The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-22 00:00:00

OPENING OF THE AUSTRIAN DIETS.

The provincial Diets of Austria were opened on Satur-
day by a message of the Emperor, in which his
Majesty declared it his urgent duty. in view of
the present serious state of things, to convoke
the representatives of the different portions of
the Empire. He has fulfilled this duty at the
present grave juncture because the Empire now more
than ever requires the unanimous co-operation of all its
peoples. The Emperor exhorts all the Diets to elect im-
mediately their delegates to the Reichsrath, so as to
enable him to have all the representatives of the whole
monarchy around him, as their constitutional co-opera-
tion appears to be urgently necessary.

THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY
COMPANY.

The half-yearly ordinary general meeting of the pro-
prietors of this company was held at King's-cross Station
on Saturday ; Colonel Pocke (the chairman of the com-
pany) presided. The report of the directors shewed that
the capital account was as follows :—Total received,
£18,788,818 ss. ; total expended, £18,947,906 Os. 10d.
Balance of expenditure over receipts £159,087 10s. 10d.
In order to meet this deficiency and to provide funds for
expenditure in the current half-year, the directors recom-
mended that £410,000, the balance of the capital authorised
by the additional powers out of 1866, be raised by the crea-
tion of original stock. The report shewed that the expendi-
ture during the past half-year amounted to £193,19315. 4d.
The sanction of the proprietors was asked for the expen-
diture of £18,623, for necessary works and stocks. The
total traffic receipts were shewn to have exceeded those of
the corresponding period of the previous year by about
£3,300.

The Chairman, before touching seriatim on the • various
items of the report, observed that the manner in which
they had received the directors in the Board-room proved
that they were pretty well satisfied with what, had been
done. He was happy to say that the sum granted last
year had not been expended. In announcing that power
had been obtained to abandon the'Watford and Edgware line
he observed that this would reduce the capital of the
company by about £150,000. With regard to the Newark
accident, he referred to the application of Mr. Denison
for a committee of the House of . Commons, and stated
that no doubt legislation would result that would relieve
railway companies in this respect. The cost at this pre-
sent moment for the Newark accident amounted to £13,000.
After a brief discussion the report was received and
adopted. On the motion of the Chairman a dividend was
declared at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum on the
original stock, giving for the half-year £2los. per cent. on
the original stock, £3 on stock B and £2 on stock A,
leaving a balance to be carried forward of £4,194 4s. 10d.
The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the
chairman and directors.

THE BROMPTON MURDER-THE INQUEST.

On Saturday Dr. Diplock, the Coroner for the West-
minster division of Middlesex, resumed, at the Drayton
Tavern, Thistle-grove, West Brompton, the inquiry con-
cerning the death of Samuel Lee, aged 36, the potman at
the above establishment, who was brutally murdered at
3, Cledhow-gardens, opposite the above house on Saturday
last. Since the last hearing the police, under the direc-
tion of Superintendent Fisher, have been unremitting in
their endeavours to discover the perpetrator of this
brutal murder ; but up to the present time they
they have not obtained the slightest clue, more
especially as every man who was at work on
the property on Saturday last is still at his
employment, and it therefore seems probable
that the murder was planned and carried out by
some of the discharged workmen, many of them, who
were employed here some months ago constructing a
sewer, being esteemed persons of very bad character. On
Saturday morning the police were actively engaged in
prosecuting some slight clue which has been obtained if
it may be so termed • but it would not be prudent toin-
dicate further on What their suspicions aro grounded.
Anyhow it is certain that the murderer was perfectly
acquainted with the practices of the unfortunate deceased.
The first witness called was,
James Taylor, who deposed : I am a labourer, and live
at 30, Bective-road, Fulham. I saw the deceased on
Saturday as I was going home from my work. He was
then about sixty yards the other side of the house where
he was found dead, coming towards the house. It was
about twenty minutes past one, and he was walking slowly,
with his book in his hand, apparently reckoning it up.
George Perry : I am, a bricklayer, and live at 8,
Caroline Buildings, Queen's-road, Chelsea. I work for
Mr. Spicer, and had to pay deceased 3s. 9d. that day. I
can't say how many had to pay him.
By a juryman : He supplied most of the men at the
buildings. I paid him his money the same day that he
was killed. I can't say,,, whether any of the men had not
paid, lam foreman orbricklayers.
A juryman : How did he give change.
Witness : He usually held it in his hand. I never saw
any bag in which he kept it.
James Richards : I live at 26, Victoria-road, Land's-
end. I knew deceased, and paid him that day what I
owed—half-a-crown.

The Coroner : Did you see any disturbance with any of
the men who paid him ?
Witness : No, not the slightest. I go by the name of
Jack. _ _ _ _

A juryman referring to the book, said he found the
name of Jack entered. .

A conversation ensued among the jurymen as to how
the money was paid, the foreman of the works being on
the jury.
The Witness : I have been as much as 6s. indebted to
him; never a sovereign. He was a most kind accommo-
dating man. He usually stood at the junction
of the two works in Earl's Court to receive his
money, and he had sovereigns and shillings indis-
criminately in his hand, so that every one could
see it. I don't know the men mentioned in the book as
Paddy, Joe, &c. We might know them by other names,
but deceased of course would know them. I don't know
how much money he had when I paid him, or which way
he went.

After several more witnesses had been examined, who
proved no more than the previous ones, save a
lad named Price, who saw deceased in conversation with
a man whom, he said, he should know again, but who
was not engaged on the works,
Some discussion ensued as to whether the case should
be adjourned, when, in answer to questions from the
Coroner,
Superintendent Fisher stated that there was no further
evidence, and not the slightest clue to the murderer, for
whom Government would offer a reward after the jury
had returned their verdict.
The jury then returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder
against some person or persons unknown," and the pro-
ceedings closed.

The Cambria beat the Idler over the Newport course,
20 miles to windward and back.

A telegram from Toronto of Satu. day states that exten-
sive tires were raging in the woods around Ottawa. Large
quantities of property were destroyed, and *some lives
were lost. The city itself was in danger.
Heavy rains have fallen in Bengal, seriously damaging
the crops in many parts of the country.
The steamship Wakefield has arrived at Grimsby from
Hamburg with a full compiethent of passengers and the
heaviest cargo she has ever brought over. A
considerable quantity of goods had to be
left behind. On her outward passage a French
man-of-war ran across the Wakefield's bows,
ordered her to stop, and sent an officer on board to
examine her papers. This officer stated that the Elbe
would be open until the 25th, when it would be finally
closed against ingress and egress. The Libra was also
boarded by an officer from a French man - of -
war. It was stated in Hamburg that last week
100,000 men from Schleswig - Holstein passed
through on their way to the seat of war. The English
barque Pathfinder, of Swansea, bound for Hamburg with
a cargo of saltpetre, on approaching the Elbe, was boarded
by an officer of a French blockading cruiser, who, finding
that her cargo was contraband of war, placed a prize
crew on board, intending to send her to Dunkirk, after-
wards, however, he withdrew his men, and ordered the
,Pathfinder to sai fQr England,