The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-17 00:00:00

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

Yesterday the half-}'early meetirg of the pro-
prietors was held at the central station in Lothbury, fir.
W. V. Conan, one of the directors, presiding, in the place
of Yr. J. L. Iticardo. 31.1.., the chaiiman, who was absent.
There was no report, and the balance sheet, which was
taken as read, showed the following figures. First sato**
capital account, there appeared on the credit side,—shares,
330,000'. ; debenture debt, 22,5001 ; sundry liabilities es
per ledger. 11,8881. 123.64 ; re-erred fund, 73,8671. tr. 64. ;
total, 404,2•51,. 13e. I Id. This was balanced by cost of tele-
graphs, 391,3811. 9s. 6d.; house property in London,
12,3911. 19s. 4d.; due fern sundries, 32,3001. 14s. 10d.;
spare stock, 3.2771.55. 4d. ; shares in trust, 2921. 10s. ; re-
insulations and renewals, 9,4711. 18s. ; and cash sad SKIMP
ties in hand, 19,136/. 16s. 11d. The remiss imam*
showed.—reeeipts from message., suireriptione, lei SSW
Uses, 27,4371. 41. Bd.; di-bursements, 10,1771. 14a. 141.1
balance, 17,2591.10 e. Td.; out of which a dividend ate 4144
cent., or 9,8911. 4s. 6d., was proposed to be paid, lewd., a
aurplu+io hand of 2861.95. 71.
The na tam su congratulated the meeting npot the
rapid progress which had taken place in the business of the
oompany. On the 18th December last a reduction had been
made in the charges of the company equal to very nearly 50
per cent., and this had of course acted as a certain check
Igoe the receipts; but they were aided by the political
events which had taken place at the commencement of the
year, and now the receipts had fully recovered themselves.
It would be interesting to compare the results of the half-
year ending Ikcember 31, 1851, with that ending June 30,
1852; and if the comparison were made with the corres-
ponding half of last year the result' would be even more
gratilyiog. The number of messages which had been sent
had been as follows :
1851.

18.52.
July
Anima
September .. 8,745
October
November .. 8,031
December .... 13,774

Total 42,937 Total .... 83,013
Thus there had been an increase of 33,000 messages, or con-
siderably more than one-half the total number sent during
the former half-year. The receipts for the former half.
year were 24,29 U., and those for the latter 27,4371. Of this
a small portion (about 5001 ) was for sulncrintioos, so that
the tiger. :a would be 24,3001. against *WOI. 140 doubt
the inert use would have been materially greeter had the
telegraphs whith bad hese in the course of erection during
the last nine months been completed ; but they had not as
yet derives soy benefit to any great extent from their new
moths. When the new line from London to Plymouth
should be fiiiished, no doubt their business would be greatly
augmented, and he hoped that before they next met, they
would be ebbs to show that a very handsome profit had
accrued to the company from this extension. Ifs begged to
move the adoption of the balance-sheet.
This motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
The Cu s ust AN then proposed that a dividend after the
rate of 6 per cent. pi r annum be declared, adding, that if
the motion were agreed to, the gentlemen present might
receive the dividend before they left the company's offices.
(A laugh.)
Carried unanimously.
After a short conversation, a vote of thanks was given to
the chair, and the meeting broke up.

A SNAKE AND ITS LARDLIL—By the Orinoco,
which arrived helms& heel the West avenemeeerep-
tile of the anakespethearrived from Ihmarara. It w•e•em-
taineil in a boa about See feet long, three het fleetek sad
eighteen inches high. This hoe was parted elks/
In nue compartment his suakimhip was 112itzeidsicirlt
other was filled with live fowls when the hoe
A door lifted up, by which • communication wee enkirikked
between the snakery and fowlery. When the beg salked et
Southampton, only one fowl was left, a hreatifely epeekled
hen, all the others hod been devoured by the mak This
poor bird was strutting about its apartment ateeeeeleas of
the propinquity of its loathsome enemy. The erewlem of
the boa where the snake was lodeeci were sewed et* wire
pose, to prevent any accident by the probeise of the
reptile's tongue.
A t• raty CERIOU4 Geirrio, 800 feet beg by 70
feet in width, and richly intruded with etalepeitie and
stalactites of the amid varied and &atomic wheel it
Roust have taken ages to generate, hes
at Monteratini, in Tummy, a Pales lee Its Pow-
erful mineral springs. The most elegebr delllllllllllloo lea
netted with this grotto is, that he teneeletene Y perms.
meetly at 96 degrees Fahrenheit, which, twiny with the
IWO sir, renders it impassitels to stay within edam In
Meer of nosiityL and eves then eauoioi
skew eknekeliss k
menveidolde. The water, slowly wina dim.
Armed a sort of kke within. to a eat hem lee
sew hew esaveyed br the onnyeekene of Askew Thk
mehnewne=taseasessispieroZthz=taiheeheromethenad ;
oldish lime ohs* buss flowiL