The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-19 00:00:00

DIVIDENDS.

At the Court of Bankruptcy, Basingball-street.
G. Francis and T. Francis, jun, corn merchants, Cambridge,
April 15, at eleven—G. E. White, tailor, Reading, April 9, at
one—R. Marshall, stone mascn, Deptford, April 8, at twelve
—T. Johnson, sen., W. Johns( n, and C. Mann, bankers; Rom-
ford, April 7, at eleven—C. Mann, banker, Romford, April 7,
at eleven—G. B. Rudge, japan-leather manufacturer, Glou-
oester-street, Shoreditcli, April 10, at eleven—F. Dudley,
builder, Rockford, Essex, April 9, at one—J. Gale, sen.' and
J. Gale, jun., rope makers, Love-lane, Shadwell, April 10, at
eleven—J. Lorden and N. Hadley, builders, Ilerne Bay,
April 8, at eleven—N. lladley, builder, Herne Bay, April 8,
at eleven.

In the Country.
B. Pountain, wine merchant, Derby, April 10, at eleven, at
the Birmingham District Court— T.liearsle3,, and T. Watt,
bone merchants, Runcorn, Cheshire, April 9, at twelve, at tho
Manchester District Court—T. Daniell, copper smelter, Bou-
logne, April 10, at eleven, at the Exeter District Court—.G.
Stanw•av, confectioner, Stoke upon-Trent, April 11, at eleven,
at the Birmingham District Court.
CERTIFICATES to be granted, unless cause be shown to

the contrary, on the day herein mentioned.
A. Wehnert, tailor, Leicester-square, April B—J. Moutrie,
music seller, Bristol, April B—J. Argent, victualler, Golden-
lane, Barbican, April B—T. Cooper, coffeehouse-keeper, Ald-
gate High-street, April B—T. R. Withers, merchant, Rum-
bridge, Southamptonshire, April 15—G. E. White, tailor,
Reading, April 15—J. and D. Hepworth, cotton warp dyers,
Raistrick, Yorkshire, April 18—J. Staples, plumber, Cotten-
ham, Cambridge, April 9—W. Clarke, builder, Sheffield, April
10—II. Craven, corn miller, Wakefield, April 18—E. L. Ro-
binson, fellmonger, Moulton, Lincolnshire, April 1 I—M. Tom-
kinson, linen draper, Kidderminster, April 14—T. and J.
Jones, tallow chandlers, Liverpool, April B—E. Scott, miller.
Ilillborough, Norfolk, April B—W. Richardson, glass manu-
facturer, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, April B—P. J. Meugens,
broker, Dunster-court, Mincing-lane, April B—W. Jackson,
paper hanger, Charlotte-street, Fitzroy-square, April B—A.
Seed, licensed victualler, Liverpool, April B—R. Blockley,
linen draper, Crewe, Cheshire, April B—J. Ward, engineer,
Manehester, April B—B. Creigh, cartwright, Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, April 8.
PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED.

11. Woollright and J. Pearson, linen drapers, Canterbury
—P. and J. Broad, melters, Brighton—T. E. Greenhow and
R. E. Huntley, ship brokers, Newcastle-upon-Tyne—J. Haw-
kins, .J. Cooper, and W. Fieldhouse, china manufacturers,
Foley, Stoke-upon-Trent (so far as regards J. Cooper)—G.
Freeman and T. B. Beesley, nail factors, Birmingham—G.
and S. Reynold, corn dealers, Salisbury-street, Lisson-grove
—W. Townley, R. Townley, and W. 11. Cartwright, cotton
spinners, Blackburn—J. Knapp, W. Bray, and H. Edmonds,
clothiers, Bradford—J. L. Butler and W. Paton, coal mer-
chants, Liverpool—W. H. Austin and G. W. Tinkler, com-
mercial agents, Harp-lane, Lower Thames-street—T. Sander-
son and H. J. Cook, coal merchants, Liverpool—J. Dyer and
li. Culliford, drapers, Banwell, Somersetshire—E. Phillips
and A. G. Favenc, wine ►xerchants, Lower Thames-street--
T. W. Dean and E. Law, artists, Nicholas-lane, Lombard-
street—G. and J. Blindley, haberdashers, Coventry—C. R.
Wessel and F. Stapleton, music publishers, Frith-street, Soho
—W. Reed and R. Taylor, linen drapers, Brunswick-parade, Is-
lington—J. Cowing and A. Peacock, silk men, Spital-square
—J. Dobson and C. Nixon, marble dealers, Dent, Yorkshire
—C. C. Evre and F. J. Burge, surgeons, Hammersmith—A.
Toft and J. Austin, engravers, Tinkersclough, Shelton Pot-
teries-4. Pritchard, B. A. Pritchard, and J. Railton, timber
dealers, Liverpool (so far as regards J. Railton)—J. Darby,
J. Higgs, and 'l'. Pickering, coal masters, Kingswinford,
Staffordshire.

SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.
James Semple and Co., grocers, Cambuslang, Glasgow,
March 21 and April 12, at twelve, at the chambers of H.
Smeaton, Glasgow.
Alexander Kay, merchant, Dundee, March 24 and April
15, at two, at the Royal Hotel, Dundee.

SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY
COMPANY.
The seventeenth half-yearly general meeting of the Pro-
prietors of this Company was held yesterday, at one, at the
Terminus, London-bridge, for the purpose of having sub-
mitted to them the report of the Directors for the half-year
ending on the 31st of January last.
There was a numerous gathering of the Shareholders. Sir
John Kirkland, the Chairman of the Boord of Directors, pre-
sided.

On the proposition that the advertisement calling the
meeting be read,

Mr. GILBERTSON, before hearing it read, would wish to
know from the Chairman why copies of the report were so
long delayed from the Propnetors. lie had only received
his copy on entering that room, when he had fully expected
to have seen it printed last Saturday.
The CHAIRMAN explained, that unfortunately in the midst
of the preparations tor that meeting the chief accountant
was obliged, under a subpoena, to attend with his books at
the Maidstone Sessions. It was impossible, therefore, for the
Directors while the books were there to put the Proprietors
into possession of the report on the preceding Saturday.
The accounts were not audited till the previous midnight, and
he (the Chairman) did not get the report till within ten mi-
nutes of the hour of meeting.
The advertisement was then read.
The CHAIRMAN said the next duty was to affix the com-
mon seal to the registry of the Proprietors, and he moved that
that be done.
Mr. GILBERTSON asked whether the Proprietors had a right
to inspect the registry of shares, and if they had, when,
where, and how ? - . _

The CHAIRMAN said that no Proprietor would hare any
difficulty i❑ obtaining access to the registry at the proper
season.

Mr. GILBERTSON was dissatisfied with the answer. He
wished to know if he could, on application, see the names of
each Proprietor, and the number of shares to that name?
The CHAIRMAN was sorry that the legal adviser of the
Company, was not present to answer the Hon. Proprietor's
question. He was, unfortunately, obliged to attend a dis-
cussion before a Select Committee of the House of
Commons, to inquire into the schemes of the North
Kent Railway Company, which, they were aware, was
opposed to the South-Eastern. His own opinion was,
that, whether the law were favourable or otherwise to
the wishes of the Honourable Proprietor, the Directors
would refuse no information that it was consistent with the
interests of the Company to give. He hoped that the Hon.
Proprietor, therefore, and the meeting, would feel satisfied
with this explanation.
The common seal was then affixed to the registry.
The Secretary, Captain O'Brien, then read the report,
which stated that the gross revenue for the half-year was
139,042/. Ils. 2d., while the expenditure for the same-
period was 69,288/. Os. 2d., showing a balance of 70,444/.
17s. 7d., out of which the Directors recommended, without
deduction of income-tax, a dividend of fifteen shillings and
fourpence per share, on the paid-up shares, and one shilling
and eleven pence per share on the No. 1 shares, which, on the
41. paid previous to the 31st of January, 1845, ware entitled-
to a proportionate dividend ; the total amount of this dividend
would be 45,616/. 13s. 44., and there would remain a reserve
fund of 24,828/. 4s. 3d.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, said
that he had to congratulate the Proprietors on the improved
and the improving prospects of the Company. It was a
source of great satisfaction to the Directors that they were
enabled to recommed a dividend of 15s. 44, (j. the paid-
up shares, without any deduction for the income-tax,
The extension lines they were then forming would,
he trusted, improve the interests of the Company, and he
could not conceal the gratification he felt in comparing the
cost of maintaining their permanent roads with that of the
cost which he found acknowledged by most of the other
great Companies. It could not fail to be agreeable
to them to know that while the maximum of
other Companies was 4041. per mile per annum,
and the minimum, 1301.—(he could refer to nine
great Companies who paid those sums)—the minimum was
that paid by the South-Eastern Railway. They had heard
by the report that the Company had now got possession of
the Greenwich ; and they would hear also with pleasure that
there was a great improvement in the traffic of that line.
They had no reason to regret that they bad obtained pais
would sanction
session of that line, more especially when it was
theycon h
considered dearde d
everytha that it
confidence was t e k key
et o
Legislaturethe
them in constructing. The Chairman then referred to
the Steam Company which bad been established in con-
nexion with the South-Eastern Company (to be called the
South-Eastern Continental Steam Company). The number of
passengers to Ostend and Boulogne who had passed along
their line in the last half-year (decidedly the worst season of
the year), was 13,545 ; and he argued therefrom an in-
creased traffic to the line from this circumstance, and
from the construction of the Great Northern Rail-
way of France. He also referred to the custom-house to
be established at Folkestone, and thought that the port
would he used for the importation of light and valuable -
French goods. The Chairman concluded by moving the
adoption of the report.
Mr. Rim seconded it, and after some discussion it was re-
ceived and adopted unanimously.
Feilden, Esq.,
The Directors who went out by rotation, namely, William
M.P., Henry Rich, Esq., and William Henri
Thomas, Esq., were again re-elected.
The meeting, after a vote of thanks to the Chairman, then
separated.

The Right Honourable the Speaker of the Hous•
of Commons gave his last Parliamentary dinner on Saturday
last, when the guests of the Right Honourable Gentleman in-
cluded Lord James Stuart, Lord Frederick Gordon Hally-
burton, Viscount Duncannon, the Right Hon. C. Tennyson
D'Evncourt, the lion. Captain Howard, the Hon. Charles
lloward, the Hon. C. A. F. C. Ponsonby, Sir John Eaathope,
Mr. W. 'Villiers Stuart, the Hon. Edward P. Bouverie, Mr. J.
llnme, Mr. W. Hutt, Mr. J. Matheson, Mr. E. Turner, Mr. M.
Forster, Mr. A. Bannerman, Dr. Bowring, Mr. J. H. Lang-
ston, Mr. T. S. Duncembe, Mr. E. Roche, Mr. T. Gill, hfr.
H. Mitcalfe, Mr. Duff, and Mr. C. E. Rumbold.
CHANCERY.—It was expected the Equity Courts
would have risen in Lincoln's Inn on Saturday, Friday being
the last day specified in the Seal paper. It appears, however,
the Courts will sit up to Thursday
.next, and rise en that
day for the Easter holidays. There is a considerable amount
of business now before the Courts, and it is stated they will
resume their sittings for one week before Easter Term, and
that Tuesday, the Sth of April, will be the first Seal day of
thole fittings.