Star.
London, England, 1827-03-01 00:00:00

tachei to the Board, who hat

He has a salary.
Voices—What is the salary?
The CHAIRMAN.—Six hundred pounds a year.—
(Cries of " Name, namel")
The CHAIRMAN —Certainly : Mr. Harvey is the per.
son.—(A laugh, and cries of "Aye, aye," and applause).
—There is also a Supetintendant all sat, an Officer of
great utility, at a salary el 2.501. a year.
A SHAREHOLDER.-I'd wish to know whether the ba-
lance sheet has been signed by the Auditors ?
Captain DUNDAS.—It is asked whether the balance
sheet has been signed by the Auditors? I, as one of
the Auditors, say, in answer, that it has not. It was
impossible for us to sign it, for we did not see it. I
think it right to state here, that I know quite enough
about the affairs of the Company to warrant me in
labmitting a motion for a Committee of Shareholders
,basexamine the accounts.( Applause, in which the Di.
' ream s joined.)
. Mr. D. W. HARVEY said, that he rose to produce to
the Shareholder s a statement of the finances of the Com.
pany, but he found it necessary, in consequence of
some hints and surmises which seemed to have gained
ground, to take the oppottunity of speaking, although
extremely reluctant to do so of himself. He had been
appointed at a time when the affairs of the Company
were in an extremely complicated state, and he would
appeal to all those Gentlemen who Is id an oppor-
tunity of observing his exertions, whether any man
could have been more assiduous ? From morning to
night had he attended the office in Crutched Friars tor
the purpose of ascertaining whether any and what do.
linquencies had been committed, and he stood forward
now, not as the apologist or the defender of any man,
or set of men—(Applause). He was nut the advocate
of a profuse expenditure. He was too fond of economy
io a Company, or in a country, to rise for the purpose
of supporting a contrary practice. As t the expense of
the Board of Centroul, the Meeting must be aware,
that previously to the institution of that Board; three
.1 the Managing Directors had 3001.. a year eac!..—
Until.that 9001. a year was given up, he had not con-
sented to take one farthing for the labour which, in the
arduous situation to which he was appointed, he was
etaundergo—(Cheers). If any Gentleman thought and
declared that he bad not earned 1501. the portion of
salary now due to him, he would wsili igly make him
a present of the money as an embellishment to his
speech--(A laugh and loud applause).
Mr. BARNIET.-1 as extremely glad that I asked the
question, as so satisfArory an explanatioa has been
vem—(Hear, hear). lam convinced that no man Is
better qualified to act for the benefit of the Company
than Mr. Harvey.
- Mr. HARVEY then read the balance sheet, which
dated, that almost all the money, npwards of 30,0001.
bad been expended.
A motion for the appointment of a Committee to
inquire into the state of the affairs of tjse Company was
finally agreed to, and it was also determined that two
of the vessels should be sold.

The Meeting was not oyer, till five o'clock, and the
greatest interest was excited in consequence of the rel.
port that great mismanagement had taken place.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT ALEXANDRIA.

WASHNGTON, .I.s. 17.
A dreadful calamity bee! our sister city of Alexen.
dria yesterday, leaving the most populous ana flourish-
ing part of that city in ruins. The following is but a
very imperfect account of the extent of the calamity :
About nine in the morning an al.nm of fire was
given, when it was found that a cabinet 'Tutees shop in •
the interior of the square, and near the intersection of
King and Royal streets were in fl Imes; that. nine or ten
others fronting on alleys were destroyed, most of which
were the back buildings of houses fronting on King and
Fairfax-streets. From these the fire extended to Fairfax-
street, consuming the wooden houses occupied by Mr.
Hill, Mr. Masterun, Mr. prochus ; and afterwards five
three-story brick houses, occupied by Mr. Dods'
13r. Hooper, Captain Johnson, and Captain Ran-
ney, and one house unoccupied; and afterwards
several wooden ones: all these were on the west side of
Fairfaxatreet. On the east side two three-;tort' brick
stores were also consumed. Here the fire was arrested
in Fairfax-street; but in the meantime the blaz.ng
shingles had ignited the flames in Princes-street, sweep-
ing every house on both sides from that to Uiion•street.
with the exception of one fire-proof warehouse, occupied
by Mr. Miller, as a leather store. On Union street the
ravages were checked, north and s' nth, and prevented
from crossing the street to the east, thereby saving the
most valuable property in the town, lying in the wharfs,
where the shipping was completely tivetted by ice, too
strong to leave a hope of escape.

AGRICULTURE, &c.
MONTHLY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY.

The frost has continued remarkably dry and free
from snow, for those considerable falls which occurred
were local, and of short duration, yet, never theless, sut-
ficient to bury and destroy a considerable number of
sheep, in certain mountainous districts, where ac-
cording to good old custom, it is deemed an admirable
property in those animals to starve well, and to escape
in certain proportions, with skin, horns, and bone,
through the rigours of winter. This dry winter follow-
ing a droughty summer, has failed to replenish the
exhausted springs, so that there is in some parts yet a
cry of the want of water.
The wheat standing, for the most part, thick upon
the soil, may probably have been benefited rather than
injured by the frost, the discoloration of the foliage
being of no importance.

Livsardot, FIB. 27.—About 1,200 bags of Cotton
have been sold to•diy, at last week's prices. The ar-
rivals were pretty•heavy yesterday, and if this Mind
continues a few days longer, we shall, no doubt, have
several more vessels in with Cotton.

Satordy, a fine boy, son of Mr. Giffin, Canal Basin,
Paisley, was drowned at Hawkhead, near Paisley. He,
along with several others, had recently left the school,
and proceeded on the ice as far as the fatal spot, when
the ice gave way, and about half a dozen fell in. The
others were all extricated from their perilous situation ;
five minutes only elapsed before his body was
notwithstanding, life was extinct.
A distressing occurrence took place on Sund
ing on Anderston Walk, near Glasgow.
keeps a spirit cellar there, in a fit of derange.
the throat of bis own child, an infant of •
The unhappy maniac has been since put io
• Accounts from Guatemala, to the Ist of

sate, that order and tranquilhoy were agaim

restored in that Province.

.

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