The Sun.
London, England, 1806-03-21 00:00:00

./,`P.P.EP, DIX to tyre IN-par-14 ExPon.
[From Les Nouvelles a la Main.]

Daring the- preceding•lear,our Financial trans.
astions have been as proSperous asour Naval aChieve:=
ments have been. -Weliave. pillaged the
Bank
,of Vienna; our Imperial Bank of France haS
stopped payment, and We'havc graciously transported
to Cayenne its- most • refraEtory creditors... Thirty-
five Bankers of our Imperial Capital have failed, and
'.eighty7seven. Bankers of our Imperial Department's
Lave announced their failure, and are insolvent.. In
• ,our extensive Empire of :France alone, ,'5093
• -sehantsaud.Tradestnen have,
_within the same period,
• 'become Bankrupts, and _:1044 Manufacturers have
beenruined. To amend, however, these and other
trifling accidents, we have, with our usual paternal
care for the,Welfare of our People, licensed- 519 new
Imperiar.Ganibling-houses; and half that number of
trnperial Lottery Offices. SiXty-six new IMperial
Gaols have been constrnaedi new Imperial Racks
have been invented ; new Imperial Oubliettes (pits
with trap-doors) have been- dug ; and. the number
af.ourlmperial Spies and Executioners have been
doubled. -
" If in our Imperial HOspitals thousands•have died
of want or by,neglea—and if in our Grand Empire
thousand's haViperished by their own hands in despair,
tirbyfainine from exhausted nature,scores in our Itri
penal Palaces have been elevated to Princes, Senators,
Grand Officers, &e. and the 11.IeipberS of our Imperial
Dynasty, and sourlrnperiall'aVouritei, have grown.
wealthy in proportion as our. Other-Imperial' Sub-
jeas. have endured or suffered from misery and po-
verty. If in battle, by sea- and ,land, above, fifty'
thousand of our Imperial defenders have been ear-
: ried off, their loss Is not only.repaired, but their
• vacancies have been tripled .by the- number of our
Imperial -conscripts, If the Tempest. and British
COWARDICE have annihilated the greatest part of our.
Imperial Navy, we have also captured .or. burnt
English Merchantmen by dozens ; and if-the Shop-
7keepers have taken- the Cape of Good Hope, our
niperklTroops-haVe pillaged Dominica and- threat-
ened Jamaica.: • • •
" As to external politics,. we have exterminated
sixty thousand Germans, and in return, indemnified'
Germany with. -three Kings our Imperial Arthies.
have: violated two thousand German 'women and
girls, and ,we have bestowed upon Germany in
return, a -Son= and a Niece of our chaste Spouse.
We have ,stint TE D.Eux at. Vienna, danced. At
Munich, "smiled at
.Stutgaiedt, negotiated at Carls-
. rhe„ and frowned at F.rauckfort—all for the glory
of:the. Grand Nation.! l",

The ,tntertainrnent given .to Marquis,,Wva.tmEY
yesterday, at :Willis's Rooms, was the best conduded.
and- most expressive mark of respect and attention
ve.iaicb we reiuember to have. bees evinced, by indi-.
• viduals, as •a testimony of their esteem for an illustri;
'ails public eharaer. Party
.and palitics were on
• occasion entirely forgotten, vvhiNt a spirit of
tarmony;:, and: attachment to their Noble. Quest,
*ecrned to-.be the predontinant.seutirnent:that per-
vaded this festive
The Gentlemen who thus manifested their per-
onal regard Inv the Marquis, were ,aniong the most
distinguished Civil- and Military .Officers of
3esty and the. East India Company, who served in
- during .MaratiisNYELLtsLzv's Administration,
alto the principal private G:entleMen who resided
there at the same period ; these, altogether, formed
' a .numerous and most respeetabLs. body, composed of
persons from each :of, the several -Presidencies of
ndia..
The style of the entertainment was in every re-,
spell worthy of the oc&asion ; the choicest wines,
',gild all the delicaelesof the, season were provided,
and the guests who partook were, for the most part;
of the highest rank and distinaion.. Among the
compitiy we noticed the following personages
I)uke--Montrose. •
Marquisses—BucLingham, Thomond, and Blandford.
Eatls—Westmoriand, Winchelsea Sandwich, Dartmouth,
Buckinghamshire, Chatham, Bathurst, Camden, i•ortesue,
Malmsbury, Westmeath, Carysfort, and Limerick.
Viscounts—Lowther and Sidmouth.
Lords—Hawkesbury, BraybrOoke, Auckland, Mulgraie.
Carrington, BaYning, Glastonbury, Henley, Glenbetvie,
Clancarty, and Castlereagh. •
• The Speaker of the' House of Commons. '
Sirs—E. Nepean, W. Farquhar,. 1. Metcalfe, Grant,
A. Wellesley, A. Clarke, and I. Newport.
Generals—Phipps, Forbes. and Balfour. ..
Colonels—Leslie, Blair Wood; Shaw, and Walkeritone.
Messrs.—Vansittart, Greville, Canning,.l. Sullivan,
Wallace, Steel, Milford, Hohhouse, H.' Addington, W .
I ake, Wellesley Pole, H. Wellesley, Willis, Dundas, S .
Bernard, Hastings, 'R, iohnston, 13aber,. Monckton, Golding,
Russel; ecc.
The ..mtisic was excellent; the most celebrated
vocal performers gaffe delightful specimens of. their
profestional abilities. General HARRIS, the Victor
of Seringapatarn, proposed several loyal and patelotic
Toasts—" The .IC.ing The Queen and Royal
Is'amily"—" The Prince of Wales"—" The Duke
of Clarence and the Navy"—" The Duke of York
and the Army"-,-" The India Company"—" The
Direaore%-a-and " The Memory of Lord
Cornwallis."—Also each of the leading Members of
the present Administration. • •
• The health of- Marquis WELLESLEY was drank
with sincere fervour, which drew from his Lordship
an acknowledgtnent expressed in the most animated
and grateful terms ; the scene altogether was 'ex-
tremely interesting and brilliant, nor should it pass
unnoticed, that those Gentlemen who otTe'red so
pleasing a tribute of their applause, were all locally
acquainted with Marquis WELLESLEY's Administra-
tion in• that country which has been the theatre of.
his Lordship's important and splendid services.

On Tuesday night, when Miss CR ANPIELD was
dancing a Pas Seal, at the Opera, she had the mis=
fortune to sprain her ancle, and dropped down sud-
.denly on the Stage., The other -Performers imme-
diately carried her'off the Stage. His Royal High-
ness the Prince of, WALF.s, with that degree of hu-
Inanity and condescension Which dignifies his cha-
raaer, stepped out ofliis box, and ordered his own
Surgeon to be sent for to attend her.—She is now
considerably better, but she will not be able to at-
tend her professional avocation for some time to
tome.
Through the activity of that indefatigable Officer
of the Police, Sayer, of Bow-street, a gang of despe-
.rale villains has: been 'discovered in the vicinity of
Chelsea, viloseiclepredations have been lately chiefly
confined to strpping lead off the tops of houses.
0! le of these pests was vprehendiod by Sayer on
Wednesday night:

IJANK OF ENGLAND.

.•
,
A General Luourt 01 Proprietors Was heldY,esteri
day. at the Bank _to •co'n'sider of the Dividend tai be
paid on the sth Cit April, and on other special affairs:
The Court met at i2o'Clock precisely, and ' as Veri
nu..meronsly attended.-
After the proceedings of the last General Court
were read by the Secretary,
Mr.
Wi•sirniuir;theGd,vernor,inforined the Court,.
< -
that this was a General Quarterly_Court of Proprie-
tors,
held pursuant to the Company Charter. He.
'then stated that the Court of. Directors; on an exn-
inination of the accounts of the Company, pro Posed
that a diyidend of three pounds ten shillings per
•cent. on the stock . and profits of the Company. be.
paid on the' sth of April next. On putting the ques..
tion 'on a Proposition 'to that effea,
HdARE; a Proprietor, rose, not for the pur-
....pose of opposing the question as to the amount of the,
dividend, though it was not the dividend which he
would recominend if he•had the opportunity of in-.
,Spetling the Accounts of the Company, but with a
view to obtain an explanation of the intentions of
the Court Of Dire&ors hereafter with respect to the
-dividends. A bonus had, at different times, of late,
been added to the rekviilar'dividend ;"and 'when it was
considered that the Company was in possession of
a surplus of near four millions; it was not unreason-
able to expea that an' increase of :dividend-should
take place:. ''lt'vias"-highly desirable that the 'Pro-
' -.prietors should know, for certain, :what they had to
expe&, because whilst the matter continued-in the,
present state, of uncertainty, they were exposed to
many inconveniencies. A Proprietor, for instance,
might dispose of his stock on the eve of the issue
of a bonus, of which he could not be aware.—
In such a case the loss would'be equal to the amount
Of the bonus. He begged, however, to be clearly'
'.understood- not to insinuate the most remote suspi-'
••cion that any Member :of that Court would take ad-
Nraritage of his previous knowledge of such ,an in-
crease of dividend to purchase Bank Stock. He
thought the GovernOr and the Court of Direaors,
on the contrary, entitled to the gratitude of 'the
-Whole Company, for the regularity and correCiness
'with which its affairs had been condutted. His sole
object in rising had been to obtain some information
as to the future couch*. to be pursued by the Court
-of Directors with. respea:to the.dividends.
The Govtatqoacould, in reply, only state his per-
sonal- opinion, which was also the opinion of most, if
not all, the Member of the Court of Direelors.—
This opinion Was, that.as'soon as the savings wculd
enable the*Court of Directors to divide five per cent.
in' addition to the ordiniry dividend; the' 'amount
'of dividend 'should be twelve• per cent. The' Court
would recollect that for two or three yearkpast 'a
bonut, or participation of profits of five per cent.
had been regularly added- to the October
The increased profits on their concerns oflate had en-
abled the Court of Directors to issue this participation.-
But as they were a Commercial Company it was im-
. possible for them' to say, that they sliould bealways'
. able to do so. Their profits Were grPater at present
than they would be in time of peace, when the re-
striaiOn of the issues of speCie would"-cease. A con-
siderable alteration might take place. in the profits,
and in fairness and justice to themselves, to the
Proprietors, and the Public, they could not hold
'out any prospe& wbich 'subsequent circumstances
might put it out of their power to realize.. Besides,
it might lead the Public-to suspeCt that their pre-
sent, prOfits were excessive and.it was Very mate-
rial that the confidence of that Public in the bonus
should not be: exposed to the-influence ot6en un-
founded suspicion. As to the loss allUded to by the
Proprietors, five per cent. on stock worth 'two hun.
dred per cent. was scarcely worth the considera-
tion of any matt The participation would be is-
sued whenever the circumstances of the Company's
affairs would admit of it ; and when the savings
Would enable the COurt Of Dire&ors to add five per
cent. to the dividend, it should then be fixed at
twelve per cent.. This was considered the most eli-
gible mode of proceeding, and would not be liable
to, any suspicion on the part of the PubliC. -The
savings of the Company formed a Fund, which they
wereknoWn to possess, and had been created
Without a shadoW of imputation against its propriety.
So Jong ago as the year t 797, when they had been
called on to submit their accounts to Parliament,
their savings amounted to between three and four
millions, and were ,never the objet of censure or

suspicion.
Mr. HOARE declared himself perfeEtly satisfied
with this explanation, and was sure that every Mem-
ber of the Court was equally
Mr. WINTHROP begged- the Court of Dire&ors
might not be held as pledged to add the 5 per cent._
to the ordinary Dividend the moment the savings
would enable them. Circumstances might occur
to render such a measure immediately imprudent.
The Court was aware ofthe necessity'of keeping a
sufficient. surplus- to guard against every possible
contingency.
Mr. LONG, Deputy Governor, stated the reason
why the Court of Directors had not come to any
final determination on this subje& to be that the
' question respecting the right of property in the bonus
or participation\ that had already been issued, was at
present pending before. the Lord Chancellor, and
the Court of DireCtors did not deem it proper to
come to any final resolution till a decision shall be
had on that question in Chancery.
After a few words , from :I\lr. FOSTER •apd:. Mr.
HOARE, the Proposition for a Dividend-of-31. 103.
was unanimously% agreed to.: • -
It was.also moved by the Governor, and agreed
to by the Court, that the same be paid without a
deduction of 6.t per Cent Property 'Mk, which the
Court of Direflors undertook to discharge. ' •
The GOVERNOR acquainted the Court, that the
Dividends would be delivered and paid on the 9th of
April next.
Mr. liVlNTurnor next called the attention of the
Court to another important subject whi, h was to be
submitted to their consideration. Every Gentleman
who heard him would recolle&that when the Com-
pany's Charter had been renewed in 1800, a sum of
money, amounting to three millions, had been lent
to Government, interest tree tbr six years, as an
equivalent for such renewal of their Charm. The
profits on such Loan, under such circumstances, had
been ascertainqd by the, host accurate calculation to
be equal to the.benefit the Bank would derive from,
the renewal Of its Charter for '2 r years. Circumstancts
had, however, -since takennsplaceo that tendtved the