The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-20 00:00:00

what to do with it, sad might lead further extravagant
expenditure. (Rees)
Mr. Tourisme said he thought it would meet the views
of the greet body of the proprietors :if they were to under-
stand %bathe s rpins should so to the auntie! and gradual
increase of the reserve fund, after a dividend of 8 per cent.
had been secured.

The CHAIIMAIc said that was the way in which the
board wished the matter to be understood. But the pro-
prietors were not to go away with the idm, either that the
directors pledged themselves that the dividend should be
8 per cent., or that they would emu the whole surplus that
might be above that to the rest. (Hear.)
Mr. TITS expressed himself satisfied with the statement
mad, by the chairman.
Mr. HADOW expressed himself favourable to an increase
of the rest in proportion as the liabilities increased.
Mr. litooes said that with 1,000,0001. of capital and
100,000 i. rest it was idle to say that anything more was
wanted to secure the confidence of the public or the pro-
prietors. Bat, as it was thought necessary to have 100,0001.
to secure a dividend of 6 per cent, it was but reasonable to
have a larger rest to secure a permanent dividend of B per
cent. (Hear.) It was not fair to say that the money which
went to increase the rest was taken eat of the pockets of
the shareholders, for it gave increased value to the shuns
which they held. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Cnoven, who had given notice of a motion for di-
minbliing the capital of the company, said that, in come-
. quenee of the dismission which had taken place, it was r,4
his intention to persevere with that motion ; t. tat he still
entertained the opinion that it was not at all necessary for
them to be possessed of so large a capital, as the public con-
fidence was not so much regulated by the esti nt of capital
as by their opinion of the honour, respectability, and in-
tegrity of the company. In proof of this he instsnced the
example of the London Joint Stock Bank, the Union Bank,
the London and County Bank, and the National and Pro-
vincial Bank, which, with capitals not half the amount of
the London and Westminster, yet divided 9 per cent. If
they diminished their capital by half they would be in a
position to divide 11 per cent.
Mr. KENS/MAD said it might be true that they wauli
get 11 per cent. from half the capital ; but, suppesing they
withdrew hell the capital, and invested it in the funds,
they would only get 3 per cent., so that the question via, as
broad as it was long.
Mr. Alderman SALOMONS said that the proposal of the
board did not arise from any contingency which they ex-
pected, but from what some perhaps would cumider over-
prudence. Having considerably increased their liabilities,
they thought it but fair, and just, and prudent towards
the public, end towards the proprietor., to carry the reserve
fund, with the express approbation of the meeting, to •
higher figure than 100,0001. (Hear, hear.) He believed
that their large deposits had some connexion with their
r large capital, and he did not think they could reduce that
capital without a breach of faith, certainly not without dis-
credit. (Hear, bear.) lie thought the time would arrive
when those other banks to which the hon. proprittor had
referred, and each of which he believed to be as stable as
their own, would see the necessity of following the example
of this bask.
The motion was then put and carried.
The then retiring memb•n were re-elected, and votes of
Thanks pared on the directors, the chairman, Mr. Gilbert
(the principal manager), the other managers and officers of
the company ; after which the meeting separated.

ANNUAL RETURNS OF FIRES LN LONDON.

The following return of the number of fires within
the metropolitan district, which wile attended by the Lot.-
don firemen during the last 12 months, is made or. the au-
thority of Mr. Braidwood, superintendent of the London
Brigade :
. . . . . . .

Apothecaries and dealers in drugs but having no che-
mical works carried on bad 6 tires ; bagnios, 2 ; ba-
kers, 13 ; ditto biscuit, 1; ditto muffin, 1 ; ditt,
pie, 3 • basket makers, 1 ; barge and boat builders, I ;
benliopt, 5 ; blacking makers, 1 ; bleachers, 1 ; book-
sellers, binders, and stationers, IS ; bottle merchants, I ;
brewers, 1 ; brokers and dealers in old clothes, 9 ; builders,
9 • cabinet makers, 15 ; carpenters and workers in wood not
cabinet makers, 56 ; chemists, 2 ; chandlers, 15 ; coach-
makers, I ; coopers, 2 ; currier, and leather dressers 2 ;
churches, 2 ; corkcutters, 1 ; coffee roasters, I ; coffee-shops
and chop-houses 18 ; cotton wool warehouses, 1 : chocsilate
makers, 1; charcoal and coke dealers, 2 ; confectioners and

pastryc'eolis, 3 ; cheesemongers, 7 ; Cao'utelioue manufac-
turers, 2; cane dyers, 1; cement works, 1 ; colour makers,
1; distillers (illicit), 1 ; ditto tar, 2 ; ditto turpentine, 1 ;
drapers, woollen, linen, and mercers, 33; druggists, whole-
sale, 6 •, drysalters, 1 ; eating-houses, 14 ; engineers, me-
chanical, 3 ; firework makers, 2; farming stock, 3; founders,
4; furriers and akin dyers, 1 ; fire annihilator works, 1 ;
grocers, 7 ; gas works, 4 ; glue maker., 1; hat makers, 1;
hempdressers, 4 ; horse-hair merchants, V ; hotels, including
club houses, 2 ; japanners, 3; lampblack makers, 2 ; laun-
dresses, 3; lodgings, 36; Weiler match makers, 5; Man-
chester warehouses in London, 6; marine store dealers,
7 ; musical instrument makers, 2 ; milliners and dress-
I makers, 9; nuts, dealers in, 1; oil and eolourmen,
not colour makers, 13 ; oil works, 1; private, 219 ;
paper stainers, 3; pasteboard makers, 1 ; printed baize
makers, 2; pipe makers, 1 ; printers, 5; ditto, copper-plate,
1 ; public buildings, 1 ; pawnbrokers, 1; painters, plumbers,
and glasiers, 3 ; paper mills, 2; rag merchante, 4 ; railways,
3 ; rope makers, 3 ; sale shops and offices, 37 ; saw mills,
steam, 7 ; ships, 5 ; ditto builders, 2 ; ditto chandlers, 1 ;
ditto steam ships, 1; stables, 16 ; soot merchants, 1; straw-
bonnet makers, 2; sugar refiners, 2; steam-boilers, 1;
schools of industry, 1; silk merchants, 1 ; tanners, 1;
tallow-chandlers, melters, was-chandlers, and soap-factors,
4; tailors, 14 ; tarpauling makers, 2; Outrun, braziers, and
smiths, 7 ; tobacconists, 7 ; toy warehouses, 3; unoccupied,
6; under repair and building, 11; upholsterers, 1 ; varnish
makers, 3; victuallers, 40; warehouses, 6: weavers, 1;
ditto, mats, 3 ; wine and spirit merchants, 4 ; wood mer-
chants, 2 ; wharfingers, 1.
From the above it will be seen that during the year the
total number of fires which occurred was 923, which are
divided into two classes, vie., those totally destroyed aid
considerably damaged, and those slightly injured. Of the
former there were 263, and of the latter 666. There were
also 93 false alarms, and the engines were called 89 times
So what turned out to be chimneys on lire, making 182
extra calls for auistauce.

The engines had likewise attended at 22 fatal fires, one
of which was in Haydon•egnare, Minorite, where Alfred
Wilson, and Crampton, another fireman, were crushed to
death by the falling of one of the lofty walls. For sixteen
years before the Brigade bad lost only eight men by ac-
cidents.