The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-20 00:00:00

BANK OF ENGLAND.-(THIS DAY.)

A general meeting of the proprietors of Bank Stock was held
this morning. At 12 o'clock the Governor (R. Mee Raikes,
Esq.), the Deputy Governor, and most of the Directors, entered
the Court, when the minutes of the last meeting were read, and
confirmed.

The GOVERNOR said he had to acquaint the Court that they
were called together, in terms of the charter, to consider of a
dividend. The Court of Directors had carefully considered
the state of the accounts, and had resolved to recommend that
a dividend of 4/. per cent. upon the stock should be declared.

Mr. YOUNG said that that Court was called for the purpose
of considering the profits, &c., of the Bank, as well as the
Directors ; therefore, before the question was put, he was de-
sirous to put a few questions to the Governor, in order that
the proprietors might see what was their real state, as well as
to afford the gentlemen within the bar an opportunity of either
confirming or contradicting certain reports that had been very
confidently put forth. His first question was, Does the Com-
pany advance any capital for any other purpose, as for instance,
to advance or uphold foreign exchange—or for any other pur-
pose than its original and legitimate one ?

The GOVERNOR—NO.
Mr. Youbm—l am much gratified to hear it. Then, is it
true that the Bank has accepted a large capital from the East
India Company, for which they are to pay interest ?

The GOVERNOR—Yes.
Mr. YOUNG—Have you accepted the same from any other
Body than the East India Company ?

The (ovniiNon—No.
Mi. Yuum.7.--Was the fund or capital of the bank so ex-
hausted at the time as to render the transaction necessary ?

The C OVERNOR—No. The reason why it took place was
this--the East India Company gave notice to the Bank that
their balance was so large that they must withdraw it and em-
ploy it. After some consideration the Directors made an offer
which was accepted, and they employed it for the benefit of the
Proprietors.

Mr. YOUNG-But I again ask, was the capital of the Bank
so exhausted as to render it necessary ?

The GOVERNOR—Certainly not.(A laugh.)
Mr. YOUNG then wished to put it seriously to the Court, that
by such a transaction, the Bank had completely changed its
character. They had now become borrowers instead of lenders.
The interest so paid for that loan was so much lost to the pro-
prietors, for it would have to be paid out of their profits,
when their own capital might just as well have been em-
ployed. They were creating an artificial state of things
which would hereafter endanger the whole interests of the
country. He was sorry that they had acted in a manner so
detrimental to the general interests as well as to those of the
gentlemen around him. In his opinion, also, the Directors had
acted in the matter in a way that was very foreign to their duty.
He wished, then, to know whether in employing that capital
they had made any exceptions in accommodating the public,
and if so, upon what ground ?
The GOVERNOR said that they had first accepted a million
and a-half at two per cent., which was lent at three per cent.,
and then a further sum of 500,0001., also at 2 per cent., making
in all the sum of two millions—of the latter sum 300,0001. had
been lent at 2%. and 200,0001. at 2i per cent.
Mr. YOUNG said he was further anxious to give the Directors
an opportunity of negativing a report which had appeared in
that mornings papers. He for one did not believe that they
wauld act in such a manner as it was stated they had done.
The report alluded to said, that they had discounted a bill for
an immense amount at the low rate of 21 per cent.
The GOVERNOR was, indeed, indebted to the hon. gentleman
for that opportunity of stating that the report in the Times of
yesterday, and which was repeated that day, was utterly false.
He had, further, the authority of his friend Mr. Mildmay for
saying that he never had a bill of such an amount drawn upon
him.

Mr. YOUNG was really glad to hear such a disclaimer. He
begged to know whether it was only to the East India Company
that the Bank had condescended.—(A laugh.)
The GOVERNOR said in no other instance had the Bank altered
its mode of transacting business.

The question of the dividend was then put, when
Mr. BLACKBURNE complained of the nonattendance of
counsel. He had several questions then to ask which he would
defer till another time, as they would require a full discussion,
and probably the opinion of their legal adviser.
Mr. WILLIAMSON begged to know what portion of dead
weight had been made available for the purpose of the present
dividend ?
The GOVERNOR said he could not then state. Had he been
made aware of the gentleman's intention of asking, he would
have been prepared to answer it,
Mr. WILLIAMSON said, as that was the last time they would
be called together under their old charter, he would trespass a
little further upon the court. In the paper, appendix No. 23,
he found it stated that 11. per cent. was to be deducted from the
3 per Cents.: that would amount to 147,0001. Now he begged
to know whether that was a fact, and under what Act of Par-
liament that deduction was made ?

The GOVERNOR said he was not quite prepared to give an-
swers : if he had received notice yesterday he would have
inquired. The Government gained that sum as the difference
of interest upon the capital which the Company had lent them.
The Bank ought to make 41. per cent on their capital; but it
was lent to the Government at 3/. per cent.

Mr. WILLIAMSON said he had one other question. With re-
spect to a sum of 1,200,0001. advanced to Government, for
which an annuity of 100,0001. had been granted, he wished to
know whether that had been received ?
The GOVERNOR : Yes.
Mr. WILLIAMSON saw that the interest put down for it was
only 446,0001., when he made it upwards of 500,000/.
The GOVERNOR said he was really not prepared to speak upon
the questions without notice.
Mr. WILLIAMSON said, under these circumstances, he would
withdraw his questions, and renew them on the next Court day.

Mr. FIELDEN stated that it would be much more convenient to
all parties if gentlemen would give notice of any questions they
wished to ask.

Mr. WEEDING said he had one question to ask, and he trusted
he would be excused for doing so, though he had not given
notice of it. It was one, too, that though he considered it of
very great importance, he would not press for an answer to, if
the Governor said that his doing so would do the slightest
harm. It was well known that the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer was under an engagement to re-pay to the Bank one-
fourth of its advanced capital.—(Hear.) Now he thought
it would be exceedingly convenient if the proprietors were
made aware of the exact state of the matter. Lle was quite
aware that another Court would intervene before it became
due; but for the sake of their common interest he trusted the
Governor would give them any information as to the amount
likely to be received, the time when it would be received, and
the manner the Directors intended to employ it when they had
received it.
The GOVERNOR said the Court of Directors knew no more
upon the matter than they did the last Court day. When they
got any information upon it they would not fail to call the
proprietors together and lay it before them.—(Applause.)
Mr. Yourro enquired whether it was imperative upon the
bank to receive it ?

The GOVERNOR said, certainly.
The motion for a dividend was then put and carried una-
nimously.

The GOVERNOR inforraed the Court that the dividend war.
rants would be ready on Monday, the 7th Apiii, when it
broke up.

THE MARKETS.-(THLS DAY.)

HAY MARKETS.—t At per Load of 36 Trusses.)
CUIVIBERLAND.

Coarse heavy Lowland Meadow Hay £3 10 to £3 15
New Meadow Hay
_ . „.. .-... 0 0 0 0
. _ .

Useful Old Ditto 4 0 4 4
_ .

Fine Upland Meadow and Aye-grass Hay 4 6 4 10

Clover hay • - •
45 5 0
Oat Straw X 1 Bto Ll 10 I Wheat straw... 1 12 1 14

SMITHFIELD.
Coarse heavy Lowland Meadow Hay .£3 5 to £3 10
New Meauow Hay 0 0 0 0
Useful Old Ditto 3 10 3 15
nine Upland Meadow and llye-grass Hay .....
Clover Hay (extra tine).... £5 o... Generally
4at Straw... £1 12 to .£1 141 Wheal. Straw 1 14 1 10

HUN GERFORD.
Coarse Meadow Hay -X3 5 to £3 10
New Meadow Hay •0 0 0 0
43 145 : g
Useful Old Ditto
Fine Upland Meadow and Rye grass Hay
Clover Hay 4 0 4 1:1
Oat Straw £1 Bto£l 1U 1 Wheat Straw.... 112 116

LABOURERS' FRIEND SOCIETY. --- The
third anniversary of this society was yesterday held in
Exeter Hall. The meeting was numerously and most
respectably attended. Lord Viscount Sandon, 111. P., in
the chair.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.
The Assizes commenced he
TI NDAL presiding on the law aid

DALE on the criminal. The bui

I t.avy ; the calendar contains fife;

indictment excites an unusual di

teen persons are charged with
maliciously suffocating three meL
in this county. The coroners' inquest implicates twenty-
four; seventeen, however, are only in custody; the rest
have absconded, among whom are two of the proprietors.
Mr. Sergeant Goulburn, who is retained for the prose-
cution, went down the mine yesterday, and inspected 1:
minutely. Several of the parties are extremely respect-
able, and nearly all have families. On the law side twelve
c itises are entered, seven of which are special juries—
two in which Sir James Scarlett is engaged, and one in
hich Sir John Campbell is retained, are fixed for Mon-
day. The formidable appearance that the unemployed
Unionists present in the town, have induced the magis-
tr•ates to swear in 500 special constables in case of dis-
,urbance—an event not unlikely to' occur, judging from
the violence used by the throng to enter the court this
morning.

BUNTING V. SMITH AND ANOTHER.

Mr. WiinitatuatsT and Mr. BOURNE appeared for the
p'aintiff, and Mr. CLARKE for the defendant. This was
an action to recover' Calue on two promissory notes given by
the defendants for them f it was contended that the sig-
n►tures to the notes were not in their handwriting, or
admitting they were, that the pla;:itiff was barred fron►
recovery by the statute.
Verdict far the plaintiff.

We have received an intimation from a very
high quarter, where the facts must he accurately known,
that the statement made yesterday respecting a bill of
300,0001, drawn by the United States Bank, is wholly
untrue, and that no such bill in reality has ever existee►.
On referring, after recei►ing this intimationi to the origins
nal source of the information, which is far abofa tire sus•
picion of wilful deception, we are told that the bill its
question was fir 350,000/. instead of 300,0001. ; thn;
instead of the United States Bank, it was drawn by ti 4
govet n men t at Washington, on Baring Brothers and Co.;
but that all the other circumstances are the same, with
this exception, that the great capitalist who took it to the
Bank obtained money an it at 2f instead of 3 per cent.,
leaving the whole transaction, therefore, so far as the
directors are concerned, just as questionable as before. The
parties who have given a flat dtnial to the original state-
ment have not had the candour, as they might have don-,
to furnish us with this explanation of it, but as the matter
is now put, we rely mainly on the accuracy of our infor-
mant.— Times.

APrEALS.—LORDS.—On Tuesday, as soot)
as the Lord Chancellor entered the House of Lttid',, threes
Appeals were set down for hearing, namely " HuaSer v.
Lawrence or George," 'Perrier v. Wood's Trustee,'"
(first Appeal,) " Same v. S inle (second Appeal,) and
further were appointed to be beard on Friday next; and
the Clerk Assistant of the House was directed, by vote of
their Lordship•, to prepare a return of the writs of error,
and of English, Scotch, and Irish Appeals remaining to
be heard at the commencement of each session of Parliit.
inent from the year 1820, inclusive, and of the numhts"
presented in each session, togetber with a statement of the
number of such writs of error and appeals heard in erob
session, at the hearing of which the Lord Chancellor, or
any of the persons named in his Majesty's Cormnis,ion ro
.it as Speaker in the House, in the ab.enee of the Lord
Chancellor, or any other Lord sat Speaker, respectively.
And also, the number of days on which the Lord Chan-
cellor, and each other such person, respectively presided.
PAISLEY ELECTION.—Four candidates arc
now in the field for the representation of Paisley,
E. Gordon Sir Daniel Sandford, Mr. Douglas, and Mr.
Crawford. Two politicians lower in the scale of politisal
worth never presented themselves to a Scottish eonstitu•
ency than Messrs. Douglas and Crawfurd ; and to return
either of these men is only to perpetuate Paisley's hams
and curse, and to render its electors a byword and proverb,
throughout Scotland. Though advocates of the Befall/1,
Bill, and the strenuous opponents of the present system of
ci.urch patronage, we should little admire the conduct of
those men who, members of the Established Church, could
pass by, for any political considerations, such a man as Mr.
Gordon, and bestow their votes upon candidates whose s
merit is the amazing facility with which they can change
their opinions, and become everything by turn..—Scot-
tish Guardian.

In the Gazette of Tuesday night is a notice
from the:Home Secretary (Lord Melbourne), offering a
reward of 2001. for the disc wary of the perpetrator or
perpetrators of the murder of Mr. Francis James R-ns, of
Stow.on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, on the 10th inst.
His Majesty's pardon is also offered to any at:complier,
except the actual perpetrator of the murder. Likewise a
reward of 1001. for the discovery of the person or persona
who, on the 28th of February, fired twice into the bed-
room window of Mr. Osmond Lock, the agent of Jubn
Knight, Esq., of Simonebath, on Exmoor Forest, near
Sunth Molten, Devonshire.

A society is just formed, called " The
Society of British Musicians." Its object is the encou-
ragement and cultivation of English music exclu•ively.
Tile society proposes to give six monthly concerts at the
Hanover-square Rooms, commencing in October and
ending in March, the compositions to be furnished and
executed solely by natives of the United Kingdom or its
Jerntlencies.

The iron chest in the outer office of the
Globe newspaper was found yesterday morning broken
open, and a sum of money rather more than 3001. taken,
chiefly in gold, with some notes. The thie►es opened the
patent lock of the cafe, and taking out the drawers con-
taining the money, &c., re-locked it, leaving every thing
apparently as it usually was. They left behind them on
th.e ground checks and other things which might probably
have led to their detection.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY.—This morning ant
immense crowd, on both sides of the river, accompanied
the band of the 59th Regiment from the Royal Barrack
to the Castle-yard in their usual routine to relieve guard.
Toe barrack was early surrounded by a noisy laughing
mob, who obliged all that entered to take off their hats
(whether possessing a safe conduct in the shape of a
shamrock or not), and cheer for St. Patrick. Sir
Edward Blakeney and seven of his staff rode at the head
of the guard. He and four of his suite wore shamrocks,
and the band played " Patrick's I)ay" and " Garry
Oxen" all the way to the Castle, preceded by a joyous
guard of honour of about 3,000 ragged, tipsy, shouting,
hut very good-humoured, buys and men, who only insisted
that everybody who passed on their route should take off
their hats. This was borne with great good humour by
al who stayed in their way ; indeed, it was a matter of
necessity, for " the boys" would take no excuse. When
the guard arrived at the Castle, the band played " Pa-
t•ick's Day" for about half an hour, and the crowd danced
and jumped in ecstacy around them as long as the music
• lasted, occasionally throwing up old hats, shoes, and coats,
for joy. One fellow mounted on the arch of the great
inner gate, and placed his hat, with a huge shamrock in
it, on the head of the figure of justice amidst lou I cheers.
Tire Marquis Wellesley was in the Castle ; but did nut
appear, it is said, in consequence of the indisposition of
the Marchioness, who has not been seen in public for
some d tys. —Dublin Paper.
DESPERATE AND AFFECTING ATTEMPT
AT SUICIDE.—On Friday night last, between the hours
of ten and eleven, a very desperate attempt at self-destruc•
lion was made by Elizibeth, the wife of Mr. William
James Gillam, a private gentleman, residing at Nine Elms.
Vauxhall. The unfortunate lady had, in company with
her husband, been spending the day at her brotber_in-
law's residence in Nutford-place, Edgware-road, where,
after having had tea, words of a quarrelsome
.nature took
place relative to a family disagreement %vimh occurred
some time since, at which Mrs. Gillam, who is not of a
very strong constitution, felt greatly aggrieved, and said
to her husband that she was very unhappy, and the sooner
she got home the better. Mr. Gillam immediately cona-
plied with her wishes; and, in consequence of the lateness
of the hour, he called a coach, and directed the driver to
drive to their residence at Nine Elms. Mrs. Gillam said
that it would be the last time she would visit her brother's,
and that the disagreement should not injure her husband's
happiness. On arriving in Kennington-lane, Mr. Gillam
was alarmed by a noise like the dripping of water. He
soon ascertained it to be blood. He called to the coach-
man to stop, when, on the door of the coach being opened,
it was discovered that Mrs. Gillam had cut her throat in
a frightful manner with a razor, which was found lying
by her side. Mr. Gillam, who, at the moment, appeared
in a state of madness, lost no time in procuring the assist-
ance of Mr. Wallscott, a surgeon, who, after having hound
up the wound, accompanied them home. On Mr. Gidana
n king inquiry at his brother's, he ascertained that his
wife had procured the razor from the dressing-case of her
`nother while engaged putting her bonnet and
.cloak on r.,lepart. Mrs. Gillam, who has only one child, has !.ir
ome time past been in it desponding stilt?. She was or,
iaturday in a favourable way.

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TD CIRCUIT. -itir- - k.rl '"e.
es commenced here 1p.5ii..0;,, ;1.1 sti I.'s
ding on the law side, Mai yva,.,-*
:riminal. The businessVp .othrideti:i ve,4l I
alendar contains fifty perilous V *rig,
-f,
vri.
cites an unusual degree kin qtp,4.
are charged with felonio i,ilfitly,
tffocating three men in a mine, a ord,