The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-04 00:00:00

PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NATI•

GATION COMPARY.-( THIS DAY.)

The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders
was held at 1 o'clock, at the company's offices, lAadenhall-
street ; Mr. Minton iiIIDERSON, in the chair.
The report said :—" The revenue account shows that the
gross revenue or income of the company, from freight, pas-
sage money, panel servine contracts, charter money, end
other sourer, amounted, for the twelve mouths tied
lag 30th September last, to 2,296,3031. ea. 3d.
That the expenditure and charges on revenue, including
kneed on debentures ; with the reserves made for mgr.
anal, wear and tear, sad depredithica, for the mime period,
ansonoted to 2,080,8191, les., leaving a net peofit of
235,4531. 10a. 3d. ; deduct dividend of 34 per cent., and
additional payment at 14 per cent., for the Isalf-year end-
ing 31st Mar* 105,0001. ; and the half-year's dividend of
34 per cent., now about to be recommended, with an addi-
Waal payment of 2 per cent , 115,1001., total, 220,5001.,
leaving balance of 14,9554 106 3d.
44Proprietors' Underwriting Account.—The annual
cokes a pir cent. ca the estimated value of the Mal-
and =y of the company, covering ordinary. sea risks.
to this amount, for the year ending September
30, 1863, is 105,0001. ; deduct net value of steamship
Colombo, lost on the island of Minicoy, is No-
vember, 1802, 72,0004 ; leaving 33,0001. ; payment
proposed to be made to the proprietors at the rate
of I per cent., 31.500 f. ; balance carried to the general
reserve feed, I,sool.—making 33,0001.
The General Rower= Fund.—ln the lad annual ace
count this fund amounted to 377,7261. 13s. ; add balsam
of underwriting account, I,sool.—and it amounts to
379,2261. 13.."
"The lees of the Colombo is November, 1862," said the
report, " falls upon the proprietors' underwriting account
for the financial year included in the present report. After
chareog it with this loss (72,0001.), there 11412A4[111 a balance
of 13,M01 - and as no other accident has occurred during
the year, the directors recommend a payment of 14 per cent.
on this account. The balance of 1,5601. has been carried to
the general reserve fund."
The report concluded as follows The revenue aceouat
exhibits a satisfactory result of the year's operations, and
the directors are consequently able to recommend the
usual dividend of 31 per cent, and as additional pay-
ment of 2 per coot, leaving a balance of 14,9551. 101.3 d.
to be deducted from the capital account for tkpreeie.
Moo. In explanation of this addition to the
ordinary reserve of 5 per cent. for ,it may be
stated that some of the older vessels on the Chien station
are not very well suited to the present requirements of the
trade, and en not of a clan to command a sale in the
local market ; they consequently stand at a higher figure in
the books than they would probably realise, and this amount
will reduce their nominal to about their actual value.
The amounts payable will therefore stand as follows:
Dividend, 3; per cent. ; additional payment, 2 per cent. ;
underwriting account, 1 per cent. ' • In all, 7 per cent.
And these payments will be made free of income tax, in
one warrant, an Monday, the 28th of December."
The Cnarnius, in moving the adoption of the report, re-
narked oa the improvement in the revenue by about
70,0001., while the expenditure bad somewhat dammed.
The improvement had, he said, arisen from einem
which were temporary, more particularly the demand
for specie for India, and the demand for Indian cotton in
this country—a state of things which could not be expected
to continue in the same degree after the termination of the
Americas war. The sew trade with Japan bad sot' been
ortelooked by the board. A venal had been despatched
there; and the company's principal agent in that part of the
world was making armagemento for establishing a regular
communication in connaxiou with the line to China.
After a short dimmed= the report was adopted, and the
proceedings terminated in the usual manner.

LONDON BANK OP SCOTLAND.-(THIS DAY.)

An extraordinary meeting of thie company took
place to-day at the London Tavero, Bishopegateetreet, for
the purpose of considering the advisability of this company
being reconstituted, so sa to embrace further and more ex-
tensive objecta, and of pawing such resolutions is might
be deemed necessary for effecting this purpose ; Sir JOHN
BAY, Bart., M.P., in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN explained the position and prospects of
the company, and proposed a eerie, of resointioos to the
effect that it was desirable that the bank should have the
power of issuiog beak notes in Scotland, and that the
company should b. reconstituted and re-establiebed in such
a manner as would enable the company to exercise this
power.
These resolutions were put and carried without a dine,
neat, end • vote of thanks was pawed to the directors
whoa the CHAIRMAN observed that the prospects of the
couipasy were now so good that when they should obtain
the power they sow sought, this beak would doubtless be
one of the bust in the country.

The agreement for the erection of the Inter-
national Exhibition building in the Alexandra Park, was
torday signed by Messrs. Kelk sad Lucas with the Alex-
sadra Park Company.
On the night of the 24th ult. the Colosseum at
Rome was illuminated with Bengal lights, at the expense
of Baroness Rothschild, Messrs. Moseley, and • few other
subscribers. Only those persons who could obtain the per-
missies of the French commandant de is place were ed.
milted to the enjoyment of this superb spectacle. It is some
years since permission has been granted for the illumination
of the Colosseum.

Tag Kremer OP THE SCHLIBWIG-HOLXTEIN DIV-
nbeLTT ox Farmers.—The Schliewig•Holetein difikelty
Ina mined • sudden and very great advance in the price
and freightage of several articles of commerce. Befogs
this question arose the freightage paid on grain and seed
Ina about 3s. For the past week or two these have been
gradaally riving until a day or two ago freights on grain
from Danzig and Konigsberg were quoted at 6s. to 6.. 6d.
Yesterday the quotations from these ports were 7s. per qr.
es pais. The freightage of flax has advanced from about
40a. to 80s. per ton. From the same cams there is an
'tenet unheard of demand for coal ; more especially from
the ports of Newcastle, Shield.. and Sunderd, and the
Prim and freightage has Advanced several pounds per keel.—
Zurern Counties Herald
MtrkbElt BY • LUNATIC AT YORlL—Yesterday,
an louts:et was held at the York Asylum, on the body of
Wm. 'eats, who was 31 years old, and a patient in the above
edabliahmeot. He and eight or nine others were in the
Barroom on Wednesday morning, when then the attendant,
ro. Wood, who wen outside the door, hearing a blow struck,
ruined into the room and saw the deceased falling. Another
patient—an Irishman, named Patrick White—had a
rweePingbrush shaft in has band, and be was pickle; up the
brush from the floor. Having done so be left the
room. It appeared that be 'truck Tate on the right
side of the head, A little above the temple, with
ihs waning brush, the shaft of which WY broken by the
force of the blow. A wound was inflicted on Tate's bead
snd Dr. Needham, the medical superintendent of the
asylum, was sent for. He attended to the wound, and
by his directions the deceased was put to bed. He
afterwards became unconscious, and died in six hours
after the fatal blow was given. Dr. Needham made •
Poet mortem examination of the body, and found that the
skull bad been fractured from the seat of the injury to the
Nth of the skull. Dr. Needham was of opinion that
death had been caused by pressers no the brain. The
deceased was an inoffensive men, and White was generally
quiet and tractable, but he had occasionally on a sadden
struck the persons near him. On this occasion he seems to
have_. bees influenced by a redden impale., and had struck the
°wooed. Tbe reason why White had the brash was that
be had been in the habit daily of @weeping the room. He
end the deceased had had no quarrel. The jury redwood a
verdict of " Wilful murder" against White, who was atm-
mitted for trial et the mein amine.