The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-27 00:00:00

NORTH BRITISH.

A meeting of shareholders interested in the No. 1 six
per cent. preference stock of this company was held
yesterday at the London Tavern. The circumstances
under which the meeting was called are explained in the
following minute:—
" At a meeting, held in the committee-room of the
Stock Exchange, on Saturday, October 16, at which
several members, interested for their clients and them-
selves to a large extent in the No. 1 preference stock,
were unanimouslywhie
h resolved,the these
shares afte
r fully
were
investigating
originally created under the 11th and 12th Vic.,cap. 25,
fully
present,confirmed
at
wtas manner
general
meeting of the company,
in
recognize • d and protected in the 14th Vic., cap. 27,
clause 16, that the position of the stock is perfectly legal,
and that any attempt at repudiation should be strenu-
ously opposed; and that a meeting of the preference
shareholders should be held at the London Tavern on
Tuesday, the 26th instant.
Captain Follet was called to the chair. The attend.
ance was numerous.
Mr. FARRAR, of Doctors'-commons, explained the
legal bearings of the question. By the 11th and 12th
Vic., c. 25, the North British Railway Company were
authorized to raise additional capital by the creation of
new shares. These shares were to bo of such an amount
and to be allotted on such conditions as should be agreed
upon at a meeting of the company duly called, and the
shares so apportioned were to form part of the capital.
At that period the existing stock was at a great discount
—the 251. shares were selling at a discount of of 5/. 10s.—
and the then directors, considering the depressed state of
their own and of other railway property, hesitated to
avail themselves of the powers contained in the Act. The
company at that time had upwards of one million locked
up in the works in progress, and which could only be
made available by raising the capital authorized in ,the
Act. By and by, v*ith the view of making these works
avail2ble, the directors issued a report to the share-
holders and to the public, and amongst other things the)
stated that it now rested with the shareholders to fix the
amount of the new shares, and the terms upon which
they should be issued. The amount proposed to be
raised was 800,0001.-600,0001. by new shares, 200,0001,
by loan ; and the directors suggested that the 600,0004
should be raised by shares of 51. each, to be issued to
the existing shareholders, and that a guaranteed divi-
dend of 6 per cent. for five years, and of 5 per cent.
thereafter in perpetuity, should bo the terms—interest
also being allowed on the calls.
Dr. JAMES JoHNSTONE moved the first resolution,
which stated that the meeting had no doubt of the
legality of the No. 1 preference shares, and that they
received with considerable regret and indignation the
repudiation of the guarantee, us tending to undermine
the confideece in railway stock, and to prejudice railway
property in general.
Mr. FREEMAN, of Bristol, seconded the resolution.
The resolution was unanimously carried.
Mr. DOUGLAS moved the second resolution, that legal
or other proceedings be adopted to compel payment of the
dividend now due, and to establish the claims of the pre-
ferance stockholders.
The resolution was carried without dissent.
The following gentlemen were then appointed a com-
mittee to carry out the wishes of the meeting:—Messrs.
Johnstone, Porter, Armstrong, Hope, Inchhald, Douglas,
and Scholefield.
It was then resolved that Mr. Farrar and Mr. Somer•
ville should bo the solicitors, and that the shareholders
should subscribe, at the rate of 6d. per share, to defray
,he expenses.
This terminated the proceedings.

HEALTH of LONDON during Ma WEEK.

The official report says:—ln the week that ended last
Saturday 1,072 deaths were registered in London, being
nearly the same as in the previous week. In the ten
corresponding weeks of the years 1842-51 the average
number was 947, which, if correction is made for in-
crease of
with the present return, will become 1,042. The deaths
population for tne purpose of comparing it
of last week therefore do not much exceed the ordinary
rate of mortality at this season of the year. The tables
of the two last weeks show a close coincidence as regards
the numbers who died in several periods of life ; the
children who died in the two weeks were respectively
536 and 535 ; adults between 15 and 60 years were 355
and 348, and persons who had attained the age of 60
years and upwards were 188 and 189. Fever has be-
come more fatal in London, for the casea referred to the
head of " typhus" rose from 54 in the preceding
week to 62 in the last, and scarlatina from 73 to 92.
T. he latter complaint has now reached a higher point than
in any previous part of this year, and the amount of
mortality is greater than in any corresponding week,
except that of 1848, when the number was 182. Epi-
demic diseases in the aggregate are not, however, more
than usually fatal, for only 5 deaths are assigned to
small-pox and only 4to measles. Diarrhoea also con-
tinues to decline, but an increase is visible in hooping-
cough, which rose from 22 to 34, and in bronchitis,
which has also increased in the last two weeks, from 76
to 92. Last week the births of 796 boys and 771 girls,
in all 1567 children, were registered in London. The
average number in seven corresponding weeks of the
years 1845.51 was 1376.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean daily
reading of the barometer was above 30 in. on the first
four days of the week, and the mean reading of the week
was 29'945 in. The mean temperature of the week was
49.9 deg., which is 2 deg. above the average. The mean
daily temperature rose to 55 9 deg. on Friday, which is
8.6 deg. above the average. The wind blew from the
north at the beginning of the week, it then changed to
south-west, and except on Friday, when it was in the
south east, blew in this direction during the rest of the
week.

NEW RAILWAY SCHEME.—The Great Western and
City Junction Railway Company is another new project
about to bo brought out. The line is to start from the
Paddington station of the Great Western line, pass near
the Kilburn turnpike, cross the London and North
Western Railway. and form a junction with the pro-
jected line of the North and South Western, liampsteao,
and City Junction Railway. The capital required is
300,0001.
SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.--In consequence of the in-
creased demand for gutta percha and India rubber for
submarine cables, the price of those commodities bas
lately, it is said, increased 100 per cent. .
rADYERTISEDIENT.]--THE EARL OF ALDBOROI7CII
AND HOLLOWAY'S PILLS.—An astounding care by -
this miraculoui
medicine, after every other means had failed. See extract from hit
Lordship's letter, dated " Villa Messina, Leghorn, Feb. 21, 1845.
Professor Holloway—Sir, I beg to acquaint you that your pills have ef-
fected a cure of a disorder in my liver and stomach which all the most
eminent of the faculty, at home and all over the continent, had not
been able to effect; nay, not even the waters of Carlsbad or Ma-
rienbad. (Signed) " ALnitoitocoa." These wonderful pills will
cure any disease of the liver or stomach.—Sold (also Holloway's
Ointment) at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, strAwl, and
lv all medicine vondel-6 WM:4IM P4O Gillized. /mid.