The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-24 00:00:00

2HE II UDSON'S BAY COMPA E

The annual meeting of the shareholders in this
company was held yesterday afternoon at their
house in Fenehurch-street ; Sir Curtis M. Lamp-
oon, Bart., deputy-governor of the company, in the
chair.

The following report of the directors was sub-
mitted to the shareholders :

" The Hudson's Bay ships have returned in safety,
and delivered their cargoes from York and Moose
Factories in good order. The returns show a falling
off, as compared with those of last year, in most of
the descriptions of furs. We believe that this is, in
a great measure, owing to the failure of country
provisions, which, to a large extent, preventel the
Indians from wintering on their usual hunting
grounds. At the same time, owing to the early
setting in of winter, the returns from the remote
but valuable districts of Athabasca and Mackenzie's
River have been left in the country, and will not
come forward in time for the ordinary sales in
March. A large quantity of the Canada returns was
lost off the coast of Newfoundland, by the stranding
of the steamship Cleopatra, but these goods were
fully covered by insurance. The negotiations for the
transfer of the company's territories to the dominion
of Canada have been brought to a conclusion. It is
understood that, on or before the Ist of December
next, the sum of £300,000 will be paid to the credit
of the company at the Bank of England. Upon
the receipt thereof, a deed will be executed on the part
of the company, surrendering to her Majesty the
territory held under the charter, reserving a speci-
fied amount of land round the posts and factories,
and the right of selecting by lot one-twentieth of
the land that may from time to time be set out for
settlement within the Fertile Belt by the Canadian
Government. The company will be relieved from
all the responsibility of Government. So soon as
the money is paid over and the transfer completed,
it will be our duty to call a special meeting, and
it is our intention to submit for approval a reso-
lution authorising a return of £3 per share to
the proprietors. The proprietors have frequently
been informed of the investigation by com-
missioners of the claims of the company against
the Government of the United States under
the Oregon Treaty ; and it is satisfactory to
state that, by an award of the commissioners dated
the 10th September last, 650,000 gold dollars are to
be paid to the Hudson's Bay and Puget's Sound
Agricultural Companies,s4so,ooo to the former,and
$200,000 to the latter. The payment of the amount
will be made in two equal annual instalments, the
first within 12 months, and the second within '2l
months after the date of the award, without in-
terest and without deduction. There will be a con-
iderable sum to be deducted for the expenses of
counsel, witnesses, &c. ; and a proportion of the
amount falling to the Hudson's Bay Company
is claimed by the chief factors and chief traders
under the deed poll. When these claims aro ad-
justed a complete account will be laid before the
proprietors, and we shall then be prepared to state
our views as to the disposal of the money. Look-
ing to the decrease in the returns of the year, and
to the fact that the goods are not yet realised, we
do not feel justified in recommending an inte-
rim dividend of more than 4s. per share, to be
paid, as usual, in January. Mr. Thomas Holds-
worth Newman, of the firm of Messrs. Newman,
Hunt, and Co., has consented to join the board."
The report, after some alterations, was then
passed.
A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the
I proceedings.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty ;—Lieut. Francis C. Lousada,
to the command of her Majesty's guuboat Britt°.
mart, vice Alington, whose period of service in her
has expired ; Sub-Lieut. Thomas H. Robertson, to
the Vestal, as supernumerary ; Sub-Lieut. George
A. Primrose, to the Monarch, as supernumerary ;
and Sub-Lieut. Win. Douglas Walker, to the Duke
of Wellington, M uperuumeary, IQ; divotial.