The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-04 00:00:00

' the Tiber. The Reviewer speaks very favourably
of the tragedy of Arnold, and quotes several ex-
tracts which fully justify his guod opinion. The
object of the elaborate article on the " Causes of
Distress" deserves every praise, fin• it is to 'wow-
; mend '' such a• searching investigation into our
social and economical condition, as may enable
us to trace out the latent causes of distress, and
to discover and apply appropriate means for their
removal." In the criticism on Professor Koch's
" Journey through Russia to the Caucasian
Isthmus," we find some slight, hasty sketches of
the Cossack tribes located in the neighbourhood
of the Black Sea, together with an account of the
present state of the quarrel between Russia and
the Circassians. The Reviewer takes a liberal
view of the question, and warmly sympathises
with the brave and patriotic mountaineers of the
Caucasus. We quote an anecdote relative to the
Emperor of Russia during one of his recent
visits to Tiflis, and
,Prince Dadian, whom he
had caused to be severely punished fbr having
applied to his own use the money which should
have been expended on his regiment:—
" The rank of which Prince Dadian had been de-
prived was conferred on Baron Von Rosen's son, but
this mark of favour was little calculated to dispel the
gloom that had been cast over the Baron's family.
Prince Alexander Dadian had but a few weeks before
been married to the Baron's daughter, and while the
parents were forced to be all smiles and affability to
their Sovereign, their child was alrealy on the road
to share the captivity and disgrace of her husband.
He was eventually degraded to the rank of a peasant,
and banished to Siberia, whither his wife followed
him, and where she is probably still softening by her
affectionate devotion the bitterness of merited dis-
grace. The Russian law, indeed, looks on a man
banished to Siberia as politically dead, and his
marriage is dissolved, and his wife at liberty to con-
tract a new alliance ; but, to the credit of the Russian
ladies, be it said, few avail themselves of this law,
and the victim of imperial anger, through stripped of
all his worldly possessions, and shunned by those who
had once sought his friendship, has hut rarely to
mourn over the desertion of her who had plighted
her troth to him in marriage.
" That same evening a splendid ball was given by
the nobility of Tiflis in honour of the Emperor.
About a thousand invitations had been issued, and
Professor Koch was among the honoured and happy
pests. The scene must have been gay enough.
Ile officers, with their stars and epaulettes, were
mingled with Turks, Tartars, Circassians, Persians,
and Armenians, all in rich oriental costumes, and
many greatly excited by a scene so unusual to them.
A number of Georgian ladies had been prevailed on
to :partake of the festivity, and sat in silent, stately
rows, but all blazing with jewels. The Baroness
Von Rosen, who had that morning bid adieu, pro-
bably for ever, to her child, was obliged, as wife of
the Commander-in-Chief, to do the honours of the
ball, and to dance the opening Polonaise with the
Emperor. Both her unmarried daughters, too, in
compliance with etiquette, were obliged to appear at
the ball, and both, in the course of the evening, were
honoured with the Emperor's hand. The Professor is
surprisingly eloquent in his praises of this display of
imperial affability, this solicitude to pour balm into a
wounded spirit, by making the bereaved mother and
sisters dance jigs and cotillions with an Emperor !
The Emperor remained only two hours, and during
his stay everything went on well enough, but the
Georgians, according to all accounts, are tremendous
drinkers, and as the night advanced the fun grew so
fast and furious that most of the ladies deemed it ad-
visable to make an early retreat."

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AGRICUL-
TURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND, Vial. IV.
Part 11. John Murray, London.
This periodical work is deservedly rising in
public estimation, and will bear a favourable
comparison with the best agricultural productions
of the kind. It has several noble contributors,
among these the Duke of Richmond, who fur-
nishes an article on the solution of bones in sul-
phuric acid for the purposes of manure, and the
Earl of Lovelace another on the culture of mangold-
wurzel. Some of the best papers, too, are by
Members of Parliament, and among these Mr.
Pusey is conspicuous. In the present volume he
has two or three articles, one of which is on the
agricultural improvements of Lincolnshire and
some southern counties, as compared with those
of Northumberland and the south of Scotland ;
and.to the surprise of our northern neighbours, no
doubt, he gives the preference to the
former. The firming in Lincolnshire de-
serves great praise for the ♦ast improve-
ments effected when no corn-laws existed ;
the neatness of the hedge rows, the farm-houses
and offices, and the general appearance of the
fields are highly creditable to the spirit and in-
dustry of the people; but we cannot admit with
Mr. Pusey that they surpass in that respect the
farmers of the Merse and Teviotdale, or that it is
fair to draw a comparison between farms on the
barren and bleak Lammermoor hills and the flat
and sheltered plains of Lincoln. And besides,
if he had counted the cost—a material point—
he would have found that the expense of even
the very best farming in Scotland falls far short
of that in England. His remarks, however, are
worth extracting:—

Beyond Berwick, arriving at Dunbar, you find, along the
sea-coast, some of the famous farms of East Lothian. It is an
extraordinary soil, for which the tenants, farming admirably,
pay the well-known rents of 41. or 51. the acre, which some
suppose to be the common rents of East Lothian. But ride
two or three miles only inland, and you find, first, land well
farmed at 21. per acre ; then land at I/. per acre—some of it
very ill farmed, foul, and out of condition; then the Lammer-
moor Hills. which are not farmed at all, but are in the same
state as Lincoln Heath when the Dunston beacon was lighted
nightly. Onwards again to Edinburgh, for 30 miles through
the Lothians, you will see good land most excellently farmed,
but sometimes also moderate land in a very slovenly state. If
from thence yoe travel along the mail-aoach road to Carlisle, on
losing sight of Edinburgh Castle, you pass for 70 miles through
the heart of South Scotland, over moors covered with a rank
grass, which shows that they might bear something better, or
among scanty corn-crops, which prove that nature has been
little assisted by art. I cannot therefore place the general
farming of southern Scotland or of Northumberland on a level
with the farming of our southern counties, such as Buck-
inghamshire, but rather with that of North Devon ; nor the ge-
neral farming of East Lothian on a level with the general farm-
ing of Lincolnshire ; nor the best farming of East Lothian on
a level with the best farming of Lincolnshire, because it is the
best land only of East Lothian on which such noble examples of
farming are given, while in Lincolnshire the barren heath and
wold have been taught nearly equal luxuriance."

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' AND
GENERAL FIRE AND LIFE ASSURANCE
OFFICE.-ELECTION OF A DIRECTOR.

A meeting of the Proprietors of the Licensed Vic-
tuallers' and General Fire and Life Assurance Com-
pany was on Tuesday held at the Company's offices, 4,
Adelaide-place, London-bridge, for the purpose of
electing a gentleman to serve as Director in the room
of John Harman, Esq., resigned. The room in
which the meeting was held was crowded to ex-
cess before the commencement of the proceedings,
which appeared to excite the greatest interest
among all present; among whom were—Mr. Alder-
man Musgrove; Mr. Alderman Hooper ; Mr.
Bleaden, the Chairman of the Company; Mr. D.
W. Wire, the Solicitor of the Company ; r. Faw-
cett,
the Secretary; Mr. Addis, Mr. Bingley, and
several other gentlemen connected with the Com-
pany. At two o'clock precisely, C. Bleaden, Esq.,
took the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said that he was proud and pleased
to see himself surrounded by so large and so influen-
tial an assembly of the Proprietary of the Company.
He regretted, however, the occasion on
,which they
had met. He regretted the resignation of their
Deputy Chairman—(Hear, bear)--and still more did
he regret the circumstance which had led to the
necessity of that resignation.—(Hear, hear.) In
this commercial country every one was liable to
the ups and downs of life. They were now called
upon to fill up that vacancy, and he felt assured that

they would do their duty by selecting that gentleman
for the office whom they conscientiously believed to
be the best fitted for the performance of those duties
which would devolve upon him. They had received
communications from five gentlemen, each anxious
for a seat in their Direction. He felt proud of this
circumstance, inasmuch as it proved how anxious
gentlemen of respectability and influence were to
become connected with this Institution.—(Cheers.)
He felt gratified that so many gentlemen
were anxious to be placed among them. He
was happy to find that those who had recently
joined them were glad to increase the extent of their
connection with the Company, and he trusted that
their connections would be increased more and more.
He congratulated them on the increase which had
taken place in their prosperity in the course of the
past year, and he hoped the same success had and
would attend them in all their efforts.—(Cheers.) He
was convinced that, all were desirous of doing the
best they could to promote the success of their under-
taking, and whatever difference of opinion
there might be as to the eligibility of the
various candidates, he felt assured that there
would be nothing personal in the discussions
which were about to take place. Every gentleman
would, he trusted, receive a patient hearing, for they
were all engaged in one general object. He was
happy and proud to preside over such a meeting, and
he would call upon the Solicitor to read the advertise-
ment convening the meeting.
Mr. D. W. WIRE then read the advertisement
convening the meeting, which ww, for the election of
a Director, in the room of John Harman, Esq., re-
signed, and the Directors recommended John-Addis,
Esq., of Freeman's-wharf, Southwark, to fill the
vacant seat at the Board of Directors.
The SECRETARY then read the addresses of the
various candidates, viz., one from Mr. John Addis,
dated Freeman's-wharf, Dec. 12, 1843 ; another from
Mr. 13. Bingley, dated Shoreditch, Dec. 13, 1843;
another from Mr. J. E. Bromley, dated 17, Commer-
cial-road, Dec. 13, 1843; another from Mr. Charles
Salisbury Butler, dated Lodge, Upper Clapton, Dec.
15, 1843 ; and another from Mr. Joseph Morgan,
dated Dec. 16, 1843.
The SECRETARY then read a letter from Mr.
Bromley, dated Jan. 2d, 1844, resigning in favour of
Mr. Addis, on the ground, first, that the claims of
Mr. Addis were very powerful ; and secondly, be-
cause he thought the wishes of the Directors ought
to be deferred to.

Mr. D. W. Winn then rose and said, that he felt

it was his duty to state, that in his opinion the names
of two gentlemen had been mentioned as candidates
who were disqualified under the provisions of the
paragraph tobe found at the 57th page of their deed of
settlement.—(The Learned Gentleman then read the
paragraph alluded to, which set forth that no person
could be eligible to hold more than one office, except
that Directors might also act as Trustees.) Now
there were two gentlemen, whose names he need not
mention, among the candidates who already held
offices in the Institution, and which, in his opinion,
would prevent those gentlemen going to the poll.—
(Cheers.)
The SECRETARY then read letters from Mr. Mor-
gan, and from Mr. Butler, retiring from the contest.
The letter of Mr. Butler stated that at the time he
had announced himself as a candidate he was net
aware that Mr. Addis had been recommended by
the Board of Directors ; and he earnestly requested the
Proprietors to support the nomination of the Board
of Directors, as the most likely course to promote
the welfare of the undertaking.
The CHAIRMAN then called upon any gentleman
who had anything to say, in proposing any of the can-
didates, to come forward, as the present was the time
when hey would be heard.
Mr. EvANs, who was received with loud cheers,
had very great pleasure in proposing John Addis, Esq.,
of Freeman's-wharf, to fill the seat at the Board of
Direction, rendered vacant by the resignation of John
Harman, Esq.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Addis was no
stranger to that institution. He had been qualified
to sit at that Board six years ago.—(Cries of " No,
no.") Well, then, five or six years ago.—(Cries of
" Only two.") At all events he had been qualified
for a long time. He had lately become even more in-
timately connected with this institution.—(Cheers.)
He had insured his own property in the institution in
1839 and 1840, and he had recently intro-
duced to the Society many of his highly re-
spectable friends, who had also become share-
holders.—(Cheers.) He proposed Mr. Addis, a
gentleman of equal standing with Mr. Harman, as his
successor. Mr. Addis was a member of the Corn

Lord Portman, Mr. Langston, M.P., Sir
Charles Lemon, ii.P., are also contributors—a
good sign that Lords and Members of Parliament
begin to see that they must bestir themselves,
and that the corn•laws cannot last for ever.
There are several articles in the present Number
interesting, not only to farmers, but to the
general readers, among which we would direct
attention to that by Capt. Weddrington "On the
Agriculture of Spain," and to the " Past and
Present State of Agriculture in Ireland," by 1)1 r.
William Blacker.

and that disunion in the Board of ManageMent was
the certain destruction of any Company. Before
their application to him, he was unacquainted with
either of the present candidates ; he believed both of
them to he highly respectable and honest men.—
(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman who had spoken
last had talked of honesty. Did he suppose that any
one came there to act- otherwise than honestly ?
(Cheers.) He believed the great body of the licensed
victuallers deserved well from society, for the nume-
row; excellent institutions they had founded, and the '
valuable charities they had created.—(Cheers.)
He respected the body highly, and it was
his anxious wish to see all their praiseworthy en-
deavours prosper.—(Cheers.) He was in favour of
Mr. Addis as a Director, principally because he was
recommended by the Board of Directors, and he was
also well calculated to work and co-operate with that
Board.—(Cheers.) It was by electing such men that
they would raise the character of the Institution, in-
crease their connections, and enable them to gain a
hold upon the public, that nothing could shake.—
(Cheers.) In his opinion they ought not to elect any
man a a less standing than the one they had lest,—
(Cheers.) They ought to have men of rank and cha-
racter in the City of London in their Direction. Mr.
Addis was connected with some of the first persons in
the City, he was also connected with the corn trade,
the distillers, brewers, and others who were likely
through his exertions to benefit this Institution, in-
crease its business, and thereby extend its usefUl-
ness. Such being his opinion he felt compelled to
support the election of Mr. Addis as a Director.
He did not know that he had any thing else to say,
or that he should wish to say. He hoped they would
take these matters into consideration, believing that
they also came from an honest heart, and put forward
by a man who had no connection with one class or
the other, but who only wished to see his shares -
paying five per cent. instead of four.
The CHAIRMAN asked if Mr. Addis wished to ad-
dress the meeting ?
Mr. ADDIS said he had nothing to say.
Mr.. BINGLEY then rose. He hoped, as his worthy
proposer had stated, that he stood before them with a
face of honesty, and with a feeling that was always
desirable, that of promoting the welfare of the institu-
tion. The first point to which he had to draw their
attention was the assertion that he was disqualified
under a clause of the deed of settlement in the 57th
page. He knew that doctors differed both as to the

nature of a complaint, and the mode of cure ; and it
was the name with lawyers ; they also were of dif-
ferent opinions. lie believed this matter had been
discussed on the last occasion. The plain clause said
that a man should not hold two offices at one and the

Exchange, second to none of the gentlemen con-
nected with that establishment; and the greater the
number of gentlemen like Mr. Addis whom
they could get to join them. the greater would
be the influence and extent of their institution.
A new and vast field would he opened to them, and
they would reap an abundant harvest. Mr. Harman
was connected with the trade of a brewer, and if any
' one connected with a firm of brewers—if a Barclay,
a Hanbury, or a Whitbread had ceme forward, he
should have paused before he proposed Mr. Addis.
They had determined to issue 30,000 new shares.
Ile knew the difficulty of getting fresh members of
the trade to take new shares. It was of importance
that those shares slnuld be advantageously distri-
buted, and, therefore, it was important that they
should cultivate new interests from fresh connections
so as to place them to advantage.—(Cheers.) Mr.
Addis had been strongly recommended by the Board
of Directors; in that recommendation he heartily con-
curred. It had been said that they were about to
make an attempt to throw the trade overboard.—
(Cries of " Yes, yes !" "No, no !" cheers and counter
cheers.) He would not concur in any such effort.
—(Cheers.) What object could the Directors have in
view but the promotion of the prosperity
of the Institution, and the associating with themselves
a gentleman with whom they could concur on all
occasions ?—(Cheers.) This, he thought, was most
important for the Society. The Proprietary, at large,
in his opinion, ought to be thankful, o their Direction
for pointing out a gentleman so highly qualified as
Mr. Addis. He would not endeavour to depreciate
the claims of the other candidates, but when he
looked at the claims of Mr. Bingley as connected
with the trade, and as having sat at the Board of Di-
rection, and still open to re-election upon -the City
Committee, and no doubt, if a resignation took plaec
of a gentleman connected with the trade, he knew
of no person who had greater claims than Mr.Bingley ;
he thought the present, however, was not. the period
at which Mr. Bingley should press his claims. He had
given his preference to Mr. Addis, and he was happy
that his nomination would be seconded by a gentleman
of the City Committee. If the Proprietary wished
to see their shares at a premium, they must dissemi-
nate their new shares, such a course being adopted
would greatly enhance their profits.—(Cheers.)
Mr. LLOYD seconded the nomination of Mr. Addis,
because in doing so he thought he should be at-
tempting to increase the interests of the Society in a
most eminent degree.
Mr. FERGUSON, in proposing Mr. Bingley, believed
that the candidate he was about to propose was not
only an honest, but hard working and upright man.
He had been a working man in support of the Insti-
tution ever since its commencement. He believed it
would be the opinion of all honest men that Mr.
Bingley ought to have a seat at the Board of Direction.
Mr. TEARS bore testimony to the usefulness of Mr.
Bingley, and most cheerfully seconded his nomina-
tion, believing that having him as a Director would
be a great acquisition to the Society.
The CHAIRMAN then asked whether any other
gentleman had any other candidate to propose, cr
wished to address the meeting.
Mr. BUSH wished, although almost a stranger to
the Company, yet, taking a large view of the interests
of the Society, to say a few words in favour of Mr.
Addis. He was glal. to hear that a gentleman of
such high station and such great connexions should bz,
proposed as a Director to the Company. Mr.
Addis had come to 'him with the introduction of
a gentleman, a Member of Parliament ; but if he
had been introduced by Sir Robert Peel himself, it
would not have had half the effect with him that the
recommendation,of the Board of Directors had. It
was his opininn.
,that the Board should be as cordial
as possible, believing that the first elements to make a
Company successful was the cordiality with which
each Director worked with the others—(Cheers)—

same time; that was to say that a man was not to be
at the same time a Director and an Auditor,
or a Committee-man and a Director. The moment
an Auditor was made a Director, he ceased to
he an Auditor, and the moment a member of
the Committee was made a Director, he ceased
to be a Committee-man. But the clause did not
state that a man should not be eligible to offer him-
self as a candidate for that or any other office. If
that was the opinion of the Learned Solicitor, he dif-
fered with him ; if the clause were submitted to three
of the most eminent counsel in the land, two of them
would be of his (Mr. Bingley's) opinion, and one of
the Solicitor's.—(A voice—" To be sure ; when a
Common Councilman is elected Alderman, he ceases
to he a Common Councilman. Everybody knows
that !") He knew no community of men more grate-
ful than a body of Englishmen, and he asked them on
the sound principle of gratitude, as one who had en-
deavoured to promote the well-being of the Company
from the very commencement, and who had originally
ventured his capital in it, when it was difficult to get
gentlemen to assemble on the Board of Directors,
when they asked men in vain to become Directors
—it was well to hear gentlemen eulogise the licensed
victuallers as men, who, from what they had done
in life, . deserved to be eulogised, yet after having
given up eight or nine years to attending to the best
interests of the Institution, if a licensed victualler
asked for a seat at the Board of Directors, they
told him that he had no right. to ask it.
They were told that the Board of Directors
thought it better that they should seek some
other food, some new connection ; but if they
abolished the name of licensed victuallers from the
Association what would become of it ?—(Hear, hear.)
They might go on ad infinitum in forming new con-
nections among timber merchants, and coal mer-1
chants, or any other merchants, for the purpose of
bringing new grist to the mill ; but they might go on
in that direction till the feeling of the powerful body
of the licensed victuallers would be estranged from it,
and they would no longer possess it to guide them to
the object which they so much desired. He had
heard from the worthy proposer of Mr. Addis, and
from another gentleman, the principle of self-election
laid down, and had wondered at it; he denied that the
Board had any right to give a recommendation to any
particular individual. But had not the capital of the
Proprietors a right to express an opinion ? The
Directors had one strict line of duty to perform, that
of announcing that there was a vacancy in the Direc-
tion, and that it was to be filled up at a given period ;
if there were one thing to be more deprecated than
another it was the liberty the Directors had taken in
advocating the interest of any one man in preference
to any other.--(Hear, and " Shame.") As long as the
liberty was left to Companies, as to nations, to elect
their representatives, dictation from any quarter was
to be deprecated. The Directors had no right by a
public declaration to signalise any individual. If
they did, it became self-election. It appeared from
the letters of the candidates who had resigned to-day,
that. they had resigned in favour of Mr. Addis. That
appeared from their letters, as they stated their re-
signation to be the consequence of the recommenda-
tion by the Board of Directors of Mr. Addis. The
Society began business in 1835, but it was not till
the 19th of October, 1837, that Mr. Addis became
the holder of 25 shares, which were made up to
250 shares in 1811, in order to qualify him for the
Direction.

Mr. WIRE said these statements were not correct.
It was impossible Mr. Addis could take any shares
from the Company in 1841, as they had all been
issued. He purchased them in the market.
Mr. BINGLEY said he might have taken them at
the first, when others did. He was only placing be-
fore them the relative position of himself and the
other candidate. Mr. Bromley, in 1840, only held
twenty-one shares, and it was only on the 13th
or December last, that he qualified for a Director.
The letter of Mr. Butler was dated on the 15th of
December, and it was only on that day he qualified
to be a Director. He was not depreciating either the
iafluence, the talent, or the respectabily of any gen-
tleman; he had not a word to say against Mr.
Addis ; it was the principle that he deprecated. The
resignation of Mr. Harman was dated the 12th of
December, and did not reach the office till that day;
on the 13th the circulars of Mr. Addis, appeared.
He deprecated the proceeding by which Mr. Addis
must have received his peculiar information. He had
been eight years the Chairman of the Committee ; he
had never missed an attendanee, had canvassed every
quarter of the town ; he had attended all the meet-
ings of the Sub-Committee; and if one thing more
proved it than another it was that the Society was
established by the exertions of this Committee, they
were the instrument by which it became :firmly es-
tablished, and when a particular crisis arrived,
he thought it would only have been kind and consi-
derate in the Direction towards the Committee, if not
personally to himself, to have supported those who
had chiefly contributed to the formation of the Com-
pany. • Now that the capital and the exertions of the
licensed victuallers had quite succeeded they could
find gentlemen to join them. But let them bear in
mind that if they ever lost sight of the great prin-
ciple that it was the licensed victuallers by whom the
Association was established, and that if they ceased
to be interested in it, it would prove a great injury.
The licensed victuallers were not to be excluded from
it, or to be told that they had no right to ask such a
position in the Committee till there should be a
vacancy by the death or resignation of one of the
Directors already attached to the licensed victuallers
body, but that till then the licensed victuallers
must rest upon their oars. The licensed
victualler might become a member of the Com-
mittee. He might be a dog to fetch, but he
must not raise his. views ; he must not assume the
plumage of the peacock—he must not raise his views
to the Director's chair. Such doctrine he, for his
own part, never heard without heartily deprecating it,
because he conceived it an insult to the trade which
had
beenhis
Society ; because it
in e
ffects
a the foundation
d to
oa
licensed of
victualler,t you may become
a member of the Committee—so far shalt thou go, but
no further. Upon the last occasion he was eulogised
because he had not gone to the ballot, and he then in-
dulged a hope that he stood well with the:electors, and
That be would have their itlerest at the next election.
It had been said that when a vacancy occurred, among
the Directors, who were connected with the trade,
then, and then only--(Dissent)—should a Proprietor
ri adds e t e i
who was a member of the trade offer himself as a can-
aVd sS he nott Mr.nilsri connectedn an
connected
with
brewery withthe
at
tCroydon ?—(Hear, hear, and cries of " Not at the
time of his election.") According to that doctrine,
the licensed victualler must wait till Mr. Float or Mr.
Game was removed from the Direction, either by death
or resignation, before any one of their members could
present himself to the Society as a candidate for a seat
among their Direction. Was that to be borne by the
licensed victuallers ? Eulogies had been passed by
some of the gentlemen who preceded him on the pre-
sent occasion, upon the licensed victuallers. He
delighted at all times to hear such eulogies, because
he believed that no body of men deserved them better
—no class of men better performed their duty to the
State and to society at large than licensed victuallers,
and therefore it was that he deprecated their being ex-
cluded to make room for a timber-merchant, a corn-
merchant, or in fact any man with the title of mer-

THESUN,LONDON, THURSDAY ,MORNING, J4.4.NUAR 4, 1844.

chant affixed to his name. That title "merchant" seemed
indeed, to have great weight with certain folks ; but it
should be recollected that there were lucifer-match run-
nufacturers who might by and bye be called lucifer-match
merchants, and why not consider those as more eligible
than the licensed victuallers for the Direction? During
his connexion with the Committee, he had discharged
his duty fearlessly and faithfully, and he now appealed to
the gratitude of the Company—he appealed to their feel-
ings as Englishmen (for Englishmen ever possessed a
grateful recollection of services rendered them)—and now
that he had pointed out the relative positions of the can-
didates, he trusted they would show to him that he had
not only earned, but also obtained the reward of his
exertions in behalf of the interests of the Company.
Should they do him the honour to elect him, he would
pay every attention to the discharge of his duties, neither
swerving to the right nor to the left to serve the interest
of any man, but looking solely to the welfare and success
of the Society. From the frankness and liberality
of the worthy magistrates on the board, he
had no doubt that they would treat the hum-
ble publican, who might be elected to serve among
the Directors with every respect, and consider
him while sitting at the board as perfectly their equal
there, so long as he conducted himself respectably. He
ventured, then, to ask the Proprietors to reflect before
they gave their decision, and he trusted that common
gratitude would induce them to pause before they re-
jected him when he presented himself as a candidate.
In February next he should in all probability cease to
hold the office of Chairman of the Committee, as it
might so happen be would not be re-elected to that
office. He trusted, then, that they would not allow him
to appear as though his long services to the Company
were not gratefully remembered ; but that they would
prove that they deemed an honest, humble, licensed
victualler worthy to sit by the side of the worthy magis-
trates who graced the Board of Directors.—(Hear.)
Mr. Alderman MUSGROVE said it was not his inten-
tion to take up so much of the time of the meeting as
the worthy candidate had who had just sat down, be-
cause he had very little to say to them on the subject.
He doubted exceedingly whether it should not have
been thought entirely out of place for him (Mr. Alder-
man Musgrove) to address them on the present occasion,
if it had not been for one or two observations that had
been made by the worthy candidate. That gentleman's
address was a matter with which he (Mr. Alderman
Musgrove) could have nothing to do. He had felt it his
duty to appeal to the Proprietors' gratitude for past ser-
vices. To that appeal they would make their response ;
but at the same time they would probably permit him, as
feeling a deep interest in the prosperity of the Institution,
to say to them that they must have something more than
gratitude for the past.—(Cheers.) They must take en-
larged views for the Institution. They should not be
unmindful of their present position, which looked
not only to the estimation of the licensed victual-
lers, but to that of the public at large,—(Hear, hear.)
They had heard from a worthy Proprietor, who had
spoken in the course of the meeting, that he had taken
that view of the subject, and that it was after much
consideration he had come before them to recommend
to them the candidate who, in the judgment of the
Directors, was the best fitted to fill the vacant office.
The worthy candidate who had last spoken had charged
the Directors with two acts—one the act of dictation, the
other of ingratitude. With regard to the first, he (Mr. Al-
derman Musgrove) would put it to theirrespected Chair-
man and the Board as a body, whether they had ever
attempted to dictate to the Proprietors?—(No, no.) From
what he could gather on the subject, the object of the
Directors, in the course they had taken in this respect,
was to save the Proprietors any unnecessary trouble in
ascertaining what might be their opinion as to the eligi-
bility of the candidates, as they had ever, from the com-
mencement of the Institution, been called upen to
offer their opinions to the Proprietors on occa-
sions similar to the present. Beyond that they had
never intended to go, nor in fact had they. They felt
that it was due to the Proprietors that they should
know their opinions on the matter, and it was only to
prevent them coming to the office and asking what do
the Directors think of this candidate, and what do they
think of that, that the Directors acted as they had done
in the matter. Beyond saving the Proprietors that
trouble the Directors had no desire to exercise any in-
fluence in the affair. With regard to the ingratitude
with which the Directors were supposed to have acted,
he would answer without any personal feeling or any
desire to undervalue the services of the Hon. Candidate.
At the same time he was bound to state certain facts in
reply to the charges which the Hon. Candidate had
thought proper to make against the Board of Directors.
The Hon. Candidate had stated, and the present was not
the only occasion on which he had done so—the Hon.
Candidate had stated' that for the benefit of the Institu-
tution he had taken upon himself great responsibility—
that he had been its prop from the commence-
ment, that be had. ,risked his all, that he had
stood up for it when no one would look at it, and that
he had run the greatest risks for them. Doubtless the
Hon. Candidate felt that such was the case himself, or
be would not have told them so; but he (Mr. Alderman
Musgrove) had made inquiries as to the position in
which they were at the commencement. It had occurred
to him that the statements which had been made by Mr.
Bingley at the last meeting were deserving of the
greatest consideration, and that unless those statements
could be answered it would- undoubtedly appear that Mr.
Bingley had not been properly treated. The Hon.
Candidate had told them, that he had been one of the
first to take shares, and on looking back to the book for
1835, he found that such was the estimation in which

the Hon. Candidate held the Institution, that he had
actually risked in it the enormous sum of 301.—(Cheers
and laughter. Mr. Bingley attempted an interruption,
which was put a stop to by the Chairman.) Shortly
afterwards his ability and energy pointed him out as a
proper person to serve on the" Committee, and he was
appointed one of the twenty-four gentlemen of whom that
Committee was compose,d. He was returned by the
Committee as one of the three members of that body
who were to be their representatives at the Board of
Directors, and he had taken his seat at the Board
accordingly. On taking his seat he found that the
qualification necessary was the holding of forty shares,
and accordingly he increased his risk by ten additional
shares, which it was necessary he should hold in order
to be qualified to sit as a Director. He knew these facts
from having looked over the accounts very carefully before
he became a Director, and he felt bound to state that
the Chairman and the Directors had afforded him every
facility in making those inquiries.—(Cheers.) After
Mr. Bingley had been at the Board for twelve months.
finding that his two companions from the Committee
held each 250 shares, he, in 1837, Ending the Institution
to be in a very prosperous state, took 210 shares, making,
with the 40 which he held previously, 250, the number
which his colleagues on the Committee had held long
before. In 1841 Mr. Addis took 250 shares, at a pre-
mium.—(Cheers.) He was anxious to remove from their
minds the idea that the Institution had ever been in a
state of apparent danger. It never had been in such a
state.—(Cheers.) Then, with regard to the responsi-
bility which Mr. Bingley said he had taken upon him-
self. They all knew what the responsibility of a Pro-
prietor in an Insurance Company was, and that the
holder of five shares was as responsible for the liabili-
ties of the Company as the holder of 500. Therefore,
all parties who, at the commencement, had been share-
holders, might make the same boast as Mr. Bingley, that
they had been liable for it to the full extent of their
property.—(Cheers and laughter.) He had no wish to
detract from Mr. Bingley's merits, but it was right that
they should be made aware that Mr. Bingley had not
risked more than any other man. He had adverted to
Mr. Bingley's having been returned as a Director by the
Committee. The services which Mr. Bingley had rendered
in that capacity wero invaluable.—(Cheers.) Mr.
Bingley, as the representative of the Committee, had
been indefatigable in his attention to the business of the
institution, and, as far as his influence went, it had been
exercised in their favour.—(Cheers.) Mr. Bingley had
talked about their kicking down the ladder which bad
raised them up. Now it seemed to him that Mr. Bingley
was anxious to kick down the Committee.—(Cries of
" No, no.") He had been returned to the Board of
Directors by the Committee. Had he any fears as to
his re-election ?—(Cheers.) Why did he not appeal to
the gratitude of the Committee ? Was it not as honour-
able to be returned by the Committee as to be returned
by the Proprietary ? (Cheers.) The Committee was
composed of twenty-four gentlemen, who possessed the
exclusive right of returning three of their own body to
take their seats at the Board of Directors, and who pos-
sessed all the powers and privileges of Directors, while
in their election the Proprietary had no voice at all.
The Committee had acted most judiciously in the selec-
tion which they had made, and he would appeal to the
Committee to return Mr. Bingley again out of gratitude
for the services which he had rendered to the institution,
and he would ask Mr. Bingley whether, under all the
circumstances, having at heart the extension of the in-
stitution, such a 'course would not be the most proper
that could be adopted? Within the last ten months of
the past year they had effected upwards of one million
and a quarter of insurances against fire—three-fourths
of those insurances had been brought to the office by the
public, and the other fourth by the licensed victuallers.
Was it right then that they should throw overboard the
public ? He had never heard anything of overthrowing
the originators of the Institution. The idea was absurd.
Why, six members of the Board of Directors were
licensed victuallers. There was their worthy Chairman,
a licensed victualler—(Cheers)—there was Mr. Game,
a most amiable and excellent man, and who had been
of the greatest possible utility to the Institution.—
(Cheers). There was their.exeellent friend, Mr. Float,
(Cheers.) There was Mr. Bingley, with all his talents
and energy.—(Cheers). There was Mr. Walter, a
gentleman entitled to the highest praise, and a holder
of five hundred shares—(Cheers). And there was Mr.
Fergusson.—(Cheers). Now, looking to the position
which they held as a Licensed Victuallers and General
Insurance Society, he would ask, had the licensed vic-
tuallers any reason to think that there existed any in-
tention to swamp them, when they saw six such men
sitting at the Board of Directors 2—(Cheers). Of
the fire insurances ho had already stated, that
two-thirds had been brought to the office by tha,
public, and the remainder by the licensed victuallerr
Then, with regard to the Life Department. Of the
life policies, he was going to say, that fire-sixths, but
he might certainly affirm that four-fifths "of all the
business in the Life Department had emanated from the
public, and the other fifth from the licensed victuallers.
Why did he mention these things ? Not in disparage-
ment to the Licensed Victuallers, but because he felt
convinced that these statements would rouse in them a
greater feeling of energy, and would cause them to say,
" We must go on, and not allow the public to do all."—
(Cheers.) He would now say one word with regard to
the important step they bad taken during the past year
—one, he believed, of the most important strides any in-
stitution had made of late years.—(Cheers.) They had
determined to issue 30,000 new shares, and he (Mr.
Alderman Musgrove) was prepared to tell them, that
out of those 30,000 shares, between 15,000 and 20,000 had
been taken and paid for at a preminial.—(Loud cheers.)

And this,'still further, he was prepared to state, that out
of the number taken, four-fifths were by the public, and
not by licensed victuallers. Ile himself had already al.
lotted between 500 and 600 shares—not to himself—
but to some of his friends whom he had persuaded to tike
them. Now, those present at the meeting must allow
him to say, that they could not do a greater service to
the Institution than by prevailing on their friends to
take a few of the new shares.—(Cheers.) Such pro-
ceedings would place them on a pinnacle that could never
be thrown down.—(Cheers.) In all he had said he was
anxious to steer an even course. lie had said nothing
in favour of Mr. Addis, or in disparagement of Mr.
Bingley, and he was sure, if they did not elect him, it
would be from no disrespect to him. Mr. Addis was a
man of influence, and would devote it to the benefit of
that Institution.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BINGLEY said a few words in explanation.
The CHAIRMAN then took a show of hands, and de-
clared the numbers to be as follow :

For Mr. Addis B4
Fur Mr. Bingley
Majority fur Mr. Addis —4B
The CHAIRMAN theft declared Mr. Addis to have been
chosen a Director, upon which
Mr. BINGLEr demanded a ballot.
Mr. WIRE said he could not adopt that course. lie
must get 25 shareholders of 12 months' standing to de-
mand one for him.

The demand for the ballot was then signed on behalf
of Mr. Bingley by the required number of shareholders
(25), but on beim?: checked by the books, three were
found not to be qualified to sign the document.
Mr. W/RE said three names being unqualified, lie
should, as Solicitor to the Company, advise the Chair-
man not to accept it, it being an imperfect demand.
Mr. BINGLEY contended that, a demand having been
put in, signed by twenty-five shareholders, ho ought to
go to the ballot.
The CHAIRMAN adduced the practice of the City elec-
tions for ➢Members of Parliament, where a demand of a
poll for each of the candidates must be delivered by ono
of the Livery.
After some conversation on this point,
.The CHAIRMAN declared Mr. Addis duly elected to
serve as a Director for the same period as Mr. J. Har-
man would have been in office. He trusted that before
another vacancy Mr. Bingley would divest himself of the
office of Committee-man, it being his (the Chairman's)
opinion that he would not, even had he gone to the
ballot, been eligible to serve as Director.
Mr. ADDIS returned thanks for the proud situation in
which they had placed him, and he could assure them
that nothing should be wanting on his part to do all that
he possibly could to promote the prosperity of the Society.
Mr. BINGLEY having returned thanks to the gentlemen
who had supported him,
A vote of thanks to the Chairman was moved and car-
ried by acclamation, and the meeting broke up.

FIGHT amongst the ABORIGINES.
(From the New Zealand Mercury.)
On Tuesday•last, a great -number of the abori-
gines, amounting to more than 100 men, women,
and children, passed. through the town to Camp-
bell's Hill, for the purpose of holding a corro-
bery. It was evident from their manner that
they were two hostile parties, and that one was
somewhat suspicious of the other. They en-
camped at different places on the hill, near the
old Black Swan, and held their corrobery during
the night. One party consisted of the Mait-
land tribe, and a few of the Sugar Loaf,
Wollombi, and Glendon tribes ; the other
of the Port Stephen and Paterson tribes. About
eight o'clock on Wednesday morning they com-
menced fighting in a paddock at the back of the
Old Black Swan, and the Maitland tribe and
their friends were driven by the others .to a
paddock near Mr. Pilcher's house. Here the
Maitland tribe rallied, and the noise they made
attracted the attention of several of the residents
in the neighbourhood, who repaired to the
scene of action. The Maitland party had
not less than six muskets amongst them,
of which the Port Stephen blacks seemed to
be much afraid. Mr. C. Prentice, who was on
the ground, endeavoured to quiet them, or at all
events to induce them to lay aside the fire-arms,
and whilst he was talking to them, constables
Tonge and Grant, who had been called upon by
a half-caste female belonging to the Port Stephen
tribe, came up. On seeing them, those blacks
who bad the muskets retreated into the bush,
and hid them. The withdrawal of the muskets
seemed to give fresh courage to the Port
Stephen party, for they immediately raised
their war cry, and sent a shower of spears and
boomerangs upon their opponents. The whites
upon this declined to. interfere, and left the na-
tives to settle their dispute according to their own
fashion. The Maitland tribe and their friends
stood their ground for a short time, and fought
with their spears and waddies, but they
presently gave way, and retreated towards
where the muskets were hid. They were
pursued by their enemies, but the barrels
of two muskets pointing from behind a tree
stopped the latter in the pursuit, and another
shower of spears was sent by each party.
Presently one of the muskets was fired at a
Port Stephen black, who was in a crouching
position, and was endeavouring in that man-
ner to make his way to some of his friends
who were fighting under cover of a fence. The
ball struck him in the nose, and he instantly
fell.„ The Maitland blacks then retreated in
the direction of Mr. Holden's house, and were
pursued by the Port Stephen men, with loud
yellings. The chase continued for about four
or five hundred yards, when they came up with
a black of the .Wollombi tribe, at whom 10
of twelve spears were thrown, but none of
them took effect. Al length one man came up
with him, and knocked him down with Ins
waddle; he was then speared in the thigh and
knee, and three or four coming up they knocked
out his brains with their waddies. The back
part of the poor fellow's head was lite-
rally beaten to pieces. The Port Stephen men
apparently satisfied with this retaliation, gave
over the pursuit, and returned to Mr. Pilcher's
paddock to the man who had been shot, and who
was not then dead; he died, however, shortly after-
wards. The Maitland blacks and their friends re-
treated into the bush near Stoney Creek, and
the Port Stephen and Paterson tribes almost
immediately left the ground, and, coming down
the bill, crossed the river. Two or three hours
afterwards two of them returned and buried the
man who had been shot. There appeared to be
about fifty men on each side. The cause of the
quarrel could not be clearly ascertained. One of
the Maitland men told constable Tonge that it
had arisen from the Port Stephen blacks having
stolen their blankets; but this can hardly be
correct, as the fight appears to have been deter-
mined on for some time past; some of the Mait-
land men having been heard to say early in the
week that they expected the Port Stephen tribe
to come to fight them during the race week.
Some of them have told other persons that the
quarrel arose from the Maitland blacks having
some time ago killed one of the Port Stephen
tribe. An inquest was held on the bodies of
the two men who had been killed on Thursday
afternoon, at the Northumberland Hotel.
The Coroner was anxious to discover, if'
possible, by whom the blacks had been
furnished with fire-arms, as there is a
penalty of 201. upon any person so doing. It
appeared from the evidence of constable lone;
that one of the blacks of the Glendon tribe said
that the arms were given to them by Mr. Scott,
of Glendon, for the purpose of shooting ducks.
A musket which had been hid in the head of a
tree, and the lock of which was a good deal out
of repair, and an empty powder-horn marked P.,
which had been found after the battle was over,
were produced at the inquest. The jury returned
a verdict of Wilful Murder against some per-
sons unknown, supposed to be aboriginal blacks,
and the Coroner said he should cause an inquiry
to be instituted, to ascertain whether the arms
had been given them by Mr. Scott, and for what
purpose. A post mortem examination was made
on the bodies of both the men who were killed,
by Dr. Sloan ; the body of the one who had
been buried being exhumed for that purpose,
He was buried in a very shallow grave, near the
spot where he was shot, wrapped iu his blanket,
and a sheet of bark laid under him, with his
broken waddle by his side.

Yesterday a General Quarter Session for the pre-
cincts and liberties of the Tower of London, was held at the
Court-house, Weliclose-square, Thomas Walsh, Esq., in the
chair. Both grand and petit jury were sworn, but there being
no business whatever to be transacted by either, they were
discharged.
We record, with much gratification, that the im-
provement, noticed for several years past, as having taken
place amongst the working classes on the ushering in of the
new year, has, upon the present occasion, been as marked as
upon any previous period. Indeed, although the mass of the
community seemed poured into the streets yesterday, it was
extremely rare to see a well-dressed person the worse of liquor,
and not a great number of any class.—Glasgow Courie-.
THEATRES IN ITALY.—The recent death of Cata-
lini renders Sinigaglia, her birth-place, a spot of interest
to the musical world. The city is remarkable for the
brilliancy of its theatrical performances. Last year they
had Frezzolini, Barbieri, Nini, and Piombanti, as prime
donne, Poggi, Castellan, and Lucchesi, as primi lento i,
and Porto, as prime basso. In 1842, Teresa Brambilla
was one of the p; ime donne, Ivanhoff and Lucchesi Here
tenors, Tamburini, Rosi, and Fallar, basses. An at-
tempt was made to produce Gugliebno Tell, under the
name of Rodolfo di Sterlinga, but a Government decree
prevented its performance. The opera of Bonffacio di
Geremei, by Prince Poniatowski, has been played with
great success at the Teatro Argentine, at Rome, and was
supported by Teresa Brambilla, Giacomo Roppa (tenor),
and Sebastiano Ronconi, Carlo Porto, and Francesco
Fallar (basses). The theatre is celebrated for the ori-
ginal production of Rossini's Barbiere. Sebastiano Ron-
coni, according to an "indignant" correspondent, has be-
come a superior actor to his brother Georgio ; and cer-
tainly, from our recollection of Sebastiano at the Lyceum
in the opera of Furies°, and of Georgio, at her Majesty's
Theatre, in 1842, we have uo reason to discredit his
StateNOLlt.