The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-02 00:00:00

rHE S:CN LONDON, WEDNESDAY E V!.1E11 ENG DECEINIBER, 2, ISS

The report of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Company issued preparatory to their meeting on the
sth recommends the usual half-yearly dividend of 3 per
_ _

cent. and a bonus of like amount.

Ta FALKIRK BANK CASE.—Her Majesty has been
pleased to remit the remainder of the sentence in the
case of Thomas Gentles, one of the two young men who
were convicted at the Stirling circuit on the 29th Sep-
tember last, and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment
for breach of trust awl embezzlement in the branch of
the Commercial Bank at Falkirk. The two young men,
it will be remembered, were the instruments by which,
in a great measure, the late Henry Salmon, manager of
the bank, was enabled to embezzle its funds, his defal-
catione amounting in all to about 26,0001,, and, though
the jury expressed their belief that the young men had
received no porticn of the money, they were found guilty
as aiding and abetting the manager in perpetrating his
frauds. Gentles was liberated from Perth Penitentiary
on Saturday.
PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris is
about 5 per mille premium, and the short exchange on
London is 25.37} per 1/. sterling. On comparing these
rates with the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 100. per
ounce for standard gold, it appears that gold is about
3-10ths per cent. dearer in London than in Paris. By
advices from Hamburg the price of gold is 424 per mark,
and the short exchange on London is 13.6 i per 1/.
sterling. Standard gold at the English Mint is there-
fore about 9-1001 s per cent, dearer in London than in
Hamburg. The course of exchange at New York on
London for bills at 60 days' sight is about 1081 per
cent, for first-class paper. At the present rate of dis-
count here there is consequently no profit on the
transmission of gold from this country to the United
States.

A RAGGED SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT.—On Friday
evening last, the 27th ult., the children from no less
than 16 of our Metropolitan Ragged Schools were again
assembled together by that good friend of the ragged
school children of London—Mr. W. H. Miller ; and
(thanks to that same good friend) were charmed, both
through their eyes and their ears, with a most delight-
ful entertainment. The entertainment was both de-
lightful and instructive, It was entitled, after the fashion
of one of Charles Reade's moral romances of everyday
life—" Honesty is the Best Policy." As in the instance
of the admirable but more didactic entertainment given

last winter in the same place (Doughty-street, Lambeth.
walk), under similar circumstances, by the same gen-
tleman, the spoken description was very strikingly illus-
trated by a moving panorama, painted by Mr. W. H.
Miller himself, the accomplished and humane originator
—in regard to ragged schools—of this attractive species
of cnterta:nment.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT.—Oa Friday evening, about six
o'clock, as Miss Miles, sister to Mr. P. W. S. Miles, for-
merly member for Bristol, and half-sister to Mr. W.
Miles, M.P.,for East Somerset, was returning to Kings-
weston-park from Bristol, an accident of a very serious
character occurred. On arriving at the bill leading to
the lodge entrance of the park tho coachman passed the
park gate, and, discovering his mistake, turned the
horses sharply, and in so doing overturned the carriage
on to a bank. Miss Miles, who was the only per-
son inside the carriage, had her hand severely cut by the
breaking of one of the windows ; but, assistance being
speedily procured from the lodge, she was extricated
without further injury. The footman, who was on the
box, sustained a severe concussion of the brain ; and the
coachman, who fell on the footman (the carriage coming
upon both of them), sustained severe internal injuries,
ind his life is despaired of.
At no former period has there been more activity in
the shipbuilding department of Chatham Dockyard than
at the present, in order to get those vessels brought
forward forlaunching which are ordered by the Lords of
the Admiralty to be completed forthwith. The various
ships now constructing at this dockyard give an aggre-
gate of 20,000 tons, among the most forward being the
Hero, 91, screw steamer, which is nearly completed and
ready for launching. The Hood, 9'), screw steamer, has
been twice lengthened, and converted from an 80 gun
sailing vessel to a screw steamer ; she will shortly be
ready for launching. The Irresistible, 80, screw steamer,
is to be fitted with machinery of 400-horse power. The
screw frigate Mersey, 40, has several hundred men con-
stantly employed on her, in order that she may be com-
pleted and launched early in the ensuing year. The
Charybdis, 21, screw corvette, is in a very forward state,
and will shortly be reported. Three new screw steamers
—the Atlas, 91, the Bulwark, 91, and the Orpheus, 22
—are to be built at that establisment.
At a meeting of the African Steam Ship Company
yesterday afternoon, Mr. P. D. Hadow in the chair, the
report and accounts were adopted unanimously, and a
dividend declared for the half-year ending the 31st Oct.
of ss. per share, being at the rate of 5 per cent. per
annum, free of income•tax. The chairman congratu-
lated. the proprietors upon the improved prospects of the
undertaking, although the board had been unable to
obtain from the,. Government any modification of the
present unremunerative mail contract. A new steamer
—the Armenian, of 1,140 tone—has been bought to
supply the void caused, by the loss of the Niger, and
from the pressure upon the money-market the price paid
has been only 16,0001 or about 141. per ton. A short
conversation took place upon the valuation of the com-
pany's vessels in the accounts, the nature of rendering
the accounts themselves, and some printed statements
' that bad been circulated among the shareholders, and in
each case the chairman gave explanations satisfactory
to the meeting, The development of the internal African
' trade is relied upon by the company to insure their
permanent prosperity, and it was stated that river
steamers drawing little water could penetrate the inte-
rior as far as Tialbuctoo.
SOUTHAMPTON, Dec. I.—The Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steam-ship Euxine, Captain Jamieson, sailed
to-day for Plymouth, where she embarks troops for
India. The sailing-ship New Great Britain, Captain
Kerr, which put in hero on the 11th ult., having been
ashore at Dunnose while on her voyage from London
for Hong Kong,. with a general cargo, sailed hence to-
day for her destination, having completed repairs and
reshipped cargo. The directors of the Peninsular and
Oriental Company have notified their acceptance of a
contract with the Spanish Government for the fort-
nightly conveyance of mails between Hong Kong and
Manilla, to commence in March next ; but as they
have already placed one steamer on the line, goods and
parcels for Manilla will be taken by the steamers leav-
ing this pert on the 4th Dec., Jan., and Fob. The fol-
lowing changes havejust taken place in connection
with the Customs establishment at this port :—Mr. P.
Smithett, landing surveyor, retires on superannuation ;
Mr. J. Brendt, landing surveyor at Hull, removes to
Southampton ; Mr. R. H. Minns becomes the senior
landing surveyor at this port; Mr. C. J. Clarke, landing
waiter at Southampton, is promoted to be landing sur-
veyor at Hull. By theee changes a vacancy occurs
among the landing waitersin the Southampton estab-
lishment.

ST. JAMES'S HOME FOR PENITENTS.--We understand
that an aeylum has been opened at Whetstone, Finchley
Common, for the reformation of fallen women cf a class
somewhat superior in point of education, social standing
and comparative inexperience in vice to the great ma-
jority of those who are to he found in most of the existing
Refuges and Penitentiaries. It is to be called the St.
James's Refuge and Home for Penitents, as having
originated wittythe parish of St. James's, Piccadilly, but
it will be open indifferently to applicants from all parts
of the metropolis or of the country, Accommodation has
been provided for 20 penitents under a Lady Superin-
tendent and an Assistant. The DAN) of London has
c rnsented to act as :Visitor of the Institution and the
Rector of St James s will be the President. Th, want
of a house of this peculiar kind has long been felt by all
who have had to do with penitentiaries. At a time when
public attention is being more than ever directed to that
"great sin of great cities," which has of late years in-
creased to an extent seriou.ly menacing to the health of
society, and strenuous efforts are being made to check it
by the prosecution of persona keeping houses of ill-
repute and the closing of casinos, it is gratifying to find
that a regard is being paid to the welfare of poor " un-
fortunates," who are, atter all, in great measure only the
victims of a corrupt state of society, for which every
individual is in some degree responsible ; any attempt to
improve the Penitentiary system on however small a
scale, will be welcomed by all true philanthropists.
A MODEST Sewer' Barerenuree—The Edinburgh,
Gazette of Friday, under the head of " Scotch Bank-
ruptcy contains this unobtrusive notification :—" John
Edward Stephens, residing in Northumberland-street,
formerly banker, and lately of Gothic-lodge, Twicken-
ham, county of 716Iiddlese, to ho examined in Sheriff's-
office, 7th December, at 12. John Edward Stephens is
rather aeon:mon name, and a common name is sometimes
of essential advantage to a man. If, in this case, ;it
had unfortunately been Humphrey Stephens there might
have been some ground for public recognition. " For-
merly banker," too, Is a common description enough ;
for, who in the course of his life has not had the
d Twickenham," is not particularly
misfortune to become the holder of a share in some
fraudulent joint-stock bank ? Again, "lately of
Gothic-loge)
definite at at a time when you cannot take a Aron
round ray one of the metropolitan suburbs without
meeting with a Nottiogharn-house, a Tonbridge-villa, a
Matlock-cottage, or a Richmond-lodge, at which some
modest Jones, Stephens, or Brown has not lately " re-
sided." Leet the public, after guessing again and agr.in
in vain who this John Edwards Stephens, of Northum-
berland-street, ' Edinburgh, can be, should at length
conclude that he is a myth, er that is one of those cases
so aptly described by the poet, of " modest merit born
to blush unseen," it may be stated that the Mr. Stephens
here referred to is no other person than that celebrated
financier, the Mr. John Edward Stephens, lately army
or navy surgeon, and manager of the London and
Eastern Banking Corporation. The practice among
debtors in the county of Middlesex to emigrate to Scot-
land having of late become fashionable, it may be well
to take cognisance of the fact. Such of them as do not
like to face Basinghall-street find it much pleasanter
to take up a residence for 40 days in Scotland. Bank-
ruptcy cases are in Edinburgh much snore gingerly
handled, there is greater privacy, and creditors may be
deterred from incurring the great inconvenience and ex-
pence of a journey of several hundred miles from Mid-
dlesex in order to lay their complaints before a Scotch
sheriff. The time would appear to have arrived when
the bankruptcy laws of England and Scotland should be
either assimilated or the jurisdiction of the latter be
subjected to very necessary and most wholesome
abridgment. The amount owing by this man and his
intimate meeciates to the unfortunate shareholders of
the London arid Eastern Bank i 3 very large. Colonel
Waugh, its principal dirctor, cannot be had. The
state of his health rendered hie departure for France
and Spain necessary at a time when his dupes wanted
him here. We leave now the inantigt.r, Stephens, getting
quietly relieved from his liabilities in the She/Ill's-office;
Edinburgh. It is to be hoped that when he makes hie
appearance in that office on the 7th of December some
of his London creditors may be " there to see."