The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

repaying part of the sum paid up without leave of the
Board of Trade, contrary to the form of the statute ( 7th
and Rth Viet., cap. 113, section 5), and the terms of the
charter, page 53. 2nd, making, declaring, and publishing
false statements and balance-sheets of the assets and
liabilities of the bank. 3rd, declaring dividends when no
profits had been made, but, on the contrary, when the
affairs of the corporation were greatly embarrassed
and large losses had been incurred, and when, ac-
cording to the terms of the charter, not a single
farthing ought to have been allowed for dividend.
4th, conspiring to raise the price of the shares of the com-
pany by illegal means and with a criminal view. sth, can-
apiring when in a state of insolvency, and when the losses
of the company had exhausted the "surplus or reserve
fund" and one•fourth port of the paid-up capital—l say,
when in such a state, conspiring to obtain a supplemental
charter from the Crown by false representations and by
false reports and balance-sheets, and making dividends
when nut justified in so doing, and thereupon issuing new
shares or obtaining deposits for new shares at a premium,
with intent to cheat the public and in contempt of the pre-
rogative of the Crown. 6th, making such repeated gross
misapplications of the funds of the bank by large loans to
some of the directors and other persons on terms of the
utmost risk, in total disregard of the discretion vested in
the directors by the charter, with consequent serious loss
to the corporation ; embarking in a hazardous speculation
by laying out large sums of the bank money upon an
undertaking qu'te foreign to the business of banking—l
refer particularly to the Welsh mines—and thereby also
incurring heavy losses; not exercising proper superin-
tendence and control over the general manager in con-
ducting the business sod affairs of the company; and
though the directors found that the losses of the company
had exhausted all the " surplus or reserved fund," and
also one fourth of the capital actually paid up, failing to
call a special general meeting of the proprietors and to
submit to the meeting a statement of the affairs of the
company as directed by the 71st article of the deed of con-
stitution, all which several instances of misconduct under
the sixth head were in direct violation of the terms of the
charter.

THE TRIAL OF BACON AND HIS WIFE for the
murder of their two children has resulted in the
acquittal of Bacon and a verdict of " Not Guilty " on
the plea of insanity against Mrs. Bacon, who will be
confined for life as a criminal lunatic. The details
of the case are familiar to most of our readers. The
most conclusive evidence was furnished by. respect.
able witnesses—Mrs. Munro, her mother, Mrs.
Payne, and several neighbours—that on the Sunday
previous to the murder Bacon had called upon and
a•ked Mrs. Munro to come early the following
morning and stop with his wife during his absence
at Reigate ; that he left for Reigate about six o'clock
on the Monday morning (29th December) ; and that
Mra. Munro, on the Monday afternoon, on going to
the house, found it closed, and could not get in. The
next morning, on going down again, she met
Mrs. Bacon, who declared that the two children
had been murdered that morning by a burglar,
who got into the house through the window,
so that all belief of collusion between Bacon and his
wife was satisfactorily dispelled. Tthe trial on
Wednesday, though it acquits him most
fully of the foul charge, leaves him yet to
meet as serious a one for the poisoning of his mother,
whose sudden and mysterious death a year or two
since was recalled by the suspicious circumstance
which appeared to envelope the murder of the
children. Of the insanity of Mrs. Bacon there is
not the least doubt. She was confined in St. Luke's
last year from June to October ; and in her delusions
had frequently threatened to destroy the lives of her
dearest relatives.