The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-19 00:00:00

GREENWICIL

William Cusse. n, aged 31, a police-constable, No.
142, of the It division, stationed at the dock and vic-
tualling-yards, Deptford, was brought up and placed
in the dock, before Mr. Seeker, by Mr. Inspector
M`Gill, charged with assaulting Jane Robertson, aged
18 years, a married woman, and wife of Gunner
Hector Robertson, belonging to the Bth battalion of
the Royal Artillery, Woolwich.
The prosecutrix, a neatly-dressed young woman, of
very modest and pleasing demeanour, stated that she
went to the dockyard station to report the prisoner's
disgraceful conduct on Tuesday, about three o'clock.
She left Woolwich, bringing a letter from her hus-
band to police-constable Setford, of the dockyard
police. She left by the Woolwich train at twelve
o'clock, and got out at Deptford station, New Cross-
rola, where sh,;., saw a poliecu:an (the prioner)
walking over the bridge, of whom she in-
quired the way to the Deptford dockyard, and
told him that she wanted to see police-
constable Setford. The prisoner told her that Setford

' was an inmate at present of the London Hospital. A
conversation continued between them, when the pri-
soner said he was waiting for his sister, who shortly
afterwards made her appearance, when the prisoner
and his sister urged her to take a glass of ale. She
drank a little, and the prisoner gave his sister some.
Ile afterwards gave his sister some money, and she
went away. Prosecutrix then said she would return
home. The prisoner followed her, and said he would
show her to a railway station. He took her up several
crooked lanes until they reached the road leading to
Brockley Jack (the Castle Inn). He then requested
her to sit down on the bank of the railway cutting.
She took a seat some distance from the prisoner, who,
shifting about, caught hold of her, and placed his
arms over her shoulders and kissed her. She told
him (pushing him away with both her hands) not to
lay hands upon her, as she was well known to the
police, and would report him to the chief inspector,
Mr. A:VGA of the dockyard police. The pri-
soner then seized hold of, and forcibly thre w her
down, and with great violence effected his purpose.
She was surprised and confounded at the moment,
put her hands in his face, and called for assist=
ance, hut no one came. Saw a man some distance off.
She then got up and ran away, declaring that she
would go td the dockyard and report him, having un-
derstood, in course of conversation, that he was on
duty there. Prosecutrix produced an envelope, which
the prisoner gave her, bearing the address of his
sister, and hoped witness would interest herself in
getting her a situation. The prisoner followed in the
distance to the dockyard station, overtaking her at
times, in order, as he said, to go into a public-house
and settle the matter ; but she continued on her way
through the streets crying until she reached the
dockyard, where she fully explained the nature of the
outrage to Mr. Inspector M‘Gill. Mr. M'G'ill asked
her why she did not explain the outrage to persons
she met on the way ? She told him she was ashamd
of exposure in the public streets, and might have been
laughed at; and, as she was certain of redress at his
hands, she proceeded to the dockyard. Persons on
the road pitied her and directed her. She did not
say she was married, nor did the prisoner ask that
question. The prisoner came up to the gate half-an-
hour after witness, when the inspector called him and
told him in witness's presence that he was charged
with a grave offence at the instance cf prosecutrix.
Prisoner said, " Good God she has made a false
statement."

Inspector MPG-ill was then called, and deposed
that prosecutrix's evidence now taken was fully in
accordance with her statement taken at the Dockyard-
office, and that she arrived at the station in a very
excited and distressing• condition.
Mr. ALT, at some length, cross-examined the pro-
secutrix without eliciting the slightest matter affect-
ing, her testimony or charactor.
Mr. SECKER said he should send the charge before
a jury, and bound the witnesses over to prosecute at
the Central Criminal Court.

Ganner H. Robertson then left the court, accom-
panied by his wif-, the magistrate declining to take
bail, as urged by Mr. May, for the prisoner.

RAILWAY IN TELLIG-ENCE-
NORTH BRITISH.
The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of this
company was held in Gibb'e Royal Hotel, Edinburgh,
on Tuesday ; Mr. Learmonth, the chairman, presid-
ing.
The directors' report was held as read.
The CHAIRMAN having briefly recapitulated the
main features of the report, moved that it be adopted.
Mr. BLACKADDER seconded the motion.
Mr. JOHN COOK, W.S., said that he could not sup-
port the resolution, and he proposed an amendment
to the effect that the report be not approved of; cud
that a report be made previous tc the next meeting as
to the present state, prospects, and system of manage-
ment of the company, and especially as to the ac-
curacy of the accounts as regarded the appropriation
of the expenditure during the half-year previous to
the 31st of July, to the respective branches of capital
and income ; also as to the litigation now in progress
at the instance of the company, and as to the cause of
the retirement from the board of four of the directors
appointed by the last half-yearly meeting.
Dr. MACFARLAIi seconded the amendment, and in-
veighed against the management of the line.
The CHAIRMAN said that with respect to the asser-
tion that an increased sum was carried to capital and
interest during the last half-year, it should be known
that the quarter shares, which had a right to interest,
had not the interest to which they were entitled paid
in previous years, and of course the sum was placed
in the present account, and that as the banks were in
the habit of making their accounts annually, the in-
terest paid to them in the currency of the year for
money employed in the formation of the line, and
which could not, therefore, yield a return, was set
down ; and this explained the two items referred to.
The sum set down for law expenses was, he should
state, not for expenses incurred during the last half-
year, but long current accounts. With regard to the
litigation with the directors, referred to in the amend-
ment, he regretted that it was adverted to; but he
might state, as it had been alluded to, that it was a
litigation carried on by himself in the name of the
company against himself as a director, to compel him
and the other directors to pay the balances which they
respectively owed of a sum of 26,000/. The payment
of their portion of that sum was resisted by some of
the directors who had retired, and while he and his
colleagues were willing to pay their own shares, they
wanted the others who had retired from the direction
to pay their proportion. Mr. Cook happened to be the
agent for one of the retired directors, and therefore it
was a pity that he should have referred to it at all.
He further stated that the construction of the North
Berwick branch, which was about 411 miles in length,
had cost 73,0001.—about 17,0001. a mile, and that the
other branches cost 18,0001. or 19,0001. a mile. He
maintained that no good could be got by Mr. Cook's
amendment, and therefore hoped that it would not be
agreed to,
The two motions were put to the vote, when, only
five hands being held up for the amendment, the re-
port was approved of.
A series of resolutions were on the motion of the
CHAIRMAN then agreed to, to the effect that the direc-
tors be authorised to compound with such of the
shareholders as arc in arrear of calls and are in doubt-
ful circumstances, by freeing them from further
liability on payment of a modified sum and giving up
all right to their shares in favour of the company ;
that the directors be authorised to apply to Parliament
for authority to enlarge and improve the Elinburgh
station, and connect it with the ',Edinburgh, Perth,
and Dundee station, and also to alter the Leith branch
to make it capable of being worked by locomotive
power ; and that the interest on the guaranteed shares
be paid on Thursday, the 19th inst. (there being no
dividend on the ordinary share capital).
A motion was then made that there be no Sabbath
traffic on the line, bat it was lost by a large majority,
and the meeting separated.

EAST ANGLIAN.
Yesterday a meeting of East Anglian bondholders
and creditors took place at the London Tavern to
consider a proposition made on the part of the com-
mittee of bondholders, and also a counter proposition
made by the chairman of the board of directors, with
a view of relieving the company from their present
financial difficulties.

WILLIAM EVERARD, ESQ., took the chair, when
a long discussion took place as to the merits of the
two propositions, in which several bondholders inter-
fered, and eventually the proposal of the bondholders'
committee was adopted unanimously, the chairman
of the board of directors having withdrawn his pro-
position in its favour. The Chairman then moved
the resolutions founded on the committee's proposition.
Mr. SEPPINGs seconded the motion.
The resolutions were as follows :—" That this
meeting approre of the following proposition for an
arrangement between the East Anglian Railways
Company and their creditors : That the shares created
under the Act of 1849, viz , 37,552 shares of 101.
each, shall bear a preferential dividend of 5 instead of
7 par cent. ' • and that every deficiency in the amount
of such dividend, at any period, shall be made up out
of the first assets subsequently available for the pur-
pose of dividend. 2,11 y, That the mortgagees, bond-
holders, and other creditors, shall accept such portion
of the said shares as remain unissued in satisfaction of
an equal amount of their claims. idly, That such of
the said shares as have been already issued shall remain
liable to be called up, in accordance with the resolu-
tions, upon the footing of which they were issued.
And 4thly, That until the full dividend upon such
preference shares shall have been punctually paid fur
two years in succession, and on any future occasion
when such dividend shall fall below 5 per cent., and
then again until it shall have been punctually paid for
two years in succession, two-thirds of the board shall
be nominated by the registered proprietor of such
shares, and the other third as heretofore; and at
other times two-thirds of the directors shall be chosen
as heretofore, and one-third by the new shareholders."
A vote of thanks was then passed to the chairman
and committee of bondholdev, when the meeting
adjourned.