The Express.
London, England, 1852-06-17 00:00:00

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN COMPANY.

The sixteenth general annual meeting of this
company was held yesterday at the offices, 4, New Broad-
street, Caty. In the absence of lt. Todd, Esq., the chair-
Mall of the company, from illness, EDWARD DITRIT, Esq.,
presided.
The report stated that the affairs of the company had
steadily improved in the past year. It had been stated by
their ageut in Adelaide, Mr. Odes, in a letter, dated 9th
and 10th January, that considerable commercial distress
existed, caused by previous overtrading and an extravagent
speculation in mines for several yean past. This distress
had been aggravated by the effects of the astounding die
coveries of gold in the adjacent colonies, above 6,000 of the
population, chiefly of Adelaide and the neighbourhood-
having left fur the diggings. The return of about 70 men
from Melbourne, a few days prior to the date of three ad-
vices, bringing with them 18,0001. worth of gold, after
about six seeks' or two months' labour, had greatly in-
creased the excitement. Mr. Giles, however, obeervt• that
a great majority of those who had left the colony had sig-
nified their determination to return to it as their home as
soon as their pockets were filled ; and he adds, what must
be gratifying to all the proprietors, that, "up to that date.
very few of the company's tenants had actually departed."
Thu directors had been prepared for this, end their affairs
were in such a state that they would not suffer permanently
from the present embarrassment. The statements of ac-
count received trout the colony, made up to the 31st Oc-
tober, 18.51, manifest a progressive increase of the rentals—
the main source of the company's revenue. The total value
of the company'• lands, buildings, &c., accordit.g to inven-
tories which had been made, amounts to 319,6431. 7s. 7d.
There bad been an actual decrease of 5,1371. 13e. 9,1. on the
valuations of 1830, which sum they have carried to the
il, bit of ' Property reserve fund.' leaving still a balance at
the credit of that account of 21,3221. Os. 3d. to meet any
possible depreciation hereafter. The following is the
amount received on account of rent, &J., during the
year ending 31st October, 1851, via., from couutry
lands, 10,220!. Os. sd. ; town lands, 3,1581. 14s. 10,1. ;
port property, 3,6081. 10.1. 7d.; wharfage receipts, 3,193/.
160. Id.; mineral rents, royalties, &c., 2501.; making a
total of 20,4311. Is. lid., which is au increase of 1,9451.
M. Bd. over the amount of the previous year. Additional
leases of 3,5961 acres of the country lands have been
granted during the year, also of a few portions of acres of
the town and port lands, which make the actual amount of '
the rent rolls at the same date, '21,091,. 17s. liki. The
sales of country lands have amounted to 827 acres,
of which 191 acres have been purchased by tenants exer-
cising their right of pre-emption ; 161 sexes have been
sold at an advance of 20s. per acre over the previous
valuation, and 472 acres sold at Mount Gambier Sheep
stations, all of which were noticed in the report presented
to the last general meeting. Of the town lands, only a few
small portions of acres have been sold at a considerable
advance upon the inventory rates; about 6 acres of the
port lands, as stated in the report of 26th December :sat,
and 16 acres of the mineral lands in the township of Kan-
mantoo, at 10s. per acre. These sales altogether yield a
clear profit of 5,1741. 13s. 91. Mr. Giles had purchased
during the year 7791 acres of good agricultural land, at
the average price of 265. sd. per acre. These sections are
principally situate on the Tema', and are fur the most part
contiguous to your other lands in that locality. Since the
closing of the accounts, he advises a further purchase of
320 acres of good land, at the upset price of 20s. per acre.
The total number of acres possessed by the company at
31st October last was 57,233, being 611 acres less than
at the same date ie 1850. It has since been increased by
{he purchase of the 310 acres above referred to. There are
40,685 acres leased and occupied by 476 tenants ; 15,865
acres were under crops; 1,738 acres fallow; and 32,536
acres substantially fenced ; end it may with truth be stated,
that at no former period have the company's tenants been
in a more prosperous condition' and their land in a better
state of cultivation. With regard to mining operations,
which had been limited, the expenditure during the year
has amounted to 4,0911. 14s. 11d., and there had been
raised 662 tons of copper ore, valued at 3,4311. 12s. Id.,
leaving a balance of 6631. 2.. 10d. against the mine. Fifty-
eight tons of copper have already been received and sold in
this country, realising the sum of 4,1601. 6e. 10d.,
and another shipment of about fourteen tons is daily
expected. It had been decided to stop all further
expenditure at Kanniantoo mine after April, 1853.
The returns from the wharves and warehouses at Adelaide
have been satisfactory. With regard to emigration it was
stated that since September last, upwards of 2,600 emi-
grants have been scut out by her Majesty's Commissioners,
and about 600 are now being dispatched by them every
month to Adelaide. This is altogether independent of the
emigration going forward from other parts of the ooustry,
and on such a scale s& to Justify the hope that the, drain
of the population towards the gold regions will be, to a
great extent, supplied.
By the statement of accounts there appeased a nett in-
come of 20,693!. 19e. 4d., out of which a dividend of five
per cent., or twenty-five per share, was recom-
mended, after which there would be a surplus of 4,0971.
les. Bd.

ThaHALRMAN, Indere IIIOVI&If the adoption or the
report, called in the Ikaireemy W mimes extracts from e
despatch reesagy resaleal has their spat at Adelaide,
Willa were to 1M ilikol/14 effect :
The first wand. Wei Aaiun 23, stated " that about
50,0001. is add bid bees brought by diarsitaateldfistesia,
to m laa island ; bat the nn had seek la vain
rid of it that ft wen *meld they would be to take
it bask."

Meese" extract stated " that two of the coespany's
nsiassawilt thaw other wen, had per to the Mount Alen-
erease aml in wpm days had wiled Mite. troy of
raaspastad the nut Mot days to earn
l. Masi fa
with."
*MOM talsoni, dated January 2S stated " that it was
that then should be sia overland sweet
boo AMA& to Mount Alexandre an dig Font, by width
ra digests Ths most, hid boa saner& by the
Sawn awilliimpss sad was Saud ponsllsobis, and it was
st. that water would bo Mad Maas it. Than was
ea astmoNsa swag the Muses to wads awn from their
bums peromently, and the woman owl had an
bun kit Witted, the labours= inwedias ts return by seed
dim It wsly therefore, baps& that the wsjortty et tbe
anon wes is •kw molts, return to their lee:lowa
remit& iltaisilsal geld was amid at Bi. 11s. per es.'
Ths report having bass oral to,
Tits CHAIRMAN, ia waving that a dividend of 6 per
mt. be dasisrad, said that bat ym saws lops had bean
WM out M ou is as di whisk watt possibly
haw bass poll, bet it was thaw& nr ws t in the
'prom{ *ls of minas in the abbey, mate vide up to the
I Idris tbrtvat?by) was _

!be dillawd-at 6 p-ai-esal. was Ikea weed te.
The palkii dime= awl amass von ragiselal, sad,
adlar a "Me at emits le ea slaloms sod Mambos, the
staatiag easehttled.

PRESENTATION IT THE 111440NEN OHM FRENCH.
—Her Ileacety Wages Merle Awls his PPP se be pre-
sented NKr. R. T. Way, of Deep by libs Waal of ties.
Dupe. • aissasaff pia, so • Deep by
ths balks nip
taiaed bylaw Mierstp of the put Paean pig Whim to
her MEOW sod ibipdases rd phisiossi Pr dila= es
their hst yak Whip, sad us OF pandoss esissiess whoa
the royal hartßy pond lime IP balm
THE FATAL OCCUREENOII OW THE ATLIII3I7IT
BRAN= OF mu NORTE WISTARW RAILWAY.—ATLIII-
▪ WIDWRIDAT, JUNI 16.—This forenoon, at 10
o'closk, the ovum for Buckinghamshire, Mr. Joseph
Parrs% sad thejtuy smi paselled es eatiuday last to inves-
tigate the talks t Gawp Also, the guard killed by the
estrawal auffilisat Phi Ma phase es the lbw of the
Aylesbury Railway,cetPtlroPissebied at the Ayles•
bury Alms Inn, at earths purpose of farther
quantity
dal inquiry. juatowsaissibes. PE • large
quantity of evidence, retwseff tho qmslideurillet
—" We Sat that the deeps& assup ape by his
death ea P ky Jams the 11th, by asslibeal eircust-
Posse, asssequesee of the terns ot the taals of which
he woe Puma jumping of the late of the Aylesbury
Railway. TY Jury think that, pas to the day subsoil,
the rails sail shapers require ecusliat sandiest sad tare,
sad that It from tat pikes* that then le ad ki
pious wMsfa ballast shove the day. That du
am wear spit, the Joysuadaske that thsis slm=
PPP Paps Plea TIP so estleadory ree-
-les weeds( Is the (Pisan ear the asps puke off
the *spry us pals Masse Ss sa Par oesclusion
am to imps WY aims Idiot se with the rails Of
the Popp is this seighbeurboal of the saddest." Tke
isquhT, whisk exited considerable interest, then ter-
skated.

OILEAT WESTERN RAlLWAY.—Yestorday, in the
Lords, the preamble of thia bill for additional powers for
construction of the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton
Railway, and other purposes, was declared proved.