The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-07 00:00:00

cREA? WESTERN RAILWAY.—(THIS DAY.)

The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders was
teid at 1 o'clock, at the Peddingtoa.statioe ; Mr. Parra
in tbr chair.
The report and amounts, which had appeared in the
E,, .., baring been taken as read,
'ihe CUAIRMAN, in moving their adoption, said the state-
ment of accounts just rendered followed precisely the form
whi,t was published in March last for the previous half-
rear. For the future that form would be adhered to, so that
proprietors would always be able to compare the capital
a..a Interest accounts rendered with those preceding. The
~:op capital of the company had been increased b_y only
; and in the separate sections there had bees
t, material addition. Each section had to clear off
,rears, but with one exception, that of the Newport
wilco, there had been hardly any expenditure d the
hif.year, the amount in that case being 16,000/.e
disappointmeot had been expressed by the Newport section of
shareholders at the smallness of their dividend, but it was
accounted for by the feet just mentioned. The
b,,,r3 had received within the last 24 betas striae
fro 3. the Newport shareholders that they did not
cousder their dividend a fair one as between themselves
.ad the Oxford section ; but the question in no way
c!e;:ed the Great Western shareholders. As regarded
the receipts of the last half year, as compared
•:h those of the corresponding half of 1863, he
many shareholders were surprised at the increase ;
1)13 it was caused by the opening of additional ex-
,r,...ous, which were not represented in the published mile.
lu the traffic returns published in future the actual
„Asap would be stated, being 1,205 miles against 1,157 in the
~,,eoedieg half of last year. He trusted that the traffic of
the :..s: half -year was deemed satisfactory. (Cheers.) True,
the increase was not in the same ratio as that on the London
spa North Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire lines ; but ,
then. tue traffic of those lines suffered materially at first from
rie derciency in the supply of cotton, and hence the weekly
c,„mpiarison at present was greatly in their favour under the
went revived state of trade. The rent charges had in-
-5,0004 would clear off all the outstanding law
rh,ros. (Cheers.) The premiums received on the ule of
the Metropolitan Railway shares which were held by
that company had not been taken for dividend,
1,1 put to a separate account, and would be
,bla for future purposes. The same remark applied to
the ado of a colliery in Wales, which had recently been
at a considerable profit to the company. The traffic
ef the Shrewsbury and Chester line had about balanced the
dirArod. Considering the high vela* of money
ilunug the lest few months, it was most gratifying,
sad a proof of the excellent credit of the company,
that the interest paid for loans exhibited so
ia.all an increase. As regarded the future, he thought the
prospects of enlarged revenue were very satisfactory. The
siwri experience of the board of the new locomotive mpsno•
cadent had convinced them that they had got
it, right man in the right place; but he did
tot think there would be any large reduction per
axle in the running expenses during the next four or five
team Considerable additions would have to be made in
the locomotive and carriage departments.
After come further remarks,

The Ch.viruiszr concluded -1;j mowing the adoption of the
report sad accounts.
[The meeting was preoseding when oar report left]

LAILWAY PASSENGERS ASSURANCE COMt
PANY.-(TIUS DAY.)

-
At the half-yearly meeting of the shareholders,
held this afternoon, at the offices of the company. 64, Corn-
hill; Mr. H. If. FARQUHAR in the chair. The report was
presented, stating that the amount received for premiums on
general accident policies was 35,0:131. Is, and on railway
accident policies and tickets 2,9454 13e. 2d., together 37,978/.
14s. ?I against3l,6s6l. 58.6 d. io the norresponding half-year
of Ivl.l. After payment of all charges there wee a balance of
lls. 10d. against 73,133/.95. Ild. with which the half -
year commenced. The oompensatioe paid during the half-
Tear was, for 12 fatal mace, 5.910. ; 1,122 claims for per-
sooal injury, 15,5851. Ile. sd. ; total, 21.4851. Ils. sd.
Interest at the rats of 4 per cent. par worn was declared.

THE PRINCE CONSORT STILASIEIL—PLYMOUTH,
WEDNESDAY hloasnm.—Hs•iog CAITi4KI away her mak-
topsail-yard, the ireacased screw steamship Prince Consort,
45, Captain G. Wilke, C. 8., anchored in the Sonad last
evening. She is ordered to be supplied with a new yard to-
day, and will probably this afternoon rejoin the Channel
squadron, which has goes to the westward.
The late M. Eufantin has left his son a sum of
460,003 fr. His manuscripts, of which he had ► great number,
he bequeathed to the library of the Arsenal.

At Rome, on the 30th ult., the Corsican Car-
dinal Savetli, promoted to the purple by the reigning Pope
in 1853, expired at the age of 72, after having held many
important offices, among which the most omispictious was
that of governor of Rome.

KING'S Couzza —Although the Evening Classes
generally do not assemble until next month, the Civil
berries Clam will meat am usual on the erosions of Mon-
day, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the present and
fallowing mouths.
Tug Amnon's DCRING 711 E BIELFAJit RIOTS. —As
we have already announced, 176 people were wounded, and
nine killed during the resent riots, which lasted for fourteen
data. There were in Belfast, including military and con-
stabulary, a form of 4,000 armed men, and the number of
arrests made of those in gaol awaiting their trial was ex-
actly 30—the great majority of whom are charged with no
more merlons dream than having arms in their pommies in
a proclaimed district. Probably the greater number of the
accused will also be charged with riot, but it 'came a com-
plete legal fares that only 50 should be in custody for •
fortaight's rioting, when, in any half hone during that time,
ten times that number might have been lawfully arrested
if the authorities had only done their duty.—!Port/ern
;Mg. _ _ _

• •••
THE RICH Max AND TILE BEDDING-LIME=
WI:ITEM—Thom are the corporate beepers. But there are,
besides, the individual beggars ; and how does the heart of
the secretary fail him when be has to cope with them!
And they must be coped with to some extent, because they
all enclose documents (they call their scrap documents ;
but they are, se to papers darning the came, what minced
veal ato a calf), the non return of which would be their
rain. That is to say, they are utterly ruined now, but
they would be more utterly ruined then. Among these
correspondents are several daughters of general officers,
1,,0g accustomed to every luxury of life (except epalliog),
who little thought, when their gallant fathers waged war
it, the Peninsula, that they would ever have to appeal to
those whom Ptorience, in its inscrutable wisdom, hes
blessed with untold gold, and from among whom they
select the name of Niooderutts Boffin, Fag., for a maiden
effort in this wise, uodenroding that be has such a heart
as sever was, The secnw,y learns, too, that oonfidenc•
between man and wife would seem to obtain bat rarely
when virtue is In distress, so numerous are the wives who
lake up their pens to ask Mr. Boffin for money without the
knowledge of their devoted husbands, who would never
hermit it ; while, on the other hand, so numerous are the
busboode who take up their pens to ask Mr. Boffin for
money without the knowledge of their devoted wire, who
would instantly go out of their senses if they had the least
suspicion of the circumstance. There are the inspired
beggars, too. These were sitting, only yesterday evening,
riming over a fragment of coedits which must soon go out
and leave them in the dark for the rest of their night.,
when surely some reel whispered the name of Nicodemus
E 9., to their souls, imparting rays of hope, Day
confidence, to which they bad bug bra strangers Akin
to these are the suggestively-befriended beggars, They
were partaking of a cold potato and water by the flickering
and gloomy light of a lucifer-match, in their lodgings (rant
eonti.lembly in &treat, and heartless landlady threatening
expulsion "likes dog " into the streets), when a gifted
friend happening to look in, rid, " Write immediately to
N:calcuius Baffle, Esq.," and would take no denial. There
are the nobly-independent beggars too. These, in the
days of their abundance, ever regarded gold as dross, read
has.. not yet got over that only impediment in the way of
their amassing wealth, but they want no dross from
N:cl.lemus Boffin, Esq. ; No, Mr. Boffin, the world mar
term it pride, paltry pride if you will, but they wouldn't
tacl it if you offered it ; a loan, sir—for fourteen weeks
to the day, integer calculated at the rate of five per coot.
per annum, to be bestowed upon any charitable institution
r',l may name—is all they want of you, and if you have
ti.c ::leantiess to refuse it, count upon being despised by
th..e great spirits. There are the beggars of punctual
b asineis•habita too. These will make an end of themselves
at a quarter to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, if no Post-office order is
in the interim received from Nicodemus Boffin, Esq. ;
arriving after • quarter to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, it need not
sent, as they will then (having made an exact memo-
ratrium of the heartier circumstances) be "cold in
death." There are the beggars on horseback too, in
another sense from the rose of the proverb. These axe
mounted sod ready to start on the highway to affluence.
The goal is before them, the road is in the best condition,
their spurs are on, the steed is willing, but, at the list
moment, for want of some special thing—a clock, a violin,
an astronomioil telescope, an electrifying machine—they
must dismount for ever, unless they receive its equivalent
io money from Nieodemus Boffin, Faq. LIMO given to
detail are the beggar who make sporting ventures. Them
usually to be addressed in reply wider initials to a country
TY,t•nifice, inquire in feminine hands, Dare one who cannot
doerlose herself to Nioodemus Boffin, Esq., but whose
sane might startle him were it revealed, solicit the iro-
n ediate advance of two hundred pounds from noel-
Pe'ted riches exercising their noblest privilege is the
trust of a common humanity.—Oar Matra Pricnci
('ePt. No.) by Charles Dickens.

Inas:. Barley. Malt Obats. Plow.
an. gra qri Ora. brig. mien
II Ituatlib mai Seat& 220 00 ISO 110 2200
'tab
1000
Prelga lllO 1070 .. 10000 390 1220
1-
Total 3410 1730 030 11300 070 0220

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET.
(THIS DAY.)
(By ammo AND nuTZBEATIONAL magnum)
(num out me COIMPONDCM)
Market rather firmer. Balsa foot up 5,000 bales specula.
ties, sod export 1,000.