The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-20 00:00:00

PROFIT AND LOSS.

Dr.
To total expenditure of the six establish-
ments, including rent, taxes, salaries,
stationery, &c 19,917 11 10
To payment of dividend now declared, at
the rate of six per cent, per annum, for
the last half-year, on the paid-up capi-
tal of £1,000,000
To bonus of two per cent, on the capital
To balance of unappropriated profits

£ Y. d.

30,000 0 0
20,000 0 0
109,164 7 10

- ,tri.loBl

Cr.
By balance of unappropriated profits on
the 30th June, 1852
By gross profits of the last half-year,
after paying the income-tax, and mak-
ing provision for all bad and doubtful
debts

116,694 0 4

62,387 19 4

£179,081 19 8

By balance of unappropriated profits
brought down

£109,164 7 10

- -
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the re-
port, said—ln 1848 the deposits of the public alone in
this bank were 3,089,6591. ; in 1849, 3,680,0001. ; in
1850, 3,969,000/. ; in 1851, 4,677,000/. ; and in 1852,
5,581,7061. The " rest" in 1848 was rather over
100,0001., and the responsibilities were only 3,089,000/.
odd. The rest since that time had continued pretty
much the same ; but the responsibilities had amounted
toi in 1851, 4,677,2981., and in 1852 to 5,581,7061. He
would therefore put it to the meeting to say whether
they did not consider that the directors had adopted
a proper and prudent course in adding 5,0001. to the
reserved fund during the last year ? This bank was now
nearly approaching its nineteenth year. In March,
1834, it opened its doors for business with a capital of
little over 64,0001. On the 31st December of that year
the capital amounted to 182,2551. ; since that period it
had kept gradually increasing, and was now 1,000,0001.
Their average capital, therefore, during the period of
nineteen years, was 747,880/. The amount paid during
the same period to the proprietors had been 880,9261.,
averaging 61 per cent. from the opening of the bank.
(Hear, hear.) For the last two years the dividend had
been 8 per cent. upon a million. He trusted, therefore,
he might congratulate them on that part of the state of
the bank which he had brought more immediately under
their notice, and that the prosperity of the past was a
fair and reasonable ground for the prosperity of the fu-
ture. (Cheers.) He concluded by moving the adoption
of the report.

Mr. LEVY seconded the motion, which was agreed to
after a brief discussion, and a vote of thanks to the chair.
man closed the proceedings.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

On Tuesday evening the usual meeting of this society
took place—Mr. James Meadows Rendel, president, in
the chair.
Mr. Burt read a paper " On the Preservation of Tim.
ber."

The theory of the various processes was carefully de-
scribed ; the action of the solutions in water of metallic
salts, such as chloride of mercury (Kyan's), chloride of
zinc (Burnett's), or sulphate of copper (Margary's) was,
if the mixture was sufficiently strong, to coagulate the al-
bumen in the sap ; but the fibre was left unprotected,
and it being a property of albumen to render innocuous
the corrosive sublimate combined with it, the marine
worm, or the white ant, would immediately attack wood
so prepared. Creosote had the same effect of coagulat-
ing the albumen, whilst it gave a waterproof covering to
the fibres, prevented the absorption of water, and was so
obnoxious to animal life that, hitherto, no instance had
been adduced of well-creosoted timber having been either
touched by decay, dry rot, or the marine worm ; and the
trials made in India showed that it was equally objec-
tionable to the white ant. The chemical products of the
distillation of coal tar were described, and it was shown
that the napthaline was essential as an antiseptic ; that th
process should be carried on with heated creosote, in orde
that this product should not crystallize in the capillary
tubes of the wood, and that it would be advantageous to
dessicate the timber before it was submitted to the process,
for which purpose, it was proposed to dry the wood by
smoking it in an oven, whence it should be oonveyed,
on the same trucks, into the cylinders, exhausted to the
extent of 26 or 27 inches of mercury, and then saturated
with heated creosote, under a pressure of 1201bs. to
1501bs. per square inch. Wood thus saturated to the
extent of ?lbs. or 101bs. per cube foot might be presumed
to be indestructible, as when even by a less perfect pro-
cess such an extent of saturation had been attained, no
authentic instance of decay or injury from worm had
ever been adduced. Numerous specimens of wood so
prepared, that had been under ground and in the sea for
from twelve to twenty years, were exhibited, and all
were perfectly sound. The alburnam or sapwood ab-
sorbed the creosote more readily than the heart of the
timber, which could, however, be penetrated by the solu-
tion of chloride of zinc (Burnett's process), of which it was
stated that careful analysis demonstrated its intimate com-
bination with the timber ; it was therefore suggested that
in cases where the comple preservation of' the timber was
of vital importance, and expense was not a consideration,
he wood should be first subjected to Burnett's process,
and then be creosoted, by which combined means it
would become indestructible. It was shown that, dry
wood only should be subtjected to creosoting ; by that
process sapwood, otherwise almost useless, could be ren-
dered very serviceable • and that for piles for marine
work whole round timber should be used, because the
outer portion, or the alburnam, was so much more readily
saturated with the oil ; and this prevented the vrms
from making an inroad into the heart.
should
should
.
not be kept floating in ponds, as London,
be stacked in the docks, as in Liverpool and Gloucester ;Timbubterit B
when the tubes were filled with moisture, no oil could
be forced into them, even by the heaviest pressure. By
returns from the Leith harbour works, it was shown that
the average quantity of cresote absorbed by the tim-
ber was 57i gallons per load, or 577 lbs. weight,
forced into 50 cubic feet of wood. Piles, 14 inches
square, of unprepared timber, at Lowestoft harbour, were
shown to have been eaten away to 4 inches square, in four
years, whilst cresoted piles, of the same dimensic*s, driven
alongside them, were perfectly untouched ; specimens of
both were exhibited. Somo specimens were shown of
curious coke, produced from the pitch 3 residue of the
distillation of creosote ; it was quite free from sulphur
and earthy particles, and was found to be very valuable
for smelting iron, for which purpose it was beginning to
be largely used near Birmingham. It appeared to be
admitted that all the various processes somewhat re-
duced the transverse strength of the timber when dry ;
and the metallic salts affected at the iron bolts or fasten-
ings. The natural juices of some woods did this ; and a
bolt was exhibited which had united beams of elm and
pitch pine, and was corroded entirely away at the junc-
tion. It was shown that on some railways in the
North, unprepared yellow pine had been down, as
longitudinal sleepers, for sixteen years, and was
still perfectly
term had expired, by being crushed under the loads con-
free from decay, although its natural
stantly travelling over it. The effect of " Green-heart"
timber in resisting the attacks of worms, was particularly
noticed, and it was admitted, that but for its great cost,
it would be extensively used. Experiments were men-
tioned, that were made at the Royal Pier, Southampton,
on timber prepared by various processes ; and the result
was, that the creosoted wood alone resisted the attack
of the " Terebrans" with which ithat water was p.Tej:::
Early infested. The members were requested to aid t
Burt, the author of the paper, in some further experi-
mentsand to
communicate to the institution all information
which he had undertaken on the subject,
could elucidate the various points treated of
or alluded to in the discussion. The falls
on Tuesday,wingpaper
.n which
the
paper,
was announced to be read at the meeting
of Build-
Inst. C.E.
ings," by Mr. James Barrett, Assoc.
January 25, ,c On the Construction of Fire-pro

THE LATE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—The passengers who
were injured by the late dreadful railway accident, near
Oxford, are, with one exception, progressing favourably.
The report. at the Radcliffe Infirmary yesterday
afternoon, where nine of them are still lying, was
was in a most dangerous state, so much so
that eight were going on well, but that the old man,
greater' fears are entertained for his recovery. The
tFhaantlk i
poor man has not spoken since the accident, and lies in
a most unconscious state. It will be remembered tha t
he received a most serious concussion of the brain. Thos .
Money, who had cheek, nose, and forehead cut, and h is
thigh much injured, has so far recovered as to be able to
leave the infirmary for his own home in Berkshire. Ed-
ward Jones, of Marlborough, who is staying at the An-
chor Inn, near the scene of the accident, is also progress -
ing very favourably, and should he continue to do so
until next week ho will leave Oxford for Marlborough.
Kinch, the.guard, against whom a verdict of manslaugh -
ter has been returned by the coroner's jury, is not yet i
ustody.