The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-24 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 24, 1852.

VW Court.

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE RAILWAY.
Yesterday the ha_lf-yearly meeting
_ of this com-
pany was held at the Railway Station, Lichfield, Captain
Dyott, in the chair.
Ile report stated that the total expenditure on espies)
account was 'J15,617/. to the 31st of July. The low rats of
interest prevailing during the parr half year has gabled
the board to reduce the annual charge from an average of
U. 7s. 9d. par cent. to 41.2 s 6d.
.per tont per annum as the
Masi affisnsit of the company's beads. The works fee the
Tipaen branch will very shortly be finished, thereby eoli-
ths Stow Valley Railway with this lies. The bill
bartimagt in by this company for a branch to Berton-on-
Trent was withdrawn in parliament, under an arrange-
ment with the Midland Railway Company, satisfactory to
the lessee, whereby passengers ars conveyed to and from the
line to theirs by every train of this company, which super-
seded the necessity of that measure, and from which the
public have materially ben.Htted. The dividend warrants
will be issued on the Ist proximo, being at the same rate as
last halflear, namely, 3s. Bd. per 'hare, or Itlf. Ba. lid. per
100 shares, after deducting the income tax.
The CilAlUltAX in moving the adoption of the report,
said—The fact, gentlemen, of our line being In the hands of
and worked by lessees circumacribes very much our half-
yearly statement, and also materially curtails the remarks
open to me to make to you ; en that account our report is
what may be considered by some a meagre report, but it is
so bemuse we have little to report upon. Our attention
during the last half year has been mainly directed to the
capital account, with the view to keep it as low as we can ;
and whilst on that subject I may say that the large amount
which appears to have been added during the last half-year to
the capital account is very much attributable to the altered
value of money, for, considering that circumstance, we
thought it bettor to raise a sufficient sum for our wants by
way of loan, rather than have a large balance against us at
our bankers. We have negotiated a loan of 60,00 W. at 31
per cent. to pay off our bankers, and we have a further sum
of 20,0001., which will be applied as we have need ao to do.
As respects our policy in the series of parliament recently
closed, you are aware that we successfully opposed the
scheme of the Oreat Western Company to lay down the
broad gauge from Wednesbury to Dudley, and we were
equally successful in our oppoaition to the endeavour of the
Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire Company to
make a line from Cannock to Walsall. For this company
to have permitted such a project to be carried out would
have been nothing lass than suctioning the entry of a rival
company into the district which parliament has allotted to
us. 1 believe, however, that the company to which I have
referred contemplate even now the making of a line from
Cannock to Rupeley. Certainly if it is to be made from Can-
nock to this district it ought to be made by ns. (Hear.)
I hope that the shareholders will concur both as to the
policy of the opposition and in our views on this matter.
Your directors are fully satisfied with the manner in which
the icemen perform their contract, believing, m they do,
that the line is worked to the advantage of the pnblic and
the district generally. With reference to a meeting held
at Stafford shortly after our last half-yearly meeting on the
subject of the transfer of the less. to the London and North
Western Company, some misapprehension on that aubjeet
got abroad, but 1 believe that the London and North West-
ern Company ars willing to conclude an arrangement which
would hand over this line to them. At the time to which I
referred the difference was on the subject of terms; that is,
whether this company should have 4 per cent. or four•
fifths of the North Western dividend ; the only change is
that that company is now willing to secure to the South
Staffordshire four-fifths of its own dividend, with a mini-
mum of 4 per cent., and that we should share in whatever
the North Western paid to its shareholders above 6 per
cent., and we should not go below 4 per cent. ourselves.
A PIOPUIRTOK—I should regard that as a highly satis-
factory arrangement.
The CIMIIIMAN—WeII. UOihinamore hhastaken pleas 011
the subject ; of comae if it does, . interest of your keens,
who have a 21 years' term, will have to be fairly provided
for. (Hear.) I have nothing more to say than congratulate
you oa the satisfactory state of your property, and to move
that the report be adopted and circulated.
Mr. C. } ORISTIES, It P. for Walsall, seconded the motion.
He reminded the shareholders that the prediction of their
chairman (Mr. Chawner) twelvemonths ago had been folly
verified, for their shares, which were then nearly at W. dis-
count, were new within a frac ion of par. He believed that the
railway was now in such a state that it paid both the share-
holders and the lessees, and in the event of any transfer of
the line being made to the North Western, he was sure
that the interest of those gentlemen (the lessees) who had
borne the burthen and heat of the day would be fully
cared fur.

OSBORNE, MONDAY.
Her Majesty, Prince Albert, and the Prince of
Wales, the Nguema Royal, and Plinems Alice, attended
divine service yesterday morning at Whippinghain parish
church. The Bev. F. Prothero performed the service and
preached.

The Earl and Countess of Derby left fit. Leonud's
yesterday afternoon for Osborne, Isle of Wight, on a visit
to the Omen.
Lord Mandeville bed an interview with Mr. Secretary
Walpole yesterday at the lioensvother.—Mr. Newdegate
had also an interview with the right bon. secretary.
Despatches were received from the Goversof-Oebtral of
Canada yeeteiday at the Colonial-aloe.

STARTLING EVENT AMONG THE DERBY-
ITES-THE UNKNOWN TONGUES.
(Freak tbs Doey Aiwa )
- - - -

Little has been heard of the "unknown tongues"
since the death of poor Edward Irving. The general
public may, therefore, be able to form some faint con-
ception of the dismay which prevailed at the break-
fast-tables of the Derbyites, yesterday morning, when
the second leader of their morning journal wee found
to be expressed in what certainly cannot be called a
"known tongue." A few samples may suffice to
show the nature of this very extraordinary effusion.
The writer starts with an allusion to the " wig-
wams" of the Mexicans in the days of Cortes—
when the said Mexicans, by the way, had cities and
temples in abundance—and goes on to declare—
" Fully sensible of the orthodox amount of the ad-
vantages of a coat from Steitz, and a cutlet from
Soyer, we can appreciate the mystification of a few
artless Indians." And, passing from Indians to
Liberals, ho remarks—" Lnable to carry on the go-
vernment themselves, resigning the reins wilfully
and spontaneously with the low spirit of the tailless
fox in the fable, they are jealous that another should
mount the executive-box they vacated, or flourish
the whip they could not wield." The words sound
like English, but English they cannot be; for what
idea can any man attach to the " vacating of an exe-
cutive box?" or how can any mortalimagine a
" tailless fox " " flourishing a whip ?"
But this is plain sailing compared with what
follows :—" This last [Lord Derby's disavowal of
political tenets] has been the great standing arch-
charge served up day by day, hot and reeking, in
all the sauce of tography, and the pomp and cir-
cumstance of a Morning- Chroniele's rabid columns.
Now, we were aware from the first, that in our
character as champions of the government our goose-
quill would be called upon to stand up for Queen's
English and Lindley Murray's grammar—not to
mention its censorial liability in the case of in-
capacitated themists—as witness our article a week
or two back on the Tines; but we really
and honestly never expected that in these days of
Wheatley. and Mills we should be forced to metem-
psychosime our critical spirituals into the physical
economy of some common-place fourth-form boy, and
instruct our blundering contemporaries that a die-
avowal of an intent, is not necessarily a dishonest act
on the part of the disavower. We would have them
know that the disvouchement of a sentiment, and the
repudiation of a purpose, are as far from meaning
the same thing, or having the same signification, as
the poles ate apart."
Here are words enough—and big ones, too, some
of them—but what do they mean ? As the drama-
tist says—" She speaks, yet she says nothing."
The last sentence of the article has something like
a meaning in it: Whatever his practice may 1)e—
-and that will be guided with him as the servant of
the Queen of England according to the wish of the
people of England.—Lord Derby's convictions and
the convictions of all his partisans, will remain to the
end sentimentally unchanged and unchangeable.'
That is, to retain place, " Lord Derby and all his
partisans" will do that which they believe to be
wrong and mischievous; a new version of " video
meliora proboque eleteriora segesor."

The report was unanimously adopted, sad a motion de-
claring a dividend after the rate of 4 per cent. per annum
was paned with correspeeding unanimity.

SOUTH YORKSHIRE RAILWAY.

The capital account of this company shows that
876,8871. had been received to the 30th of June, and 794,8111.
expended, keying a balance of 81,0761. The revenue ac-
count for the half ear shows that 16,0631. had been received
and 6,1131. expended, leaving a balance of 9,0601. The
receipts of the River Dun navigation amounted to 24,6.561.,
and the expenditure to 16,9781., leaving 8,6771. The net
revenue account showed a balsam from the last account of
16 8531. ; from the revenue of the railway of the past half-
year. 9,9501.; and from the navigation
8,6771.—t0ta1, 36,3801. The divtdend for the half-year
ending December, 1851, amounted to 16,6161., and is de-
ducted from the 36,3801., leaving 18,7641. available'for divi-
dend.

PORTBURY PIER AND RAILWAY.
The twelfth half-yearly meeting of this company,
which it is intended to wind up under the Railways Aban-
donment Act, was announced to be held yesterday at Bristol,
but at the hour dud there was not a sufficient number of
shareholders present to constitute a meeting.
The report of the directors, which was laid upon the
table, stated that the six months allowed by the Abandon-
ment of Railways Act, 1830 for the making of claims for
compensation in respect of demi* alleged to be sustained
by ream of the abandonment of the undertaking, expired
on the IS July last, and that the only claim sent in was one
liriiniakson. the surviving trustee of a Mr. Clark,
for the injury sustained by the trust estate
in the event et the purchase not being completed. Upon
this matter there was a suit, which must proceed and be
&reed of, which, it was hoped, would be effected in
November. The directors bad disposed of some land for
1111., and the masts of the company had now been realised.
Whin the claim of Mr. Clark and his trustee was disposed
of the accounts of the undertaking could be finally wound
up. The general statement of receipts and payments to
the 31st of July, 1862, showed that the amount received on
account of capital and interest was 21,38 M., and the total
payments were 16,7191., leaving a balance in the hands of
the beakers of 4,645 t.

REVIEW OF THE CORN TRADE.
[ from the Mask Lowe lamas.,
_ _ BRITISH.__

The Milian of the outstanding grain crops be-
ams. bee die, to day a abject of inassaing anxiety. The
mother Mk
_dams ter bat, been of suck a character as to
slim IM MN being made with harvest opera
M. The has, (or the most part, been very
.hies 1 tbs quesatity of
.rain which has fallen
has esitiese as great es the preceding week, still the at.
uscopbage has been moist, and it is to be feared that the
corn whisk has heat carried has bees gee up in very indif.
inset esedities. Os Tuesday sight most of the southern
pmts el thi~~e were visited by heavy thunderstorms.
Caaaidmakla f was doers thereby to the uncut grain,
end that width bad been peevienely cut was rendered to.
tally neat be tarrying. Os Wedaeaday and Thursday the
weather was aseaparatively by, het sines ties we have had
light amen hew time Ur hew Ueda does rims-
steams at surprise can be Mt that Iles assemile of the pre-
velem* el greeted ears shield have laweettd ' • indeed,
the same hints on this subbase ban now beam.* very r-
owel, sad the injury to the quality is indikedble, however
iheatrable the weather ..for Itereallar. We have
esensinly as desire te auggstake a gamey view of
the future, sad as beg ee there were grenade to believe
that aa might set mattes right, we
slug te athe=alhail=less might sot beausioua ; but
weadm eapealsased Ow the isommesseement of the
pressat Enna has destroyed all thanes el a intarable tan
minden of the hermit, at heat in the forward parts ot the
.
k
Martel the rim Humber mitten an, we are happy to
say, is a much bettor poetise. Neither blight nor mildew
to prevail there to Garbing like the same extent
Is ON south, and much lees mischief has been done
ht parts by the weallser. Bat even with this redeem-
ing blare there is tee each reason to believe that the
aggregate predate of the kingdom will fall short of that of
g.sd avenge la quality ; whilst the quality of a very
farts p et the grata must, nadoubtedly, be very
inferior.
That the milies state of affairs should have caused
some exciteseest Is not to be wondered at ; indeed it is
rather • meta el surprise that, under the circumstances,
the general wills should have manifested so little concern.
This mg an la attribute to the prevailing opinion
that with hewtrade high prices are impossible. The idea
is. no doubt, in the abstract, correct ; still contingencies
might arise to upon this theory. At this moment our
stocks of foreign wheat are comparatively light; and
though a ooesiderable quantity is apassage from the
Black Sea, he., if the new of hme growth should prove
too damp for use, which is certainly not improbable, and
the consumption be thrown entirely on foreign for several
mendet, it might Means difikult to obtain adequate sup-
plies without arawrially 'shaming prices abroad.
The rho ht the vales./ wheat, at mast of the provincial
markets held dam Meerlay, has been Is. to 2s. per qr., at
ems the Memos ha bee greater. Hitherto there has not
been muck eputlatiess, tad the millers having conducted
*Mir operations with sendde rah'. caution, the sale ha not
been partisandy tree. Holders appear, however, to feel
perfectly willed that the demand must come, and have '
therefore numilland so anxiety to press business.
The reports respeeting the state of the potato erop are, as
usual, very conflicting. On the whole, there seems to be
less despondency than was the case in the commencement
of the month ; and it is, therefore, lair to infer that the
disease has not spread so rapidly as was then apprehended
would be the case.
The advice' from Scotland inform us that the weather
had continued unsettled. About one-half of the crops had
been cut in the south, and a considerable degree of uneasi-
ness was felt se to the result of the harvest. This, and the
upward movement in the English markets, caused wheat to
rise 2s. per qr. at Edinburgh, on Wednesday; but at Olas.