The Sun. — London, England, 1865-02-27 00:00:00

Julius CEesar. The Moniteur publishes the following preface of thf.: " History of Julius Caesar" written by the Em peror of the French, which will be published on the Ist of March. It is as follows : ‘‘ Historical truth ought not to be less sacred than religion. If the precepts of faith elevate our soul above the interests of this world, the lessons of his tory, in their turn, inspire us with the love of the beautiful and the just, with a hatred of everything which is an obstacle to the advancement of the wel fare of mankind. Those lessons, to be profitable, require certain conditions. It is necessary that facts should be reproduced with rigorous exactitude, that political and social changes should be philosophically analysed, that the piquant attraction of the details of the lives of public men should not distract atten tion from their political task or throw their providen tial mission into oblivion. " The historian too often gives us the various phases of hiitory as spontaneous events without diving deeper into anterior facts for their origin and natural deduction; in like manner as the artist who in reproducing the accidents of nature devotes himself simply to their picturesque effect without being able in his picture to give their scientific demonstration. The historian ought to be more than a painte r; h e o ught, like the geologist, who explains the pheno mena of the globe, to disclose the secret of the trans formation of our social world. " But in writing history, what are the means to ascertain the truth ? The only way is to follow the rules of logic. Let us take it for granted at once that great results are always due to a great cause, nev er to a small one ; in other words, an incident insig nificant in appearance never leads to great results without a pre-existing cause which has allowed that small incident to achieve a great result. A spark does not create a great conflagration unless it falls upon combustible materials accumulated beforehand. Montesquieu confirms this idea : " It is not good fortune,' he says, ' which rules the world There are general causes either moral or physical, which act in every monarchy, elevate it, uphold it, or ruin it. All in cidents are subjected to these causes, and if the chance of a battle—that is to say, a special cause-- has ruined the State, there existed a general cause which implied that that State was to perish in a mingle battle ! in fact, the chief inducements absorb all other special incidents' (1). " If, during a period of nearly 1,000 years, the Romans always issued forth triumphant from the most severe trials and from the greatest dangers, it is because there was a general cause which always rendered them superior to their enemies, and which did not suffer defeats and partial disasters to lead to a fall of their sway. If the Romans, after giving to the world the example of a people establishing themselves firmly and growing great by liberty, have seemed since Cesar to throw themselves blindly into serfdom, it is because there existed a general reason which fatally prevented the Republic from return ing to the pure form of its former institutions ; it is because the wants and new interests of a society in labour required other means to be satisfied. In the same manner that logic proves to us in import ant events the reason why they are imperative, in like manner we must recognise both in the long duration of an institution the proof of its worth, and in the incontestable influence of a man upon his age the proof of his genius. " The task consists, then, in endeavouring to dis cover the vital element which constituted the strength of the institution, like the predominating idea which madethe man act. Following this rule we shall avoid the errors of those historians who collect facts transmitted by preceding ages without arranging them according to their philosophical importance : glorifying what deserves censure and leaving in the dark that which calls for light. It is not a minute analysis of the Roman organisation which will make us understand the duration of so great an empire, but a deep investigation into the spirit of its institutions ; it is not, moreover, a detailed nar rative of the lesser acts of a superior man which will reveal to us the secret of his ascendancy, but a careful examination of the elevated motives of his conduct. " When extraordinary facts demonstrate an emi nent genius, what can be more contrary to good sense than to attribute to him all the passions and sentiments of mediocrity ? What more erroneous than not to recognise the pre-eminence of those pri vileged beings who appear from time to time in his tory as brilliant beacons, dissipating the darkness of their epoch and throwing light upon the future ? To deny such pre-eminence would, moreover, be an insult to human nature, by believing it capable of submitting for a length of time and voluntarily to a domination not based upon real greatness or incon testable utility. Let us be logical, and we shall be just. " Too many historians find it more easy to lower men of genius than to raise themselves by a generous inspiration to their level by penetrating their vast de signs. Thus, as regards Caesar, instead of showing us Rome torn by civil wars, corrupted by wealth, treading its ancient institutions under foot, threatened by powerful nations, the Gauls, the Ger mans, and the Parthians—incapable of maintaining itself without a stronger central power, more stable and more just ; instead, I say, of drawing that faithful picture, Cams is represented to us, from his very youth, meditating already upon supreme power. If he resists Sylla, if he disagrees with Cicero, if he enters into alliance with Pompey, it is all the result of that farsighted cunning which has divined every thing to enslave everythin g ; if he dashes into Gaul, it is to acquire wealth by pillage (2), or soldiers de voted to his cause ; if he crosses the sea to carry his eagles into an unknown country, the conquest of which will strengthen that of the Gauls (3), it was but to seek for pearls supposed to exist in the seas of Great Britain (4). If, after having vanquished the formidable enemies of Italy beyond the Alps, he me ditates upon an expedition against the Parthians to avenge the defeat of Crassus, it is, say certain histo rians, because activity suited his nature—that he en joyed better health when in the field (5); if he accepts with gratitude a laurel crownfrom the Senate and bears it proudly, it is to hide his bald head ; if, finally, he is assassinated by the men whom he has over whelmed with his bounty, it is because he wished to make himself King ; as if he was not, for his con temporaries as well as posterity, much greater than any King. Since Suetonius and Plutarch, such are the miserable interpretations which have been given to the noblest acts. But by what sign are we t o recognise the greatness of man In the sw a y o f his ideas, when his . principles ands it system triumph despite his death or his def eat. Is not, in fact, the prerogative of genius to outlive destruction, and to extend its empire over future generations ? Caesar disappeared, and his influence predominates still more than during his lifetime ; Cicero, his ad versary, is obliged to exclaim, his promises, his powerful All the acts of Caesar, his writings, thoughts, are more it has his swo words, after his death than if he were still alive' (6). During centuriesof sufficed to tell the world that such was the will Caesar for the world to obey. th . e h " That which precedes sufficiently indicates object I h ave p ro p ose d t o m y se lf in writing this is t°l9. That object is to prove that when Providence 1-4 "e 5 up such men as Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napoleon, it is to trace out to nations the path they ought to follow, to stamp a new era with the seal of their genius, and to accomplish in a few years the work of many centuries. Happy the nations who comprehend and follow them ! Woe to those who misunderstand and resist them ! They act like the Jews ; they cru c if y their Messiah. They ey are blind and guilty—blind, for they see not the impotence of their efforts to suspend the final triumph of good ; guilty, for they only retard its procrress by ' impeding, its prompt and fertile application. I n fact, neither the assassination of Caesar nor the imprisonment of St. Helena could destroy be yond revival two popular causes overthrown by a (1) Montesquieu, Grandeur et De cadence des n omain4, xviii. (2) Suetonius, Ciesar, (3) "Caesar resolved to cross over to Britain, the people of which in every . war had supported the Gauls."—Ce sar . Guerre Gaules, xx. (4) Suetonius, Caesar, xlvii. (5) Appian, Civil Wars, i., ex., 326, Schweiglueuser's edition. (6) Cicero, Epistoler ad Atticum, xiv., (v.) league disguising itself with the mask of liberty. Brutus by killing Caesar plunged Rome into the horrors of civil war ; he did not prevent the reign of Augustus, but he rendered possible those of Nero and Caligula. Nor has the ostracism of Napoleon by conspiring Europe pievented the resuscitation of the Empire, and yet how distant are we from that solution of great questions, from the appeased pas sions, from the legitimate satisfaction, given to nations by the first Empire ! " Thus, ever since 1815 has verified itself that prophecy of the captive of St. Helena :-- " Wkat struggles, what bloodshed, what years will yet be required that the good I wished to do to mankind may be realised (1) ?' " NAPOLEON. " Palace of the Tuileries, March 20, 1862." (1) In fact, what disturbances, civil wars, and revolu tions have occurred in Europe since 1815 ! In France, in Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Hungary, Greece, and Ger many. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. ---.-.0.--- GREAT NORTHERN. The half-yearly general meeting of this company was held on Saturday at the King's-cross station ; Col. Packe, M.P., in the chair. The report, an abstract of which has appeared in The Sun, was taken as read. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, said he was sure the shareholders would unite with him and his colleagues in regretting the loss the company had sus tained by the retirement from the board of Mr. Denison, their late chairman. He then adverted to the able and successful manner in which their late chairman had suc ceeeded in overcoming all difficulties, and in making their railway one of the best in the kingdom for the shareholders and the public. The report contained a full account of their proceedings during the past half-year. The traffic receipts showed an increase of £90,000 over those of the corresponding half of 1863, and he might say that it was a great disappointment to the directors that they were not able to give the shareholders a better dividend than at the cor responding period; but at the same time he thought they had acted wisely, and for the benefit of the company. The chief item of increase in the expenditure was in the engi neer's account for the renewal of the permanent way. More money had been laid out in the past half-year on renewals of the permanent way, steel rails, and fishing than in the corresponding period. They had also laid out 'money in painting stations and other necessary repairs, making toge ther an increase under these heads of £11,222, as compared with the outlay in the corresponding period. In the loco motive department they had run an extra mileage of 300,000 train miles. The price paid for fuel was higher, and the item .for wages was also increased. They had also been delayed for want of additional working stock in conse quence of the strike in the iron trade. They had ordered 20 more engines last year to be delivered between June and September, but not one of them had been delivered until recently ; hence expenses had been incurred in hiring engines from other companies, making together the increase £27,604 in the locomotive charges. They had had unfortu nately under the head of compensation a large amount to pay, being £B,lOO more than at the corresponding period. The compensation for every trifling accident demanded by the public amounted in the aggregate to a large sum. A truck of cotton had taken fire by what he believed to have been spontaneous combustion, and for which they had to pay £919 as compensation, beside the destruction of their truck. In consequence of the prevalence of dry weather, sparks from the engines had set fire to some cornfields, and that had to be paid for. The rates and taxes had been £1,314 more, and the Government duty £l,OOO more, making alto gether the increased charges £60,000. The revenue ac count had also to pay a dividend on the amount received on the new stock recently issued, and which had been ex pended on new lines, and on works that were at present unproductive, making in all £35,000. Those additional charges entirely accounted for the absorption of the £90,000 of additional revenue, as compared with the corresponding half of 1863, so that they were enabled only to pay the same dividend ; but, notwithstanding that, he considered, on the whole, that the railway was in a prosperous state. With regard to the 17th paragraph in the report, the di rectors again found themselves compelled to protect the property of the company,in opposing an application to Par liament by the Great Eastern and Lancashire and Yorkshire Companies for a railway from Long Stanton to Askern. They could see by the map in the room that the proposed line would run for the greater portion of its length at a comparatively short distance from the Great Northern lines, and was very nearly similar to the line of last year projected by the Great Eastern Company and rejected by Parliament. The directors had tried all they could to meet the requirements of the Great Eastern, and in October last had offered them running powers over the Great Northern lines for the coal traffic, and if they could not settle the terms between themselves to refer the matter to arbi tration. But all that had been refused, and so they would bo compelled this session at great expense to protect the property of the company. The directors had deemed it advisable to apply for power to make' a line of 16 miles from their Wood-green station to Hertingford, as the traffic at Hitchin and Welwyn was getting so large at these stations that two more lines of railway were required ; but, instead of widening the existins line and making addi tional tunnels, they proposed to make the intended line through a new country having better gradients and less ex pensive works, but it was not promoted in opposition to any other line. They had recently made arrangements to acquire permanently the West Yorkshire Railway on fair and equit able terms to both parties. It had been worked since its formation by the Great Northern Company ; it was, in fact, a line that they should have constructed themselves, and it was therefore necessary for the'r traffic. They had made an agreement in conjunction with the Manchester, Shef field, and Lincolnshire Company to enable the Midland Rail way Company to become joint owners with them in the Cheshire lines, and in the extension line into Liverpool, When they found that the Midland had got to Manchester, they knew they could not long keep them out of Liverpool, so they thought it better to allow the Midland to participate in the use and ownership of the new lines to Liverpool on condition of contributing one-third of the expense. He had explained all these matters as far as he could, and would be happy to answer any questions. Colonel DUNCOMBE, deputy-chairman, seconded the motion for the adoption of the report. Mr. FILDES said he and others had felt considerable sur prise when it was announced that, with an increase of £90,000 in the receipts, there was to be no increase in the dividend ; but when he looked into the accounts he found that sums had been charged against revenue which ought in fairness to the A stock, to have been charged against capital, which had been the cause of a fall of 13 per cent. in the price of that stock. He contended that all additions to the company's estate should be charged to capital, and that the cost of repairs, maintenance, andrenewals should be charged to revenue, but the expense of increasing the capacity of waggons from six to nine tons, the difference between the cost of steel rails and iron rails, the increase in the weight of materials used, and the fishing of rails should be charged against capital, and so also should the interest of capital ex pended on unproductive works during construction. Had those expenses been fairly charged, exclusive of the interest on unproductive capital, he estimated that £34,000 more would have been available for dividend, and instead of the dividend on the ordinary stock of the company being as proposed at the rate of 81 per cent. per annum for the past half-year it would have been at the rate of n per cent. per annum at least, which would have made a great difference to the holders of A stock. Instead of a reduction of lfd per train mile in the cost of working, as had been effected on the London and North-Western Railway, there had been an increase of id. per train mile on the Great Northern Railway, making a difference of 2d. per train mile. As to the additional engines required, he knew that there was a vast deal more traffic waiting to come on their line than the company could take. (Hear.) the charges against revenueglad to theitor the d p r r e o c per shadcarriplace ed e Mr. V. K NIGHT was counts.ac - Re differed entirely on that point from the last speaker. Parliamenta r y cam paign Mr. NtcHoLs feared from the statement in the report p th a a ign t th in ey e mi ppe gh ei t n e g x t pe he ct isTe a rt n h e e r nseiveT in, They had already ex pended in the past half-year £22,900 expanses, the corresponding amounted Parliamen tary charges, and there was also the head of liabilities to be settled for legalremaining urenadker parte'ToefePtheendiuging in all £30,000. The claims forcom to .£B,lOO. in excess of the same item in Pe tli n period, which showed some laxity on the ser vants, or some deterioration of the p ermanent Iva rolling stock. lie hoped that her Majesty's letter ' L and gard to accidents wo uld receive due a ttention, and that re some efficient mode of commun i cat i on between passengers and guards would be adopted. Mr. FREEBODY thought the shareholders should pay more attention to their own affairs. It appeared to him that the Great Northern were aggressors as well as their neighbours; they had expended £870,000 on new lines in other districts during the past year, and the shareholders should put a stop to that kind of expenditure. They had better give up the heavy coal trade to the Great Eastern than incur so much expense year after year in defending it. Mr. TAYLOR said there had been a sort. of panic got up as to the danger of railway travelling, but people seemed to forget that at the small expense a 3d. a journey the Rail way Passengers' Company would assure them £l,OOO. It was practically impossible to prevent accidents, and fortu nately they were comparatively few. Mr. GOEZ remarked that formerly all the complaints of shareholders had been that directors had charged too much was difficult to capital, eauld to that holdat th e thedi but they had just been told by Mr. Fildes that the directors of this company had charged too much against vi t : l e a n n d ee sh ev oul en d ly h , a b v u e t be it e w n as lar e g vi er d . ep l i t th him that if the directors • safe side. The c RAlratAx replied explained that the sums to the various observations, and ing waggons and fishing and against revenue for enlarg ing to capital, but that lifdeteeling rails were too small to they were large sums it would THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 27, 1865. have been different. The steel rails used were under 300 tons, and did not exceed a cost of £3,000. They were used for portions of the line near London, Peterborough, and Doncaster. With regard to the unproductive capital, the company were restricted from charging the interest to capi tal; it therefore must be paid out of revenue. The 20 lo comotive engines he had mentioned were now in course of delivery, and the directors had ordered more rolling stock to enable them to carry the very large amount of mineral traffic which Mr. Fildes told them was waiting to come on the line. The expense incurred last session in opposing the Great Eastern. scheme was about £B,OOO. The report was unanimously adopted, and the preference and ordinary dividends recommended therein were declared payable on the Ist of March. The retiring directors, Colonel Packe, M.P., Lord Col ville, and Mr. Tennant were re-elected, and the election of Mr. C. B. Denison to fill the vacancy caused by the retire ment of his father was unanimously confirmed. Mr. Morgan, the retiring auditor, was re-elected, and the allowance to the auditors was increased from £lOO to £2OO a year each. On the motion of Mr. V. KNIGHT, seconded by Mr. HUGHES, a resolution was unanimously carried expressing deep regret at the retirement of Mr. E. Denison from the direction of the company, and unqualified satisfaction at the manner in which he had presided over its affairs, the result being highly advantageous to the interests of the company. The directors were authorised to borrow £75,000 for the Spalding and March line, and £166,000 for the Cheshire lines. The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman. LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Fri day at the Grosvenor Hotel, Pimlico ; Lord Sondes in the chair. The report, an abstract of which has appeared in The Sun, was taken as read. The CHAIRMAN, in moving its adoption, congratulated the proprietors on the position and prospects of the com pany. Lord HARRIS, the deputy-chairman, seconded the motion, and adverted to the great and satisfactory increase that had taken place in the traffic receipts, notwithstanding that the company had not been able to carry out their goods traffic at the Blackfriars-station, owing to the delay in the open ing of the Ludgate-hill station. It was gratifying to find that the established companies appreciated their position, as indicated by the arrangements they had made with the Great Northern and London and South-Western. On the completion of their metropolitan system the company would improve their position, increase their traffic, and greatly augment their receipts. (Applause.) Mr. SHAW complained that he had applied by letter to the directors for information, and had not even received a reply. He wished to know the modus operandi of dealing with and issuing "Lloyd's Bonds." The cost of construc tion of the London, Chatham, and Dover was double that of either the Brighton or South-Eastern. He was not prepared to move a vote of want of confidence in the directors, but if any other gentleman would do so- he would support it. Mr. HOLROYD, director, in reply, said that as regarded the conversion of the third preference into ordinary stock, the fact was that, although the third preference. holders held a large sum entitled to dividend before the ordinary shareholders, they had surrendered their rights and agreed to take dividend in common with the ordinary shareholders. As regarded Lloyd's Bonds the company had never raised money on them, for it was not legal to do so, but whenthe contractors of the company had in anticipation of capital done work and advanced money they gave them these Lloyd's Bonds,. which were a legitimate acknowledgment of indebtedness, and thus prevented the stopping of the works. The bonds were formerly reduced to £115,000, but now they very slightly exceeded £50,000. This, he thought, went to show the sound position of the company. It was not fair in estimating the cost of the London, Chat ham, and Dover, to take the total capital and divide it by the mileage and compare it with other lines in the district. The hopes andpromises and prospects held out in previous reports had been to a great extent realised. When they had arrived at the point of paying all the preference charges on the debentures and first preference stock, and when they told the proprietors that the traffic of the pre sent year showed an increase as commensurate as the last year showed over its predecessor, and would pay a dividend on all the stocks of the company, including the second pre ference stock, and that the ordinary stock in 1866 would re ceive a dividend also, he thought they might fairly assert that their expectations and promises had been realised. (Applause.) Mr. HARTRIDGE wished to know the exact earnings on the Bickley and Dover line, and how much capital hadbeen sacrificed by the sale of the steamboats intended for the Boulogne traffic. He also wished some further information relative to the Sevenoaks and Maidstone line, and its lia bilities. Mr. Forbes, the general manager, had stated that within two years the ordinary stock of the company would be paying a dividend, and he wished to know on what ground he based that calculation, taking the entire capital of the company at £16,000,000. A PROPRIETOR was of opinion that the progress of the line was not so great or so satisfactory as it ought to have been, and that bad policy or management had driven gene ral passengers as well as regular customers from it. Another PROPRIETOR thought it was highly creditable to the company to have been the first to establish working men's trains, and that it would be followed in other direc tions. He suggested that in future there should be given in the accounts a comparative statement of the gross re ceipts, expenditure, and mileage. He thought the company had progressed well during the last six ;months, and that the metropolitan extensions were getting on satisfactorily. Mr. HARTRIDGE considered that some arrangement might be made with the South-Eastern. He did not mean to imply that the London, Chatham, and Dover were about to engage in any large liability, such as renting or leasing the South-Eastern. (Laughter.) But a certain movement had recently been gding on in the matter, and perhaps it might bear its fruit in duo season ; Mr. SURGEY looked upon the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway as a sort of metropolitan cosmopolitan line, for when their metropolitan extensions were completed they would communicate with the South Western, Great Northern, Great Western, London and North Western, and all the other London lines. He had not much to say about the leading question and the South Eastern, but should be glad to see terms agreed to. The South Eastern must lose from year to year, while the dividend of the London, Chatham, and Dover must go on increasing. But there was room enough for both. If the South Eastern and London, Chatham, and Dover were amalgamated they. would be able to save £lOO,OOO a year in the working expenses of the two lines, and £50,000 in interest on debentures, or £200,000 a year to the shareholders in their respective companies. At present two express trains ran morning and evening from Dover carrying only 30 passengers, and there was no reason why, under one management, this should be the case. Both the proprietors and the public would be benefited by the arrangement. Mr. FORBES explained that the increase in the receipts in 1864 over 1863 was £98,585, and after deducting expenses the increase of money applicable to dividend was from £60,000 in 1863 to £llO,OOO in 1864. If the increase in the ratio of profit in the next two years was as in the past two portion n oitrg reathe pelyo o r t f doi n t h aa e r yrieu advantagexestshr a tai ort profit eaT w t ec The em n trlphde avrevision be t ys .t a o v nw a l a so f years the whole of the obligations of the company wo u ld n n i b e co fraf v .or e Hre r sd e o d, hiutvaid a do n :be d n d a : a th b e xt le not desirable to issue all the new stock at the present time ; several gentlemen largely interested in the undertaking had subscribed for it at a certain price, giving the company power to redeem it in twelve months hence at the same price—(hear, hear)—and the Board felt indebted to those gentlemen. Mr. lEGAREL, as a large shareholder, was perfectly satis fied with those explanations, and had great confidence in the Board. Sir M. PETO, in reply to Mr. Knight, stated that the company Might calculate with certainty on the junction with the Finsbury line being completed and trains work ing over it by the Ist of June. The line would be doubled throughout, and completed up to the Finsbury station. (Cheers.) The report was unanimously adopted, the retiring direc tors and auditor were re-elected, and a vote of thanks to the chairman and directors concluded the proceedings. panics, and a bill had been laid before Parliament for that purpose. The total amount of calls made upon the ordinary shares of the company had been £303,200. LEEDS, BRADFORD, AND HALIFAX JUNCTION. The half-yearly meeting was held on Friday at Brad ford ; Mr. William Brown in the chair. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report (an abstract of which has appeared in The Sun), said that the result of the working of the Great Northern system, for the itst 12 months, gave a dividend of .£7 2s 6d. per cent. to the proprietary of that company, as well as to the proprietary of this company. They receiveda dividend of 3 per cent. for the half-year ended June last, and they now received the balance of £4 2s. 6d. per cent. :Although the dividend was a good one, yet it hardly reached the anticipations which he and others had formed at the beginning of the past half year. The report was adopted, and the dividend recommended was declared. Toe retiring directors and auditors were re-elected, and the meeting separated. SOMERSET AND DORSET. The report states that the anticipations expressed of a large increase of traffic had been fully realised. The revenue account showed a balance of £7,462, after providing for working expenses. The balances for the corresponding periods of 1863 and 1862 were £3,221 and £2,610 respec tively. The number of passengers conveyed during the half year was 206,910; of goods, 64,670 tons; and of live stock, 25,196. There had been a large increase in the trade at Highbridge during the past six months, the imports and ex ports having amounted to 35,717 tons, as against 16,509 tons for the corresponding half-year of 1863, or an increase of over 100 per cent. Arrangements were now pending for establishing steam communication between Poole and Cher bourg, by means of which it was hoped that a considerable traffic between South Wales, Bristol, and the North-Western district of England on the one hand and the west and south of France on the other might be secured in connection with the Somerset and Dorset line. The capital account showed a total expenditure of £1,071,082, leaving a balance against capital of £18,465. The revenue account showed the re ceipts for the last half-year had been £23,938 and the ex penditure £16,476, leaving a balance of £7,462. SPIRIT. OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. THE " SPECTATOR" ON MR. VILLIERS' BILL.— Mr. Charles Villiers is a very " safe " man, perhaps there is no safer man in Lord Palmerston's Govern ment. When he has anything considerable to do he does it quietly, annoying as few interests and shocking as few prejudices as he possibly can, post poning symmetry to fitness, and subordinating everything except principle to practical expediency. It is a wise policy, particularly in matters like changes in the Poor Law, on which so many people have crotchets, and everybody thinks himself qualified to form an individual opinion. It will, we believe, in this case enable him to carry a very important improvement with very little dangerous opposition, and without arousing the latent suspicion with which country gentlemen are apt to regard every movement of the Poor-Law Board; a body which, existing as it does chiefly for the purpose of judi ciously snubbing local crotchets, can never be very popular with those who are snubbed. The way in which Mr. Villiers has in this instance steered his way through opposing interests and conflicting opinions, yet arrived safe at his goal at last, is a specimen of very highest constitutional style. Most of our readers are aware of the strong objections which have from time to time been raised against the Law of Settlement, and which have rendered opinion almost ripe for its abolition. That law, a relic of the days when to be a " masterless man " was to be a criminal under sentence, formerly com pelled a labouring man to reside in the parish in which he was born, under penalty of losing all claim upon the poor-rate. If he went further afield, where he was wanted, that is, where wages were high, he was on the first lull in demand or fit of sickness carted back to his parish, which very often carted him back again. Fortunately the cartage of a pauper costs money, parishes began to find that a carrying trade of that sort was very oppressive, and Sir R. Peel passed an act making any man who had resided five years irremovable. By another act his ex penses were charged upon a union fund, which, in 1861, was directed to be levied according to the amount of rateable property in every parish of the Union, that is, in fact, though not in theory, by a Union rate. The parish raised it and paid it over, but as the amount varied with property the cost of the irremoveable poor was really defrayed by a Union rate. At the same time a further and very great improvement was introduced, the time neces sary to establish a settlement being reduced to three years. This, again, succeeded, and the country began to imagine that the Law of Settlement, which visibly interferes with the ebb and flow of labour, might be swept away altogether, or at all events the time of residence reduced to three months. That is the ideal towards which matters are obviously tend ing, but meanwhile there are some serious obstacles still to be overcome. Big boroughs are by no means prepared to dispense . with the law all at once. They want to see the flow of labour made easy, but do not exactly appreciate the flow of idleness. They are afraid that in every bad winter or time of scant labour the country population will flow to the cities in search of work, and not finding it come on the rates in numbers which will seriously affect the value of property. London in particular would be dread fully burdened in that way, while Liverpool would be absolutely inundated with Irish. They swarm there already, and but for the power now latent in consequence of emigration, but still existing, the town would be eaten up with them. That is a real difficulty, and there is besides a distinct grievance calling for more immediate redress. This is the condition of the permanent poor. The parish is still to support them, and there is therefore an im mense temptation on the part of its owners to turn them out, pull down their cottages, and decline to erect new buildings, leaving the Union to pay for the labour required within the parish. The State in fact throws its burden upon the Federal taxes. When the whole of a parish belongs to one man this is done to an enormous extent, and in some instances by complete depopulation, and people evicted are huddled as lodgers into the over-filled cottages of the open parish, more especially town suburbs. To such an extent has this system been carried, landowners," add ing house to house and field to field till there be no room for the poor," that, says the President of the Board, by the census returns in 1821 agricultural parishes in England there are between 1851 and 1861 a decrease of houses accompanied with an in crease of population. The total decrease of houses in these agricultural parishes within these ten years has been 3,118, while the increase in the number of persons has been 16,497." This is an intolerable mischief, sapping as it does the very foundations of population, health, comfort, and chastity, and urgently demands a reform. We may not yet be able to redress the great evil of English country life, the defective condition of the mass of cottages, but we may at least avoid aggravating it by a legal incentive to overcrowding. Mr. Villiers, upon whom, as upon Sir Cornewall Lewi s , thi s p o i n t seems to have made a great impression, thought it possible, without encountering any of the just ob jections pleaded against the abolition of the Law of Settlement, to remove its main defects, and at the same time the temptation to this grievous over crowding, and he has, so far as we can perceive, ac complished both his ends. His bill, a very short one, does not abolish the power of removal, which would hurt London and Liverpool and the great cities, but transfers it from the overseers to the guardians. These, though sometimes amazingly stupid, are usually men of a very superior class to the overseers, are always a good deal more humane, and usually very indisposed to the expense of removals and of the law-suits growing out of them. They , have in fact the brains to see that saving five six pences at the cost of half-a-crown is not a profitable occupation. The second change is much greater. The whole cost of the Union poor, whether their settlement is inherited or they are only irremoveable, is thrown on the Union fund, and not, as now, divided between the Union and the parochial in come. Consequently, although the ebb and flow of labour as between Unions is still imperfect, as be tween parish and parish of the same Union it is com pletely free. It is no object of the parochial magnate to pull down cottages, for he must have labour, and if his men live within the Union they will tax him just as much as if they lived in his parish. It would pay him to expel them from the Union, but very few Unions indeed are " close," i.e., owned by one or two men and distance has to be taken into the ac count. If the labourer has to walk too far he can not do a full day's work, and if the distance be stretched beyond his patience—we wish we knew its limit—he will not come at all. Whenever therefore the employer does not happen to live just on the boundary of a Union with a village just across it his tendency will be to house his labourers close to their work, to make occupancy part of wages and dismissal the equivalent of eviction, a system which as labour gets scarce will compel the employer to offer good cottages as an attraction for good la bourers—a vast improvement. THE " EXAMINER " ON THE INDUCEMENTS TO MILITARY SERVICE.—If we look back to what was the condition of the private soldier at the beginning of the century, we cannot wonder at the popular feeling against the service. There was, indeed, hardly any worse condition in the country, and a man was considered at the last extremity of neces sity when he took Sergeant Kite's shilling. But an immense change for the better has been made in the soldier's condition within the last fifty years with out any corresponding change in the common opinion respecting it. The comforts of the men have been studied, rational amusements provided for them, and the inducements to a decent life are stronger than those of old to reprobate habits and courses of debauchery. More may remain to be done, but the much that has been done has not altered as it should have done the popular opinion of the service, and mothers still believe the Queen's pay to be the next thing to the Devil's wages, only not so liberal. Yet certain we are that the habits and morals of the labourers of an agricultural village will not bear comparison with the habits and morals of a regiment, with its library for the men, its games and resources counter to the temptations of the ale-house. See u c ct h h w a a s r i t e hpi best onsstihb e el e m so p ou l l o td o e e fr d , .sh reach, ear u ce t ha thai:sltdnh what Bt that only ss the labourers after work and th e so ldi ers o ff duty, and m p w u h a t r a kt as isw m hp u i to the formation of his better habits, but the disci pline is wholesome and good for him. The clown after his day's work boasts of being his own master, and the probability is that a worse he could not have. The soldier in parting with some of his liberty has the rest of it made of higher value. Scamps and blackguards there will be here and there, but the comparison between the average cha racter of the soldier and that of the class from which he has been drawn, or, so to speak, the raw material of which he has been made, is immensely in favour of the soldier. Yet the old bad repute of the service sticks to it, and stands in the way of recruiting, without reason in the main, but with reason in some important respects. In the discussion which fol lowed Mr. O'Reilly's able speech on Monday, the War Secretary complained,—The hon. and gallant gentleman, Colonel North, whose object, no doubt, is to furnish as plentiful and as good a supply of recruits as possible, gets up and tells the class from whom they are taken that the pay is totally inade quate, and that any man who has any respect for himself and can do anything else had much better not dream of enlisting in the army. I imagine that that he is one of those country gentlemen who make the village too hot for the recruiting sergeant if 'he ventures to show his face in it. It is a great pity that any member of this House who is supposed to represent the army should attempt to. send it forth to the country that the shilling a day is the real pay which the soldier receives. The hon. and gallant member for Longford has put the question more fairly. He stated that the advantages which the soldier gets in the way of good food, good lodging, good clothing, education, and innumerable other particulars, are such that the pay is, I think he said, fair and adequate. It is nothing but a misrepre sentation of the most mischievous kind to announce to the working classes that the pay they may expect to get in our army is a shilling, and a bare shilling, a day." But why is there the opportunity for this mistake or misrepresentation ? Why is it not clearly seen what the pay is and what it is not ? Why is the matter mystified by stoppages, the precise effect of which is not and cannot be understood? It is a sys tem of giving with one hand and taking away with another, so that really the value of what •is pos sessed is never comprehended. A young soldier never knows how he stands. He has to pay for some things supplied which he knows not to be worth the price exacted from him, and this makes him naturally suspicious of all the rest. Last year we noticed some startling statements of a corre spondent of the Times, who evidently wrote with thorough professional knowledge, and we may add authority, and amongst other abuses he mentioned the fact that the men have had to sole the new shoes served out to them, the contractors having furnished vamped-up articles made to pass inspection, not to wear. Such rascally frauds may not be practicable now, but what is nevertheless still desirable is that the soldier should have a distincter and unmistake able view of his pay instead of a shabby sort of truck system conducted in the name of her Majesty. It is generally agreed that the pay for the recruits and young soldiers is sufficient, and that what is wanted is a distinction, like that in the navy, be tween the ordinary and the able men, the unskilled and the skilled. It is when a man has learnt his duty that it is the interest of the State to retain him in the service by the tie of his interests. But we are told that this is not easy even with the non-com missioned officers, who having clerkly qualifications get offers of more profitable employment. The cry for better pay for a better sort of men is plausible, but a sounder proposition would perhaps be better pay for the better men of the present sort. They are called the sweepings of our towns ; but if the sweepings of our towns can be worked up into the stuff of our soldiery, a material that would otherwise go to waste is turned to good uses. It is something like the sewage ques tion, and what would be noxious in the wrong place becomes highly profitable in the right one. The Queen's chaff is proverbially said to be better than other folks' corn, and if her Majesty's ranks are filled with what is harshly called the refuse of the community, it is most satisfactory to find that re fuse convertible to so good a material. The Ame rican armies are now mainly recruited by classes rather inferior to the stock of our own, and the cal culation is that they cost a thousand dollars a head, which we believe to be far below the mark, as all calculations are apt to be not based on monetary realities. But with us an advance of pay to the better men, whose retention in the service is most desirable for its character and efficiency, would not be an addition to the charges of any burdensome amount, for the pay of officers and men of the two services makes but a small part of the cost of the establishments, hardly a third. It is in the civil branches that the extravagances make their luxu rious shoots. It may be said that there are already rewards for deserving men, but rewards will never serve in place of the fair remuneration which is the thing wanted. When a man is thinking of enter ing a service, the consideration that weighs with him is what he will have a right to in exchange for what he gives. A trained soldier is a skilled labourer, and reasonably claims wages proportioned to his acquired qualifications. THE "LONDON REVIEW" ON LORD COMBERMERE.— A death which in the common course of nature might have occurred any time in the last quarter of a cen= tury, took place on Tuesday, and removed from this mortal sphere a man who began to earn his laurels in the days of William Pitt. It might almost be said of Stapleton Cotton, Viscount Combermere, that for a long time past he had been even more re markable for his years than for his achievements. When he appeared on horseback in Hyde Park on that memorable occasion of the reviewing of the Volunteers by the Queen in June, 1860, people marvelled at the sight of a man who had dis tinguished himself in the closing years of the eighteenth century still taking an active part in affairs, and identifying himself with the new citi zen soldiers, many of whom, and men with beards on their faces too, were the grandsons of those who shouldered musket in his earlier days, when the First Napoleon threatened an invasion of these shores. The veteran must even then have been ninety-one ; and it was a strange and unwonted sight to see such a relic of the past still moving in the living sunshine of the present. It was one of the subjects of the day on which newspapers com mented and men talked ; and every one thought that of course such a phenomenon could not last much longer. Yet the aged lord had even then nearly five years before him. When he at length succumbed to that " lean fellow" who, as an old poet says, " beats all conquerors," but who seemed as if he would never make up his mind to grapple with this particular conqueror, he had attained, we believe, the extraordinary age of ninety-six. We say " we believe" because there has alwaysbeen some uncertainty with regard to the precise number of his years. It would seem as if the hero had had something of a woman's dislike to letting his exact age be known. At any rate it was not recorded in the Peerages, and the accounts in the Biographical Dictionaries varied in a most perplexing manner, some making him out to be seven or eight years younger than he probably was. Now that he is dead, however, it appears to be agreed that he was born in 1769—the same year which saw the birth of, Wellington and (unless he falsified his age by a twelvemonth, as some affirm he did) of Napoleon Buonaparte. That Stapleton Cotton could not have been born much later, is evident from the subsequent career of his life. He was appointed second lieu tenant in the 23d Royal Welsh Fusiliers as far back as 1790 ; was a captain in the 6th Dragoon Guards when Robespierre was making the streets of Paris run with blood in 1793 ; had become a colonel in the following year ;. and greatly distinguished himself in the campaign of 1798-9 against Tippoo Sultaun, ending in the death of that potentate at the storming of Seringapatain. We thus find the late Field-Marshal a man of posi tion and note before the end of the 18th century; and this will give us something like an idea of the time at which he must have been born. He was a contemporary of Wellington and Anglesea, of Na poleon and Soult, and was the elder of men who arose in the present century, and who belong to the later ranks of the chieftains who fought so gallantly in the last war with France. Lord Clyde, who, as plain Colin Campbell, won a reputation in the , Peninsula, and who died a year and a half ago at a ' ripe age, was very considerably Lord Combermere's junior. So with many others, some of whom still linger among us, while , several have already con fessed their mortality. Combermere was, without an exception; the oldest of our public men. The Premier, over whose age we have been in the habit of lifting up our hands for some years past, was quite youthful by his side. Brougham himself looks like the formation of a later geological period ; even Lyndhurst, were he now living, would be two years younger • and Lansdowne would not be entitled to enter into the comparison. There is something in. this marvellous accumulation of years—this indefi nite and preternatural postponement of the common fate of all living beings—which is almost a fame and a glory in itself. The man who contrives to live longer than his fellows is by that very fact a species of hero, as having successfully conducted for years a defence against the most pressing enemy in the world. We regard him with a certain mysteri ous awe, as if he were the accepted champion of humanity in a contest with Fate. We know very well how the struggle will end—how it must end ; yet we take a breathless interest in watching it go on, and in marking with what art, or what happy turn of fortune, the human being continues to foil his grim foe, as if he were really endowed with the immortality of the gods. The veriest clodpole, fighting such a fight, wou ld assume something of heroic proportions in our eyes if he only came under our observation, as the hum ble Yorkshire fisherman, Jenkins, has become a per son of distinction from the mere fact of its being said, whether truly or not, that he lived to be one hundred and sixty-nine. How much more, then, does a singularly old man interest us when his life has been associated with thegreatest events of modern times ! Viscount Combermere had no need to fall back upon his age as a title to distinction ; and per haps he has even met with some injustice on this score, most men being irresistibly moved to talk of his years rather than.of his deeds, owing to their wonderment at the unusual extent of the former. He should have died twenty years ago, and then we should have thought more of the brilliant cavalry general of the Peninsula, who commanded the whole of the allied horse, and flashed like a meteor before the eyes of the French at Talavera, Llerena, at Fuentes d'Onor, at Salamanca, at Orthes, at Busaco, at Ville Garcia, at Castiglion, and at El Bodon. We should have spoken with greater inte rest of his achievements at Toulouse, and of the services which he subsequently rendered, in 1825- 26, by the reduction of Bhurtpore, in India, long supposed to be impregnable, and before which Lord .Lake, in 1805, lost a large number of men in a vain attempt to take it ; and we should the more readily have called to mind that Lord Combermere was at that time supposed, and not without reason, to have saved our Indian Empire from the most serious dangers. Few English generals of modern times have achieved more signal successes ; and we hardly think the reputation of the old hero at the presens day is equal to the services he conferred upon his country : Almost to the last, Lord Comberrage was a vivacious, vigorous old man ; fond of societye, fond of angling, and moving the surprise of those who knew him by the gay elasticity of spirits wi which he bore his weight of years and honours. THE " SATURDAY REVIEW" CANADA.—The problem is to save the country being conquered almost before it has had time realise the fact that it is at war. To achieve ev t e he this will require vastly more sacrifice than ,„ ON THE DEFENELE 013317 colonists have yet thought it incumbent on theme to endure ; but a militia force such as could be raised without any difficulty would, in Col. Jervois'oP amply suffice, with the aid of a small British con tingent, to hold the strategic points ess, i elltl e r to the defence, not only of Lower, but of ua ti Canada. The lower province, from its proi i , llll o f to England and its geographical situation, is of course, in a military sense, by far the Inos t , / ,0 portant ; and as long as Quebec and Montreal " out, this portion of the country could never be jugated. If, addition to this, a naval ance were established on the St. Lawrence and be be Ontario, a large part of both provinces Wow ar e safe from molestation. For this end two things u o essential —one, that Quebec and Montreal 5he.,,03 be covered by fortifications suitable to the con of of modern warfare, and Kingston, Toront , t ile Hamilton adequately protected , against a hos .ot descent from the lake • the other, that a sutfiel , e var force should be available at the first outbreak of us ts to hold, at any rate, the two most important P tio n until reduced by a regular siege. No preP a rd preP°lls.(ll4ere on short of an army capable of taking the fie' equal terms against the enemy would make til t r e g ron trict which lies between Lake Erie and Lake - 1 •" - absolutely secure from insult ; but the Power w'ileji held Ontario and the St. Lawrence must ultitia remain master of the whole country. Thes e 'sist the known conditions on which the national e to f ence of the Canadians would depend in the eveny war, it might have been thought incredible that ty ye should hitherto have been utterly neglected. has no fortifications which would be of any against modern artillery, and Montreal is w „, of without defence. Kingston, the impo rta t . 'do which as commanding the mouth of the sun g Canal is very considerable, might be made a 500, position by some additions to its defensive " but at present it has no adequate f or tifi c ation s• for the other Lake towns, they are abs olute 's' the mercy of an enemy who might gain s .„ste' porary naval superiority. Even if all the they rial resources of defence were supplied„,' gent would be useless until the small on v f . ores of British troops was supported by 3 1 . 0 14 e. such as Canada has not yet attempted ton Aito Some 10,000 English soldiers and 21,000 Caiifel Volunteers, who may perhaps be nearly OR B is et in training with average Volunteer regi,T p ell eonr home, constitute the whole force of whichn,'. o oSe• mander-in-Chief in Canada would have to I" ;ich Even if the requisite fortifications existed, o rino to force would be useless in opposition to the erlikell' armies with which an invasion would in a'„,,thfog hood be- attempted, while up to this tim e has been done to put the vital points of the e i ,v a ( 10' in a creditable state of defence. After s ue ' , r ic , in play of apathy in the fourth year of the 11 ,;!; i ldl? ° , war, it was indeed time that the truth 51 "; A P" openly told both to England and to C all o'ana..li has been told in Colonel Jervois' able Itel 3° ';d history of the relations between C a CI3 3 0 Home Government during these years of Pe -1 :d be e , have been ludicrous if the issue at stake ot o clii? less momentous. On both sides the inli&o3° A danger was seen, and in terms admitted; bil v ia persistently refused to do anything for her c ' eo t er tection, lest she should diminish the contingiuie th pected from England in the event of war, I fe ree, Home Government, disgusted with the ill u Z of the colonists, was preparing to with'i'eselic troops from the outlying posts, where their P,,g..the was all-important for the purpose of traiiT t native recruits who might at last be brongtDij,gere the field. This fatal, though, in certain c e l l o ha i 0 cies, inevitable policy seems for the moniell' i Jett' ) been averted by the remonstrances of Co lone against the abandonment of the Torontoruo th and by the indications at length apPar eli n are ci ti "; part of the Colonial statesmen of a better f d 0 g ton of the dangers that surround them, 4 't responsibilities which fall upon their coutorle.r,l),ll yet the Canadian Militia exists only upon le al w ,: e a few hundred officers have been trained in o f 1 "' tary schools established at the headquarternt. ccO t i British regiments, and the first contingen posed exclusively of young unmarried Inen'servic,'" to be on the point of being called out fo r This alone will furnish nearly 90,000 rank L i g 'd i while the total strength of the force, ineln u -e reserve, is calculated at 470,000 men. tt7v/bolt: mises are promptly kept, the aspect of t t u ll , CO A N question will be entirely changed. When a bso a 0 0 dians no longer grudge the ex pense essential to their own safety, they wi ll ° rt reluctance on the part of England to do her the common. cause. As a nucleus, r ound r/t w o national forces may organise themselves, n; it th e force will be invaluable, but more than island to t`"J never be. If we were to leave our own /sla n t , o rd be sole protection of the Volunteers, our a rlilJ of t still be altogether inadequate to the defßbo4 colonial frontier. Canada, as Lord E1, 9 ,0a , o f said, must be defended by the Canadia n :,' Oat), o f hearty acceptance on their part of this the 1 ' 0 1 " ot ial. e i j every free country will ensure them an t e l ' h i er effective assistance from the mother-conn n y O t 0 , neither would; nor indeed could, be given nil bas ci) ee' terms. Already the Home Governmenb.,e sented, on the implied condition of effeet l ibe n e e c t lie ration, to bear its part of the expense of ce 0 1 01 sary fortifications ; and the naval def e t oce'. o o 4 Ontario will of necessity, in the first in rrile s 0, exclusively upon the English navy. ea dy part of the affair is the time which has 81 ' r ,d to yt >ll lost. At the rate at which it is pron o , s ',,,be e th e struct the works, the fortifications of L 4 7 % ,, i pile 1.)) 1 not be finished in less than four year s j or tA elj d Montreal entrenchments, which are tincf";d the colonists, will be twice as costly , twice as tedious. The usual official e ` 1 '`' that it is impossible to proceed more rar co ol s te due regard to the solidity and perrnao ell be Ay e fel l work, will satisfy no one. The danger t° 5 jp . . ., 1/ is as likely to occur in a few months °s hl tvola years, and intrenchments and fortifiea tit :dek s :, up rapidly enough Ito be ready when N't il id_, P ;itr, be more to the purpose, even if they Pl' Y6 - 00' capable of standing for a thousand Yea x : . ss o lo 6 in the proposal of the Ministers to spen"er an tra , year on the fortifications of Quebec/ ~,- o ve , j)iel, movements of the Canadian Executive, e' o . o -,. t 0: any adequate appreciation of the clang ddot: Colonel Jervois' report enforces. Ev e :: l e leo,f: Canada remains in her present defe n ',o6 l :, bn e adds incalculably to the risk of Wa . r , ,i l - 0 calamity is either to be staved off, or, 11 0.1 ot e d , ,'" possible, to be effectually met, something prey the energy with which the Confederatetspste'pe' for their terrible struggle must be nas n ,,diat i in the Colonial Office and in the Ca n ,cutive. HAMMERSMITH AND CITY. The report of the directors stated that the capital ex pended amounted to £290,816, leaving a balance of £3,932. The revenue account to the 31st of December showed that £5,113 were the net receipts for the half-year, and £2,622 the charges, including £1,995 for interest on debentures, leaving a balance of £2,491. Out of this sum the directors re commend that dividends be declared at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum on the preference shares, and at the rate of £2 4s. per cent. per annum on the original stock of the company. The number of passengers carried during the half-year, ex clusive of season ticket holders, was 1,270,140. But, large as this number appeared, the directors were of opinion that the traffic had been hitherto very imperfectly developed,the Grea Western not having yet provided more than half-hour trains; and the two temporary stations erected by the company to accommodate the populous districts of Westbourne-park and l th the Uxbridge -road had no t b een opened. The present receipts wenh were n t h e e Metropolitancriterion line what e was ey extended must of eventually b Finsbury, a n n - te d , the South-Western to Richmond. They had made an arrangement by which the Great Western were to lease the line and other property of the company for 999 years, to assume all the liabilities, and guarantee 5 per cent. per annum on the ordinary stock for the year 1865, to be in creased n per cent. annually until the idividend reached per cent. per annum, at which rate the di - ridend would thenceforward continue during the term of the lease. WEST YORKSHIRE, The report states that the expenditure on capital account up to 31st of December last had been £450,479. The revenue account showed a balance of £12,834, which admitted of a dividend for the half-year at the rate of 7 per cent. per an num, leaving a surplus of £1,900 for reserve fund, which would then amount to £12,496, but there were several un settled accounts to be provided for out of it. Since the last meeting arrangements had been made with the Great Northern Company for the amalgamation of the two com- SHREWSBURY AND WELSHPOOL. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Thursday at Shrewsbury; the Earl of Powis presided. Mx. A. Wragg, the secretary, lead the report, which stated that an arrangement had been concluded for the transfer of the undertaking to the London and North-Western Rail way Company, and the shareholders would be entitled to exchange the certificates of their shares for coupons of Lon don and North-Western preference stock, bearing dividend in perpetuity at the rate of £4 per cent. per annum from the Ist January. The balance to the credit of the revenue ac count amounted to £3,639, and the directors recommended a dividend at the rate of £4 per cent. per annum for the past half-year. On the motion of the CHAIRMAN the report was adopted. A dividend at the rate of 41 per cent. per annum was de clared on the preference shares, and one of 4s. per share on the ordinary shares. The retiring directors, the Earl of Powis and Mr. H. Tootal, were re-elected for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the company. WEST HARTLEPOOL. The half -yearly meeting of this company was held on Friday at the London Tavern ; Mr. H. R. Sandbach pre sided. The report, an abstract of which has appeared in The Sun, was taken as read. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, expressed his regret that, owing to a falling off in the coal traffic, a sufficient revenue had not been earned to pay a dividend of 3 per cent. to all classes of shareholders, and this falling off, he said, was due to the coals being sent to town direct by railway instead of by the sea, which was a very serious diversion for the company. The Byers-green Colliery had been sold advantageously, and arrangements had been entered into for the sale of the others held by the company, which were nominally four, but really two, and which ar rangement would be completed about May next. The most important subject was the proposal that the company should amalgamate with the North-Eastern Railway Company on condition of a guarantee of £4 per cent. per annum to the shareholders of this company. The terms had been sent to the shareholders, and had been received very favourably, though there were some who desired better terms. The proposition had caused the shares of the company to go from 70 to 76, and this fact showed the value of the amalgama tion to this company. The directors had, after the most caa eful consideration, unanimously made this recommen dation, and they did so because they saw that there was no prospect at all of the shareholders receiving any thing like such a dividend while the line was in their own hands. The dividend guaranteed by the North-Eastern Company could only be reached by the West Hartlepool doubling its traffic, which could only be done by the docks, rolling stock, and accommodation being also increased. With the motion of the adoption of the report, he moved that the directors be empowered to carry out the proposed amalgamation and ratify the provisional agreement entered into with the North-Eastern. Mr. DIBB seconded the motion. The amalgamation was proposed by two shareholders, but eventually the motion was carried. The retiring direc tor and auditor were re-elected, and the proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. HATFIELD AND ST. ALBAN'S. Tho half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Friday at the offices, King's-cross. Lord Ebury presided. The Secretary read the report, an abstract of which has appeared in The Sun. The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report, which he considered was satisfactory ; and he likewise moved that the directors be empowered to apply to the Board of Trade —in compliance with the Railway Companies Powers Act of last session—for a certificate to enable them to raise addi tional share capital of .£15,000, with the usual borro w i ng powers. Mr. CARY seconded the motion, which were agreed to. Mr. Cary and Mr. J. H. Dillon, the retiring directors, were re-elected, and Mr. J. C. Grinling w as re - e l ec t e d au ditor. NEWQUAY AND CORNWALL JUNCTION. The half-yearly meeting was held on Wednesday at St. Austell—Mr. W. L. Martin in the chair. In moving the adoption of the report, the CHAIRMAN said the line had been commenced by the contractors, who were vigorously pushing:forward the works. Although it was sa tisfactory to know that a large amount of money had been• subscribed, it was to be regretted that several gentlemen, whose properties the line must increase in value, had not yet taken any pecuniary interest in the undertaking. He thought there was every promise of fair remuneration for investment. The report was adopted, and the retiring directors and auditor were re-elected. MISTLEY, THORPE, AND WALTON. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held at Manningtree on Wednesday Capt. Jervi s , M.P., i n the chair. The report stated that the directors had purchased, on equitable terms, the land required for the first section of the line from Mistley to Tendring, a distance of nearly six miles, and the contractor held out hopes that this portion of the line would be completed and ready for traffic by June 1. Arrangements were being made for the construction of the second section of the line, from Tendring to Thorpe, a fur ther distance of nearly three miles. The capital account showed that £14,119 had been expended, leaving a balance of £646. On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, the report was adopted, Mr. W. Brooks and Mr. P. Daniels, the retiring directors, were re-elected, and Mr. W. J. Shansfield, the retiring auditor, was also re-elected. KETTERING, THRAPSTON, AND HUNTINGDON. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Thursday at the offices, Poet's Corner, Westminster ; Mr. Lancaster in the chair. Mr. Arbuthnott, the secretary, read the report, which stated that considerable progress had been made in the con struction of the works by Messrs. Waring, the contractors, and the directors confidently believed that the line would be ready for public traffic in August next. Under the agreement with the Midland Company the interest on the debentures would be a first charge on the gross receipts of the railway before making any deduction for expenses. The Midland Company ware to work the line for seven years, taking 40 per cent. for working expenses, and handing over the 60 per cent. to the company. After the expiration of the seven year's the Midland Company were to take 50 per cent. for working and maintenance, handing over the balance to the company. On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, seconded by Mr. PAIN, the report was unanimously adopted, the retiring director, Mr. W. B. Greenfield, was re-elected, as was also the retir ing auditor, and the meeting separated. The Wanderer of Vienna states, on the authority of a communication from St. Petersburg, that the Russian Government intends to take away from the city of Warsaw the character of a capital, transferring elsewhere the prin cipal administration; the university, and the Bank, and leaving nothing but the head-quarters of a body of troops. The report that Russia had levied taxes in Bok hara is formally !denied by the Journal de St. Peterslourg, which adds that Russia has no representative at I3okhara and has not taken possession of Tash-end, as announced by late accounts from Bombay. [ADVERTISEMENT.]-IIOIIOWaY'S PillB*— Cold and Wet.-- The injurious effects of cold and piercing wind tell on the strongest frames, impair the functions of the skin, and thereby thro w an undue proportion o f bl oo d on the in ternal organs. Th e only means o f preven ting disease, under these circumstan ces , c onsists in augmenting the secretions of the engorged organs, which can be easily accomplished by Holloway's Pills. These will enable the liver and kidneys to relieve themselves safely and rapidly of their oppressive congestion, at the same time that they renew an equable circulation of the blood. This salutary step is gained without any drawback. Holloway's Pills purify and strengthen simultaneously—they improve the appetite and permit its gratification without the bugbear of dyspepsia or worse disorders. Gent of . — h oc ba h 1 13 4,1. I riCi p a y a ........--- .. Foreign Mail Packet , 0' • 10 1. 1 5 ' Australia and New Zealand, via SouthamPt °ll...‘. ,, g f . I , Ditto, via Marseilles ................... • • " .. r r ' " Brazil and Cape Verde, by British pac..et • • .... ..: 11 .; ; I ' Ditto, by British packet .. • ' tv' 4. ....... ~ • • . ( 0. , 6 , Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and Et, Ilelel';;,; . P„, 0 1 1 • k" China, Penang,, and Singapore, via Sou hangiy-.:r". 4. Ditto, via Marseilles ................ ..... b I. ..... ~ • . ,e_ , 4 , Falkland Islands ..... •• •, r ~ . „ .• ' 3l la , 00 , Gibraltar, via Southampton India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via SoutharaPt°-' .•• e p % Ditto, via Marbeilles ............... : :I; f ce b r. '6:4. India (13umbay), via Southam t .. •• • "•".. 'P . 0 pon.. .... ..... - it r. , Ditto, via Marseilles .. ... rf'' • / 1' Mauritius, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseil e i ... .• 10 ' • .................. .. •• • j ig , / Newfoundland ..• .....„,, -., Portugal •■•=.1......... , m••••••mma 1 4 .11 (1P Births. ar ° ` i (10 ,1 ,p I HAMILTON.—On the 23d inst., at Nant-91", sol i 'd' the wife of Lieut.-Col. S. B. Hamilton, °' pit , t , STORR.—On the 23d inst., at Streatham , l' irs. of ° l° le ~ 0 of a son. WrmAsfs.—On the 24th inst., at Dover, ill : b vi ' l"' Bigoe Williams, late 4th Irish Drag °°- 3 son. A iV e , Marriages. OS> et ALSTON—GILMORE.—On the 23d inst., at 1 / I ' Jes' 4l o 4l Henry Alston, Esq., Commander It•N" to re, ti A youngest daughter of the late John Giln i te ° . ~,i3 c ol ! „iti, mander R.N., of Arklow House, Baul s g a , St "" 'MY' JEFFERY—BARBEn.—On the 21st in5t.,.., & `",,, 9'l'W e " Stamford-hill, George Augustus J° l°4 3,W iti 'st•O ' House, Eastbourne, Sussex, to Henri°,, t t of daughter of Alfred Kinsford- Barber, x'''' hill, Middlesex. 'o °llll'4 Deaths. t qtreA 1, • DAMS.—On the 24th inst., at 12, Rogers -' h• 1‘ ~ JO • th Davis, Esq., aged 54. ad , AJB FRITH.—On the 24th inst., at 373, City -I.° Or 61 0 Frith, Esq., aged 63. tr' 0 1 " hest ge o ~ MADDEN.—On the 25th inst., George - g-t/ " eti''' Esq., Dep. Asst. Com.-Gen., late 61st fle t of Sir Frederic Madden, K.S, age d 24. „ cl, W 133. i i,, STEAD.—On the 22d inst., at Upper Nor w " ° DOW' Esq., aged 80. • Thos . 0 7 SMALE.—On the 23d inst at Camden-t01017,9_ GO Smale (of the firm of Smale Brothers, ' ' eV t, borough-street), aged 58. oe SO TREvon.—On the 23d inst., at Milverton, /, tian, widow ef Charles Trevor, Esq. i4V --- ,Dlg 0 1 ' _ ___--------- - .„/ i tp o 0 -,------ London : Printed and Published by Vi r .• ...,„ 0p0.,.. 0 00 of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at VIE 5.::. the Li Strand, in the Precinct of the Savo'', Middlesex.-Monday, February 2 7,1 ' I il I I Tb Vito cor al Widr Tut 1,01 ett ir, epeiy AG t 20 30 Thr, r (Li t Lat t)e‘( 451 i ., lll tQ oe 15,00 eati, aoh 4 Abbe. fr \ l ~ '' a, 8n