The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-17 00:00:00

The Lewes Spring Free Handicap of 10 sovs each, 5 ft (in
case of acceptance, which must be declared by Tuesday,
March 21), with 100 added. One mile and a half.

Yrs st lb
Twilight ... a 9 2
East Lancashire 5 8 12
Jack of Hearts 5 8 7
Little Stag ... 4 8 4
Stockinger 6 8 4
General Hess a 8 2
Principal ... 6 8 0
Aurelian ... ... a 7 10
Golden Dust 5 7 9
Sheridan ... ... 4 7 7
Earl of Surrey ... 6 7 7
Olivia ... ... 4 7 5
Canzonetto 5 7 4
Pelios 4 7 0

Yrs st lb
Greenland ...4 7 0
ILlangollen 4 6 12
Land of the West... 4 6 8
Balornock 4 6 8
Warwick ... 4 6 7
Kangaroo 5 6 6
Sister Mary 3 6 0
Canute ... 3 5 10
Imogene „. 3 5 10
Trapeze 3 5 7
Medicis 3 5 7
Sisterto Lavender 3 5 7
Dr, Swishtail 3 5 7
Jevington 3 5 7

lORSES STRUCK OUT OF THEIR ENGAGE-
MENTS.

March 11, at 9 a.m. Tony Lumpkin out of Warwick and
Doncaster Steeplechases.
March 13, at 9 a.m. Guimauve (dead) out of all engage-
ments ; at noon, Lord Waldegrave, out of Doncaster Spring
engagements ; at 9 a.m. all horses in Mr. Wadlow's name,
except Wandering Minstrel, out of Doncaster Spring en-
gagements.

March 14, at 9 a.m. Despair, out of Doncaster Spring en-
gagements ; all M. Vaillant's horses, out of all engage-
ments except at Warwick.

The Failure of Attwoods, Spooner, and Co.'s

Bank,

BIRMINGHAM, Thursday.
A meeting of the creditors and customers of the firm of
Attwoods, Spooner, Marshalls, and Co., of Birmingham,
bankers, bankrupts, convened by the solicitors to the peti-
tion, Messrs. Whateley and W. S. Allen, was held this
afternoon in the Assembly-room at the Exchange. There
was a very large and excited assembly, chiefly of persons
belonging to the upper middle class of tradesmen, manu-
facturers, and artisans, who are very large depositors, and
consequently sufferers by this extensive failure. The Mayor
(Mr. H. Wiggin) was called to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said although
he had but very little personal interest in the very painful
business which had brought them together, as it appeared
to be their wish, he had no hesitation in acceding to their
request to him to preside on that occasion. Had this failure
been an occurrence of an ordinary kind, affecting business
men merely, he (the Mayor) should have declined to be
present at that meeting ; but the event which had taken
place really amounted to a great public calamity. It was
a blow the ruinous extent of which could hardly be ex-
pressed, and it had fallen upon the town and upon the
districts of Warwickshire and Worcestershire with unex-
ampled severity. All classes were sufferers by it, and the
misfortune had fallen upon a large number of that class of
persons who were not so well able to take care of their own
concerns as business men generally are. He had learnt
with very considerable regret that many of the indus-

trious classes who were members of benefit and friendly

societies wouldbe considerablelosers by the disaster. Under
these circumstances, therefore, he felt that with so much of
general public interest attaching to the affair he would have
been neglecting a public duty, as chief magistrate, were he
absent from that meeting. They had been called together
by the solicitors acting on behalf of Messrs. Attwoods,
Spooner, and Co., and they would, he understood, lay before
the meeting a full statement of the value of the liabilities of
the bank and the assets available to meet those liabilities ;

and when that had been done he should be glad to hear
from the creditors any suggestions as to the best mode of

I dealing with the estate—that was, it would be for them to
decide whether it should go through the Bankruptcy Court
—(cries of no, no)—orbe wound up by private arrangement.
It was not for him (the mayor) to express an opinion, but
it was a matter entirely for their own consideration. But
if he were to express an opinion, having had some experi-
ence of the working of bankruptcy cases, as a business man
he should say that he should prefer any reasonable mode of
arrangement to a winding up in the Bankruptcy Court.
(Vociferous applause.) Some of them, unfortunately,
knew that estates that looked very promising at the be-
ginning got very low in their passage through the Bank-
ruptcy Court, and, at all events, were a very long time
in being wound up. In this case it appeared to him
that everything would depend upon the realising of the
assets and dividing them among the creditors. (Cheers.)
He thought they would do well to come to a decision as
early as possible for realising the estate. It had been
rumoured, and most of those present had heard the rumour,
that offers had been made to take over the business of the
bank, and relieve the creditors of all further trouble in the
matter, by paying over sufficient to realise a fair dividend.
It that offer should be honestly made, and on a sufficiently
liberal scale, then he (the mayor) thought they would do
we 11 to give it their best consideration. He threw out this
hiiit without the least desire to dictate to them, or endea-
wuring in any degree to influence their course of action.
Ii conclusion, as chief magistrate of Birmingham, he begged
to thank the public and private banks in the town for the
ha ndsome and liberal manner in which they came forward
lo give instant accommodation to the creditors of Attwoods
ant i Spooner's Bank.

I 3 vlr. WHATELEY, solicitor, after explaining that Mr. Mar-
sha the venerable and only surviving partner in the bank,
was utterly prostrate and unable to be present, said that
he was commissioned by that gentleman to express the
sympathy and great distress he felt at the calamity which
had ivneo upon every creditor of the late bank. No one,
1 to (Mr. Whateley) was sure, felt the calamity more than
ir. Marshall did. He would now state what were the cir-
el mute aces' which had brought about Mr. Marshall's con-
nection as a partner with the bank of Messrs. Attwoods
and Spy )oner. Ti2.o addition of the two Messrs. Marshall to
the firn 1. took place on the Ist January, 1854. That
arrangE ment was brought about in consequence of Mr. R.
Bp,7oner having felt it his duty to remonstrate with his
pa rtner, , and, to insist that Mr. George Attwood should put
the, banks as regarded his own account, in a better state.
Tl iat led to an investigation of the affairs of Mr. Attwood,
aced. Mr. George
ar 1d the. ,position in which he was pl