The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-12 00:00:00

CITY SEWERS COMMISSION.

Yesterday a court of the gentlemen connected
with the Commission above named was held in the chief
office at the Guildhall. A large number of the Commis-
sioners attended. Deputy Praeocit took the chair at 12
o'clock precisely.
The minutes of the former court, of the nth December,
having been read, and allowed to have been entered cor.
reedy, a variety of applications of a personal character
were made.
REPORTS OP THE INSPECTORS.

Mr. G. WALTER complained or tho neglect which had
occurred in the Ward of Farringdon Without as to the
removal of dust front the houses of several of his con•

stituents.
Several other Commissioners said that the case was pre-
cisely the same in the localities they represented.
The CIIAIRMAN hoped that in all.such cases the inhabi
tants would formally complain, is order that the offending
[contractors might be punished.

NEW CANNUN•STREET WEST.

Mr. PAINTER, one of the Inspectors of Pavements, re.
ported that the New River Company had laid down a main
for their water service, after the opportunity given to them
for doing so by the alteration of the width of Cannon-street
West had taken place, and after the roadway bad been
made good and a portion of it paved.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR remarked that this was a serious
complaint. The inhabitants of that neighbourhood had
suffered most materially in their business in consequence of
the delay which had occurred. They were still subject to
loss, and additional expense was pending, for, in conse-
quence of the alteration of the level cf the &tract, they might
expect to have to pay considerable :sums in order to meet
the views of the Improvement Commissioners. He thought
a strong letter should be written to the New River Com-
ry, remonstrating with that body against their conduct
the matter of the pipes being laid after the new street
moe partially repaved.
Deputy Ilovr conceived that it would be sufficient to
check any farther evil of the kind, if a notice of the neg-
lect was given to the New River Company. To [mimed-
wert upon their conduct in this respect was, he considered,
useless.
In connexion with this subject, Mr. Clunie, a baker, of
Watling-streetAprayed for an improvement in the tho-
roughfare of this identical locality.
Deputy Lee= said he believed that lowering the level of
the new street had done great injury to the inhabitants.
The SURVEYOR then said, in reply, that it was almost
Impossible under the circumstances for the officers and the
contractors to do more than they had done to facilitate the
sewer work in the line of the new street. Upwards of one
thousand loads of earth had been removed, and an equal
number of loads of new material had been brought into the
new street. The sewer could not be completed until the
arches were erected, and as they had employed the con-
tractor for the erection of the sewer, who was at present
recognised as the contractor to the Commissioner for Sewer
Works (Mr. Crook)—who, by the way, in such works was
bound to commence the same within 24 hours' notice—he
(the surveyor) thought no course could be better adopted,
nor likely to be of so much advantage to the public.
Mr. T. H. HALL, the Chairman of the Improvement
Commirion, remarked that the weather had been most un-
propitious of late for works of this description, and that it
would be well for them not to be hasty in forming conclu-
sions as to the delay being unnecessary before they viewed
the question as a whole. (Hear.) In a very short time
they (the Improvement Commissioners) would put into the
hands of the Commissioners of Sewers another portion of
ground (now being cleared) from Bread-street to Old
Change; and he had no doubt but that the work would be
as quickly performed as possible.
After some discussion, arising from a question put by
Mr. Humphreys as to the desirability of advertising for
new contracts for the works named by Mr. Hall, the con-
venation dropped.
DIRTY STATE OP THE CITY BTILEETS.
One of the contractors for the cleansing of the streets was
fined for neglecting to cleanse the streets in his district.
There was a complaint of five streets not being properly
cleansed, or rather that the filth swept up was allowed to
remain by the side of the road for some hours. 'amerced
in the penalty of 101.
Another of the contractors was fined 81. fora similar breach
of contract. It was alleged in opposition to the complaint
in this case that the neglect had taken place on what is
called the " boxing day " (i. e. in this case tho 27th of
December last), and that the men having left without leave,
no parties could be procured to do the work.
Mr. G. WALTER said that if the contractor had only gone
to the City Soup Kitchen and Hospice at the end of
Victoria-street he would have found two hundred men
ready and anxious to obtain employment. Ile could aver
that the state of the streets upon the day spoken of was
most disgraceful.
Other fines for the non-removal of dust and sweeping
mud down the gulley shoots were then levied to the amount
of ten guineas, the parties holding the contracts being se-
verely admonished as to their conduct in all respects as to
their engagement with the commissioners in suture.
It is only just to say that so far as the district of Mr.
Mortimer, the inspector (the south middle division), goes,
that that officer reported as follows :—Mr. T. Rook, con-
tractor—" The rakers' work during the recces has beta per-
formed attentively in this district. To obviate the necessity
of working upon Christmas-day the district was cleansed on
the:previous night, and the work finished by 9, a.m. A
portion of the men absented themselves upon the ' Boxing-
day,' but their places were tilled by other men. On the
whole the work has been done with less difficulty than is
usually the case at this pen al of the year, both by the sca-
vengers and the dustmen in my division."
Attcr the transaction of some further business the com-
missioners adjourned.

ROYAL BANK OP AusTß,U.la.—Yesterslay an
application was made in this matter to settle the terms of
some items disputed by the official manager in the account
of
Aus Messrs. Smith, Campbell, a
sednd Co., the late agents in
tralia, who had been supered. The Master refused
the application, but directed that the agents and Mr. Dun-
can Dunbar, their surety, should be summoned for can-
•
mutation at the neat meeting.

THE COLONIAL BANK.

The thirtieth half-yearly meeting of the proprie-
tors was held yesterday, at the London Tavern; Mr. C.
MmatrAT, in the chair.

Atter ti,e usual preliminaries, the Secretary read the fol-
lowing hslauce-sheet

Dams.

Circulation
Deposits and other liabilities 1,029,739 6 6
l'aid-up e tpital
Fuud to natet bad debts
l'rutit

ASSET%

£1.a2,767 19 7

Specie
Due to tho bank in the cclokies, on bills
discounted and purchased, including
those past due 689,776 1 9
Due to the bank in the ecPuties, on cub

ereuits and current accounts
Due to the bank in London, on bills re-
.

146,307 13 3

750,749 9 9

mittenl, c t+ll at bankers, &i
Bank ino..iscs ..nd furniture, iu L radon
and the eolcuivs

£1,522,7671) 7

_ .
The followicg was the repot of the directors :
" It is satisfactory to the directors to present to the pro-
prietors a statement which opoin exhibits an increased
amount of profit; and they have pleasure in adding that
the accounts of the halt year just concluded, as far as they
have been received from the branches, give reason to anti-
cipate that its results will he quite as favourable as that
of the provioue corresponding half-year. With reference
to dividend the directors recumcncnd the proprietors, not-
withstanding the steady increase in profits, to adhere to tho
prudent course suggested in the report of January last;
for although tile collections on account of the old doubtful
deficiencies continue to be fully equal to the expectations of
the direct ,rs, the amount to be made good is still huge.
They therefore propose again to divide per cent.. tieing
at the rat.; el 3 per cent. per annum on the paid-up capital
of the corporation, out of the prodg of the half-year ending
30th June, Mi.!, amounting to 17,2811. 18s., which will
require 7,5001.. leaving 9,7811. 18s. to be added to the fund
to meet bad debts, thereby increasing it to 108,445/.151. 7th"
The CIIIIRMAN said he had not much to add to the
report. Tin increased amount of profit was not large in
itself ; but it should be borne in nand that it was an in-
crease upon the increase of the previous half-veer. In tact,
in the last five consecutive half-years there hid been LI gra-
dual improve:au.: : a state of things which could not bo
otherwise than satisfactory. It was, too, a real bona fiik
increase; the lassie haying been entirely provided for
out of the receipts of the half-year. The directors had se-
rioudy considered the sulject of dividend, and were una-
nimously of opinion that the time had not yet arrived for
an increase. The SUM to he made up was still v..ry large;
and they must not bigot that there was a time of trial
coining fur the West ladies, inasmuch as during the next
ightecn months what remaiued iu the shape of protective
dieio would disappear, atuountiug to a considerable
per cottage upon the value of West India pro-
ouco. Under ordinary circumstances this might be
very serious matter for them; but tho directors
hoped that in the present state of things, it
would not much affect them. The discoveries of gold
and the increased trade consequent thereupon would
probably, by increasing consumption, mitigate the evils of
a course in which it had seemed right to parliament in its
wisdom to persist, notwitlistandieg all the representations
of the colonists. The board thought, therefore, that the
time had not yet arrived for changing the dividend; but
they trusted it would not be long before they would have
the satisfaction of telling the proprietors that they felt
themselves in a position to propose an increase.
On the motion of the Cualitaiats, the report was adopted

unanimously.
A resolution was then carried for dividing W. 103. per
cent. for the half-year ending 30th June, 18.2, being at tho
rate of 3 per cent. per annum, payab..e on and arm the
' '

. -
17th instant. . . .
The retiring directors were re-elected, and Mr. Which
chosen as auditor in the raoin of Mr. Robarts, who retired.
The proceedings terminated with a vote 01 thanks to the
chairman.