The Sun.
London, England, 1806-12-18 00:00:00

E. 4 Si' I.:17..01.1-HOUSE.

. Yesterday a Quarterly General Court was held at
the East India-House; when the dividend fur the half
}far,' ending the sth of Jan. next, was declared'to, be
5:1 per cent. •

The Resolution of the General Court of Proprie-
tors on the 24th of 'Sept. last, , expressive of their
agreement to the granting of a 'salary of 30001. a-year
to the Recorder of Prince of Wales's Island, was read
by the Clerk.
The Chairman then moved that this Court do no‘t
confirm the said Resolution. Upon which
Mr. LUSIII&GTON, jun. rose to oppose the Mo-
tion. He' maintained that there was no. necessity
tbr the appointment of-such an Officer 'as was
commended by the Resokition which was then' sub-
mitted to the Court for its confirmation. If,. how-
ever, such a situation was to- be-instituted, a Geli
tleman of more than ordinary talent mustbe sought
for to accept of the office; and, when it was ,con-
sidered that this person would have to abandon a
respeetable line of profession-at home, 'With almost
certain hope of increasing his - income tenfold, by
means of-his assiduity and ability, 30001. per nanum
was far short of the salary which was necessary to
support the dignity. of his office, in one of 'the
most expensive parts of the Company's Settlements ;
strea. a- salary as that could -be no inducement to
any ,Gentleman to break off from his connexions,
and give up all hope of future advancement' in his
profession.

Mr. LOWNDES also opposed the Motion, but at
the same time differed most essentially from the
116 n. Gentleman u;ho had just sat down. That
Gentleman, he said, had overlooked a most. im-
portant consideration 'he did iaot recoiled that a
respedable set of men, the Lords of Session,
in Scotland, whose rank must be considered' far su-
perior to that of the Rec Order of Prince of Wales's
Island, had not, till very lately, more than a salary
of 10001. a-year. \Vas the Recorder, in such a place
as Prince of Wales's Island, then to have a salary
three times that amount ?—The lion. Gentleman
then urged some of the fOrther arguments against
the' proposition, particUlarly the state of the Com-
pany's Finances. Io order to retrieve these,.how-
ever,' he recommended that the Company should
increasV their capital by an issue of bonds ; by this
Means the whole debt of the Company would be
liquidated in about fonr years., This hint, however,
he hoped would be foll Owed up a Gentleman (Mr.
Johnstone), or by some other Gentlemen who could
argue the question with much more ability than he
Was capabie of.

The Question was then put and carried- with,
cut a division; atter w►hich the Court adjourned
sine

On Wednesdav se'nunight, about seven o'clock;
as a man, 66 years of age, who hudbeen many yearS
in the service of Mr. Wilkinson, coal-merchant, of
Chatham, was going to bed without a candle, hav-
ing to pass through the upper part of an old store-
room, the'greater part of which was without any
flooring, he slipt down between the joists; and in
his fall, is suppOsed to have struck against the iron
beam of.a pair of large scales, which was suspended
in the-room below. The end of the beam; oppo-
site to that on which be fell, flew up, and resting
against one of the joists, oppposed the same resistance
as if it bad been a fixed bar of iron. The upper
part of the forehead of the unfortunate man, coming
in contact with the edge of the beam, was cut through
to the bone, and, from . the rapidity of, hiS fall,
nearly the whole of the scalp was so completely
scraped off and lacerated, that the skull, from the
fore part of the back of the head, was laid entirely
bare. . The head next struck on the ground, or
against the scale, and the violence of the concussion
fra6tured his skull ; the bone beimg bare, the direc-
tion of the fra&ure was visible. It was- half past
nine before the poorfellow was discovered : imme-
diately surgical aid was called in, and the man was
conveyed to the poor-house, when the medical Gen-
tlemen who were present judged it necessary' the
operation of the trepan should be instantly perform-
ed, as-affording the only possible means of recovery ;
two pieces of the skull were accordingly taken away
by the trephine, and two other portions were after-
wards separated by the forceps. The several pieces
of the skull taken away, when together, formed an
Oblong triangle, containing 'about. five square in-
ches. The pulse of the unfortunate man rose after
the operation ; he appeared better, and was sensible,
but he languished through" the night in agony, and
died about eight o'clock on the next morning.