The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-21 00:00:00

RUCK V. STILWORTH AND ANOTHER.

This is an action of damages against the defendant, as a
surgeon, for giving a false certificate of lunacy against the
plaintiff, contrary to the act of Parliament, by which ho
was confined for a period of ten months in a lunatic asylum.
Mr. E. James, Q.C., epened the case for the plaintiff,
an independent gentleman of fortune, married, and has a
wife and six children in Wales.

Mr. Ruck was called as a witness, and is now under
examination.

SHERTFFS' COURT.
(Before Mr. Kerr and a Jury.)
MY WIFR'S PORTRAIT.-A FINE ARTS JURY.-BROWN Y.

MEDITERRANEAN EXTENSION TELE-
GRAPH COMPANY.

MEETING THIS DAY.

An extraordinary meeting of the shareholders of this
company was held this day, at the London Tavern, for the
purpose of considering the present position of the company.
Sir James Carmichael, Bart., in the chair. The report
issued by the directors was as follows :
" In calling this special general meeting at the request
of an influential body of shareholders, for the purpose of
considering the present position and future prospects of the
company, the directors have great pleasure in submitting,
for the approval of the proprietary, a scheme which, in
their opinion, will materially conduce to the prosperity of
their undertaking ; and, under the amended conditions now
sanctioned by her Majesty's Government, tend to impart a
security and value to their property, which experience and
the depreciated value of their shares in the market have
shown that it did not possess in public estimation when
depending solely upon the efficient working of one long sub-
marine lino.

" Deeply impressed with the necessity of providing, as
far as possible, against an interruption of business such as
was caused by the breaks in the line between Malta and
Cagliari in December, and again in March last, and keeping
in view the unavoidable delay which must occur in repairing-
damages at such a distance from England, the directors have
turned their attention to the importance of establishing a
communication by tele,raph to be kept open by either route,
instead of being dependent, as at present, on the integrity
of the Malta, Cagliari, and Corfu line alone ; and the direc-
tors must congratulate the shareholders on the prospect of
such additional security being given to their property at so
small a cost.

" The length of the proposed Sicilian line would be about
60 miles, and the estimated cost of such a cable as the com-
pany's present one, £8,500 ; but, with a view to obviating
risk of breakage, the directors would recommend the adoption
of a stronger cable, which would cost from £lO,OOO to £ll,OOO,
and for the purpose of raising the necessary capital and
placing the undertaking upon a satisfactory and sound
basis, they further recommend the following scheme—viz.,
that they be authorised to issue 1,500 preference shares of
the value of £lO each, bearing 8 per cent. yearly interest.
That these shares be in the first instance offered to existing
shareholders, who shall be entitled to subscribe for 12i per
cent., or one-eighth of the amount of their holding of erdi
nary shares. That the amount not so taken up be divided
pro rota amongst those shareholders who may have applied
for more than theirproportion. That should any of these pre.
ference shares still remain unplaced the directors be em-
powered to dispose of them, on the best terms they can ob-
tain, with the understanding that those shareholders who
shall have already subscribed, shall participate equally in any
advantages which it may be found necessary to give, in order
to place the remainder, and, lastly, that power be retained to
redeem these preference shares, on repayment of the capital
with 25 per cent. premium.
" The directors confidently leave this matter in the hands
of the shareholders, earnestly recemmending them to co-
operate in raising the necessary capital, and, by a wise and
liberal policy, to restore their property to its just value, and
strengthen the general position of the company.
" It now becomes the duty of the directors to give a short
account of what has happened since the 7th of February,
when they last met the shareholders. The cable, which they
were then able to announce as having been repaired, con-
tinued in working order until the 6th of March, when a
second interruption occurred. This fault was soon ascer-
tained to be very near the spot of the original breakage;
but taking into consideration the great expense which the
company had already been put to in repairing the previous
damage, the directors felt bound to make every possible in-
quiry as to the probable cause of injury before again incur-
ring such a large outlay.
" With this view, inquiries were instituted among the
different consuls and other persons on the neighbouring
coast, and particularly as to the possibility of the coral fisheries
being in fault ; but no certain information was elicited which
could assist in forming an opinion, except the fact that such
fisheries were blameless. The directors, in the meanwhile,
had attempted to secure the services of the Elba, which was
about to be sent back to the Mediterranean with telegraph
cables, by Messrs. Newall and Co., but were unable to do so,
They next put themselves in communication with Mr. Hen-
ley, the telegraphic engineer, and finally, on the Bth of
April, accepted his tender to supply the requisite length of
cable and a steamer fitted with all the necessary appliances
for laying and picking up a cable in deep water. They
further made arrangements that Mr. Andrews, their super,.
intendent at Malta—in whose skill and energy they have
every confidence, should have charge of the expedition, and
they had every reason to expect that the operation of re-
pairing the line would have been brought to a satisfactory
conclusion before this time; but owing to the difficulty of
getting a suitable vessel, and from various unforeseen delays
on the part of the contractor, the expedition did not sail
from England until the 10th instant. This delay, how-
ever, vexatious as it has been, the directors have the less
reason to regret, as from the advanced season of the year
there is now reason to apprehend a recurrence of that bad
weather which so greatly increased the difficulties en-
countered by the Elba while repairing the first breakage,
and which, indeed, in the opinion of many may have been
the primary cause of this second accident.
" Before concluding this report, the directors would again
revert to some of the advantages to be expected from the
proposed Sicilian line. In consequence of arrangements
made at Naples, the working expenses of this line
may bo set down at a trifling additional amount •,
for no sensible increase will be required in the staff
and expense of our Malta station, while the Neapo-
litan Government undertakes all the expenses at the
Sicilian' end of the cable. These latter have likewise
promised to put up a separate wire from the Sicilian coast
to Naples, for the exclusive use of through messages from
Malta, which will thereby avoid all unnecessary delay.
Besides this, considerable local business may be expected
between Malta and Sicily—which places have extensive
trading relations with each other ; and the bottom on which
the cable will lie is known to be even and highly favourable
to the laying of a submarine telegraph, the soundings in no
place exceeding 70 or 80 fathoms.
" But in order to secure these advantages, it is necessary
that energetic action should be immediately taken, the
period for carrying out the concession being limited. The
advantages to be derived, however, from the line when
completed, are so great, and the risk and outlay to be in-
curred so small, when compared with the security and value
which it will confer on the company's property, that the
directors confidently anticipate that their proposition will
meet with the unanimous approval of the shareholders."
The CHAIRMAN said what the directors intended to sub-
mit to the proprietors was a resolution to carry the recom-
mendations mentioned in the report into effect. He thought
it would be best to hear the remarks of the shareholders,
and then proceed to answer them.
A SHAREHOLDER complained of the time the directors
had allowed to elapse before the damage to the cable bad
been remedied. The accident occurred on the 7th Feb-
ruary and it was not remedied till June ; and such being
so, he thought the directors had not used that diligence
which they ought to have done. He also objected to the
resolution moved by the chairman, as detrimental to the
best interests of the company. The effect of it would be to
reduce the value of their 6 per cent. guarantee to about
4 or 41 per cent.
- -

The CHAIRMAN said with respect to the complaint of
delay made by the proprietors, every exertion had been
made by the board to remedy the derangement to the cable,
but it was not so easy to obtain and ship a cable as was
supposed. There were but three houses indeed until lately
only two capable of taking a contract for laying a cable.
The directors had applied to Messrs. Newall, and also
to Messrs. Glasse and Elliot, both said they could not
take upon themselves the task as early as the
directors wished. They then applied to Mr. Henley, and
he undertook to set about repairing the damage as soon as
he could obtain a paddlewheel steam-ship to carry out the
cable. The directors had done their best to carry the tele-
graph from Malta to Alexandria, and that it was not done
was no fault of the directors. With respect to the new
line to Sicily, it was quite in the hands of the directors;
all he (the chairman) knew was, that the Government
wished to have the line made.

The resolution was, after a short discussion, agreed to,
and the meeting separated.

THE WESTERN BANK OF SCOTLAND.

GLASGOW, Saturday Evening.—The following
proposal from Mr. Dunlop, of Clyde, for himself
and other directors of the late unfortunate Western
Bank, is just about to be submitted to the share-
holders :

97, West George-street, Glasgow, June 18.
Mr. Dunlop begs leave to submit for your consideration
the within copies of a proposal and relative letter, which
have been laid before the liquidators of the Western Bank
of Scotland and their advising committee