The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-13 00:00:00

CjOUßT—(This Day.)

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)

Henry Caner, a boy of 12 years of ago, convicted last
session of felony, and who has been five times convicted,
and repeatedly whipped, without any effect, was planed
at the bar and sentenced to two months' imprisonment
with bard labour, and at the end of that period to be
detained three years in a reformatory.
The Common Sergeant and Mr. Commissioner .Pren-
dergast were occupied in the other courts disposing of
the remaining cases, which were of no general interest,
and-which terminated the business of the session.

ROYAL MAIL STEAM-PACKET COMPANY,

The following is the report of the directors to the
' proprietors of this company, to be submitted to the
general meeting, at the London Tavern, on Thurs-
day next :
The shareholders have already been furnished, a.
usual, with a statement of the, company's accounts for
the year 185.6, in reference to which the directors beg to
offer the folewing observations :
The item of coals, as compared with 1855, exhibits an
increase of 14,5211. 43. 5d., although, compared with the
year 1854, there is a decrease of 23,4951. 10e. 63. The
increase arises partly from the fact that the charge for
1855 was unusually low from temporary causes, as stated
et the October meeting in that year, and partly from the
expendtturo occasioned by the extra voyages of ships
sent home for repair.
The diminutio❑ of 2,5341. 18e 5d., under the head 4)1
wages, is caused by the disConthauatice of the transport
service ; and this difference would have been stillgreater
but for the extra voyages before mentioned.
The same remark may be made in reference to the
item of provisions, which is 11,3391. 4d. 9d. lees than
the previous year.
The reduction of 11,4821. 4s. 3d, in the expenditure
for stores is also to be attributed to the cessation of the
transport service.
There is an increase under the head of general service
and stations of 3,054/, 10s. 10d., a portion of ahica
arises from the naval review, and the remainder from
expenses of the station at Colon, and a slight increase at
St. Thomas and Jamaica.

The item of salaries has been increased to the extent
of 1,0791. 123. 6d. This is accounted for by the appoint-
ment of Captain Wilson as Colonial superintendent, and
of an additional clerkin connection with the engineers'
department, together with increased
,renanner4tion for
servlces.

. the other items of expenditure, seem to call for co
particular, remark.. ,

The directors have great pleasure in referring to the
receipts from the ordinary sources of traffic, all of which
fxhibit an increase, amounting in the aggregate to
51,5414 10s. lid, t is, at the same time, very grati-
fying to them to state, that notwithstanding the nume-
rous lines of steam-ships which have been recently
established between Europe and the Brazils, the speed
and regularity of the royal mail steam packets have
maintained a decided preference in their favour, and the
directors entertain a confident hope that the perform-
ances of the company's vessels will secure for them a
continuance of public support sufficient to defy any seri-
ous competitipn.
' In consequence of the failure of Messrs. Copland,
Barnes, and Company, it has been.necessary to make
other arrangements for conducting the business of the
Providoring department, and the directors have decided
on taking it into their own hands.- Although there may
appear to be some objections to this system, still it is
thought, on the whole, to possess more alvantages than
any other mode that has yet been attempted by the
company. The directors very much regret the failure
of Messrs. Copland, Barnes, and Company, as they feel
assured that it was their desire to carry out their con-
tract with the company in a fair and liberal spirit.
It is a matter of great annoyance to the directors to
be compelled so soon after the loss of the Tay to advert
to another serious disaster. The stranding of the Tyne,
as the proprietors are aware, took place at a time when
her voyage Was so nearly completed that such a calamity
could hardly have been looked for; but the subsequent
recovery of this vessel has rendered the occurrence far less
injurious than it would otherwise have been, and it is be-
lieved that the whole of the expenses consequent thereon,
including of course the coat of repairs, will be fully co-
vered by the sum appropriated to insurance for the first
half of the current year, viz., 22,5001. It will be satis-
factory to the shareholders to learn, that though the ship
continued .so long upon the rocks, her form remains un-
altered, and that when repaired, she will be as .good and
serviceable a vessel as she was before she grounded.
There is every reason to expect she will be ready to re-
sume service in the course of October next.

Since the general meeting held in October last, the
Dee and Camilla have been brought home for repair.
After a thorough overhaul and refit, the Dee was de•
spatched on the Bth Feb. last, as an extra ship, to the
West Indies, and the Camilla will be ready to start from
Southampton about the middle of June next, for the
purpose of resuming service between Rio de Janeiro and
the River Plate.

The Wye, one of the vessels stationed on Intercolonial
service in the West Indies, having met with accidents
to her machinery, has been withdrawn from the malt
service, and ordered to England. The rest of the ships
employed on the branch routes are reported ,upon as fol-
lows by the company's colonial superintendent, who has
lately returned from a tour a inspection in the West
Indies :

" During the time I have been absent from England
I have made passages in La Plata, the Solent, Conway,
Wye, Derwent, Thames, and Orinoco, and have fre
quently inspected the Clyde, Trent, and Eagle, and it
gives me much satisfaction to be able to report that the
state of those ships generally is such as to reflect credit
on all concerned ; and I would also remark that the Wye
being now withdrawn by order of the directors, I am of
opinion that the state of the company's ships in the West
Indies is such as t-.) furniSh every reason to hope that th,
service in those parts will be carried cut in a highly sa-
tisfactory manner."
Since this report was made intelligence bas been re-
ceived of damage to the Transit's engines, by the break-
ing of an intermediate shaft. Herservices will therefore be
unavailable until she is supplied with a new one, which
will be forwarded-from England without loss of time.
The company's superintendent at St. Thomas states,
however, that he has still ships enough to carry on the
service until the Trent is again put into efficient condi-
tion.

By the death of C. W. Short, Esq., the company have
been deprived of his valuable services as deputy-chair-
man, and the directors take this opportunity of express-
ing their regret at the loss of a zealous, active, and able
colleague.
The directors beg to inform the shareholders that at a
recent special court, held in accordance with the com-
pany's charter, it was resolved to limit for the present
the number of directors to nine, besides the chairman
an& deputy-chairman. This they were enabled to do, in
consequence of receiving from John Irving, Esq., an in-
timation of his intention to retire from the direction.

The directors have now to propose that the usual
dividend of 21. per share be paid for the second half of
the year 1856, and that in addition a bonus of 11. 10-%
per share be declared out of the amount beyond 200,0001.
standing to the credit of the insurance account, and that
such dividend and bonus be payable, free a income-tax,
on the 21st instant.

By order of the Court of Directors,
R. T. REEP, Secretary.

GENERAL STATISTICS.

- The following statistical details are extracted from A
General Abstract for the United Kingdom from the years
1.842 to 1856, published by the authority of Parliament.
The figures must be understood as referring exclusively
to last year (1856). The net revenue paid into the Ex-
chequer was 72,218,9881., and the deficiency 10,104,413'.
The Customs yielded 22,370,779/. ; the Excite,
17,357,4591. ; stamps, 7,102,515/. ; taxes, 2,956,604/. ;
the income-tax, 15,717,155/. ; the Post-office, 1,248,147/.
%The total expenditure was 78,113,0351. viz.,
28;656,5931. for the charge of the public debt ; 8,392,6221:
fer the civil list and all other civil charges; 25,049,825/.
for the army, and 16,013,995/. for the navy. The amount
of taxes repealed or reduced was 2,203,4751., almost ex.
c'usively arising from the "malt war tax." The balance
in the Exchequer at-the end of the year was 6,942,4281.,
and the grand total amount of the public debt
807,981,7881. The total imports of raw cotton amounted
to 1,023,886,5281 b,, and of wool to 116,211,3921 b. The
value of home produce (British and Irish) exported wa,
115,890,8571. The computed value of the principal and
other articles of foreign and colonial merchandise ex,
ported in 1856 was 23,425,365. The total tonnage of
vessels entered and cleared' was 21,589,049 viz.,
12,945,771 British,
.and 8,643,278 foreign. 1,150 ves-
sels, of 244,578 tons, were built and registered in the
united kingdom. 18,419 sailing vessels and 851 steamers
were employed in the home and foreign trade ,o the
kingdom, making a total of 19,270 vessels f
employing
173,918 men. The average price of British wheat wa,
695. 2d. per quarter throughout the year against 74e.
Bd. in 1855, 725. sd. in 1854, 535. 3d, in 1853, 40s.
9d. in 1852, a
le 6d, in 1851, and 40s. 3d. in the
year 1850.. Barley averaged 41s, id., and oats 255:
2d. 5,046,736 quarters ot wheat were sold in the prin.
cipal market towns of England and Wales, 2,670361.
quarters of barley, and 701,159 quarters of oats.
6,476,0601. was coined at tbe Royal Mint, 7,741,4531. was 11
received, and 8,023,583/. paid by the trustees ot say-
ings banks, the capital being 34,032,4711. The aggregate
amount of promissory notes payable to bearer on demand
in circulation through the united kingdom was
33,206,074/. (maximum) and 36,493,035/, (minimum)
The estimated population was 19,044,000 (Englaud anti
wales), the births 657,704, the deaths 391,369, and the
inarriages 159,000. The population of Scotland was
3,033,177, the births 101,738, the deaths 58,452, and the
ewouerile 20,494. On the let of January, 1857, there
were 843,806 paupers in recept of relief in England and
Wales ; in Scotland, 79,973; and in Ireland, 56,094.
The total number of emigrants from the united kingdom
to various destinations amounted to 176,554 against
176,807 in 1855, 323,429 in :1851,* 329,937 in 1853,
36'8,764 in 1852, 335,996 in 1851, and 280,849 in the
year 1850.

DESTRUCTION OP INDIAN BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS.
—We regret much to learn, that besides a vast number
of printed books, many of them of great rarity and value,
destroyed by the late Ere at Messrs. Allen and Co.'s, of
Leadenhall-street, several unique Oriental manuscripts
have either been consumed, or so charred- by the fire as
to be valueless. It is stated that the property was in-
sured to the extent of upwards of 20,0001. But some
part of the damage sustained must be irreparable.—
smith, Elder, euid Cos's Overland