The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-22 00:00:00

CANADA COMPANY.

Yesterday a half-yearly general court of proprietors
was heltrat the company's house, St. Helen's-place, Bishops-
gate-street, fur the pavan of determining on • dividend,
Mr. C. FRANKS, the governor, in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, after stating that the company still pos-
sessed 840,000 acres of land uneisposed*of, proceeded to lay
before the meeting a comparative statement of the receipts
in Canada in the year ending December 18,52, and in the
year ending 1853. The purchase money in 1862 was, he said,
16,7001. ; to 1853, it was 43,2001, being an increase of
26,4001. Under the head of bills receivable and interest on
old instalments, there was received in 1852 15,9001.; in
1853, 26,9001., being au increase of 10,000/. The rents in
18.52 amounted to 14,4001.; in 1853, to 2,5,2001., being an
increase of 10,8001. For transfer fees there was received in
1852 3001.; in 1853, 3401. The timber cut in 1852 realised
5001.; in 1863, 1,5001., being an increase of 1,0001. The
advances repaid in 1852 amounted to 3,0001. ; in 1863, to
2,4001. This was the only head under which there war a
diminution, and it arose from the satisfactory circumstance
that the advances had been reduced previously, and that
consequently there was so much less to be got in. The
total result of the receipts in the two years was u follows :
—ln the year ending Dee. 2, 1852, the gross amount re-
ceived was 93,8361. 7s. 2d. ; in the comepondiog year end-
ing Dee. 2, 1853, it was 61,1491. 7s. 9d. showing an in-
Celine in 18.53 of 47,6861. 19s. ed. , saving made this
general statement, he wished to observe that the directors
had taken into consideration the resolutions passed at the
last general meeting with regard to the future dividends of
the company, and the conclusion at which they had arrived
was that it was desirable on that occasion to make a tivi-
dend with reference to the profits of the company which
had been made, and with reference also to the time at
which it was probable they would be realised. The pro-
prietors were all aware that a large proportion of the pro
fits depended on contracts, and could not be realised till
those contracts had been completed. In any dividend
which might in future be declared, the state of the com-
pany's debts and engagements must not be overlooked ;
nor must it be forgotten that the profit was net in the na•
tun of annual income, but arose from the purchase and
resale of an estate of which, when the proceeds were old-
roatel7 realised, there would be an end of profit.
Wishing the dividend to be of as permanent a nature as
possible, and regarding it as a kind of terminable dividend,
the directors were of opinion that on that occasion they
should divide 21. per share.
Mr. HIIIRERT inquired what was the amount of the
debenture debt?

The CHAIRMAN said it had been reduced to 85,2001.
On the motion of the Rev. Dr. Srzucr, seconded by Mr. '
WtxxiNswie, it was resolved " That 'division be made of 21.
per share, free of income tax, out of the gains and profits of
the company, payable on the 10th of January next."
Oa the motion of Mr. filitimirr, seconded by Mr.
Goon's, a vote of thanks was given to Mr.Widder and Mr.
RGbinson for their judicious management of the company's
affairs in Canada.

The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the
:hairmaa.

NORTH METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.

Yesterday a meeting of the representative vestry
of St. Pancras was held in the Parish Hall, Camden Town,
to receive the report of a deputation, appointed to wait
upon Sir B. Ilan, Bart, one of the members for the
borough, respecting the interests of the ratepayers as to the
formation of the proposed subterranean railway from Bays.
water to King's-cross. Mr. B. J. B. WILICHIT was voteti to
the chair.

F. IizATAY, Esq , county magistrate, presented the re-
port, which stated that after several interviews with Sir B.
Hall, it was agreed, on the suggestion of the hon. baronet,
that the interests of the ratepayers should be protected by
the introduction into the bill of certain clauses. To this
the company have assented. These clauses define the mode
in which the works are to be conducted, limiting the
space to be taken up at any one tins* and the dis-
, tepee from the parish and district churches within
which stations may be placed. They also empower
the vestry and other local boards, to pave and revue the
roads at the expense of the company ; and also to keep the
same in repair for four years, should the company fail to
do the work effectually themselves; a per ventage on the
outlay within the parish has been fixed, for the purposes of
rating. The report recommends that copies of the clauses
shall be left with the vestry cloth, for the perusal of the
vestrymen, and coaeludes with a high compliment to Sir
B. Hall. for his attention to a matter of deep interest to
the public. In nosing the adoption of the report, Mr.
Healey said that it wee with great pleasure, he added,
that the cordial thanks of the vestry be given to Sir B.
Hall, for his zeal and unremitting exertions in fully carry-
ing out the views and interests of the parish on this
oocsaion. . .

MT: WAXER seconded the resolution.
Mr. DYKI expressed a hope that the vote would be
unanimous. It wculd be • mere waste of time, after the
sixteen years' experience they had had of Sir B. Hall in
parliament, to ay ens word laudatory of the ability mil
seal with which the bon. baronet had ever defended their
local rights end interests. He (Mr. Dyke) heartily sup-
ported the report and vote of thanks'.
Mr. ECKETT was strongly of opinion that the report
ought not to be adopted without further consideration, and
until the clauses alluded to had been laid before the vestry
and duly considered by them. It had not been shown that
during the progress of excavation that care had been taken
for the protection of public convenience. His only desire
was that before coming to • decision the vestry should have
the best information.
Me Prunus suggested that the proposed clauses should
be printed and circulated before any decision was come to.
Mr Sens=Ex—This would be an injudicious mune.
The object of the committee had been to obtain from the
company reasonable and beneficial terms for the parish.
They had—aided by Sir B. Hall—dome so. Not only were
the ratepayers of St. Pancras as well off as Mary'shone,
but he believed they were now in a far better position.
After some further discussion, the adoption of the report
and the resolution were put and carried unanimously.
Mr. TI:II,NER moved • vote of thanks to the deputation
and the vestry clerk, for their exertions in the above
matter. As all appeared to have exerted themselves in the
interest of the pariah, it was but just that all should be
thanked. . .

--
Mr. Boron having seconded the motion, it was unani-
mously carried, and after the transaction of other business
the vestry adjourned, as is usual, over th4l Christmas
holidays.

A MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE took place at Turin
some nights ago. General Riff*,le Poerio, a Neapolitan,
who served many year.in the French army in Africa, and
lin the Sardinian army duriag the last campaigns, was
seized at M. de Guieoe's (the French minister) soiree with
an attack of aponlezy, and little hope is entertained of his
recovery. General l'oerio is a brave soldier, a straightfor-
ward constitutionalist, and ohe of the most respected men
in Italy. He is the uncle of the unfortunate Carlo Poetic',
who has been so justly called the " Italian Socrates," and
whose sufferings in the Neapolitan dungeons, to which he is
still confined, were 1.0 pathetically fold by Mr. Gladstone.
COUNTERVEIT FLORlNS.—Yesterday morning, not-
withstanding the apprehension of five persons on Saturday
last for attempting to pass counterfeit fiorin• in New Ozferd-
ioret t, some of the same party paid another visit to that
neighbourhood with the same object, at the shops of the
new Bazaar. They ha? commenced dealing with a shop
girl, who bad some misgivings of its genuineness, which
being observed by the female. a p.irt of the gang, she re-
quested to be allowed to substitute another; instead of
doing so, however, she ran away with the counterfeit coin,
and escaped.
How SOLDIERS ARE MADE IN ILUSSIA.—Let tern
from St. Petersburg state that, on a recent occasion, the
Czar, having remarked that the number of men raised
among the serfs in the neighbourhood of St. Petersburg
was smaller than in any part of his dominions, asked the
reason. He was informed that the landowners round St.
Petersburg were in the habit of permitting their serfs to
take servo:* in the capital on paying a portion of their
wages to their masters; so that, in point of fact, the majo-
rity of those registered in the neighbourhood were actually
in the capital. Two days after, the gates of the city were
closed, and a regular ramie was made on all the coachmen,
footmen, &c., of St. Petersburg, a large proportion of whom
were forthwith removed from their good places, gad sent off
to the army to fight the Turks.

IRELAND.

-0-

DentiN. DEc.
The fury of the gale which raged with so much
violence from the east and south east since Saturday
evening, subsided yesterday ; but the weather still
continues very boisterous, and the ports of Kingstown
and Dublin are crowded with craft of all sizes unable
to put to sea. The shore about Howth and along that
part of the coast is strewn with fragments of wreck,
among which are several indications that a ship laden
with truit, and other produce of Spain or Portugal,
has suffered wreck. The vessel which became a total
wreck off Gormanstown turns out to have been the
Agnes, of Whitehaven, bound for Dublin with iron
ore. Three of the unfortunate crew were rescued
yesterday evening, after having been three nights
and the greater part of three days without sus-
tenance in the rigging, from which the remainder of
the crew had fallen or been washed away after the
first night. The most laudable exertions were made
by the Hon. Mr. Preston, Mr. Lentaigne, Mr. H.
Hamilton, and other gentlemen of the neighbour-
hood, as well as by the fishermen of the coast, to
save the poor fellows, and a special train was
repeatedly given by the Dublin and Drogheda
Railwaylmanagtra to convey messages to Dub-
lin ; but the extreme difficulty of procuring
a life-boat frustrated all the efforts made to rescue
the crew until last evening. A large collier is
ashore off the mouth of the Boyne ; a barque-rigged
vessel has been wrecked at Arklowhead ; and at
Ballycotton, on the coast of Cork, a Portuguese
ship, the Porto Novo, from Terceira to Cork, has
become a total wreck, the crew being saved.
The case of "Dowling v. Lawler," involving mat-
ters relating to the late Carlow election, was re-
sumed yesterday in the Exchequer Nisi Prius Court,
and will most probably occupy the court for several
days to come. The injunction against the publica-
tion of the reports pending the trial was taken off
yesterday with the consent of the parties.
The Cionmel election comes off to day, when Mr.
John O'Connell will be returned without opposition.
The defeat of the tenant league in the affair is com-
plete.