The Express.
London, England, 1848-05-25 00:00:00

NATIONAL BANK OF IRELAND.

The annual meeting of the proprietors of the above i
honk wan held yesterday, at the office of the establishment,
No. 13, Old Broad-street. Mr. L. Murray was in the chair. I
The advertisement by which the meeting had been eon- 1
versed having been read, the following report of the directors
was kid b; fore the proprietors :—" On the occasion of the
annual general meeting the duty devolves upon the directors
of submitting to the proprietors the result of the operations ;
of the bank for the past year. The annals art banking do not
present a period of greater difficulty or excitement, or one
which hie required more anxious care and attention on the part
of those having the responsibility of large monetary establish-
ments The fluctuations in the veue of money, securities,
and produce, the large importation of grain, and a tendency to
undue speculations, with the full prospect of an abundant
harvest, indicated early to the directors the danger that the
year would wind up with panic and disaster. In the early
part of the year, while the country was under an absolute
deficiency of food, the directors willingly lent the facilities
of the bank to its importation; taut they considered it their
duty to withhold undue accommodation from those who
were disposed to pushept culatioa beyond a certain period.
la eating with ineraseed vigilance and decision on these
views, the directors have the satisfaction of stating that but
few of the customers of the bank have suffered, and the
bar k itself was enabled to pass through the period of diffi-
culty with abundant means and without much anxiety of
loss. At the same time the continued deficiency in the
p data crop in 1847, a produce so essential in the present
condition of Ireland to the punctual discharge of local en-
gaeemente, the disease engendered by the deficiency of food,
diminished exports, and increased imports, pressed with
unusual severity on the agricultural resources of Ireland.
The people hare met these trials with an admirable courage
and rt•signetien, and it is hoped that another abundant har-
vest may restore the country to its previous condition. Not-
withstanding these and other subjects constantly hefore the
attention of the director.. the progress of the hank has
been satisfactory, and Its profits have exceeded firmer
year,. Public confidence, in its ample resources and manage-
ment, is steedily increasing, and its future prospects aro
sound and healthy. The bad debts having been written off,
the directors have, out of the nett profits of the year,
amounting to 33,4961. 9a. Id., paid the two helf-vearly
dividi rids, and there remains a surplus of 10,9961. 9s. Id.
At the but meeting the proprietors having concurred with
the directors in the opinion that a reserved fund of 60,0001.
wan sufficient, the directors have come to the conclusion of
declaring a bonus of 10,000!., to be divided rateably amongst
the proprietors, and which will be paid them with the next
hall-yearly dividend. During the latter part of the year, it
having been intimated to the directors that the London and
Dublin Bunk wt re destroue of distolv,ng that company, nego-
elation* were entered into with the directors, which terminsted
in this establishment succeeding to its connections in the
towns of Dundalk, Carrickmacrine, Wicklow, K(114, Athy,
Nlulliegar, and Parsonstown, with every prospect of ad-
vantage to the bank. The whole of these localities are,
with the exception of Parsonetown, within the circle from
which all banks of issue, except the Bank of Ireland, had
been excluded, until the extinction of the monopoly by the
Banking Act of 1845. By this arrangement the vacancies in
the direction were filled up by three of the directors of that
establishment—vie, Sir Ralph Howard, Bart., M.P.; Oda-
, viol Ommanney, Esq. • and Francis Carnsc Brown, Esq ;
' wbese appointment by the directors will require confirmation
by the proprietors. There are now to he elected four direc-
tors, in the room of A. P. Johnson, Esq. ; Fowler Newsam,
E.g.; F. IS Heashaw, Esq. ; and Cites. Bianeoni, Esq. ;
whose time of office has expired, but who are re-eligible, and
offer themselves accordingly, and three other proprietors
have signifit d their intention of becoming candidates fir the
office—vis, John O'Conni 11, E.g., M.P., Augustus Vigne
' litq , and ltowand Ronald, Esq., and whose names are slat:
. I aubmit,ed to you.
The undivided profits at December, 1016, were .C 50,100 15 3
Net profits fur the yaw ending December,
lei: .C33,496 9 1

J15J,603 4 4
Deduct bar-year'. dividend to
idoummer,lBl7 /11,230
Ditto ditto to Chrlstokto, 1847
22,300 0 0

Leaving amount of undivided profits at Do.
umber, 1,47
The chairman said the proprietors were acquainted with
the fact that the hank had, on its formation, and for some
time after, considerable difficulties to contend against. The
whole of these obstacles and their consequences had now
been most successfully surmounted. The entire losses of
the hank, during the 11 years of its establidtment, amounted
to 17.5,0001., but he was happy to be able to state that the
whole of this loss had now been entirely written off. (Rear,
hear.) They had written off during the last year, and out
of their profits, the sum of 29,1661. 4s. 6d., independent of a
sum of 10,0001. that they had made beyond the amount ap-
propriated to dividend. (Hear, hear.) Therefore the profits
of the bock for the last year, had this proportion of loos not
been written off, would have shown the sum of 62,0001. In
1841 the prt tits of the bank were, in round numbers,
42,0011 ; in 1842, 31.0001.; in 1843, 28.0001.; in 1844,
30,0001. ; in 1845, 36,000/. ; in 1846, 48,0001. ; and in 1847,
61,0001. (Cheers.) The report was carried unanimously,
and some f,rmal resolutions as to the election of direeton
having been agreed to, a Tote of thanks was given to the
directors and the chairman, and the meeting broke up.

The Lords' Committee of the Privy Council for
Trade and Plantations bad • meeting yesterday. There
were present the Right Hon. U. Labouebtre, Earl Grey,
Sir James Stephen, and Sir Edward Ryan.
SERIOC,I ACCIDENT ON TILE BRIGHTON AND
DOVER RAMA' AY.—Ye,terday afternoon a serious accident
happened on the Brighton and Dover Railway, to • man
named James Finch. From what could be gleaned, it ap-
pears that he was emplord at the Reigate station as a porter,
and, whilst engaged in the removal of goods to an adjacent
warehouse, he had occasion to jump upon one of the trucks
attached to an engine, and as he was in the act of getting up
his feet slipped, when his right leg got entangled in some
portion of the machinery, and before the engine could be
stopped, the limb was most fearfully mutilated, and nearly
severed from his body. The poor fellow was extricated and
carried to the station, where a neighbouring surgeon ren-
dered the necessary aid.

ACCIDENT OS THE LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAIL-
WAY.-I.Ast evening, shortly before six o'clock, an accident
too's place near the Sutton elation, whereby a man, named
William Manson, received such serious injuries that his life
is at present despaired of. The unfortunate man Will a
guard in the service of the company, and shortly Wore
the accident the train Mopped at the Sutton
.station, to
take up puisengtr6. The signal being given, the
engine-driver started the train, and Manson mounted
the r.mf of one of the carriages, but before he could
get to his mat his head come in contact with the arching of a
hridge, by which he sustained shocking injuries in the head
and other parts of his person. The violence of the collision
toned him off on to the ground, and when raised up be was
found ti be quite inrensible. lie was conveyed with all
speed, by the next train, to London-bridge, and from thence
to the accident ward of Guy's hospital, where the house.
surgeon pronounced him to be labouring under concussion of
the brain.

THE LATE ItATLWAY ACCIDENT.—SIVINDON, May
23--Another death hu resulted front the late melancholy
accident on the railway near this place. The unfor
tunate deceased is Mr. Maunsell Micham, a gentleman of
property. He sustained a slight concosrion of the brain
when the collision took place, and up to the date of his
death had r. mained under medical advice at Swindon.
An inquest was this day held on the remains of the de-
ceased, before Mr. Whitmarsh, coroner for Wiltshire. The
evidence as to the accident having b :en repeated by the
various witnesses, and the identity having been proved by
John Fennell, a servant of the deceased, Mr. E. Rogers,
sur.eeon, of Swindon, stated that he hod attended Mr.
Micham since the accident on the 10th of May. He con-
sidered the proximate cause of death to be erysipelas, brought
on by exposure to cold. Mr. Rimers stated that Mr. Micham
had completely recovered from the concussion of the brain,
under which be had previously suffered, when attacked with
erysipelas.—The jury, after considerable deliberation, re-
turnell the following verdict:—" That Maunsell Micham
died on Monday, the 22nd of May, 1848, from erysipelas,
CAUtI d by imprudently exposing himself to cold air on the
gallery at the Swindon station, when in a delicate state
ot health, resulting from previous injuries received at
Shrivenham."

INQUEST, YESTERDAY.—DEATH IN A WATER. TAN ii.
—By Mr. Bedford, at the Royal Yacht, Stanhope-street,
Clare market, on the body of W. H. Denise, aged 4 years.
The father of the child stated that he was a groom employed
at the Angel Inn Yard, in the Strand, On Monday after-
noon, between 2 and 3 o'clock, he noticed deceaa. d playing
in the yard of the Angel Inn w;th two or three more boys.
Hering attended to his horses he went Mail* into the yard,
when a person informed him that his son's cap was fi acing
on toe surface of the water in a tank four feet high. Witness
*lnt there, and on 'looking saw the deceased lying at the
bittom of the tank. He got him out and tent for a surgeon,
who, up .n his arrival, pronounced life extol, t. Witness bad
made every inquiry, but no one had been found who could
tell bow the deceased got into the water. He was in the
habit of playing about the yard, and the only reasonable
conclusion that witness could come to was that he had been
playing at "cat" and that the toy had popped into the water,
and on climbing up to look for it he had overbalanced him-
self and fell into the tank.—The Couner said it was very
strange that in such a busy place no one had seen how the
child got into the water. It was impossible for the deceased
to have fallen in without first climbing up the aide of the
tank, and the father did not suspect any one of having
thrown the deceased into the water; but as they had no
direct evidence on that point, he should suggest that an open
verdict should be returned.—The jury returned a verdict of
"Found drowned."