The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-16 00:00:00

HANDICAP PLATE.

5 ran.
PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES.
Moonbeam
Lick Turpin
Planta.go

5 ran.

PORT MEADOW PLATE.
Her Ladyship ... ...
...
King of Spades ...
...
Gem of the Sea _ ... ...

13 ran.
SELLING PLATE. Half a mile.
Southend, Ncwnliam, Marquis of Worcester, Cortellion,
Delium, Tesane, Ambitious, and Elcut's darn c (sold for
30/4 All are here.

OXFORDSHIRE STAKES. Two miles.
Retrousse, Stinger, Hurrah, Egbaston, and Monk of
Avon are here.
COUNTY MEMBERS' PLATE. Three quarters of a
mile.
Alice Lee, Mille. Cleopatra, King of Spades, lon, and
The Vampire are here.

LONDON AND
(TSOUTHHIS DAY.) WESTERN RAILWAY.

This afternoon tho half-yearly general meeting
of the shareholders in the above company was held at
Hawkstone-hall, Waterloo-road ; Mr. C. CAaTLE)IAN (the
deputy-chairman) presiding.
The minutes of the previous meetings having been read
and confirmed,
The report, of which we have already published an
abstract, was taken as read. It recommended a dividend at
the rate of 4 per cent. per annum payable on the let of

in. I Pd. I
100 ail
St. 100
40 '

September.
The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report and
accounts, and gave a detailed explanation of the results of
the half-year's working, and of the measures affecting the
company which have been before parliament during
the past session. He stated that his occupation
of the chair on that occasion was due to the serious indis-
position of Captain Mangles. It was always painful, he
said, for directors to meet shareholders with a aiminished
dividend, but the company had kept its dividend higher
than inauy of its neighbours. The causes which led to
the diminution had nothing to do with the permanent
good of the line. A large amount of additional railway
had been opened during the last 12 months. The earnings
per train mile hail not been less than in former years,
but they had not received the additional traffic they
had reason to expect, while at the same time
there had been additional outlay, owing to the
increased mileage run over. The monetary crisis
Mel had its effect upon the dividend by preventing a great
deal of pleasure traffic which would otherwise have come
upon the line, and that was one reason why the passenger
traffic hail not' kept pace with the increased mileage. The
company had also suffered from the cattle plague,
which had stopped their large cattle traffic from Salis-
bury, Yeovil. and Exeter, to London, and also the large
trade from France by Southampton, which alone was
worth to the company 300/. a week. Moreover, they hail
a large extent of undeveloped line, a valuable portion of
which they had been unable properly to develope, owing
to the unfortunate circumstances in which the London,
Chatham, and Dover Company were placed. In conse-
quence of the high prices of provisions the directors had
found it impossible to resist a demand for an in-
crease of the wages of those in their employ ;
there had been an increase in the price of all materials,
and the increased mileage run over had increased the cost of
maintaining the permanent way. There was no doubt
that the expenditure had been increasing each half year,
and the finance committee had the matter under their
serious consideration, and were surveying the whole of
the working portion of the line. with a view to
ascertain how far the expenses could be reduced. The
directors would do their hest to keep down the running
expenses, so far as that could he done without detriment
to the company or interference with the convenience of the
traffic. Dunng the past session I bill x affecting the interests
of the company were introduced into parliament, of which It
were abandoned, 5 were lost by the opposition of this com-
pany before they went into committee, 4 were thrown out
in committee. 1 passed with clauses accepted by this and
the Great Western Company, and the remaining one,
the Hounslow and Metropolitan Railway Bill, passed
in spite of every opposition they could offer.
Their relations with other companies were most friendly,
and their desire was peace. But for the necessity of tak-
ing up speculative lines promoted to make money from the
existing companies, the South Western Railway would
pay at least 7 or $ per cent.
Mr. HI-WHIRR seconded the motion.
Mr. Witiover said the company were now reaping the
fruits of past errors in taking up new lines.
The business was proceeding when our report was
despatched.
In the course of the foregoing proceedings the an-
nouncement by the Chairman that the Bank of England
had to-day reduced their rate of discount to 8 per cent.,
. I was received with loud cheers.
in

FALL OF A Bouss (THis DAY).—SSE IN
ro SEVERAL YER.SONS.—Thismorning, about 7 o'clock,
the house, No. 6, Ely-court, St. Andrew's, Holborn, fell
with a loud crash, and did serious injury. The house,
which belonged to Messrs. Clarke and Co., of Holborn, was
a very old one. It was filled with lodgers, who
were all in bed at the time. The polite of the G division
were at onto in attendance, and by their aid six
men, three women, and ten children escaped without
injury. Two women, named Priscilla Edwards end Mrs.
Small, together with Henry Edwards, were taken from
the ruins in an injured state and conveyed to Sr. Bartho-
mew's Hospital. From inquiries made on the spot it is
supposed that a man named Guiseppe Casarteffi, and a
woman of the name of Davis are now in the ruins. The
cause of the accident is not yet ascertained. A large body
of workmen are now engaged in endeavouring to find the
bodies.
Tux FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION AT TrNSTALL.—
The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the men killed by
the boiler explosion at the Scotia Colliery, Tunstall, on the
28th ult., was held yesterday before Mr. Harding, coroner.
The witnesses previously examined were again called in,
and in reply to Mr. IVynne, government inspector of
mines, stated that the whistle of the boiler had seldom
sounded, and indeed only acted when made to act. Some
other evidence corroborating that of the first witnesses
having been taken, the Conner summed up, and the jury
found a verdict of " Accidental death."
ANOTHER INVASION OF CANADA THREATENT:D.
—lt is hinted in Fenian circles, says the Chieago Tribune,
that another and more formidable invasion of Canada is in
course of preparation. Arms are said to be accumulating
in large quantities in several of the frontier towns. The
movement is announced to take place in September or the
early part of October.
AN INJURED RAT.—Prentice says of a rebel
editor who " smelt a rat," that if be did, and the rat
smelt him, the poor rat had the worst of it.—Ckieago
Tribeac.