The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-28 00:00:00

ROYAL MAIL STEAM-PACKET COMPANY.

WEDNESDAY.

A general meeting of the shareholders of this company
was held at the City Terminus Hotel to-day, Captain C.
Mangles in the chair.—The Chairman, in moving the
adoption of the report and accounts, said the surplus that
time last year on the working account was £73,000, and
now it had reached £147,000, which was a Considerable in-
crease. At that time the profit and loss shewed a surplus of
£lO,OOO to be carried over to the depreciation fund. On
this occasion the amount was £74,900 to be placed aside for
depreciation and repairs and renewals. While the work-
ing expenses had diminished, every item on the receipts,
with but one exception, shewed an increase. He adverted
in the Ida being on her voyage home, and
the arrival of the Elbe, and then to the
new route to Cherbourg, which, he said, had been com-
menced by the company a little too late in the season.
Nevertheless fifty-two foreigners had availed themselves
of their ships and that mode of travelling.—Admiral
Whish seconded the adoption of the report, and Mr.
Simpson moved an amendment to the effect that the
report be adopted, but that 30s. per share out of the
Renewal Account should be paid, instead of 10s. This
amendment was put and lost. The Hon. C. L. Butler
then moved another amendment, that the divivend be £1
per share out of the balance of the renewal account,
instead of 10s. This was carried. The directors were
re-elected, and the business terminated.

SINGULAR FORGERY BY A. WOMAN,

WEDNESDAY.

At the Mansion House, to-day, Elizabeth Smith, other-
wise Mrs. Simpson, a well-dressed woman, aged 32, was
brought up before the Lord Mayor, charged with uttering
a cheque for £l2O with intent to defraud. On Saturday last
the prisoner called at the Banking-house of Messrs. Twining
in the Strand, and presented to Mr. Samuel Harvey
Twining, a member of the firm a letter of introduction
purporting to be signed by Dr. Cook, of Fitzroy-square,
in the following terms :—"Dear Sir,—Allow me to intro-
duce to you Mrs. Simpson, an old friend of mine, who
wishes to open an account with you." The prisoner handed
him a cheque for £l2O, with which the account was opened as
requested. It purported to be drawn upon Messrs. Smith,
Pa) ne, and Smith, bankers, Lombard-street, by Mr. William
Longman, the well-known publisher, who many years
ago knew the prisoner's father (who was now dead), and
had recently given assistance to the prisoner. The prisoner
received a cheque-book, and, before leaving the bank, drew
a cheque for 250, which was cashed. Later in the
day Dr. Cook called at Messrs. Twinings, and the letter
and the cheque for £l2O were discovered, to be forgeries.
Yesterday, Messrs. Twining's cashier met the priioner in
Fleet-street, and she was given into custody. She had
then in her possession £2B of the £bo she had received on
Saturday. _ _

The ford Ma—dm, remanded the prisoner for a week, in
order that further inquiries might be made.

ACTION AGAINST A GOLD MINING
COMPANY.

WEDNESDAY.
The case of Villesboisnet v. the Ovens Gold Quartz
Mining Company (Limited), was tried to-day, before Mr.
Justice Willes and a Middlesex common jury, in the
Court of Common Pleas. Serjeant Parry, and Mr. Day,
appeared for the plaintiff ; while Mr. Montague Chambers
Q.C., and Mr. Lloyd, represented the defendants. From
the opening statement of the learned serjeant, it appears
that the plaintiff is a French gentlemanwhohasresidedfor
some time in this country. The company professed to be
owners of an estate called the Oven's Estate, in the county of
Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, where it is believed that gold
is to be found, and the company was formed for the pur-
pose of working the gold mines. In May, 1867, the
plaintiff, having seen certain auriferous quartz specimens
in the shop of a chemist named Robins, one of the direc-
tors of the company, made certain inquries,
and was furnished by the secretary of the
company (Mr. Luke Williams) with a prospectus,
which stated that its capital was 230,000, in
shares of £1 each, to be paid up in full when called upon.
It further stated that 6,000 shares were reserved for the
vendor of the estate ; that 2,500 shares had been applied
for ; and that the remainder would be allotted on priority
of application, On the faith of this prospectus, plaintiff
applied for 200 shares ; and on the 30th of May
he deposited £2OO with the bankers of the
company. He now sought to recover that
amount on the following ground :—Having heard
that it was the intention of the company to commence
operations before the capital was paid up, he wrote to
the secretary protesting against such a course, and inti-
mating that if they did so he should demand his deposit
back. He afterwards did so demand his money back ; and
it was asserted by the learned serjeant that at that time
the compady had not in fact allotted him any shares ;
nor had they allotted shares to anybody else so far as
could be found out. Plaintiff demanded the return of his
money on the sth of June, 1867. and it was not until the
16th of July that the secretary forwarded scrip, signed by
two of the directors.' This, it was contended, was a
sham allotment, to prevent the plaintiff bringing an
action. The 2,500 shares said to have been applied for
lad not been paid up, as the prospectus led the plaintiff
to believe, nor had the directors paid a penny on any
shares, but they were mere speculators trying to get hold
of other people's money to work the affair. The banker's
book shewed that 580 shares only had been -applied for,
including the plaintiff's 200.
The plaintiff underwent a long cross-examination with-
out his evidence being materially shaken. He acknow-
ledged that the secretary had written to him to say that
he would have received his allotment of shares but for his
absence in Paris.

Mr. Chambers denied that the company had ever com-
menced operations at the mines, which was the alleged
ground of plaintiff's desire to withdraw. The fact was,
they could not get the capital to do so. He took exception
to the proceedings on one or two technical points, of which
his lordship took a note.
The jury found that the plaintiff had not become a
shareholder before tho 16th of July ; that there was no
allotment before that date ; that plaintiff was induced to
make the deposit by misrepresentation ; and that he de-
manded his money back within a reasonable time. There
was therefore a verdict for the plaintiff on all the counts
for £2OO.

His lordship reserved the points raised until after
another action, to be tried to-day, against the directors
of the company for fraudulent misrepresentation.

THE DEL: CIIEROIS DIVORCE SUIT,
Dr. Ball gave judgment on Tuesday in the Provincial
Court of Armagh, on the petition which had been pre-
sented to the Court by Mrs. Delacherois praying for a
separation from her husband upon the ground of
cruelty. The marriage took place on the 16th of June,
1864. The lady was the daughter of Mr. Tennent, of Rush
Park, near Belfast, a gentleman who was the head of an
ancient and highly respectable family in the county
Down. The case made by Mrs. Delacherois, in hee peti-
tion, and the evidence, was that her husband soon began
to indulge in intoxicating drinks, and habitually used to-
wards her language insulting and abusive, as well in re-
ference to herself as her family, and continued
to do so while they resided together, and up
to the period of their final separation. In July,
1868, the lady left her husband's house, at Bally-
williarn, and afterwards resided with her father. The es-
trangement between the parties commenced shortly after
marriage - and for some time before the immediate de-
parture of the wife from the house of her husband,
they took meals in separate apartments, and in
every part of their conduct pursued towards
each other the greatest reserve and hostility. Dr. Ball,
in the course of his judgment, said that no incompati-
bility of temper, no sufferings that arose from a delicate
sensibility, morbid temper, a conflict of tastes, feelings,
and opinions, afforded any ground upon which the court
could decree a separation between the parties—there must
be actual injury to health, personal violence, or a reason-
able apprehension of it. He had arrived at the con-
clusion that during almost the entire period of their mar-
ried life the respondent had acted harshly and unkindly
towards the petitioner, that he had been upon various
occasions guilty of various acts of violence towards her,
that the health of the petitioner had suffered under
that treatment. Having regard to the husband's general
conduct there was a reasonable apprehension tnat a
return to a residence with him would not be without
danger and personal violence to the wife. Under these
circumstances he was of opinion that there hrd not been
any condonation or misconduct by the wife legally ade-
quate to bar the remedy that had been paraded in the
case : he, therefore, decreed for a separation between the
parties, with permanent alimony.

A MONUMENT TO DANIEL O'CONNELL—T/16
Americans, not always very particular in their hero
orship, have just crossed the Atlantic to find an object
for posthumous distinction. It is proposed, possibly out
of regard to the Fenians, to erect a monument in New
York to the memory of Daniel O'Connell at a cost of
100,000 dols. The proceedings are to go on in the most
orthodox fashion. It has been resolved to appoint a com-
mittee of three in the ward of New York city, while
Brooklyn and Jersey are to receive subscriptions limited
to one dollar each, no money being received except from
them.

RUSSIAN PERSECUTION IN LITHUANIA.—The Rus-
sian Government has adopted most arbitrary measures in
the provinces of Lithuania, and convoys of political prisoners
have been sent to Siberia. Abbe Petroniez denounced
the introduction of Russian prayer-books, for which
offence he was arrested and sent off to Siberia. Only ten
out of the seven hundred priest of Lithuania have accepted
the Government measure. Political demonstrations in
Vilna have only been prevented by the presence of a large
military force. The officials have been instructed to dis-
tribute the new Russian prayer-books in the villages; but
the peasantry everywhere refuse to take them."

SUSPECTED MURDER AT COLCHESTER.— On
Tuesday afternoon a man named Dessent, in the employ
of Mr. H. Jones, solicitor, was getting some gravel from
a pit near the Camp, when he came upon a human body,
only six inches below the surface. Information
was given to the police, and the body was taken to an
adjoining house. On investigation it was proved to
be that of a lad named John Harding, aged fourteen
years, the son of a small greengrocer residing on
Military Road. The deceased had been absent from
home since Thursday, but • was seen to enter the
Camp on Monday evening. The body was examined
by Mr. W. Waylen, surgeon, and there are circum-
stances which lead to the belief that a cruel murder
has been perpetrated. The polie2 are investigating tin
miter.