The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-08 00:00:00

BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.

The anneal Meeting of the proprietors in this bank
tack place yassenlay at lb& allege, in It. Helen's place,
when • repave was read, whisk stated that at the last
mooting the dinners anima le mem& that the in-
crement groin if the beak wen *slam gaddiatisefoolag
did they Win illeipatie women snakiest et the
onmesehl sal lanes* In the North Mini-
on minket mg wen Bradlee Is bang ambled to
mete that Ilie pompasilly endued, and had naturally led
to an eztessien- MI Its Wises of the honk. The rapid in-
mean new tekleg plies k all the olsumste of wealth In
the Wag ansethses a naMdel Math is devel=he
resesrees and thaneig the &nth ItheferitY
The dime= MA snit pleurae la that eine the
lies =deal had obtained a awe',
"Mgt them Se take sitnalege the ymelsions of
the sow bandag law of Canada us spoisil the
Inns of moll ones. That privilege, however, had
sot costribMni Is the pals of de year 18.52, as
'the necessary formalities could net be ernpleted in time,
sad it was may this spring that they WWI enabled issue
notes of 11. currency. By the stational of mono now
ssbasittsdie the proprietors it would le seen that after paying
• dividemilef eptr cent. out of the greats for the year they
had mit an nWtioa of 9,4701.18 e. id. to the reserve, the
modem the 31st December last, after providing for the
dividend payable In Jemmy, being 84,6981. 12s. 2d. The
sessunts bon the widens brankes to the 30th April were
must satideseery es entheeell with three of the earreepond-
leg pedal lithe year lids, and la all repasts there was
shwedsmit reason to believe that the prospects of the bank
esethened to improve. The amounts showed that the net
graft lie the year, after makiag every allowing for bed
sad Ambles' ilsr sinanntsi to MAW. 184.3 d. From
this wee Is ha Masted 80,0001., iMa had been paid in
dividable, Ned the balsam resaatabsg to be serried to the
reserved fen was 9,4761. Ns. 3d. as above Mated.
This meet was adopted, and after some routine business
the premethags terminated.

LONDON P:

TOPIC SOCIETY.

The anniversary festival of tide inalitation teak plea last
evening, at the London Timmy Ilisbafpgammitnet. Xr. J.
D. Powtis is the chair. The mingsmy, 600 not
numerous, Mended several gentleman mho Erb wellitnown
for their modems in the cause of and% mil It would ap-
pear that nosy dirt was made is peemele the Womb of
this institution, "hese emnotittee gladly waled themselves
of this opporhinity aleratiag. that during the past year they
had visited hundreds of families ia all pens el Lewin and
the suburbs, with a view to provide them with head sad
coals. The mews they had witnessed had bee. of the most
sorrowful ebereerat. It was, however, • seam of yeti&
cation to time that they bad raised • large
▪ ink*. of sot deserries
__ mem. bad
tributed 9,000 Miele, erabies the renorsigisats to prdis-
o-
mise bread and mai, amount/as le hearty 110,000 lbs.
weight, and by moms of which saw hailiss have been
saved froin a state Mrderriiongg ea slanalies. The siatatties
therefore felt that. essisidg they ellisaed a briumesint
of good with but a very small
entitled to call apes the rib& le I=l=llin Silt en-
deavours.
The CHAIRMAN, is prepsdiesffierity to the society,
made an emphatic appeal am el the institution, and
sailed up= the ormspaisy le bear in mind that the great
ablest ef the elm* ins to eimiaiseer slog is male and
lust le! all those wiiaet dilimellsa of sell on adieu who
have bum Mesa to pereety ed ditztea.
saThis we warmly rispeaded to, and the amount of
maimed in the amuse dthe evening was
aseely

SECULAR EDUVATION.

On Monday Mr. Combo and Mr. Simpson, of
Edinburgh, and Mr. Bastard, of Charlton, llsrsetshire, had
an interview with Lord Granville. the president of the cam- '
mittee of the Privy Council on Education, on the subject
of extending government aid to schools instituted for com-
mnuicating secular instruction to the children of the work-
ing claws, as well as to schools, in which this instruction
is combined with sectarian religious teaching. They stated
that they were not opposed to religious instruction, but
only desired that it should be given by the clergy, er by
persons appointed by them, at separate hours, and that the
common schoolmaster should teach secular knowledge,
and its applications, and also the general prin-
ciples of morals, in which all sects are agreed.
They supported their views by an appeal to the practice,
and successful experience of New England—of the Irish
governmental schools and colleges—of the Birkbeck
schools in London. and of the secular schools in Edin-
burgh, Glasgow. Leith, and Manchester, in all of which
places the working classes bad shown that they appreciated
the secular element of education highly, although separated
from sectarian religion. They urged also the injustice of
applying the public money contributed by the friends of
secular instruction, in however small a fraction, to the
support of sectarian schools, while all participat'on in it
was denied to schools which they conscientiously preferred.
Lnd Granville listened to these representations, and
other reasons urged by the deputation with much atten-
tion, occasionally put questions, and promised that their
case should receive every consideration.