The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-07 00:00:00

„ reserve fund £500,000 0 0
„'instalments unpaid,
not yet due

74,572 0 0

„ amount due by the
Bank for custom-
ers' balances, &c. 12,195,149 19 3
„ liabilities on accept-
ances, covered by
guarantees and
securities

„ profit and loss bal-
ance brought
from last account 7,081 1 1
~ gross profit for the
half year, after
making provision
for bad and doubt-
ful debts 226,973 4 1

Cr.
By cash on had at
head office and
branches and with
Bank of England £1,979,418 19 1
„ cash placed at call
and at notice,
covered by secu-
rities

Investments, viz.:—
Government and gua-
ranteed stocks
Other stocks and
securities

63,448 3 8

Discounted bills and,,,
ad vauces to custom- • •
ers in town and
country 8,979,511 17 8
Liabilities of customers
for drafts accepted .
by the bank (as per
contra)

Freehold premises in Lombard-street
and Nicholas-lane, freehold and lease-
hold property at the branches, with
fixtures and fittings
Interest paid to customers
Salaries and all other expenses at
head office and branches, including
income tax on profits and salaries 95,627 19 2

218,328 11 3
37,346 19 7

£15,570,220 6 1
PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT.
To interest paid to customers, as above
To expenses do
To rebate on bills not due, carried to
new account..
To dividend of 6 per cent. for the half

£37,346 19 7
95,627 19 2

11,373 10 0

year -
To bonus of 3 per cent
To balance culled forward

54,596 13 6
27,298 6 9
7,810 16 2

£234,054 5 2

By balance brought forward from last
account
By gross profit for the half year, after
making provision for bad and doubt-
ful debts

£7,081 1 1

226,973 4 1

£234,054 5 2
We, the undersigned, have examined the foregoing
balance-sheet, and have found the same to be correct.
(Signed) WILLIAM NORMAN,} Auditors.
R. H. SWAINE,
London and County Bank, Jan 30, 1868.
The foregoing Report having been read by the Secre-
tary, the following Resolutions were proposed and unani-
mously adopted :-
1. That the Report be received and adopted, and printed
for the use of the shareholders.

2. That a dividend of 6 per cent., togefaer with a bonus
of 3 per cent., both free of income tax, be declared for the
half year ending 31st December,
1867, payable on and
after Monday, the 17th instant, and that the balance of
£7,810 16s. 2d. be carried forward to profit and loss
new account.
3. That Hugh Culling Eardley Childers, Esq., M.P.,
be re-elected a director of this Company ; that Philip
Patton Blyth, Esq., be re-elected a director of this Com-
pany ; that Edward William Terreck Hamilton, Esq.,
M.P.,be re-elected a director of this Company.
4. That William Norman and Richard Hinds Swaine,
Esquires, be elected auditors for the current year.:l
5. That Whitbread Tomson, Esq., be elected an auditor
for;.the current year.
6. That the thanks of this meeting be given to the
Board of Directors for the able manner in which they
have conducted the affairs of the Company.
7. That the thanks of this meeting be presented to the
Auditors of the Company for their services during the
to the Chief Inspector, to the
past year.
8. That the thanks of this meeting be presented to
fiamAcMco'Kunetwanat,ll' to the Secretary, and to all the other
officersCWhiilel of the Bank; for' the zeal and ability with
which they have discharged their respective duties.
(Signed) W. NICOL, Chairman.
The Chairman having quitted the chair, it was re-
solved, and carried unanimously-
9. That the cordial thanks of this meeting be pre-
sented to William Nicol, Esq., for his able and courteous
conduct in the chair.
(Signed) W. CHAMPION JONES, Deputy Chairman.
Extracted from the minutes.
(Signed) F. CLAPPISON, Secretary,

MR. BRIGHT, ON THE _LICENSING

SYSTEM.

A deputation of licensed victuallers waited upon
Mr. Bright at Mr. Charles Sturge's residence at
Birmingham, yesterday, to get an expression of his
opinion upon Mr. Abel Smith's bill for further re-
stricting the hours during which publichouses may
be opened on Sundays. Several members of the
deputation having spoken,
Mr. BRIGHT, in reply, said—The evil of which
you have just complained seems to be one of the
unavoidable miseries of your position, that you have
to submit to this kind of harassing and worrying
attack, because there is in the country, as we all
know, a very large and perhaps increasing party of
great activity who think you ought to be extin-
jLaughter)
guished altogether.

Mr. WADITAms._We demur to that. (Laughter.)
Mr. BRIGHT--Of course, you demur to that. In
tirac..s long ago, now 30 years ago nearly—more than
20, at any rate—there was a very clamorous party,
anxious to interfere with the trade I was connected
with (the cotton trade), and, in fact, the manufac-
turing trades generally of the country, and they
were incessantly bringing bills into Parliament for
the manufacturers. After
the purpose of worrying
being inconvenienced and subjected to considerable
annoyance of every kind, the matter was brought to
some kind of settlement, which has not since been
materially interfered with, so that I know very much
what sort of thing it is you are now complaining of.
It is a great grievance for you to be compelled to
attend as deputations to members of Parliament in
London, and it is a grievance to us, as we get a
good deal worried by deputations. The licensed
victualler is a sort of irrepressible evil, which mem-
bers of Parliament have constantly to battle with
in one way or the other. Between the licensed vic-
tualler and the beerseller and the teetotaller I have
no doubt my friend Mr. Dixon, who is rather a new
hand, will think he has a very hard life of it.
(Laughter.) The question is, What is to be done
with regard to the matter? You cannot prevent
Mr. Abel Smith from bringing forward this bill;
because there are so many persons who back him,
and you know that with the exception of your own
trade organisation there is no portion of the public
that takes any direct interest in defending your side
in Parliament. You have to fight your own battle
unaided by any large or active portionlof the people,
and to fight it agaiuet a great organisation,