, Adamson, and Company, Dundee and Blair-
gowrie.
William Farquharson Macdonald, Esq., of St. Martin's.
John M`Nicol, Esq., Craig, Alyth.'
John Marshall, Esq., Luncarty, Bleachfield.
Robert Monteith, Esq., of Carstairs.
Patrick Murray, Esq., of Simprim.
111,a-Ig° Murray, Esq., of Lintrose.
David Nairn, Esq., of. Drumkilbo.
P. Wedderburn Ogilvy, Esq., of Ruthven.
Laurence Oliphant, Esq., of Condie.
Charles Mayfair, Esq., of Denhead.
Captain Popham, R.N., Belmont Castle.
William David Proctor, Esq., Glammis.
Robert Clerk Rattray, Esq., of Craighall.
Glas Sandeman, Esq., of Bonskeid.
Peter Small, Esq., of Dirnanean.
Archibald Turnbull, Esq., of Bellwood.
Hugh Watson, Keillor.
James Whitson, Esq., of Isla-park.

BANKERS.
The Perth Banking Company.
The Central Bank, Perth.
The Dundee Banking Company, Dundee and Forfar.

ENGINEERS.
Joseph Locke, Esq., F.R.S.
J. E. Errington, Esq., Member of the Inst. C.E.
SECRETARY.
Christopher Kerr, Esq., Town-clerk of Dundee.
Agents in Edinburgh.—Messrs. Hope & Oliphant, W.S.
Agents in Perth.—Messrs. J. & J. Miller, Writers.
Agents in Strathmore.—Messrs. C. & J. Kerr, Dundee.
Parliamentary .Agent.—G. H. Lang, Esq., 11, Park-
street, Westminster, London.
THIS Line will be carried through the great Valley of
Strathmore, and will form a connecting link between
the Scottish Central Railway terminating at Perth, and
the Arbroath and Forfar, and Aberdeen Railways.
The existing Railways from Arbroath to Forfar and
from Dundee to Newtyle will serve as feeders to this
Railway, which will also afford tile shortest route south-
wards for the traffic of the whole of the north-eastern
counties of Scotland, containing in the aggregate a popu-
lation of upwards of 500,600 ; and the Scottish Central
Railway, connecting with the Edinburgh and Glasgow
and the great Lines uniting England and Scotland, will
bring to its southern terminus at Perth the traffic north-
wards from England, from the manufacturing and mine-.
ral districts of Scotland, and from the cities of Edinburgh
and Glasgow.
The Valley of Strathmcr., through which the Railway
will Le carried, is the most extensive tract of level land
in Scotland. It is fertile and populous, is studded with
towns and villages, and is the seat of important manufac-
tures, which are capable of great extension, though their
progress has been hitherto impeded by the high price of
coal, and the want of cheaper and more rapid means of
communication.

A survey has been made of the district between Perth
and Forfar, a distance of 32 miles, and from the facilities
afforded by the almost uninterrupted level of the country,
and the existence of local Railways, which may be acquired
at a moderate price, Messrs. Locke and Errington have
estimated the expense of forming the Railway, including
stations, connexions with existing Railways, and every
contingency, at £300,000.
It is intended to follow the system now so generally
pursued, of constructing in the first instance only a single
line, but providing land and bridges sufficient fora double
line, if afterwards found necessary.
It has been ascertained, after a careful scrutiny by a
Committee of five gentlemen of the &strict, that the
revenue, arising chiefly from local sources, will yield a
return of seven per cent., wholly independent of the in-
crease likely to arise from the formation of the Aberdeen
and Scottish Central Railways.
The undertaking has the support of all the towns and
of almost every landowner on the line, and a considerable
amount of the capital required has already been subscribed
in the district.

The capital has been fixed at £300,000, divided into
12,000 shares of £25 each. A deposit of £1 10s. per share
to be paid at the time of allotment, and subscribers to sign
the parliamentary deed when required to do so.
It will be a provision of the Act of Incorporation, tint
no subscriber shall be liable for more than the amount of
his subscription.
Application for shares may be made to
Mess's. FORSYTH and PRITCHARD,}
and Liverpool.
Messrs. TOD and ASHTON,
No application will he attended to unless accompanied
by a reference.

SCOTTISH MIDLAND JUNCTION RAILWAY.
A Meeting of the Provisional Committee of the Scot-
tish Midland Junction Railway was held in Coupar
Angus, on Saturday, 26th Oetober, 1844.
The Lord WHARNCLIFFE in the Chair.
_

Colonel Dalgairns presented the Report of the Sub-
committee, appointed on 23d current, to investigate in
regard to traffic, which Report was read, and ordered to
be ingrossed i❑ the minutes. The following is a copy :
"The Committee have to report, that they have had
before them Messrs. Stone and Bryers, under whose su-
perintendence the traffic has been taken, also the persons
employed under them to take the actual traffic, and from
whose statements the Committee are satisfied that the
traffic has been taken with due care, and that the same has
not been overstated.
" The Committee have also examined the Books made
up from the Notes taken by these parties during the fort-
night from the sth August, and also the Abstra is taken
from these Books, and after carefully investigating and
checking these, they are completely satisfied of their ge-
neral correctness.

" Some of the Books for subsequent fortnights have
also been examined and checked, in so far as the time of the
Committee allowed, end no material error having been dis-
covered in them, the Committee consider themselves jus-
tified in assuming the general correctness of the statements
of six weeks' traffic submitted to the Committee.

" The Committee are satisfied that, if any error has
been committed, the traffic has been rather understated
than otherwise; and they have, therefore, no hesitation
in reporting, that the extent of traffic exhibited in the
Table prepared by the Secretary, and submitted to the
Committee, is a fair return of the existing traffic in the
district between Perth and Forfar, and such as they feel
themselves enabled, upon sound and bona fide grounds,
to recommend to the Provisional Committee as the basis
of their calculation of the probable receipts upon the
proposed Railway. " J. DALGAIRNS.
GEO. BUCHANAN.
HUGH WATSON.
W. D. PROCTOR.
JOHN IMPNICOLL."

Lord Wharncl ffe congratulated the Meeting on the very
satisfactory Report the) had received, and expressed his
entire confidence in its accuracy. He recommended that
the Prospectus be re-issued, amending it by noticing the
result of the accounts of traffic, and the confidence with
which it may now be assumed that the concern is certainly
safe as an investment, since the traffic actually now exist-
ing, as most carefully taken and subsequently tested, with-
out any prospective increase, affords, calculated at very
moderate rates a gross income of £25,854 9s. 10d. arising
chiefly from the local traffic of the district. If from this
even 45 per cent be deducted for costs of working, there
remains £11,219 of net income, equal to 4t per cent on
£300,000, which the Engineer has stated, and the Chair-
man has full confidence, rightly stated, will be sufficient
for executing the works, assuming that only a single line
of rails is laid at present, but purchasing land and secur-
ing width of bridges and other conveniences for a double
line, So even without the increase. of traffic consequen-
tial on the making of the Railway, there is a fair return
for capital. If there be the usual addition for consequen-
tial increase of traffic, say 100 per cent on the passengers,
the additional receipts at the rates assumed will be
£12,876 10s. and if 45 per cents for costs of working be
deducted (probably more than enough on the additional
traffic) be again deducted, the return on the capital will
be fully 7 per cent. Over and above all this there is the
great accession of thorough-going traffic naturally to arise
from the projected Railways to Perth, and from Aberdeen
and the North, which are to connect this Railway, for
local traffic, with the-centre and west of Perthshire, aiid
with Fifeshire and Stirlingshire, and with the eastern
parts of Angus, and with Kincardine and Aberdeen, and
to make this Railway a link in the great chain of railway
communication between London and Aberdeen, and ulti-
mately, it is to be hoped, all the country north to Inverness.
It was ordered that, as recommended by the Chairman,
an amended Prospectus be now issued.
It was reported to the Meeting that the result of the
traffic for October promisod to go beyond the average of
the preceding accounts, and -that the Surveyors are of
opinion the traffic will continue during the winter months
beyond theiverage already reported, both on passengers
and on weighable trAfic.