The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-12 00:00:00

At Coen—None.
At Athens—The Sharpshooter steamer, Lieutenant-
Commander Bailey.
route to Lit•bon from Malta—The Arrogant Capt.
R. Flizroy.

MAIL STEAM PACKETS.
At Malta—The futon, Liimeliant C. J. I'. Glinn;
Oberon, Lieutcn int Gardner; Antelope, Lieutenant F.
Stnyth; Medusa, Lieutenantßathurst; MG(!ma, Lieut. A.
Dar by.
En route to Marseilles from ALilta—The
LieutPrant J. Turner.

En route from Malta to Corfu—Tho Ardent, Lieu-
tcuant Novell (special service).

PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION coM..
PANY'S FLOTILLA.
At Southampton—The Ilindostan, Pasha,
Erin, Queen, and Indus.
En route to Gibraltar and Southampton from Malta
—The Sultan.
At Constantinople—The Tagus.
En route to Alexandria fr,an Malta—The Ripon.
UNITED STATES SQUADRON.

En, route to Gibraltar—The hicam-frigate Alleghany,
Captain Hunter ; the steam-frigate Princeton, Com-
mender Eagle.
Spczzia—The Constitution frigate, Captain Gwynne,
Actiug- Commodore.
Palermo The Jamestown corvette, Commander
Mercer.
FOREIGN SHIPS OF WAR AND PACKETS IN PORT.

The French steamer Leonidas, Y. C. Sapphire
and Nautilus, English steamer eater-Lily, Tunisian
gun-boat Dumnigel.
PORTSMOUTH, NV EDNESDAY.—The Egyptian frigate
Sharkie, of 36 guns, arrived at Spithesd last evening, at
half-past six o'clock, under the comma ;d of Commodore
Hafue Bey, haying left Gravesend at three, A.M. in the
morning, thus running the distance of 170 miles at the
rate of about eleven miles an hour. She saluted the
Lieutenant. Governor of the garrison with 21 guns, and
the Commander-in Chief of the port with 17, and was
duly answered by them respectively. This ship was
built at Alexandria under the immediate direction of
Mohammed Bey, the chief naval architect in the
Egyptian service, who received his professional educa-
tion in this country, and the best judges of ships say that
she does great credit to that distinguished individual.
She has been fitted with steam-engines of 550-horse
power by Messrs. Miller and Raveehill, and with a screw
propeller. Her passage front the Thames to this port
shows her to be an eminently successful result of the
application of the screw propeller to a ship of war; and
both this performance and her trials in the Thames have
called forth strong expressions of surprise from nautical
men and eligirees%:, who seem previously to have under-
rated the extraordinary capabilities of the screw.
An accident occurred, we regret to say, whilst salu-
ting. o.le man was ramming- home the charge, and
another, whose duty it was to stop the vent, n'glected
to du so in a proper manner. The result was, that the
ratnmer was blown out of the port, and his remains
have not been since found. Mr. Beattie, the Ottoman
Vice-Consul at this port, dispatched a boat and risen to
drag fur the remains ut the unfortunate man, but with-
out success. Mr. Z gab, the Ottoman Consul-General,
and the Turkish Admiral, are expected to arrive this
evening. The trigste will embark her splendid state
b4rge (built by Caroler, of Guyport) to-morrow, and
earl 014 Saturday.
Portsmouth tlarbour (the watermen's) Regatta com-
meeced to day, under auspices.
The Ajax steam e,uard-ship will probably be com•
missient d at this port shortly, and report says by Cap-
tain %V. H. flet.derson, C. 8., late of the Sidon.
The Phoenix screw steam-sloop. 260 horse power,
gusts, is ordered to be commissioned here by Commander
eieerge %Vodehouse, 1844. _

To; Fire-Qu, en steam yatcht, Master Commander
Allen, was uocked this morning fur re•embellish-
ment, &e.

OoL wICLI, JULY 11. The Niger steam-sloop,
fitted with a screw propeller, and recently experimented
with along with the Basilisk steam-sloop, fitted with
paddle-wheels, is ordered to return to Woolwich to be
laid up for the present.
The Basilisk steam-sloop is to remain at Dovonport
as an advanced war steamer.
The Flamer steam-vessel, reported ready for commis-
sion, has been examined, and as doubts are entertained
of her k friciency to be mounted with guns as a war
steamer, she is to be sent round to Portsmouth and kept
in readimas as a packet-boat.

UNION BANK OF LONDON.
The tenth annual general meeting of the proprietors
was held yesterday at the bank, Princes•street, Mansion•
House, Sir Peter Laurie in the chair.

The Secretary, Mr. Walter LAURIE, having read the
minutes of the last and the advertisement convening the
present meeting, proceeded to read the annual report of
the affairs of the bank. It stated that during the last
twelve months the pressure upon the commercial interests
of the country, which was the subject of remark in the
last report, had bee❑ continued, and in many instances
aggravated by the political convulsions which have dis-
tracted nearly the whole of Europe; that a low value of
money had been the natural consequence of the influx of
foreign capital and the contraction of mercantile enter-
prise; but that, notwithstanding these disadvantages,
the directors were able to refer the proprietors to the
balance-sheet as an evidence of the continued progress
and success of the bank, from which it appeared that the
net profits of the year amounted to 28,6171. 18s. 10d.,
out of which the directors proposed to appropriate a
sum of 25,374/. for the payment of a dividend at the
rate of six per cent. clear of income•tax, and 5001. as
usuid, in reduction of the preliminary expenses, leaving
an unappropriated balance of 2,734/. liV : Od. to be car-
ried to profit and loss new account. The interest paid to
customers on their current and deposit accounts, during
the last year, amounted to nearly 34,0001. The acces-
sion of numerous and valuable connexions, valuable not
only as adding to the profits of the bank, but as evincing
the ( stima,iou in which it was held by the public, proved
to the directors the soundness of the cautious and pru-
dent system of management they had endeavoured to
maintain, and enabled them to assure the proprietors of
the steady and gatit'ying progress of the company.
The proposition of the directors to declare a dividend
of six per cent. was unanimously agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN moved that the report should be re-
ceived and circulated among the proprietors. He con-
gratulated them on their continued prosperity and pro-
gressive increase of business. As a proof the opinion
entertained of them by the public, he might state that
theirs was the first joint-stock bank that had obtained
the confidence of Government, and they had received
the support of the metropolitan commissioners of sewers.
The motion, having been seconded by Mr. PETER
LAURIE, Was cannel unanimously.
Toe following gentlemen, who retired by rotation from
the direction, were re-dected:—Mr. George Webster,
Mr. Jahn Barnes, and Mr. John W. Sutherland. _

The general meeting then resolved itself into a special
meeting, for the purpose of considering a proposal made
by the directors to alter the clau,o in the deed of settle-
ment which required each director to be a holder of
twenty snares in the company; so that, for the future,
the poistssion of one hundred shares ehould be required
as a qualification for that office.
Mr. J. BROWN thought that the question was not •n•
of the qualification of directors only, but also whether
the election of them should rest with the board of direc

tors, or with the proprietors. When he signed the deed
of settlement he was not aware of the clause, which gave
power to the directors in this matter, else he should not
have signed it.
Mr. W. BlinwNE said that when this subject was dis-
cussed at the general meeting last year, a promise was
given that the election of new directors would be left
to the proprietors. At present the directors had virtually
all the power in their own hands, because when any
gond:min was nominated by them to a vacancy the
shareholders felt that they could not, without a bad
grace, oppose the nomination of their directors, when
asked to confirm it.
claAulsre.
in qL.AesUtRi
oInE, aaisd tthhaatt thweyascaouslpdecniostl
mtheeent
gter
atuhde
y could not entertain any other measure, except that
one which they bud b.en called together to consider. It
was true that a promise had been given at the meeting in
last duly, that if an election should take place the nominee
of the directors should not take his place at the board
until his appointment was sanctioned by the proprietors.
That, ho thought, was the same thing as leaving the
nomination to the proprietors.—(No, no.)
Mr. J. BROWN then gave notice that at the next gene-
ral meeting he would move a resolution to the effect that
when any vacancy occurred in the direction, by death,
bankruptcy, or otherwise, the secretary should give
thirty days' notice to the proprietors, at the end of
which period they should meet for the purpose of filling
up the vacancy, and that the names of candidates should
be posted on the bank doors twenty days previous to the
election.

Air. RICHARDSON said that the price of their shares
in the market was not so high as might be expected
from the dividend paid by their company. lie drew at-
tention to the fact that theirs was the only joint-stock
bank that paid two per cent. interest on current and de-
posit accounts to customers, and ho suggested that it
would be advisable to diminish or abolish the payment of
this interest, which amounted last year to nearly 34,0001
--(Hear, hear.) When the Westminster Bank reduced
their interest to one per cent. they were said to have lost
only one customer in consequence of that measure.
The enAIRMAN promised that the directors would take
the suggestion into consideration.
The prcposalofthwe
adsiretchteonr s
putrcs p
andectm
carried
d w numberwithout
oouft
qualification shares
utshsawnnki to the chairman and officers of the
passed, and the meeting separated. company wasie
furtherAvo to d
ost.

ASYLUM FOR AGED AND DECAYED FRICEMASO24S.
—Last evening the annual general meeting of the above
institution was held at Radley's Hotel, Bridge-street,
Blackfriars, Brother Wright in the chair. The secre-
tary read the negotiations relative to the proposed amal-
gamation with the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity
Fund under one common title. A site for the new
asylum had been selected on Croydon common, and the
building was rapidly proceeding. The financial report
showed that the receipts were 893/. Is. Bd., and the pay-
ments, including 357/. 16s. 3d. tor the purchase of land
at Croydon, were 5291. O. Id. l • eying tendered the re- ..
signation of Dr. Crucifix, a repolution highly compli-
mentary was unanimously carried, requesting th_e
gen-
tleman to continue in the office, and appointing Brother
d otner
John flodgkinson as joint treasurer with bi:n._
tthm election of President, Vice-President,
ey
1 Stuart for
officers, thanks were accorded to Lord Dudley
After
nearly 600/. watt
presiding at ihe recent festival,
collected; and the meeting we-
f Chancery will be glad
The suitors of the Court
,0.,.a0r _5
i uow rapidly teen-
to lean: tit t the L. rd
iChh.ttsfli alarming
illness. HiS
v.ring from the effects oe
eix late
ercise every day, and the
Lordship takes carriasgurn awcrurned.
ption of the public sittings is
announcement of a l',-
before the end of the week.
confidently exPe4t4d