The Press. — 1857-05-16 (London, England)

THE PRESS.  repaying part of the sum paid up without leave of the Board of Trade, contrary to the form of the statute ( 7th and Rth Viet., cap. 113, section 5), and the terms of the charter, page 53. 2nd, making, declaring, and publishing false statements and balance-sheets of the assets and liabilities of the bank. 3rd, declaring dividends when no profits had been made, but, on the contrary, when the affairs of the corporation were greatly embarrassed and large losses had been incurred, and when, according to the terms of the charter, not a single farthing ought to have been allowed for dividend. 4th, conspiring to raise the price of the shares of the company by illegal means and with a criminal view. sth, canapiring when in a state of insolvency, and when the losses of the company had exhausted the "surplus or reserve fund" and one•fourth port of the paid-up capital—l say, when in such a state, conspiring to obtain a supplemental charter from the Crown by false representations and by false reports and balance-sheets, and making dividends when nut justified in so doing, and thereupon issuing new shares or obtaining deposits for new shares at a premium, with intent to cheat the public and in contempt of the prerogative of the Crown. 6th, making such repeated gross misapplications of the funds of the bank by large loans to some of the directors and other persons on terms of the utmost risk, in total disregard of the discretion vested in the directors by the charter, with consequent serious loss to the corporation ; embarking in a hazardous speculation by laying out large sums of the bank money upon an undertaking qu'te foreign to the business of banking—l refer particularly to the Welsh mines—and thereby also incurring heavy losses; not exercising proper superintendence and control over the general manager in conducting the business sod affairs of the company; and though the directors found that the losses of the company had exhausted all the " surplus or reserved fund," and also one fourth of the capital actually paid up, failing to call a special general meeting of the proprietors and to submit to the meeting a statement of the affairs of the company as directed by the 71st article of the deed of constitution, all which several instances of misconduct under the sixth head were in direct violation of the terms of the charter.  THE TRIAL OF BACON AND HIS WIFE for the murder of their two children has resulted in the acquittal of Bacon and a verdict of " Not Guilty " on the plea of insanity against Mrs. Bacon, who will be confined for life as a criminal lunatic. The details of the case are familiar to most of our readers. The most conclusive evidence was furnished by. respect. able witnesses—Mrs. Munro, her mother, Mrs. Payne, and several neighbours—that on the Sunday previous to the murder Bacon had called upon and a•ked Mrs. Munro to come early the following morning and stop with his wife during his absence at Reigate ; that he left for Reigate about six o'clock on the Monday morning (29th December) ; and that Mra. Munro, on the Monday afternoon, on going to the house, found it closed, and could not get in. The next morning, on going down again, she met Mrs. Bacon, who declared that the two children had been murdered that morning by a burglar, who got into the house through the window, so that all belief of collusion between Bacon and his wife was satisfactorily dispelled. Tthe trial on Wednesday, though it acquits him most fully of the foul charge, leaves him yet to meet as serious a one for the poisoning of his mother, whose sudden and mysterious death a year or two since was recalled by the suspicious circumstance which appeared to envelope the murder of the children. Of the insanity of Mrs. Bacon there is not the least doubt. She was confined in St. Luke's last year from June to October ; and in her delusions had frequently threatened to destroy the lives of her dearest relatives.