The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-27 00:00:00

LANGHAM HOTEL.

The hali-yearly meeting of this company was held
yesterday at the Hotel, Langham-place, the Earl
of Shrewsbury in the chair.

Mr. J. A. GRANT read the report. It congratu-
lated the shareholders on the commencement of the
business of the company under the most favourable
auspices. The business since the opening of the
hotel on the 12th of June had been most satisfac-
tory. The receipts had far exceeded the highest ex-
pectations of the directors, taking into consideration
the unfinished state of a large portion of the
building.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the re-
port, congratulated the shareholders upon being
seated in one of the handsomest rooms in London,
and also on the success they had hitherto met. The
hotel, he hoped, in course of time, would be second
to none in the metropolis. It was a most extraor-
dinary thing as fast as hotels were put up they all
seemed to fill. He not only looked upon the hotel
as a commercial speculation, but as supplying a
want long felt in the metropolis. He trusted in
future the directors would be enabled to give the
shareholders a handsome dividend.

Mr. HALL seconded the motion for the adoption
of the report.
A DIRECTOR said the hotel had been full from the
time it was opened, and when it was furnished it
would be the best in London.

Mr. RENDELL, a director, said that the hotel had
been opened 44 days, and during that time the
amount received from visitors was £6,302. The
number of visitors who had slept at the hotel was
6,025, and casual ones 1,166, making 7,189. The
average amount received per day was £143, and
the number of visitors per clay 163. The gross
amount received for apartments was £2,051 ; when
the hotel opened the number of rooms furnished was
128 ; at the present time the number furnished was
236, and there remained 49 to be furnished.

A long discussion ensued, in the course of which
the report was adopted, the retiring directors were
re-elected, and a vote of thanks to the chairman
closed the proceedings.

SERIOUS RIOT IN NORTH LEICESTER.—The polling
for North Leicestershire took place on Monday. Dis-
turbances took place at Loughborough, Syston, and
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and at the latter place the row was so
great that it was necessary to adjourn the poll until the
following day. At Syston the disturbance was con-
fined to brawling and fighting, and at Loughborough
nothing further occurred than the smashing of the
windows of Mr. Moron, draper, a supporter of Lord
John Manners and Mr. Hartopp. The mob also broke
the window of tho Bull's Head committee-room of Lord
John Manners and Mr. Hartopp. At Ashby-de-la-
Zouch the rioters may be said to have been in pos-
session of the town for several hours. The disturbance
began about noon, when a large number of colliers and
others from adjacent villages assembled in front of the
Toy, n Hall, where the polling booth was erected, and
insulted the voters as they went to vote for Lord John
Manners and Mr. Hartopp. The Rev. Mr. Greasley, of
Colverton, was one of the persons attacked, and he had
to seek refuge first in an adjoining house, where he hid
his valuables, and afterwards he made his escape to the
workhouse. The mob was for a short time dispersed by
Inspector Ward, with about ten of the Leicester borough
police and a few " specials," but a crowd of several hun-
dred persons soon collected again, and an attack wag made
on an empty waggonette belonging to Mr. Worthington, of
Newton Park, near Burton-on-Trent. The carriage was
drawn by four horses, and the postilions being attired in
blue jackets; were pulled from their seats and assaulted.
In the scuffle one of the horses broke the gearing, and
dashed off at full speed in the direction of Smisby, but it
was fortunately caught at a distance on the road. The
mob then returned into the Market-place, and threw a
shower of stones at the police, striking several and injur-
ifinggh tt h et
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the street. In the meantime information was sent to theng
Chief Constable at Loughborough, who telegraphed to
Leicester, and from thence was despatched a body of 20
men of the borough police. Others were sent for from
Wooden Box and Derby. On their arrival, about five
o'clock, another serious mêlée took place. One of the mob
ch

...._arged upon an officer with a pitchfork, but fortunately
he simply tore the man's clothes. The police were drawn
up in line at the top of High-street, and as most of the
windows of the Town Hall were broken, another charge
was made upon the rioters and the streets were gradually
cleared. An nine o'clock more police arrived by special
train from Syston, and by 11 o'clock quiet was restored,
though police continued to come into the town up to early
in the morning. Nino or ten policemen were severely
wounded on the head, ono of them dangerously. Many of
the rioters were also injured. About 100 borough and
county police were present
,in the town at the adjourned
polling. Though there were a few noisy demonstrations,
therioters
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the peace was not broken. The polling did not affect the
of
return of Lord
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terday and remanded.

Naval and Military Intelligence.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty will
arrive in Chatham this morning for the purpose of
commencing their annual inspection of the dock-
yard, the vessels of war, and the naval establish-
ment at the port.
The first supply of the eight-inch rolled armour-
plates for the ironclad frigate Bellerophon has been
received at Chatham Dockyard from the establish-
ment of Messrs. Cammell and Co., of the Cyclops
Ironworks, Sheffield, the firm which has undertaken
to prepare the whole of the plates of the above de-
scription required by the Admiralty. The eight-inch
plates are intended to cover the reconnoitring tower
which is now being erected on the fighting deck of
the Bellerophon, slightly abaft of the mainmast.
This tower, the iron framework of which was con-
structed in the dockyard, and afterwards removed and
fitted on the upper deck of the frigate, is very mas-
sive, and far surpasses in strength and capacity any of
the reconnoitring towers hitherto constructed. It is
elliptical and of sufficient size to allow several persons
to stand within it during action. The inner portion
of the tower is formed of the same plate-iron as was
used in the construction of the Bellerophon, riveted
to the ordinary iron framing. Attached to the
framing will be the timber backing, to which will
be bolted the armour-plates, which latter will be of
a thickness of eight inches on the port and star-
board sides of the tower, where the chances of shot
striking are the greatest, and six inches in thickness
on the fore and aft sides of the tower. The entrance
to the tower will be from the gun-deck, and com-
munication will be carried on from the tower to the
engine-room and steersmen by means of the electric
telegraph, the upper deck during action being en-
tirely
clear, and the whole of the officers and crew
within the protection of the gun battery.
Rear-Admiral Edward Fanshawe, Gunnery Lord
of the Board of Admiralty ; Mr. E. J. Reed, Chief
Constructor of the Royal Navy ; Capt. Astley C.
Key, C. 8., and Lieut. Charles D. Saunders, cap-
tain and first-lieutenant of her Majesty's gunnery-
ship Excellent, at Portsmouth, yesterday attended
at Woolwich, by previous appointment, and in-
spected the working of Commander Scott's new iron
gun-carriage intended for heavy armament at sea.
They were met in the dockyard and accompanied
in the inspection by Commodore-Superintendent
Hugh Duncombe, C. 8., Capt. Connolly, appointed
to the Fisgard, for command of the Pallas ; Com-
mander George Towsey, Commander Biddlecombe,
Master-Attendant ; Commander Lake, Comman-
der Scott, Mr. Trickett, who superintended the con-
struction of the carriage in Woolwich factory, Mr.
Turner and Mr. Henwood, master-shipwrights, and
other officers of the yard. The carriage was mounted
with one of Mr. Anderson's 12k-ton guns (smooth-
bore), placed in front of a wooden section of a ship's
broadside, in order to illustrate the working of the
carriage in various manoeuvres as at sea. After
pointing out the principle on which the carriage
is constructed (which, it is stated, is adapted for

the fighting-deck of the armour-clad ram Pallas,
in course of completion at Woolwich), Com-
mander Scott gave the word for training and run-
ning out the gun for action. This was done by the
simple working of the machinery in the hands of four
men only, instead of hauling at the blocks and tackle
as formerly by 10 or 12 men. The compressor was
worked by a single man, and the transporting gear
by two. By this means the gun can be removed to
any part of the deck required with extraordinary
facility. The running-out gear is worked by an
endless chain, and the elevation and depression of
the gun was carried out with ease by a single man.
The committee, who spent a considerable time in
the inspection of the new gun-carriage, appeared
perfectly satisfied with the result.
Her Majesty's paddle steam storeship Dee, Master
Commander Raymond, laden with engines and
boilers for the Mermaid, building at Cowes, ma-
chinery for the Amazon, and stores for the western
yards, sailed yesterday from Woolwich.
The Lords of the Admiralty have issued instruc-

tions for a second trial of the breech-loading carbine
on Terry's patent, tobe made on board her Majesty's
ship Excellent, at Portsmouth, under the supervision
of Captain Astley C. Key, C. 8., with a view to its

further adoption in the army and navy, the 18th
Hussars, Cape Mounted Rifles, and other regiments
being already supplied with this weapon. The
first trial of the carbine took place on board the
Excellent in 1858, when 1,800 rounds were fired
from it without cleaning, and its efficiency appeared,

by the official reports, to have been fully proved by
the result of the trials.
The Royal Sovereign, 5, turret ship, Capt. F. A.
Herbert, has been directed by the Admiralty to re-
main for a short time after the departure of the
French squadron in Plymouth Sound to enable the
seamen gunners of the gunnery ship Cambridge to
become acquainted by a course of drill with the
principle of working guns of exceptional weight in
turrets. We understand that on the Royal Sove-
reign leaving Spithead for Plymouth Sound to meet
the French ironclad squadron, Capt. C. P. Coles
requested permission from the Admiralty to accom-
pany the ship on her cruise, but that the request
was refused, on the ground that the ship was not
proceeding on a cruise in the Channel or to Cher-
bourg, but was merely going as far as Plymouth
Sound and back thence direct to Spithead. This
appears to have been the answer of some sugordi-
nate, as no member of the Board would be likely to
have framed such an absurd reply to so reasonable
a request.

The Helicon, paddle, new despatch vessel, 837
tons, 250-horse power, is in the Warrior dock at
Portsmouth, having a metal facing on her stern,
preparatory to her trial of speed over the measured
mile in Stokes Bay. To inquiries made yesterday
from the Admiralty as to the time when the Helicon
will be committed and ready for trial the dockyard
authorities were unable to return a positively defi-
nite reply. The metal facing for the vessel's stern
will weigh about llcwt. It measures eight inches
_ _

in breadth, where it clasps the stem with its inner-
most part and tapers of to about 1 inches at its
apex, where it will cut the water.
The new description of boom constructed at
Chatham Dockyard, under the direction of the
Floating Obstruction Committee appointed by the
Admiralty, has been removed to the entrance of the
harbour, where it is moored in readiness for the

trials to be made with it in the presence of Vice-
Admiral Sir C. Talbot, K.C.8., Naval Commander-
in-Chief, and under the superintendence of the
members of the committee. The paddlewheel steam
frigate Gladiator, 6, 430 horse-power, Capt. E. D.

Aplin, has been specially appointed by the Admi-
ralty to be used in the trials to be made against the

boom.

The iron-cased cupola ship Royal Sovereign, 5,
Capt. F. A. Herbert, left Plymouth Sound yester-
day morning for the eastward.
The squadron of the 17th Lancers hitherto sta-
tioned at Ipswich has been removed to Colchester.
Lieut. Smyth, of the 63d Regiment, Ensign Burnell,

of the 97th Regiment, two sergeants, two corporals,
and six privates from the 4th and Bth Depot Batta-
_

lions, are ordered to proceed to the Hythe School of
Musketry to-day, for the purpose of undergoing a

_ - -
course of instruction. Lieut. Whyte, of the 2d Bat-

talim 6th Regiment, is ordered to join the depot of
his corps; and Lieut. Skey, of the 38th Regiment,
is to remain with the depot until further orders.
Three sergeants, one drummer, and 25 privates of
the depot of the 41st Regiment have left Colchester

!or Dublin, to join the service companies of the

corps ordered to India. Capt. Boyce, Lieut. Lesson,
Lieut. Walker, Ensign Cowslade, one sergeant, and
86 rank and file of the 34th Regiment have left
Colchester to embark for Calcutta, to join the ser-
vice companies of their corps. A draught of the
82d Regiment, consisting of Ensign Collum, 3 ser-
geants, 3 drummers, and 29 rank and file, has left
Colchester for the purpose of embarking for India.
Capt. Evans, of the 38th Regiment, has been with-
drawn from the draught of his corps, under orders
for India, at the recommendation of the Army Me-
dical Board. Capt. Hassell, Capt. Maxwell, Ensign
Stanton, and 30 rank and file Ist Battalion Ist Regi-
ment; Ensign Price, 3 sergeants, 1 private, and a

number of women and children of the 103 d Regi-

ment ; and 4 rank and file and some women and
d
children of the 16th Lancers, will leave Colchester

on Saturday for embarkation to India.
The following engineers and assistant-engineers,