The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-02 00:00:00

LONDON DOCK COMPANY.

Yesterday the half-yearly general meeting of this
company took plate at the establishment in Priam...street,
Blink, sad W:l3 numerously attendtd. Jots CATtLEY,
E. q., hark g taken the chair,
Toe tsECRETARY read the notice convening the meet-
ing, and the minutes of th 3 former 'nesting, which were
contirmeit.

The report of the director was thou read to the meeting,
from which it appeared that the number of loaded chips from
foreign ports that entered the docks during the six month,
ending the 3d:11 of November wee 780, measuring 200,012
tone ; for the corresponding period of 1818 the .umber was
983, measuring 234,436 tow. The amqunt of the company's
earnings for the six months was 247,388/. Br. 81. ; in the
like period of 1848 they were 231,3901 4.. Id. Although
the amount of tonnage entering the dock. h►d diminished
the revenue of the company lord increased. The large increase
of grain lodes vessels brought but mall ue to the cram•
patty. The cxpeldliture ul the half-year was 139,2G0/. 100. 4d.;
the UMW fur 1848 wail, 132,9071. Ils. 91. The annexed
rudiment cf profit and lo,s chewed • balance of
247.9.541. 2.. Ild , out of which the directors recommended

the proprietor to agree to a dividend of 7I10;.-;;;c7,747;;
the company's stack (or the half year amounting to
90,9671. 12s 3,1 , leaving a balance in favour of the company
of 156,0367. 10s. Bd., from which was to be deducted a sum
of 15,0001. appropriated to ntw works, reducing the
balance of profit to 33,9391. Toe balance of 189,6031.
standing to the credit of profit and loss, consisted
of sums outstanding and due to the company for goods in
their warehnuses. The stock of goods in the warehouses
was 127,835 tons. The directors had been compelled to
proceed with measures for effecting additional warehouse en-
cominodation' fur the important Gruel, of indigo in parley
lay, for which they would appropriate their remaining plot
of potted oo the twist quay, the works to be completed about
the 'Biddle of the pis sent }car. The outlay on this account
goad be about 62,0001.
The accounts were then read by the secretary and were
approved.
A PROPRIETOR coked what was the average interest
Of the &beaters,.

The CHAIRMAN earl that a portion of the interest was
at 34; some amounts were at 4y. The average interest being
caresser their dividend, made it for their advantage to have
the money so placed icstead of being in stock. He would
now merely reati:.d the proprietors that the accounts "mold
lay at the office for the inspection of any proprietor. He
could say, in addi-ion to what was stated in the report, that
the;directors did their best to bring business to their docks,
and although their ships had not ineressed during the half
year, he hoped the propri.ton would not think that the
directors bad the lees performed their duties. (Hear, hear.)
If they had decreased in bomber, the quantity of goods had
increased in the last half year, and their receipts of money
had also considerably iberessed. It would be the duty of
the director' to do all iu their power to maintain and im.
prove the position of the company. (Applause )
A dividend at the rate of 21 10s. per cent...n the com-
pany's stock for the halt year ending the 31st December
last, free of income tax, was then declared.
Toe report was adopted unanimously.
Two scrutineers were then appointed is take the ballot
for a director in the place of Mr. Gore, deceased.
The CHAIRMAN said they Lad to regret the death of
their live friend, Mr. Clore, and in selecting a successor to
that geothnen, the board thought they Gould not submit •
better name than that of Lis son-in-law, Mr. George Mar.
shall, who had for • long time been • valuable customer to
their docks. (Hear, hear.)
A PROPRI:.TOR asked when the dividend would be
ready.
The CHAIRMAN replied, on the Bth instant, so that
parties coming to the Bank might call there at the same time
for their dividend.
Mr. TWINING had great pleasure in finding every hell-
year and every year the same correctness and zeal on the part
of the directors to promote the interests of the company, in
which it seemed they were entirely successful. It was there-
fore with great pleasure that he would propose—" That the
thanks of the proprietors be given to the board of directors
for their valuable 'leviers in promoting tho interest of the
company." (Applause.)
The resoLittan was peseed MM. con., and the chairman
having returned thanks, the meeting adjourned.

EDUCATION lit TEI BART INDIEB.—In the state-
ment respecting the rn, nay 'eroded in education in the
Rut ladle+, the various sums were, by a printer's urn,
made pounds sterling, hafted of rupees.
WEIGHING DEPARTMENT GP THE BANK OP
Exoutnu. —One of the meet interesting and astonishing
departments within the whole compass of the Bank of Eng-
land is the weighing department, in which, with the rapidity
of thought, and a precis;on approaching W the hundredth
port 01 • grain, the weight of the gold coins are determined
There are rim weighing machines, kept working by the
DIM agency which supplies all the mechanical power In
the Bank, and three weigher' attend to these. Rolls of
sovereigns, or haltsovereigns, are placed in grooves,
and are shaken, one at • time, by the motion
of the 'machine, into the weights. If they are of
standard weights they are thrown by the same mechanical
intelligs nes into the b .1 at the right hand side of the person
who watches the operation ; if they have lost the hundredth
part of a grain they are cast into a box on the left. Those
which stand the test are put into bags of one thousand
sovereigns oath, and them below par are cut by a machine,
and sent back to the Mint. B-tween one and two thousand
tluht sovereigns are thus daily sent out of circulation. The
silver is put up into bags each of one hundred pouads value,
and the gold into bags of a thousand, and then these bag-
fuls of bullion are sent through a strongly guarded door,
or rather window, into the treasury. The treasury is
a dark gloomy apartment, fitted up with iron presses
which are supplied with huge locks and bolts, and
which are perfectly tiro proof. Gold, silver, end paper
money ready fir circulation, to the entrust of twenty-two
millions sterling, were in the treasury when we visited it.
One of the gentlemen in that department placed one
thousand sovereigns in our hand, and at the same time
pointed to seventy bags full of gold in the little nano which
he had thr mn open, making in all the modest sumo( seventy
thousand pounds. Hr placed notes to the *mount of half •
million els t upon our palm, which no doubt had its own
asations as the prachius depoeit trembled on its top. The
heeds of the departments moot in the treasury every even•
leg, and then, all the ac.ounts are balanced —flogg's MAN
bolreutor.