The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-22 00:00:00

THE GRAVESEND STAR PACKET
COMPANY.

Tho usual annual general meeting of the proprietors
in this company was held on Wednesday, the 20th inst.,
in the Assembly Rooms of the Literary Institution,
Harmer-street, Gravesend. The present meeting was
more numerously attended than was usual on simi-
lar occasions, there being no less a number present than
between 90 and 100 shareholders.

JAMES HARMER, Esq., of Ingress Abbey, as chair-
man, said that he bad again to congratulate them on the
very gratifying position of their affairs at the close of
the season just terminated. He would not detain them
further by any observations of his own, but would leave
the reports of the directors and auditors to tell their own
tale. (Cheers.)
Mr. DOBSON, secretary to the company, read the
directors' report, which was to the effect that after the
payment of every trade account to the 30th September,
when the season closed, of the balance of 2,091/. 6s.
11d, due upon the Jupiter (now packet), and of 2,000/.
towards the construction of another new packet, the
Mars, there still remained a balance of 2,7601. 2s. 4d.,
applicable to the payment of the usual dividend of 5 per
cent., and of a large sum for the maintenance and im-
provement of the company's plant; that the cause which
led to this most satisfactory result was economy in the
accessary articles for the supply of and in running the
packets, and an increased fare to the present standard of
10d. and 141., an increase which was willingly adopted by
the Steam-packet Companies plying between London and
Gravesend, and accepted by the public as reasonable; that
it was noticeable that the very rise of Id. from 9d. to
10d. in the fore cabin, without being felt by the public,
had produced to the company 2,5001., notwithstanding
there was a decrease in the number of passengers in the
season just ended, as compared with the previous one,
of no less than 170,500 ; that, finally, the net profits of
the year had increased by more than 3,0001. (Cheers).
Some of the proprietors havieg warmly expressed
their satisfaction at the report, it was adopted by ac-
clamation. The auditors' report was then read, from
which it appeared that after paying the sums alluded
to in the directors' report, there was sufficient to pay
a dividend of 5 per cent. and to leave a balance of
over 1,8001., applicable to a further payment towards the
construction of the new packet for the company, the
Mars. (Great cheering.) This report was also adopted
with acclamation.

The directors, auditors, treasurer, and secretary of
the past year were then unanimously re-elected fur the
ensuing year; and thanks having been voted to each of
these parties respectively, the meeting, evidently elated
with the prosperous condition of the company's affairs,
separated, the London shareholders taking their de-
parture from Gravesend by one of the packets, placed
at their service by the directors.

DISCOVEItr or OLD Coors.—Yesterday a man
named James Holland, the occupant of the ground floor of a
house in John-stree', Stepney, while in the act of cleaving a
piece of wood which originally formed the trunk of an aged
tree in the garden, was astonis ied by discovering a collection
of gold and silver coins of the reign of Elizabeth and James,
as well as a silver crucifix.

SMUGGLlNG.—Yesterday information was received
of the seizure of the Dutch skip Vrow Wilhehnina, De
Boning master, of Rotterdam. Mr. Smithe, tide surveyor,
haling had his suspicions excited, went on board, with
other officers, and instituted a strict search, when 70Ibs of
manufactured tobacco, 371ba of cigars, and a cask of Hoilands
were found concealed, and on a further search '24lbs of cigars
more were discovered, making a total of Gllbs of cigars.—
Intormation has also been received of the seizure of the Nor-
wegian schooner Urda, Lockster master, arrived at Shields,
from Christiansand, with a cargo of timber. Mr. Key, the
tide surveyor, on :searching her found 981bs of tobacco and
41bs of cigars secreted amongst the cargo. Mr. Jacob Knud-
son (mate), and Ole Schielderup and Niel Peterson (seamen),
having admitted that the contraband goods belonged to them,
were taken into custody and lodged in gaol, and a report
made of the circumstance to the Board of Customs.
PUBLIC DINNER TO MR. DIGBY SEYMOUR, M.P.—
On Wednesday a public dinner was given to Mr. Digby Sey-
mour, one of the representatives for the borough of Sunder-
land, at the Lyceum-hall, in Lambton-street, by about 160
of his political friends in the town, in testimony of their sym-
pathy with his principles, and to commemorate his recent
election.

The Lord Mayor left London this morning on
a visit to his native town, Bury St. Edmund's, having ac-
cepted the invitation of the Mayor of that ancient borough to
a banquet to be given this day in the Guildhall, at which
the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, and a number of the
resident gentry, will be present.
BUTCHERS' CHARITABLE INSTITUTION. -- The
twenty-fourth anniversary of this institution was held yes-
terday evening at Freemasons' Tavern. The chair was occu-
pied by Sir J. V. Shelley, Bart., M.P., who was supported by
the president of the institution, Mr. J. Sharp, and ,jr. C.
Pearson, the City solicitor. There were about 200 gentle-
men present, including many of the leading members of the
trade.
CORN TRADE.—A ranting of merchants and others
question, was held at Jack's Coffee-
house, interested
in in theark metage
-lane,yesterday, when a committee was
formed for the Purpose of representing the views of the mem-
bers of the corn trade upon this subject to the Common
Council, with whom rests the power of redressing the griev-
ances complained of. ri• -tar Riddell,
EAST SURREY REGISTRATION.—SIT
the revising barrister, held his court yesterday at the French
Horn and Half Moon, Wandsworth. Mr. Corner and Mr.
Jeans attended, as before, on behalf of the East Surrey Re-
form Association; Mr 13urgon and Mr James for the 'Free-
trade Registration Society. Mr Batt was present on behalf
of the Conservatives. No point arose during the proceedings
of sufficient importance to require a report, and the only fact
to be mentioned was the circumstance that the whole of the
objections served on behalf of the Conservatives turned out
to be informal, and consequently the parties upon whom they
had been served could nut be called upon to prove their qua-
lification, and all their names were retained upon the list.
THE CHANCELLORSHIP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
Oxr'ouu.—At two o'clock yesterday the heads of colleges of
the University of Oxford, preceded by the Vice-Chancellor,
the Rev. Dr. Plumptre ; Dr. Gaisford. Dean of Christ Church;
the four Pro-Vice-Chancellors, the Warden of Wadham Col-
lege, the President of St. John's College, the Provost of
Worcester College, and Warden of Merton; as also the two
senior proctors, the Rev. Mr. Lake, cf Baliol, and the Rev.
Mr. Pritchard, of Corpus Christi, attended at Downing-
street, to formally announce to Lord Derby, by the vote of
the House of Convocation his election as Chancellor of the
University, in the room of the late Duke of Wellington.
The deputation was attended by a large body of the clergy,
and introduced to his lordship in his official room. The cere-
mony, which was merely of a formal nature previous to the
instalLition, Inen concluded, the dqutatim with-
clrev