The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-03 00:00:00

XONTig THE ISPADA.

Monica is not ITie;potneleenerorf7,—;:sntented with des-
patching a bull when tne signal of hs de nth is given. He
II always en the vetch, he *esti the combat, and comes
to the ascent of the pa- adores and itieefos In peril. Wes
than one loser,, Uwe. It life to M ,nsea' intervention. One
bul, that would Lot allow h s attention to be diverted by
Me cloaks that the eAnOs were wasing before bun, had
ripped up the belly of a horse that he hest thrown down,
and WAS endeavourieg to du the same to the rider, who was
protected by tho carcass of his steed. 11 sates seized the
ravage beast by 'Le tail, and in the miost of the frantic
applause ul the whole assembly, caused him to waltz round
secs ral times, to his infinite ilis.:ust ; thus allowing time for
the pis litho to be cacti d off Sometimes be wi:l plate him-
self mououlsis In fore the bull, with his aims crossed on
his breast, and hie eye hand, and the monster will suddenly
stop short, subjugated by his opponent's look, which is as
bright, se sharp, and as cold as the blade of a sword. A
teat of this d. szription is (allowed by shouts, bellowing.,
vociferation, stamping of feet, and thunders of bravoes,
of which it is ham sib e to form any idea ; a feeling of de.
lirium seizes every one present, a general giddiress causes
the fifteen thousand spectator., intiszteated with &mar-
die ore, sonsline, and blood, to reel upon their seats; hand-
kerchiefs are waved, and hats t rosin up into the air, while
Monies alone, calm in the midst of this multitude, enjoys
in silence the piebsund feeling of jay which he nstraies
within b.s two breast, me rely bowing slightly like a men
who is capsts..e of performing many other (ewe of the same
description. I can easily understand a um. risking his life
every minute fur applause like th;s. It is out dear at the
pier. U, ye singers with golden throats, ye fairy-footed
eamiettees, ye aeon of all deseriptioss, ye emperor*, and
ye poets, )• who lanry that you have excited a people's en-
thusn.m. you have never heard Monte 'applauded.
Sometimes the spectator themselves be him to execute
one of th de daring feats in which be so always IIIICVIO•
ful. A pre•ty girl soya to him, as she Vows him a hits,
"Come, Senor Montle, come Paquirro " (which is his
Christian name), "I know how gallaot y'set are; do sonic
trine, sow rosin., for a lady." Whereupon Monte. leaps
over the bull, placing Lis head on the animal's neck as he
does so, orelse, shaking his c ipe before th animal's muz
ale, by a rapid movement, wraps it round him so as to form
and gent piece of dranery with itreprochable folds; be
then springs on one side, and lets the ball, who is unable
to stop birnselt, pass by.
klontes, however, is not beyond criticism. The
Spanish populace are rigorous in their demands, both
from bulls und men, and no shrinking shall be
exhibited. Ou one occasion a bull of most ferocious
nature was exhibited 7.. it had ripped up six horses
and wounded some of the men. One of his exploits,
which was applauded to the skies by the combatants,
was the towung a picador with his horns over the
enclosure. Niontes was ordered to advance to kill
the garage animal, and for the first time showed
symptoms of hesitation ; he, however, despatched his
savage antagonist, but did.not expose himself to so
much danger as the amateurs of the bullring thought

neeesaary
When the public understood the blow, for all this bad
passed with the rapidity of thought, one universal shout of
iadignation rose from the lendidos to the palms; a storm of
abuse and hisses, accompanied by the most incredible
tumult, burst forth on all sides. "Butcher, assassin, bri-
gand, galley-slave, beadsman !" were the gentlest
terms "A centre To the stake with
Monter ! To the dogs with Monte. ! Death to Cue alcade "
were the cries which were everywhere heard. Never did
I behold such a degree of fury, and I blush to own that I
shared in it myself. Mere vociferation, however, did not
long suffice ; the crowd eommeaced throwing at she poor
wretch fans, hats, sticks, lets full of water, and pieces of
the benches torn up for the purpose. There was still oue
more bull to kill, but his death took
_place unperceived, in
the midst of the horrible tumult. It was Jose Para, the
second espada, who despatched the bull, with two very
skilful thrusts. As for Monte., he was livid; his face
turned green with rage, and his teeth made the blood start
from his white lips. although he displayed great Wanner',
and leant with effected gracefulness on the kilt of his
sword, the point of which reddened against the rules, be
had wiped in the sand.
On what does popularity depend? On the first and
second days of the performance no person would ever have
conceived it possible t;.at so cure an artist, one so certain of
his public as Montes, could be punehed with such severity
for an infraction of the rules, which was, doubtless, called
for by the most imperious necessity, on account of the ex-
traordinary agility, strength, and fury, of the animal.
When the fight was ein.cludeu, he got into a calessin fol-
lowed by his quadrille, and swearing by all that he held
sac:ed that ho would put his foot in Malaga again. I
do not know whether be haa kept his word. and r. mem-
bered the insults of the last day longer than the triumphs
and applause thc two preceding 0n,.. At present, lam
of opinion that the public of Malaga was unjust towards
the great Montes de Chiclana, All whose blows bad been
superbly aimed, and who, in every we of danger, had dis-
played heroic coolness and admirable addres., so much .0,
Indeed, that the delighted audience had made him a pre-
sent of all the bulls be killed, arid allowed him to cutoff an
ear of each, to show that they were his property, and could
not be cleansed either by the hospital or the proprietor of
the cites&

Pc OLIC Housts.—Yesterday a return procured by
Mr. lleyworth, was printed of the rumbcr of pita-
buns presented to the House of Commons, praying for •
mew to be pared to clone all public houses, and to prohibit
the sale of intoxicating drinks during the whole of Sunday
The return is a curious docum' at. From 1845 to 18.53
only 18'2 petitions of such • character were presented, and
they contained 61,567 signatures. In live out of the nine
years, the return Nil." Them had been othi r peti-
thins, having the diminution of intempemnce in view, pre.
seated, and the grand total is given as 3,063, with 614,602
signatures. la this class there were, 1,158 for the better
observance of the Sshhatb, with 219,286 signatures. For
diminishing the number of public houses, 1,021 with
21.8,280 stgoa•iiies. For inquiry on intemperance, 75 peti-
tion with IN' 16 signatures. For the better regulation of
public houses, 21 petitions with 20,4-50 signatures. For the
suppression of intemperance, 2 petitions with 20,354 sig-
natures. For the suppression of beer-houses, 3 petitions
with 1,29.5 signatures. Fur the discouragement of beer-
/muses and shops, 2 petitions with 414 signatures. There
Were 237 petitions with 10.622 signatures, in favour of
Public litmus (Scotland) Bill ; 126 petitions with 21,551
signatures in levour of the Bunday Trash's& Prevention
Bill ; sad 234 petitions with 30,774 signatures, tot sa alto-
/show of the Beer det.

taw ilittelltgence.

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT,
yo,ironk gift W. r. AT utc Tow!, HUI. CANOLIDOT.

Tire StIEWSIIERT AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY CoMPANT
r. THE RON. R. 11. CLIME AND oTHINS.
This important case, which bad been adjourned at the
request of the defendants from the 24th ult.. came on yes-
terday at Cambridge before Vice Chancellor Sir W. P.
Weed.
'Die Solicitor. General, on the part of the plaintiff., stated
that hi. motion was .en application by the Shrewsbury end
Birmingham Railway Company agaiutit several gentlemen
who were rie pr sent directors of that company, and one
or two other persons who were mixed up by having acted
in concert, and having used the property of the company at
the instance of theme directors against whom the principal
applicetion was made, that they might IN, restrained by the
eider and injunction of the court from dealing with the'
property or effects of .he eumpany, from administering
their affairs, or otherwise acting as the plaintiff.' directors.
The Shrewsbury and birraiigham Railway commenced at
Shrewsbury, where it communicated with the Shrewsbury
and Chester Railway, and, running down to Welverliamp-
ton, it there communicated with the Stour Valley line. There
had Meg teen a contest between the two great companies—
the North Western and the Great Western—for possession
of the ascendancy neer that line. The contention between
nose rival companies bad led to the creation of parties
amongst the Shrewsbury and Birmingham eli-eetort, one
of which was no doubt in the interested the North Western,
and another of which was entirely devoted to the benefit of
the Great Western, whilst the body of shareholders, who
looked to promote the interests of the line itsth, had
the ir property sacrificed by reason of the cententions of
those two parties. It had tong been the desire o: the great
majority of the direetots t.) unite the company will the
Great Western, which bad led to the entrance into con-
tracts with that company. which could not he carried into
effect on account of their illegality. The course pursued by
the director., however wissi not sanctioned by the .1- .re-
holders, and it would found that up to the Bth May,
1651, the majority of the ehoreholders were adverse to the
operations adopted by the directors. Finding themselves,
then, out wily nut supported, but their views contradicted
by the shareholders, they resolved by any means to obtain
• majority enioniot the coestitueist body. For that pur-
pose theyeoevenedan extraordinary meeting upon the Bth
May, Mil, at which they determined to alter or re.eind
resolutions which had been paned at certain meetings of
the proprietor., of the 12th February and 4th April, ISM.
Great efforts were made to secure a majority at that meet-
ing, and contrary to the result of all termer meetings the
propitiation of the directors was carried, and an
amendment moved by the shareholders was nega-
tived. Viis was followed by future successes of
the directors. and the shareholders were quite unable to
ascertain the menus hy which the MiliOti.lol had been
gained. At length upon the 7th July, 1853, the circumstance
came to light by a mere accideut. Upon that ores,' ,u Mr.
Robinson, a solicitor, and sherehoider in the company, hi ing
at the plaiiitiff's office in Wolverhampton, obtained pm-
demean of the trawler books, in which he found transfers of
shim sdr sled shout Cie moo th of May, 1351, numbered
Irma 9i13 to 1,757 all inclusive. Mr. Ribiusoa suspects d
that in ten of three eases the signatures of the persons named
as purchasers or retirees were not in their handwritiig,
but were forgeries. Mr. Robinson thin put his initial'
against each of the tea transfers, and lee served the were-
tary with • a disc to take the book into his custody, in
order that so abstraction, a rasure, or interpolation of these
transfers should occur. In consequence of this and other
priest dings the book was locked up in • safe, of which it
was alleged that Mr. Knox, formerly secretary and illegally
elected • director of the company, possessed a duplicate key.
Shortly afterwards Mr. Geach, • director of the company,
applied to inspect the transfer book. A good many obstacles
were thrown in the way by Mr. Klieg, whom he might
denomin it,, the managing director, but eventually Meth:itch
obtained possession of it, when be found that a whole page
of the transfers had been abstracted, including five of those
against which Mr. 11, ibinsou had set his initials. Under these
circumstances Mr. Geach took possesion of the trausferbook,
as well as of a later transfer book, also supposed to contain
forgeries, and left them at the residence of the eh iirman 111
the Cutzionny. lu consequence of thew proceedings, •
special public meeting of the shareholders took place on the
'kith of July, at which Mr. Scott stated the circumstances
which had occurred, and • committee was appointed to in-
vestigate all the proceedings connected with the trans-
fer of shares, the signature and reception of
proxies, the allotment of preference shares, and the
capital acemant generally. The result of the iuvrstiga-
tion by the committee was to dircluee such • system of
fraud as he ventured to say was unparalleled in the history
of railway trassimtions. The course pursued by the direre
tors appeared to be this: they came lute the possession of
numerous sharer, which were thrown into the ir hands
partly by forfeiture and partly by other means. They took
those shares and made trawlers of them, apparently for a
consideration, as if the shares had been sold to individuals,
named fur that purpose, principally by Mr. Knox and partly
by other persons or individuals, many of whom were totally
ignorant of the proceedings thus carried on in their names,
and many others a wuotu, though aware of the proceed-
ingi, tent themselves to them for the purpose of carrying
out the design of the directors. It appeared that the trans-
fen were mt.& by clerks in the employ of the company,
and that th presents who received them were required also
to exleute redrausiers of the shares to the directors; so
. that the transfer to callicitate, and the re transfer to
incapacitate, were execute dat the same time. Further, they
wore made at the same *dm° to execute proxies in favour
of 'ne or mere of the directors; and in that way the large
amerint of snares then held by the company were made
available in the most frau :Went and false manner for the
peewit, of :renting a great number of fictitious votes. In
one cam Mr. Knox. audacity went so fir that he made a
boy of 9 dears of age a transferee of shares, and executed
the transfer and re-transfer for him. By this and other
frondelent means it was that the directura obtained a ma-
jerity at their meeting of the 9th August, 1851. In addi-
tion to this, certien of the directors, particularly Hill,
Walker, and Emery, had assigned to themselves shares, in
order to give them a proper qualification. There was also
a large number of shares still belonging to the company
which were in the nausea of Hill, Walker, and Badger;
and with regard to those shares, therefore, and a large
number of preference shares which had not yet been issued,
the directors had the means of obtaining a majority at the
forthcoming meeing, similar to that which they bad ob-
tained at toe meeting of the Bth May, 18.51. Beyond this,
Knox had been permitted to enter into partnership with a
firm with whom contracts were made prejadicisl to the
iu ttttt ts of the company. These were transactions of such
a nature, that he contended that no person who was impli-
cated in them, or who had even a suspicion of them, was
worthy to remain in the direction of the company,
since they appeared to be wholly unscrupulous as
to the conduct they pursued, or altogether supine
.and indifferent. Thie learned counsel then went
minutely through the affidavits in support of
the bill and of the preceding statement; and read the'
whole of the affidavits in answer, which were extremely
voluminous. Tney generally denied the statements made ,
in the affidavits of the plaintiffs; or where they admitted
them, recriminatory allegations were brought, and it was
rtated that the course pursued by the directors was simply
adopted to counteract the force of a similar policy which
was pursued by the partisans of the North Western Com-
pany. They admitted the practice of splitting votes, but
contended that the same thing was done upon the other
side, and denied that there hail been any fraudulent trus.
for ot shares for the purpose of creating fictitious votes.
They estreued a belief that it would be greatly for the
Omit of the iihrew.bury and Birmingham Company, es
;Lstll as for the advautige of the public at large, that that
ampany should be united with the Great Western, and did
Me deny that the defendants had exerted themselves to
brim about that end. Mr. Knox denied that he was part-
ner in a firm which had entered into contracts with the
company, and denied all knowledge of any abitraetioos
from the transfer book, the whole of which he believed
would be still forthcoming. They had been kept in the
custody of Mr. Nicol, and were accusible to all the persons
in the office.

Thee .was still proceeding when our despatch left.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—YisrEBDAT.
Barons Mi. CANINHN42ONI a F&ii.
IN 111 POTHECART.
- -

The bankrupt was described as a sheep salesman, of
Marto*. in Wiltshire. This was the lase examination meet-
inc. His debts were nearly 8,0001. ; assets of small
amount.

Mr. Bishop, representing the assignees, said he did not
ask for an adjournment, as they did not think any benefit
would arise from W.

His Honour, after looking through the proceedings, sail
this was the case of a man who had gone on contracting
debts, thousands upon thousands; and then at the last,
when be found he could go on no longer, instead of yivirg
up what.he had to his creditors g Ily, ite had contrived
to throw his little property into the Lands of one man, to
whom be had given a bill of sale.
Mr. Teague, for the bankrupt, sail the transaction was
not a fraudulent one, in a moral sense, though it was so in
the eve of the law. The ►ill of sale was given for a bona
Ada advance.

His llouour •aid that any man must know that he
ought not to pick out one creditor, and give bins the advan-
tage of a bill of sale, whereby be got 20s. in the pound
on his debt, while the other creditors got nothing. Such
a m.n was scarcely entitled to further protection. lle did
not know that he had ever seen a case where the features
were worse. Be sides giving this fraudulent bill of sale, the
banitrupt had been guilty of a breach of trust, and had
plundered his relations.
Mr. Teague said that he had the consent of the parties
interested in disposing of the trust property. He hoped
his Honour would not refuse protection at that stage of the
case.

Mr. 1.1 shop said the bill of I.le was dimly invalid,having
been given when the banktapt was irretrievably insolvent,
and the sasigotes intended to dispute it
Ills Honour said b. would adjourn the ease fur that pur-
pose.
The examination was then adjourned until the 7th of
November.

TOE LONDON EVENING Cf.nastts, who celebrated
their onnieersary last week at the Erith•gardens, Kent, on
the occasion of their patron, Prince Albert's, birthday, are
aliout to resume the delivery of lectures during the ensuing
Micbaelmis term, at Croshy-hall, Divhopsnate, when the
Mee. Messrs. T. P. Dale, E. Budge, C Lane, F. 0. Blom-
field (eon of the Bishop of London), W. Champoeyis. L. NI
liennbert, J. je mop, T. Bari, T. H. Bullock, F. P. Sta-
tham, and J Burt, and Mr. Henry Abbott, of the Trinity
School, Borough, hate engaged to lecture oa various sub-
jects.