The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-22 00:00:00

THE SHAKSPERE CELEBRATION,

(From the Atkenaum.)

When a hundred gentlemen meet to discuss a
question of taste, there will be at least a hundred
conflicting opinions to consider and harmonise; so
that a conciliatory spirit—a disposition to find out
the common ground of agreement—will be neces-
sary on all sides if any visible action is to ensue. In
the Shakspere Committee, this moderation of spirit
is absolutely indispensable to success. An act of
festive and reverential homage is one of the few
things which cannot be performed by a majority.
Yon can make a railway, or vote a bill, by a show of
hands. But reverence for the great dead is an act
of sentiment and sympathy, only to be performed in
the midst of peace, harmony, and good-will. Take
away any of these pleasant conditions, and the whole
beauty of the common design is gone. One angry
word will disturb a feast,—one explosive cry de-
stroy an act of warship. It peace and good-will
cannot be secured in the congregation, nothing that
is worth doing can be done. Are we incapable of
so much moderation of spirit ?

Alliance Bank of London and Liverpoo:

MEETING TB:IS DAY.

The half-yearly meeting of the. Alliance Bank of London
and Liverpool took place this day, Mr. J. N. Daniel in the
chair. The report, which was unanimously adopted, stated
the accounts showed an available balance for the !half-year
ending the 31st December last, of £26,689 15s. 5d.,
which with the addition of £243 16s. 11d., brought
forward from the previous half-year, made a total
of £2.6,933 12s. 4d. The directors proposed to apply
£16,000 in paying a dividend at the rate of 6 percent. per
annum, for the half-year, free of income tax, which gives
15s. per share on the original 20,000 shares, and 2s. per
share on the new shares issued in July last, and after
placing £2,000 to the reserve fund there will remain £5,933
12s. 4d. to be carried forward to the next account. The
directors had to report that the whole of the new capital of
£1,000,000, in 10,000 shares resolved in July last, to be
issued at a premium of £5 per share, had been subscribed
for, and was proposed that the £50,000 received for the pre-
miums be tranferred to the reserve fund.
The CHAIRMAN stated that, as would be seen by tho
large balance carried over to the next account, the directors
could have increased the dividend, but they considered it
prudent to build up a reserve fund before allowing the share-
holders to participate fully in the profits. The remunera-
tion of the directors was fixed at £4,000 a year, and that of
the auditors at £5O each. According to a notice, it was re-
solved to change the name of the company, calling it in
future " The Alliance Bank Limited," and omitting the
words "of London and Liverpool." The dividend warrants
were made payable on and after the 28th inst.

MARKETS—This Day.

MARK-LANE.

A very moderate supply of home-grown wheat was re-
ceived at our market to-day, and several samples came to
hand in poor condition. The demand for all qualities was
in a sluggish state, at Monday's fall in the currency. With
foreign wheat, the market way fairly supplied. The inquiry
for all descriptions was, however, much restricted, yet no
quotable change took place in prices, compared with
Monday.

Floating cargoes of grain were in slow request, on former
terms.