The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-23 00:00:00

OR Ii WALES RAILWAY.

An ordinary half yaarly general mee.ing, and also an
extraordinary special rneetlng, of
.the shareholders of
this compon:-„wns holdyeserday morning at the Guildhall
vet e hosts:,; Mr. Chadwick presided. . .

T::e report stated th..t since the last meeting, in
October, the funds in the hands of the directors had
been invested at interest, and the Bill for the dissolution
of the company, which had been sanctioned by the
shareholders, had been introduced into Parliament. The
balanee•sheet stated that the receipts amounted to
45,597/. Os. l ld., and the payments and liabilities to
22,193/ 183. 4d., leaving a balance of 23,404/. 2s. 7d.
The CHAIRMAN stated that the solicitors' bill, which
had been under taxation, was reduced 7571. 10s. 11d.,
leaving an amount now duo to them of 1,0861. Bs. 6d.
There were only about four shareholders who re-
fused to sign in favour of a dissolution, and they only
had about 90 shares.

Several protests were then read from the dissentient
shareholders, some of whom threatened to enter proceed-
ings in Chancery against the directors if they persisted
in bringing a Bill before Parliament for a dissolution. _

Mr. BUTTS said he understood that the Vice-Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade had brought a Bill into
Parliament for the purpose of simplifying the winding
up of companies in which the majority of the share-
hol.lers were in favour of a dissolution, and he wished
to know whether they could not take advantage of that
Bill, instead of going to Parliament for a separate Act?
The CHAIRMAN said he had good grounds fur be-
lieving that it was intended only to apply to joint-stock
companies, not being railway companies, for when he
bad an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
some time ago, he told him that the Government had no
intention whatever to bring in a new Bill applicable to
the dissolution of railway companies.
Mr. BUTTS wished to know what expense would be
incurred in proceeding to Parliament for a Bill ? _

The CHAIRMAN said he considered that it would
amount to about 400/., but that was wholly independent
of the expense they might be put to if they were opposed
in Committee.

The Chairman and directors were then unanimously
re-elected.

Mr. STEPHEN GEARY recommended the directors to
instruct the solicitor to push the Bill in Parliament as
fast as possible, in order to put a stop to any proceedings
that might be instituted in chancery.
After some discussion the proprietors formed them-
selves into a special meeting, and the draft of the Bill its
Parliament having been read, it was unanimou.ly agreed
to. A reFolutioa was then passed, appointing three
shareholders to wait upon these who dissented from the
Bill with the view of inducing them by conciliatory mea-
sures to withdraw their opposition.
A vote of thanks was then passed to the Chairman and
directors, and the meeting separated.

LONDON AND BLACKWALL RAIL-

WAY.
The half-yearly meeting of the proprietors of this
company was held yesterday at the London Tavern; J. N.
Daniell, Esq., the chairman of the company, presiding.
After the usual preliminaries,
'1 he SECRETARY read the report, from which it appeared
that the receipts from the ordinary traffic on the line, and
from the wharfage amounted during the past half-year
to 33,023/. 10s. 4d., and the total expenditure to 25,527/.
3s. 6d. There was, consequently, a balance of 7,4961
6s. 10d. available for a dividend of 3s. per share, clear of
income-tax, to the 48,000 original shares.
The CHAIRMAN said he could have wished that the
report had been more satisfactory with respect to
dividend. The circumstances of the diminution of the
receipts were explained in the report, and he thought
that the diminution in the traffia at their station lines was
accountable for by the sad state of the monetary concerns
that prevailed all over Great Britain during the past year.
The directors had not held out any hope of any great in-
crease in their traffic as long as they were dependent
upon rope traction ; but as there was a Bill before Par-
liament to enable them to substitute locomotive power,
they might reasonably look forward to an increase in
the traffi.-... In their connexion with the Eastern• Cou-
nties line they wero not to be at any expense.—(Hear,
hear.) There had also been an agreement entered
into with the directors of the West India Docks and
Birmingham Junction Corr pany for bringing on their line
from the district through• which this railway was to
pass, and though the company in question had not
adopted the junction which they (the directors of the
London and Blackwell Company) had recommender',
yet they were to make that junction entirely at their
own expense, and " beggars could not be choosers."—
(IL ar, hear.) The Hon. Chairman concluded by moving
the adoption of the report and the audited accounts.

Mr. iIAToR seconded the resolution.
After somo discussion the resolution was unanimously
adopted. _ _

The CHAIRMAN then proposed a dividend of 3s. per
share, which was seconded by Mr. Haigh, and carried
unanimously.
Messrs. Oglevey and Tulson were re-elected audi-
tors, and the Chairman and Dr. Bowring directors.
The meeting was then made special, for the purpose
of having submitted to them the draft of a proposed
Bill to enable the company to connect their railway
with the East and West India Docks and Birmingham
Junction Railway, with power to use the same as well
as the Eastera Counties Railway.
A motion, approving of the Bill, was then carried
unanimously, and the meeting separated.

THE LIVERPOOL WILL FORGING CASE.—MR.
LANCHOLY SUICIDE OF LIEUTENANT PEREGRINE BOWER.
It. N., IN THE COMPTER —A painful amount of sensa-
tion was created at the Mansion-house this morning, by
the announcement of the suicide of this unfortunate
gentleman, charged with forging a will, who was to have
undergone a second and final examination before the
Lord Mayor this day. He held, up to the time of his
apprehension, the command of one her Majesty's mail
packets trading between Liverpool and Dublin. His bro-
ther, Lieut. William Bower, R.N., died in China, in March,
1846. Previous to his departure there he made a will,
which was proved by the executor, but after this will
had been admitted to proof, another will was produced
by Peregrine Bower, by which all the property was left
to him. Subsequently a person, attired as a sailor, pre-
sented himself at Doctors' Commons as an attesting wit-
ness to the will, and gave as his natne John Wood. It
was Bower himself in disguise. He was immediately
apprehended. The forgery of the second will was
substantiated, but he persisted in declaring that he knew
nothing of the fraudulent transaction. He was remanded
till to- day, when he would have been fully committed
to Nowgate for trial. All the parties were in attendance
at the Mansion-house at twelve o'clock, and shortly
after the Lord Mayor had taken his seat, a message
arrived from the Compter, communicating to his Lord-
ship the self-destruction of the unfortunate man. It
appeared that he rose this morning at the usual hour.
and from the conversation he had with his fellow pri-
soners, it seemed that he had made up his mind for the
worst. His conduct, apparently, was not different to
that he had generally evinced, and about nine o'cleek
he was missing. One of the warders proceded in quest
of him, and soon discovered his body suspended to the
iron gratings of the window. He was immediately cut
down, and the prison surgeon called in, but life was
quite extinct. The deceased was between sixty and
seventy years, and at Liverpool, where he resided, was
much respected.
THE LATE DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT THE RED
LION TAVERN.—The fire which broke out yesterday
morning in the Red Lion Tavern, Red Lion-court,
Fleet-street, was attended with a far greater destruction
of property than was at first anticipated. Besides los-
ing the whole of his stock in trade, furniture, and wear-
ing apparel, Mr. Hoare he lost a considerable sum of
money, which he had in his cash box, consisting of 72
sovereigns and several 51. Bank of England notes. Mr.
Superintendent Braidwood made au inspection of the
premises yesterday aCtnnoon, but he was unable to
trace out the origin of the fire. Mr. Hoare, it is re-
ported, was only partially insured. He stated yesterday
that when he went to bed, at half-past-twelve o'clock on
Monday night, there was not the least smell or appear-
ance of anything burning.
HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION ♦ND DISEASES co,
THE CHEST, BRoMPTON .—M UNIFICENT DONATION.
On Saturday evening, a special meeting was held of the
governors and directors, in the board-room of the above
institution, for the purpose of considering the regula-
tions which might be hest calculated to advance the
objects of the " Rose charity fund," a Samaritan ides,
which has been formed to provide relief for patients who
are discharged from the hospital. and who are not suffi-
ciently recovered to return immediately to active em-
ployment. A munificent donation of 5001., received
during the last few days, was the occasion for the pre-
sent meeting. It was observed that the sometime long
and lingering illness of consumptive patients, required
the most careful regulations as to the time of their re-
maining in the hospital ; and both the medical and other
officers had, in this respect, a most onerous duty to per-
form. They had to extend the benefits of a limited
charity to an almost unlimited number of claimants ;
hence the necessity of the convalescent making way for
the suffering patient, whose hours, unaided by immediate
relief, might be almost said to be numbered. The humane
idea, therefore, of a convalescent fund, from which the
partially restored individual might gather hope and
energy, appeared to be truly in accordance with the
spirity of the charity. The sum of 5001. for this benevo-
lent purpose has been forwarded by Charles Dixon, Esq.,
of Stansted-Emsworth, Hants.