The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-20 00:00:00

A NEW KIND OF BRAKE.

The Bradford Observer mentions that the Midland Rail-.
way Company are trying, with one of the trains running
between Bradford and Leeds, a very important experiment..
It has been found desirable that a more perfect brake-
power should be instituted in trains on busy lines, and an
invention for the attainment of that end, patented by a
gentleman of the name of Clarke, is now being tested. It
is certainly an ingenious device, and is quite effectual
in answering its purpose. The apparatus is con-
trived somewhat after this fashion : a small toothed wheel•
is arranged close to the axle of the carriage wheels,
and when brought into contact with the revolving axle is,
of course, made to revolve also. This wheel has an
eccentric motion, and the -effect of its evolution is to .

move a lever communicating with a cog-wheel,
which again, by a complication of levers, brings
a chock or block of the ordinary construction
against each wheel of the carriage. An apparatus
of this kind is fixed on the bottom of each carriage, and
all are connected by an iron chain, which is controlled by
a weight to which it is attached, in the brake-van. When
it is desirable that the brake should be applied, this weight
is lifted, and the effect is that other weights, which had
kept the toothed-wheeled cff the axles, drop, the toothed-
wheels came in contact with the axles, ond in a very brief
space the train is very effectually braked. One particularly
valuable feature c f the invention is that, supposing
any accident should occur, sue!r as the parting of tho,
couplings of a earri -.ge, involving also the breaking of the
chain, the immediate result is the relaxation of both ends
of the chain, and the consequent speedy stoppage of tho
train. The great drawbacks cf the apparatus seem
to be its somewhat complicated character, and its liability
to injury from wear and tear. •

The St. Petersburg correspondent of the Tablet,
writing on tho lth inst., states that most uncomfortable re-
ports aro Leing circulated about the Czar's state of health.
Certain it is that for some time past his Majesty has suf-
feied from attacks of melancholy. When these fits come on
ho shuts himself up, refuses to see any one, and gives up all
occupation. His character is difficult to describe; it would
be true to say that nobody and that everybody has in in-
fluesee over him. He is at the ramie time docilo and
obstinate.

On Thursday afternoon the coroner for Monmouth..
s;,,ire resumed his inquiry at Newport touching the death of
miss
.i,-;2lily Amelia Collier, who was supposed to Lave been
poisoned In April last by a boy named Charles Gritt, who
was in the employ of her father, an oil merchant, of the town
of Newport. After hearing the evidence of Mr. Henry
Brewer, who attended deceased with his father, the jury re-
tinned the following verdict :—" There is no evidence to
prove that Emily Amelia Collier came by her death other-
wit o than natal ally f:om inflamaticn of the membranes and,
substance of the brain."

Another instance has occurred—the secJnd within
a few weeks—of the present Lord Chancellor refusing to
place upqn the Commission of the Peace a gentleman whose
name has been recommended for the honour by the local
authorities, because of his being connected with the public)
press. The Maidstone Town Council recently submitted the
names of four gentlemen whem they regarded as well quali-
fied to discharge the duties of Magistrates. The Lord:
Chancellor appointed three, but rejected the fourth, on ac-
count of his connection with a local newspaper.
A conference of Welsh miners was held on Thurs.:4
day at Pontypridd, a full attendance of delegates Mpg
present from Glamorgan and Monmouth. Mr. Pickard,
agent for the South Lancashire Miners' Union, urged
the formation of a union for the defence of the
miners' interests. Ho said that what was wanted was
an •understanding between masters and their em-
ploy& Competition was now so great that the
interests of tLo working man were thrown aside. A
compulsory mines inspection now was needed, and an ex-
tension of the provisions of the Factory and Workshops
Regulations Act should bo made applicable to the children
of the miners. The only effectual way of obtaining these
things was by combination. The whole of the 52 delegates,
representing 11,000 men, reported a general disposition to
combine, and a union was then formed and an executive!
appointed.

The Richmond State Journal, writing Aug. 30,
says :—" Tho First Auditor of Virginia will send to- day
to Baring Brothers, the London bankers, £7,460 sterling,
to pay 2 per cent. interest duo on tho Ist January, 1869,
on tho sterling bonds of the State held by persons in
Europe, which bonds amount in the aggregate to £373,000,
equivalent to about £1,600,000 in greenbacks."

Much as Mr. Smalley has been abused for his
reports on the Harvard-Oxford boat-race they are the
best published, especially the telegraph despatch sent at
midnight on the day the race was run, which, unfortu-
nately, did not reach in time for the Saturday morning's
lento of the Tribune. The Springfield Republican acknow-
ledges that report to be the best, making allowances for
his prejudices and his conceit, but ; in truth, as it is wholly
free from prejudice, and is graphic and singularly accurate
what the conceit of the writer has to do with it, we aro
at a loss to imagine. Very likely Mr Smalley thinks himself
what we believe he is, a skilful oarsman as well as writer,
and the fact accounts for his predictions being
and the truth of tho despatch sent by Cable, proved, by sub-
sequent discub,:don. The extraordinary feat of sending tho
result of the race i,2 New York within 23 minutes of the
finish has been generallypoticed, but coupled with an error
which the Times now corrects. The messige was said to
have been taken to tho Mot-flake telegraph station on
horseback. whereas it was carried by a fast runner in the
ser vice of the Electric Telegraph Company, named Lowing-
ton, but popularly known as "Electric Jack."
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EAGLE INSURANCE COMPANY,
LONDON.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS,
For the Year ending 30th June, 1869, read at the Annual
General Meeting of Proprietors, 13th August, 1869,
WILLIAM FREDERICK DE LA RUE, ESQ., Deputy-
Chairman of the Company, in the Chair.
The:Report which the directors have now to submit to
the proprietor differs in its tenor but little save in one or
two particular from that laid before them in 1868.
fbe income of the year, it will to seen, amounts t
£510,499 IBs., and the total charge to £445,077 10s. 9d
The difference, £95,422 7s. 3d., added to the balance of
the surplus fund at the commencement of the financial
year, raised that item to £1,002,974 15s. 9d., its present
amount.
SURPLUS FUND ACCOUNT, JUNE 30, 1869.

INCOME OF TILE YEAR.
X s. d.

Balance of account, 30th

.4 s. d

June, 1868
Preminms on new assur-
ances
Ditto on old ditto 357,988 7 0

371,548 12 1
Interest from investments 120,959 12 10

Profit and loss, balance of
account

492,508 4 11

47,991 13 1

Total income , 550,499 18 0

£1,448,052 6 6
Examined and approved.
THOMAS ALLEN,}
Auditors.
HENRY ROSE,
CHARGE OF THE TEAR.
£ a. d.

CR.
Dividend to proprietors...
Claims on decease of lives
assured
Additions to those under
participating policies
Policies surrendered
nc-assurances new
Ditto old

X s. d.
8,880 4 0

405,561 12 1
Commission
Medical fees
Incometax 8,017 15 8
Expenses of management 16,238 910

436,187 6 9

Total charge
Balance of account, June 30, 1869, as per
balance-sheet

£1,448,052 6 6
The total of premiums received is £371,548 12s. ld., of
which sum. £13,560 ss. ld. is for now assurances effected
in the year.

The-interest from investments is £1?.0,959 12s. 10d., or
£4 2s. per cent. on the net amount of the company's
realised assets existing in June, 1868 ; and in connection
with this important feature of the company's affairs the
directors have the satisfaction of reporting that the profit
and loss account again exhibits a considerable profit,
amounting this year within a trifle to the sum of £48,000.
It may be remembered that a profit of nearly equal amount
was announced in last year's report.
Turning to the items constituting the charge of the
year, it will be noticed that the sum payable in satisfac-
tion of claims on decease of lives assured is larger than
usual. This circumstance, however, is not very material;
as was observed 03 a previous occasion, the proper quin-
quennial average is generally pretty sure to obtain, and
the fact that the average for the past two years barely ex-
ceeds .£30P,000 tends to confirm that statement.
The expenses of management are greater by nearly
£BOO than they were last year. They would have been
materially less but for the unavoidable cost of transferring
the company's securities into the names of additional trus-
tees. Taken as they are, however, those expenses must
be retarded as very moderate. It will be observed that
they are only three per cent. of the total income.
BALANCE-SIIEET, .TuNE 30. 1869,
DR. LIABILITIES.
Interest due to proprietors
Claims on decease of lives assured, and
additions thereto unpaid 108,940 6 7
Sundry accounts
Liability under sums assured, &c. (1867) 6,336,6 a g 2
Proprietors' fund
urplus fund

£6,757 17 0

£7,675,813 0 10

Examined and apr:o,Ba.
rie(TOMAS ALLEN,} Auditors.
lIENRY ROSE,
CR ASSETS.
Amount invested in fixed mortgages £1,661,699 9 2
Ditto ditto decreasing ditto 162,770 15 2
Ditto ditto Reversions 278,557 16 6
Ditto ditto Funded securities 491,303 4 2
Ditto ditto Temporary secu-
rities
198,207 17 0
Current intereston theabove investments 30,934 4 6
Cash and bills
12,256 15 10
Advanced on security of the comp Any's
policies
165,387 1 8
Agents' balances
Sundry accounts
57,331 7 9
Value of premiums (186 i)
'Value of re-assurances 85,706 14 5

£7,675,813 010
The balance-sheet does not appear to call for any re-
mark. The assets are, of course, increased by the sum of
£95,422 7:4. 3d. already mentioned, as is shown by tha
augmentation to that extent in the balance of the surplus
fund.

The Direction of the Company is now constituted as
follows :

WILLIAM FREDERICK DE LA RUE, ESQ., Chairman.
ROBERT ALEXANDER GRAY, ESQ., Deputy-Chairman
Charles Bischoff, Esq. James Murray, Esq.
Thomas Boddington. Esq. Philip Rose, Esq.
Charles Chatfield, Esq. George Russell, Esq.
SirJ.BullerEast, Bt., D.C.L 7 homasGodfreySambrooko
Wm. Augustus Guy, M.D., Esq.
P.R.S. Admiral Tindal