The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-25 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.

In the absence of Mr. Hutt, an Hole. MEMBER moved
for returns of the number of ships of all classes, includ-
ingsteam-vessels, employed in any way for the suppression
of the slave trade during the year ending the Ist day of
August, 1846, stating the number of men and guns, with an
estimate of the charge to the public for such service, in-
cluding stores, coals, and wear and tear of the equip-
ment, together with every other expense, distinguishing
the charges incurred by the vessels expressly employed
in suppressing the slave trade from those incurred by
the vessels incidentally engaged in that servi,:e.
An account of the number of men and officers, dead
and invalided, in the squadron employed in the
suppression of the slave trade, on the African coast,
during the year 1845; of the expenses of all hospital
establishments and refitting establishments connected
with the suppression of the slave trade in this country,
on the east and west coasts of Africa, at the Cape of
Good Hope, the islands of Ascension and St. Helens,
and elsewhere. An account of the appropriation of all
sums of money received as the proceeds of vessels or other
property condemned in the courts of admiralty, vice-ad-
miralty, or mixed commission courts, for violations of the
laws or treaties prohibiting the slave trade. Account of
all sums of money paid in each year since 1807 to cap-
tors of vessels condemned for violation of the laws and
treaties prohibiting the slave trade, distinguishing the
sums paid as bead money, bounty for- slaves
taken, bounty per ton register of ships taken,
and as captors' shares of the proceeds of ships
and property condemned. Acconnt of all sums of
money paid by the Crown to or on behalf of cantors, in
satisfaction or indemnification of expenses or damages
arising from the prosecution or seizure of vessels alleged
to be engaged in the slave trade ; also, of sums paid to
Foreign Governments, or to British or foreign persons, for
losses caused by the seizure, destruction, or condemnation
of vessels, barracoons, or other property, alleged to be en-
gaged in the slave trade, distinguishing, as far as pos-
sible, the names of the persons receiving such compensa-
tion, the dates of payment, and the nature of the injury
or loss for which compensation was made in each case,
from the year 1807 to the present time. Account of all
the exEenses, as far as they can be estimated, incurred
in the naval or diplomatic services in each year, since
1807, for promoting the suppression of the slave trade,
which are not comprised in the foregoing returns.
Motion agreed to.
ST. ALBAN'S ELECTION.

The SPEAKER informed the House that the recok.
nizances enter( d into by the sureties to prosecute the
petition against the return of Benjamin Bond Cabbell,
Esq., for St. Alban's, were found to be unexceptionable.
The House then adjourned at half-past Three o'clock.

LONDON AND CROYDON RAIL-

WAY COMPANY.
The general meeting of this Company took place yester
day, at the offices of the Company, Mr. A. Wilkinson in
the chair.

The SECRETARY read the following report, which was
unanimously adopted :
"The amalgamation of the late Brighton and
Croydon Companies being now completed, and a report
having been already made to you in your new character as
proprietors in the London, Brighton, and South Coast Com-
pany, your late directors have merely to remark that, at the
close of your existence as a separate company, your affairs
are in a more flourishing condition than they have ever yet
been.

"The short traffic on your line has steadily and rapidly in-
creased. During the present session of Parliament, the
Direct Portsmouth line which has been a source of so much
anxiety to your directors, and is expected to be a source
of so much profit to your line, has received the sanction of
the Legislature. The short coal and goods line to Dept-
ford, which was alluded to in the last report, has likewise
passed successfully through Parliament; and, although you
have not obtained your Bill for a line to Tonbridi.,e and
Maidstone, you have succeeded in defeating the schemes of
the South-Eastern Company, which would have diverted
the traffic of Kent from the Croydon line; and you have
again successfully resisted the attempt of the South-
Western Company to obtain another line to Epsom.
The atmospheric system, although it has not been free
from those difficulties which usually attend the first intro-
duction of all inventions, is satisfactorily progressing, and
there is every reason to believe that it will fully realise the
expects ions which have been entertained cf its ultimate
success.

" The working expenses of the last five months are neces-
sarily very great, on account of the mixing of the two
systems of traction, each having cost almost as much as if
the other had not been employed; but the receipts from
passenger traffic for the five months of the present
half-year have exceeded those of the six months of
the corresponding half-year, although the best month
(that of July) is omitted, the accounts having been closed
a month earlier than usual, for the sake of uniformity with
those of the late Brighton Company—some of the payments,
however, being necessarily referable to the whole six
months: The accounts thus presented show a disposable
balance (including the profit of 2,1301. Ils. Bd. derived from
the sale of third shares) of 17,600/. 15s. 3d., put of which
your directors recommend a dividend to be paid of 7s. Gd. per
share. A vote of Vie proprietors will be taken as to tt,e
disposal of the sum remaining after the payment of this
dividend.

"The directors cannot dose this report without recommend-
ing to the favourable consideration of the proprietors some
acknowledgment of the valuable services of Mr. Young, so
long and so zealously rendered in the ctfice of Secretary to
this Company."
The CRAIR3IAN then moved that a dividend of 7s. 6d.
per share b.. paid to the shareholders out of the divisable
ft:o, now in the hands of the directors.

The resolution was seconded by Mr. BARNES, at:d
carried unanimously.

The CHAIRMAN Then moved that a testimonial should
t.e presented to Mr. Young for his valuable services, aid
that a subscription should be entered upon for that
purpose, and that the directors be empowered to pay
over the balance of 1,188/. 9s. 3d., which will remain
after the payment of the dividend in aid of such fund.
Mr. SLE:IRY seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.

After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meetir g
separated.

The WEATHER and the HARVEST
The prospects of the harvest have not become brighter
during the present week. In Western Yorkshire' we
have not had a day without rain siuce Sunday, and
Thursday was a completely soaking, damaging day,
with almost incessant rain, and scarcely a breath of
wind to counteract its injurious effects. Though the
rain has ceased, the weather is still gloomy, with a
" changeable " barometer and little briskness in the
wind. Some corn has been cut in this neighbourhood
during the week, but very little stacked. In the prin-
cipal wheat-growing counties of the South, a good deal
of produce had already been secured in fair condition,
though there they complain of an excess of moisture.
In the Midland counties the harvest is tolerably ad-
vanced, but there is still a great deal of corn eut anti
uncut in the fields. The tendency of the corn marketx
under these circumstances, is naturally upwards, and
further advances are anticipated. Should the unfavour-
able harvest weather cause any considerable portion of
the English grain of the present year to prove more
than usually soft and unsound, we,shall require a large
quantity of fine dry old foreign grain to mix with our
home-grown stock ; and the 1,660,399 quarters of
wheat entered for home consumption in the first six
months of the present year, followed by further sup-
plies, will be found available for rendering the food of
the people wholesome and nutritious till the next har-
vest. This will be one of the first-fruits of the new
corn-laiv, a consequence which the general failure of
the potato crop will render invaluable. As to that crop,
we must refer for a view of its alarming condition to
other parts of our present paper; we only remark here
that in England, Scotland, and Ireland, the acconnts are
much more dispiriting this year than they were in the
month of August of the year 1845. Whatever may be
the quality or the quantity of human food produced by
the present harvest, the supply of food for cattle will be
must abundant ; .already an unusually large quantity of
hay of prime quality has been secured ; the meadows
and pastures are full of herbage from the rains of July
and August; and the turnip crop has seldom been so
promising as at the present season.—Leeds Mercury.

SHEARERS' WAGES.—Harvesters. notwithstanding the
numerous arrivals from Ireland, as well as from parts of the
\Vest Highlands, seem to be scarce throughout the coun-
try; while wages, regulated by supply and demand—are
consequently high. In Dumbartonshire, as high as four
shillings and sixpence, and even five shillings per day
has been paid for resident shearers, two of them being, it is
said, preferable to three promiscuously hired at our Cross,
where wages have this week ranged from 2s. 61. to 3s. 6d:
The following wages have been paid elsewhere:—ln Iten•
frewshire, 33. to 44. per day; in East Lothian, 183. to 20s.
per week, with victuals; in Mid-Lothian, 16s. and 18s.
per acre, without victuals, is the common rate; in
Stirlingshire, men 16s. 6d. to 215., women I Is. to 12s. per
week. In other parts of Scotland, as well as throughout the
North of England, wages are proportionably high, and
shearers in great demand. The numbers of reapers who have
this week arrived here from Ireland is about 7,000 or 8,000.
The demand for harvest labourers is not diminishing, but, on
the contrary, will increase if the weather continue fine.—
Glasgow Saturday Post.
NOT QUITE DEAF ENOUGII.--A curious incident oc-
curred last week before the Civil Tribunal of the Seine. A.
medical man, whose wife had a fortune in her own right, ap-
plied to the tribunal to compel her to grant him a mainte-
nance, on the ground of his having become so deaf as to be
unable to follow his profession. The wife declared, through
her advocate, that her husband was only deaf because he
would not hear, and therefore objected to his application.
The
i
pkadings on both sides being over, the President of the
"Tribunal, turning to the husband, who was present, said to
sir, absolutely,
absolutely,"
him in a moderate tone of voice, "You are then absolutely
destitute of the means of support?" "Oh yes,
There is a report respecting a jury
replied the husband,i
forgetting his deafness.
The tribunal instantly dismissed his suit.—Paris Paper.
impanelled upon
a certain civil action, tried at the late Cardigan Assizes;
the rumour is, that on retiring to consider the verdict, the
numbers were even for the plaintiff and defendant, and in
order to decide the question it is said that, they tossed up a
halfpenny for it, when the defendant was the lucky man.
We trust, for the' credit of a Cardiganshire jury, that the
report is untrue ; but, unfortunately, the verdict was con-
trary to the evidence and to the summing up of the Learned
Judge, and surprised the counsel engaged, and a crowded
court.— Curinarthen Journal.
OLD PORT.— l'he submarine adventurers employed on
the wreck of the Abergavenny, off Weymouth, brought up,
the other day, a bottle of port wine in fine preservation.
It has lain at the bottom of the sea forty-one years.—De-
vonport Telegraph.
BUYING A PREACHER.--The coloured people of
Washingtoa have held a fair to raise 300 dollars to buy their
preacher, who is a slave. The price, for a good preacher, is
very cheap iudeed.—New York Morning Poe.