The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-26 00:00:00

)fr. Heattie„and he signed the receipt produced. She
lad ow paid him other sums, the invoices of which were
..docod and receipted in the prisoner's hand-writing.
'llr. Hudson Beattie, the promeouter, maid that the poit
opar bad been in his employ 22 yeah, and wee manager to
ge badness at a salary of two guineas a week, and the
too. It was his duty. to receive aB monkeys film the
isooodes, enter them into a day book, and at the *ad of
ge week pay the same over to witness, or to the bankers.
sow. Breve!. and Co. were old customers of his, and he
wid onsome time considered that no dealings bad been
owed to them on the books ; but, on inquiry, he found
gat the prisonsr had been carrying on business with them
lir years, received the money, and converted it to his
on nee. He believed that he bad embezzled at least 8001.
jigs money.
lr BarcUm remanded him until Thursday next.

sfANDARD BANK OF BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA.
(TIM DAY.)

- _
The hall-yearly meeting or tne
Mr.shaeholders was
?held IS noon, at the London Tavern; NEM in the
elms, report, which was taken as seed, stated that
tk accounts for the halfsyear ending June 30
akowedn profit (after payment of charges, and inclusive
if the balance of 1,39111. 150. Id. broeght forward from the
account) of 23,4731. Da 91., which, subject to
riefroulp val
thenllifbetlstihotrdasersio the directollows, rs
Tor."ra.
se bills discounted, disposed
~3711. 11a. sd. ; to had debt account
for the estimated depreciation of seserities Pain 31st De-
ember,1865,3,0161 Ss. 7d. ;to preliminary expenses, 2501. ;
so amalgamation account, 8151. ; to reserve fend, 1,0001. •
k interim dividend of 10s. per share on 17,053 shares, 25/:
pad, and 4a. per share on 6,108 shares, 101. paid, 9,748/.
To balance carried forward to profit and loss new
ssoment, subject to payment of income tan, and remunera-
asu to directors, 1,182/. 12a 9d. Total, 23,4731. Ds. 9d.
/he directors said they met the shareholders under the con-
Soden that the bank has now fairly passed through the pe-
eled of trial to which it was exposed by the mersurtile dims-
ws of 1864 and 1863. lf, in the mars* of realising mearities,
My further allowances had yet to be made for bad debts,
there was, on the other hand, a reseenable prospect of iv-
threrial on debts valued too low in past estimates. The
bank in London had now been placed en • thoroughly
independent basis, and, during the past few
swaths has been enabled to retire under discount
as own acceptances at the minimum bank rate.
llis subject of reducing the liability of the shareholders
lad had the serious attention of the directors ; but, after
stature reflection, they were of opinion that the time had
isootzt come for taking action in regard to it. The share-
, however, might rest assured that the directors
sars fully alive to the importance of the question, and
sky would not fail, should a suitable occasion arise, to
king forward a scheme for carrying the change into effect.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report
sad accounts, congratulated the meeting on the position of
Se company. When he joined the board a year ago it was
to endeavour to pull the bank through its difficulties. The
bettors bed done their best towards that end,
sad their efforts had been ably seconded by those of the
at the Cape, Mr. Stewart. There had been great
=r es in the management of the bank, but with the ex-
perience gained such mistakes would not occur in future.
All the losses were made before Mr. Stewart went out
ss teenager. lie then read a letter from Mr. Stewart to show
that the board were justified in their estimate of the losses.
Under the articles a certain amount must be set aside as
sreserve fund. In this case the sum thus appropriated
was 1,0001.,and altogether there was a surplus of 3,000/. after
raying the dividend. The bank in London was in a very
good position as regarded means. During thepanic they were
enabled easily to meet all their obligationslatterly
they had been prepared to discount any good bills that pre-
sented themselves. As regarded the current year, he
observed that the reports lately received from the Cape
showed that the profits bad been inereasing and the ex-
penditure diminishing. (Cheers.)
A SHARIMILDER wished to know whether anything had
been dons towards effecting an amalgamation with the
South African board.
The CHAIRMAN replied in the negative.
The SHAREHOLDER tbonght it MU understood at the last
meeting that some steps would be taken by the boani for
that purpose.
The CHAIRMAN was of opinion that after what occurred
it war for the shareholders to express their views again.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. MACKENZIE, a director, adverting to the question of
reducing the liability, observed that for that purpose it
would be necessary to reconstruct the company.
Mr. Karresa, after some remarks as to the desirablenem
of reducing the liability, and for that purpose reconstruct-
ing the company, moved an amendment to the effect that
the report be adopted, with the exception of the paragraph
Mann to that subject, and declaring it to be the opinion
of the meeting that the directors should prepare a scheme
of reconstniction to be laid before the shareholders for
early consideration.
Kr. IiuDGKIN seconded the amendment.
A SHAREHOLDER thought that the best course would be
to reorenmead the directors to consider the question of re-
sonstmction together with the question of amalga-
mating with another bank.
Mr. F. etteruan understood the board not to be opposed
to arualgamatiou, but to regard it as one of time and ex-
pediency ; and in that point of view he thought their
opinion ought to be respected. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. higamen entirely concurred in this view.
In reply to a SHAREHOLDER,
The CHAIRMAN said, the question of amalgamation was
now under consideration of the board, but there were
great difficulties in the way.
Mr. IVeateres deprecated delay in reducing the amount
of liability as tending to injure the company. He thought
it very desirable that half the capital should be returned to
the shareholders.
The CHAIRMAN, in reply, observed that his first effort
on joining the board was to bring about an amalgamation
with the South African Banking Compnny ; but the
spirit of the latter, as evinced at its meet-
ing and elsewhere, was anything but favourable.
He then believed an amalgamation desirable for both
companies ; but he would add that he now thought the
Standard Bank was in the best position. As regarded the
reduction of liability, he remarked that it would be
attended with great difficulties, and that in the case of an-
other bank it was decided on good legal authority that
the thing could not be .lone unless the shareholders were
unanimous. The question was beset with difficulties. The
object might involve a compulsory winding-up, Lord
Justice Knight Bruce having expressed the opinion that
it did not follow that a voluntary winding-up was for
the interest of the shareholders.
The amendment having been lost by a large majority, the
report was adopted, and a dividend in accordance there-
with declared.
The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the
chairman and his colleagues.

INATGURATION OF MR. JOHN STUART MILL,
M.P., Mt LORD RECTOR Or ST. ANDREW'R UNIVERsiTy.-11
is understood that Mr. J. S. Mill will visit St. Andrew's
early in January, when he will deliver his inaugural
address as Lord Rector of the University.—Dundee Adver-
tiser.

-- -
AN EAGLE SHOT IN HY LANDS PARK.—On Thurs-
day, the 18th instant, an eagle made its appearance in
the park, causing great consternation among the rooks
and other birds. It was seen again the next day, and wu
observed to leave the ice-house clump. The keepers
expecting the rare visitor to roost in the high trees of
the clump, posted themselves with guns towards dusk
on each side of the ice-house, and had scarcely taken up
their position when he came soaring over and was
knocked down by Williamson, and with some difficulty
enured alive. It proven to be a white tailed or Cinereous
eagle, Ha/4We. aibiciaa. It is a bird of this year, in
fine plumage, and measures seven feet across the wings.
On the 24th it was alive and likely to recover from its
wound, which appears to be only in the wing. This species
has been taken in most of the counties on the east coast ;
and one is recorded by Terrell as having been shot in
Forest.—Chelstaferd Chronicle.
A DINNERLESS PARTY.— A TENDER REPROACH.
—We are far from blaming the whips for the importance
they have attached to the social intimacy between the re-
public of letters and the party chiefs of a polished aristo-
'acr. On the contrary, we think that in this object their
ambition was as noble RS their sagacity was profound. And
we have dwelt the more seriously on this brilliant attri-
bute of the whig aristocracy because it is well worthy the
emulation of these who adorn and lead the great division
of intellectual opinion which it is our pride to espouse.
We are loth to concede to Mr. Mill that a party which in
the last generation included the names of Coleridge, of
Wordsworth, of Walter Scott, Southey, Wilson, and De
Quincy, and which in our time could produce in the lists
of eccounter champions who shields even Mr. Mill
might hesitate to touch with his lance, constitutes the
stupid portion of inankind. And seeing that there
11 no parliamentary party in which political talent
is so readily acknowledged for itself, and estimated
at its own value, independently of the accidents of birth
and fortune, as that which arrays under conservative
banners the largest numerical army of men favoured by
birth and fortune, we cannot without a murmur of re-
proach against our own leaders concede to the whig oli-
garchy the double privilege of monopolising political
power in the state and intellectual distinction in social
circles. There is nothing in the normal conditions of the
two great rival parties which renders the superior plea-
santness and sociability of whig houses an advantage
beyond she reach of rivalehip. In the reign of Anne it
was the tory houses and the tory clubs which attracted
the proud giants of literature. And a foreigner or an
Englishman who wished to find Swift in his happiest mo-
ment must have sought for him at the table of Harle7
or St. John. Surely at this day, when conservatism, if
it mean anything, is infinitely more identified with the
cause of literature and art and science—the cease of culti-
vated imagination, retiued taste, and severe reasoning—
than could have been possible to the most graceful form
of toryism in the reign of Anne—surely at this day the
brilliant and scholarlike chiefs of the conservative party
might better contrive to gather and concentrate around
them those creators or illuminators of public opinion, who
have an interest far deeper than that of the wealthiest sad
haughtiest noble in England in the maintenance of insti-
tutions so friendly to the liberty of thonght.—.Quarkr/Y
Recut'', new number.