The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-19 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

MID-KENT.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the London Tavern, Sir J. W.
Lubbock in the chair.
The report, an abstract of which has appeared
in The Sun, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, congratulated the proprietors on the fa-
vourable state of the company's affairs. They had
gone on with their dividend every time a little
more until they could now pay 5 per cent. Con-
sidering the small time that had elapsed since
the completion and opening of their line for traffic
they must consider the result satisfactory.
Mr. W. A. WILKINSON seconded the motion for
the adoption of the report, and it was agreed to.
A dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum
for the past half-year, free of income-tax, was
declared.

Mr. HANKEY said he resided on the line, and con-
sidered the traffic was suffering from want of
sufficient accommodation and facilities.
Mr. WILKINSON thought there was nothing to
complain of in that respect. They could not expect
to have a larger number of trains on the line until
they had a larger population.
The CHAIRMAN said everything had been done
that could be done by the South-Eastern Company
to develope the traffic. Additional trains had
been put on, and it was found there was no busi-
ness for them. He believed a very amicable feeling
existed on the part of the officials of the company
towards them. The directors had also met them in
a very proper way.
The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.

THAMES HAVEN DOCK.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the offices, Royal Exchange-
buildings, Mr. Lowden in the chair.
The secretary, Mr. Collier, read the report, which
stated that, in pursuance of the directions of the
last general meeting, the Board had introduced into
Parliament a bill to authorize the abandonment of
the undertaking and the dissolution of the company.
The expenditure during the half year amounted to
£255, leaving a balance of £24.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said, the directors had introduced a bill
into Parliament for the winding-up of the company.
It was, however, true that Lord Redesdale wanted
to know why they should not make a new call, and
continue the company. He (the chairman) saw no
reason why they should not wind up the company
and divide the proceeds. The sea wall had taken
most of their money, and they had repaired it to
save their property, but he had no doubt that they
would get something for their outlay on the wall
when their affairs were wound up.
In reply to a question, it was stated that the
amount of Parliamentary expenses <would depend
upon an opposition to the bill, but he (the chair-
man) did not think it would be opposed.
The report having been adopted,
Mr. BURDEN moved and Mr. ITYAMS seconded
resolution, to the effect that in the opinion of the
meeting the directors had exercised a sound discre-
tion in not making any calls, and in proceeding with
the abandonment of the undertaking.
The resolution was agreed to unanimously, and
the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to
the chairman.

FLEETWOOD, PRESTON, AND WEST
RIDING.
The half-yearly meeting of this compiny was held
on Saturday at Preston. Mr. W. D. Whitehead
presided, and moved the adoption of the re-
port. The gross receipts on revenue account
for the past half year amounted to £3,025, showing
an increase of £339 over the corresponding half of
1859 The working expenses for the same period
were less by £153. After deducting the interest
on mortgages there was £1,174 available for the
payment of a dividend, which the directors re-
commended to be at is. 9d. per share, free from
income tax. The report was adopted, and a divi-
dend in accordance therewith was declared, after
which the retiring directors and an auditor were
re-elected, and the proceedings closed with a
vote of thanks to the chairman.

ALLEGED PIRACY OF A TRADE MARL AT
SHEFFIELD.

Messrs. Joseph Fenton and Sons, cutlery manu-
facturers (a firm of high standing in Sheffield),
were summoned before the magistrates at Sheffield
yesterday, on a charge of pirating the trade mark
of Mary Hancock, widow of the late Samuel Han-
cock. In 1849, the Sheffield Cutlers' Company
granted to Samuel lit ancock a trade mark, consist-
ing of a horse with a man tied upon its back and
the word " Mazeppa" underneath. Mr. Hancock
died six years ago, and the trade mark, in con-
formity with the provisions of one of the entlara
Company's acts, became vested in his widow,
who had given her son, Jonathan Smith Hancock,
of Peacroft Works, Sheffield, permission to strike
the mark upon the cutlery manufactured by
him. The defendants had struck a mark con-
sisting of a riderless horse, with the words " Ben-
bow and Co." " Mui Refinado," underneath, upon
cutlery manufactured for a well-known Liverpool
house referred to as the firm of "R.S. & Co." Of
this firm Mr. Benbow is a partner, and the cutlery
was manufactured for sale in South America, where
they have an agency. It also appeared that it was
for this market the real complainant, Mr. J. S.
Hancock, chiefly manufactures. The question at
issue was, not whether the mark struck by the de-
fendant was a copy of the one used by the complain-
ant, but whether it was such an imitation as would
mislead non-trading customers in South America
where goods are chiefly purchased with regard
to marks and not with regard to names.
For the complainant it was urged that the
mark struck by the defendants was such an
imitation of the trade mark of the complainant
as to constitute an infringement of it, within the
meaning of the act of Parliament. In proof of this
it was alleged that on complaints being made to
the defendants about the end of January, they gave
up their stamps and agreed to erase the mark from
all cutlery in their possession, and promised never
to use it again—at the same time stating that they
had not had more than 250 dozen blades so marked.
It was also stated that complainant consented to
forego proceedings on this understanding, but that
he afterwards found that the defendants had had
the mark struck on at least 500 dozen blades ; had
reason to believe that it had been used since the
complaint had been made, and that goods so marked
had been sent to Liverpool. The master cutler was
called and expressed a decided opinion that themark
struck by the defendants, though it would not pass
for that of complainant in this country, where
names are noticed, would do so in South America
where the trade mark is the criterion of excellence.
He considered it an imitation of the complainant's
mark. For the defence, Mr. Broomhead contended
that there was no piracy, alleging that the defend-
ants especially reserved this point in agreeing not
to usa it again, making such agreement solely be-
cause they did not wish even to lay themselves
open to a complaint, though an unfounded one.
Defendants, he said, had struck the mark upon
one order of goods only, and had done so at the re-
quest of the customer who gave the order, without
at all knowing that they were infringing any other
person's mark. He denied that defendants had
attempted to mislead complainants as to the num-
ber of blades on which the mark had been struck,
or that they had either used the mark or sent
goods to Liverpool after the complaint was made,
He also complained that the complainant had been
guilty of a breach of faith in instituting the pre-
sent proceedings after the arrangement that had
been come to. One of the defendants further stated
that the firm specially objected to strike the mark,
and did not do so until they had reason to believe
that there was no similar one in use. He admitted
however that he might have ascertained the nature
of complainants mark by inquiry of the Cutlers'
Company. At a suggestion of the magistrates,
after a hearing of several hours, the matter was
compromised on the terms previously agreed to,
namely, that defendant should grind out the mark
on the blades already stamped with it, and not
again use it; the Bench acquitting the defendant
of any intentional misrepresentation as to the
extent to which they had used the mark, or of
intending to commit piracy in using it.

The annual meeting of the Liverpool and London
Fire and Life Insurance Company was held last week iu
Liverpool. From the report it appears that the fire pre-
miums received in the past year amounted to £313,725, the
losses paid exceeding £225,000. In the life department
767 policies were issued, assuring £151,914, yielding in
premiums £14,020. The amount to the credit of profit and
loss is £203,205, which includes £159,317 fire reinsurance
fund brought forward from previous years, the net profit
for the year being £43,888. The dividend declared was at
the rate of 30 per cent., absorbing £56,213. The accumu-
lated funds appear at £1,070,924, but no detail is given in
the report with regard to them.

Several failures are stated to have occurred at
Marseilles in connexion with the recent suspensions among
the Greek firms of Manchester and London.
M. Edwards, chief engineer of the Eastern Rail-
way, has just died at Paris. Ho was highly distinguished
in his profession, and executed many important works.
Among other things, he took part with his father, 40 years
ago, in constructing the engines of Chaillot, which supply
water to a large part of Paris, and in 1827 he suggested
the machinery now in use 44 the tobacco manufactory.