The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-26 00:00:00

LOWER HOUSE

....
The Lower House met in the Jerusalem Chamber,
Westminster Abbey. Dr. BICKERBTZTH, Archdeacon of
Burka, presided ex Prolocutor.
The house was very fully attended.
The lousiness was merely of a fennel nature, in traosmit-
ting reports and petitions to the Upper House, up to the
time this report was despatched.

VICTOPJA (LONDON) DOCK COMPANY.
owls DAY.)

The half-yearly meeting of the proprietors
Ina held at otle o'clock, at the London Tavern ; Mr.
("HARLEM MORRISON in the chair.

The report of the director., which was read by the Secaz-
TART. was as follows :

" The following is a comparative statement of the revels
and their tonnage which entered the undermentioned docks
in the years ending the 31st of December, 1859 soil 1860,
respectively:- Victoria, 1830, ships 2,522, tonnage 716,131 ;
18.0, ships 2,682, tonnage 850,:t37 ; London, fur yen
coding 30th November, ISO and 18110 (loaded from foreign
porta). 1859, ships 1.010, teatime 436,400; 1860, ships LOW.
tonnage 424,338 ; St. Katharine, 18.30. ships 891, tonnage
217.719 ; 1860. ships 996. tonnage '223,397 ; East and West
lobe (loaded ships which discharged their cargoes), 1839.
shin 3,652, too nageB2s, 708; 1860,5hipe3,955, tonnage 874,232.
The total number of ships and their aggregate register
tootinge that entered the port of London with cargoes from
foreign porta, during the years ending 31st December,
1859 and 1860, respectively, was :-1859—Ship, ;
teenage, 2,f02,4&3. 1860—Ships. 11,108; tonnage, 2,957,082.
Increase—Ships,4l4 ; tonnage, 151,619. The threcton have
the sattsfaction of informing the shareholders that the '
=Lion which has been under discussion between the
and the hoard respecting the warehouses
in the Ninories, has been settled hr the loons
agreeing to furnish the accounts of those warehouses to
be included in the renal accounts of the dock. In so.
coriluoce with the canting contracts between the company
and the lemma, the board have from time to time culled upon
those gentlemen totake tbecourse prescribed by the contract@
for proceeding with the eastern works. The lessees, oo the
other hand, haveobjected, arid continue to object, totheocs•
structioo of those works ; but the board have declined to
relic pith the company's rights under the contract& Under
these circumstances the directors recommend, that the
shareholders should leave with them the discretion of taking
each a course in the matter as they may anteater moat ex-
pedieat The Charing Crass Railway Company have served
a notice on this company, that they intend to apply to Par-
Emmet for power to purchase the Steelyard Estate, which
is included in the plan of their proposed extensioa to Un-
sonntreet. The board have presented a petition agaiast
the bill, and will continue to watch over this company's
cater sets."

The CHAIRMAN in moving that the report be adopted,
dwelt upon it. 'raium features in congratulatory
terms. He stated that the poued of the objection
or the lemma to proceeding with the MIAIM works
was that it would not be for the interest of the oompizi.—g
an opinion in which the directors did not concur ; a
that the cam wee one in which the board felt it desirable
that there should for the preeent be a considerable degree et
reserve, and in which full discretion should be left to
them. As repuribi the Steelyard estate, he said the directors
bad secured a lucre sleuth for the opposition in parliament,
which was based on the fact of the great value of the estate
to the company.
In reply toe question on the subject of dividend,
The CHAIRMAN mid be feared that all the company could
rely spun for some time to come was it. fif per oent.
After some conversation of an unimportant nature, the
report was adopted, and the proceedings terminated In the
esual meaner.

NORFOLK RAILWAY COMPANY.—(THIS DAY.)
This day the half-yearly general meeting of
abaralieldera via held at the London Tavern. Mr. BIDDII2
b the their.

—The repiSt, of which an abetreet hes been already pub-
Hied, having been taken as read,
The CH•II.IILX proposed the adoption in • long speech,
in which he deseimeed the cmchict of the &stern Counties
board, stating that their accounts did not truly represent
the real pandas of their affairs, that there had been derides•
tions on the part of one of their °floors which had been
kept back from the knorlsdge of the ' sea that
all this had been done for the purpose of • Hag the pro.
petty of the Norfolk Company, and obtaining it at • ruinous
price. The Eastern Counties Company then abed out
against the agreement, but be contended that
that agreement was too favourable to the Eastern
Counties Cempan . Why did they not propose to diseolve
the union altge her? He should be glad to as such •
result, which he was sure would be for the advantage of
the Norfolk Company. He complained that Hr. Love bad
introduced personalities into the squabbles of the company,
and expressed a confident opinion that, if be had the dime.
lion of the Fasters Counties Company, he would increase
the disideod by 1. per cent. in three years.
Yr. A. Mitts, 1C P., seconded the report, which we.
adopted.
A dividend of 11. 17a. ed. for the half-year was declared.
The outgoing directors and auditor were re-elected, and
the proceedings wend up with a vote of thanks to the
chairman.

CURIOCR MATIIIIOIII.AL ADVINTr RE. —ln the
Mitof Bt. Oseepein-the•Eask which has become of
ears so familiar to the public, there are ether curious
madams than these formerly observed la the parish church.
On the le of May vest certaio young women. previously
spproveal of, will have an opportunity of drawing lots for a
onarnage poetise of 1001., and the lucky drawer will be
setitled to receive that amount so saes es she ma dime a
hushed to share it with her. The diapeemers al the bounty
are Raise's charity trustees, and the young wanes who
offer themselves as eamlidates must have been educated u
Mr. Raine's school, and hays attained the age of 111 years.
They must also have continued members of the church of
'bighted mime they left the school. They are 'admitted
as candidates se the sth of March. _

---
MELANCHOLY EYE-NT AT THE BANK Or ENGLAND.
—Yesterday. a MIA painful 'emetics was caused at the
Bask of Ragland by the awfully sodden death of one el
the clerks in the amountant's once, maned Thomas Dighton,
aged about 4S. Fle had been in the ogee about A/ vest%
sad had sever hese knows to be in bad health. Yesterday
be Weeded to hie duties as usual, only complaining of •
slight psis is the chest, which he attributed to iodisation.
About one e'eleek le left the accouat dike and went into
the Reduced Annuities office to communicate with one of
the clerks, but had no winner sot in there than he fell
down and expired. Mr. Alfred SIMS. the Bask surgeos,
who happwed to be I. the building at the time, was quaekky
is ahead mss. but it was too Lite. The body of the wafer-
tunate men was conveyed to the sue/ doom to await as
isretpnrationa have been made for the p
of e.tablishius an annual fat cattle show is the We
of
Wight.