The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

t -4J Ertl .4abition

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock.

NAVAL APPOINTMENTS—(This Day).

The following appointments were made at the Admi.
nay this afternoon :
Midshipman—Mr. Bonverie F. Clarke to the Diadem,
Masters—J. F. Coombe, to the Diadem ;H. B. Gaw•
ler, to the Conqueror.

Master's Assistant—C. W. Stevenson, to the Bien,
helm.

GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.

MEETING THIS DAY.

The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of this
Company was held this morning, at the London Tavern,
Bishopsgate-street, W. E. Denison, chairman of the
board, in the chair. Thera was a very full attendance
of shareholders. The chairman and directors, on enter-
ing the room, were received with a volley of hisses and
cheers, and the meeting throughout was of a very stormy
character.

The SEcnrrAßY having read the notice convening the
meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said that the act of Parliament made it
compulsory on the chairman, the first thing at the half-
yearly meeting, to affix the seal of the company to the
register .of shareholders. He had no option in the matter,
and he therefore affixed the seal and signed his name to
the register of stock, amounting to 8,414,0721. 10s., and
the number of shareholders 6,130, as reported by Mr.
Grindling.
Mr. J. WILSON—Can you do it without the authority
of the meeting?
Mr. Limn (solicitor to the company)—Yes, the act
requires that it should be first done.
Mr. WILSON said the act only stated that the seal
should be affixed at each ordinary half-yearly meeting.
Nothing whatever was said about the chairman, and
he maintained that the consent of the meeting was ne-
cessary first to be obtained before the seal was affixed.
(The Chairman in the meantime affixed the seal to
the register.) The Chairman having affixed the seal to
the register, Mr. Wilson protested, and called on the
professional gentlemen present to state to the meet-
ing if the act gave the chairman power to affix the
seal against the consent of the shareholders. (Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN said he saw no use in consuming their
time in a discussion of that nature. He had put the seal
to the register, and they could not reject it. (Uproar.)
He had acted in what he bad done under professional
advice, and he should stand by it whether right or
wrong. (Oh, ob.) The act stated that at every half-
yearly meeting the seal should be affixed, and he had
been informed that it was a ministerial act only, and
necessary to constitute the meeting. (Hear, hear, and
No, no) It was waste of time to discuss it, and those
who objected to it could protest and welcome. (Uproar.)
Mr. WILSON protested against the proceeding, and
appealed to the meeting to express their opinion on that
point, when nearly every one in the room held up their
bands in approval of Mr. Wilson's protest.
Mr. HUGHES said that it it was a ministerial act the
chairman was right in doing it.
A SHARBIOLDER.—What is the effect of your affixing
the seal ?
The CHAIRMAN.—That's a legal question I can't an-
swer. (Uproar.)
A SHAREHOLDER said the chairman ought to be in
possession of that opinion. The act involved an im-
portant question affecting the interest of the shareholders.
Mr. METCALFIL—How are we to know that the regis-
ter is correct I (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN—I have stated to you Mr. Grindling's
report. (Ob, oh.)
Mr. METCALFE.—What do we care for that. Will
you vouch for the truth of Mr. Grindling's statement ?
The CHAIRMAN.—I don't know. (Confusion.)
Mr. METCALFE.—And you don't care. (Laughter.)
Mr. BILLINGS asked the chairman if he could give
the meeting the details of the various stock to which he
had affixed the seal.
The CHAIRMAN—NO.

Mr. BILLINGS asked how it was possible, without
that information, the shareholders could know whether
all the stock was legal, or teat the creation of fraudu-
lent stock was not going on. - (Hear, hear,) He con-
tended that the shareholders shouldehave the information
he asked for. (Hear, hear, and confusion.)
The CHAIRMAN said he was ready to proceed.
A SHAREHOLDER—On what. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BILLINGS—Answer my question. (Hear, hear,
and cheers )
The CHAIRMAN—I shall answer no more questions
about the register to which I have put the seal. (Oh,
oh, and cheers,)
The greatest confusion prevailed during the above dis-
cussion, or rather continual queetionirg, three or four
shareholders speaking at a time.
Mr. STAINSBURY said it was not a waste of time in
one sense in discussing this question of affixing the seal
to the regi-ter, because it showed the chairman that he
had fairly lost the confidence of the shareholders. (Hear.)
There was a time when the Chairman coca,' have affixed
the seal to the register or any other document, the con-
fidence of the proprietors being with him ; but what had
occurred within the last five months ought to have shown
him that that confidence was now entirely gone. (Loud
cheers.) No time could be considered as wasted that
might tend to relieve them of their present Chairman,
and to redeem, save, and rescue this vast property from
the present disastrous management. (Renewed cheers.)
He did not charge the Chair/nail with personal culpabi-
lity in connection with the frauds, but he considered him
guilty of the grossest moral dereliction of duty it was
possit le for any man to be guilty ef. (Cheers.)
Mr. HUGHES said tnat as there was nothing before the
meeting he was prepared to move a vote of censure.
lie bad heard it was the intention of the Chairman to
move the adjournment of the meeting, and be asked if
that was true.
The CHAIRMAN—Yes. I have virtually done so.
Mr. HUGHES said he would advise the chairman not
to propose the adjournment of the meeting because it
would prevent any shareholder from moving an amend-
ment on it—(hear, hear)—although notice of two or
three had been given to impugn the character of the
chairman. (Hear, hear.) He asked the chairman if he
would venture out of respect to his own character to put
a motion for adjournment to the meeting which would
prevent the shareholders from expressing their opinion
on his conduct. (Hear, hear.) It would be better to
adjourn the consideration of the dividend, and let them
take the other part of the report into consideration,
but for God's sake don't adjourn the meeting. (Cheers.)
Mr. J. WILSON—Fur God's sake let him. (Hear, and
lcud laughter.)
Mr. MALINS expressed a hope that the chairman would
not propose the adjournment of the meeting. (Hear.)
He hoped they would go on and discuss the report, be-
cause although they had met with a heavy loss the pro-
perty was sound. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUGHES suggested that be should be all awed to
move a vote of censure, and the directors move the ad-
journment of the meeting thereon.
The CHAIRMAN said he was asked by Mr. Hughes if
he intended to move the adjournment of the meeting,
and he answered that he did, and if Mr. Hughes had
been content with a plain simple answer to a plain
question, and have sat down, he (tae Chairman) should
have made such observations thereon as occurred to him,
and then it would have been competent for Mr. Hughes
to have replied to them, bat that gentleman having got
an answer to his question from him—(the Chairman)—
as a matter of courtesy, had thought proper to make
some remarks thereon. The pract:cal question for
their consideration would be the aelj rarnment of the
meeting as he had given notice. Iu that he intended to
persevere, and would give his reasons for so doing when
it would be for the shareholders to resist the motion or
not, just as they liked. (Hear.) Mr. Hughes was right
in his statement that an amendment could not be moved
on the motion for adjournment. (Hear.)
Mr. HUGHES—I rise to order.
The CHAIRMAN—You are out of order in rising to
order, because I think I am in order.
Mr. HUGHES sail it was an universal thing to
tell a person that he was out of order in rising
to a point of order. He wanted to ask the legal adviser
of the company this question. (Cenfasion.)
The CHAIRMAN—I shan't allow him to answer any
question. (Renewed uproar.)
Mr. HUGHES—Then I ask you—
The CHAIRMAN—I shall not, nor will I allow him to
answer questions likely to interrupt the proceedings, if
I can help it. (Hear, hear, and uproar.)
Mr. HUGHES—If it is legal now to move an amend-
ment for the adjournment of the meeting, I appeal to
the meeting if the amendments should not be taken in
their order qLnotice. (Hear, hear.) If so the motion
•of censure sfauld be taken first. (Hear, and uproar.)
The CHAlRMAN—Certainly not, and I will anticipate
the answer to your question by now moving the adjourn-
lal!fir• I will now do it without making any obeerva-
"'eel., but I will not be stopped in moving it. (Uproar.)
j2lr. rilualt_objected to the chairman moving the ad-
onrarneztt of Lhmeeting. Mr. Malins was the pas-
session of the
tion, chair, and was about to move a reselu-
when hegwasaerneinterrupted by some hon. pr.sprie-
tor introdeein
observations,
The CHAIRMAN suchsaid was not the case. So long
aS he was chairman nothing Should deter him from doing
his duty. (Uproar,
and cries
Hon. proprietors would notmoatk"eYheimu shan'tqirail bybe belong.")
o:h
had not the honour of'
He
servations they bad inade.
knowing that gentleman (Mr. Stainshery).
Mr. STAINSBURY—I am thankful for it.
The CHAIRMAN said he could not (Laughter.)
say he was very
sorry for it. (Laughter.)
Mr.WeesoN—He knows Mr. Josiah Wilson very well,
(Hear, and laughter )
The CHAIRMAN—Yeti, be knows more of him than he
approves. Mr. Wilson had been driven to thepuarit of
, Jel
necessity of taking him (the chairman) into a court
justice to admit that he did not slander hie charac'er. It
wallahe chairman's duty to open the proceedings, and
• by'it‘he would stand and not give way on the point.
Mr. BILLINGS—You have opened the proceeding",and
. • '.. new you want to abruptly close them. (Uproar)
• ' ' Mr. Wiesox—Suppose we show the chairman that we
Wilt not pass the adjournment for the present. (Uproar.)
• The CHAIRMAN said he had one other proposition to
snake to the meeting, viz., that he would either move
the adjournment at once without observations, divide
the meeting, and go to the poll at once—(oh, ob)—or
• preface it with someeobservations that bad occurred to
him.

Several shareholders rose and addressed the chairman
in an excited and energetic manner. As scon as silence
was obtained,
The CHAIRDIAN ;said that he we, not to be driven from

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