The Sun. — London, England, 1865-03-23 00:00:00

The Lock-out in the Iron Trade. - 4. - -- WOLVERHAMPTON, Wednesday, March 21. Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co., of Wednes bury, are now reopening their works, on the basis of an undertaking to be signed by their workpeople, whereby the latter bind themselves to refrain from supporting, either directly or indirectly, the men on strike in North Staffordshire. Two of Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co.'s workmen—at the re quest, they said, of their employers—waited upon the Executive at Brierley-hill yesterday afternoon, to obtain the sanction of that council to their agree ing to such an undertaking as a condition to their being allowed to resume work. The undertaking which Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co. required to be signed was conveyed to the council, who for mally approved the document and signified that approval in a written reply addressed to the firm who had sent to them. At the request of the depu tation they wrote a second letter to Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co., in which they stated that they had not sent any money to North Staffordshire since the 4th of March, and that they still discoun tenanced, and should continue to discountenance, and do their utmost to prevent any assistance what ever being sent by any members of the association over which they presided to the men on strike there. Of Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co.'s requirement they could not, therefore, but approve ; for it was founded upon the views and sentiments which the Executive entertained, and, as far as they were able, enforced. Both documents were couched by the Executive in most respectful terms. So great an antipathy have the men of South Staffordshire to the signing of any document, that the deputation from Wednesbury representingtheir order hoped the reassurance of the Executive, as conveyed in the second note described, to the effect that they had made no alteration in their practice since the 4th instant, of sending no money to North Stafford shire, would be sufficient for their employers, and so prevent the men from being called upon to sign ; but the undertaking to which Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co. require them tolattach their sig natures is so simple, and one which so thoroughly expresses the views of the men, that it is not thought that upon reflection they will object to it. From the commencement of the lock-out the firm mentioned have been engaged in the manufacture and working up of Bessemer steel, andthe fact of the Patent Shaft and Axletree Company having kept their works on led to the expectation that Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co., who are also producers of similarly wrought metal, would not long keep their works closed. Then it was known that the firm had large contracts under hand for supplying iron for bridge building and other purposes, which they could not break without en tailing serious losses upon themselves and greatly in. conveniencing others. The great body of the iron masters therefore regard Messrs. Lloyds', Fosters', and Co.'s works as coming under the designation of a " special case." The emigration scheme is being taken up very warmly by the districts, and money on that account in considerable sums is being sent in to the Execu tive, the districts acting upon the suggestion of the Ekecutive, and moving in this matter with allpromp titude. It is intended to obtain grants of land in Queensland, and to send out 50 or 100 families in every company, by whom separate settlements, it is proposed, shall be formed. With the assistance that the union is able to afford it is thought the emi grants will be able to hold their own till their first crop comes in. The Brierely-hill Executive have just sent out sub scription ships, headed with an appeal, in which they say : " Contributions are urgently solicited for the support of the members now thrown idle by the compact of the ironmasters of England to lock out all their workmen until a comparatively few men in North Staffordshire accept the employers' terms. There are now upwards of 4,000 mem bers thrown upon the funds of our association, and the northern council have 4,000 men in the same situation, also there are 1,800 millmen cast upon their funds, making a total of 9,800 persons who will require support, and for whom we appeal to the members of the other trade societies and the public. We give the number only of our own mem bers, but an immensely large number of our neighbours are thrown idle, to whom and to whose families we must give such assistance as now is or may be placed in our power. The efficiency and existence of trade societies are acknow ledged by all parties to be dependent on the issue of this struggle in the iron trade." Committees have been appointed in all the dis tricts to conduct the operations for raising contri butions. Books of printed checks having a counter foil have been prepared for circulation among those members who may be able for a time to do without relief. The checks will be given instead of money. and they will be cashed by the executive when the holder finds it necessary to present them. The same class of checks will be distributed as money to other classes of members, who will be able to negotiate them at the business places of those tradesmen with whom the executive have been able to make the necessary provisional arrangements. The usual weekly meeting of the ironmasters was held to-day in front of the Swan Hotel,, in Wolver hampton. There the masters were confronted by a larger number of their operatives than assembled last week. The committee of the Ironmasters' Association, who held a meeting in the hotel, after a lengthened sitting announced that they had every reason to feel confidence in the Alillmen's Union, and in their in tentions being honest as far as regarded their desire to go to work, and the advice they gave to the work men out on strike in North Staffordshire. The action of the Brierely-hill Executive proved the committee felt that their professed advice to the men to return to work was insincere, and rendered any statement of theirs utterly unworthy of credence, judging alone from their remarks at the meeting of the trades' unions in London on Wednesday last ; nor could the masters allow that they had any con fidence in the Gateshead Union. The committee considered it advisable that the masters in North Staffordshire should see the men in their district and hear what their difficulty is, and why they do not go to work. The masters of Staffordshire wish it to be known that they are as ready to meet their men as are the masters of Gateshead to meet the men of their dis trict. Hitherto, however, there has been a disposi tion on the part of the masters to meet their own men only; but even these have lately remained alto gether away from the works, and therefore there has been no means of communicating with them. It is nowproposed that a few masters should meet a number of men selected from the general body of the men on strike. At such a meeting the masters will show themselves prepared to come to reasonable terms with the men, but there is no rea son to conclude that if the men should demand as a necessity to their returning to work that they should receive the wages for which they struck the masters will concede their demands. If such should be the conditions of a settlement which the North Staf fordshire men impose, then the masters see no means of bringing about a cessation of the lock-out before the men are compelled to return to work, other than that involved in the introduction of non union men in North Staffordshire ; and the commit tee are taking steps to bring about such a conclu sion. They had before them a proposition from aper- Sonwho professed himself fully competent to carry it out, whereby it i s h ope d thi s resu lt may b e a tt a i ne d. The offer made to the committee was, that if he should be guaranteed protection he would open an office at Dudley Port, inSouthStaffordshir• e thepmpose of collecting to ge th er 500 non-unionist puddlers ready to go to work i n N orth Staffordshire at the furnace which the men on strike there decline to work. It i s guaranteed that th e required protection having . parties, been obtained for all • es,both in South and Noith Staffordshire, the required number of D itd south dlers shall be ready to leave the and com mence work in the north of the county. After ample consideration the committee determined to accept the offer, and a member of the committee, who is a deputy-lieutenant of Staffordshire, at once, on behalf of the committee, put himself into communication with the Earl of Lichfield, Lord-Lieutenant of the county, to obtain the needed protection. The crowd of workmen in front of the Swan Hotel lingered about some time after the ironmas ters generally had left, in the expectation that Mr. Samuel Griffiths would addreSs them from the bal cony ; but Mr. Griffiths did not comply with their wishes, and they were dispersed by the police, as soon as there was no further excuse for their remain ing together. - - Mr. Daniel Rose, of Bull's-bridge Walks is an nounced as having set on one of 11 . 3 mills this morning. The three blast furnaces. of Messr Bagnal, on the other hand, have been " blown down." lIANLEY, Wednesday. The Earl of LICHFIELD, the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, presided at a public meeting held to inaugurate a working men's club at Hanley yester day evening, and in the course of his opening speech referred at some length to the question of the lock out in the iron trade. He believed the greatest difficulty in all these disputes arose from a want of a free, open, and frank understanding between the parties, and he was persuaded that there was not a sufficient knowledge of all the attendant circum stances in the possession of the public to enable them to form an opinion upon the matter. They were told that the origin of the strike in North Stafford shire—for the strike, if there was one, was there— was owing to special circumstances which did not exist in other parts of the country. He did not ex press any opinion as to whether that was right or wrong, but he must say that he, for one, had not been satisfied of what those special circumstances were. He should like to see established in this coun try a system of arbitration by which these disputes between employer and employed could be governed, and he believed that and a good understanding be tween the parties were the only solutions of the dif ficulty. Another question on which the public were in the dark was—How did it come about that the men in North Staffordshire were acting in opposi tion to the wishes of the rest of the Union ? This was apparent to all who read the history of this dis pute in the papers, and he must own that this matter had not been made sufficiently clear to him. Again, it appeared difficult to understand how it was that persons peculiarly circumstanced, as they said they were, should have influence brought to bear upon them from a distance? One naturally asked were theselmen, who belonged to unions in other districts, sufficiently informed to be able to form an opinion on these special circumstances, aird to govern the action of the men who were under those peculiar circum stances? The public did not clearly see how this dispute originated, nor how it was being carried on. What to him as a Staffordshire man was especially deplorable was that, somehow or other, Staffordshire as a county had obtained a most unenviable noto riety in this dispute. He feared, from what he saw and heard, that the working classes as a body were too much disposed to trust to two or three men, who in many cases constituted themselves their leaders, and did not judge for themselves as much as they were capable of doing if they set to work. NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, Wednesday Afternoon. As regards the lock-out the situation appears to be unaltered to-day. Another mediator, however, Mr. James Morrison, who is largely interested in the pig iron trade, and an owner of considerable blast furnaces and other ironworks, has come forward to recommend mediation. The emigration scheme seems to have thoroughly taken possession of the minds of the men. About 50 applications have been made to the lodge at Jarrow to arrange for passages to America, and about 20 puddlers from Walker have intimated their readi ness to proceed to the same destination. A commu nication from Witton-park says : " After the failure of the York conference the men here had decided to take no further steps in the present state of affairs, but to wait patiently until the masters do something of themselves. The notice received from the Gateshead Executive regarding the offers of emigration to America has been laid before the men, and many of them intend to avail themselves of its advantages. Thirty men, consisting of puddlers and heaters,' have already given in their names to the secretary (Mr. Gibbon) as being desirous to emigrate. Among those men are most of the best workers at Witton-park." From Corsett the news is that all continues per fectly quiet, the only point now under discussion being emigration. A great number of respectable and provident men are making preparations to take their departure. The men in the Darlington district appear to be the only body of the unemployed work people who are making any movement to appeal to the masters again with a view to arrange a settle ment. A joint meeting of the two lodges—viz., the Albert Hill and the Skerne Ironworks—was held yesterday forenoon, when they came to the unani mous resolution of holding their meetings for the future conjointly, and that so far as the object they have in view—the settlement of the present unhappy dispute—they shall act as one society. Following up the resolution, they further came to the determina tion at the same meeting of having one more inter view with their masters, so that they may do all in their power to bring about a settlement of affairs, and, should they be unsuccessful in this effort, then it is their intention to throw themselves entirely upon the public for sympathy and support. With this view it is intended to hold a public meeting of the inhabitants generally at the Mechanics'-hall, to devise some means by which they can better the condition of those who are locked out through circumstances over which they have no control. The Atherican emigration agents have sent a notice for the names of as many persons belonging to the different lodges as wish t o emigrate, and this has been promptly replied to, no less than 80 persons having signified their desire to leave the country by the means thus offered them. A resolution was also passed at the same meeting to the effect that as many as could conveniently afford it should abstain from drawing upon the funds of the association, so that the Executive might have it more in their power to assist their less fortunate brethren, and to this appeal nearly 100 persons signed their names. A special meeting of the Labourers' Association was held yesterday at the Lodge-room, Crown Inn, Skinnergate, Darlington, at which the executive body took into consideration the present state of affairs, and after a long and deliberate consultation they came to the conclusion that there was nothing left them but to appeal to the public for counte nance and support in their present struggle. One of the rolling mills was reopened on Messrs. Pal mer's works at Jarrow yesterday. As the Union millmen absolutely refused to go to work unless the puddlers were set on, the mill is kept going princi pally through the agency of Mr. Bladen, the mana ger, and his foremen. Some of the Trades Unions of the north are holding meetings of their members to raise funds to assist the locked-out puddlers ; but a general movement in that direction has not commenced yet. The masters are making no sign; but it is believed that there is a council meeting of the trade in London to-day, when something may be done to remove the dead-lock into which rela tions between masters and men have drifted. Of course, unless there is a re-approachment on one side or the other, or mediation is offered and ac cepted, the lock -out may continue for weeks or months. At present, to all appearances, there is a strong determination of both masters and men to hold out. The adjourned meeting of the London Trades' Delegates was held last evening at the Sussex Hotel, Bouverie-street, Fleet-street, Mr. George Potter in the chair. There were present delegates from South and North Staffordshire and from the Millmen's Association. The CHAIRMAN said that since their last meeting much had been said and done in regard to the lock out in the iron trade, which might be briefly sum marised. At the former meeting they passed a re solution expressing their belief that the course which the masters had adopted was wrong, cruel, and un warrantable ; at the same time the meeting seemed desirous to keep the strike and the lock-out distinctly apart, and he wished it to be understood that the delegates who attended the meeting from the two Executives at Brierley-hill and Gateshead had no thing whatever to do with the latter part of the re solution, which expressed a desire to raise a sub scription for the support of the puddlers of North Staffordshire who were locked out. He the more had earnestly desired this to be unde r stood, because he seen it stated i n th e press th a t th ose p ar ti es were in so me degree responsible for that resolution. Now, the 1-1,- ;er i Aey-hill Executive had some weeks ago -- declared thei r opinion that the North Staffordshire , and, if they refused to do so, the Executive would cease to subscribe towards their support. The North Staffordshire men did refuse, and the Brierley-hill Executive abided by their decision. The Gateshead Executive had also assured the masters that they would not support the North Staffordshire men, and the Millmen's Asso ciation, who had never sanctioned the strike, would not now support them. Therefore, with what the trades of London did last week the two Executives of the Puddlers and the Millmen's Association had nothing whatever to do. Such having been the course pursued by those bodies the masters had no excuse whatever for continuing the lock-out. The Brierley-hill Executive had been blamed for not attending at a meeting of the masters where the Gateshead Executive were present, but they saidthat they had done all they could in the matter. If the masters would give them some idea of what proposi tion would be received by them, then the Executive of Brierley-hill would take it into consideration. But the masters would make no proposition or con cession. They took their stand upon the demand that the North Staffordshire men should resume work. The Brierley-hill Executive therefore de clared that they could do no more. Mr. Potter then said that two important resolutions would be sub mitted to the meeting. The workmen of London did not wish the prolongation of the lock-out ; they would do anything that was honourable to bring it to a termination. They felt that the masters had shut out of employment many men, and had de prived their families of bread in order to punish the North Staffordshire men. In this the men of Lon don believed the masters were wrong, and they were confirmed in that belief by many eminent counsel, and if the question were tried there was no doubt the masters would be proved to have been guilty of an illegal combination in the present lock-out. There was no question of wages at issue. The men had accepted their masters' conditions, and were willing to work on those conditions, but they were not permitted to do so by this illegal conspiracy on the part of the masters. The question would be raised in the House of Commons, and an important debate would no doubt take place on the subject. The resolutions, therefore, to be proposed that even ing, if adopted, would greatly strengthen the posi tion of those hon. members who take part in the debate. There had been a great deal said on the subject of emigration. Now, it was not patriotic to advise men to emigrate. They took no part in that scheme. Let those who compelled the necessity of such a step bear the responsibility of it. Mr. ALLKINS, president of the Brierley-hill Exe cutive, then addressed the meeting. After describ ing the steps taken both by the masters and men to organise themselves into unions, he said that the Association of the Masters had become too strong for resistance. The men in North Staffordshire repre sented that in consequences of the dearness of living in their part of the country they required higher wages than in South Staffordshire, and it was then proposed that the North Staffordshire men should resist the proposed reduction of wages by the masters, and that their fellow-workmen elsewhere should assist them in doing so. In consequence of this the North Staffordshire masters appealed to the South Stafford shire masters to close their works. There happened to appear a letter in the papers signed by Mr. Kane, the treasurer of the Gateshead Executive, pressing the trade to come forward with their levies to assist the north in their struggle ; and yet since then the Gateshead Executive had endeavoured to throw the whole blame of the strike upon the Brierley-hill Executive. The masters had extended the lock-out to the men of South Staffordshire, although they were willing to work at the reduced wages ; but it was required of them that they should get the North Staffordshire men to resume work. This, however, it was impossible for them to do. They had passed a resolution calling upon those men to go to work, but when that resolution was submitted to the masters they doubted its sincerity. If it were possible to bring this unhappy struggle to a close by means of arbitration the men of South Staffordshire were quite willing to use whatever influence they possessed, which he feared was very little, to accomplish that end. Mr. BIDDESTON, a delegate from the Millmen's Association, said he did not think that the strike and the lock-out could be regarded as two distinct things. They stood in the relation of cause and effect. The lock-out was simply the effect of the strike in North Staffordshire. Remove the strike, and the lock-out would cease. It seemed to him that the North Staf fordshire men had not been treated with justice by the two executives by whom they were originally called out. The men were called out on certain con ditions, and which conditions had not been fulfilled by the two executives. The men had been promised, he believed, 10s. a head, but he understood they had only received 2s. 6d. per head. He considered that in justice the two executives were bound to pay the men on strike the whole of the money they had been promised from the time they were locked out up to the present day. This would induce the North Staffordshire men to return to work, and thus an end would be put to the lock-out. But that not being done, the men felt that they had been made the cats paw of other parishes, and had resolved not to go to work, let the consequence be what it would. But if, after all, the men still refused to work, then he would say, let them perish. It was far better that 1,000 men should perish than that 150,000 or 160,000 who were to all intents and purposes innocent should be utterly ruined. He saw no other way by which the lock-out could be terminated. As to the question of the illegality of the conduct of Ale masters, he thought it would be well to say nothing about that. Who could tell but that the action taken by the work men might be quite as illegal as anything done by the masters ? Mr. BAKER, a North Staffordshire delegate, com plained of the conduct of the Brierley and Gateshead Executives in having cut off all allowance to the North Staffordshire men after having caused them to strike for wages. If. the two executives had, in the first instance, advised the North Staffordshire men to accept the reduction of wages he had no doubt they would have done so, and there never would have been any lock out. But the executives had turned against them, and the North Stafford shire men had to fight their . own cause. He, how ever, could assure the meeting.that the men of North Staffordshire, rather than give up the union, would suffer death one by one. Those men last Saturday only received 2s. 9d. each. If, however, the masters would consent to open their works to the men of South Staffordshire, then themen of North Stafford shire were willing to resume their work and leave the question of wages to be settled by arbitration. Mr. STRAHAN, from Gateshead, would say nothing about the origin of this dispute, or as to who was to blame for it ; that was a matter between the three parties—the Brierley-hill and Gateshead Executives and the North Staffordshire men. What the public were anxious about was, how could the dispute be closed in a satisfactory manner to all parties. The parties on strike said that they had a state ment of grievances to make. Let them furnish that statement. Let the men of North Staffordshire set forth in writing what were the circumstances which they believed justified them in not going to work. Let that statement be submitted to their masters, and let the masters answer it, and then lethematter be left to the decision of four gentlemen to say who was right and who was wrong. Let the decision be mofmadeatsht masters rn by e n Lo might a r n d tab nk byStanleyfia fit to yt oandtwo wapop Lord oint E other . Am l c se h on men whom to the nibehalfques tion of legality or illegality, he thought the masters were quite as justifiable in the course they had pur sued as the men. He did not mean in a moral or humane sense, but as far as the combination laws were concerned. He thought there was prima facie evidence that the masters were justified in proposing a reduction of wages, so far as the price of iron was concerned—it was therefore a very fair question to be left to the consideration of some neutral per sons to say whether that was the fact or not. He denied that the Executive of Gateshead took any P o resolution a w d a o s p t adoptede d for atcallinga meetingt he m e a n t f rB u a io :t t ms . to in n on the That resolution the 2d of January, at which no delegates the Gateshead Executive attended. A DELEGATE asked whether Lord Stan l ey or Lord E or l h, of ro ironworksA were iAe knor to possess any knowledge of iron DONALD, President of the Miners' Na tional Association, explained how it happened that rim SUN, toNtoN s TBUEtSDAY EVENING, MARCH 23, NM the names of those two noblemen came to be men tioned. Having occasion to meet Lord Elcho on business, his lordship entered into conversation with him on the subject of the strike and lock-out in the iron trade and asked him (Mr. Macdonald) whether it could possibly be settled by arbitration. He told his lordship he thought it might, and suggested that his lordship might be one of the arbitrators. Lord Elcho said he could not undertake the responsibility alone, and asked who should be the other arbi trator. The name of Lord Stanley was proposed, and Lord Elcho immediately went to the House of Commons and saw Lord Stanley on the subject ; and after some reflection their lordships stated that if the men would submit the question to them, they, on their part, would do their best to bring about an amicable settlement. Mr. CONOLLY then moved, and Mr. BENNE'rr seconded, the following resolution :—That, in the opinion 2f this meeting, the course adopted by the ironmasters to compel the North Staffordshire puddlers to accept a reduction in their wages, by inflicting the miseries of a general lock-out on the families of the men who are to participate in the dispute is unjustifiable and cruel, and with a view to remove any grounds which may exist for their continuing to inflict such distress, this meeting re commends the North Staffordshire men to submit the question of their wages to arbitration when the masters open their works and allow the men now locked out to resume work." The resolution was agreed to. Mr. WELLAND then moved and Mr. RICHARD NETHERcorr seconded the next resolution, viz. : " It having been stated through the press, and by many public men, that the ' lock-out' by the iron masters is at variance with the laws against illegal combination, this meeting recommends that coun sel's opinion be taken thereon, and such proceedings instituted as he may direct to test such illegality." Mr. HEMMEN thought they would be treading on dangerous ground by taking advice of counsel. The workmen had set the masters the example of com bination, though it was true the masters had carried their combinaiion out to a great extremity. The resolution was adopted. The CHAIRMAN then called the attention of the meeting to the necessity of subscriptions being raised by the different trades in London, and after some discussion as to the persons to whom the money con tributed should be sent it was finally arranged that the amounts should be transmitted either to the Brierley or Gateshead Executives, or to the North Staffordshire men, according to the wishes of the contributors. The meeting then separated. Railway and other Companies. MIDLAND GREAT WESTERN. • The report states th a t th e traffic receipts for the past half-year amounted to £99,263, against £97,647 for the corresponding half of 1863, showing an in crease of £1,616, which was gratifying to the direc tors, considering the stagnation and depression of trade during the past half-year. The accounts of the extension line from Athlone to Galway showed a deficiency of £3,830 on the working for the half-year. However advantageous to the particular districts new branches running into their line might prove, up to the present time such branches had added but little to the prosperity of the company. The liabilities entailed on the com pany and remaining unsettled by the construction of the Sligo line and the Liffey branch had been par tially met from time to time by moneys derived from revenue. The company's bill now before Par liament proposed to reduce the ordinary share capital from £2,799,333 to £2,750,000, thus cancelling £49,333. Of the remaining unissued capital, amounting to £592,825, it empowered the company to issue £300,000 as preference stock, to bear inte rest not exceeding 5 per cent., leaving the present debenture power of the company unaltered at £702,200, of which £658,273 had been issued. The directors calculated that with a considerable margin to spare they would be enabled by this bill to dis charge all sums due to bankers, contractors for rolling stock and other plant ; and thus, having Placed the affairs of the company upon a solid basis, to appropriate the income as earned to its proper and legitimate objects. The available balance at the disposal of the directors amounted to £25,986, out of which they recommended a dividend at the rate of 2 per cent. per annum, leaving a surplus of £4,414. The amount proposed to be divided did not represent the net earnings of the line, but bear ing in mind that even those earnings had been applied to the discharge of engagements which were pressing, that the sums payable in respect to the Ballinasloe accident remained in a great measure still to be provided, and other matters, the directors felt that they could not safely go further. The revenue account for the past half-year showed that £114,018 had been received and £67,316 expended in working, £2,854 paid for interest on canal mortgage, £14,779 interest on debentures, and £5,149 for interest on deposit and general ac count, leaving, with a surplus of £1,478 from the preceding half-year, a balance of £25,986. LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE. A special meeting of this company was held yes- 1 terday at Manchester, to empower the directors to raise certain sums of money not exceeding in the whole £607,760. Mr. Geo. Wilson, the chairman, moved a formal resolution to that effect, seconded by Mr. Hargreaves, and explained that the directors intended to issue the £607,000 of additional capital in preference shares. The directors were desirous at the present time not to burden the ordinary stock with any additional charges beyond what it should bear for the construction of works which might not prove very remunerative for some years to come. The trifling addition to the share capital of the com pany would be £5 for every £lOO of ordinary stock, and it was therefore proposed to allot to holders of ordinary stock £5 perference shares for every £lOO of ordinary stock. The last issue made was for £1,200,000 of preference stock, bearing 41 per cent. interest. At the present time the directors were disposed to add a little to the value of that stock, and in five years from May next they proposed that the 4f per cent. stock should be a permanent 5 per cent. stock. The motion was agreed to. TEWKESBURY AND MALVERN. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yesterday at the office, Parliament-street,Mr.llenry in the chair: Mr. Stephens, the secretary, read the report,which stated that in May last the line had been opened for traffic by the Midland Railway Company, under the working agreement. For the six months ending Dec. 31 a payment of £l,lOO had been made by that company as the amount fully representing the net sum due from them to the Tewkesbury Company for that period. On the motion for the adoption of • the report a long discussion enused upon the expenses incurred in the construction of the line and the manner in which the shares and bonds had been dealt with. Mr. PRICE said the board he represented were prepared to enter into negotiation either for the sale or lease of the line to the Midland Company. The report was adopted, and a resolution was agreed upon authorising the directors to open nego tiations with the Midland Company for the sale or lease of the line. The retiring directors and auditors were re elected, and a vote of thanks to the chairman con cluded the proceedings. RUMNEY. The improvements on this line have been com pleted, and the Board of Trade inspector is expected in the course of a few days to go over the railway. The Brecon and Merthyr Company have purchased the line, and when the Board of Trade certificate is obtained no time will be lost in opening the railway for passenger traffic. LONDON GENERAL OMNIBUS (LIMITED). The sixth annual meeting of this company was held on Tuesday at the London Tavern ; Mr. F. J. Law in .the chair, Mr. Church, the secretary, having read the notice convening the meeting, the report, an abstract of which appeared in The Sun, was taken as read. The CIIAIRMIN, in moving the adoption of the report, said it showed they had had a very prosperous half-year ; the result was they were enabled to pay a larger dividend than since the company was established on the limited liability principle, and he thought they might expect in future years to see an increase of the present rate. The capital account had been closed, and they had extinguished their loan debts. The finan cial progress of the company from 1858 to 1864 would bear comparison with that of any similar undertaking in the country. There had been an improvement in the general financial condition of the company of £120,944 during the past five years, and of this sum they had at the end of the year, in the bankers' hands and invested in Consols, £53,013. The number of passengers carried in 1859 was 38,899,247, and in 1864 42,648,936, showing an increase of 3,749,689. It did not appear, there fore, that the suburban and metropolitan railways had seriously interfered with the progress of the company. (Hear, hear.) The number of petitions to Parliament from London and the provinces, pointing out the great injustice to which omnibus proprietors were liable, was 209. The earnings of the company averaged 111 d. per mile, out of which the Chancellor of the Exchequer took id. per mile, whether the company made a profit or a loss, and this tax, added to the licence duty, was equal to ss. a day for every omnibus at work. Railways paid 3 per cent. duty on the passenger earnings only, and nothing upon goods traffic, which was a great source of profit. The charge upon omnibuses was equal to 9 per cent. of the receipts. They would not object to a reasonable impost upon profits, but to take 9 per cent. out of gross receipts, whether there was profit or loss, was most unfair. It had been said that railway companies made their own roads, but that was part of the machinery by which they were enabled to work their traffic at from 40 to 50 per cent. of the receipts, at the same time securing a monopoly; while the working charges of the omni bus averaged 90 per cent., without the advantages of a monopoly. Mr. LULUAM seconded the motion for the adop tion of the report. In reply to questions, it was stated that the num ber of shares in the company held in England was 79,567, and in France 68,222. The parcels service was being carried on by the company, and they trusted it would become more remunerative. Resolutions were passed adopting the report ; voting 100 guineas for a testimonial to Mr. Church, in acknowledgment of this valuable services to the company ; declaring a dividend of 3s. per share, being at the rate of 7i per cent. per annum free of income-tax, payable on the 28th inst. ; re-electing the retiring directors and auditors, and concluding with a vote of thanks to the chairman and directors. UNIVERSAL PRIVATE TELEGRAPH• The ordinary general meeting of this company was held yesterday at the offices, Adelaide-street, Strand, Mr. Meller, in the chair. _ _ The secretary read the report, which stated that the gross receipt for rentals in 1862 were £2,499 ; in 1862, £5,421 ; and in 1864, £8,853. The applica tions for new lines were rapidly increasing. In September the directors declared an interim dividend at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum, and they pro posed to declare a similar dividend on the present occasion. The balance to the credit of revenue was £4,212. Out of this the directors recommended a dividend at the rate of £6 per cent. per annum, for the half-year ending the 31st of December last, and that £l,OOO be carried to a reserve fund, leaving a balance of £892. The company's prospects among the coal proprietors in Newcastle, South Wales, and other mineral districts, were encouraging. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, congratulated the. shareholders on the pro- Teets they had before them. The directors were giving more attention to the full development of the lines they had already laid down than to the open ing up new ones. They had numerous applications for laying down new lines, and as soon as they found it expedient they would take possession of the dis trict. • The report was adopted unanimously, including the dividends therein recommended. It was agreed to alter the articles of association so as to enable the directors to make up the accounts and declare dividends half yearly. The retiring directors were re-elected, and a vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.--We may reasonably hope that the debate to-night on the fortification of Quebec will be con ducted in a spirit worthy of the occasion. The ques tion is, without doubt, the most important that will be submitted to the determination of Parliament during the present Session, and it should be ap proached with an entire absence of party, feeling. It is the last Session of the present House of Com mons, but upon its members rests the responsibility of determining the policy of the country for a generation. Other Parliaments must come into existence, Ministries may change, but the line of action of the nation cannot be so easily altered ; least of all can it be when we have induced inde pendent colonies to incur onerous obligations in reliance upon our steadfastness. At such a crisis anything like haste or carelessness is, above all, to be deprecated. It is incumbent upon every one to receive without heat and without prejudice the reasons which may be urged for or against the proposals brought forward byher Majesty's advisers, to weigh them with deliberation and impartiality, and to remember that their first duty is to their country, and not to party. Every one must regret that it should be deemed necessary to discuss the fortification of Canada. That a war with America is probable we do not believe. We repudiate all sym pathy with Mr. H. Berkeley's anticipations, and we put aside "still more decisively the wilder prophecies of Mr. Peacocke. Our Ministers announce the con tinuance of perfectly friendly relations with the United States, and the conduct of Mr. Lincoln has consis tently shown a desire to preserve perfect amity be tween the two Governments. Unfortunately, there are timeswhen the temper of a people is too impulsive to be restrained by its rulers, and the territorial de mocracy of America has not always been free from a passionate resentment liable to be kindled into active animosity. We are forced to contemplate possibilities as well as probabilities. Whatever may happen, England does not desire to evade the obli gations which may be cast upon her. There will be no disposition this evening to reject the scheme for fortifying Canada on account of its costliness. Every sentiment of honour and justice binds us to protect the colony. It is not merely because the North American provinces are parts of the Empire, but because an attack on them can only happen by way of retaliation for some alleged misconduct of the mother country. The worst enemy of the present Parliament cannot accuse it of niggardliness, and if the plans prepared are worthy of adoption, the money will be readily forthcoming. But the question remains whether the plans themselves can ever prove to be anything but a delusion and a snare. If, when adopted and carried out in perfect faith, the only possibleresult is that a part of our force must be em ployed at every disadvantage in fighting a losing battle, instead of being used where they can be really serviceable, the conclusion then arrived at must be that the plans had better never have been adopted at all. We can now avoid the pain of making such a discovery too late. Before entering upon a fatal course, and inducing Canada to commit a similar error, we can soberly estimate the chances of suc cess. The frontier of Canada is, as every one knows, very long, and along the greater part of the line the colony is very thinly peopled. Immediately on its south are the most flourishing States of the Union, which communicate easily with one another by large lakes, canals, and railways. A part of Canada—the peninsula of Toronto--is thrust in be tween the lakes, and is accessible on every side. The St. Lawrence, pouring out of Lake Ontario and' flowing to the north-east by Montreal and Quebec, has been canalised for such parts of its course as were naturally unfit for navigation. Everywhere we see a frontier easily passed, and in easy commu nication with the most populous States of the Union. The first deduction, therefore, from a mere glance at a map and a comparison between the populations of the States and Canada, is that the latter is liable to be overrun at any moment. The Northern States contain more than twenty millions, and the popula tion of the North American provinces is less than four millions. But against all these disadvantages on the part of Canada, it is said, there must be reckoned the advantage derived from the rigours of its climate. The St. Lawrence is frozen over for haif the year, and Lake Ontario is free from ice only about seven months in the year. It is not de nied that during the winter months Canada would be isolated from all help, but it is alleged that no enemy could successfully invade it at such a season. In fact, however, this statement was never accurate. Canada was taken from the French simply because our North American provinces were then more thickly peopled than the opposite shores, just as the same provinces now named the United States are more thickly peopled now. The preponderance of numbers outweighed the advantages of climate. In the War of Independence Canada was invaded more than once in the winter. Montgomery ad vanced upon and captured Montreal in November. Arnold advanced through pathless woods and over untrodden snows to Quebec, and the attack by Montgomery and Arnold was made on the last day of the year; Quebec, the only place over which the British flag still flew, was saved by a chance explosion. But whatever may have been the military advantage of the climate of Canada at one time it has now greatly diminished. Modern science has almost conquered winter, and one of the most remarkable facts connected with the last American campaigns is that the armies never go into winter quarters. Canada is now open to invasion in force at any time of the year. This is pretty nearly the basis upon which Colonel Jervois proceeds in his report. He looks upon the country as always accessible to the enemy, though he be lieves, withont sufficient warrant, that great opera tions would not be carried on in winter, and he pro poses that certain points should be fortified to which troops may retreat before invaders. It is, in his own words, impossible to protect the frontier throughout its extent, and Quebec, Montreal, Kings ton, and Toronto are selected as the points of re sistance. The whole of Western Canada is thus ex posed to the enemy, and Colonel Jervois even reckons upon draining it of its local force for the pose of maintaining the Eastern garrisons. Whether the Western Colonists would be eager to furnish men and money to defend a corner of the province may admit of doubt. England would not grudge the ex pense were such a scheme of defence otherwise worth adoption ; and, in fact, in :such a case the expense to be borne by England would be too small a pro portion of the whole. The mother country is to for tify Quebec at a cost of £200,000, while the fortifi cations of Montreal, costing £443,000, and of King ston, Toronto, and Hamilton, costing £500,000, would be borne by the colony. The fatal objection, however, to the plan of Col. Jervois is that under the most favourable circumstances it could beget no thing but mischief. If we suppose that garrisons cooped up in Montreal and Quebec could success fully withstand sieges protracted through the long winter season when help is impossible, and the be leagured troops were conscious their friends did not even know of their hard case, the necessary conse quence would be that we should have to pour in an army in the spring to raise the sieges. If the de fences were unsuccessful, and those who know Mon treal and Quebec best cannot doubt what the result would be—the enemy would get all the credit of vic tory over British arms ; and if successful, we should be committed to a campaign under the worst possible conditions. It is doubtful which would be the greater calamity. N o English General would ever propose to mike Canada the seat of war between this country and the United States, and yet this would be the necessary consequence of a successful issue to the scheme of defence proposed by Col. Jer vois. If it be good strategy to choose for the theatre of war a place where the enemy is within easy reach of ample supplies of men, of food, and of ammuni tion, while your own base is distant three thousand miles, and for six months of the year is altogether cut off from communication, nothing could be better than the plan of fortifying Canada which will to night be submitted to the House of Commons. Such a plan does, however, confound all our conceptions of military science, and we are at a loss to under stand the grounds on which it can be recommended. It is not, indeed, necessary to have received a mili tary education to be able to estimate its value. Com mon sense tells us that the best way to defend our colonies from attack is to be ready to attack the enemy where he is most vulnerable. A retaliation on the seaports of the Atlantic would be the most effec tual weapon to compel him to desist from pursuing his aggression. No harm can come to Montreal or Quebec if we are ready to strike a blow at the heart of the Power which would touch them. We are per suaded that deliberation can only serve to confirm these first impressions but our fear is that delibera tion is the quality which will be most wanting on the part of our counsellors.. At present we have the faculty of choice ; one false step taken to-night, and the privilege may for ever be gone from us. HERALD.—We regret to hear that the Federal Government is alreadybeating up for soldiers among the ironworkers of Staffordshire. We may say gene rally that we fail to prize the compliment the United States pays-us in making this country the recruiting ground of their armies. We might have borne that Ireland, from the mere love of the thing, should steadily contribute her contingent, not exactly on the principle that dogs should agree to bark and bite, because God has made them so, but that where there is no other remedy for an undue amount of natural irritability, it will be ill practice to stand between the patient and his instinct of cure. But the case is different in England. It was not pleasant to find our irascible kinsmen asking the Lancashire spinners some time ago to fight for the cause that had just put them out of bread ; and the insult is in one degree higher as we now find them inviting the ironworkers to go over and win the bubble reputa tion at the mouths of the cannon they once helped to forge. The honest men might be so much more usefully employed! If worth a thousand pounds a-piece for using a sword in slitting Transatlantic wisands in the swamps of Virginia, how much more would they be worth left at the productive labours which might be supplying swords for as good ser vices by the thousand ? If we might suggest it with bated breath we think both the philanthropists of Washington and ourselves might be better em ployed than we in giving up such valuable " indus trials" to slaughter or they in taking them. Besides, we really want our ironworks, whatever their lock ing-out masters may say to the contrary. Here is the trumpet of the Prussian War Minister giving his countrymen no uncertain sound to prepare them for battle with the French; and it would be in the last degree vexing not to have men enough to forge all the iron wanted in so large a game of destruction because we have sent them to be destroyed them selves somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic. We should have liked the coming war a great deal better if it had not been announced to the Prussian Chambers with almost as much levity as that which Bell's Life announces some " coming fight" to , the ~ Fancy." We are told that it is a settled point that the Emperor of the French shall declare war as soon as it is his interest, and that at the decisive moment Prussia will be found all right. "It may not be to-morrow, or the next day, or even at an early period"—thank Heaven it may not l—but then the " emergency" and the " necessity" are out of ques tion ; and if it were not possible that a Prussian War Minister might be a mere Bombastes, a Rhine war would be looming for Europe at no very remote period. The American war that thus asks our true men—the producers of our wealth—and this Franco-Prussian war that is soon to demand our good iron, the chief instrument of our useful arts, offer a pleasant spectacle for those who for so many years were crying " Peace, peace," at the top of their voices, and had not even common charity for any one who doubted that the era of goodwill and general brotherhood was permanently established amongst us. Unhappily, too, while asked to give our men and iron for the squabbles of others, it is not impossible that we may not have a " little affair" of our own. Each mail brings new proofs that a combination of Federal irascibility and state policy threatens every day more to involve us in a campaign for the protection of the Canadas. In an age when human reason has a play in government it was supposed never to have had before, we are surrounded with all the incentives and instrumen -1 talities of war in precisely the same proportion that every interest has been centupling which seemed irrevocably to bind the nations to peace. The ter rible school of carnage opened to the world on the great Western continent, though itself but the effect of a wider cause, counts in its turn, no doubt, for a large part in this revival of one of the worst in fluences that can afflict an age or devastate a country. It shows us that we have been mistaking men and their instincts, and that our race is not the thing of reason which all our calculations had been supposing it. The image of organised demoralisa tion which has been suddenly presented to us in the bosom of the most flourishing of civil communities shows us that, however near to the Deity as the paragon of animals by our reason, we may--and under very favourable circumstances too—be still nearer to the demon by our passions ; and that though there may be much national enthusiasm, great individual energy, and even wonderful commercial enterprise, yet that, wherever the simple joys of family life have lost- their charm and the moral ties have broken under the fever of ambition, the lust of conquest, or the frenzies of an unprincipled selfish ness, we may bid adieu to the remotest chance of individual security or public well-being, save at the terrible price of falling under the iron hands and stern resolves of a military tyranny. Yet it is the necessary effect of the polity of our times to make us all neighbours and brothers, whatever our nation. No country can now suffer alone. Even the injuries we do an enemy in war are only not our own so far as ours is not the largest quota paid in their repara tion. Bad as an influence, terrible as a portent, menacing as an international fact, the American war therefore is really a war against us all, and, in refer ence toEngland especially, is almost as much ours as if its contest took place under the factories of Lanca shire or within view of the exchanges of our chief towns. After the swallowing up of the wealth of so much of the world, after the disappearance from the earth's surface and from all the uses that can benefit society of more than a million of men and hundreds of millions of treasure, the time seems come when freemen of all countries should interpose the weight of their counsels and give the people of the Northern States the advantage of that cool estimate of the situation they are unlikely to reach themselves. They must be more distempered by the experience they have been going through than we are inclined to suppose if they receive in a bad spirit the assurance that, while other nations must share their calamities from a prolonged war, they are unable to share their conviction that any good can come out of it. So far is the game of conquest from being the sure and pro fitable one that Washington statesmen have sup posed it, that it is quite possible the greatest of all the misfortunes that could happen to the people of the North would be the constrained submission of their brethern in the South. The least price they would have to pay for an enforced domination over one-half of the commonwealth would be the sacrifice of their own freedom and good government in the rest ; for it is easy to see that in the struggle between anarchy and power that would arise from the clash of principles, the strife of ambitions, and the necessities of government, we should soon have little else there but the long experience of Mexico under repetition, on a lar g er scale, and with still more calamitous results. An oft-recurring resort te arms about the choice of a leader or the enforcemen t of a cause would be inevitable among so many in" dependent states so long used to the bloody arbitra ment of arms and alienated from the Administration by being obliged to pay heavily for the expense of a central Government, supported but by a fraction, and with which, practically, they had few relations but that of their taxation. The truth is, that the people of the South have not so profited by the re publican institutions which they have been sharing in common, that they are likely to submit as Com pelled slaves to a rule which they have in the most solemn of all manners rejected as freemen. If ou r premises do not mislead us you can make anything of such a people but subjects useful through com pulsion to their masters, and anything of their ter" ritories but sources of wealth to their conquerors. Give these gallant States the independence they ask, and it is possible that with the condition of being free to re-annex at pleasure they might be glad to seek a re-union. Give them but the alternative of submission, and it is more than possible that they will prefer destruction. STATE OF TRADE. CARDIFF, March 21.—There is an average export de mand for steam coal and a good number of vessels are taking in cargoes. The inquiry from the French markets continua moderately active, and there is also a large quantity going to Denmark and Spain. The demand from the Italian markets has fallen off a little of late, but it is expected that it will again revive before long. As the year advances Russia is expected to be a considerable buyer. The deve lopment of the coal trade to the metropolitan markets is steadily progressing. The house coal collieries are in pretty regular employ, and sales are effected without much difficulty at the current prices. The latest advices from the United States gave a gloomy account of the iron trade, and there is no prospect of an improvement in the demand from that country. The home market evinces considerable buoyancy, and quotations for finishediron are firmer, owing to the Staffordshire lock-out. There are fears that the action of the various Trades Unions in giving support to the in° will cause an extension of the lock-out to Shropshire a nd South Wales. LEICESTER, 22d.—There has been about an average amount of business doing in most classes of hosiery r oc/4 during the past few days, and business generally in a satis factory state. In the country districts trade is rather quiet. Yarns are selling at late quotations, and spinn er ' are working to order. The wool market is flat, and "el little business is doing in material. NOTTINGHAM, 22d: There is no improvementjin thole ° trade. Business in most branches remains dull. goods there is very little doing ; i n d ee d, l es s than for e. considerable time past. The foreigntrade continues qu i t and the unseasonable w ea th er c h ec k s th e goo d s usually demand at this time of th e y ear f o r th e h ome mar ket. The re is rather more doing in silk M ec hli ns . I n bl ac k lace the re is no improvement, an d th ere i s b u t littl e d o i ng in nerrecC. edgings. Only a few buyers have bee n in the market t hi, week. The hosiery trade is without much change. Busi ness in both the home and foreign departments is rath er quiet. Yarns are unchanged in value. In cotton COUNTRY MARKETS _.-.4•_ UESDAY. Since our last only a limited business has been d° 1143 3 the corn trade. Farmers are busy sowing, and bring little wheat to market. Choice old whites makes 46s 475; fine high mixed, 425; mixed, 40s. At our market tcr• day millers bought freely of fresh English wheat at an ft,, l ; vance of is per qr. Foreign met a better inquiry, a fIY? late rates. Spring corn of all kinds in moderate requesli without alteration in value. NEWCAS T LE-ON- T YNE.—T UESDAT. eelg The trade ruled very firm at an advance of this day W,, n of fully is on English, and more inquiry for good for a y at extreme prices. Malting barley is advance, and . ing nearly recovered the late decli ne . M a lt ne glectc u beans unchanged, but peas rather dearer. Oats 6d per q r. higher. Flour advanced 6d per sack. Northumberland wheat sold from 32s to 44s Norfolk A nd Suffolk, 39s to 45s ; Dantsic, 39 s t o 46 s ; oats, 21s to 2 6 1 ; barley, 26s to 31s ; b eans , 36 s t o 40 s; rye , 27 s t o 36s ; raa .l 51s to 62s per qr. ; flour, 26s to 28s per sack. The averages were—wheat, 88s Od ; barley, 30s 0d; oats, 21s Od ; and beans, —s per quarter. LYNN.—TUESDAY. At to-day's market the supply of wheat was scanty, and the demand was active at an advance of is pe r q r. Both malting and grinding barley were in favour of sellers. Beans and peas as last week. New wheat, lOs to 43s ; new red, 41s to 42s ; old red, 38s to 39s 36stone. Barley for per 2BB malting, 29s to 33s ; secondary, 30s ; ordinary, 25s to 50 36 s to 39s •, old white, per qr. Oats, 20s to 24s per 24 stone. Beans, large , 3 to 36s ; small, 37s to 38s per 38 stone. MARKET HARBOROUGH.—TUESDAY. se New white wheat, 41s to 44s ; new red, 36s to 40s Pel:4r. stone. Barley, fine, 34s ; other kinds, 26s to 28 $ P er ma i Oats, new, 19s to 238 ; old, 24s to 27s per qr. Beans , 40s to 425; new, 34s to 38s per qr. SALIBURY.—TITESDAY. The attendance at ma market this morning was short er tbo y d.. a week ago, A good supply of wh ea t, w hi c h met vance of is per qr. Barley beginning to exercise %cd• fluence on the trade, and i s t o 2 8 more m oney obttu a r Little doing in oats. Beans and p eas o btained a S lj r At rise. Flour rath er hi g h er , b u t th e mar k e t prices rera sul 265, s, 29 and 32s per sack. a fr °° The following are present prices :—Wheat reali sed 403 36s to 42s ; barley, 23s to 356 ; oats, 19s to 28s ; be a P„ s i a t 3 to 465; and peas, 34s to 48s per qr. Wi n t er tares, 9a to lls per bushel ; Best bread, 10d ; household clit' ° ' per 81b loaf. COAL MARKET. Price per ton at the close of the market. s. d. Walls End Haswell... 21 6 H o t s p ur ....... ........ 1 1 4 3 Hetton 2l 6 Buddle'sWeshlartlei Ships at market, 7 ; sold, 1. Foreign Mail Packet List• 4fr sr. Australia and New Zealand, via Southampton ..... ( 12 , AP fl Ditto, via Marseilles a wl' 6 ' Brazil and Cape Verde, by British pac.et —• Apr; 123• by British packet • ........... A g cril 23. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena.• • • i• Chin; P enang, and Singapore, via Sou 3.1 hampton.• '''°• . . Ditto, via Marseilles ..... Falkland Islands gar. 21 Gibraltar, via Southampton India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton••••• —ia • -g r 29. Ditto, via Marseilles .. . 9 . a r * India (Bombay), via Southampton nr• 0 Ditto, via Marseilles Mauritius, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseil'e 4... ...................... ••- •- ..Apr Newfoundland ......... ° Portugal Ditto, by ptivate ship to Lisbon ....... . United States and British North America, by 1 311- I' 31 0 tish packet ........ • • • Ditto, by United States packet, via Southanlr ton 101. Ditto, via Cork ................. ........... $ 4 . ' a Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderry".• r it 1- West Ccast of Africa, Madeira, and Tenetiffe ..... " West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas, st. As' and Mexico .................. ....... .......... •• • A „ri. • Bahamas, via New York. ........................... , Apf l l 3 1. Bermuda, ditto . Cuba and Mexico .... Births. . V• r. Dv CAM—On tho 21st inst.. tho wife of Ca Paill Du Cane, RE., of a daughter. Do 00 0 ' HAY.—On the 21st inst., at Harrow-on-the - Lady Dalrymple Hay, of a son. Gocia l°- RA . .MSDEN.---On the 21st inst.,B us b r idge 1111.1 g htt mg, the wife of John C. Ramsden, Esq., of 3 "3- Marriages. .., .1 0 my, 1,0 DixoN—GAßTnoN.—On the 21st inst , at Letun ingwll- 1 06 ' Dixon, Esq., of Tavistock-squaro, London , hen,-i' p(l4 Elizabeth, youngest daughter of J. S. G a'll M.D. e ter!' 1 STONE—FLETCHER.—On the 21st inst., at Saciinilsstool Eaton-square, Charles Thomas, only son a -- 4 .,, -- o 'scoi Esq., of Highbury New-park, to Emma Jane , ',- daughter of Robert Fletcher, Esq of Wortilin. '7 Deaths. t ett, A Co e- 4, CROCKETT.—On the 18th inst., at 'Cow, Iticbar,-.., ,offoi Esq., late of Shushions Manor, in the county °' ' aged 88. ~ • VV' • - 1 ,- CODRINGTON.—On the 18th inst at Windsor, N-A"rtrocirior bath, daughter of the late Admiral Sir Edw al. ' - -ow' ton, G.C.8., aged 50. st A' HICHENS.—On the 20th i ns t., R o bert ISicken s,c' ' ', -tt tiO with, aged 82. i li a f Hum the 21st inst., Lucy, w ife ° it, 04 15 phreys, Esq., of 25, Chelsea Villas/ Chels° - ,c 1 vi , , a ' East India Chambers, Leadenhall-street, c ity, 0 -01. , RYDER.—On the 19th inst., at Shrewsbury, ' 3 •` -t. _,..„ Ryder, R.N. 10 -------"---....--' -.I- A_DlV''lt'llZ' London : Printed and Published by WILLIi"",.. - 1 4° 0 1 of No. 112, Strand, Painter, at THE SuN Ow ce 6 o ,oo l Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in ti le Middletsexr-Thursclay,Aarch 23,081