Washington telegraph., 1856-04-16

The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad
Its Progress, &c-The Second Annu-
al Report of the Officers of the H., O.
and r. r. r. r. Co., &c.
From an article in the memphis Bull
letin" of the Sd inst, in which the edi-
tor, Col McMahon. presents table of the
cost per mile, of the more extensive rail-
roads in the United States, and comments
thereon, with view of justifying himself,
in his defence of the contract of 25,OOO
per mile. entered into by the Memphis and
Little Rock Raiload Company. with Messrs.
J. H. Bradley & Co., we find a number of
interesting facts concerning the road. and
very gratifying assurances, that under the
direction of the present contractors. the
work upon the division Of the road between
the Mississippi and St Francis rivers ispro-
crossing rapidly-and that it needs only
the assistance Of the ''friends of progress
and improvement in Arkansas" to ensure
its successful prosecution even to the end.
A list of % roads is furnished, the cost of
one of which, the New York Central Road
-334 miles in length. was $85. 400 81
per mile. while "the range of cost of the
% roads is considerably over $4,000 per
mile" Good and substantial reasons are
set forth in the article referred to. for at
taching credit and faith to the parties en-
gagged in this work, and appealing directly
to the real interest of the section which is
to derive more immediate benefit from the
completion thereof, it is made apparent,
that hearty cooperation in the labor of
marking out pathway for the iron horse,
on the part of the people of Arkansas. with
those who are lending their best energies to
the accomplishment of this great result. is
the policy which every consideration should
lead them to adopt. This road promises to
open AID develop the resources of as rich
and fruitful a region as the sun ever shone
upon, and, as is observed by the Bulletin,
"when once in operation. its benefits will be
SO wide-spread-s fruitful in other works
of improvement all over the State-thai
people everywhere will look back and won.
der how it should ever have been delayed
in its prosecution by causes SO incommensu
rate"
We are not advised as to whether the
precise point, at which the road will cross
White river. has been finally determined
upon, but have been informed that the pro
liabilities are that it will cross at site te
be called Prairie City-a place known for
merly as Taylor's Bluffs. some six or eight
miles below Des Arc-the citizens of which
place have made strenuous efforts from time
to time, to secure the crossing for their town
We append the following extract from let
ter from w. the Little Rock correspon
dent of the Memphis Eagle & Enquirer =
II learn that the friends of the Memphis
aud Little Rock Railroad Company are ma
king arrangements to push along that grea
enterprise with all practicable speed thi
coming summer. You will soon have t.
chronicle the arrival of the iron horse from
the ST. Francis river, as [ understand ht
is already Ion the track 1t is cheerin,
to think that Arkansas will at last have he
more than Chinese exclusiveness and 'dir
road" regiment broken into and dissipate'
forever. Once let the people see the grea
benefits to be drawn from even portion
of this great work, and the anti iRailroa,
croakers may as well engage their passag
up Salt river, to get out of the way of tn
locomotive"
We also take pleasure in Acknowledged,
the receipt of 'the second annual report Q
the officers of the Mississippi, Ouachita an,
Red river Railroad Company synopsi
and extended notice of which has alread
appeared. The report is an able and inter
esting one and presents the affairs of tn
company in favorable light. The line G
the road between the Mississippi river an
Camden is under contract, and the Pres
dent, Col. Dockery, urges upon the compa
ny to make early arrangements for the pur
chase of iron to equip the twenty miles @
road through the Mississippi bottom-an
thereby enable them to put that portion G
the road in operation by the fall of 1856
The Report of the Secretary shows the a:
sets of the company to be
Assets $3.50, ,99S O.
Liabilities 5S,679 2
Balance of assets over and
above liabilities SSO2. .3I8 8,
It gives rs pleasure to be able to remarl
IL this connection. that the Texas Legislator
have granted additional time to the Mempbi
and FL Paso Company, in which to com
plete portion of their road-and that b
Il