The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-18 00:00:00

THE LATE ASSASSINATION IN PARIs.

The Government inquiry into the antecedents of
Verger, the assassin of the Archbishop of Pexis, in
connection with his visit to Brussels, has just ter-
minated. That inquiry was ordered in consequence
of some curious statements contained in a letter of
the Paris correspondent of the Journal of Brussels,
which at the time.occasioned considerable excite-
ment inside and outside the Belgian Chambers.
Thfollowenstg paragraph
referred to were contained'in the
i
ph :--
sic7litniassanicucurptuus
iftachat—sandbeenonsaifitshrmichalgaignecicoaolas authenby-
-o,ctlhoactk onnootnh,e faattailuSamturemdaenty.
l'thwieny3dresoPfectfanleuarThay,giBattratl2"
engaged in Session, the repoartprearisactadd tjh
nete Pbealeanceassat that
when the different Chambers of the Imperial Court were
Monsigneur the Archbishop
sinated five hours before the event bad actually occurred I
The report was considered false, as being extravagant
and, in the evening, when it was repeated, when lan ;
verified by the frightful fact, the magistrates werel Iv
struck by the strange coincidence. it appeared muchtat
Verger, while at Brussels, had communicated his project
to a secret society, and that the premature rumour bad
reached Paris from that quarter. If the existence of such
a society can be proved, we can well believe that such at-
tempts at assassination will not be limited to this first
victim."
The Moniteur Beige, the Government organ, has
just published the following facts as the result of
the inquiry :
The Journal of Brussels having published, on the 27th
January last, a Paris correspondence of the date of the
24tb, relative to Verger, the assassin of the Archbishop of
Paris, the Government took measures, on the 28th, to test
the assertions of the correspondent. In inquiry had been
opened on the 30th, when an hon. member of the Chamber
of Representatives believed it to be his duty to address
interpellations to the Government on the subject.
" To-day that inquiry terminated. The following were
its results :

" Ist. That Verger came to Brtunels only in the months
of January and February, 1856; that he had held no
intercourse, except with certain editors, with the view to
the,printing and the publication of pamphlets or brochures
treating of religious questions.

" 2C That he did not come to Brum)la nor to Belgium
in the month of December last.

" 3d. That the assumed rumour of which the coarespon-
dent of the Journal of Brussels had spoken was not circu-
lated in the Palace of Justice at Paris. All the magistrates
of the Imperial Court have teen questioned upon this
point, and repudiate the version of the journal as untrue.
" 4th. That the proprietor of the Journal of Brussels
has not been able to furnish any evidence.
" We therefore consider the news given by the Journal
of Brussels as not resting upon any foundation."

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

GREAT WESTERN.

An adjourned general meeting of the shareholders of the
Great Western Railway was held yesterday at the station
at Paddington, for the purpose of receiving the report of
the scrutineers appointed at the meeting held on Friday
last, to take the poll on the amendment of Mr. Norris on
the motion of Mr. Miles, M.P., respecting the manage-
ment of the company, which originated with the commit-
tee of shareholders. The amendment was as follows :
" That this meeting, upon full consideration of the re.
spective reports of the deputation of shareholders and the
board of directors, declines to adopt the recommendation
of the deputation; that the objects sought to be accom-
plished are not warranted by the instructions given ; that
the re-election of Messrs. Baker and Potter as directors,
after they had abandoned their posts because they were in
a minority, was calculated to weaken the authority of the
board."

The chair was taken by Viscount Barrington, M.P.
Captain BIILKELEY read the report of the ecrutineers,
which was as follows. For the amendment—

Present

Proprietors. No. of Votes.
... 256 3,898

Stook.
...... 2719,733

Proxies 2,04

:::: 21;728

2,350
Against the amendment—
Present lBB ..
Proxies 1 ,

25,626 £4,167,916

2,211
28

£335,629
6,000

2,329

£341,629

Majority is favour of
the amendment 2,161
The gallant proprietor also stated that -the total number of
proxies registered upon which no votes bad been tendered
were 35 proprietors, bolding 394 votes, and representing
52,7701. of stock.. The registrar presented to the scruti-
, nears votes in respect of 199 proxies, represent ng 1,913
votes, and 268,2391. of stock, in favour of the amendment.
Three proxies, representing 2,5971., and 35 votes against
the amendment, were reported on as having arrived too
late to be available. The report of the scrutineers was
signed by Capt. Bulkeley, Mr. Haling, M.P., Mr. Norris,
and Mr. Bayley. (The result was received with loud and
protracted cheering.)
The CHAIRMAN said that after the reading of the report
of the scrutineers there could be no doubt that the amend-
ment was carried. (Renewed cheers.)
Major COURT then proposed to bring forward a motion
of which he had given notice respecting the bye-laws of
the company, and other Matteis.
. The CHAIRMAN stated that it would perhaps be more in
order if the meeting were to proceed to the discussion of
the regular business before it. There was one point to
which he was anxious to allude, that was—the memorial
which was presented at the close of the last meeting from
certain coal owners. There were no signatures to that
memorial, and he could only say that if the memorial had
been presented to the proper authorities some time before
the meeting an opportunity would have been afforded for
examining into the various allegations which it contained.
It was impossible for him to answer that memorial at the
moment it was presented; the directors had, however, in-
quired into the matter, and Mr. Williams, a member of the
board, had presented a report which fully and completely
answered all the allegations made by the memorialists.
(Cheers.) Now, he thought it would always be the best
course it; when any of the shareholders had any fault
to find with the management of the company, they
would lay their complaints at once before' the
board, rather than industriously circulate statements
which the board had no opportunity of investigat-
ing. (Loud cheers.) The board could have no interest
distinct from these of the general interests of the share-
holders, and if the directors found at any time a certain
branch of the traffic which was not remunerative, it was
surely their duty to endeavour to develope that traffic, and
to maize it profitable; and he trusted that the meetingwonld
give credit to the directors foi being actuated by such mo-
tives in the policy which they had adopted respecting the
coal traffic on the line. (Cheers.)
After some discussion as to the course of proceeding,
Major Court was permitted to bring forward his motion,
but not being seconded it fell to the ground.
Mr. Nonais then moved that Viscount Barrington,
M.P., who retired by rotation, should be re-elected a di-
rector of the company.
The motion was carried by. acclamation.
Mr. NOBRIS next proposed that Mr. Walpole, M.P., be
re-elected director of the company, and the resolution was
unanimously agreed to.
Mr. D. Ogilvy was also re-elected a director of the com-
pany.

Mr. NORRIS then proposed that Mr. T. Luce, M.P., be
elected a director in the place of Lord Bateman, who had
retired by rotation, and was not willing to be re-elected.
Captain BWLKELET seconded the motion.
Mr. W. MILES, M.P., after alluding to the failure ofhis
motion, and the success of the amendment, said that,
although defeated, he felt confident that, unless the di-
rectors reformed their ways, a reform would come upon
them from a pressure oat of doors, which they would be
unable to resist. It was not his intention to oppose the
election of Mr. Luce, and he should therefore withdraw the
names of Messrs. Baker and Potter, whom he had proposed
for re-election.
After some discussion, Mr. Luce, M.P., was unanimously
elected • director of the company.
The CHAIRMAN and Mr. LUCK returned thanks for the
honour conferred upon them by the choice of the share-
holders.

Mr. SainNDEßs said he was anxious before the proceed.
ings terminated to relieve himself from imputations which
had been cast upon him for alleged usurpation of power
on his part beyond the duties of his office. Daring the
last twelve months he had been greatly pained to hear such
charges made. He had always striven to do his duty to-
wards the company. But he could not consent to continue
in the office which he held if such attacks were constantly
made upon him. An old and faithful servant might
be an incumbrance—(cries of no, no)—and he might per-
haps stand in the way of others who wished to obtain the
power or authority which it was thought he possessed.
But nothing should ever induce him, short of anYorff...ertlet":
o
degrade his position, from doing whatever, much lit
and he would not *onion to
He had no tenacity of office,
and be degraded by
which the directors might think fit to impose on him.t
remain the officer of the company, mpany,
xplanotion re-
specting into some lengthened e
secretary then wen
line, showing from various
tlyTihne-
e coal from Ruabon to Lon-
t placed
ratli c
oanb
to,:
figures that the carriage the him. (Cheers.) The hon.
having
ant
hye ocnoea l
quantity of coal carried by the railway
time
coal half-year, and at the present time
creased during the last
North Wales at the rate of Bs. ld.
coal was carried from°
Lon-
don would be a profitableof
business forthehradailwgraeya.
per ton ; ck at 3s. sd. ; from the Vale of Neath
at os. • ,
The Ruabou coal was carried for 7-16 the
- ad f-roanint from South Wales and the Forest of Dean
t 48 per ton.
of a ; p r mile and 1-16th of a penny for truck hire.
--if; pennyWiLideama paid a high and merited compliment to
the ability and fidelity with which Mr. Saunders had uni-
formly discharged his duties as secretary to the board, and
stated that no man could have kept more closely within his
yr
h.
GreatraSavil Uwe‘NavoyDne I tfie;tl Idae Bern
confidence
caeiei
etdiuwntl that
oltauhtnledothtbdeooc
arraesrodcriTatalnhdF
ide bes manyoanuir
eoi
shareholders
eolnadoalestsr
so nawe whypermitou.,anyd
proper sphere of duty than that gentleman had done.
othero thenMl
the claims of individual and interested parties to be used
against any comprehensive plan which the directors might
agree to for the development of this portion of the traf6c.
He believed that if the directors were permitted to encou-
rage and develope the coal traffic, the shareholders would
receive from the coal traffic an additional dividend of U
and even 2i per cent. (Cheers.)
some other resolutions of a formal character were agreed
to, the thanks of the meeting were voted to the chairman,
and the proceedings terminated.

LONDON AND SOUTH-EAsTznx ReliNAL—Traffi° re"
turn for the week ending Feb. 14, 1857 ...... 213,429 7 6
Corresponding week last year .................... 12,881 10 16

Increase in 1857 ...... ... £547 16 8
LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.—.
Traffic return for the week ending Feb. 14,
1857... 29,898 18 1
Corresponding week iasi year 9,183 9 2
Total of the half-year to this date, 1857 73,15 2 9
Total of the half-Year to this date, 1856 69,015 11 8

TSE OUTBAGS AT CHATHAM POST-07PICL—The dis-
trict court-martial for the trial of Craigen, Hannon,
Kieffe, and Macnamara, the four soldiers belonging to
the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers, who are charged with
the attack and outrage at the Chatham post-office, was
proceeded with at Chatham barracks yesterday morning.
The trial occupied the Court the whole day. The find-
ings of the Court will not be promulgated until the evi-
dence has been submitted to the Commander-in•chief.