The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 13, 1867

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Yesterday Lieut. A. R. Puzey and the remaining
portion of the non-commissioned officers and sappers
of the 10th company of Royal Engineers who were
unable to proceed to Abyssinia in the screw steamer
Mendoza left head-quarters, Brompton-barracks,
Chatham, to proceed by the African mail steamer.
The Clara, East Indiatnan, has been chartered
by the Hon. Council of India for the conveyance of
troops to India, and will be ready in the course of
a .ecw days to embark her detachment of artillery
and infantry troops of various regiments at
Gravesend.

During the past few weeks recruiting for the
various regiments at Chatham has proceeded with
considerable brizlness, recruits from the several
out-districts arriving at the garrison daily. The
following are the regiments for which recruiting is
now open, the service companies of most of which
arc iu India, viz. :—TheBth (the King's) Regiment,
2d battalion of the 2d (Queen's Royals) Regiment,
10th Regiment, 15th Regiment, 45th (Sherwood
Foresters) Regiment, 82d (Prince of \Vales' Volun-
teers) Regiment, 106th Bombay Light Infantry,
and 109th Bombay Infantry.

An examination of foremen from the various
Royal dockyards for the appointment of assistant
master shipwright commenced yesterday morning
at the office of the Civil Service Commissioners,
Westminster. Candidates whose ages did not exceed
50 years, and who had served three years as fore-
men of shipwrights, were eligible.
The screw guuvessel Myrmidon, 4, 200 horse
power, Commander Johnson, having completed her
outfit in Chatham harbour, and had the alterations
ordered to be effected made good, will ship her
powder, shell, and ammunition from the magazines
at Upnor Castle to-day, and afterwards take her de-
parture for her station, the West Coast of Africa.

RAILWAY AND OTHER COMPANIES.

CALEDONIAN.

The directors of this company have given notice
of an intended application to Parliament to autho-
rise the abandonment of four branch lines sanctioned
in 1865, viz., the Bangholm junction, the Shielhill
branch, the Crieff connecting junction, and the Barr-
head and Paisley branch ; to extend the time for
the compulsory purchase of lands and completion of
works of the Balerno and the Muirkirk branches ;
and to extend the time for the sale of surplus lands
on the Scottish North-Eastern and other lines ; also
for power to purchase lands at various places on the
company's lines, and to hold shares in the Crieff
and Alethvin Junction Railway ; power to raise
additional capital by the issue of ordinary or pre-
ference shares for the completion of certain works,
to provide more rolling stock, station, and other ac
commodation for the traffic.

TRUST AND AGENCY COMPANY OF AUSTRALASIA

(LIMITED).

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the offices, St. Swithiu's-lane—
Mr. A. Bonar in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN stated that the articles of asso-
ciation providal that the power of declaring a divi-
dend should be exercised by the shareholders only,
and that the Boa d should have no power to pay a
dividend without first obtaining the consent of the
shareholders. The accounts of the company were
only made up annually, and presented to the share-
holders in May, but the Board had carefully gone
into the company's affairs, and the dividend they
proposed was a moderate one, and hal been fairly
earned. Generally, he might say that the affairs of
the company were progressing satisfactorily. With
regard to debentures and the amount falling due
everything had been met. The aggregate amount
had been recently increasing, and now had nearly
reached the limit fixed as the fair proportion to
the capital authorised by their deed. Out of
12,500 new shares authorised to be issued at 12
premium, only '2OO or 300 remained unapplied for,
so that he was fully warranted in saying that
affairs both at home and abroal were proceeding
satisfactorily. By advices received from New Zea-
land the company was collecting about £27,000 per
annum. lie concluded by moving that au ad interim
dividend of ls. per share, free of income-tax, being
at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum on the paid-
up capital, be declared out of the profits for the
half-year ending the 30th of June last.
The lion. A. KINNAIRD, M.P., seconded the
motion.

Mr. WILMOT KNIGHT wished to know whether
the advances made to Mr. Gladstone, late a director
of the company, had been realised by the sale of the
property upon which the advances had been ob-
tained ; if not, whether there were any special
reasons why such a result was not reached, and
whether any of the directors were under advance to
the company at present.
The CHAIRMAN said that the advances were not
made to Mr. Gladstone while a member of the
Board. There was a rule that no director or other
officer of the company could obtain a loan from the
company. The amount advanced to Mr. John
Gladstone (£3,000) had been written off at the last
meeting. The question had since been the subject
of a suit in Chancery, and the company had got a
verdict, so that anything which might come from
that debt would be carried to profit and loss, and be
dealt with in May next,

The motion was then agreed to nem. con., and a
vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the pro-
ceedings.

MADRAS.

The report of the directors alluded to the con-
tinued steady progress of the undertaking during
the past half year. No further extension of the
north-west line had taken place, but a section of
about 32 miles of it in advance of the present ter-
minus at Moodanoor was so far completed that ma-
terial trains were running over it, and as soon as the
bridge over the Chittravutty river was finished this
additional section would be opened for traffic. The
railway would then extend to within 30 miles of
Gooty, and would be ready, it was hoped, to bring,
down the cotton crop of that and the adjoining dis-
tricts in the beginning of the year. The mileage
worked over in the half year on the company's lines
was 645, against 611 in the corresponding half of
the preceding year; the number of passengers was
1,019,164 against 930,845 ; and the goods 164,334
tons, against 132,052, railway materials excluded.
The gross results for the half year were £241,010,
against £213,673, and the net receipts £141,182,
against £117,873 of the corresponding half of 1866.
Those results, attained in the face of a continued
and general depression of trade, must be gratifying
and encouraging as regarded the future. While the
receipts had increased on the half year 124 per cent.
the expenses had only increased by 41- per cent. Of
the general goods traffic of the railway salt held its
place as the largest item ; the quantity carried in
the half year was 24,697 tons, yielding a gross re-
ceipt of £20,191. The quantity of cotton carried to
Madras was 9,422 tons, against 3,486 tons in the
corresponding half of 1866. The permanent way
and works were in the usual good condition ; no
damage had been sustained from bursting of tanks
or otherwise during the past 12 months ; and the
train service hal been conducted with regularity,
and, as heretofore, without accident to any passen-
ger. It had been determined, with the entire con-
currence of the Government, to construct a new
passenger station at Madras on an eligible site, not
far from the goods station adjoining the People's-
park, and the ground was now being cleared for the
purpose. The removal of the station to this more
accessible and central locality would enable the
company to work both goods and passenger traffic
more economically than was possible under the pre-
sent inconvenient arrangements. On the south-
west lino and Bangalore branch the maintenance of
great part of this line was still enhanced in cost by
the replacement of wooden sleepers as they decayed
by iron sleepers, and by the greater expense of
maintaining the wooden road in the western districts,
though wooden sleepers were cheap and good there.
It was found impossible to bring down the cost of
maintaining a line with wooden sleepers to any-
thing like an equality with the iron sleeper line.
The cost of maintaining the lines of this contract
for the half year had been at the rate of £159 per
mile per annum, and it did not seem probable that

much further reduction could be attained at present.
The number of passengers had been 812,215, being
greater than in any previous six months, and the
receipts were £64,347 ; the goods traffic, exclu-
sive of railway materials, had been 132,911
tons, and the traffic receipts £107,576. The
total receipts on the line for the half-year ending
the 30th of June amounted to £195,604, against
£185,898 in the corresponding half of 1866, show-
ing an increase of £9,706. The total expenses
amounted to £85,638, or 43.78 per cent , against
£86,651, or 46.61 per cent., and the net receipts to
£109,966, against ,1'96,244 in the same half of
1866. The receipts per train mile were Gs. llid.,
against Gs. 9:141. in the same half of 1866. The ex-
penses per train mile amounted to 3s. id., against
3s. lid. The net receipts showed au increase of
£10,722. The receipts for carriage of railway mate-
rials had declined to F 67 per cent. of the entire re-
ceipts, so that the revenue wasbonatideearned from
the public. On the North-West line, the permanent
way open from Arconum Junction to Aloodanoor,
153 miles, continued smooth and cheap of mainte
Dance. It had cost for the half-year at the rate of
£66 18s. per mile pet annum. The prevalence there
of drought, dearth, and sickness rendered it impos-
sible to retain or to bring together again for some
time sufficient supplies of labour for the prosecution
of the works. Copious falls of rain, however, having
now happily restored a more natural and healthy
state of things, the works all along the line were
again in active progress. Beyond this point the
works of several districts were considerably advanced.
The quality of the masonry which had been passed
by the company's engineers appeared to be unexcep-
tionable. The total traffic receipts for the half-year
amounted to £45,406, and expenditure to £14,190,
or 31.25 per cent., leaving the net receipts £31,216,
against £18,629 in the same half of 1866. The re-
ceipts per train mile amounted to 7s. 104 d., against
6s. sfd. in the same half of 1866, and the expenses
to 2s. 514.1., against 2s. 11d. in the corresponding half
of 1866. The number of passengers carried was
206,949, against 156,941 in the corresponding half
of 1866, and 31,423 tons of goods against 19,966
tons. The increase upon the entire traffic receipts of
the line for the half-year was equal to 634 per cent,
being £45,405 against £27,777 ; and the net receipts
had risen to £31,215 against £18,629, showing an
increase of £12,586, or 67 per cent., over those of
the corresponding half of 1866.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—Nov, 12.

THAMES.

SAVAGE ASSAULT ON A WOMAN.— William
Stanton, a broad-shouldered Irishman, with a red
face and partially bald head, aged 35 years, of No.
30, Sophia-street, Poplar, was brought before Mr.
Paget charged with committing a murderous and
unprovoked assault on Catherine Briant, of .No.
14, Dolphin-lane, Poplar.
The complainant, who was in a weakly condition
from loss of blood, said she worked iu a rope-
ground. Last night she was talking to two other
young girls opposite the prisoner's house, and he
crossed the street, came to the place where they
were standing, and made use of a very indecent
observation respecting them 'all. She said to him,
" Go away, you nasty blackguard ; I don't think
you know who you are talking to." He then procured
a brick, and struck her a tremendous blow on the
nose with it. She fell as if shot, and became
senseless. When she recovered she was in the care
of a medical gentleman.
Ellen Sullivan and Sarah Lanbury, two decent
girls, corroborated the statement of the complainant.
Mr. Matthew Brownfield, surgeon of the East
India-road, Poplar, said the complainant was
seriously injured. This was a compound fracture
of the nasal bone, and she would be disfigured for
life.

Mr. Paget—l perceive her nose is in a bad state.
Is she permanently injured? 'Will the passage
through the nose be stopped ?

Mr. Brownfield--No, sir. She will recover the
use of the nasal organs in two or three weeks, but
the disfigurement will be permanent.
The prisoner first set up a &Acne,: that his skull
had been fractured by a fall, and that when he
took a little drink he was mad and be did not
know what he did. his next defence was that the
girls were low strumpets, and followed him through
the streets yelling and hooting.
Sutherland, a police constable, 421 K, said that
all the girls were well conducted and respectable,
and not the sort of characters represented by the
prisoner. . .

_
The prisoner said he took up a piece of brick, and
threw it among the girls, not intending to strike
either.

Mr. Paget—Suppose you bad struck this girl
by accident you would if you had been a humane
man, or a man of well regulated mind, have taken
her to the hospital and expressed regret. You did
neither. You struck this girl with the brick and
have caused a disfigurement for life. I shall con-
vict you of an aggravated assault and sentence you
to four months' imprisonment and bard labour.

SAVAGE ASSAULT ON A WlFE.—Coleman Bun-
wen, an Irish labourer, aged 40, was brought before
Mr. Paget, charged with violently assaulting his
wife Margaret, and also assaulting William Folo,
porter at the workhouse of St. George-in-the-East.
The prisoner had been in the practice of beating
his wife and neglecting her. On many occasions
when he had earned a little money he would spend
it on himself, instead of sharing his loaf and meat
with his wife. They had fallen into distress, and
the Board of Guardians of St. George-in-the-East
relieved them, and found the husband employment
in the stoneyard. She was at home all yesterday
and starving, and in the afternoon went to the
workhouse in Old Gravel-lane to look after her hus-
band, and to share the ls. he had earned. lie caught
sight of her in the lobby, and she asked him to buy
her a bit of bread. The selfish brute said she should
have nothing. Some words ensued, and he seized
her by the hair of her head and beat her. In a
scuffle both went down, and the prisoner kicked his
wife in the sto:nach. Folo went to the assistance of
the woman, and the prisoner struck him several
times and tore his coat. Mr. Ralston and Mr.
Allison, the relieving officers, collared the prisoner
and gave him into custody.
The pi isoner, iu a whining tone, libelled his wife
and cried.

Mr. Bolston said the prisoner's wife was a re-
spectable and industrious woman.
Folo—Ycs, sir, she belongs to the well-conducted,
hard-working class of such women.
Mr. Paget sentenced the prisoner to three months'
imprisonment and hard labour for the assault on his
wife, and one month's imprisonment and hard labour
for the assault on Foln, the sentences to be conse-
cutive.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, Nov. 12.—The market for ship-
ping yarns has assumed a rather quieter tone to-
day. There is more firmness among some of the
leading spinners than others, on account of their
being well engaged to order, but others have to
concede id. to id. per lb. on the prices of last Fri-
day, in order to make sales. For home trade yarns
also prices are rather easier. Many of our manu-
facturers having supplied tbemselves freely of late
there is less disposition to operate. A rumour on
'Change, to the effect that the receipts at the Ame-
rican ports last week reached 60,000 b des, did not
tend to improve values. In the quotations of sellers
there is not so much change since Friday, as buyers
find practically in dealing with them. In the cloth
market the removal of immediate causes for appre-
hension as regards continental affairs had some effect
at the close of last week in improving prices, but
we did not perceive much business resulting, and
since then the market has gradually been relapsing
into much the same position it was in previously.
We find buyers to-day exceedingly timid in making
offers for cloth, and for the most part unwilling to
put down fresh contracts. At the same time makers
are in many cases too well engaged to be very will-
ing to make concessions in price. Makers quote
prices nominally the same as last week, but we find
but little business has been done at them to-day.
Where there is any change in actual values it has
been in favour of the buyer. The telegrams lately
to hand from India have no doubt had the effect to
some extent of deterring buyers for that market
from operating. Messrs. John Slagg and Co. report
of to-day's cloth market :—" The more pacific as-
pect of continental affairs, while tending to harden
prices, failed to induce much business. To-day the
inquiry is very limited, and though we cannot re-
cord any change in prices, there is a marked disin-
clination among buyers to venture on further
operations."

CARDIFF, 11th.—Steam coal proprietors continue
tolerably busy, and the business doing shows a con-
siderable increase as compared with a few weeks
ago. To the Mediterranean markets, which have for
so long a period been smaller purchasers than usual,
there is an addition to the quantity shipped, and the
rumours of war on the Continent will probably
further increase the demand. French houses are buy-
ing more freely, and France is still by far the best
customer for Welsh steam coal. The exports for
the mail packet companies that are to supply the
Government at Aden and other stations with coals
for the Abyssinian Expedition are large, and the
impetus brought about by this demand has been the
main cause of the partial improvement in the trade.
The coasting inquiry for house qualities is about
the average by rail and sea, and the railways com-
pete to a slight extent for the West of England
traffic. The home consumption is increasing. At
the ironworks employment keeps without change,
and makers are afraid that the winter will be a hard
one to pass through, owing to the difficulty of se-
curing fresh contracts.
LEEDS, 12th.—The waolleu cloth markets have
been almost of a nominal character this morning.
The weather has been too foggy to allow of buyers
to judge fairly of either the colour or the texture of
the fabrics offered for sale. Hence much less than
the usual amount of business has been done. The
reports from both the large and small manufacturers
show that though the trade is rather dull there is
not so much depression as to create any alarm.
Prices of wool, woollen yarns, and goods are alike
steady.
ItocIIDALE, 11th.—The manufacturers of flannel
keep tolerably well employed, and, though for some
time past the demand has been of a quiet order,
stocks in the bands of makers aro not more than
usual at this period of the year. To-day there was
a little more doing than last week, but as a rule
buyers bought only small parcels. The Yorkshire
goods trade shows no improvement, but a late
average amount of business was done. The local
wool trade continues dull, but prices are firm, as
are those of flannels and other goods.