The Express.
London, England, 1849-04-26 00:00:00

THE ALLEGED LUNATICS' FRIEND BOCIETY.—Th•
general dieting of this gaiety was held rn Tuesday last, at
*Air aims, Craven-street, Strand, when a r port' ins read
tithe pas flags during the last year, and of the cases in
'Mak the senety interference had been ben, dole/. The
dunks of the members were meted " to be pre-emithatly due
to the public press, which had noticed fn a vorepowerful
manner the abuses existing under the present law , lunacy."
A Minn praying for a committee of inquiry was so agreed
upon and signed, and I'M be Methyl* to both
houses of parliament.
FEMALE AID SOClETY.—Yesterday, thi annual
meeting of this asetety was held at the Hanover-squert
Axon • the Bid of Barrdeby M the @he'll.. The o' ices of
the institution, es demi distally, are " First, to afford shel-
ter end pestessida to ommats aed ease unprotested young
yawn etveil gingreeter ; sad, entandli, to provide an ear
ham kr islfia ie4 penitent females." There anthem as
see b died “ TM Home far friendkes You* Females
of good Character," the second, " The Home end Registry
for Female Servants;" and the third, " The Homer fa Peni-
tent Females." Into the first 120 yang persons have been
received during the past year, of whom 98 have been plead
out in service, 8 have retuned to their parent,, and 14 have
either leR at their own request or been dismissed; 181
lod_gers have been received into the second asylum, called
" The Servaets' Hesse," of wham 104 have since obtained
@Matisse ; 974 mesas hem been placed on the MOW, ; and
297 families ham ban provided with servants ; 198 females
have been goesived late the Penitent Home during the year,
lof whom only 49 have been dismissed. The expenditure for
the year bed asseetted es 3,0841. ; the receipts. exceeded
that swag by upwards of 4901. The chairman oteratialated
Mo Eddie en the faddist the Queen Dowagerlad
conde-
cEeedsd M patronise the innitutioa ; and obtervedetha expe-
llees, bad proved that the effort to reclaim femiles of bad
elmeastsr was not Quixotic; mad that there was every meson
t= set sontiamd satidaddy results. Resolutions were
i
declaratory
of °missed coalideme in the society.
COMPRESSED AIR-ENGINE COMPANY.--Netterdsy,
ma extraordinary meeting tithe proprietorsof tide company
was held at the Thatched House Tavern, St. 'saw's-street,
for the purpose of confirming the provisional *mews,
for carrying into effect the arrangements with the,patentess,
and for authorising and directing the necessary steps for
effecting • diesoletioa of the company. M. Riley, Req., in
the chair.—The chairman said that he very much regretted
that a sun dent number of shareholders were not present to
constitute • level meeting. Under the deed of settlement of
the company, it was requisite that two-thirds of the pro-
prietor. should be present, and there were wanting between
terenty and thirty more individuals to make up the necessary
number. It was not the fault of the directom
that the objects in view could not be accomplished,
for they bad dons everything in their power to
procure • sufficient attendance of shareholders. What
the directors wished to effect was, to wind up the
affairs of the company with as little expose* as possible, in
order that some portion of the sum subscribed might be
available for distribution. As their affairs stood pt present,
and provided that • dissolution could be obtained without
expense, there would remain about 65. in the pound to be
divided among them; bat if they applied to the • Court of
Chancery, under the provisions of the Winding Up Act, he
wee of opinion that the balance on hand would be swallowed
up in litigation. It was for the shareholders to suggest the
course which they wished the directors to pursue. The
directors had not put • shilling into their pockets from the
commencement of the undertaking, and it could not be ex-
pected that they would incur any respoesibility in the matter.
Several shareholders then offered suggestions embodying what
seemed ta them the moat eligible method of proceeding, but
none of their propositions met with general conga. once ex-
cept one thrown out by Mr. Davis, the solicitor to the com-
pany, who proposed that the meeting should allow matters
to rest as they were for a short time longer, and, in the
meantime, the directors would endeavour a procure some
large proprietor, who, when the liabilities of the company
and the amount paid on the different elegies of shares was
accurately ascertained, would buy up, at • fair value, such a
number of shares as would rive the power of winding up the
affairs of the company. The shareholders were unani-
mously of opinion that this was the most judicious mode of
preceedins:aand they also expressed their willingness to part
with the shares held by them at a price which wool inet:
some capitalist to undertake the transaction. A vote of
thanks wee then passed to the chairman, and the meeting