The Press. — London, England, 1853-09-10 00:00:00

VISCOUNT AND VISCOUNTESS PALMERSTON left town on Tuesday for Broadlands, Hants. The Marquis of Lansdowne left town on Saturday for Germany. Sir James Graham for Cowes, Isle of Wight, on the same day. Sir William and Lady Molesworth, on Friday, for Pencarrow, Cornwall. THE RAILWAY PAssEmiEßs' Assi•RANcE CompANI/ held their eighth half-yearly meeting on Wednesday, at the offices, :1, Old Broad.street ; Sir J. Dean Paul, Bart., chairman of the board of directors, presided. The report stated that the number of tickets issued during the half-year to the :10th June last, as com pared with the corresponding period of the two pre vious years, was as follows class : 1451, 14,979; 1452, 17,830; 1853, 31,314-2 d class: 11451, 40,770 ; 1852, 41,0494; 1853, 50,201-31 class : 1851, 58,238 ; 1852, 59,250 ; 1853, 71,317. Inible-journey tickets, Ist class: 1852, 822 ; 1853, 4,0211-2 d class : 1851, 18; 1852, 1,41:1; 1853, 8,151-3 d class : 1851,1,8 . 26; 1852, 4,828 ; 1853, 5,800. Periodical tickets : 1851, 2,305; 1852, 2,308 ; 1853, 3,930. A dividend at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum, on the paid up capital, was declared at the meeting. THE 01*KNIN0 of A N COAL-Flyin was celebrated with much solemnity in Staffordshire on Thursday It lies in a district hopeless, infertile, and once deemed utterly unprofitable, known as Cannoch Chase, and. e xtending over many miles of area between Lichfield and Rugby. Now it has been discovered that all this cheerless desert is one vast coal-field, embracing within its bowels millions upon millions of tons of coal. The Marquis of Anglesey, the chief lord of the soil, took the leading part in the opening ceremonial. BARNET GREAT CATTLE AND HOME FAIR com menced on Monday, and brought together one of the largest shows of beasts ever remembered. The fields for several miles around Barnet were occupied by thousands of heads of cattle of all denominations, but consisting principally of Scotch and Welsh store ling*, intended to be taken to the grazing districts and fattened for the butchers. There was a very extensive gathering of farmers and graziers from all parts of the kingdom assembled upon this im portant and interesting occasion. A spirited amount of business was effected, and prices ruled high com pared with those of previous years. The sheep mar ket contained a tolerably fair display, but trade was inactive. The horse fair was on a very liberal scale. But the moot exciting feature consisted of the Welsh hill ponies, which were formed into rings occupying the slopes of the fields bordering upon the town. These rough shaggy mountaineers supported their character at high prices, fetching from 41. to 121. per head, and were in great request. On the whole a vast amount of money changed hands at this import ant fair. The store beasts alone were estimated at 40,015 i head, every description of which were sold at prices unequalled fir many years; and so great was the demand that several lots were sold two or three times, at considerable profit to the resellers. Mitch and cows and heifers realised exorbitent prices. Horses and ponies were seldom, if ever, dearer. Altogether this was one of the best selling fairs ever known at Barnet. CoNtrISRVATIVE LAND SocIETV.—The fourth general quarterly meeting of this society was held on Wed nesday at the Freemasons' Tavern, and was mime rowdy attended. Viscount Ranehigh presided. Nis lorislri p read the report of the executive committee, which stated that the number of shares issued during the twelve months was upwards of 11,000, represent ing a silbseribeil capital of :101,fiM411., of which more than 52 MO/. had already been paid. The number of shares on the order of rights, on the termination of that ilny's drawing, would be no less than 1,486, of which nearly MINI had been so placed by the public drawings , and :100 by rotation. A very few months would suffice to enable every shareholder, up to 1,000 and! upwards, to seleet eligible estates. The number o rights already exhausted up to that time was 0041; tad seven estates of the fourteen purchased yet remain ed for distribution. In the first quarter of the society 's operation their receipts had been in the thin l, 15,11141.; and in the last, 19,7811. The amount of withdrawals from the society since t h e commencei sent was only NV.; while in one of the great societles it was as much as '2,0001. per week. He believed there was no safer investment in Eng gland than that offered by this society. Not only were they wall supported in this countr. but they actually had applieations for shares from Chitin and Calcutta. The report was unanimously adopted, and Vie meeting t hen proceeded to ballot for allotments. Naby and Volta. A SINOI•LATt RAILWAY CAsI: neellpied Vice-Chan cellor Sir P. W.sod during the whole of Friday and Saturday last week. The plaintiffs in this case were certain shareholder► in the Shrews Wiry and Bir mingham Railway. and the defendants were the Hon. B. H. Clive and ►ither directors of the company, but chiefly Mr. Knox, formerly secretary to the board, but latterly also a director. For some time past it seems that much dissension bad existed in the corn- THE PRESS. pany, chiefly respecting a proposed lease of their line to the Great Western and North Western companies. Two parties accordingly were formed, one advocating an alliance with the former, the other with the latter company. Among the directors the majority were favourers of the Great Western connection, but, the shareholders having refused to sanction their propo sition for a lease to that company, it was now alleged by the complainants that some defeated directors had illegally contrived to manufacture a majority of votes in support of their own views. For this purpose they had transferred a vast number of shares lying in their hands through forfeiture, and as reserved, or in other manner, to nominee and fictitious holders, from whom they obtained a retransfer of the shares as soon as the immediate purpose was served—namely, the mgister of a vote, by proxy, on a particular question likely to come before the expected meeting of shareholders. By this device the plaintiffs alleged that the board had carriedcertain highlyquestionable resolutions in past meetings, and would probably do so again. The suit wag accordingly brought for the purpose of restraining them in this course ; and Mr. Knox was charged with being principally concerned in working the contrivance, as well as with keeping back or mutilating certain minute-books and share registers, the property of the shareholders generally. For the defendants very voluminous affidavits were produced, denying the charge in Coto. The Vice Chancellor, on Saturday, gave judgment in the case: There was HO doubt of the company being entitled to maintain a suit against the directing body for conduct iu contravention of the act Parliament, or contrary to the tntste repotesl in them; but the question now was, whether the bill should he sustained if it turned out that a majority of the body of shareholders were adverse to the prosecution of the suit. A strong ease must be made nut to the Court for the institution of a wait in the name of the company without a previetts meeting, and It must be shown that the interference of the Court only could prevent mischief which might turn out irreparable; but if such a ease were once made out, the Court would not allow its arm to be paralysed from such prevention. On the other hand. there could not be a more monstrous exercise of power by the Court titan in granting sit order that the directors should not do certain acts which the whole company, with the exception of two or three members perhaps, were willing they should do, and allow those two or three members to be sttecessful in using the name of the whole company for their purposes. The Court would see. before it corn. milted the voattpany to tiny proceedings, who the parties were, who Sere 1111 l (and perhaps with the best, though erroneous, intentions) acting on their behalf, and who thought that the di rectors were not acting beneficially for the interests of the com pany. The Court intended to leave entirely open the question of acquiescence in this suit by the majority of the company, or their condonation id' the past acts of the board; but unless it could be shown that mischief was likely to accrue from non-intervention, the Court did not think that in this state 4 the proceedings it should make any order whatever, but, at the same time, could not help pronouncing a strong condemnation of too conduct of Knox. Ile never witnessed a stronger initiative of that double 1111 l nudity said to exist in the • da of some parties, that the ends justititsl the means, MI long as they were cetinected with a col , Iterate body. What Knox had done was this. lie held, in cotu• molt with others of the directors, a large munber of shares for the benefit of the company, and, anticipating that at a forthcoming meeting ail the company there would be etinsiderable disettssiou ..11 a 'Willi. he was, with others, oleairotte of achieving—viz., the unity of the interests of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham and lireat Western t•ompaniea—lnstead of allowing a just and nu. biassed • •Insion to he come to by the hoed fide shareholders, he thought it right to allot the trust shares of the company ad libitum to a her of nominees who were to use that which was the property of the e patty to bring about a result possibly ad. cm to the company itself. Anything more flagrant or morn gross could acereely he conceived, and the way in which he had earrieil out his data was still 1110 re gross. Ile never heard of so flagrent a breach of trust es witting out the MIMICS of acceptors, and retrattsWrs in their absence, and Using as one of them that of a boy nine years of age, then witnerouing theme signatures in a feignetl handwriting, showing at the wish and intention to deceive, and then alleging in excuse that the louder and Bir. minghant Company at some •or other did sotnething akin to it by buying up 1,000 sitarist in a company they de. sired to influence, and tltett distributing the shares among their porters. If Knox wished to follow that extunple he had not 41011 e sit, es the I Atiallal alai Birmingham merely distributed what at any rate was their own property. The other parts of the eitSti were, happily. more favourable. The Court beliet ed that the directors generally were aware of the multiplication of votes by the trensfer of the trust shares. butt thought also that they believed there was an mina' sale of those shares. The Court next t'xat • •.1 who the individuals were who after witch a lapse of time came forward in the mune of the company. There was not the least thotbt that (leach was limo rant of the extraordinary pnweedings of Knox, but he *Omitted that he knew there was Minions voting in Issl. Now. he aul ME. Scott Were the leading advocates for the tutiun of the slirewsbury and Birmingham and North-Western eowpittijos; stud yet tutu their evidence it was that the hill was filetl. Oentle• men who had allowed the matters to slumber two v . earsnow came and called for the inum•diat I , interference of the Court, and sought tll Milli, at their instimee, the whole belly constrate to a continuance of that suit. These considerations relieved the Court of much embarrassment, and the only immediate danger it wax called out to avert was With regard to the probability of a repetition of the undue tempering with the shares oldie e o l ni. H oy against the ensuing Meeting. Oil the whole, it wits tolerably lipparelit that all the shares inutile use of to manufacture rows in lsa had tweet got back. These %hares were disposed of and t wee; but, if they were 104, whet could the Conn do? Ile did not think that the directors would now do what heti been done in 1/4.'11. It WHIS 110 W knOWII what wits the exact her of ' , harem standing in the ttttt of the company. If these were &Ai with in any way it would be slietely apparent. anti the questions Ninth' illlttleillittely aris e , " Where are they? What leis bccoute of them ?•' Another question was, whether the Collet thought lit, without pledging the 'smarmy tut the suit, to make the direc tors give an undertaking not to vote in respect of those charts; I he should base felt inelined to do so but for the use whirl' had been made of the fonuer one—a very improper use—in re. pot-titles that it laid the parties , zivitig it ler all obligation not to repute proxies : but know lug, as the directors Crow did. What the views of the Court were. and what they were likely to be on the company saucti lug further proceedings in the event of the use of thetas shares, he thought this matter might be left as it at.ssi. Ile should decline to make any onler whatever. and the only question was, as to coats. Under the circumstances, it would be impossible to make the Shrewsbury and Ilinninghent Comptuty pay costs. as it could not be known whit course the company would adopt. SATURDAY, The costs were made costs in the cause by general assent, and the court adjourned. AN EXPLOSION OF GUNPOWDER took place in Shoe lane on Tuesday, by which three boys were so se riously injured as to compel their immediate convey ance to the hospital. It seems that a publican named Ashwell had discovered some remnants of gunpowder at the bottom of certain canisters in his house, which he instructed Cox, his potboy, to empty down the sewer in the street. According to his own statement the quantity altogether ann Alined to only a few ounces, but evidence was produced tat the re sulting investigation to show that there must have been nearly two pounds weight of it. While Cox was pouring the powder into the drain, a crowd of boys collected, one of whom applied a light to the train, and thus produced the explosion, which was heard, it was stated, through all the neighbourhood, alarm ing the inhabitants and attracting the attention of the police, who, finding that severe injuries had been received by several individuals, took charge of the potboy, though himself considerably hurt, and had him brought up before Alderman Sir It. W. Carden at Guildhall on Tuesday, when the following evi- dence was adduced:— - Frederick Coveney, a lad about twelve years of age. said : I was walking past the " Black Dog," and saw Cox with a tin eaStl in his hand, pouring gunpowder down the sewers grating, and strewing some along the gutter. When he had emptied one case he went into the house and brought out another; and while we were looking on it blew up, and I was knocked flown on any back. Sir R. W. CARDEN : Did you see who set it alight?—Witness No, sir ; I did not see any light at all. Sir It. W. CARDEN (to prisoner) : Did you get burnt yourself? —The prisoner: Yes, sir •, and I have been iu the hospital all night in consequence of the injuries I received. Mr. Ashwell, landlord of the Black Dog, and master of the prisoner, said he was told that one of the boys in the crowd ignited the gunpowder. Sir it. W. CARDEN : HOW much gunpowder was there ?—Mr. Ashwell: Not more than an ounce and a half or two ounces, sir, for it was merely the remains of two canisters. Sir R. W. CAMDEN: Oh, that cannot be; it is impossible two ounces of gunpowder could injure so many and sO severely as these boys appear to be. Mr. Ashwell: I assure you, sir, there was no more, and the prisoner is as innocent as 1 am. Sir R. W. CARDEN : Why, you are the originator of this misfor tune, by disposing of gunpowder so carelessly. 1 think you are the most culpable. Mr. Anhwei : I thought the common sewer was the safest place for it; and there was not much, or I could have turned it into money by selling it. Sir R. W. CAnuEsi : I say again it is quite impossible that two ounces could have done so much mischief. Au officer here stated that the father of the lad who was lying in the hospital had ascertained that there was from Ilb. to of gimpowder. Sir R. W. CARDEN : That is more likely. Officer : The report was heard at the bottom of Holboni-hill, and even in Vietoria-street. Sir It. W. Odium:: I must tell you, Mr. Ashwell, that you are placed in a very peculiar position in the event of anything of a more serious nature happening to these boys. Mr. Ashwell: It was very imprudent for the boys to meddle with the gunpowder. Sir 11. W. CARDEN: It was very imprudent in you to give them the opportunity. The case was adjourned. THE MURDER OF ELIZA GRINIWOOD, which oc curred in May, 1538, and of which the perpretator has never been discovered, placed another supposed criminal at the bar of the Southwark Police Court on Monday last. Great excitement prevailed, and the court was thronged with spectators, who were at tracted by rumours that the long-concealed crime would at length be brought to light. In the end, however, it turned out that a poor bootmaker, named Peter Lamischal, a Dane by birth, but long resident in London, had quarrelled with a woman with whom he had cohabited, and, while drunk, had threatened, as she deposed, to " serve her as he had served Eliza (iriniwood." The woman having hinted the threat to some acquaintance, the matter got talked about, the police heard of it, and Peter Lamischai was appre hended. Being sober and frightened in court, he en deavoured to explain his words into another mean ing, declaring that he had merely threatened to serve his female "friend" as Eliza (ironwood was served. The prisoner was young still, so that he could have been but barely eighteen at the time when the murder was committed, and there was no jot of evi deuce to associate him with the crime, except the casual expression already mentioned, helped out by a new statement, voluntered by the woman Jennings from the witness-box, that "lie was always talking about it in his dreams." The magistrate, however, thought the case sufficiently suspicious to warrant his sending the poor Dane to prison, on remand, in order to give time for further inquiries. He was brought up again on Thursday and discharged, there being no real evidence against him. THEFT OF A BANK POST BILL for :10/. • forgery of the endorsement written upon it : and illegal utter• ance of the stolen and fraudulent note afterwards, were charged against Samuel Ellen, at the Mansion house, on Monday. The prisoner had been appre hended by an officer of the detective force. His capture was owing to the odd circumstance of his having accidentally left upon the counter of the shop in which he had applied for the change of the bank post bill a bundle of handbills, containing an exact description of himself, and calling upon the public to give information calculated to lead to his restoration to his friends :