The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-21 00:00:00

MAIL STEAM PACKET

COMPANY.

The first annual meeting of proprietors in the
above company was held yesterday at the London Tavern,
Glnonan lltun.UtT, Esq., chat:tuna the directors, in the
chair.

The notice of meeting having been read, the Sae TTTTTT
proceeded to recd the following report:—
"The directors have convened the first annual general
meeting pursuant to the terms of the company's charter and
deed of settlement, and in making their report, cotsider it
due to the proprietors to review briefly the progress of the
company up to the present time. They have to announce
that her Majesty has been pleased to grant her royal charter
of incorporation, limiting the liabilities of the shareholders
to the amount subscribed, and that the company's deed of
settlement has been duly executed. The number of st.sres
subscribed for, nod paid on, is twelve thousand one hull-
deed and twenty-six, leavine in the hands of the directors
three hundred and seventy-four shares, which wiU be issued
as they may consider desirable for the interests of the com•
pany. After various consult lions with parties ie England
and Scotland best able to advise as to the size
and models requisite for the service, the directors
invited the most eminent builders and engineers in
the United Kngdom to tender for providing the company
with flee iron a row steam ships, and they have the satisfac-
tion of informing the proprietors that they have entered
into contracts with the following firms respectively:—
Messrs. Caird and Co., Kangaroo, 1,530 tons, 300 horse
power; Messrs. Reid and Co., Dinornis, 1,530 tons, 300
horse power ; Mr. Robert Napier, Erneu, 1,606 tons, 300
horse power; ditto, Black Swan, 1,620 tons, 300 horse
power; Messrs. Miller and Ravenhill, Menura, 1,600 tons,
300 horse power. The directors confidently expect that
they will be in a position to commence early operations,
the builders having contracted that the first vessel shall be
delivered to the company in June next, the others to follow
in monthly succession. The contracts were fortunately en-
tered into previous to the late advance in iron and other
materials, and are consequently very much under the prices
for which they Gould now be contracted for. The reports
lately received of the progress of the Panama Railway are
satisfactory ; the permanent way is so far complete as to
admit of its being opened in the course of next month from
Colon (Navy Bay) to Gorgon'', a distance of 23 miles; the
works on the remaining part of the line are rapidly progre4-
ing, and it is confidently anticipated that the through.
journey will be effected by rail towards the end of the year.
It is essential to the success of this undertaking that there
should he sufficient and ample means of communication
between England and Panama, the directors have there-
fore the satisfaction of informing the proprietors, that in
addition to the bi-menthly service of the Royal Mail Steam
Packet Company from Southampton direct to Colon, pas-
sengers will also be booked through by the ships of the
British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet
Company from Liverpool via New York to Colon, and from
thence to New Zealand and Sydney. The directors have
only in conclusion to congratulate the proprietors on the
very cordial reception the early establishment of steam com-
munication between Australasia and England by way of
Panama has met with in the colonies u wall as in the mother
oountrThey."
CHAIRMAN said he would now move the adoption
of the report,proforma' in order that any shareholder present
who might have an obeiirvatkn to make should have the op-
portunity. The report gave all the information which the
directors had thought Important, but there were one or
two interesting points to which it did not allude. For
instance, it being necessary that certain arrangements
should be at ones made in the Pacific, he had the plea-
sure of informing the meeting that Mr. Currie, one of the
directors, had placed himself at the service of the board,
and would proceed out to make coaling strangertente at
Otaheite. New Zealand, and other places on the route.
They would also have the services of the Pacific Company's
establishment at Panama, an arrangement which would be
both advantageous and economical. Allusion had been made
in the report to the fortunate circumstances under which
the ship contracts had been made, but he had also the satis-
faction to add that the ship-builders would be no losers as
they also had purchased their iron previous to the rise.
(Henr„.heez.)
Dr. &wrens asked IS the contract. for Goal had been
effected ?

The Commute—Not yet.
Dr. Buren said that the advanced state of the company's
ships as well as the favourable rate at which the contracts I
had been made, was eery satisfactory, while the reputation
of the builders was an ample pledge that full justice would
be done to the company, notwithstanding the great Increase
in the price of plate iron in particular. It was extremely
desirable that the company should commence its operations
with the least possible delay. He believed that the routs
from Great Britain to the Australian colonies, via Panama,
was that which would be chiefly patronised by passengers,
and for the conveyance of goods. He observed by an ad-
vertisement in a recent Panama newspaper, that a sailing
vessel was to leave that port for the Anst!ralian colonies,
touching at Tahiti and New Zealand, which 'hewed that
an effiat was being made to open the communication under
considerable disadvantage of sailing ships. If the report
was true, as there was no reason to doubt, that gold had
been found on an island of New Zealand, when a valuable
copper, tin, and manganese mine had for some time been
worked, that country haviag a fine climate and pastoral
soil, magnificent bays and harbours, and much mineral
wealth, would speedily rise to vast importance. He was
happy, therefore, that the vessels of this compan would
visit New Zealand on the way to and from Australia.
A SHAREHOLDIU asked if this was the proper time for
considering the propriety of establishing a route front Eng-
land to Panama. If this company did net establish it some
some other would to a certainty. (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN said that he had not sufficient capital,
and besides there deed of settlement precluded them from
doing anything of that sort.
Another SHARZHOLDIR said it should be mentioned
they were also shareholders in the Mail Packet Company,
and would beentting their own throats. (A laugh.)
The First Buanottoinin said he was not, and took a dif-
ferent view of the question.
The CHAIHMLN said that they would give many advan-
tages to the public, among others a route of 46 days to New
Zealand. _ .

The report was then adopted, and the outgoing director
and auditors having been re-elected, the proceedings ter-
minated with the tonal vote of thanks.

THE FLooDo IN FRANCE.—Letters Ifrom Nantes
announce that the waters of the Loire have risen consider-
ably, and that the Erdre and Sayre have overflowed their
•banks. The lake of Grand-Lieu has also overflowed, and
laid the neighbouring villages under water. Many of the
inhabitants have been obliged to leave their dwellings in
boats. A letter from Angers of the 16th, says: The
Maine continues to rise. The water, driven by the high
wind, rolls along in huge masers towards the Pont du
Centre, and it is difficult to ascertain its real height on the
scale. The Loire is also high, but not as yet disquietingly
so. The lower part of the town is all ander water, and the
inhabitant, have been obliged to take refuge in the first
floors." The neighbourhood of Vitry-le-Francais is under
water, from the overflowing of the Saul:. Outre-point,
situated between Bas-le-Duc and Vitry, was also for 24
hours quite cutoff from all communication with the villages
in the vicinity.
Ms. DISRAELL—A morning cotemporary says.—
We have authority for stating that there is no truth what-
ever in the report that Mr. Disraeli is about to go abroad
for two years. The right hon. gentleman was never in
better health, and had never less intention of absenting
himself from his parliamentary duties.