The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-08 00:00:00

VAUXHALL BRIDGE.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday at Radley's Hotel; Mr. Doland in
the chair.

The Secretary read the report, which stated that
the company had invested £2,136 in the New Three
per Cents. The reserve fund amounted to £8,588 ;
the tolls from the 25th of October to the 24th of
April amounted to £6,401, against £6,053 for the
previous half-year, showing an increase of £341.
The total receipts for the half-year, including ba-
lance brought forward of £2,926, rents, &c., were
£12,157. The expenditure in connection with the
bridge, &c., was £5,027, and the cash in hand or
at bankers was £3,440. Out of the net revenue it
was proposed to pay a dividend of 18s. per share,
free of income tax.

The CHAIRMAN said the receipts showed an in-
crease of nearly £4OO. The current receipts had
been invested in the purchase of stock, which if
sold now would give them a profit. The dividend
to be paid was an increase of is. per share as com-
pared with that of the corresponding half of the
preceding year, and there was every prospect of a
further increase.

The report was adopted. The retiring directors,
Messrs. Booth, Hedges, and Turner, were re-
elected, and the meeting separated.

THE PRINCE IMPERIAL.

Attention has been so pointedly turned to the
heir of the Imperial Crown of France, by his being
sent alone, a boy of twelve years of age, to inspect
the fleet at Cherbourg;that you may welcome some
few facts about him. The Prince Imperial is
very smalk-for his age, with his father's dispro-
portionately short legs, so that he is seen to the
greatest advantage on horseback. He has a gentle,
thoughtful face; his forehead is small, and hair dark
chestnut. You would not call him particularly hand-
some, but his eyes have all the exquisite sweetness
which have made his mother one of the loveliest
women in Europe. He has not a little grace of deport-
ment added to much boyish frankness, that bespeaks
a genial nature. He is not deficient in the sense of
humour, And of the sweetness of his disposition there
can be no doubt. Any one who has seen him at Fon-
tainebleau playing with his huge dog, will be con-
vinced that fondness for animals is also one of the
Prince's characteristics. The greatest attachment has
long existed between the young Napoleon and one
of his playmates, and an interesting anecdote is
told of them when only six
.or seven years old.
Some misunderstanding arose in their game, and
in the excitement of their juvenile quarrel the
Prince received a blow. But here the child be-
thought himself of the lessons carefully inculcated
by his mother, and turning his earnest and thought-
ful eye on his little companion, he said, " I can-
not return it you, because you are a French-
man, and I am the Prince Imperial of France." The
children were duly separated and put in disgrace ;
when, next day, his pugnacious friend was brought
by his father lo apologise for having so far forgotten
himself, the Prince, on seeing him, threw his arms
round his neck, saying, " Ah, how unhappy I have
been not V) have seen you a whole day." There
would seem to be a fair prospect of a kind and
generous heart developing itself by the side of an
admittedly precocious intelligence, in him for whom
Napoleon 111. has chosen no other title than " the
child of France."—One a Week.