The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-18 00:00:00

MEETING THIS DAY.

The ordinary half-yearly general meeting of this
company was held to-day at the bank, Prince-street,
City ; Mr. G. Garden Nicoll, the chairman, pre-
siduag.
The SECRETARY read the report, from which it
appeared that the profits for the past half-year
amounted to £92,175 18s. 4d., out of which the

directors recommended a dividend at the rate of 121
per cent. The net profits for the past 12 months
were £147,861 7s. 9d.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said that the shareholders might be disap-
pointed at the reduction in the dividend ; but
there was also a reduction in the liabilities of the
bank, and he believed the bank was in as safe a
condition as any similar institution in the
country. (Hear, hear.) The falling off in
the dividend was owing to the loss of their
foreign business and the state of the mining and
money markets during the past year. The latter
had improved, but it was necessary for the company
to proceed in a conservative spirit and with great
caution. He stated, in reply to some questions,
that the company had no railway connection, nor
were they in any way connected with Overend,
Gurney, and Co.

Mr. KNOWLES, the deputy chairman, seconded
the motion, which was unanimously adopted, and
the dividend for the first year was declared.
The meeting was then made extraordinary for
the election of a director in the room of the late
Mr. G. Taylor, and Mr. Ormsby Gore was unani-
mously elected his successor.
The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.

Melancholy Deaths of Five Persons by

Drowning.

This morning, Mr. William Carter, the coroner
for East Surrey, proceeded with five investigations
on the bodies of persons who met their deaths
by drowning.
The first inquiry was held at the Jolly Tanners'
Tavern, Bermondsey, New-road, on the body of a
working waterman and lighternaan, named Richard
Henry Read, aged 37 years, who on last Saturday
evening was engaged navigating a barge ou the
River Thames, off East-lane Stairs, Bermondsey,
when he fell overboard, and was drowned before
assistance could reach him.

The second inquiry wes held at the Black Horse
Tavern, Brixton, on the body of Thomas Leggett,
aged one year and nine months, the son of the
proprietor of the "Volunteer Tavern, Brixton-road.
On last Thursday afternoon the mother having occa-
sion to go out at a door on the landing she
found deceased face downwards in the water-butt
He was taken out, and medical aid called in, but
life was found quite extinct.
The third inquiry was held in the Board-room of
Camberwell Workhouse, on the body of William
Stevenson, aged 67, an independent gentleman, who
accidentally fell into the water of the Grand Surrey
Canal, at Camberwell, on last Wednesday evening,
and was drowned.

The fourth inquiry was likewise held at the same
place on the bodies of Henry William and Samuel
Glover, both aged respectively 12 years. On the
afternoon of Wednesday last the two unfortunate
lads went to a piece of water used as a brick pit at
Lordship-lane, Dulwich, and went in the water to
bathe. While there they got into deep water and
sunk together. Although assistance was on the
spot their bodies could not be recovered until some
hours afterwards.

The jury in each case returned verdicts that each
of the deceased persona lost their lives accidentally
by drowning.
The proceedings then terminated.

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET—This Day.

The market opens firmly at fully yesterday's
prices. Sales probably 12,000 to 15,000 bales.

THE SHEFFIELD MURDERERS.

A question has arisen with reference to the state
of feeling among the members of the implicated
unions, and the demeanour of those members in the
Commissioners' Court. In some respects the ques-
tion is a little one ; in others, it is most important.
Perhaps it may be best dealt with by a sober state-
ment of facts. And we may here announce that
some of the facts we are about to mention are not
generally known. In the early days of the inquiry
it was suggested to us by some of the leading gen-
tlemen of the town, that it was not well to suffer
so many persons of a very low class to be present
in the body of the court. The thing seen was
that a considerable number of roughs were in
attendance ; the thing suspected was, that the
roughs were exercising, and would continue to ex-
ercise, an intimidating influence on the witnesses,
by the mere fact of their presence. That they did
exercise such an influence, is well known to the
authorities. On the first occasion of his appear-
ance, Hallam went to the court resolved to abide
by the truth as recorded in his written and at-
tested statement to Mr. Fretson, but suddenly
altered his mind, to the surprise of the solicitors.
He had been got at on the staircase by whis-
perers intent on defeating the ends of justice,
and he turned deadly pale when he looked
on the array of well-known faces in the
unenclosed part of the court. On the second
occasion of Hallam's appearance he was afraid—
actually afraid—of being shot in open court, and
it was to reassure him that the Chief Constable
consented to place himself in such a position as to
shield him while he was engaged in giving his evi-
dence. The fear may have been an absurd one,
and the result of a high degree of nervous excite-
ment, but it was there. Since that time Hallam
has left the country. Why has he loft the country?
His leaving is significant. Need we explain its
meaning ? Sheffield is safe for Crookes and for
Broadhead. The men who have done the deeds
that have appalled all England have so little to fear
that the mere reporting of their impenitent utter-
ances has been resented as cruel ; but the man
who, by confessing the truth, has brought their
deeds to light has had, for his own security,
to go forth into exile. Hallam knew, what
the police also knew, and what many decent work-
ing men who were present in the promiscuous crowd
knew, that his confession had brought down upon
his head curses both loud and deep, and that for
the information he had given the Commissioners he
was a marked man. We grant that the great bulk
of the men of Sheffield are sound at heart in their
abhorrence of murder, but there is scarcely a news
agent, or a keeper of a public-house, who does not
kwnhoow
loaf o
hmenoh into
who thooebitterest imprecations,
Broadhead, and
imprecations, not
against Hallam merely, but against those who
have been conspicuous in the work of bringing
the Commission to Sheffield. The persons we speak
of are of the class, who after Broadhead's confes-
sion lingered in front of the Council Hall to try to
counterbalance the hooting by clapping of hands
and cheers. These were no myths but deplorable
realities. During the sittings of the Commission
these it was who muttered their dissatisfaction when
a witness let out inconvenient truths, and who
laughed so often that the Chief Commission had re-
peatedly in his sternest manner—we rppeal to the
gentlemen of Sheffield who were present to say
whether we exaggerate—that the business was of
most solemn character, and that if there was any
more of that levity he would order the court to be
cleared. Such a state of things suggests a need for
strict surveillance. The snake is scotenea, not
killed.—Sheffield Telegraph.

PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIBTT OF GREAT BRITAIN.
—The following caudidates passed the major examination
as pharmaceutical chemists yesterday:—John Scoloy,
Battle, Lincoln; John Butterwortb, London; Walter
John Chure.4llltirminghain ; Samuel.jas. Gittoes, West
Bromwich ; Alfred Richa; d London ; Henry Thos.
Harwood, Yeovil; Archibald Kitchip, Whitehaven ; John
Knight, London; John Clements ?erress, Southampton;
Arthur William Postans, Bury St. Edmund's ; Henry
Woolhouse Shim, Oakham ; Walter Tracy Walker,
Maidstowt,