The corporation created by or in consequence of such sale and conveyance shall succeed to all such franchises, rights, and privileges, and perform all such duties as would have been had or should have been performed by the first company but for such sale and conveyance, including in the case of a railroad corporation the duty of maintaining and operating any branch or lateral road which may have been constructed and operated before the sale, and of transporting freight and passengers thereon; save only, that the corporation so created shall not be entitled to the debts due to the first company, and shall not be liable for any debts of, or claims against, the first company, which may not be expressly assumed in the contract of purchase, and that the whole profits of the business to be done by such corporation shall belong to the purchaser or his assigns. The interest in the corporation of the purchaser or his assigns shall be personal estate, and he or his assigns may create so many shares of stock therein as he or they may think proper, not exceeding together the amount of stock in the first company at the time of the sale, except in pursuance of an amendment to the charter obtained according to law; and such purchaser or his assigns may assign such shares in a book to be kept for that purpose. Such shares shall thereupon be on the footing of shares in corporations generally, except only that the first meeting of the stockholders shall be held on such day and at such place as shall be fixed by the purchaser, of which notice shall be published for two successive weeks in a newspaper.